What you need to know about Western Kentucky before Ohio State vs. WKU Saturday
Tyson Helton knows the kind of atmosphere Western Kentucky will see Saturday at Ohio Stadium.
The Hilltoppers' football coach was in Ohio Stadium against Ohio State as Alabama at Birmingham's running backs coach in 2012, losing the Buckeyes 29-15. Helton later took on Ohio State again as the passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Southern California when the Trojans played the Buckeyes in the 2017 Cotton Bowl.
"It’s a fantastic place to play," Helton said when asked about Ohio Stadium. "Definitely going to be a tremendous challenge, but a challenge our team is excited to play in and excited to be in that arena. It’s what college football is all about."
On Saturday, Helton will lead Western Kentucky into its first matchup against Ohio State at 4 p.m. Saturday on FOX.
Here's what you need to know about the Hilltoppers ahead of Saturday's matchup.
Western Kentucky is Ohio State's first Conference USA opponent since 2019
Ohio State does not have much experience against the nine teams currently in Conference USA.
While the Buckeyes had meetings against UAB (The American), Central Florida (Big 12), Florida Atlantic (The American) and Marshall (Sun Belt) when they were in Conference USA, Ohio State's only meeting with a team currently in that conference was in 2009 in a 45-0 win against New Mexico State.
Ohio State last played a Conference USA team in 2019 when the Buckeyes beat Florida Atlantic 45-21.
The Buckeyes do not have prior meetings with Liberty, Jacksonville State, Louisiana Tech, Middle Tennessee State, Sam Houston State, Florida International or Texas at El Paso.
Western Kentucky is known for its passing offense. Not so much for its defense
Western Kentucky had one of the best passing offenses in the country in 2022.
Led by West Florida transfer quarterback Austin Reed, the Hilltoppers averaged 352.2 passing yards and 3.1 touchdown passes per game. Reed finished the season with 4,746 passing yards, 105 more than any other quarterback in the Football Bowl Subdivision. He was also one of eight quarterbacks to throw for more than 4,000 passing yards, along with Washington's Michael Penix Jr., USC's Caleb Williams and Georgia's Stetson Bennett.
While Western Kentucky allowed only 23.4 points per game in 2022, the Hilltoppers allowed 383.7 yards per game and 5.2 yards per play. In 2023, it has gotten worse, as the Hilltoppers have allowed 456.5 yards per game in their first two outings, including 267 yards per game passing
Western Kentucky has Columbus-area and Ohio State connections
Both of Western Kentucky's Ohio natives on its 2023 roster have Columbus connections.
Craig Burt Jr. attended Centennial. Joining the Hilltoppers in 2020 after stints at Urbana and Hutchinson Community College, Burt has 41 catches for 462 yards and three touchdowns. In 2023, he has one catch for six yards.
Blue Smith was the No. 126 player and No. 5 athlete in the 2018 recruiting class and originally committed to Ohio State over Tennessee, Michigan and Alabama. Smith transferred to Cincinnati in 2019, appearing in 21 games in four seasons recording seven catches for 81 yards. In two games with the Hilltoppers, Smith has eight catches for 88 yards and a touchdown.
Western Kentucky is one of many recent new opponents for Ohio State
Western Kentucky is following in the footsteps of many of Ohio State's recent non-conference opponents.
Since 2012, 13 of the Buckeyes' non-conference opponents have played Ohio State for the first time. Two of those opponents — Virginia Tech and Tulsa — have played the Buckeyes again since that first matchup.
Here's a list of which teams Ohio State has faced for the first time since 2012:
Sept. 8, 2012: No. 14 Ohio State 31, Central Florida 16
Sept. 22, 2012: No. 16 Ohio State 29, UAB 15
Aug. 31, 2013: No. 2 Ohio State 40, Buffalo 20
Sept. 21, 2013: No. 4 Ohio State 76, Florida A&M 0
Sept. 13, 2014: Virginia Tech 35, No. 8 Ohio State 21
Sept. 12, 2015: No. 1 Ohio State 38, Hawaii 0
Sept. 26, 2015: No. 1 Ohio State 38, Western Michigan 12
Sept. 10, 2016: No. 4 Ohio State 48, Tulsa 3
Sept. 16, 2017: No. 8 Ohio State 38, Army 7
Sept. 23, 2017: No. 10 Ohio State 54, Nevada-Las Vegas 21
Sept. 22, 2018: No. 4 Ohio State 49, Tulane 6
Aug. 31, 2019: No. 5 Ohio State 45, Florida Atlantic 21
Sept. 10, 2022: No. 3 Ohio State 45, Arkansas State 12
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: What to know about Western Kentucky before matchup with OSU football
