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The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers are 4-1 against the Charlotte 49ers since October of 2017, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Saturday. WKU and Charlotte will face off in a Conference USA battle at noon ET at Jerry Richardson Stadium. These two teams might be coming in a bit winded after having run the length of the field multiple times in their most recent games.
Pride goes before the fall, and it seems the Hilltoppers saw their 10-point advantage in the point spread and came into their contest against the North Texas Mean Green with a big head. WKU found themselves the reluctant recipients of an unpleasant 40-13 punch to the gut against North Texas on Saturday. No one had a standout game offensively for WKU, but they got one touchdown from QB Austin Reed.
Meanwhile, the Rice Owls typically have all the answers at home, but on Saturday the 49ers proved too difficult a challenge. Charlotte made easy work of the Owls and carried off a 56-23 victory. The matchup was all but wrapped up at the end of the third, by which point Charlotte had established a 49-17 advantage. Charlotte QB Chris Reynolds was slinging it as he passed for five TDs and 254 yards on 19 attempts. Reynolds had some trouble finding his footing against the FIU Panthers last week, so this was a step in the right direction.
This next game looks promising for WKU, who are favored by a full 16 points. Those burned by picking them against the spread on Saturday might want to keep in mind that the squad has not yet dropped back-to-back games against the spread this season.
WKU is now 5-4 while Charlotte sits at 2-7. A couple offensive stats to keep in the back of your head while watching: The Hilltoppers rank seventh in the nation when it comes to passing touchdowns, with 23 on the season. But the 49ers are even better: they enter the contest with 24 passing touchdowns, good for fifth best in the nation. We'll see if that edge gives Charlotte a route to victory.
