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The Old Dominion Monarchs will be returning home after a two-game road trip. Old Dominion and the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers will face off in a Conference USA battle at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday at Kornblau Field at S.B. Ballard Stadium. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they'll have plenty of motivation to get the 'W.'
The Monarchs fought the good fight in their overtime game against the Marshall Thundering Herd last week but wound up with a less-than-desirable result, falling 20-13. Old Dominion was their own worst enemy and cost themselves 92 yards in penalties. QB D.J. Mack Jr. had a memorable game, but not in the way you want to be remembered: despite one touchdown, he threw two interceptions with only 4.82 yards per passing attempt.
Meanwhile, don't be fooled by the insanely high score: we promise WKU and the UTSA Roadrunners were playing football. WKU was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap last week as they fell 52-46 to UTSA. Despite the defeat, the Hilltoppers got a solid performance out of QB Bailey Zappe, who passed for five TDs and 523 yards on 60 attempts.
The Monarchs are the clear underdogs, so they're hoping it's the size of the fight that determines this one. Those who got lucky with them against the spread last week might want to hold off on placing bets this time since the team has yet to string together back-to-back wins against the spread.
The losses put Old Dominion at 1-5 and WKU at 1-4. A pair of defensive numbers to keep in mind before kickoff: Old Dominion is stumbling into the contest with the 228th most passing touchdowns allowed in the nation, having given up 13 on the season. The Hilltoppers have experienced some struggles of their own as they are 229th worst in the nation in rushing touchdowns allowed, with 13 on the season. It's possible one of these Achilles' heels will wind up tripping the losing team up.
