LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Western Kentucky moved to 2-0 in C-USA games after defeating Missouri State on the road Saturday night.
The Hilltoppers (4-1, 2-0) had 476 yards of total offense and 25 first downs in the 27-22 win.
"If you want to be a good football team, you've got to go on the road and you've got to win in conference on the road, and that's hard to do," WKU coach Tyson Helton said.
WKU quarterback Maverick McIvor had 317 yards passing yards with a touchdown and La'Vell Wright led the rushing attack with 91 yards and a pair of scores.
After a scoreless first quarter, Missouri State got on the board first with a 49-yard field goal to start the second quarter.
WKU responded with a trick play for a 39-yard touchdown pass from McIvor to Noah Meyers less than a minute later.
After WKU got out to a 10-3 lead, Missouri State scored 13 straight points to take a 16-10 advantage in the third quarter.
That's when Wright retook the lead for the Hilltoppers and extended it with a pair of touchdowns to head into the fourth quarter.
"Powering through," Wright said. "We started very slow, so coming out in the second half we knew we needed to put the ball on the ground, move that clock, move the chains, and put points on the board. That was probably the biggest thing."
WKU's defense took care of the rest, limiting Missouri State to just one touchdown to secure the win.
"We were able to put it all together, especially in the fourth quarter," Helton said. "We talk about get to the fourth quarter and go win it, and we did it tonight."
The Hilltoppers will travel to Delaware next on Friday for a 6 p.m. CT matchup.
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