WKU Football will get the main portion of its conference schedule underway on Saturday against Missouri State at Robert W. Plaster Stadium. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. CT and the game will be streamed on ESPN+.
Missouri State checks off a program milestone Saturday when the Bears welcome Western Kentucky for MSU's first-ever Conference USA contest. The teams have met 10 times previously and were league foes in the Gateway Conference (now MVFC) from 2001-06. WKU leads the series 8-2.n
One of the Bears players knows Big Red and his team well. He’s freshman quarterback Deuce Bailey, one of the most successful athletes ever to wear Bowling Green High’s regal Purple and Gold.
Deuce is the son of a former Logan County Cougar great, Craig Bailey, who led Coach Dick Webb’s basketball Cougars to the regional finals in 1993 team. Craig is devoted to his son and has posted almost daily on Facebook for many years.
Here’ a look at Deuce Bailey’s accomplishments at BGH:
High School
Led coach Mark Spader's Bowling Green (Ky.) High squad to back-to-back 5A state titles in 2023 and 2024, including a 37-20 win over Cooper in the 2024 championship his senior season ... During his senior campaign (2024), he completed 239-of-343 passes for 3,183 yards and 45 touchdowns with just 4 interceptions ... He also rushed 68 times for 423 yards and 5 touchdowns, including 3 scores in the state finals to help him earn state finals and District Player of the Year by the Kentucky Football Coaches Association ...Championship MVP honors for the second year in a row ... Named Class 5A Player of the year as the Purples finished 13-2 his senior season ... In 2023, Bailey led Bowling Green to a 28-14 win over Cooper to win the 5A state title and was named the championship game MVP ... For the season, he passed for 3,517 yards, 43 touchdowns and rushed for 8 touchdowns while being named 5A Player of the Year and District Player of the Year ... During his sophomore season (2022), he passed for 3,136 yards and 34 touchdowns while rushing for 500 yards for a 12-3 state runner-up team ... During his freshman campaign, he passed for 1,100 yards and 8 touchdowns
In addition, Bailey was a key player on Coach D.G. Sherrill’s basketball Purples who were state runner-up this March. BGH was regional runner-up his other three seasons. He scored 1,283 points on the hardwood, 312 coming on 104 three-pointers. Additionally, he piled up353 rebounds as a Purple.
Deuce is not starting for MSU as a freshman. His playing time has been limited.
GAME INFO
- WKU (3-1 overall, 1-0 CUSA) at Missouri State (2-2 overall, 0-0 CUSA)
- Saturday, Sept. 27 | 6 p.m. CT | Robert W. Plaster Stadium | Springfield, Mo.
- Watch: ESPN+ (PxP: Don West | Analyst: Tom Mast | Cierra Clark)
- Listen: BG 100.7 FM/Varsity Network (PxP: Randy Lee | Analyst: Terry Obee | Reporter: Jared Holland)
- Social: @WKUFootball | @WKUSports
- Live Stats: wku.statbroadcast.com
- Game Notes: WKU | Missouri State | CUSA
ABOUT THE TOPS
- The Hilltoppers are coming off of a 31-16 win over Nevada on Saturday, Sept. 20. WKU scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter to down the Wolf Pack and move to 3-1 overall and 3-0 at Houchens-Smith Stadium this season.
- WKU is one of four teams that enter the week with a 1-0 record in Conference USA play. The Hilltoppers defeated Sam Houston, 41-24, in the Week 0 season opener. Also with wins in league play are Delaware, Louisiana Tech and Jax State. Missouri State will be playing its first league game as a member of CUSA, and Kennesaw State, UTEP and Middle Tennessee also enter the week without having played a conference game yet this season. New Mexico State, FIU, Liberty and Sam Houston are all 0-1 in CUSA play entering the week. Tyson Helton owns a 35-13 record in regular-season CUSA games since becoming WKU's Head Coach, with wins in nine of the last 11 such games.
- WKU has seen tremendous success offensively throwing the ball under Tyson Helton. The Hilltoppers have led CUSA in passing offense each of the last four seasons and have finished in the top 25 nationally each year during that timeframe, including leading the nation in passing offense in 2021. Helton also found success through the air as WKU's Offensive Coordinator in 2014 and 2015, finishing first in CUSA in passing offense both years and second and fourth nationally, respectively. QB Maverick McIvor and Offensive Coordinator Rick Bowie have helped keep that trend going so far this season. Through four games this season, McIvor has thrown for 1,157 yards and 10 touchdowns on 102-153-2 passing and rushed for another score. McIvor enters the week ranked ninth nationally in passing yards and tied for 11th nationally in passing touchdowns. McIvor is one of just 23 quarterbacks in the country that has thrown for at least 1,000 yards and he is one of 15 players in the country that has thrown double-digit touchdown passes, and he is one of just 10 that has done both.
- WKU has been showing the depth at the wide receiver position so far this fall. The Hilltoppers have had a different leading receiver through each of its first four games, have had three different players post 100-yard receiving games and have had seven different players catch touchdown passes. Overall, 16 different Hilltoppers have caught a pass this season, and 14 of those players have multiple receptions. Six WKU players have at least 12 receptions and over 100 yards receiving through four games. Matthew Henry led the Hilltoppers in the opener with 148 yards and a touchdown on seven receptions, K.D. Hutchinson had 113 yards and two scores on five receptions against North Alabama, Marvis Parrish caught a team high seven passes and Moussa Barry led the team with 110 yards receiving at Toledo, and tight end Noah Meyers posted a team-best 81 yards on six receptions in last week's win over Nevada.
- The Hilltoppers kicked off the 2025 season with 61 new players on the roster, with 47 transfers and 14 true freshmen.
- WKU punter Cole Maynard enters the week ranking second nationally in punting average, booting the ball 50.76 yards on 17 attempts this season. He has a long of 71 yards.
- WKU is one of just 11 teams in the country, and one of three G5 programs, that has played in a bowl game or College Football Playoff game in each of the last six seasons.
- WKU is the only non-Power Conference program to have a player selected within the first three rounds in each of the last four NFL Drafts.
QUOTABLE
- "Big conference game on the road this week. Really excited to get back in conference play. Going to play a really good Missouri State team. Coach (Ryan) Beard and his staff do a great job and it should make for a great conference game. I know our guys will be anxious to go out there and compete." – WKU Football Head Coach Tyson Helton, on facing Missouri State on Saturday.
- "I think a lot of it is the mentality of the teams they've gone against. We've had the ability to get some games where some of their previous opponents are similar in some areas to us and some that are a little bit different. You do your best to piece it together. I think we'll get a decent clue and then everybody puts together a game plan for their individual opponent, so I'm sure we'll see something different like we do every week and try to get that diagnosed as quickly as possible. I'm sure they'll have – like everybody – something unique." – WKU Football Offensive Coordinator Rick Bowie, on preparing for Missouri State.
- "I think they've got some really good skill players. Their quarterback does a really good job. They've got a physical O-line, so I think it's going to be a really big challenge for us defensively. They do a really good job of getting explosive plays in the pass game and the quarterback does a really good job. I tell our players that their guys are similar to our skill guys. Every week somebody in our receiver corps is going to have a breakout game, right? It's not just one guy. In that aspect, we've got to understand they've got a bunch of guys that can make plays and every guy can have his game, so we've got to make sure we eliminate explosive passes, stay on top of these guys, right? But they have a really good receiving corps and the quarterback runs the show." – WKU Football Co-Defensive Coordinator Da'Von Brown, on Missouri State.