The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers will head out on the road to face off against the UTEP Miners at 9:00 p.m. ET on Saturday at Sun Bowl. Despite being away, Western Kentucky is looking at a nine-point advantage in the spread.
Western Kentucky might have drawn first blood against Liberty on Tuesday, but it was Liberty who got the last laugh. Western Kentucky took a 42-29 hit to the loss column at the hands of Liberty. It was the first time this season that Western Kentucky let down their fans at home.
Austin Reed put forth a good effort for the losing side as he threw for 365 yards and four touchdowns. Malachi Corley also deserves a shout-out for his two touchdowns.
Meanwhile, it was close, but on Wednesday UTEP sidestepped Sam Houston for a 37-34 win. UTEP was down 27-13 with 6:25 left in the third quarter but they still came back for the handy three-point victory.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead UTEP to victory, but perhaps none more so than Deion Hankins, who rushed for 117 yards and a touchdown on only 15 carries. The team also got some help courtesy of Kelly Akharaiyi, who picked up 126 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Liberty's win bumped their season record to 8-0 while Western Kentucky's defeat dropped theirs to 4-4.
UTEP is hoping to beat the odds on Saturday, as the experts think they're headed for a loss. Bettors picking them against the spread have some confidence (to put it mildly), as the team is sitting on a three-game streak of failing to cover when playing at home.