WKU head football coach Willie Taggart runs onto the field waving a red towel before the Hilltoppers' victory over Southern Mississippi at Houchens-Smith Stadium in September. (Photo by Joe Imel/Daily News)

Western Kentucky football players say they’re not out for revenge – just a championship.

The Hilltoppers (3-1) start Sun Belt Conference play this weekend against the last team to defeat them inside league play.

Arkansas State left Bowling Green with a 26-22 win last October. The Red Wolves (2-2) didn’t lose a conference game the rest of the way – and neither did WKU.

“We went through last year, we finished 7-1 in our conference and that wasn’t good enough,” WKU coach Willie Taggart said. “If we don’t learn from that, we’re never going to learn. I think our guys understand that each game is going to count, and it’s going to be a dogfight throughout the conference.

“We’re in the same situation we were in last year where we open the season with Arkansas State. They’re the defending conference champion, so we’ve got to go play our ‘A’ game.”

What the Tops say they won’t be doing this week is setting their sights on revenge. It’s arguable that if WKU would have beaten ASU in 2011, a conference title and postseason bowl bid would have been theirs for the taking.

Instead, Western Kentucky finished one game behind Arkansas State in the standings and didn’t receive a bowl invitation.

“We’re not looking at it as revenge game, or, ‘We’re trying to get back at them,’ ” senior defensive lineman Rammell Lewis said. “We’re looking at it as, this is a step closer to getting to our goals, to getting to a Sun Belt championship, to winning the conference, to going to a bowl game.

“We’re not going to run around here talking about, ‘We got to payback for last year,’ because last year is over with. It’s all about this year, it’s a new team and we just got to continue to take each game one at a time and look at it from that standpoint.”

What makes it easier for WKU to ignore the revenge factor is – despite being 3-1 after posting consecutive wins over Kentucky and Southern Mississippi – the Tops feel they have much to improve on.

Defensively, Taggart and Lewis said tackling remains a concern, especially against a skillful and speedy ASU team. On offense, junior center Sean Conway said ball security remains a focal point for the skill positions and maintaining blocks for the O-line is also key.

“Three-and-one is a lot better than 0-4 (in 2011), for sure,” Conway said, “but we got to keep playing. None of us are satisfied until we win the Sun Belt championship. None of us are thinking about anything like that (comparing starts). We’re just focused on the next game and winning.”

The Hilltoppers will be without starting safety Jonathan Dowling, however.

Dowling was flagged for a personal foul penalty on a hit to the head of USM wide receiver Tyre Bracken in the third quarter Saturday against Southern Mississippi and subsequently ejected from the game.

Sun Belt rules say that an ejected player must miss the team’s following game. Commissioner Karl Benson confirmed Monday that WKU is appealing that suspension, and a ruling on that appeal would be rendered today.

“We’re moving on,” Taggart said. “Like I just said, no excuses. We have a big-time ballgame and we got to move on with or without Jonathan.”

Senior Kareem Peterson will start in Dowling’s place. Peterson has 148 career tackles and four career interceptions. He’s played in three of four games this season, recording an assist and two pass breakups.

NOTES — Western Kentucky football 10-6 over its last 16 games – 10 wins against teams with a combined 33-61 record; six losses against teams a combined 43-23. … The road team has won the past three meetings between WKU and Arkansas State. … The Red Wolves have won eight straight league games while WKU has reeled off seven in a row. … Arkansas State was won eight straight at their home field, Liberty Bank Stadium.