Western Kentucky gets a rare chance at a do-over Saturday.

For the first time since becoming a full FBS member in 2009, the Hilltoppers will face a team for the second time in one season. That’ll happen when Louisiana Tech and WKU face off in the 2016 Dynacraft Conference USA Championship Game at Houchens-Smith Stadium (11 a.m., ESPN).

This will be a chance for the Toppers (9-3 overall, 7-1 C-USA) to make amends for their only conference defeat this season. WKU has won six straight games since taking a 55-52 loss to the Bulldogs on Oct. 6 in Ruston, La.

“It’s a little unusual in college football that you get a second chance at a team, so we get a second chance to face these guys on our home turf,” co-offensive coordinator Brian Brohm said. “We couldn’t be happier about that.”

That loss at La Tech was the low point of the Hilltoppers’ season, dropping the team to 3-3. WKU gave up a number of big plays to the Bulldog offense, allowing quarterback Ryan Higgins to throw for 454 yards and five touchdowns.

Wide receiver Carlos Henderson burned the Tops defense for 232 receiving yards and three touchdowns, while running back Jarred Craft accounted for three scores.

Louisiana Tech took a 49-24 lead with 8:01 left in the third quarter and then held off a WKU rally. The Hilltoppers had the ball late down 55-52, but the Bulldog defense forced WKU quarterback Mike White into a fumble and recovered it for a win.

“We’re looking forward to it, man,” right tackle Darrell Williams, Jr., said. “We kind of feel like we owed them being that they beat us earlier this season.

“We’re looking forward to the challenge and I think we’re getting ready to pull it off.”

The Topper defense is especially motivated to make up for its performance that night. WKU’s 55 points were the most it had given up since a 67-66 overtime win at Marshall in 2014.

The Hilltopper defense has improved since that night and now leads C-USA in opponent points per game (22.4) and opponent yards per play (5.00). The defense has been one of the main factors in WKU’s surge over the last six contests, all wins.

“I think they were not happy with the way they played for two quarters, maybe three,” defensive coordinator Nick Holt said of the Louisiana Tech loss. “They walked away saying, ‘Hey, we didn’t do a very good job and we need to play better for us to have a chance to win.’

“If we do that, then we’ll be right in the game and it’ll be a whole different deal.”

WKU’s defense has made a concentrated effort since then to prevent quick passes and perimeter passes – two areas in which the Bulldogs took advantage of the Hilltoppers.

WKU’s defense has also gotten healthier since that loss. Two key players, Nick Dawson-Brents and T.J. McCollum, both missed that Thursday night contest due to injuries.

McCollum, a redshirt junior linebacker, is third on the team with 75 total tackles despite missing two games. He’s made three tackles for loss and tallied two pass breakups, four quarterback hurries and a forced fumble.

Dawson-Brents, a graduate senior defensive end, also missed two games this year, including the loss at La Tech. He’s collected 29 total tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, three pass breakups, four QB hurries and a fumble recovery.

“I’m very excited, especially as a defense to redeem what we went through with them,” McCollum said. “I didn’t play that game, so I’m very excited to play them.”

Of course the revenge factor is a secondary subplot to the primary matter at hand – winning a conference championship.

WKU is the first school to ever host the C-USA Championship Game in back-to-back years and is trying to win it two seasons in a row. It would be the Tops’ first back-to-back league titles since they won the Ohio Valley Conference in both 1970 and ’71 under coach Jimmy Feix.

Meanwhile, the Bulldogs are playing for their 26th conference title in program history and first since joining Conference USA in 2013.

“Regardless of who you’re playing, if you’re playing in the championship we know you’re a good team,” the redshirt junior White said. “We had La Tech earlier in the year and we know how good they are. …

“When you have that conference championship trophy in our stadium and playing for it, you don’t need any extra motivation.”

– Follow sports reporter Brad Stephens on Twitter @BradBGDN or visit bgdailynews.com.