Western Kentucky wide receiver Dalvin Smith runs for a touchdown against UTSA during the Hilltoppers’ 52-46 loss Oct. 9 at Houchens-Smith Stadium.

Western Kentucky snapped a four-game losing streak last weekend with a victory at Old Dominion, and now the Hilltoppers are hoping for a streak in a positive direction.

WKU aims for back-to-back wins for the first time this season when it travels to FIU to face the Panthers in a 6 p.m. CT game Saturday at FIU Stadium.

“Winning solves all problems in my opinion,” WKU head coach Tyson Helton said. “We went over a month without a win. It says a lot about our guys that they know what we can be, they know what our goals are, what we want to accomplish. They never let the losses effect them or how they approach their work or their mentality. Now you get that first conference win – winning solves a lot of things.

“We’ve just got to build off of that momentum. I know there’s a feeling in our building right now, from our staff to our players, of let’s go get on a roll, let’s go make a run now.”

Last weekend’s 43-20 win in Norfolk, Va., was WKU’s first since the season opener Sept. 2 against UT Martin, and improved the Hilltoppers to 2-4 overall and 1-1 in Conference USA play. It’ll now face its second contest with a C-USA East Division foe, and the second in a row on the road.

The Panthers enter at 1-5 overall and 0-2 in C-USA. FIU is coming off a bye week after losing to Charlotte 45-33 on Oct. 8 – the team’s fifth straight loss.

While WKU’s offense has been one of the best in the nation even during its four-game losing streak against Army, Indiana, Michigan State and UTSA, its defense had struggled, but the Hilltoppers are coming off their best showing on that side of the ball so far this season.

The Hilltoppers pressured Old Dominion quarterback Hayden Wolff, sacking him five times – doubling WKU’s season total up to that point – and forcing three turnovers. The 20 points allowed were the fewest from the WKU defense this season.

“I think it’s going to be tough, but that’s our guys, though – they’ve been working and we’ve been close, we just haven’t made those plays,” WKU defensive coordinator Maurice Crum said. “I think last week we finally got an opportunity to get the guy on the ground, to make the play, to make the tackle, and that gave those guys that boost. I think it’s just a continued mindset of now really believing that, hey, I can make that play and I’ve got to continue to make that play.”

FIU ranks seventh in C-USA in scoring offense at 27.8 points per game and fifth in total offense with 433.8 yards per game. The majority of that – 317.7 yards per game – comes through the air from Max Bortenschlager, who has completed 94-of-174 passes for 1,834 yards and 14 touchdowns to just five interceptions. Tyrese Chambers leads the receiving corps with 672 yards and six touchdowns on 20 receptions, while Bryce Singleton has 473 yards and a score on 26 receptions.

The Hilltoppers face a tough running back in D’vonte Price after seeing several rushing threats already this season. The 6-foot-2, 215-pound senior back has 500 yards and six touchdowns on 94 rushing attempts, after being one of C-USA’s top backs last year in limited action due to COVID cancellations at FIU.

While WKU’s offense struggled last season, its defense came up big in a meeting with FIU in Bowling Green. The Hilltoppers came away with a 38-21 win in large part because of defensive scores on back-to-back plays in the third quarter to kickstart a 28-0 run.

The Hilltoppers are averaging 40.8 points per game, but are coming off an offensive performance they were somewhat disappointed in. WKU reached the red zone on back-to-back possessions in the third quarter with a chance to put the game well out of reach, but failed to punch it into the end zone. Despite that, WKU still put up 43 points and 518 yards.

“A lot of guys were playing at a high level (against Old Dominion). It’s good to see,” Helton said. “Again, I still think, though, we can really elevate our level of play as a team. To get over to the offensive side, you know, you go out there and you’re scoring 40-plus points and the offense walks off the field and says, ‘Hey, it was our worst day at the park. We left a lot of points out there.’ They weren’t very happy with their performance. That says a lot about the passion of the football team.

“Same thing defensively. The defense, for what they did, they knew they left a lot of plays out there too. I think this team is really hungry to play just complete team football and see what we can do.”

It could be another big day for WKU offensive coordinator Zach Kittley’s crew, as FIU enters with the second-worst scoring defense in C-USA. The Panthers allow an average of 36.8 points and a league-worst 480.7 yards per game.

“Really another good team. You watch the games – they’re in every game,” Kittley said. “ … They’re very athletic. I’m sure their roster is loaded with some Florida guys that can really run, really athletic type guys. Once again, I think everybody we play the rest of the year is going to be a tough matchup because everybody’s got good players.”

WKU leads the all-time series with FIU 8-6, including wins in back-to-back games and six of the last eight.

The Hilltoppers are scheduled to follow Saturday’s game with back-to-back games at Houchens-Smith Stadium against Charlotte and Middle Tennessee.{&end}