Joel Iyiegbuniwe says that when it comes to defending the run, little things can make all the difference.

According to the Western Kentucky linebacker, those are things the Hilltoppers need to work on before their game this weekend at Vanderbilt (11 a.m. Saturday, ESPNU).

The Hilltoppers go into the matchup 5-3 after taking a 42-28 defeat Saturday against Florida Atlantic. The Owls ran for 368 yards at a 6.7-yard-per-carry rate.

“A lot of last week was little things like fits and tackling, just small things that if you don’t do your job one time, it can pop for a big play,” the redshirt junior Iyiegbuniwe said Wednesday. “This week we got back to the basics of tacking drills – wrapping, squeezing, driving your feet. We’re going to clean those things up.”

Run defense was a strength for WKU early this season, but has become an area of concern in recent weeks.

The Toppers allowed 248 rushing yards (7.3 yards per carry) in an Oct. 14 win against Charlotte and 268 yards (5.6 ypc) in an Oct. 20 victory at Old Dominion before FAU ran wild on WKU last week. Prior to that three-game stretch, the Hilltoppers hadn’t allowed any opponent to average more than 4.5 yards per carry.

WKU now ranks No. 92 of 130 FBS teams in rushing yards allowed per game (186.75) and No. 105 in yards per carry allowed (4.88). Those figures rank No. 10 and No. 11, respectively, in the 14-team Conference USA.

“As the season’s gone on, we’ve taken some lumps the last three or four games from a rushing standpoint,” defensive coordinator Clayton White said. “We’re going to continue to work at it and hopefully we can finish strong these next couple of games, starting Saturday in Nashville.”

Many of the rushing yards WKU has surrendered in recent weeks have come on chunk plays. The Hilltoppers allowed 12 carries of 20-plus yards in the month of October, which ranked third worst for the month across the FBS.

Florida Atlantic tied Saturday’s game at 28-28 in the fourth quarter on a 60-yard run by running back Devin “Motor” Singletary – one of four rushing TDs he tallied for the game. The Owls scored two more fourth-quarter TDs to seal the 42-28 win.

Players and coaches spoke after that game about a need to tackle better. White said that’s been a focus this week at practice.

“We’re definitely working on that if you miss a tackle – and you’re going to miss some tackles – having other guys there,” White said. “Effort to the ball has to be a little bit better, just our angles and our intentions when we’re running to the ball …

“I thought we tackled well in parts of the game and toward the fourth quarter, things obviously got out of hand. But we definitely want to tackle better as a defense.”

WKU’s defensive line has battled attrition. Defensive end Carson Jordan hasn’t played since the season opener, while defensive tackles Jalen Madden and Evan Sayner sustained season-ending injuries.

Combine those issues with the preseason dismissal of projected starting defensive end Tanner Reeves, and the Hilltoppers’ D-line depth has been tested. A thinner line certainly hasn’t helped the WKU defense when it comes to stopping the run.

Iyiegbuniwe leads WKU this season with 63 tackles. Next up on the list of the Toppers’ top tacklers are three defensive backs: safeties Devon Key (54) and Drell Greene (40) and nickelback Ta’Corian Darden (39).

WKU expects Vanderbilt to lean heavily on the run game Saturday. The Commodores feature running back Ralph Webb, who’s the school’s all-time leading rusher with 3,781 yards on the ground.

Webb ran for three touchdowns last season in a 31-30, overtime Vandy win at Houchens-Smith Stadium.

The running back checked out of the Commodores’ loss at South Carolina early last week with an injury, but coach Derek Mason said Tuesday he expects Webb to play against WKU.

“We know what they’re going to bring,” the South Warren High School product Iyiegbuniwe said. “They’re a tough, physical team. … They’re going to run the ball and we’ve got to be ready.

“Stopping the run is one of our main things, so we’re going to have to do that.”