Western Kentucky faced three dual-threat quarterbacks in its first three games with Louisville’s Micale Cunningham, Liberty’s Malik Willis and Middle Tennessee’s Asher O’Hara.

The Hilltoppers are expecting a little bit different challenge Saturday with Marshall’s Grant Wells.

“First of all, I think he’s a really good quarterback. I think he’s got a tremendous future. In my opinion, he has NFL talent. He has NFL talent,” WKU head coach Tyson Helton said Monday. “He is a great anticipator. He anticipates the passing game, gets the ball out of his hands, he’s accurate down the field with the football, he’s athletic enough to get out of trouble, so he brings a different problem to our defense than the first three weeks.

“Now you’re facing more of a guy that’s going to try to tear you up in the passing game, but at the same time he can get out of trouble and make quality runs. Again, we’ll have a tremendous challenge on our hands defensively.”

Wells moved into the starting role this fall after an abrupt exit July 15 from Isaiah Green, who started 22 games in two years at quarterback. Green, who threw for 4,897 yards and 30 touchdowns, entered the transfer portal after a rough ending to the 2019 season. Grant Traylor of The Herald-Dispatch (Huntington, W.Va.) reported the late-season struggles had Marshall looking at an open quarterback competition between Green and Wells leading into the 2020 season.

The 6-foot-2, 210-pound Wells saw action in one game in his first season last year, carrying the ball on a fake punt, and redshirted. In Marshall’s 2-0 start this fall, Wells has thrown for 470 yards and four touchdowns on 27-of-48 passing (56.2%) with one interception. He’s also rushed for 73 yards and one touchdown on 12 attempts.

The Charleston, W.Va., native set a program record for passing yards in a debut with 307 on 16-of-23 passing in the Thundering Herd’s 59-0 victory over Eastern Kentucky, and he was named Conference USA’s Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 7. Marshall followed with a 17-7 win over then-No. 23 Appalachian State, which brought with it a trip to the Associated Press Top 25 for the first time since 2014.

“I feel like every week it’s going to be facing a really good quarterback at this level,” WKU defensive coordinator Clayton White said Wednesday. “Grant Wells, I can see why he moved into the role that he’s in. He has a lot of talent.

“He can actually run – when things break down, he can make plays. He’s a good thrower on the run, which that is probably the best we’ve seen as far as a quarterback on the move. He’s accurate, throws a really nice ball and a catchable ball – his receivers love catching the ball from him. I think he’s a young quarterback, but he seems like he has experience.”

In WKU’s 35-21 season-opening loss at Louisville, Cunningham threw for a career-high 343 yards and three touchdowns on 19-of-34 passing and rushed for 24 yards on 12 attempts, including a 14-yard touchdown.

Willis was making his first collegiate start in Liberty’s 30-24 victory over WKU, but had served as Jarrett Stidham’s backup at Auburn in 2017 and 2018. He threw for 133 yards on 13-of-21 passing, and had 168 yards and three touchdowns on 21 attempts – the biggest piece in the Flames’ 354-yard rushing offense that day.

O’Hara, who had 2,616 yards passing and became just the second Middle Tennessee quarterback to rush for over 1,000 yards last season, threw for 217 yards and a touchdown on 23-of-33 passing and had 98 of the Blue Raiders’ 102 yards rushing in WKU’s 20-17 win Saturday.

“The difference is (Wells) is younger. He hasn’t seen a lot of things and we’re a defense that’s been together a long time, so we’re just going to try to make it hard on him in all aspects of the game,” WKU senior cornerback Dionte Ruffin said Wednesday. “Similarities – it’s all the same – a lot of look to the sideline teams, get the call, kind of high tempo, but we’ll just come ready to play. We prepare for all quarterbacks almost the same, dual-threat or pocket passer.”

While playing only two games, Marshall has had 14 different players catch a pass. Ruffin says the part of the Thundering Herd offense that stands out is how well it works together.

“It’s not like it’s just ‘Oh, the quarterback’s a gunslinger, the running back is this and that,’ the whole collective unit, they’re a good solid team and I’ve got to respect that and the whole defense has to respect that and come ready to play,” Ruffin said.

Broc Thompson has eight receptions for 104 yards and Xavier Gaines has five receptions for 117 yards and a touchdown to lead the group, and White also points to redshirt senior Willie Johnson as a player he says Marshall looks to more now than it has in the past.

“They have a really good group. They’ve done a good job,” White said. “(Marshall head coach) Doc Holliday is a former wide receivers coach, so I know for sure he’s going to make sure he has those kind of bodies in the building and make sure those guys are happy.”

Saturday’s kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at Houchens-Smith Stadium.{&end}