Offense shines as Tops wrap up spring with Showcase

Published 6:00 pm Saturday, April 20, 2024

Western Kentucky’s offense set the tone on the first play of Saturday’s Red & White Spring Showcase at Houchens-Smith Stadium.

Transfer quarterback TJ Finley hooked up with returning standout wide receiver Dalvin Smith on a 41-yard deep pass completion, one of several deep shots the Hilltopper offense took against the defense in the spring-wrapping finale.

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After establishing that very real threat, the Tops mainly worked the short and intermediate routes and mixed in a more run-heavy attack than they showed last season.

“I thought the quarterbacks managed the offense well today,” WKU head coach Tyson Helton said. “Right off the bat we made a nice throw to Dalvin on the post route that he caught that was a big play. It was good to see the offensive line – we’ve got some young offensive linemen that got in there today and they did well and handled themselves well.

“Defensively, they were very nice to us. They were very basic, they didn’t blitz us today and all those kind of things. It was good to see the front four get after the offensive line because usually you create blitzes to help those guys get off blocks and they had to do it on their own. So it was good to see our d-linemen get off those blocks and make a sack or two. A lot of good young players got a chance to play today, so that was good to see.”

The showcase featured no tackling – two-hand touch rules – and restrained contact on the line, along with that vanilla defense in an effort to limit the potential for injury.

The showcase gave WKU fans their first look at numerous newcomers to the program, including Finley. The 6-foot-7, 255-pound Texas State transfer, who led the Bobcats to an 8-5 record capped by a 45-21 win against Rice in the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl, has plenty of starting experience in his previous stops at LSU (2020), Auburn (2021-22) and Texas State (2023).

An All-Sun Belt Conference honorable mention selection last season at Texas State, Finley completed 279 of 414 passes for 3,439 yards and 24 touchdowns against eight interceptions. Finley started all 13 games for the Bobcats and added 81 rushing yards and five touchdowns.

He figures to be in the thick of a quarterback battle with WKU returning QBs Caden Veltkamp and Turner Helton, with freshman Tucker Parks also getting a series on Saturday.

Veltkamp, who produced a dazzling five-touchdown, 383-yard passing performance off the bench to rally the Hilltoppers from four touchdowns down to beat Old Dominion 38-35 in overtime in the Famous Toastery Bowl in December, was sharp again Saturday.

Leading the offense on three separate series, Veltkamp helped his unit put points on the board each time – first with a 35-yard touchdown pass to Dalvin Smith, then a 9-yard TD strike to Jaleel Walker before eding the final series with a short field goal.

Finley’s first drive ended with Lucas Carneiro’s 47-yard field goal, but he got the Hilltoppers to the end zone on his second series with a 17-yard touchdown pass to Easton Messer.

Turner Helton, who earned his first career start in the Famous Toastery Bowl in place of injured starter Austin Reed, also finished with a pair of touchdown passes – a 5-yard scoring strike to Walker for the Tops’ first TD of the day, and later a 7-yard TD pass to Denzil Alleyne.

Parks, a true freshman, flashed solid mobility and completed six passes while moving the offense 72 yards before defensive Virgil Marshall ended the drive with an interception near the goal line.

It was an impactful day for Marshall, who added a pass breakup in the end zone.

“I just came in trusting the process, trusting this whole spring – just finally putting it together because I had kind of a rough spring, but I just kept going and going and kept faith in God,” said Marshall, a junior. “It clicked today.”

While the Tops did work extensively on the passing game, WKU did finish with 35 run plays out of 95 total snaps. Last year’s leading rusher Elijah Young got a carry and a reception on that opening drive, but Bowling Green transfer Ta’ron Keith and returning running backs L.T. Sanders and Corey Landers got the bulk of the carries.

“I thought the offensive line did a great job in the run game,” Veltkamp said. “I don’t know that we had a negative running play today and we did a great job in pass protection. They held up, receivers ran great routes and we got the ball out. We didn’t take a lot of sacks.”

Prior to the showcase, WKU defensive end Deante McCray was the recipient of the Al Almond Award, which has been given since 1968 to a Hilltopper player who displays devotion to character, loyalty, ability, and love of fellow man.

Defensive back Alex Ford earned the Jimbo DeVries Outstanding Walk-On Award, which has been presented since 2008. The Darryl Drake Award, presented in honor of a player who has displayed remarkable perseverance, was given to offensive lineman Evan Wibberley.

Young was named the team’s Spring Offensive MVP, while defensive backs Upton Stout and Anthony Johnson Jr. were named Spring Co-Defensive MVPs. Receiver KD Hutchinson was named Spring Offensive Most Improved Player and defensive lineman Dallas Walker was named Spring Defensive Most Improved Player.

“Really like our football team coming out of spring,” Helton said. “Still have a lot of competition in a lot of areas that throughout the summer and fall camp that we’ll have to see, but overall it was a good spring and a good showing today.”

The Hilltoppers are scheduled to open the 2024 regular season at Alabama on Aug. 31. WKU’s home opener is scheduled for Sept. 7 against Eastern Kentucky.{&end}