NORFOLK, Va. – Ty Storey isn’t sugarcoating the deficiencies of Western Kentucky’s offense.

He’s honest about the problem he believes starts with himself.

“I definitely put a lot of pressure on myself,” Storey told the Daily News after WKU’s 20-3 victory at Old Dominion on Saturday.

WKU moved the ball with balance between the run and passing game for 320 yards and averaged 4.8 yards per play. But 20 points is all the Hilltoppers have been able to score in all three conference games and plenty of drives have ended in field goals when touchdowns were within grasp. It’s been frequent enough to become a weekly issue.

Storey has been the quarterback for WKU’s last two games since Steven Duncan was ruled out for the season with a broken foot. Twice in the last two games he has made a decision that pushed his team out of range to kick a field goal. There was another issue Saturday where Storey attempted a jump pass and overthrew a flat-footed receiver less than 10 yards in front of him.

Storey finished the game with just seven incompletions, but the misses and sacks he took were the difference in a game that felt closer than the 17-point margin. The transfer from Arkansas knows all eyes are on him even when the defense is the one putting on the show.

“It’s one of those things that it happens,” Storey said. “I have to keep getting better, but that shows promise. If we can start connecting on plays like that, then I can stop doing dumb stuff and we’ll just score more points.”

Storey redeemed himself by leading WKU on an 11-play, 86-yard drive that chewed 6:35 off the clock and ended with a 12-yard touchdown pass to Joshua Simon to make it a 20-3 ballgame.

He completed 21-of-28 pass attempts for 193 yards and running back Gaej Walker added 114 rushing yards to balance the offense. Up until that last touchdown, it looked like WKU would need the defense to make a final stand again.

Two of the Hilltoppers’ first three drives ended in turnovers deep in their own territory. Storey rolled to his left and threw off his back foot into downfield coverage that was easily picked off. ODU linebacker Lawrence Gardner stripped Walker for a fumble on the next play that led to the Monarchs’ only score on either gifted drive that started in the red zone.

WKU’s offense was then gifted a short field on a Ta’Corian Darden interception. Storey led a touchdown drive that started at the ODU 32.

WKU had 28 seconds left before halftime and the ball at the ODU 19 when another drive killer awoke. Old Dominion blitzed two linebackers that shoved the offensive line back into Storey. Needing a quick decision, Storey got off-balance and attempted to throw it away, but the ball left his hand before completing the motion and it was ruled a fumble downed at the 33. Munson missed a 51-yard field goal attempt that would’ve put WKU up two scores at halftime.

“I tried to get it out and it’s just too late,” Storey said. “It’s one of those things I have to understand there’s sometimes not plays to be made and you have to get rid of it. That’s something we’ll harp on this week and get better at.”

WKU’s first drive of the third quarter was another field goal that could’ve easily been a touchdown. WKU ran a jump pass on third-and-goal from the 2-yard line where Storey overthrew tight end Joshua Simon in the end zone. The ball hit the top of Simon’s hands as he extended full length a yard or two from the back of the end zone.

“It’s tough because you’re selling a run by the quarterback and he has to jump and throw it,” WKU coach Tyson Helton said. “That was tough. He came back and made a great throw to Josh for the last touchdown. That was a tough throw he made, so it was awesome to see.”

Storey made up for the other miss to Simon by hitting him in stride for the 12-yard score in the fourth quarter.

WKU scored on four of its six trips to the red zone. On the season, WKU is 11-of-18 in scoring touchdowns on red zone trips.

“It’ll be one or two plays here and there and it just hurts us,” Storey said. “Last week it was penalties in the red zone and this week I messed up right before half and tried to throw it away and didn’t get it there. It’s little stuff like that that if we can pick up on that, we’ll be a lot better. Knowing you’re trying to win the game, knowing the defense we have, we just wanted to win the game.

“It shows promise that if we clean that stuff up we can get to where we want to. Our defense, the way they’re playing, if we can get to where we want to offensively then we’ll be a good team.”{&end}