Western Kentucky quarterback Brandon Doughty was sharp on Friday night, as Western Kentucky defeated Bowling Green 59-31 in a battle of debut head coaches. Jeff Brohm came out on top over Bowling Green's Dino Babers.

The Hilltoppers started the scoring with a 2 yard run from Leon Allen. Doughty started by completing all 7 passes on the opening drive for Western Kentucky.

It got better as Doughty threw a 55 yard touchdown to Taywan Taylor to give Western Kentucky a 14-0 lead. Doughty added his second touchdown strike in the second quarter when he found Antwane Grant from 34 yards out. Bowling Green answered with a 1 yard touchdown run from Fred Coppet, but they still trailed 21-7.

Doughty came right back and threw his third touchdown pass, this time to Willie McNeal for 9 yards. The teams traded field goals to make it a 31-10 Western Kentucky lead at the break.

The halftime did not slow down Doughty as he threw his fourth touchdown pass of the night to Jared Dangerfield from 5 yards out. Doughty would throw his fifth touchdown pass of the game later in the third quarter. That one went to Willie McNeal for the second pass and catch combination on the night. 

Doughty had his sixth touchdown of the night when he hit Jared Dangerfield again from 5 yards out. It was Dangerfield's second touchdown catch of the game.

Doughty finished the game by completing 46 of 56 passes for 569 yards and 6 touchdowns. He did not have an interception. Taywan Taylor finished the game with 12 catches for 185 yards and 1 touchdown. Jared Dangerfield caught 10 passes for 92 yards and 2 touchdowns. It was a truly impressive performance from Western Kentucky, especially Brandon Doughty.

Bowling Green did have some positives in the loss. Matt Johnson went 25 of 36 for 314 yards and 1 touchdown. Travis Green ran for 91 yards and 1 score on 18 carries. Still, 11 penalties for 96 yards cannot happen and there were multiple times the Bowling Green team failed deep in the red zone, which caused the Falcons to play from behind.

Bowling Green will take on the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) next Saturday, September 6. Western Kentucky will take their high flying offense on the road to face the Illinois Fighting Illini. Given the way they played on Friday, Western Kentucky has a legitimate shot at upsetting the Illini.

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About the author
Matthew Dixon
I follow College Football at all levels; FBS, FCS, Division II, and Division III. In addition, I am a horse racing enthusiast.