DALLAS – Western Kentucky University Hilltoppers capped off their post-season with a last-minute 52-yard field goal to win the First Responder Bowl 23-20 Monday afternoon in Dallas against Western Michigan.

Senior quarterback Ty Storey threw for 358 yards. Senior wide receiver Lucky Jackson had 17 receptions, and true freshman kicker Corey Munson nailed the 52-yard field goal as WKU walked away with the win at the First Responder Bowl in a absolute thriller of a game at Southern Methodist University’s Gerald Ford Stadium.

It’s the tops’ ninth win in 2019, and one heck of a way for head coach Tyson Helton to end his first year at WKU.

“He’s really talented,” Helton said of Munson. “I’ve been a special teams coach for a long time, and it’s very tough to be a freshman kicker and the best thing you can is keep putting them out there, keep building confidence with them, keep telling him it’s going to be OK, and I knew he could handle it.

“He’s not a guy that gets down when he misses kicks. He works extremely hard, and I knew his time was coming.

“I didn’t think it would be on this stage with that kick but he was due, he was due, and I’m glad that he was able to come through today,” Helton said.

DALLAS, Tx. – The trip from Bowling Green, Kentucky to Dallas, Texas spans nearly 750 miles and is a ten-hour car ride, at best.

That hasn’t stopped Western Kentucky fans from traveling to support their team, however, as the Hilltoppers prepare for Monday’s First Responder Bowl game vs Western Michigan at SMU’s Gerald Ford Stadium.

For WKU, it’s a chance to garner their ninth win of the season under first-year Head Coach Tyson Helton, which would match the total number of wins from the past two seasons combined.

It won’t be an easy task, though, as the ‘Tops prepare to take on a Broncos offense that boasts one of the best backs in the country in Levante Bellamy, and a Broncos defense led by the 2019 MAC Defensive Player of the Year, junior linebacker Treshaun Hayward.

WNKY 40 Sports caught up with some of the fans who made the trek from the Bluegrass State to the Lone Star State and asked them about their journey, what caused them to make the trip and what their score prediction for Monday morning’s game is.

BOWLING GREEN, Ky – The Hilltoppers arrived in Dallas, Texas Friday afternoon and will spend the weekend making final preparations for their matchup against Western Michigan in the First Responder Bowl on Monday.

This season, the Tops have exceeded expectations, and then some, under first year head coach Tyson Helton.

A win on Monday would give Western Kentucky its ninth this year to equal the total amount of wins the program had in 2017 and 2018 combined.

The Hilltoppers will face a Broncos offense that is spearheaded by one of the best running backs in the nation in Levante Bellamy.

In 12 games this season, Bellamy has amassed 1,412 rushing yards on 5.7 yards per carry and leads the nation with 23 rushing touchdowns.

The senior was named 2019 MAC Offensive Player of the Year for his stellar performance this season and also was a Semifinalist for the prestigious Doak Walker Award, which is given annually to the country’s top running back.

Western Kentucky’s defense will have to effectively limit the Broncos’ star running back in order to return to Bowling Green as First Responder Bowl champions.

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — WKU Football is set to play in its sixth bowl game in the past eight seasons, with the Hilltoppers (8-4) slated to face Western Michigan (7-5) in the 2019 SERVPRO First Responder Bowl in Dallas, Texas on Monday, Dec. 30.

The bowl game, to be played in SMU’s Gerald J. Ford Stadium, is set for 11:30 a.m. CT and will be aired on ESPN. The contest will mark WKU’s 29th postseason game in program history, where the team owns a 17-11 all-time record.

WKU has earned bowl eligibility in eight of the past nine seasons, while making five bowl game appearances over that span. The Hilltoppers have compiled a 3-2 record in those contests, collecting wins over Central Michigan [Bahamas Bowl; 2014], South Florida [Miami Beach Bowl; 2015] and Memphis [Boca Raton Bowl; 2016].

Under first-year head coach Tyson Helton, the Hilltoppers have facilitated one of the top turnarounds in the nation. After finishing the 2018 season with a 3-9 overall record and 2-6 mark in Conference USA play, the team currently sits at 8-4 overall and 6-2 in conference play during its 2019 campaign. That five-game win improvement is currently tied for third in the nation for highest win increase from 2018 to 2019. TheHilltoppers’ four-win improvement in conference play is also tied with Florida Atlantic for the best win increase in the league.

An important component to WKU’s improvement has been its defense, led by defensive coordinator Clayton White, who was named a 2019 Broyles Award nominee Nov. 13. The Hilltopper defense ranks sixth in the nation in third down conversion percentage, 14th in first downs, 15th in red zone defense, 21st in scoring defense and 29th in total defense. In the conference, WKU ranks first in scoring defense, second in total defense, third in passing defense and fifth in rushing defense.

The squad has also seen significant improvements offensively over the second half of the season. After the averaging 21 points and 337 yards of total offense per game through its first six matchups, WKU has improved those numbers to 30.2 points and 423 yards per game over its last six contests.

The matchup between WKU and Western Michigan will mark the teams’ 15th meeting in program history in a series that dates back to 1923. The two programs’ last contest goes all the way back to 1947, where theHilltoppers dropped a road contest to the Broncos on Nov. 1.

BOWLING GREEN, Ky – After a four-day break for the holidays, the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers returned to practice on Thursday afternoon as the team begins to make its final preparations for Monday’s First Responder Bowl matchup vs Western Michigan.

Thursday’s practice was held at Houchens Industries-L.T. Smith Stadium and marked the last time this year’s team will practice together on WKU’s campus.

The Hilltoppers are scheduled to depart for Dallas on Friday morning and will wrap up their preparations with a practice at Gerald J. Ford Stadium on the campus of Southern Methodist University on Saturday morning.

The First Responder Bowl matchup between WKU and Western Michigan will mark the teams’ 15th meeting in program history in a series that dates back to 1923. The two programs’ last contest goes all the way back to 1947, where the Hilltoppers dropped a road contest to the Broncos on Nov. 1.

The bowl game, to be played in SMU’s Gerald. J Ford Stadium, is set for 11:30 a.m. CT and will be aired on ESPN. The contest will mark WKU’s 29th postseason game in program history, where the team owns a 17-11 all-time record.