Brock Glenn replaced Rodney Tisdale Jr. at Georgia after Tisdale left because of injury, Field Level Media reported. Glenn ran for two touchdowns and threw another, but all three Western Kentucky scores came after Georgia had built a 49-0 lead. WKU lost 70-20. The scoring gave fans something to cheer; it left the question of who can sustain the offense in a competitive game unanswered.
WKU visits No. 4 Indiana on Saturday, September 19, at 3 p.m. Central on Peacock, completing its third consecutive road game. Fan Watch gives the Hilltoppers a 0.4% chance to win. There is no outside result worth putting on this week's watch list; the interactive guide and methodology have the forecast details. Against these odds, sustained possessions early would give fans something substantial to take from the afternoon.
Bodie Reeder arrived with a passing résumé that fit WKU. His Middle Tennessee offenses finished second in CUSA through the air in 2024 and 2025, behind only the Hilltoppers. That background made continued passing production a reasonable expectation. At Georgia, WKU managed just 115 passing yards on 37 attempts. Tisdale finished with 31 passing yards; Glenn played the rest of the game after replacing him and finished with 84. Neither performance supplied the passing command Reeder needs.
With 64 additions and only six returning starters, WKU needs its rebuilt receiving group to help whichever quarterback starts sustain drives. WKU distributed 18 completions among 11 players at Georgia, with Jonathan Stafford Jr. and Lofton Howard catching three apiece; Ajay Allen and Kalib Hicks each had one catch for negative yardage. Spreading touches around has to produce gains that keep possessions moving. Watch whether the quarterback and his targets can string together useful completions, especially before third down makes the passing situation obvious.
Indiana will make that difficult. Against Howard, the Hoosiers recorded 12 tackles for loss and five sacks, allowing only 57 total yards. That was one game against Howard, but it gives WKU a concrete problem to solve. Protect long enough to complete passes without letting penetration repeatedly leave the offense behind the chains.
Ball security must help the defense, too. Adrion Boyd's opening-kickoff fumble, a Tisdale interception and a Tisdale lost fumble gave Georgia three touchdown possessions starting at the WKU 18 or 16. Those offensive and special-teams mistakes handed the defense almost no field to defend. Making Indiana drive farther would remove one way for Saturday to get away quickly.
Davis Merritt's unit still has its own stops to make. Georgia gained 493 yards and converted seven of 12 third downs, while WKU recorded no sacks or interceptions. Jaylen Wester forced two fumbles, a contribution worth building on, but the defense needs to end possessions without depending on a loose ball.
Athlon's preseason pick had WKU winning CUSA and beating Liberty in the championship game. Georgia and Indiana are nonconference opponents, so neither game changes WKU's conference record. But the Hilltoppers need to sustain drives and get off the field on third down to make Athlon's pick look plausible.
Helton says both quarterbacks should be ready despite minor physical issues, and he declined early in the week to name the Indiana starter. Whichever player gets the call, the encouraging sight would be WKU completing passes, protecting the ball and putting together scoring drives while Indiana still has a game to win.