After a rocky game against Arkansas, LSU football takes on Western Kentucky for a last-ditch effort to remain postseason eligible.
These two teams have only met twice, and LSU has come out on top both times. With the rollercoaster of events that have happened for the Tigers this season, anything can happen.
“Our football team is building steam, and from a week ago to this upcoming week versus Western Kentucky, we’re eager to play,” interim head coach Frank Wilson said during a press conference. “We’re chomping at the bit to get better, to prove ourselves and beyond.”
This pay-to-play game might have more to it than meets the eye. After the harsh season LSU has experienced, the goal is now to end up with a bowl game to develop players for the future. In the Tigers’ home finale, Western Kentucky is standing in the way of that goal.
Wilson said that he wishes to coach his team into a January bowl game, and he’s not taking it lightly for good reason. In addition to the stakes of the 2025 season, a win against the Hilltoppers isn’t guaranteed.
When the two teams last faced off in 2015, the Tigers won 48-20, but Western Kentucky put up 428 total yards. Of those yards, 325 were passing yards, which was the largest allowed by LSU at home that season.
It was considered a top non-conference matchup since both teams were bowl eligible.
The latter half of the 2025 season hasn’t gone in the Tigers’ favor, and the opportunity to put a win over LSU on its postseason resume might be all the motivation Western Kentucky needs.
Western Kentucky could run into Tiger Stadium and take the game that nobody expected them to win in the preseason. Wilson said the Hilltoppers have a great team and staff, and it’s coming together for them so far.
“There will be a challenge for us from a defensive standpoint, from an offensive standpoint, because we’ve had challenges with variation and movement up front,” Wilson said. “To be on point this weekend will be critical for our success just to get a hat on a man, and I think if we do that, we’ll have the success that we’re looking for.”
At this point in the season, it’s not a matter of being paid to play; it’s a matter of building a resume to get a bowl game. Both teams have a lot on the line this season, and the stakes are higher for the Tigers than the Hilltoppers.
The Tigers will try to remain unbeaten in non-conference contests as they take on the Hilltoppers on Saturday at 6:45 p.m. in Tiger Stadium. Only time will tell how the stakes of this game impact each team.
