White tosses 4 TDs, Western Kentucky tops Old Dominion 59-24
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (AP) - Mike White threw for 378 yards and four touchdowns and Western Kentucky beat Old Dominion 59-24 on Saturday night.
Scoring came at will for Western Kentucky (5-3, 3-1 Conference USA), logging points on eight of its first nine possessions to lead 52-14 at halftime.
The Hilltoppers' scored 31 points in the second quarter, the most since joining the FBS in 2009.
"I was excited about the play of the first half and really thought we played a complete half," WKU coach Jeff Brohm said. "This week we were going to determine whether we're a pretender or you're a contender. We had to win the game and it was a big win for us."
White completed 28 of 32 passes and tossed three of his four first-half touchdowns to Taywan Taylor for 6, 14 and 54 yards.
Taylor led the Hilltoppers receiving corps by hauling in 10 catches for 123 yards and three TDs.
Western Kentucky had 459 of its 624 yards of offense in the first half and averaged 9.2 yards per play to win its third straight over Old Dominion (4-3, 2-1).
Anthony "Ace" Wales ran for 157 yards and the first of two touchdowns on a 44-yard run on Western Kentucky's opening drive.
On the heels of a season-high 158 yards at MTSU, Brohm said the senior Wales ran the ball "the best" he'd ever seen him run.
"I showed a lot of stuff that I normally don't do," Wales said. "I'm just trying to do what it takes for us to win. I want a conference championship and all my teammates want a conference championship. I know I need to go out and give every percent in my body. . Luckily it's been working out for me."
David Washington threw for 236 yards and had both of his TD passes in the second quarter for the Monarchs - to Zach Pascal and Travis Fulgham - as the highlight of an otherwise dismal night. The Old Dominion run game sputtered for 67 yards.
"We didn't coach well; we didn't play well at the beginning of the game," ODU coach Bobby Wilder said. "It was not because we weren't ready to play or excited to play. We just got out-executed and out-coached."
Old Dominion defensive back Jamshyer McUmber was ejected after a brawl on the Monarchs sideline cleared both benches midway through the third quarter. Every player from both teams received an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for the incident, which was the second of the night after a minor on-field scuffle in the first half.
THE TAKEAWAY
Old Dominion: The Monarchs' three-game win streak came to an end, which drops their rank in the conference standings. On top of losing McUmber from an ejection, sophomore defensive end Daniel Appouh was taken off the field in an ambulance. Wilder said Appough had pain "in his left arm up to his left shoulder", and leaving in an ambulance was a "precautionary measure".
Western Kentucky: The Hilltoppers defense responded well after giving up 55 points at Louisiana Tech and 43 to Middle Tennessee State. Now Western Kentucky is tied with Florida International for first place in the Conference USA East Division after winning two straight.
UP NEXT
Old Dominion: The Monarchs are on the road for a second straight week at UTEP on Saturday.
Western Kentucky: One win from bowl eligibility for a sixth straight season, the Hilltoppers travel to Florida Atlantic on Saturday.