There’s a factory in Bowling Green, KY which produces one of college football’s most valuable commodities — quarterback talent. No program has generated the FBS’s leading passer more times in the College Football Playoff era than Western Kentucky, which has attained the feat on four occasions since 2014 — twice with Brandon Doughty, once with Bailey Zappe, and once with Austin Reed.
Tyson Helton and his staff may have found the perfect successor to the Hilltoppers’ dynasty of passing dominance. Maverick
McIvor spent three years as a backup at Texas Tech and three years starring for Abilene Christian in the FCS before receiving his first crack at an FBS starting opportunity. In his WKU debut, one day after his 25th birthday, the quarterback fired early and often, launching 32 passes in the first half alone. The end result was 401 passing yards, three touchdowns, and zero interceptions on a 33-of-51 showing. But most importantly, McIvor’s rocket arm guided WKU to a 41-24 victory over Sam Houston, notching a key conference victory in Week 0.
“It felt really good coming out here and throwing for 400 yards,” McIvor said. “I felt like the coaching staff called a really good game and (offensive coordinator Rick Bowie) puts me and our offense in the best position to win every time. I couldn’t be more grateful for him.”
While there were missed throws in the early moments, McIvor stayed poised and became the author of several spectacular deliveries. In the first quarter, he mailed a 26-yard skyrocket to fellow FCS transfer Matthew Henry, who made an off-balance, over-the-shoulder grab. That was the first of many highlights in the newfound McIvor-Henry connection which was responsible for seven completions spanning 148 yards. Returning from a midgame injury, Henry later caught passes of 37 and 55 yards, making his presence felt by routinely shaking defenders out of their shoes.
“I really just kept my foot on the gas, not letting my team down,” Henry said. “It was our first conference game. The mentality was to go into a conference game and going 1-0 — not letting my foot off the gas and coming out stronger in the second half.”
WKU claimed a comfortable three-score lead, but the season debut wasn’t without resistance from Sam Houston. The Bearkats, fresh off a 10-win season albeit a transformed roster and a new head coach in Phil Longo, proved to be a difficult out in the first two-and-a-half quarters. Incumbent starting quarterback Hunter Watson emerged as the winner of a fall camp battle and instantly showcased his mobility, giving the Bearkats a 10-7 advantage in the second quarter on a 55-yard scamper. Although Watson didn’t have any other double-digit runs, the tough-nosed quarterback was a consistent threat for 5-8 yards, finishing with a game-high 91 yards on 14 attempts.
The Hilltoppers regrouped with 13 unanswered points as FCS Austin Peay transfer La’Vell Wright punched in a touchdown and South Florida transfer John Cannon drained two field goals to put WKU in front 20-10 at halftime. But the Bearkats roared back in the early third quarter, turning a 10-point deficit into a lead in roughly three minutes. Alton McCaskill opened the half by accruing a collective 67 rushing yards on back-to-back carries, and he finished the job by recording his first rushing touchdown since 2021. Several WKU snaps later, Sam Houston strong safety Alonzo Edwards (the game’s leading tackler) forced a fumble on a screen pass and inside linebacker JaMair Diaz scooped it up for a 43-yard defensive touchdown — the first defensive score of the 2025 college football season.
“We worked so hard in fall camp on starting fast coming out of halftime,” Helton said. “I was joking, ‘Y’all totally overlooked what I told you at halftime,’ but good football teams rebound. Nobody blinked. Everybody rallied. We got right back in the saddle, made plays… got back up so that was good to see.”
WKU didn’t panic on either side of the ball. Outside of a couple explosive Bearkat runs, the Hilltopper defense had the upper hand. WKU forced four three-and-outs, two four-and-outs, nine tackles for loss, and an interception courtesy of Jaylen Lewis as Sam Houston struggled to sustain long scoring drives.
“I thought the front four did a nice job up front,” Helton said. “I thought our linebackers played pretty good, and then obviously the secondary came up with a lot of big plays tonight and did a nice job in coverage. When they wanted to throw it, we got after the passer pretty good, so those were all good things to see.”
Meanwhile, McIvor took over offensively, sending his second and third touchdowns of the night during the third quarter. Wide receiver K.D. Hutchinson raced in a screen for one of those scores, while the other was thanks to true freshman running back Marvis Parrish (WKU’s leading rusher with 52 yards) who secured McIvor’s dart in over-the-shoulder fashion. Even the special teams was rolling during a transformative third quarter finish as Ray Guy Award watchlist candidate Cole Maynard punted a 71-yard bomb to help maintain the separation between Sam Houston’s offense and the end zone.
“I thought we had a really good team win,” Helton said. “When we got momentum, we capitalized on it. When we were down, somebody pulled the others along and got us back in it. We made big plays when we had to make big plays. All those are good signs, and we just have to keep rolling with that.”
The Hilltoppers manufactured a 34-24 lead headed into the final frame and put on the finishing efforts as McIvor ran one in himself for his fourth total touchdown of the night. WKU totaled 506 yards in the offensive masterclass, defeating Sam Houston in CUSA play for the third consecutive season.
Sam Houston (0-1, 0-1 CUSA) remains in search for its first win under Longo’s direction. The Bearkats must turn things around in a short week as they return “home” to their temporary stadium in downtown Houston to battle UNLV on Friday night.
WKU (1-0, 1-0 CUSA) starts the 2025 season out in preferred fashion with a leg up in the conference standings. McIvor, Henry, and a new-look offense replacing all 10 starters hope to keep the momentum flowing as the Hilltoppers remain home for another week, facing FCS North Alabama next Saturday.
“You’re only as good as your last game,” Helton said. “It shows that we can be an explosive offense. It shows that we can be a really good defensive football team. As much as we did on defense, there’s some things we can fix and correct that I think we can be really good. What we thought the football team could be, I thought they did tonight.”
