Western Kentucky Dominates Sam Houston 41-24 in Season Opener
Western Kentucky cruised to a 41-24 victory over Sam Houston in Week 1 of the 2025 season. The Hilltoppers controlled the game throughout, scoring touchdowns in each quarter while holding the Bearkats scoreless in the fourth.
Maverick McIvor led the WKU offense with 401 passing yards, connecting with receivers including Moussa Barry (90 yards) and Matthew Henry on an early touchdown. Sam Houston's Hunter Watson rushed for 91 yards and found the end zone on a 55-yard scoring run in the second quarter.
Western Kentucky's defense made crucial plays, highlighted by JaMair Diaz's 43-yard fumble return for a touchdown in the third quarter. The Hilltoppers' balanced attack proved too much for Sam Houston, which managed just three points in the first quarter before being shut out in the final period.
The victory covered the 9.5-point spread for WKU, and the combined 65 points surpassed the 60.0 over-under total. Western Kentucky's dominant performance established early control in what proved to be a decisive season-opening win.
AI-generated recap · Aug 26, 2026
| Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Sam Houston | 3 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 24 |
 Western Kentucky | 7 | 13 | 14 | 7 | 41 |
Scoring Timeline
Drive Chart
Box Score
| Statistic | Sam Houston | Western Kentucky |
|---|---|---|
| Passing | 19-30 | 33-51 |
| Pass Yards | 209 | 401 |
| Rush Yards | 173 | 105 |
| Total Yards | 382 | 506 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 2 |
| 3rd Down | 2-14 | 11-19 |
| Penalties | 7-51 | 2-17 |
| Possession | 27:04 | 32:56 |
Player Leaders
Player Leaders
Play-by-Play
Christian Pavon kickoff for 65 yds , Demarko Williams return for 16 yds to the WKU 16
Maverick McIvor pass complete to Marvis Parrish for 11 yds to the WKU 27 for a 1ST down
Marvis Parrish run for 2 yds to the WKU 29
Maverick McIvor pass complete to Jairus Mack for 1 yd to the WKU 30
Maverick McIvor pass incomplete to Matthew Henry
Cole Maynard punt for 50 yds, fair catch by Emon Allen at the SHSU 20
Hunter Watson pass complete to Elijah Green for 15 yds to the SHSU 35 for a 1ST down
Elijah Green run for a loss of 1 yard to the SHSU 34
Elijah Green run for 6 yds to the SHSU 40
Hunter Watson pass complete to Elijah Green for 3 yds to the SHSU 43
Curtis Gerrand punt for 44 yds, fair catch by K.D. Hutchinson at the WKU 13
Marvis Parrish run for no gain to the WKU 13
Maverick McIvor pass complete to Matthew Henry for 6 yds to the WKU 19
Maverick McIvor pass complete to Jairus Mack for 12 yds to the WKU 31 for a 1ST down
Maverick McIvor pass complete to Moussa Barry for 25 yds to the SHSU 44 for a 1ST down
Maverick McIvor pass incomplete to Moussa Barry
Marvis Parrish run for 18 yds to the SHSU 26 for a 1ST down
Maverick McIvor pass incomplete to K.D. Hutchinson
Maverick McIvor pass incomplete to Marvis Parrish
Maverick McIvor pass complete to Matthew Henry for 26 yds for a TD (John Cannon KICK)
PENALTY SAM Delay Of Game 5 yards from SAM25 to SAM20. NO PLAY.
Hunter Watson run for 8 yds to the SHSU 28
(07:50) No Huddle-Shotgun Watson,Hunter pass complete short left to Bledsoe III,Darrick caught at SAM33, for 5 yards to the SAM33, End Of Play PENALTY SAM Ineligible Downfield on Pass (Eckardt,Luke) 5 yards from SAM28 to SAM23. NO PLAY.
Hunter Watson pass complete to Elijah Green for 5 yds to the SHSU 18
Hunter Watson pass complete to Elijah Green for 7 yds to the SHSU 25
Curtis Gerrand punt for 48 yds
Elijah Green run for a loss of 1 yard to the WKU 25
Hunter Watson sacked for a loss of 4 yards to the WKU 29
Hunter Watson pass complete to Grady O'Neill for 8 yds to the WKU 21
RJ Lopez 40 yd FG GOOD
Christian Pavon kickoff for 65 yds , Demarko Williams return for 20 yds to the WKU 20
Maverick McIvor pass complete to Moussa Barry for 2 yds to the WKU 22
Maverick McIvor pass incomplete to Jairus Mack
Maverick McIvor pass complete to Moussa Barry for 11 yds to the WKU 33 for a 1ST down
Maverick McIvor pass complete to Jairus Mack for 5 yds to the WKU 38
George Hart III run for a loss of 1 yard to the WKU 37
Maverick McIvor pass incomplete to Cameron Flowers
Cole Maynard punt for 39 yds, punt out-of-bounds at the SHSU 24
PENALTY SAM False Start 5 yards from SAM24 to SAM19. NO PLAY.
Alton McCaskill run for 5 yds to the SHSU 24
Hunter Watson pass complete to Rayfield Lotten for 36 yds to the WKU 40 for a 1ST down
Alton McCaskill run for 2 yds to the WKU 38
Hunter Watson pass incomplete to Chris Reed
Hunter Watson run for 8 yds to the WKU 30 for a 1ST down
Alton McCaskill run for no gain to the WKU 30
Hunter Watson run for no gain to the WKU 30
Hunter Watson run for 5 yds to the WKU 25
RJ Lopez 43 yd FG MISSED
Maverick McIvor pass incomplete to Matthew Henry
Marvis Parrish run for 1 yd to the WKU 26
Maverick McIvor pass incomplete to Jairus Mack
Cole Maynard punt for 42 yds , Emon Allen returns for 6 yds to the SHSU 38
Hunter Watson pass complete to Elijah Green for 7 yds to the SHSU 45
Hunter Watson run for 55 yds for a TD (RJ Lopez KICK)
Maverick McIvor pass complete to Marvis Parrish for 2 yds to the WKU 27
Marvis Parrish run for 2 yds to the WKU 29
Maverick McIvor pass complete to Matthew Henry for 18 yds to the WKU 47 for a 1ST down
Sam Houston Penalty, Face Mask (15 yards) (Alonzo Edwards Jr.) to the SHSU 33 for a 1ST down
Marvis Parrish run for 3 yds to the SHSU 30
Maverick McIvor pass incomplete to Noah Meyers
Maverick McIvor pass complete to K.D. Hutchinson for 7 yds to the SHSU 23 for a 1ST down
Maverick McIvor pass incomplete to Kelby Williams
Maverick McIvor pass complete to K.D. Hutchinson for 12 yds to the SHSU 11 for a 1ST down
La'Vell Wright run for 2 yds to the SHSU 9
Matthew Henry run for no gain to the SHSU 9
Maverick McIvor pass complete to Moussa Barry for 8 yds to the SHSU 1 for a 1ST down
La'Vell Wright run for 1 yd for a TD (John Cannon KICK)
Hunter Watson pass complete to Qua'Vez Humphreys for 9 yds to the SHSU 34
Hunter Watson pass incomplete to Qua'Vez Humphreys
Alton McCaskill run for no gain to the SHSU 34
Hunter Watson run for no gain to the SHSU 34
Maverick McIvor pass incomplete to Matthew Henry
Maverick McIvor pass incomplete to Matthew Henry
Maverick McIvor pass complete to La'Vell Wright for 4 yds to the SHSU 30
John Cannon 49 yd FG GOOD
Elijah Green run for 1 yd to the SHSU 26
Hunter Watson pass complete to Aviyon Smith-Mack for 4 yds to the SHSU 30
(03:48) No Huddle-Shotgun Watson,Hunter rush left for 12 yards gain to the SAM42, out of bounds at SAM42 PENALTY SAM Holding (Todd,Cameron) 10 yards from SAM30 to SAM20. NO PLAY.
Hunter Watson pass complete to Aviyon Smith-Mack for 12 yds to the SHSU 32
Curtis Gerrand punt for 30 yds, fair catch by K.D. Hutchinson at the WKU 38
K.D. Hutchinson run for a loss of 1 yard to the WKU 37
Marvis Parrish run for 7 yds to the WKU 44
Maverick McIvor run for 4 yds to the WKU 48 for a 1ST down
Maverick McIvor pass complete to Noah Meyers for 3 yds to the SHSU 49
Maverick McIvor run for 5 yds to the SHSU 44
(01:19) Shotgun McIvor,Maverick pass incomplete short right to Henry,Matthew thrown to SAM39 broken up by Edwards Jr.,Alonzo, 1ST DOWN, PENALTY SAM Pass Interference (Edwards Jr.,Alonzo) 6 yards from SAM44 to SAM38, 1ST DOWN. NO PLAY.
Maverick McIvor pass complete to George Hart III for 4 yds to the SHSU 34
Maverick McIvor pass complete to Matthew Henry for 7 yds to the SHSU 27 for a 1ST down
Maverick McIvor pass incomplete to Matthew Henry
Maverick McIvor run for 3 yds to the SHSU 24
Maverick McIvor pass incomplete to Jairus Mack
John Cannon 42 yd FG GOOD
Alton McCaskill run for a loss of 6 yards to the SHSU 19
End of 2nd Quarter
Alton McCaskill run for 15 yds to the SHSU 40 for a 1ST down
Alton McCaskill run for 52 yds to the WKU 8 for a 1ST down
Hunter Watson pass incomplete to Aviyon Smith-Mack
Hunter Watson run for 4 yds to the WKU 4 for a 1ST down Western Kentucky Penalty, UNR: Unnecessary Roughness (Anthony Brackenridge) to the WKU 2 for a 1ST down
Alton McCaskill run for 2 yds for a TD (RJ Lopez KICK)
Christian Pavon kickoff for 64 yds , Demarko Williams return for 34 yds to the WKU 35
Maverick McIvor pass complete to Marvis Parrish for 6 yds to the WKU 41
Maverick McIvor pass complete to Marvis Parrish for 7 yds to the WKU 48 for a 1ST down
Maverick McIvor pass complete to Matthew Henry for a loss of 1 yard to the WKU 47
JaMair Diaz 43 Yd Fumble Return (RJ Lopez Kick)
Christian Pavon kickoff for 65 yds , Demarko Williams return for 13 yds to the WKU 13
George Hart III run for 12 yds to the WKU 25 for a 1ST down
Maverick McIvor pass complete to Kelby Williams for 14 yds to the WKU 39 for a 1ST down
Maverick McIvor pass incomplete to Kelby Williams
George Hart III run for 6 yds to the WKU 45
Maverick McIvor pass complete to K.D. Hutchinson for 6 yds to the SHSU 49 for a 1ST down
George Hart III run for 1 yd to the SHSU 48
George Hart III run for 2 yds to the SHSU 46
Maverick McIvor pass complete to Matthew Henry for 37 yds to the SHSU 9 for a 1ST down
Maverick McIvor pass complete to K.D. Hutchinson for 9 yds for a TD (John Cannon KICK)
Hunter Watson pass complete to Austin Smith for 11 yds to the SHSU 36 for a 1ST down
Hunter Watson run for 4 yds to the SHSU 40
Alton McCaskill run for 3 yds to the SHSU 43
PENALTY SAM False Start (Smith-Mack,Aviyon) 5 yards from SAM43 to SAM38. NO PLAY.
Hunter Watson pass incomplete to Grady O'Neill
Curtis Gerrand punt for 49 yds
Maverick McIvor pass complete to Jairus Mack for 17 yds to the WKU 30 for a 1ST down
Marvis Parrish run for no gain to the WKU 30
Maverick McIvor pass complete to Moussa Barry for 48 yds to the SHSU 22 for a 1ST down Sam Houston Penalty, Defensive Pass Interference (Darrick Bledsoe III) declined for a 1ST down
Maverick McIvor pass complete to Marvis Parrish for 22 yds for a TD (John Cannon KICK)
(04:44) No Huddle-Shotgun Watson,Hunter pass incomplete deep left to Burns Jr.,Tim thrown to WKU43 PENALTY WKU Pass Interference (Ward,Nazir) 15 yards from SAM25 to SAM40, 1ST DOWN. NO PLAY.
Elijah Green run for a loss of 2 yards to the SHSU 38
Hunter Watson run for 5 yds to the SHSU 43
Hunter Watson pass incomplete to Rayfield Lotten
Curtis Gerrand punt for 38 yds, fair catch by Jairus Mack at the WKU 19
Maverick McIvor pass complete to Kelby Williams for 5 yds to the WKU 24
Maverick McIvor pass incomplete to Kelby Williams
Maverick McIvor pass complete to Kelby Williams for 6 yds to the WKU 30 for a 1ST down
La'Vell Wright run for 3 yds to the WKU 33
La'Vell Wright run for 2 yds to the WKU 35
Western Kentucky Penalty, Offensive Holding (Yards) declined
Cole Maynard punt for 71 yds
Hunter Watson pass complete to Grady O'Neill for 29 yds to the SHSU 33 for a 1ST down
Alton McCaskill run for a loss of 3 yards to the SHSU 30
Hunter Watson pass complete to Alton McCaskill for 3 yds to the SHSU 33
Hunter Watson pass complete to Grady O'Neill for 13 yds to the SHSU 46 for a 1ST down
Alton McCaskill run for 2 yds to the SHSU 48
Hunter Watson pass incomplete to Chris Reed
Hunter Watson pass intercepted Jaylen Lewis return for 6 yds to the WKU 19
Maverick McIvor pass incomplete to Moussa Barry
Marvis Parrish run for 7 yds to the WKU 26
Maverick McIvor pass complete to Marvis Parrish for 10 yds to the WKU 36 for a 1ST down
Maverick McIvor pass complete to Matthew Henry for 55 yds to the SHSU 9 for a 1ST down
Marvis Parrish run for 5 yds to the SHSU 4
Maverick McIvor run for 4 yds for a TD (John Cannon KICK)
Hunter Watson pass complete to Elijah Green for a loss of 1 yard to the SHSU 24
Elijah Green run for 7 yds to the SHSU 31
Hunter Watson run for 1 yd to the SHSU 32
Curtis Gerrand punt for 44 yds, fair catch by Jairus Mack at the WKU 24
Marvis Parrish run for 7 yds to the WKU 31
Marvis Parrish run for no gain to the WKU 31
Maverick McIvor sacked by Chauncey Chidi for a loss of 4 yards to the WKU 27
Cole Maynard punt for 48 yds , Emon Allen returns for 13 yds to the SHSU 38
Hunter Watson pass incomplete to Landan Brown
Hunter Watson pass incomplete to Grady O'Neill
Hunter Watson pass incomplete to Malik Phillips
Hunter Watson pass incomplete to Aviyon Smith-Mack
Hunter Watson pass incomplete to Aviyon Smith-Mack
George Hart III run for 7 yds to the SHSU 31
George Hart III run for 2 yds to the SHSU 29
George Hart III run for a loss of 4 yards to the SHSU 33
Maverick McIvor pass incomplete to Quincy Burroughs
Maverick McIvor pass incomplete to Quincy Burroughs
Hunter Watson pass complete to Aviyon Smith-Mack for 11 yds to the SHSU 44 for a 1ST down
Hunter Watson pass complete to Elijah Green for 35 yds to the WKU 21 for a 1ST down
Hunter Watson pass complete to Darrick Bledsoe III for 12 yds to the WKU 9 for a 1ST down
Hunter Watson run for 8 yds to the WKU 1
Hunter Watson sacked by Jayden Gray for a loss of 8 yards to the WKU 9
Hunter Watson pass complete to Aviyon Smith-Mack for no gain to the WKU 9
Hunter Watson run for 5 yds to the WKU 4
La'Vell Wright run for 2 yds to the WKU 6
La'Vell Wright run for 12 yds to the WKU 18 for a 1ST down