Western Kentucky routs Mercyhurst 52-7
Team pages: Mercyhurst · Western Kentucky
Western Kentucky routed Mercyhurst 52-7. Share this game
We had Western Kentucky favored. It won.
Next: Mercyhurst lost to Long Island University 27-24, Sat Oct 3
Next: Western Kentucky lost to New Mexico State 34-13, Thu Oct 1
How it swung
Before kickoff, our ratings gave Western Kentucky a 93% chance, and the closing betting line (Western Kentucky was a 39.5-point favorite) put it above 99%.
Western Kentucky led by 10 after the first quarter and by 31 at the half.
Western Kentucky 52-7 Mercyhurst
Western Kentucky wonMove across the chart, or tap a numbered swing, to see any play.Mercyhurst 7-52 Western KentuckyMercyhurst lostMove across the chart, or tap a numbered swing, to see any play.No single play moved the chance by 20 points.
No single play moved the chance by 20 points.
How to read this chart
Starts from the pregame line (Western Kentucky -39.5), at 99% for Western Kentucky (the play-by-play feed's kickoff number, moved to match the line; our model's and the betting line's own numbers are in “The betting line, and the fans”). Dots are the biggest swings; ticks under the chart are scores.Every drive
Western Kentucky scored on 8 of its 11 drives; Mercyhurst on 1 of its 10.
Western Kentucky’s drives are teal, Mercyhurst’s amber. A line runs from where a drive started to where it ended; a filled dot means it scored.
Box score
Western Kentucky 52, Mercyhurst 7
Western Kentucky covered −39.5 by 5.5. The total, 59, went over 58.5.
| Team totals | Mercyhurst | Western Kentucky |
|---|---|---|
| Total yards | 264 | 596 |
| Passing | 22 of 44, 172 yds | 24 of 31, 413 yds |
| Rushing | 23 for 92 yds | 34 for 183 yds |
| First downs | 14 | 24 |
| Third down | 6 of 17 | 6 of 11 |
| Fourth down | 2 of 5 | 4 of 4 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
| Penalties | 2 for 15 yds | 0 for 0 yds |
| Time of possession | 31:27 | 28:33 |
Mercyhurst leaders
- Passing Alex Gevaudan 22 of 44, 172 yds, 1 TD
- Rushing Jameir Gamble 9 for 58 yds; Emanuel Fincher 5 for 18 yds
- Receiving Emanuel Fincher 4 for 40 yds; Ethen Knox 6 for 38 yds
Western Kentucky leaders
- Passing Rodney Tisdale Jr. 19 of 23, 309 yds, 4 TD
- Rushing Brock Glenn 5 for 50 yds, 1 TD; Le'Kamren Meadows 4 for 45 yds
- Receiving Nigel Johnson 1 for 72 yds, 1 TD; Zion Taylor 2 for 66 yds, 1 TD
No rain and calm
76° at kickoff · no rain recorded · wind 5 mph from the northeast, gusts to 12
The usual here around this date is 68°, with about 7 in 10 games between 57° and 79°.
September game-day temperatures at Houchens Industries-L.T. Smith Stadium
Drag along the chart, or step through the game.
Where this weather comes from
Measured at Bowling Green airport, 2.6 miles away. Rain is NOAA's radar-and-gauge estimate at the stadium and wind is an airport reading; neither is measured on the field. Game times come from the play-by-play, good to a minute or two. Source: National Weather Service, through the Iowa Environmental Mesonet; rain radar from NOAA MRMS, through Iowa State University. Field direction from OpenStreetMap contributors.Before kickoff
Recent games, the series and the betting line below are as they stood going in; the season profile is the season so far.
Recent games
Last 4 games
Mercyhurst · 1-3
Rated 225th in our preseason ratings, 247th now.
1-3 in its last 4 — but nothing on this résumé beats a top-40 team yet.
W 49-20 vs Glenville State #373 of 668
Last three games
Western Kentucky · 0-3
Rated 42nd in our preseason ratings, 58th now.
Three straight losses, each by 20 or more.
Week by week
Western Kentucky
- Wk 1Lat Nevada14-49
- Wk 2Lat Georgia20-70
- Wk 3Lat Indiana0-38
Mercyhurst
- Wk 1Lat Youngstown State10-43
- Wk 1Lat New Mexico State14-51
- Wk 2Lat New Mexico7-70
- Wk 3Wvs Glenville State49-20
Power rating by week
Western Kentucky is rated 12.2 points ahead as of week 3. Our power rating by week; higher is better.
Line, fans and home field
The betting line, and the fans
Our model and the betting line don’t fully agree on Western Kentucky’s chances here.
Western Kentucky favored by 39.5 · Total 58.5
How games like this usually go
Western Kentucky by 39.5, and it went to form
Half of games8 in 10 gamesThis game
The band is where a favorite’s chance ran in the 411 games since 2025 with a favorite of 21.5 points or more.
The market
The spread moved 1 point toward Western Kentucky.
The total rose 2 points.
Spread: −38.5 → −39.5 · Total: 56.5 → 58.5
Weather at kickoff
Mild and dry. Feels like 70° at kickoff.
Mercyhurst at Western Kentucky · Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026 · Houchens Industries-L.T. Smith Stadium, Bowling Green
- 70°feels like at kickoff
- Dryno rain at kickoff
- 100weather score, Ideal
- Tiedfor the best of the day's 7 kickoff times
At kickoff, Sept. 26, 2026.
Weather score: 0 to 100, higher is better, for the first 3 hours and 20 minutes of the game. Ideal is 100, Comfortable 90 to 99, Mixed 75 to 89, Rough 50 to 74, Harsh under 50.
Kickoff times that Saturday
Games in this time zone used 7 kickoff times that day, local time (kickoffs within 30 minutes of each other count as one). This game, ringed, was tied for the best of the day's seven kickoff times. At Houchens Industries-L.T. Smith Stadium that day, a 2:30 pm kickoff would have scored 87, against 100 at 6 pm.
- 11 am: 95, Comfortable
- 2:30 pm: 87, Mixed
- 3:15 pm: 92, Comfortable
- 5 pm: 100, Ideal
- 6 pm: 100, Ideal (this game)
- 7 pm: 100, Ideal
- 8 pm: 99, Comfortable
Weather score at each kickoff time.
Tap a dot to read that kickoff time.
At kickoff, Sept. 26, 2026. Wind is not drawn here; gusts are in each score.
Home field
Western Kentucky is worth +5.5 points (±4.2) more at home than on the road since 2018 — top third of FBS, 75th percentile.
64% at home, 46% on the road against FBS opponents (25-14 home, 26-30 away).
Our model gives every stadium the same flat 2.3-point home edge (why); the books use about 3. Against the closing line this stadium reads -0.7 at home vs. away over 104 games — inside the ±6.1 noise, so the flat number is the honest one here.
Night kickoff — historically worth about half a point more to the home side against the number, and not much more than that. The visitors travel about 491 miles to get here.