BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (Interstat) — Western Kentucky scored 21 points in the first quarter, 14 in the second, seven in the third and 10 in the fourth on its way to a 52-7 victory over Mercyhurst on Saturday at Houchens Industries-L.T. Smith Stadium in a NCAA Football Bowl Division game. The Hilltoppers improved to 1-3, while the Lakers fell to 1-4. Mercyhurst scored its seven points in the second quarter. Western Kentucky controlled the game from the start and never trailed.

Western Kentucky opened the scoring on Rodney Tisdale Jr.’s 72-yard touchdown pass to Nigel Johnson. Karl Campbell added a 35-yard field goal later in the opening quarter. In the second quarter, Tisdale found Cameron Flowers for a 23-yard touchdown. Brock Glenn then scored on a 1-yard run. Tisdale closed the first-half scoring with a 41-yard touchdown pass to Ajay Allen. Tisdale later connected with Quincy Burroughs for a 20-yard touchdown. Glenn threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Lofton Howard. Mercyhurst got on the board when Alex Gevaudan hit Sha’lik Hampton for a 10-yard touchdown. Glenn later threw a 72-yard touchdown pass to Zion Taylor. Karl Campbell’s extra points capped the scoring. Western Kentucky’s offense finished with a balanced effort.

Rodney Tisdale Jr. led the Hilltoppers with a prolific performance. The quarterback from Jacksonville, Florida, completed 19 of 23 passes for 309 yards and four touchdowns, and he added seven rushes for 18 yards. Tisdale’s four touchdown passes went to Nigel Johnson, Cameron Flowers, Ajay Allen and Quincy Burroughs. Karl Campbell made a 35-yard field goal and handled kicking duties. Tisdale’s four touchdown passes highlighted a Western Kentucky passing attack that consistently found open receivers.

Brock Glenn also made an impact for Western Kentucky. The quarterback from Covington, Tennessee, completed 4 of 6 passes for 101 yards and two touchdowns, and he ran five times for 50 yards and one touchdown. Glenn threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Lofton Howard and a 72-yard touchdown pass to Zion Taylor. He also scored on a 1-yard run. Zion Taylor finished with two receptions for 66 yards and a touchdown. Lofton Howard had two catches for 14 yards and a touchdown. Quincy Burroughs caught one pass for 20 yards and a score. CC Ezirim added four receptions for 60 yards. Qua’Vez Humphreys caught two passes for 20 yards. Sincere Baines returned one kickoff 47 yards. Jeremiah Carroll had one catch for three yards, and Coleson Arends had one catch for nine yards.

Mercyhurst struggled to move the ball consistently but found the end zone once. Alex Gevaudan completed 22 of 44 passes for 172 yards and one touchdown. He connected with Sha’lik Hampton for a 10-yard touchdown. Hampton, a tight end from Charleston, West Virginia, finished with one reception for 10 yards and the score. Ethen Knox led the Lakers in receiving with six catches for 38 yards, and he added three rushes for five yards. Emanuel Fincher had five rushes for 18 yards and four receptions for 40 yards. Jameir Gamble led the rushing attack with nine carries for 58 yards. Amare Lattimore caught three passes for 27 yards. Evan Van Dyke had three receptions for 20 yards. Dylan Evans added two catches for 12 yards. Christian MacDonald had one run for three yards and one reception for 13 yards. Ryan Miller ran once for four yards. Harrison Snyder ran once for seven yards. Wakeem Page Jr. caught one pass for seven yards. Ethan Holbrook had one reception for five yards and one tackle.

Western Kentucky’s defense limited Mercyhurst throughout the game. Jaylen Wester led the Hilltoppers with eight tackles. Jaylen Lewis added seven tackles. Jordan Donald finished with four tackles. The Hilltoppers also got production from their special teams and offense in complementary phases.

Mercyhurst’s defense had several busy players. Mark Hawkins Jr. recorded six tackles, one sack and one quarterback hurry. Elijah Binakonsky made six tackles. Braylon Beckwith also had six tackles. Zacchaeus Dixon and Jeff Leavell each finished with five tackles. Daylan Pringle and Adonis Marshall each had four tackles. Corey Cobb Jr., Mason Mudd, Broderick Washington and Jordan Brown each recorded two tackles. Patrick Carter, Camariyon Bridges and Anez Jordan each had three tackles. Shakile Ferguson returned five kickoffs for 72 yards and made two tackles. Jayonn Saunders finished with two tackles. Kaleb Platz, Colin Scharriter, Maverick Clark, Da’Sean Anderson and Matias Ortiz Jr. each had one tackle. Jonathan Askew recorded one quarterback hurry. Thomas O’Neill punted six times for 295 yards.

The win was the first of the season for Western Kentucky, which had previously lost to Indiana, Georgia and Nevada. The Hilltoppers lost at Indiana 38-0, at Georgia 70-20 and at Nevada 49-14. Mercyhurst, which opened the season with a 49-20 win over Glenville State, had dropped games to New Mexico, New Mexico State and Youngstown State before Saturday. The Lakers lost at New Mexico 70-7, at New Mexico State 51-14 and at Youngstown State 43-10. The Lakers will continue their schedule with a visit to Long Island University, a home game against Central Connecticut, a trip to Robert Morris, a visit to Stonehill, a home game against Wagner, a trip to Duquesne and a home game against New Haven. Western Kentucky will visit New Mexico State, host Missouri State, visit Sam Houston, host Delaware, visit Middle Tennessee, host Jacksonville State, visit Liberty and host Kennesaw State.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Western Kentucky 42, Mercyhurst 18. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Western Kentucky with a 96.3 percent probability to win. Mercyhurst had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of +40.5. The total score of 59 went under the over/under line of 58.5.