(BOWLING GREEN, KY.) — WKU Football dropped a 12-7 decision to Louisiana Tech on Saturday at Houchens-Smith Stadium, falling to 7-3 overall and 5-1 in Conference USA play.

“We had a lot of opportunities, but we struggled offensively,” WKU head coach Tyson Helton said. “We’ll rebound and focus on the next one.”

Louisiana Tech (6-4, 4-3 CUSA) struck first with a 35-yard field goal at the 9:30 mark of the opening quarter. WKU responded early in the second with a 7-yard touchdown run by Elijah Young, giving the Hilltoppers a 7-3 lead. The Bulldogs answered with a 42-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 7-6, and then took a 9-7 lead with a 28-yard field goal just before halftime.

After a scoreless third quarter, Louisiana Tech extended its lead to 12-7 with a 24-yard field goal at the 8:06 mark of the fourth quarter. Despite multiple opportunities, WKU’s offense struggled to regain the lead, unable to find the end zone again in the game.

WKU’s defense had a strong performance, limiting Louisiana Tech to 275 total yards and just 66 yards passing. The Hilltoppers registered two sacks and eight tackles for loss, with Darius Thomas leading the team with 10 tackles. Hosea Wheeler also blocked a field goal, but the offense could not capitalize on the defensive effort.

“We beat ourselves. We just have to do better,” running back Elijah Young said.

Quarterback Caden Veltkamp finished 18 of 26 for 152 yards, with Kisean Johnson leading all receivers with four catches for 40 yards. The Hilltoppers were held to just 215 total yards of offense.

With the loss, WKU’s perfect conference record came to an end, marking their first Conference USA defeat of the season. The Hilltoppers are now 4-1 at home this year and 5-6 all-time against Louisiana Tech.

WKU will travel to Lynchburg, Virginia, to face Liberty on Saturday, Nov. 23, with kickoff scheduled for 12 p.m. CT. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.