Box Score

CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO. (September 23, 2000) - The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, behind a punishing ground game that tired the Southeast Missouri defense, used a 21-0 fourth quarter spurt to top the Indians 38-14.

Western Kentucky (3-0, 2-0 OVC), who finished the game with 354 total rushing yards, had three rushers over 50 total yards and were led by senior running back DeWayne Gallishaw who had 21 carries for 157 yards and a touchdown.

Southeast Missouri (2-2, 0-1 OVC) finished with 221 yards through the air but only mustered 70 rushing yards.

Western took an early 14-0 lead behind rushing touchdowns by Keith Brooks and Kevin Crisp. At the end of the second half Southeast put together a 15-play, 82-yard drive that was capped off when quarterback Rashad West took a keeper four yards into the endzone to make the score 14-7 at the half.

Western Kentucky opened the second half with a 24-yard Peter Martinez field goal before a bad snap turned the tide of the game. Punting out of its own endzone, Hilltopper punter Alan Ogletree took the bad snap and tried to run it out of the endzone but was met by several Southeast defenders who stopped him at the Western Kentucky two-yard line. Two plays later Marcus Patton found the endzone to pull Southeast within three at 17-14.

After the touchdown, however, the rest of the game was controlled by Western Kentucky. The Hilltoppers ball-control offense used consecutive fourth quarter drives of 16 and 12 plays to run the clock down and push the score to 31-14 in favor of Western. Western would later add a Gallishaw touchdown run following a Bobby Sippio 50-yard interception return.