FAYETTEVILLE -- At least one University of Arkansas graduate enjoyed Saturday's game at Reynolds Razorback Stadium.
Western Kentucky quarterback Ty Storey -- a former Charleston High School standout who graduated from Arkansas in May 2018 with a kinesiology degree -- led the Hilltoppers to 45-19 victory over the Razorbacks in a triumphant homecoming.
Storey completed 22 of 32 passes for 213 yards and a touchdown without an interception. His stats would have been better, but the Hilltoppers dropped three passes. He also rushed 17 times for 77 yards and 2 touchdowns. He never was sacked.
"I tell you what, you couldn't write it any better," Western Kentucky Coach Tyson Helton said of how Storey's game played out. "It was a heck of a story.
"He was locked in from the get-go. He wanted this one really bad. I thought he handled everything to perfection to be honest with you. I can't think of anything that he did wrong today."
Storey said that with the help of his teammates, he obtained 58 tickets for the game to give to family members and friends.
"I mean, it meant the world to me," Storey said. "I had a lot of people here rooting for us. It was great just to experience that."
After starting nine games for Arkansas last season, Storey transferred to Western Kentucky and had immediate eligibility as a graduate.
"When I saw the schedule and saw Arkansas on it, that kind of made me smile a little bit," he said.
Helton said he didn't see anything different from Storey in pregame warmups, but that changed once the game started.
"You could tell his eyes kind of narrowed a little bit," Helton said. "He had that look in his eye like, 'Let's go get it.'
"That's why we were really aggressive, to be honest with you, early. We just felt he had the mojo, or whatever you want to call it. He had the juices flowing, and our guys really got around him and said, 'Let's go.' "
The Hilltoppers drove 42 yards for a touchdown on their first possession after John Stephen Jones threw an interception. They were 2 of 2 on fourth-down conversions.
Storey completed a pass to Jahcour Pearson for a 5-yard gain on fourth and 4, and ran for 5 yards on fourth and 3 to set up a 19-yard touchdown run by Jacquez Sloan on a reverse.
Helton said the Hilltoppers rallied around Storey, who had touchdown runs of 9 and 1 yards.
"Our guys knew it was a big game for him," Helton said. "They were playing for him as well. They wanted him to be able to come back home as a senior and get a big win. They were playing hard for him."
Western Kentucky safety Devon Key, who returned a KJ Jefferson interception for a touchdown, said Storey's teammates were extremely happy for him.
"The look on Ty's face when he came off the field when we scored touchdowns, that energized us to go even harder for him," Key said.
Helton praised Storey's leadership.
"I thought he really commanded the offense excellent," Helton said. "All his reads were great. He ran the ball extremely well. We told him going into the game that he was going to have to handle a lot of the run stuff."
Storey began the season as a backup, but took over as the starter after junior Steve Duncan broke a bone in his right foot in a 38-21 loss against Louisville on Sept. 14.
"He's been outstanding," Helton said. "He ignited a spark for us. He 's very mature and does things the right way in the way he approaches the week."
The Hilltoppers (6-4) improved to 5-2 with Storey as their starter and became bowl eligible in Helton's first season as their coach after going 3-9 last year.
"You know you have a great chance to win if he's your quarterback," Helton said. "I was just really happy for him today. This was really icing on the cake."
Storey's 69-yard touchdown pass to Pearson pushed the Hilltoppers' lead to 28-7 in the second quarter.
"It's one of those throws that you see it so open, you're kind of like, 'I think I'm seeing things,' " Storey said. "But luckily he got that open and took it the house."
This season. Storey has completed 163 of 234 passes (69.6%) for 1,690 yards and 8 touchdowns with 5 interceptions. He's also rushed for 176 yards and 6 touchdowns.
"Ty plays hard every week," Key said. "It's easy to get behind a quarterback like that. He's embraced us and gets along with everybody. He's a really good team leader, too."
Storey played in 10 game for Arkansas last season and completed 143 of 250 passes (52.7%) for 1,584 yards and 11 touchdowns with 10 interceptions. He also rushed for 146 yards and a touchdown.
In last season's opener, Storey passed for 261 yards and three touchdowns playing off the bench in a 55-20 victory over Eastern Illinois, but the Razorbacks were 0-9 in his starts and finished 2-10.
"Ty is a good quarterback," Arkansas sophomore linebacker Bumper Pool said. "He played lights out. He did what he needed to do and put the ball where he needed to put it."
Razorbacks junior safety Kamren Curl also praised Storey.
"He came in, had a great game and props to him," Curl said.
Storey said he was congratulated by Arkansas Coach Chad Morris and many of his former teammates after the game.
"This game's a lot about relationships, and you could see that after the game today, having all those guys come over and talk," Storey said. "I've definitely missed them."
The Razorbacks fell to 2-8 with their seventh consecutive loss.
"I hope the best for them," Storey said. "I hope they win out and do what they can. I hope they can just keep battling."
Sports on 11/10/2019