Call the jeweler.
Western secured its 11th consecutive winning season with its 52-12 home-victory over Morehead State Saturday evening.
The players will receive rings for attaining their goal of at least seven victories in their first season as a transitional Football Bowl Subdivision team.
But the Toppers (7-4) say they are not content. Their next goal: to go 2-1 in Sun Belt Conference play.
They will get that chance when they kickoff at 3 p.m. Saturday at North Texas (1-9, 1-5 SBC).
Seventeen seniors competed in their last game at Houchens Industries-L.T. Smith Stadium Saturday.
Western scored seven touchdowns on its way to victory against the Eagles (7-4) on Senior Night on Saturday.
For senior wide receiver Curtis Hamilton and senior placekicker Chris James, the night was even more special because both players broke team records in the final home contest of their careers.
Hamilton broke the career receiving record with 2,251 yards and James broke the career scoring record with 290 points.
Hamilton caught seven passes for 134 yards and two touchdowns, with 101 of those yards in the first quarter. He also added a 64-yard punt return for a touchdown.
“This is a great group of seniors that have really embraced this season and what is going on with our program,” coach David Elson said. “I’m really proud of the way they’ve led this football team, and it was fun to see them out (there Saturday).”
Western balanced its attack by gaining 192 yards through the air and 190 on the ground en route to 382 total yards of offense.
Sophomore running back Tyrell Hayden collected a career-high 151 yards and a touchdown. In doing so, he surpassed the 1,000-yard mark on the season.
“Rushing for 1,000 yards was a big accomplishment,” Hayden said in a press conference Monday. “Not only for me but for the offensive linemen, because every day they work hard in practice and they’ve just got a mentality every Saturday to dominate the line of scrimmage.”
Junior defensive lineman Dan Cline said in a press conference Monday that the game against North Texas is, in a way, the Toppers bowl game.
“It’s the end of the year,” he said. “We’re going halfway around the country away to a new stadium against a (Football Bowl Subdivision) opponent, and we’re kind of treating it like that.”
Western is ineligible for the postseason since this is a transitional year, so the Toppers will play their last game of 2007 on Saturday.
North Texas will come into the game on a four-game losing streak on its Senior Night.
“We’ve got a tough opponent coming up,” Cline said. “Even though their 1-9 on paper, they’ve lost several close games.”
Reach Will Perkins at sports@chherald.com.
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