BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - Brandon Doughty threw for 441 yards, redshirt freshman D'Andre Ferby relieved an injured Leon Allen to add a short touchdown among several key runs to help Western Kentucky survive Louisiana Tech 41-38 for an important - yet costly - Conference USA victory Thursday night.

The Hilltoppers lost Allen, who rushed for 1,542 yards last season, to an apparent left leg injury early in the third quarter when he was tackled on an incomplete pass play. The senior was taken to a hospital for observation but no further information was immediately available.

After a brief lull, the Hilltoppers (2-0, 1-0) regrouped behind Doughty and Ferby, who rushed four times for 13 yards on a drive ending with a 1-yard TD run and two-point conversion catch for a 38-24 lead with 54 seconds left in the third quarter.

The Bulldogs scored twice (1-1, 0-1) late in the fourth but ran out of time.