Redemption: The Bobby Petrino Story

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2014-2015 Off-Season


WKU Players Leaving



WKU 2015 Recruiting Class





Top 25 Recruiting Classes

Top Recruiting Classes - 2015
RK	TEAM	5	4	3	2	1	TOTAL
1	Alabama	3	7	11	0	0	21
2	Oklahoma	0	10	12	0	1	23
3	Notre Dame	5	4	10	0	0	19
4	Texas	1	7	13	0	0	21
5	Florida	2	6	11	0	0	19
6	Auburn	3	4	9	4	0	20
7	Penn State	2	5	9	5	0	21
8	Minnesota	0	8	9	3	0	20
9	Clemson	1	5	12	6	0	24
10	Ohio State	3	4	9	0	3	19
11	LSU	2	6	6	1	4	19
12	South Carolina	1	7	7	0	3	18
13	Georgia	2	6	4	3	2	17
14	Oregon	0	7	10	1	0	18
15	Miami (FL)	2	4	9	5	0	20
16	Tennessee	2	4	10	2	0	18
17	Missouri	2	3	11	4	1	21
18	Texas A&M	1	6	6	3	0	16
19	Georgia Tech	0	6	9	3	2	20
20	North Carolina	0	5	11	2	5	23
21	Stanford	0	4	14	4	0	22
22	Iowa	0	5	10	3	3	21
23	Mississippi State	1	3	13	1	2	20
24	Michigan State	0	6	7	2	4	19
25	Boston College	0	4	11	4	3	22

Sun Belt Recruiting Rankings

Top Recruiting Classes - 2015
RK	TEAM	5	4	3	2	1	TOTAL
1	Louisiana-Monroe (#58)	0	3	7	4	4	18
2	Western Kentucky (#60)	0	2	12	0	0	14
3	Arkansas State (#77)	0	1	9	8	2	20
4	Louisiana-Lafayette (#98)	0	0	6	10	6	22
5	South Alabama (#103)	0	1	5	3	10	19
6	Troy (#111)	0	0	5	10	2	17
7	Texas State (#112)	0	0	7	5	4	16
8	Georgia State (#113)	0	0	5	9	4	18

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Hilltoppers Poised for Big Year

Bowling Green, KY -- Sure, when Bobby Petrino was hired people thought and expected Western Kentucky's offense would take-off....but no one could envision it taking off to the extremes it did in 2014. Last season the Hilltoppers averaged 609.5 yards per game and 53.1 PPG. And over their last five games, they 67.4 PPG. Yes, the football team averaged 67 points per game over a five game stretch. Their low in that stretch was 61 and they scored 73+ points on two occasions.

And it was redshirt sophomore quarterback DaMarcus Smith who led the charge. Entering season as a Heisman favorite, Smith totaled more than 6,000 yards of offense and accounted for 65 touchdowns; both are NCAA records. Through the air Smith passed for 4,969 yards and 44 touchdowns, and added 1,248 yards rushing and 21 touchdowns.

"We knew he was going to be special, but I don't think any of our coaches thought he'd reach those heights. We'd like for him to keep his turnovers down, but with him as our quarterback we're a threat to score a touchdown on every single play...regardless of where we are on the field," said WKU head coach Bobby Petrino.

Joining smith will be fellow 1,000 yard rusher Leon Allen. Allen, a senior, rushed for 1,067 yards and 19 touchdowns during his junior campaign. "Leon had some big shoes to fill after Antonio graduated, but he did a fine job in his first year as a starter. What makes him special is that he has a nose for the endzone around the goal line. Once we get in a goal to go situation, we have confidence in handing him the ball, and that's an invaluable trait to have as a running back," said offensive coordinator Terry Bowden.

As far as Smith's weapons, there are some big shoes to fill now that Willie McNeal has graduated. McNeal, who caught 102 passes for 1,556 yards and 14 touchdowns last season, is WKU's all-time leader in receiving yards, receptions, and receiving touchdowns. However, not all hope is lost. Coaches feel junior Austin Aikens is more than capable of filling his shoes. Aikens, a big play threat, caught 55 passes for 918 yards last season.


On the defensive side of the ball the Hilltoppers will be led by senior defensive tackle Bryan Shorter. Shorter, who tallied 10 sacks last season, will anchor a defensive line that returns three starters. "Bryan is not only a great player, he's a great leader. Last season we thought Jonathan [Dowling] would assume the leadership role on defense, which he did to some extent, but players really started to fall in line with Bryan. He's one of those strong silent types who leads by example, but the players seem to really react to him," said defensive coordinator Nick Holt.

However, if there are questions surrounding the preseason Sun Belt favorites, it is on the defensive side of the ball. All four of their returning starters are in the front seven, and there's major concerns about the secondary. Still, when you've got an offense capable of scoring 60+ on any given Saturday, how good does the defense really need to be?

Western Kentucky 2015 Depth Chart







Western Kentucky 2015 Schedule

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2015 Season Preview

WKU Preseason Honorees


2015 Sun Belt Outlook



Preseason Top 25

NCAA Football Rankings - Coaches Poll - Updated: Aug 1, 2015
RK	LW	TEAM (VOTES)	W	L	POINTS
1	--	Alabama
2	--	Oregon
3	--	Ohio State
4	--	Notre Dame
5	--	Maryland
6	--	Texas A&M
7	--	South Carolina
8	--	Louisville
9	--	Georgia
10	--	Washington
11	--	Ole Miss
12	--	Miami (FL)
13	--	Georgia Tech
14	--	Oklahoma
15	--	Central Florida
16	--	Utah
17	--	LSU
18	--	TCU
19	--	Florida State
20	--	Kansas
21	--	Nebraska
22	--	Syracuse
23	--	Arizona
24	--	Texas
25	--	North Carolina State

2015 Heisman Watch

Heisman Watch - Updated: Aug 1, 2015
NAME	POS	SCHOOL		2014 Stats
DaMarcus Smith	QB	Western Kentucky		302/471, 4,969 yds, 44 TD, 17 TD, 1,248 rush yds, 21 TD
Marcus Mariota	QB	Oregon		217/335, 3,132 yds, 37 TD, 6 INT, 966 rush yds, 7 TD
Mike Davis	HB	South Carolina		265 car, 1,647 yds, 6. 2 ypc, 19 TD, 324 rec yds, 1 TD
Johnny Manziel	QB	Texas A&M		229/356, 3,120 yds, 32 TD, 4 INT, 926 rush yds, 7 TD
Melvin Gordon	HB	Wisconsin		318 car, 1,957 yds, 6.2 ypc, 20 TD, 107 rec yds

[Deuce2223]

Mariota and Manziel got nothing on Smith. Dude is just flat nasty.

Not sure how he could top last year's # though.

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Louisville Outguns WKU in 45-42 Shootout

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at Louisville Cardinals
Sep 5, 2015 1 2 3 4 F WKU (0-1) 7 7 14 14 42 #7 LOU (1-0) 17 14 7 7 45 Top Performers PASS: W. Gardner (Louisville) - 18/32, 336 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT RUSH: C. Lamb (Louisville) - 19 carries, 95 yards, 5.0 ypc, 2 TD REC: A. Aikens (WKU) - 8 catches, 97 yards, 12.1 ypc, 1 TD	Team Stats Comparison WKU LOU First Downs 20 25 3rd Down Efficiency 8/15 11/17 4th Down Efficiency 1/1 2/2 Total Yards 564 589 Passing Yards 276 336 Rushing Yards 170 180 Penalties-Penalty Yards 7-61 8-59 Turnovers 0 1 Time of Possession 28:09 31:48
Scoring Summary FIRST QUARTER SCORING WKU LOU 8:28 (LOU) TD: C. Lamb, 5 yd run (J. Wallace kick) 0 7 3:14 (LOU) FG: J. Wallace, 37 yd FG 0 10 2:44 (WKU) TD: A. Aikens, 23 yd pass from D. Smith (G. Schwettman kick) 7 10 0:16 (LOU) TD: J. Quick, 14 yd pass from W. Gardner (J. Wallace kick) 7 17 SECOND QUARTER SCORING WKU LOU 6:44 (WKU) TD: L. Allen, 3 yd run (G. Schwettman kick) 14 17 4:50 (LOU) TD: S. Smith, 52 yd pass from W. Gardner (J. Wallace kick) 14 24 1:22 (LOU) TD: C. Lamb, 1 yd run (J. Wallace kick) 14 31 THIRD QUARTER SCORING WKU LOU 8:23 (WKU) TD: T. Higbee, 9 yd pass from D. Smith (G. Schwettman kick) 21 31 6:07 (LOU) TD: J. Quick, 23 yd pass from W. Gardner (J. Wallace kick) 21 38 2:46 (WKU) TD: D. Smith, 7 yd run (G. Schwettman kick) 28 38 FOURTH QUARTER SCORING WKU LOU 8:44 (LOU) TD: Z. Pike, 27 yd pass from W. Gardner (J. Wallace kick) 28 45 5:47 (WKU) TD: D. Smith, 4 yd run (G. Schwettman kick) 35 45 3:13 (WKU) TD: T. Higbee, 10 yd pass from D. Smith (G. Schwettman kick) 42 45
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers PASSING C/A YDS TD INT D. Smith 18/28 276 3 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD L. Allen 19 74 3.9 1 D. Smith 14 61 4.4 2 A. Wales 6 23 3.8 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD A. Aikens 8 97 12.1 1 T. Higbee 4 55 13.8 2 C. Lewis 4 53 13.3 0 N. Norris 3 38 12.7 0 T. Gorski 1 14 14.0 0 L. Allen 1 21 21.0 0 Louisville Cardinals PASSING C/A YDS TD INT W. Gardner 18/32 336 4 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD C. Lamb 19 95 5.0 2 B. Radcliff 6 43 7.1 0 G. Uhl 3 23 7.6 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD C. Lamb 5 82 16.4 0 J. Quick 4 66 16.5 2 Z. Pike 3 39 13.0 1 B. Radcliff 2 21 10.5 0 S. Smith 2 64 32.0 1 A. Daniels 1 50 50.0 0 G. Uhl 1 14 14.0 0

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Quote: Originally Posted by Deuce2223

Mariota and Manziel got nothing on Smith. Dude is just flat nasty. Not sure how he could top last year's # though.

Four games against Georgia State, South Alabama, Texas State, and UL-Monroe should help.

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Around the NCAA | 2015 | Week 2



31 |at| 24

South Carolina Gamecocks at Georgia Bulldogs
Sep 5, 2015 1 2 3 4 F #6 SCAR (2-0, 1-0) 10 14 0 7 31 #8 UGA (1-1, 1-1) 7 14 3 0 24 Top Performers PASS: B. Nosovitch (South Carolina) - 18/28, 236 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT RUSH: T. Gurley (Georgia) - 21 carries, 170 yards, 8.0 ypc, 1 TD REC: S. Roland (South Carolina) - 7 catches, 118 yards, 16.8 ypc, 1 TD	Team Stats Comparison SCAR UGA First Downs 22 24 3rd Down Efficiency 6/13 2/7 4th Down Efficiency 0/1 0/2 Total Yards 560 594 Passing Yards 236 164 Rushing Yards 182 258 Penalties-Penalty Yards 6-40 5-25 Turnovers 1 3 Time of Possession 30:51 28:37

Top 25 Scores

Top 25 Scores | Week 2

Results

#1 Oregon 35 at Michigan State 3

#2 Ohio State 41 vs Northern Illinois 17

#3 Notre Dame 33 vs FCS Northwest 14

#4 Maryland 17 vs Bowling Green 34

#5 Texas A&M 42 at Southern Cal 48

#6 South Carolina 31 at #8 Georgia 24

#7 Louisville 45 vs Western Kentucky 42

#9 Washington 30 vs Hawai'i 13

#10 Ole Miss 70 vs FCS Midwest 10

#11 Alabama 47 vs FCS West 7

#12 Georgia Tech 51 vs Tulane 10

#13 Oklahoma 21 at Tennessee 41

#14 Central Florida 38 vs FCS East 10

#15 Utah 30 at Fresno State 13

#16 LSU 21 vs Arizona State 38

#17 TCU 27 at Arkansas 24

#19 Kansas 42 vs Memphis 14

#20 Nebraska 35 vs South Alabama 14

#21 Syracuse 41 vs FCS Southeast 0

#22 Arizona 49 at Nevada 13

#23 Wisconsin 38 at Marshall 14

#24 NC State 17 at Navy 28

#25 Auburn 34 vs Idaho 13

Sun Belt Scores

Sun Belt Scores | Week 2

Results

Western Kentucky 42 at #7 Louisville 45

UL-Monroe 44 vs FCS East 24

Troy 21 vs Ohio 41

Arkansas State 21 vs Missouri 33

South Alabama 14 at #20 Nebraska 35

UL-Lafayette 7 vs FCS Midwest 16

Top 25 Rankings

NCAA Football Rankings - Coaches Poll - Updated: Sep 6, 2015
RK	LW	TEAM (VOTES)	W	L	POINTS
1	1	Oregon (39)	1	0	1503
2	2	Ohio State (21)	1	0	1422
3	3	Notre Dame (1)	2	0	1361
4	6	South Carolina	2	0	1330
5	7	Louisville	1	0	1127
6	9	Washington	1	0	1016
7	10	Ole Miss	1	0	962
8	12	Georgia Tech	1	0	858
9	11	Alabama	1	1	844
10	14	Central Florida	1	1	758
11	8	Georgia	1	1	736
12	5	Texas A&M	1	1	728
13	15	Utah	2	0	724
14	17	TCU	1	0	631
15	18	Florida State	1	0	570
16	19	Kansas	1	0	526
17	20	Nebraska	2	0	482
18	21	Syracuse	1	0	440
19	22	Arizona	2	0	411
20	4	Maryland	0	1	410
21	13	Oklahoma	0	1	381
22	23	Wisconsin	2	0	370
23	NR	Southern California	1	0	359
24	NR	Tennessee	2	0	330
25	25	Auburn	1	0	281

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WKU Hangs 59 on Rival Kentucky

Kentucky Wildcats at Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
Sep 12, 2015 1 2 3 4 F UK (0-2) 14 7 14 7 42 WKU (1-1) 14 17 7 21 59 Top Performers PASS: J. Whitlow (Kentucky) - 31/49, 461 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT RUSH: L. Allen (WKU) - 27 carries, 106 yards, 3.9 ypc, 1 TD REC: A. Aikens (WKU) - 11 catches, 173 yards, 15.7 ypc, 4 TD	Team Stats Comparison UK WKU First Downs 19 30 3rd Down Efficiency 5/11 5/13 4th Down Efficiency 0/2 4/5 Total Yards 683 767 Passing Yards 461 389 Rushing Yards 83 222 Penalties-Penalty Yards 4-35 3-25 Turnovers 3 2 Time of Possession 13:39 22:21
Scoring Summary FIRST QUARTER SCORING UK WKU 8:05 (WKU) TD: A. Aikens, 7 yd pass from D. Smith (G. Schwettman kick) 0 7 5:21 (UK) TD: R. Timmons, 3 yd pass from J. Whitlow (B. Fleming kick) 7 7 2:08 (WKU) TD: L. Allen, 2 yd run (G. Schwettman kick) 7 14 1:40 (UK) TD: J. Badet, 75 yd pass from J. Whitlow (B. Fleming kick) 14 14 SECOND QUARTER SCORING UK WKU 8:36 (WKU) TD: A. Aikens, 7 yd pass from D. Smith (G. Schwettman kick) 14 21 7:13 (WKU) TD: T. Higbee, 7 yd pass from D. Smith (G. Schwettman kick) 14 28 3:20 (WKU) FG: G. Schwettman, 21 yd FG 14 31 0:52 (UK) TD: A. Legree 24 yd pass from J. Whitlow (B. Fleming kick) 21 31 THIRD QUARTER SCORING UK WKU 4:24 (UK) TD: A. Legree, 5 yd pass from J. Whitlow (B. Fleming kick) 28 31 3:47 (WKU) TD: A. Aikens, 79 yd pass from D. Smith (G. Schwettman kick) 28 38 1:18 (UK) TD: J. Kemp, 3 yd run (B. Fleming kick) 35 38 FOURTH QUARTER SCORING UK WKU 7:28 (WKU) TD: A. Aikens, 4 yd pass from D. Smith (G. Schwettman kick) 35 45 5:49 (UK) TD: J. Kemp, 6 yd run (B. Fleming kick) 42 45 2:12 (WKU) TD: D. Smith, 1 yd run (G. Schwettman kick) 42 52 0:33 (WKU) TD: A. Wales, 1 yd run (G. Schwettman kick) 42 59
Kentucky Wildcats PASSING C/A YDS TD INT J. Whitlow 31/49 461 4 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD J. Kemp 12 60 5.0 2 J. Whitlow 7 17 2.4 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD A. Legree 11 134 12.1 2 R. Timmons 9 118 13.1 1 J. Badet 4 112 28.0 1 J. Kemp 3 30 10.0 0 D. Collins 2 41 20.5 0 A. Montgomery 1 16 16.0 0 E. Jackson 1 10 10.0 0 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers PASSING C/A YDS TD INT D. Smith 32/44 389 5 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD L. Allen 27 106 3.9 1 D. Smith 14 99 7.0 1 A. Wales 4 17 4.2 1 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD A. Aikens 11 173 15.7 4 T. Higbee 7 68 9.7 1 L. Allen 6 78 13.0 0 N. Norris 6 48 8.0 0 C. Lewis 2 22 11.0 0