Dec. 7, 2000
Coming into the 2000 season, it was thought that the strength of the Western Kentucky football team would be its defense -- an unusual occurrence in head coach Jack Harbaugh's first 11 years on the Hill, during which time the Hilltoppers ranked in the top 10 nationally in rushing the last nine seasons. Led by senior All-America candidate Melvin Wisham, the defense lived up to -- and even surpassed -- those expectations en route to an 11-2 finish, an undefeated run to the Ohio Valley Conference championship and a first-round win the NCAA I-AA playoffs.
"It was a rewarding year, we accomplished many of our goals," Harbaugh said. "We won the OVC, going undefeated, were seeded in the top eight in the I-AA playoffs and had success in our first playoff game."
Western finished the regular season leading the nation in both scoring defense and turnover margin while also pacing the conference in rushing defense. The Hilltoppers forced 50 turnovers (29 INT, 21 fum) while limiting teams to less than 300 yards and 11 points per game. Wisham posted career highs of 168 tackles, 17 stops behind the line of scrimmage, six sacks and three interceptions to earn first-team all-conference honors, leading a group of seven Toppers who earned all-OVC recognition.
Sophomore CB Bobby Sippio set a school record with 10 interceptions, scoring three touchdowns on defense in being selected first-team all-league, while fellow secondary members Joseph Jefferson and Mel Mitchell were named second-team all-conference. LB Sherrod Coates added 86 tackles with 17 behind the line of scrimmage, including a team-best eight sacks, to be named second-team all-OVC. And, Hayes Thomas (107 tackles, five interceptions) and Paul Marshall (40 tackles, 4 TFL) earned honorable mention all-conference recognition.
Kyle Moffatt recorded 96 tackles in his first year on the Hill to rank third on the squad in the category and Jon Drummond added 84 stops with five sacks and four fumble recoveries in his first season as a starter. Patrick Reynolds also had a breakout year, posting 53 tackles with 11 tackles for loss to lead all defensive linemen.
The offense extended its streak of top-10 rankings in rushing yardage by posting 265 yards per game on the ground, finishing the regular season ninth in the country. A pair of junior quarterbacks -- Jason Johnson and Donte Pimpleton -- helped lead the Toppers to 360.5 yards and 31.1 points per game. Johnson accounted for 1,904 yards of total offense and 12 touchdowns (six pass, six rush) after taking over the reins this season, while Pimpleton added 313 yards and four touchdowns on just 55 carries, coming off the bench to key WKU victories over Eastern Illinois in the OVC title-clinching contest and Florida A&M in the first round of the I-AA playoffs. WKU led the league in passing efficiency, as the duo, along with Jason Michael, did not throw an interception in 121 pass attempts -- the Hilltoppers were the only Division I (A or AA) team that could make that claim this season.
DeWayne Gallishaw replaced the departed Rod Smart, gaining a team-leading 948 yards and nine touchdowns to gain the same honors as Smart did in 1999 -- first-team all-OVC. Keith Brooks added 612 yards and eight scores on 100 attempts, while Kevin Crisp (72-280, 3 TDs) and Curtis Hamilton (52-279, 1 TD) shared fullback duties. Three new starters joined guards Chris Price -- an all-conference selection -- and Derek Forster on the offensive line in keeping the ground attack moving.
Johnson posted a pass efficiency rating of 157.48 relying on a quartet of wide receivers, three of whom were in their first year at the position. Jerome Reaves led the squad with 18 catches for 426 yards and four touchdowns, and Jon Frazier (13-308, 1 TD) and Alan Ogletree (12-289, 1 TD) also averaged better than 20 yards per reception. Freshman Antonio Veals had eight catches in 10 games before missing the final three contests with a viral infection.
Completing the Hilltoppers' balanced performance were Peter Martinez and Ogletree, who both earned all-league honors for the special teams play. Martinez was a first-team all-conference selection, making 17-of-22 field goals and 49-of-50 extra-point attempts to become the first Western kicker to score 100 points in a season. Ogletree averaged 38.8 yards per punt, with 19 of 62 kicks downed inside the opponents' 20-yard line, to be an honorable mention all-OVC pick.
"Our goals now switch to having a successful academic semester and to offseason conditioning," said Harbaugh. "We're looking forward to working with many experienced players in order to build on this season as we enter a new level of competition in the Gateway Conference."
-- WKU --
