2013 WKU FOOTBALL OUTLOOK
As the 2013 football season nears, one of the nation's premier football minds has the opportunity to put his fingerprints on one of the nation's emerging football programs. Western Kentucky University football has made major strides as a football program in recent years. WKU completed a major step forward in the transition from the Football Championship Subdivision to the Football Bowl Subdivision by reaching the program's first bowl game in 2012. WKU earned the bowl berth in just the fourth year participating in football at the FBS level. WKU is one of 19 teams to make the transition to the Football Bowl Subdivision from what was previously called I-AA. WKU is one of just eight teams that have made the FBS transition since 1987 to make a bowl game within the first four years of bowl eligibility.
New head coach Bobby Petrino will have the opportunity to help guide the WKU football program to new heights in 2013 when the team opens the season on August 31, 2013, against Kentucky at L.P. Field in Nashville, Tenn. In his eight seasons as a collegiate head coach with Louisville and Arkansas, Petrino led his teams to a bowl game in seven of the eight years, including four 10-win seasons, leading both the Cardinals and the Razorbacks to their first BCS bowl games in school history. Petrino guided Arkansas and Louisville to top-10 finishes nationally three different times, including finishing the 2006 and the 2011 seasons ranked fifth in the Associated Press poll.
Petrino will welcome back several key players on both sides of the ball including senior Antonio Andrews, the NCAA leader in all-purpose yards a year ago.
OFFENSE
With the combination of Petrino's offensive prowess and the return of more than 4,000 yards of offense from scrimmage, WKU is poised to light up the scoreboard this fall. Headlining the crop of returnees is All-American running back Antonio Andrews. Only one player in the history of FBS football statistically outperformed Andrews during his 2012 campaign - Oklahoma State's 1988 Heisman Trophy winner and NFL Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders. Andrews finished his junior season with 3,161 all-purpose yards, becoming the second player in FBS history to eclipse 3,000 all-purpose yards in a single season. Andrews gashed out most of his yardage on the ground, racking up a WKU single-season record 1,728 rushing yards, a mark that ranked eighth in the nation. He was also the only player in the country to rush for more than 1,600 yards and record 400-plus yards receiving. WKU is the fifth program in FBS history to produce three-consecutive 1,500-yard rushers and with the versatile offensive mentality of Petrino, Andrews aims to extend the streak to four. While Andrews was the workhorse in 2012, WKU does feature a stable of backs capable of shouldering the load. Leon Allen burst onto the scene as a dynamic No. 2 back in his true freshman season, leading the Hilltoppers in rushing during the first two weeks of the season. Allen racked up 93 rushing yards on 13 carries in his debut against Austin Peay, finding the end zone for his first-career touchdown in the process. He also led WKU in rushing at No.1 ranked Alabama in Week 2. Rising senior Keshawn Simpson was WKU's opening-day starter at running back last fall, but a knee injury limited him to seven appearances on the season. Simpson aims to work his way back into the running back rotation this spring. Rounding out the backfield are senior fullbacks Kadeem Jones and Nick Baisch. The experienced duo shared duties in leading Andrews to his record-breaking 2012, with Jones earning 11 starts and Baisch playing in 12 games. Even though his main role was to open holes for quicker backs, Jones still produced at a high level when he got his hands on the football. Jones scored three touchdowns on his 17 carries, averaging 7.5 yards per carry. He also finished fourth on the team in receptions, hauling in 14 catches for 180 yards and three more touchdowns. He has been a scoring machine for the Hilltoppers the last two seasons, finding pay dirt 14 times.
WKU's versatility in the backfield will compliment a deep corps of returning and rookie wide receivers. Rising junior Willie McNeal emerged as the Hilltoppers top receiving threat in 2012, leading the team with six touchdown receptions and finishing second on the team in catches (43) and yards (556). Each of McNeal's six touchdown catches came in different games, and he was the only Hilltopper to post a 100-yard receiving performance during the season, accomplishing the feat twice. In a three-week span stretching from October 11-November 1, McNeal tallied 20 receptions for 307 yards and two touchdowns, including back-to-back seven-catch performances that went for over 100 yards. Accompanying McNeal at wideout is Austin Aikens, Rico Brown and Boe Brand. Aikens was another impact freshman for the Hilltoppers in 2012, emerging as WKU's top big-play threat in the passing game. Aikens averaged 27.1 yards per catch, recording 217 yards and a pair of touchdowns on just eight grabs. Both of Aikens' scores came in conference play, as he reeled in a five-yard touchdown against ULM and a 35-yard touchdown against MTSU. Brown was responsible for WKU's longest offensive play last fall, opening up the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl with a 70-yard reception to set up a Hilltopper touchdown. Brand brings in two years of experience from the slot receiver position.
WKU returns three of its five pieces from the offensive trenches in left tackle Cameron Clemmons, left guard Luis Polanco and center Sean Conway. The trio has combined for 80 starts over the last three seasons and is a significant component behind WKU's 6,637 rushing yards over the past 37 games. The quarterback position is up for grabs this spring as Brandon Doughty, James Mauro and DaMarcus Smith will compete to fill the shoes of graduated four-year starter Kawaun Jakes. Both Doughty and Mauro enter spring ball with college experience under their belts, with Mauro leading the Hilltoppers to 26 unanswered points in a road victory at Arkansas State last September and Doughty earning the starting nod against Indiana State in 2011 before being knocked out of the season with a knee injury. Smith transferred to WKU from Central Florida and sat out last season due to transfer rules. Smith threw for 3,327 yards and 32 touchdowns on his way to first-team all-state honors during his senior season at Seneca High School in Louisville, Ky. Todd Porter, a 2013 quarterback signee from O'Fallon High School (O'Fallon, Ill.), will also have a chance to compete for the starting job upon his arrival on campus this summer. Porter tossed for over 6,000 yards and 45 touchdowns in three seasons as O'Fallon's signal caller. Whoever wins the job will have a plethora of options at the skill positions and will be coached by Petrino and offensive coordinator Jeff Brohm, who have combined to coach 46 offensive players selected in the NFL Draft.
DEFENSE
First-year defensive coordinator Nick Holt inherits six starters from the 2012 squad that have combined for 145 career starts in their time on the Hill. Set in the middle of the unit is rising senior linebacker Andrew Jackson, who is coming off back-to-back 100 tackle seasons. Jackson followed up his 109-tackle 2011 campaign with 122 tackles in 2012, including 17.5 tackles for loss. The middle linebacker has led WKU in tackling in 14 of the last 26 games and has been a First-Team All-Sun Belt Conference selection each of the last two seasons. Flanking Jackson at strong-side linebacker is Xavius Boyd, who broke out as one of WKU's defensive stars in 2012. Boyd finished third in tackles last fall with 79 stops and led the Hilltoppers in tackles on four occasions. He was a consistent force for the defense, making at least five tackles in 11-of-13 contests.
WKU's returning secondary is one of the most experienced position groups on the entire team, as all the mainstays at cornerback and safety are back. Among all WKU returnees, senior defensive backs Tyree Robinson, Arius Wright and Kiante Young rank second, third and fifth in career starts, respectively. Young became a tackling beast from the strong safety slot, finishing second on the team with 83 tackles and tying for the team lead in pass breakups at seven. He was one of eight players on the WKU roster to start all 13 games in 2012 and enters his final season with 160 career tackles and three interceptions. Cornerback Tyree Robinson (33) joins center Sean Conway (37) as the only Hilltoppers with more than 30-career starts coming into 2013. Robinson and fellow island-corner Wright have combined for 243 tackles, 32 pass breakups and seven turnovers created. Ball-hawking free safety Jonathan Dowling is back after his six-interception sophomore season in which he ranked fourth on the team with 68 tackles. Dowling, a first-team all-Sun Belt selection, led the Hilltopper defense in turnovers forced and ranked fifth nationally with six interceptions. Three of Dowling's interceptions came at Kentucky last September, one off the record for the most in a single game, set by Jim Pickens when he picked off four passes in a 1948 game.
While experience is the hallmark at the back of WKU's defense, the opposite could be said for the defensive line, as all four of the Hilltoppers' mainstays depart. The five returning defensive linemen combined to start just four games in 2012, but learned under a 2012 starting unit that compiled 19 sacks and 31.5 tackles for loss. Headlining the returnees on the line are defensive ends Gavin Rocker and Calvin Washington. Rocker appeared in 12 of 13 games as a freshman last fall and sacked the quarterback on three different occasions. Rocker's speed off the edge mirrors that of graduated senior Quanterus Smith, who fell 0.5 sack shy of breaking the single-season Sun Belt Conference record last year. Washington only notched one sack during his first season on the Hill but became a disruptive force in short-to-intermediate passing lanes of opposing quarterbacks, using his 6-foot-5 frame to deflect the football at the line of scrimmage. T.J. Smith will vie for a spot in the defensive line rotation with his speed while defensive tackles Bryan Shorter and Jamichael Payne look to position themselves as WKU's starting gap fillers. Junior college transfers Maurice Bennett (6'3, 300) and Raphael Cox (6'3, 270) enter their first spring at WKU and will add bulk in the middle of the trenches for the Hilltoppers. The WKU defense will play its first season under coordinator Nick Holt, who has coached six Top 20 defenses, including the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked defense with the 2007-08 USC squads. Holt's defenses have combined to intercept 140 passes since 2001 and 23 defensive players have been selected in the NFL Draft under Holt's direction, including five first-round selections.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Ricky Brumfield's special teams unit is led by two-time special teams captain Hendrix Brakefield. Brakefield has been the starting punter since his arrival on the Hill in 2010, improving his punting average significantly during each of his three seasons. He led the Sun Belt Conference in punting average in 2012 at 42.1 yards per boot, including 14 of which landed inside the 20-yard line. In a crucial road win at Arkansas State last fall, Brakefield pinned the Red Wolves inside their own five-yard line two times during the second half. For his career, Brakefield has booted 28 punts 50 yards or longer, including a 74-yard blast during the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl.
Garrett Schwettman distinguished himself as WKU's starting place kicker by week three of his freshman campaign, connecting on a 23-yard field goal in a one-point victory at Kentucky. Schwettman was a perfect 8-of-8 from inside 20 yards last season and finished the year 10-of-13. He proved as a vital point scorer, as his 72 total points (10 field goals, 42 extra points) ranked second behind only Andrews (90). While Andrews was a threat in the rushing and receiving games, he also carved up opposition in the kick and punt return game. He scored WKU's first touchdown of the season on a 70-yard punt return score last fall and wound up leading the Hilltoppers in both kick return yards (767) and punt return yards (234). In fact, 1,001 of his FBS best 3,161 all-purpose yards came via the return game. The Hilltoppers return a strong special teams unit that surrendered only one kick or punt return touchdown in all of 2012 and limited opposition to 22 yards per kick return and 10 yards per punt return.
