College Football Countdown: No. 115 Western Kentucky
College Gridiron 365
by Iliana Limón
Coach: Willie Taggart (2-10, second season)
2010 record: 2-10 (2-6 in Sun Belt, ninth)
Look back: The Hilltoppers illustrate how tough it can be to make the jump to the highest level in college football. Western Kentucky posted 11 straight winning seasons and won what was then known as the 2002 Division I-AA national title before transitioning to the Football Bowl Subdivision level. The Hilltoppers have since gone 2-10 in 2008, 0-12 in 2009 and 2-10 in 2010. After a sluggish start during the 2010 under new head coach Willie Taggart, a former Western Kentucky player, the Hilltoppers claimed a 54-21 win over at Louisiana Lafayette and 36-35 win at Arkansas State. The team relied on junior running back Bobby Rainey, who amassed 1,680 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns on 340 carries. Quarterback Kawaun Jakes struggled to run the Hilltopper offense and the team ranked No. 112 nationally with 149.2 passing yards per game.
Offensive starters lost/returning: 4/7
Defensive starters lost/returning: 3/8
Key losses: LB Thomas Majors, LB Orlando Misaalefua, OL Mychal Patterson
Top returnees: RB Bobby Rainey, DB Ryan Beard, DB Kiante Young
Strengths: Rainey is back for his senior season and should once again give the Western Kentucky offense a strong rushing threat. He ranked fourth nationally in rushing yards per game last season with 135.6 per contest. Taggart will be entering his second season as the Western Kentucky head coach. He should have more of his recruits in place and the returning players should have a better command of his offense. The team returns the majority of starters on both sides of the ball, which also should help the team show improvement and finally get past the two-win mark at the Football Bowl Subdivision level.
Weaknesses: Jakes has to improve his decisions under pressure during the 2011 season. He ranked No. 100 nationally in pass efficiency with a rating 106.9. Jakes showed signs of progress during spring practice. He led the white team to a 27-11 win in the Western Kentucky spring game and was named the contest’s most valuable player after going 10-of-16 passing for 157 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 40 yards on nine carries. The Hilltoppers’ defense also has to pick up the pace in 2011 after ranking No. 99 nationally in scoring defense by giving up 33.2 points per game.
Outlook: Western Kentucky The team has a challenging schedule, which includes games against Kentucky, Navy and at LSU. Two of the Hilltoppers’ biggest Sun Belt games are also on the road – at Troy and at Middle Tennessee. Western Kentucky is showing signs of improvement and has the potential to notch more wins than the past two seasons combined, but the program is still trying to find its football at the FBS level.
2011 Schedule
Sept. 1 Kentucky
Sept. 10 Navy
Sept. 17 Indiana State
Oct. 1 Arkansas State
Oct. 6 At Middle Tennessee
Oct. 15 At FAU
Oct. 22 Louisiana-Lafayette
Oct. 29 At Louisiana-Monroe
Nov. 5 FIU
Nov. 12 At LSU
Nov. 19 At North Texas
Nov. 26 At Troy
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College Football Countdown: No. 115 Western Kentucky
