Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
| Western Kentucky Hilltoppers | |
|---|---|
 | |
| First season | 2018 |
| Head coach | boogyman10 4th season, 19–20 (.487) |
| Stadium | Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium (Capacity: 22,000) |
| Field surface | FieldTurf |
| Location | Bowling Green, Kentucky |
| Division | East |
| All-time record | 38–41 (.481) |
| Bowl record | 1–4 (.200) |
| Division titles | 2 |
| Colors | Red and White |
| Rivals | Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders |
The Western Kentucky football team is the intercollegiate football team representing Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The team is currently coached by boogyman10. The team plays its home games at the campus's Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium, with a capacity of 22,000.
Contents
History
statsheetstuffer era (2018-2020)
The team was part of the C-USA expansion before the 2018 season. Coach statsheetstuffer left Wyoming to take the job. In 2018, The team started out by losing games to Alabama, Louisville, SMU and Texas by very large margins. They rallied, winning most of the games in their conference schedule, and ended up at .500 before losing to Hawaii 14-49 in their bowl game. Alexander Hardison was named the C-USA Defensive Player of the Year. In 2019, Western Kentucky lost games early in the season, but cruised through their conference schedule following a scheme and quarterback change and finished second in the division, at 5-7. They were selected to play the 7-5 San Diego State Aztecs in the New Mexico Bowl in Albuquerque, New Mexico, but lost in a close game. Benjamin Chappell and Daniel Spivey were top contributors on the defensive side of the ball. So far in the statsheetstuffer era, the Hilltoppers had not beaten Louisville or Kentucky but had dominated their rivalry with Middle Tennessee by starting 2-0 in the series.
The Hilltoppers, coming off a good recruiting class, were picked to finish as a top 3 team in the conference. They opened the season with a close loss against Oklahoma State, 45-41. The team followed it up with two more impressive performances against quality teams that resulted in close losses. Riley West, the redshirt freshman starting at quarterback, did not disappoint. He performed very well with a stunning performance against a ranked Virginia team. Looking for redemption, the Hilltoppers cruised past Louisiana Tech by a score of 28-10. The rest of the season would continue to follow the results of the Louisiana Tech game - the Hilltoppers, behind the arm of Riley West and a great defensive line unit, went undefeated in the conference (the first time in C-USA history) and cruised to an 8-4 record. They won the C-USA East for the first time, and although they lost their postseason games, they would still finish with an 8-6 record. On the recruiting trail, the Hilltoppers picked up their best recruit in school history, DT Felix Jennings (#2 DT, #23 Natl per CrootScoop.com). After the season, statsheetstuffer took the leap to Georgia Tech.
boogyman10 era (2021-Present)
Continuing the success that statsheetstuffer had, boogyman10 won the C-USA East in his first season behind the arm of Riley West. They again lost the conference championship to Rice and lost their bowl game. The 2022 season was disappointing for the Hilltoppers as it was their first season without a bowl game as they finished 4-8. The Hilltoppers started the 2023 season on the wrong foot with a 1-5 record but a strong offense helmed by senior Riley West and a tandem in the backfield of Qua'Sean Bell and Trevor Workman led the team and won seven straight games to end the season, including their first bowl win in the Boca Raton Bowl against Ohio.
All-time record vs. C-USA opponents
This is the Hilltoppers' football record against current Conference USA opponents through the 2023 season.
| School | Total Games | W | L | T | Pct. | PF | PA | First Year | Last Year | Streak |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | .833 | 164 | 110 | 2018 | 2023 | W5 |
| Florida Atlantic | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | .667 | 169 | 128 | 2018 | 2023 | W1 |
| Florida International | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | .667 | 178 | 120 | 2018 | 2023 | L2 |
| Louisiana Tech | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 90 | 34 | 2020 | 2022 | W3 |
| Marshall | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | .333 | 99 | 122 | 2018 | 2023 | L3 |
| Middle Tennessee | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 194 | 79 | 2018 | 2023 | W6 |
| North Texas | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| Old Dominion | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | .833 | 166 | 147 | 2018 | 2023 | W1 |
| Rice | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | .000 | 71 | 110 | 2019 | 2021 | L3 |
| Southern Miss | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 66 | 52 | 2018 | 2023 | W2 |
| UAB | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 | 14 | 31 | 2023 | 2023 | L1 |
| UTEP | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 52 | 40 | 2021 | 2022 | W2 |
| UTSA | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 24 | 16 | 2020 | 2020 | W1 |
| 13 Opponents | 48 | 34 | 14 | 0 | .708 | 1287 | 989 | 6 Seasons |
Season-by-Season Records
| Coach(es) | Year | Conference | Overall Record | Conference Record | Bowl | Final CP Ranking | ||
| Wins | Losses | Wins | Losses | |||||
| Western Kentucky Hilltoppers | ||||||||
| statsheetstuffer | 2018 | C-USA | 6 | 7 | 5 | 2 | Lost New Orleans Bowl vs Hawaii (14-49) | - |
| 2019 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 2 | Lost New Mexico Bowl vs San Diego State (13-21) | - | ||
| 2020 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 1 | Lost New Mexico Bowl vs Fresno State (13-17) | - | ||
| boogyman10 | 2021 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 3 | Lost Hawai'i Bowl vs San Diego State (17-20) | - | |
| 2022 | 4 | 8 | 4 | 4 | - | - | ||
| 2023 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 2 | Won Boca Raton Bowl vs Ohio (38-28) | - | ||
| Total Games: 79 | 38 | 41 | 34 | 14 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Champions | Conference Champions | Bowl game berth |
Bowl games
The Hilltoppers have appeared in 5 bowl games, posting a record of 1-4.
| Season | Bowl | Opponent | Result | ||
| 2018 | New Orleans Bowl | Hawaii | L, 14-49 | ||
| 2019 | New Mexico Bowl | San Diego State | L, 13-21 | ||
| 2020 | New Mexico Bowl | Fresno State | L, 13-17 | ||
| 2021 | Hawai'i Bowl | San Diego State | L, 17-20 | ||
| 2023 | Boca Raton Bowl | Ohio | W, 38-28 | ||
| Total | 5 Bowl Games | 1-4 | |||
Individual Award Winners
Players
C-USA Defensive Player of the Year
- 2018
1st Team All C-USA Players
- 2018
- 2019
- 2020
- 2022
- 2023
2nd Team All C-USA Players
- 2021
- 2022
- 2023
