2018 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team
The 2018 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team (WKU) represented Western Kentucky University in the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Hilltoppers played their home games at the Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium in Bowling Green, Kentucky as members of the East Division of Conference USA (C–USA). They were led by second-year head coach Mike Sanford Jr. They finished the season 3–9, 2–6 in C-USA play to finish in a tie for sixth place in the East Division.[1]
| 2018 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Conference | Conference USA |
| East Division | |
| 2018 record | 3–9 (2–6 C-USA) |
| Head coach | Mike Sanford Jr. (2nd season) |
| Offensive coordinator | Junior Adams (2nd season) |
| Defensive coordinator | Clayton White (2nd season) |
| Home stadium | Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium (Capacity: 22,113) |
| 2018 Conference USA football standings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| East Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Middle Tennessee x | 7 | – | 1 | 8 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Marshall | 6 | – | 2 | 9 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FIU | 6 | – | 2 | 9 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Charlotte | 4 | – | 4 | 5 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Florida Atlantic | 3 | – | 5 | 5 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Old Dominion | 2 | – | 6 | 4 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western Kentucky | 2 | – | 6 | 3 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| West Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UAB x$ | 7 | – | 1 | 11 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| North Texas | 5 | – | 3 | 9 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Louisiana Tech | 5 | – | 3 | 8 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Southern Miss | 5 | – | 3 | 6 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UTSA | 2 | – | 6 | 3 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UTEP | 1 | – | 7 | 1 | – | 11 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rice | 1 | – | 7 | 2 | – | 11 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Championship: UAB 27, Middle Tennessee 25 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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On November 25, head coach Mike Sanford Jr. was fired after only two seasons.[2] He finished at WKU with a record of 9–16.
Previous season
The Hilltoppers finished the 2017 season 6–7, 4–4 in C-USA play to finish in a tie for third place in the East Division. They received an invite to the Cure Bowl where they lost to Georgia State.
Preseason
Award watch lists
Listed in the order that they were released
| Award | Player | Position | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Mackey Award[3] | Mik'Quan Deane | TE | SR |
| Wuerffel Trophy[4] | Julien Lewis | DL | SR |
Preseason media poll
Conference USA released their preseason media poll on July 17, 2018, with the Hilltoppers predicted to finish in fourth place in the East Division.[5]
| East Division | ||
| Predicted finish | Team | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Florida Atlantic | |
| 2 | Marshall | |
| 3 | Middle Tennessee | |
| 4 | FIU | |
| 5 | Western Kentucky | |
| 6 | Old Dominion | |
| 7 | Charlotte | |
Schedule
| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 31 | 8:00 p.m. | at No. 4 Wisconsin* | ESPN | L 3–34 | 74,145 | |
| September 8 | 6:30 p.m. | No. 22 (FCS) Maine* | ESPN+ | L 28–31 | 15,178 | |
| September 15 | 6:30 p.m. | at Louisville* | ACCRSN | L 17–20 | 54,923 | |
| September 22 | 2:00 p.m. | at Ball State* | ESPN3 | W 28–20 | 15,873 | |
| September 29 | 6:30 p.m. | Marshall |
| Stadium | L 17–20 | 20,811 |
| October 13 | 2:30 p.m. | at Charlotte | ESPN+ | L 14–40 | 11,610 | |
| October 20 | 6:30 p.m. | Old Dominion |
| ESPN+ | L 34–37 | 13,269 |
| October 27 | 6:30 p.m. | FIU |
| beIN | L 17–38 | 15,138 |
| November 2 | 7:00 p.m. | at Middle Tennessee | CBSSN | L 10–29 | 16,617 | |
| November 10 | 4:00 p.m. | at Florida Atlantic | Stadium | L 15–34 | 14,400 | |
| November 17 | 6:30 p.m. | UTEP |
| beIN | W 40–16 | 6,221 |
| November 24 | 11:00 a.m. | at Louisiana Tech | CBSSN | W 30–15 | 11,459 | |
| ||||||
- Schedule Source:[6]
Game summaries
at Wisconsin
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hilltoppers | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| No. 4 Badgers | 7 | 17 | 3 | 7 | 34 |
| Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 0–1 | 2001 | WISC, 24–6 |
Maine
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 22 (FCS) Black Bears | 0 | 14 | 14 | 3 | 31 |
| Hilltoppers | 21 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 28 |
| Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
|---|---|---|
| First meeting | ||
at Louisville
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hilltoppers | 7 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 17 |
| Cardinals | 0 | 3 | 3 | 14 | 20 |
| Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 12–19 | 1998 | LOU, 63–34 |
at Ball State
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hilltoppers | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 28 |
| Cardinals | 7 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 20 |
| Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 2–2 | 2017 | WKU, 33–21 |
Marshall
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thundering Herd | 7 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 20 |
| Hilltoppers | 3 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
| Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 4–5 | 2017 | MARSH, 30–23 |
at Charlotte
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hilltoppers | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| 49ers | 6 | 3 | 21 | 10 | 40 |
| Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1–0 | 2017 | WKU, 45–14 |
Old Dominion
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monarchs | 14 | 3 | 2 | 18 | 37 |
| Hilltoppers | 7 | 17 | 3 | 7 | 34 |
| Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 4–0 | 2017 | WKU, 35–31 |
FIU
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Panthers | 7 | 7 | 14 | 10 | 38 |
| Hilltoppers | 0 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 17 |
| Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 6–5 | 2017 | FIU, 41–17 |
at Middle Tennessee
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hilltoppers | 3 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
| Blue Raiders | 10 | 10 | 3 | 6 | 29 |
| Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 32–33–1 | 2017 | WKU, 41–38 |
at Florida Atlantic
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hilltoppers | 0 | 9 | 0 | 6 | 15 |
| Owls | 10 | 0 | 7 | 17 | 34 |
| Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 3–6 | 2017 | FAU, 42–28 |
UTEP
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miners | 0 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 16 |
| Hilltoppers | 27 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 40 |
| Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 2–0 | 2017 | WKU, 15–14 |
at Louisiana Tech
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hilltoppers | 14 | 9 | 0 | 7 | 30 |
| Bulldogs | 0 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 15 |
| Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 3–5 | 2017 | LT, 23–22 |
References
- WKU Football Media Guide retrieved 31 March 2020.
- https://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2018/11/25/18111536/mike-sanford-fired-wku-coach
- "2018 John Mackey Award Preseason Watch List Released" (PDF). July 20, 2018. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
- "Wuerffel Trophy Unveils 2018 Watch List". July 26, 2018. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
- http://conferenceusa.com/news/2018/7/17/football-fb-preseason-media-poll.aspx
- "2018 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Football Schedule". FB Schedules. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
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