The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers have come a long way since joining the FBS division in 2009.
The team went 0-12 in its first season in the Sun Belt conference, but rebounded under former head coach Willie Taggart to go 7-5 this year to play in the first bowl game in school history on Wednesday night in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl against Central Michigan.
Taggart led the program from the bottom of college football to respectable record, but will not be around to see it, as he took the head coaching job at South Florida in December following the end of the regular-season.
"He did a tremendous job for Western Kentucky -- inheriting a program with a 20-game losing streak before posting back-to-back 7-5 records in his second and third seasons," athletic director Todd Stewart said to the Associated Press. "You cannot overstate the positive impact he had on our football program, athletic department and university."
Western Kentucky enters the game Wednesday with a new coach and new future after Stewart hired Bobby Petrino to replace Taggart. Petrino was formerly the head coach at Arkansas, but flamed out publicly after a motorcycle accident revealed an affair with his mistress, a former volleyball player at the school whom he had given $20,000 in gifts and a job as a football assistant.
"I'm going to be able to sit down with mom and dad and the student-athlete and make them understand how this experience has made me a better coach, a better person and will make me understand their son better," Petrino said during a packed news conference at Houchens-Smith Stadium, according to the Associated Press.
Defensive coordinator Lance Guidry will be calling plays. Guidry is making his second appearance as an interim coach The Hilltoppers were 7-5 last season, but were passed over in favor of other schools to play in a bowl game. The team will have a slight edge over a 6-6 Central Michigan team, largely due to the play of quarterback Kawaun Jakes and running back Antonio Andrews.
Jakes has been extremely efficient throughout his senior season, throwing for 2,289 yards and 21 touchdowns with just 11 interceptions. He is completing over 64 percent of his passes and is going up against a Central Michigan team that gives up 33 points and 244.2 yards per game. In the final 25-24 win over North Texas, Jakes had 173 yards passing and one touchdown and has thrown for sic scores over the past four games.
The Western Kentucky offense will give a lot of touches to Andrews, who is closing in on the single-season NCAA record for all-purpose yards. This season he has rushed for 1,609 yards and 11 touchdowns and also has 957 return yards for 2,977 overall. Andrews needs just 274 yards to take over Barry Sanders' mark of 3,250 from 1988.
Andrews has been the most dynamic player for the Hilltoppers and will be the main focus for the Central Michigan defense, which gives up nearly 200 yards per game. He had 230 yards in the final win over North Texas and has scored four touchdowns in the past three games. He had a season-high 238 yards rushing two weeks ago and scored three touchdowns early in the year in an overtime win against Kentucky.
Last season the Hilltoppers went 7-1 in the Sun Belt conference, but fell to 4-4 this season. The team will try to win the game for Taggart, who coached the team throughout the season and helped them establish legitimacy in the FBS.
Western Kentucky will not have an easy time against a Central Michigan team that is scoring nearly 30 points per game and gains almost 400 yards of total offense. The Chippewas finished the season with three straight victories to become bowl eligible and are making their fourth appearance in the bowl, winning one out of three from 2006-08 when it was known as the Motor City Bowl.
"Central Michigan has a great tradition with this bowl," athletic director Dave Heeke said. "We are thrilled to be back in Detroit for a bowl game."
The team finished 3-9 in the past two seasons, but improved to 4-4 in the Mid-American Conference this year after only going 2-6 last season. The offense will go through running back Zurlon Tipton, who has gained 1,391 yards and 19 touchdowns this season, including 185 rushing yards and four touchdowns in the final 42-21 win over Massachusetts.
Tipton and quarterback Ryan Radcliff will face a stiff test from the Hilltoppers, who had three players earn all-conference first-team honors this season. Western Kentucky ranked first in the Sun Belt with 31 sacks and averaged 7.42 tackles for loss per game, good for 12th in the nation.
Radcliff has passed for 2,905 yards and 20 touchdowns with just nine interceptions and has a nice core of wide recivers, including Titus Davis and Cody Wilson, who have combined for 107 receptions, 1,599 yards and 10 TDs this year. Radcliff has passed for at leastone touchdown in every game but one this season and had a season-high four touchdown passes in a loss against Toledo in October.
Central Michigan is allowing 33 points per game this year, but has played better over the past two games, allowing just 37 combined in that span.
PREDICTION: Western Kentucky 35, Central Michigan 21. The Hilltoppers will be at the top of their game in honor of Taggart and all he has done for the school. Although Central Michigan has a bit of a home field advantage since the game is in Detroit, it will be Western Kentucky who breaks off the big plays. The Chippewas have no one who can keep up with Andrews and will need solid play from their secondary to keep tabs on Kawaun Jakes. The Hilltoppers have lost three of the past four games, but will be re-energized for the bowl game after getting a new head coach. The Chippewas have won three in a row, but against a weak crop of opponents with a combined record of 7-29. Western Kentucky has the edge in this game.
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