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Western Kentucky Hilltoppers 2016 Football Team Preview

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers 2016 Football Team Preview

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2016 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Football Preview

Team Strengths

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The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers enjoyed their first stint in the AP Poll ranking last year (No. 24) in less than a decade as a part of NCAA Division I. Thanks to a high-octane offense orchestrated by two-year head coach Jeff Brohm, WKU ran away with a perfect 8-0 conference record and a dazzling 12-2 overall record en route to becoming Conference USA champs.

The Hilltoppers will take comfort from the fact that eight of their best offensive linemen from last season are returning this year, and these hulks within the trenches were the keys to success for both the passing and running games to get going. The backfield tandem of D’Andre Ferby and Anthony Wales, who combined for over 1,700 rushing yards and a total of 20 touchdowns last year, should be able to plow through opposing defenses with the team’s formidable O-line once more.

Team Weaknesses

Not so much a weakness than a rather big question mark is Western Kentucky’s quarterback dilemma. Without last year’s team MVP around anymore in Brandon Doughty (close to 10,000 passing yards and a total of 97 TDs in his last two seasons with the school), there are about five QBs jocking for the team’s starting position. Whoever earns the starting nod must absorb coach Brohm’s playbook, and fast.

The Hilltoppers defense, which also saw a significant improvement last season, must fill in five crucial gaps in its unit – three from the D-Line and a couple of starters in the secondary.

Replicating last year’s dominant season will be a tall order for this surprising WKU program, so this will be a massive test for Brohm as for whether or not he can sustain the success he’s had in just two years in Bowling Green.

2015 Team Stats

Category Stat (Rank)
Points per game 44.2 (#4)
Passing yards per game 365.4 (#6)
Rushing yards per game 154.4 (#88)
Scoring defense 25.2 (#54)

Writer’s Prediction

Even though we predict that the Hilltoppers will win less than 12 games this time around, we’re still confident that they’ll repeat as Conference USA champions.

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Mark
Written by Mark

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