Aug. 30, 2011 Topper Extra

TOPPER

extra

Your source for WKU sports • August 30, 2011

'The Golden Ticket' Bobby Rainey looks to carry WKU again in 2011

Page 4

Photo by JERRY ENGLEHART JR

FULL FOOTBALL SEASON PREVIEW

FOOTBALL: SUPER SOPHOMORES, page5 • VOLLEYBALL:WKU PREACHES DEFENSE, page 7

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TOPPER EXTRA - AUGUST 30, 2011

COLUMN

Enough about the logistics; Let’s just play football The ticket sales are low. The game is in Nashville on a Thursday night. It’s a late kickoff.

Those sentiments have dictated headlines leading up to Thursday’s game between WKU and Kentucky at L.P. Field in Nashville.

It’s time now that we put those aside and finally start talking about football.

“It’s sort of become a story in and of itself, and we don’t want that,” said Athletics Director Ross Bjork of the logistical problems. “We want the focus to be on the game. We want people to treasure this moment, play in an NFL stadium and make the best of it.”

Fans have plenty of reason to be excited about the game.

Football-wise, it’s a battle between two in-state rivals. One hails from arguably the most powerful college football conference in the country, while the other is trying to finally make its mark on the Football Bowl Subdivision.

It’s also a battle of two young coaches,

Willie Taggart and Joker Phillips, who are both trying to change the reputation of their alma maters.

There seems to be some genuine belief among WKU fans that their team might actually knock off a Southeastern COLE CLAYBOURN Callin' the Shots Conference opposports@wkuherald.com nent — something the Toppers have never done.

A victory over UK is the type of win that could bring WKU out of the deep hole that it’s been trying to dig itself out of since it became a fully fledged member of the FBS in 2009.

Moreover, WKU gets to host a game at an NFL Stadium for the first time in school history.

Since WKU is the home team, the surroundings will resemble Smith Stadium. The 50-yard-line and end zones will all be painted with WKU logos, and graphics will be prominently displayed around the stadium.

Students have every reason to go to the game, with the exception of having class or work.

Logistically, aside from picking them up and putting them in a seat, WKU has tried to make every effort to get students to the game.

Previously the plan was to allow just the first 4,000 students into the game for free, which would have been more than enough to cover the average student attendance at home games.

But just to be safe, WKU lifted that cap last week and announced that all students

would be granted free admission if they showed up with their WKU student ID. On Wednesday, Bjork said he wanted 5,000 students to show up for the game.

President Gary Ransdell one-upped him and said he’d like to see 10,000 students.

“That’s great. That should be our mindset,” Bjork said. “We are focused on that. We need to make the best of this.”

The situation isn’t ideal, as many would prefer the game to be played at Smith Stadium on a Saturday rather than in Nashville on a Thursday night.

But consider this: it’s not often that people get to watch a football game for free in an NFL stadium. Add the fact that it’s your team, against an in-state rival, with a chance to make school history, and fans really should make the best of it.

That should be the topic of conversation.

And I don't know about you, but I'm ready for some football.

football game coverage

wkuherald.com

twitter: @wkuheraldsports live blog, photos, & video vs.

8:15pm at LP Field - N Nashville, a s h v i lll e T TN N Thursday, September 1st

AUGUST 30, 2011 - TOPPER EXTRA

WKU offense

UK defense

22.8

28.4

17.9

UK offense

WKU defense

scoring

31.2

33.2

18.2

first downs

22.2

19.3

175

177

rushing yards

159

177

4.2

4.6

yards per rush

4.6

5

147.9

178.9

passing yards

269

203

4.8

7.2

yards per pass attempt

7.6

7.2

318

354

total offense

428

380

4.8

5.6

yards per play

6.1

6

1.2

1.2

turnovers

1.5

1.4

3

FOOTBALL

‘Fired up’ Toppers look for milestone win over Kentucky in Nashville

By BRAD STEPHENS sports@wkuherald.com

There will be no shortage of motivation for WKU Thursday against Kentucky.

The Toppers will be facing an in-state rival from the powerhouse Southeastern Conference that beat them handily one year ago and will be playing on national television at L.P. Field in Nashville on college football’s Opening Day. When asked about the game at WKU’s Media Day, senior defensive end Jared Clendenin summed up the emotions of the entire program.

“If you aren’t fired up about this one, then you are not supposed to be playing,” Clendenin said. “That’s pretty selfexplanatory. We’re going to be fired up.”

The Toppers will be looking to avenge a 63-28 blowout loss to the Wildcats last year in Lexington.

Things started off well for WKU in that meeting, as then-junior running back Bobby Rainey gave WKU a 7-0 lead one minute into the game with a 59-yard touchdown run.

But UK answered right back with 35 consecutive points, putting the game out of reach.

The WKU defense found no answer for UK wide receiver Randall Cobb, who totaled 207 all-purpose yards, threw one touchdown, and tallied both a rushing and punt return score.

Head Coach Willie Taggart said he was happy not to have to game-plan for Cobb this season, as Cobb graduated and was drafted by the NFL’s Green Bay Packers, but added that the defense must perform better no matter what skill players UK puts on the field.

“It’s great not to have to go against someone like that, but then again, they’re in the SEC, so I’m sure they have somebody else ready to do the same thing Randall did,” Taggart said. “More importantly, we’ve got to tackle, tackle, tackle and not give up big plays.”

WKU defense will have to handle UK’s new quarterback, junior Morgan Newton, without junior defensive lineman Jamarcus Allen, who was suspended for Thursday’s game for violation of team rules.

Meanwhile, the Topper offense must handle a Wildcat defense playing under new defensive coordinator Rick Minter.

But Rainey said he still expects UK to take the same defensive approach as last

year, positioning players near the line of scrimmage to bottle up the WKU rushing attack.

“They’re going to pack the box, and we expect that to happen,” Rainey said.

“We just have to execute and do a better job of getting the ball to the receivers to open it up.”

Taggart said he has “no doubt” that junior quarterback Kawaun Jakes and a young group of receivers can take advantage of one-on-one opportunities provided by a Wildcat defense focused on stopping Rainey.

“That’s why those guys came here — to play football,” Taggart said. “Those guys are on scholarship too, and if those guys can’t do that, then we can’t play offense.”

If the Toppers are able to come away victorious it will be the program’s firstever win not just against UK, but also against the SEC. Rainey said he anticipates that a win over the Wildcats would be a milestone moment for the program.

“It would be the best win since I’ve been here at Western, or even in Western history,” Rainey said. “With them being an SEC team, and Western beating them, that would be huge for the program.”

2011 football schedule ■ Sept. 1 vs. Kentucky (at L.P.

Field in Nashville) 8:15 p.m.

■ Sept. 10 vs. Navy 6 p.m.

■ Sept. 17 vs. Indiana State 6 p.m.

■ Oct. 1 Arkansas State 3 p.m.

■ Oct. 6 at Middle Tennessee 6:30 p.m.

■ Oct. 15 at Florida Atlantic (time TBA) ■ Oct. 22 Louisiana-Lafayette 3 p.m.

■ Oct. 29 at Louisiana-Monroe 2:30 p.m.

■ Nov. 5 Florida International 3 p.m.

■ Nov. 12 at Louisiana State 7 p.m.

■ Nov. 19 at North Texas 3 p.m.

■ Nov. 26 Troy 12 p.m.

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TOPPER EXTRA - AUGUST 30, 2011

Cover story

Rainey looking to improve on record-setting season

By BRAD STEPHENS sports@wkuherald.com

He had the power and balance to run between the tackles.

He had the acceleration and straightahead speed to break big runs on the outside.

He had the soft hands to be second on the team in receptions.

And he even threw a touchdown pass.

Simply put, Bobby Rainey was often a one-man offense for WKU in 2010.

Junior quarterback Kawaun Jakes said he expects the senior running back to be just as good in 2011.

“Bobby’s like a golden ticket,” Jakes said. “Just give it to him and watch him go.

When you hand off the ball to him you know he can take it the distance.”

Rainey showed flashes of his potential during his freshman and sophomore seasons, averaging 6.4 yards per carry.

He then broke onto the national scene in 2010 during his junior season, gaining 1,649 yards and scoring 15 touchdowns.

Rainey also led the Football Bowl Subdivision with 340 carries — a school record.

For his efforts, he was named the Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Year.

But Rainey said he wouldn’t be satisfied with putting up the same numbers in 2011.

He has even tossed around the goal of a 2,000-yard season — a golden mark for running backs and a total that would shatter Joe Arnold’s single-season school rushing record by more than 300 yards.

“You’re either getting better or you’re not,” Rainey said. “No one stays the same, so my goal is to do better than I did last year.”

The WKU coaching staff has made every effort to keep Rainey, along with junior tight end Jack Doyle and junior wide receiver Marcus Vasquez, healthy going into the season, by giving them the yellow “non-contact” jersey to wear during fall camp.

It was the second consecutive season that Rainey got the protective treatment. Head Coach Willie Taggart said Rainey, and the other two, would rid themselves of the yellow jerseys if they had it their way.

“Those guys hate (wearing the yellow jerseys),” Head Coach Willie Taggart said.

“But I tell them, ‘You’ve just got to deal with it. Just understand — those guys are going to

JERRY ENGLEHART JR/HERALD

Senior running back Bobby Rainey will look improve upon a 2010 season in which he rushed for 1,649 yards and 15 touchdowns. Rainey was named to three postseason award watch lists, most notably the Maxwell Award, given annually to the nation's most outstanding all-around player.

talk to you now and make you competitive and fired up, but we need you to be healthy come Sept. 1 and many weeks after that.’”

Taggart and his staff have recruited some players who can come in and spell Rainey for a few plays each game.

Sophomores Antonio Andrews and Keshawn Simpson, as well as freshmen Quartterrio Morgan, John Evans and Marquis Sumler all competed throughout fall camp for a backup role.

Andrews, who is expected to play a hybrid running back/receiver role this season, praised Rainey’s efforts in teaching WKU’s younger running backs how to follow in his footsteps.

“Bobby’s work ethic is just ridiculous,”

Andrews said. “Bobby is the one person that loves to work and knows how to get his.

“He’s been a good mentor and a good role model. I respect him and everything he does.”

Taggart agreed and said that if WKU is to improve upon a 2-10 record from a season ago, the young backs under Rainey’s tutelage must contribute.

“If Bobby will just be Bobby, he’ll be big for us,” Taggart said at WKU’s Media Day. “And if Bobby could get his teammates to help him out a little bit, then that’ll be even better.”

Rainey said he learned in 2010 how to shoulder the offensive load by leading the team in game preparation and on-field per-

formance.

“I learned how to make everyone around me better and on the same page, execute and not hurt ourselves,” Rainey said. “That’s my job and I want to continue to do that.”

With running backs such as Andrews, Morgan and Sumler to take some of the load off Rainey, it’s unlikely he will top his 340 carries this season.

But should he get those chances again, Rainey said he’ll take advantage.

“I don’t really expect to have that same amount of carries, but I want to come out with those same numbers,” Rainey said.

“But if carrying the ball the same number of times is what it takes, then that’s what it takes.”

AUGUST 30, 2011 - TOPPER EXTRA

Players to watch

5

KAWAUN JAKES

WES JEFFRIES

QUANTERUS SMITH

TYREE ROBINSON

Quarterback No. 6, JR.

Left Tackle No. 77, SR.

Defensive End No. 93, JR.

Cornerback No. 22, SO.

◆Jakes rid himself of his trademark dreadlocks before the season started — a sign of the maturity Head Coach Willie Taggart will be expecting from his junior quarterback.

Taggart said Jakes has matured on and off the field and “is starting to do the things it takes to be a Division 1 quarterback.” ◆Taggart said Jakes doesn't need to ask about play calls anymore or what to do in certain situations. He simply knows what to do. Jakes started all 12 games last season and threw for 10 touchdowns. Taggart said he expects better numbers this year. ◆Taggart on Jakes: “Last year you saw a quarterback that managed our offense. I think this year, you’re going to see that position become more of a weapon for us.”

◆It didn’t take long for Jeffries’ ability to be noticed this season. The former Warren Central High School standout was tabbed a preseason All-Sun Belt selection after his stellar 2010 season. He’ll be responsible for protecting quarterback Kawaun Jakes’ blindside, as well as providing running lanes for running back Bobby Rainey. ◆ Jeffries will anchor an offensive line that includes sophomores Luis Polanco and Sean Conway and juniors Adam Smith and Seth White. ◆Offensive tackles coach Stu Holt on Jeffries: “He’s a fifth-year senior that’s done really, really well and works hard to be the best that he can be. It’s been a lot of fun working with him one-on-one.”

◆Smith led WKU in sacks one year ago and is the team’s second-leading returning tackler. The Loganville, Ga., native is a powerful outside rusher who, along with senior defensive end Jared Clendenin, will bookend an experienced Topper defensive line in 2011. Smith was named to Phil Steele’s Preseason All-Sun Belt Conference third team. ◆Defensive tackles coach Eric Mathies said he expects the defense to put plenty of pressure on quarterbacks this year. ◆Mathies on Smith: “We’ve got some guys that can rush the passer in Smith and (defensive end) Bo Adebayo. And we’ll do some different packages where we bring in some linebackers and DB’s to rush the passer.”

◆Robinson got his first career start in the fourth game of WKU’s 2010 season against South Florida. In the three games before he became a starter, WKU allowed 296 yards through the air per game. In the nine games after, the Toppers allowed just 172 passing yards per game.

He was named to Phil Steele’s 2010 All-SBC third team and is a 2011 preseason first-teamer. ◆Robinson will get the chance to return kicks and punts for the Toppers this year. Head Coach Willie Taggart said he sees Robinson as someone who can make plays anywhere. ◆Taggart on Robinson: “I think I could put him at running back and he’d do a good job for us. I think wherever he plays he’s one of those types of kids that loves football and will do whatever he has to do.”

Taggart’s first recruits now looking to lead WKU

By BRAD STEPHENS sports@wkuherald.com

When Head Coach Willie Taggart was hired in November of 2009, it took him just two months to make his first splash upon the national scene.

Taggart did that by inking a recruiting class ranked No. 1 overall in the Sun Belt Conference by Rivals. com.

And many of those recruits didn’t have to wait long to receive playing time.

Punter Hendrix Brakefield, linebacker Xavius Boyd, running back Antonio Andrews and cornerbacks Tyree Robinson and Arius Wright all saw significant playing time during

nearly all of their true freshman seasons.

Robinson reminisced on the experience of facing Nebraska in front of more than 80,000 fans last September in the first college game he said he had ever seen, and mere months after his high school graduation.

“I saw how everybody was getting crunk and excited and I wanted to get in and be a part of that,” Robinson said. “When I got my chance I had a whole bunch of butterflies. But I got a tackle and all that went away.”

Freshman butterflies have been replaced by veteran experience, and now this sophomore group has been called upon to help lead the Toppers to their first-ever Sun Belt title.

“A lot of those guys came in, competed, and saw what it was like to play college football,” Taggart said. “They know that they can do it now and have a lot of confidence.”

Andrews, a former Kentucky Mr. Football at Fort Campbell High School, transferred to WKU from the Air Force Academy at the beginning of 2010 fall camp and was the most highly-touted in-state recruit of the class.

He said the fact that this year’s sophomores came into the program at the same time as Taggart and his staff allowed for the group’s successes.

“It’s exciting to have a brand new coaching staff because you know there are no favorites,” Andrews said. “Ev-

erybody had the opportunity to come in and show what they can do, and that raised the level of competition.”

With the departure of last season’s seniors, more members of Taggart’s first recruiting class will have a chance to play in 2011.

Other true sophomores listed on WKU’s two-deep depth chart include fullback Kadeem Jones and linebacker Bar’ee Boyd.

Xavius Boyd said a year of experience increased the comfort level of the group going into the 2011 year.

“Last year we had to come in here and catch up with the veterans,” Xavius Boyd said. “Now we know everything and really have a feel for what we’re supposed to be doing.”

But, as was the case with the recruiting class of 2010, Taggart’s second recruiting class came in ranked No. 1 overall in the Sun Belt by Rivals.com.

Freshmen defensive backs Cam Thomas and Champ Lewis, receiver Boe Brand and others will look to come in and take jobs in the same manner as Taggart’s first recruiting class.

Xavius Boyd said his advice to the incoming freshman was to give it their best shot.

“Those guys need to go hard,” he said. “Work at the position you want and go get it, because we’re always looking for the better talent.”

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TOPPER EXTRA - AUGUST 30, 2011

FOOTBALL

Students making plans for WKU-UK

By KURT CARSON sports@wkuherald.com

While the WKU and Kentucky football teams are set to battle it out on the field Thursday in Nashville, students are putting the finishing touches on their plans for the game.

Princeton senior Tyler Williams said he is “pumped” to head down to Nashville to see the Hilltoppers face off against the Wildcats.

“I bleed WKU red. Even if we don’t win, which I think we will, the opportunity to cheer on the Tops against the Cats is always awesome,” Williams said.

The game is set to kick off at 8:15 p.m.

Thursday at L.P. Field in Nashville and will be nationally televised on ESPNU. Taylorsville senior Sandy Goad said the question isn’t whether or not she’ll attend the game, since she and her roommate have already made the arrangements.

But since this game involves two state schools, she’s found herself in a predicament that many others might be able to relate to.

“I am a hardcore UK fan, but I’m also a Western student so it’s hard to balance who I want to win more,” Goad said. “But me and my roommate talked it out and we are going to both wear UK shirts but bring our red towels too.”

Goad said while she is expecting the Wildcats to win, she wouldn’t be disappointed either way.

“It would be good for WKU’s program to get a win against a team like UK,” Goad said.

The Thursday night out-of-town kickoff hasn’t gone over well with some people, however.

Some students said having to pay for gas, driving an hour to watch the game and still having to go to class the next day make it pretty unlikely that they will attend.

A fan bus is being organized through the Hilltopper Athletic Foundation for students

and fans to ride to Nashville and back for $20.

Glasgow senior Wesley Peden said while it’s work that is keeping him from going to the game, he might have been able to attend if it had been hosted here in Bowling Green.

“It probably would have been more likely for me to get there, mainly because it’s a lot closer to home and I would have had time to get back and forth to work a lot easier,” Peden said.

CHRISTIAN RANDOLPH/HERALD However, some students still said scheduling a home game against UK in an NFL Kade Bratcher, 8, gets his WKU jersey signed at last Saturday's football Family Fun Day by freshman quarterback Alex Mallory at Smith Stadium. stadium such as L.P. Field is good for the football program.

Owensboro sophomore Ben Rice said having a game at the Tennessee Titans' home stadium is “pretty awesome.”

“It speaks a lot for the university and how much they’ve grown in the past couple of years,” Rice said.

Louisville sophomore Donte Ellison said while he’s a huge UK fan, he understands what the game means for the WKU football program.

“It shows that Western is coming up in the ranks and not just in football,” Ellison said.

“The school in general is growing and it’s going to help by being on ESPNU.” WKU has promoted this game in many ways including social media pages, sending out emails, organizing Family Fun Day and advertising it throughout MASTER Plan.

Initially, the first 4,000 students were going to be allowed in free. But last week, WKU changed that to allow every student who attends to get in free.

Ticket Sales Coordinator John Patterson said the changes will allow students to know that they don’t have to get there so early or risk having to pay for a ticket.

“We’d love to have as many as we can and hopefully we’ll have a great turnout,” Patterson said. “We encourage our students to go to Nashville, have a great time, enjoy this game atmosphere, and we expect to have a great turnout.”

AUGUST 30, 2011 - TOPPER EXTRA

VOLLEYBALL

SOCCER

7

Defensive Lady Tops off to 3-0 start Strong start ‘a dream come true’ for freshman Chinn

By AUSTIN LANTER sports@wkuherald.com

Scoring the game-winning goal is something that nearly every soccer player dreams of, but few accomplish. Freshman forward Leslie Chinn wasted no time experiencing that feeling in her first game at WKU. Seven minutes into overtime against Western Carolina, Chinn scored her first collegiate goal and gave the Lady Toppers their first win of the season.

“It’s really exciting,” Chinn said. “I have worked really hard and learned so much from the team and the coaches. I am really just showing off the work that they have put into me.”

The feeling is nothing new to Chinn, though. She led her club team, Owensboro United, to the 2010 Kentucky State Cup title by scoring the game-winning goal as well.

The success translated to the her high school where she’s shined since her freshman year at Ohio County High School.

A four-time All-State and All-District selection, and threetime All-Region selection, she holds two different records at her high school — most career goals (92) and goals in a single season (42).

“She is a proven goal scorer,” Head Coach Jason Neidell said. “We were most impressed by her passion for the game of soccer. She is the kind of player who will go out on her own and kick the ball around and try to become better.”

Adjusting to the level of play in college is something that she

said she’s still trying to get used to.

But the upperclassmen have been impressed by Chinn early on.

“I think it’s awesome that she came out so well,” senior forward Amanda Buechel said.

“I don’t think a lot of people were expecting it and it’s awesome to see someone emerge so quickly.”

Neidell agreed and said that Chinn has exceeded everyone’s expectation, including her own, early on in the season.

“She’s a competitor,” he said. “She works her tail off.

She is really coachable and has a great attitude and we knew it from high school. She’s a soccer junky and tenacious about the game.”

Her teammates see it too.

Buechel said that Chinn is always “buzzing” around the field and working hard to get in every spot. She added that having her get off to such a hot start will only increase her confidence and open things up for other players on the field.

“She has made such an impact the first two games,” Buechel said. “I’m looking forward to seeing what’s going to emerge later when she gets more experience.”

No one is more excited for what the future holds than Chinn.

“I am from such a small town. No one really ever goes (division one) at all in any sport because we’re so small,” she said. “I have my whole town supporting me and it is a dream come true to come to Western and play with this team.”

JERRY ENGLEHART JR/HERALD

Senior middle hitter Lindsay Williams reaches for a block against Belmont during the Lady Toppers' match at the Belmont Invitational in Nashville last weekend. WKU won all three of its matches in the tournament to start the season undefeated.

By BRAD STEPHENS sports@wkuherald.com

Strong offense has long been the trademark of Head Coach Travis Hudson’s WKU teams.

The Lady Tops were sixth in the nation offensively one year ago, but were unable to get past the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

After judging tape of his team’s games against Top 50 opponents during the 2010 season, Hudson put an emphasis on improving the WKU defense this year.

“In those Top 50 matches we still hit .248 and that’s got to be enough to win,” Hudson said. “But opponents were hitting over .300 in those same matches.

“If we’re going to improve as a program we have to do it on the defensive side and we’ve really addressed that.”

Senior middle hitter Lindsay Williams said the Lady Tops’ practices have focused more on the defensive areas of the game.

“It’s been an attitude of, ‘okay guys, let’s get a block, let’s get a dig, let’s get an ace on them and not even let the ball get back over the net,’” Williams said.

The defensive preparation paid off for WKU over the weekend in Nashville at the Belmont Invitational.

The Lady Tops went 3-0 during the tournament, dropping just one combined set in wins over Sacramento State, Belmont and Murray State.

Making the weekend even more significant was the return of senior middle hitter Tiffany Elmore, who suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in the NCAA Tournament last season against Cincinnati.

Elmore performed especially well against Sacramento State, with 17 kills and a .607 attacking percentage.

After a weekend playing on the rehabilitated knee, Elmore said she is “good to go” for the rest of the season.

“It was a long recovery and just being back out and playing with my teammates, and not just watching on the sideline, is great,” she said.

Williams, who said the team was “devastated” by Elmore’s injury, agreed it was good to have the 6-foot-4 senior back.

“To have her back in this tournament when we didn’t know how she was going to be or how it was going to work

out, to have her back and playing well is great,” Williams said.

Several other Lady Tops had strong performances over the weekend.

Sophomore setter Melanie Stutsman recorded 46 assists and sophomore outside hitter Paige Wessel had a .526 attacking percentage against Belmont.

Meanwhile Sarah Rogers, Jordyn Skinner and Ashley Potts all tallied double-digit digs against Murray State.

WKU will have another week of practices before taking the court this weekend at the Kentucky Classic in Lexington.

The Lady Tops will take on Kentucky at 6 p.m. Friday, then face Virginia Tech and Ohio on Saturday, at 12 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., respectively.

Hudson said he wants to see his squad improve offensively between now and then.

“I don’t think our transition offense was very good,” he said. “Melanie can do better with some of her decision making, but it’s all things you expect this early in the year.

“Hopefully you can win some matches along the way when you’re trying to fix those things.”

8

TOPPER EXTRA - AUGUST 30, 2011

FOOTBALL

WKU working to make L.P. Field home for UK game

By COLE CLAYBOURN sports@wkuherald.com

WKU won’t be playing its home game Sept. 1 against Kentucky in Smith Stadium, but the Toppers might not realize that once the game gets started.

At least that’s the goal.

All the gameday procedures and traditions, with the exception of a few, will make their way down to Nashville for the Toppers’ season opener at L.P. Field in Nashville.

“We’re going to try to make it look as much like a WKU game as possible,” said Lindsay Thomas, assistant athletic director for Marketing and Ticket Sales. “All of our player intros will be shown on the video boards, and we’ll have both of our cheerleading squads there. We’ll have three-quarters (of the field) filled with spirit squads and Big Red, obviously.”

Athletics Director Ross Bjork said the 50-yard-line will be painted with a WKU logo and the wall padding behind the end zones to be covered with WKU graphics.

“It’ll be our home game,” Bjork said.

“We’ll run our promotions. To brand it as our game is a big deal from a national perspective.”

Bjork and Associate Athletic Director Todd Stewart said the ability to have WKU branding shown on national television is irreplaceable.

“You can’t really put a price tag on the value of having a game on a Thursday night with virtually no competition that goes into 75 million homes,” Stewart said.

As far as rituals go, the players and coaches won’t participate in their traditional “Topper Walk,” where they join band members and the cheerleading and dance teams to march in unison toward the stadium, simply because there’s nowhere to do it.

However, following a pregame tailgate/ pep rally that will run from 6:45 p.m. to 7 p.m. in Parking Lot T, the band, spirit squads, and Big Red will all march to the stadium together, Thomas said.

As is tradition at home games, players, coaches and managers will run through the inflatable WKU helmet prior to kickoff.

The only traditions that won’t happen are the newly initiated on-campus pep rally and the players touching the Red Towel statue.

Last season, President Gary Ransdell began what he planned to become an annual tradition — a student pep rally on the Friday before WKU’s first home game. The game against UK is technically WKU’s first home game, but Thomas said since it falls on a Thursday, it wouldn’t be feasible to have an on-campus pep rally in the middle of the week.

Also, the Red Towel statue that debuted last season won’t be making the trip down to Nashville simply because it’s not practical to take it on a trip, Thomas said.

However, some new things are scheduled to be unveiled in Nashville.

“We have something that no one knows about that is brand new for the entire home season,” Thomas said. “It will definitely be at all of our home games starting with the Navy game. We’re hoping it will be finished in time to roll out at the UK game.”

Thomas wouldn’t go into any more detail about it and wouldn’t give the name of the song that will be used for the intro video.

She did confirm that it would be completely new from last year and feature two “current” songs.

“The players don’t even know what it is yet,” she said.

A four-minute highlight video was made from footage of last year’s WKU vs. UK game. Thomas said that will be shown before and during the game to “get the juices flowing between the two teams.”

The WKU band will perform at halftime with what Thomas described as a “bagpipe band” that’s based out of Nashville.

UK’s band will also play one song during halftime.

The Tennessee Titans’ video production crew will operate the jumbotrons and provide up to six different camera angles, Thomas said.

“Our fans will love that,” she said. “The jumbotron is huge compared to home, so I think it will be a really awesome experience for our fans.”

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