WKU Football: Ranking WKU Coaching Debuts
On Thursday night, Tyson Helton will make his debut as the Hilltopper head football coach at 6:30 CT against the Purple Bears of Central Arkansas. As we anxiously wait to see if the Helton can erase the pain and failure of the Mike Sanford era, it is good to relive past debuts from Hilltopper coaches. Here is a ranking of WKU coaching debuts from the past 50 years.
8) Willie Taggart- September 4th, 2010- Lost to Nebraska 49–10
The worst debut on this list should be written off as a combination of bad circumstances and a tough opponent. In 2010, Willie Taggart returned to Bowling Green and took over a program in the middle of an FBS transition riding a 20 game losing streak into a hostile crowd of 85,555 fans. Nebraska was ranked 8th in the country and featured future NFL players including Roy Helu, Prince Amukamara, Jared Crick, and Niles Paul. The result was predictable. The Cornhuskers quickly jumped to a 21–0 halftime lead. They outgained WKU 536–299 in total yards.
The lone bright spot on the day for WKU was Bobby Rainey. The Hilltoppers’ all-time leading rusher ran for 155 yards and also caught three passes for 36 yards. Rainey scored WKU’s lone touchdown as well as the Hilltoppers would leave Lincoln with a 49–10 loss extending the losing streak to 21. Nebraska would go on to have a good season, making it to the Big 12 title game before losing that game to Oklahoma and its bowl game to Washington to a finish a very Bo Pelini like 10–4. WKU would go on to finish the season 2–10 in Taggart's debut season before he turned the program around. Taggart would post back to back 7–5 seasons before leaving his alma mater to take the head coaching job at South Florida after the 2012 season.
7) Dave Roberts- September 8th, 1984- Lost to Appalachian State 17–16
An often forgotten coach in Hilltopper history despite being successful, Roberts had the unenviable task of succeeding legendary coach Jimmy Feix in 1984. Roberts took over a program that went 2–8–1 during Feix’s last season on the Hill. Roberts opened his Hilltopper coaching career at home against the Mountaineers of Appalachian State in front of 14,000 fans at Smith Stadium. The game started off as a defensive struggle as WKU clung to a 6–0 halftime lead. WKU would take control in the fourth quarter extending their lead to 16–3 on a 2-yard touchdown run by Glendell Miller. Appalachian State would then rally from 13 down in the fourth quarter scoring the game’s final 14 points edging WKU in a 17–16 come from behind victory despite being outgained by 57 total yards. The Mountaineers would finish the season 4–7.
Roberts would go on to finish his debut season 2–9 beating only in-state rivals Eastern Kentucky and Morehead State. The Tops would get progressively better during the Roberts era improving to 4 wins in 1985 and making the 1-AA playoffs each of his last two seasons (7–4 & 9–4) before he left for Northeast Louisiana (UL-Monroe) following the 1988 season. He would finish his Hilltopper coaching career 26–30–1 in five seasons as head coach.
6) Jack Harbaugh- September 2nd, 1989- Beat Illinois State 17–12
The legendary Harbaugh would succeed Roberts in 1989 starting a run of 14 seasons on the Hill. Harbaugh would take his Hilltoppers to Normal, Illinois to face regional foe Illinois State in his Hilltopper debut in front of 4,452 fans. In a game that was statistically even (ISU outgained WKU 273–264 yards), WKU would jump out to a 17–0 lead in the first 18 minutes of the game on the strength of two passing touchdowns by quarterback Mark Marsh. That would be all the scoring the Tops would need or produce as they were held scoreless for the last 42 minutes of the game. The Topper defense would come through forcing three turnovers as they held on for a 17–12 win. Illinois State would finish 5–6 during the 1989 campaign.
Harbaugh would go on to post a 6–5 record during his debut season. Budget troubles would catch up to WKU as they would struggle during Harbaugh’s next three seasons going 9–22 before rebounding in 1993 (8–3) and saving the program. The rest is history, Harbaugh would eventually bring in Willie Taggart as his quarterback and make 4 Division 1-AA playoff appearances in his last six seasons capping off his career with a Division 1-AA Championship against McNeese State in 2002.
5) David Elson- August 28th, 2003- Beat Union (KY) 51–3
Like Roberts before him, Elson would have to succeed a legendary coach (Harbaugh), unlike Roberts, Elson would inherit a program coming off of one of the best years in program history (the aforementioned 1-AA Championship team) and win his Hilltopper debut. Elson was the defensive coordinator on the championship team and natural successor to Harbaugh. He opened his Hilltopper career in a layup game against tiny Union College, an NAIA school with an enrollment of 1200 students in Eastern Kentucky, in front of 9,325 fans at L.T. Smith Stadium. In a game that was as lopsided as the disparity between the two schools, WKU would easily cruise to a 51–3 victory outgaining the Bulldogs 496–172 as running back Chris Miller would rush for 160 of those yards on 15 carries. Elson’s debut gets docked on this list due to the great disparity in opponent compared to the rest of the list.
Elson would do a solid job of keeping Harbaugh’s momentum going during his debut, finishing 9–4 on the season and making the second round of the 1-AA playoffs before losing to Wofford 34–17. He would again make the 1-AA playoffs in 2004 before WKU geared up for the FBS transition. Elson would never match his early success finishing 6–5, 6–5 & 7–5 before the weight of the FBS transition caught up to the program and he went 2–22 in his last two seasons causing his dismissal in 2009.
4) Mike Sanford- September 2nd, 2017- Beat EKU 31–17
The most recent debut on the list was, unfortunately, a sign of things to come for the Hilltopper program that was coming off of arguably the peak years in the program's history. WKU plucked the former Notre Dame assistant and tasked him with keeping the ship going after Jeff Brohm led WKU to back to back Conference USA championships in 2015 & 2016.
Sanford started his head coaching career against renewed rival Eastern Kentucky in front of 18,614 fans at Houchens Industries L.T. Smith Stadium. WKU’s formerly world-class offense started off slow, being held scoreless in the first quarter but would wake up in the 2nd quarter. D’Andre Ferby would rumble for a 2-yard score to open up the second period and Mike White would connect on this beautiful pass to Lucky Jackson to take a 17–0 lead into the locker room.
That second-quarter flurry wouldn’t last as WKU got bogged down by mistakes and conservative playcalling in the second half and were outscored 17–14 the rest of the way in a 31–17 win that was closer than the final score indicated. The formerly powerful WKU offense would outgain EKU by just 19 yards (364–345) and the alarm bells were rung to start off the Sanford era.
Despite having future NFL talent, Sanford would struggle to a 6–7 finish (after starting 5–2), leading WKU to their first losing record in seven seasons after a lifeless bowl loss to Georgia State. He would then follow that up with a 3–9 sophomore season that resulted in his quick dismissal after just two seasons on the Hill.
3) Jimmy Feix- September 21st, 1968- Beat Butler 35–0
Feix is the modern-day father of the Hilltopper program, he not only starred as a player (1949–52) but also was a 10 year assistant before taking over as the leader of the program for 16 seasons in 1968. Feix’s debut as head coach coincided with the opening of the brand new L.T. Smith Stadium in front of 10,866 fans. WKU would start off a big rushing day (396 yards) on a 13-yard touchdown by tailback Jim Vorhees. Star fullback Dickie Moore would then rip off a 73-yard end-around touchdown that would foreshadow the Hilltoppers new era and backup fullback Ike Brown would add two more rushing touchdowns as the Hilltoppers instantly showed the potential of the Feix era in a 35–0 rout.
Feix would go on to finish 7–2–1 in his debut as the Hilltoppers head coach. That would start a run of eight straight winning seasons that included two appearances in the Division 2 championship game (1973 & 1975). Feix would finish his career as the winningest coach in WKU history (105 victories) before retiring after the 1983 season and staying in Bowling Green as an ambassador of the Hilltopper program until his death in 2014.
2) Bobby Petrino- August 31st, 2013- Beat Kentucky 35–26
The biggest name win (despite finishing 2013 2–10) settles for a second-place finish on this list. Bobby Petrino came to WKU for his lone season in 2013 after a highly publicized scandal resulted in his firing from Arkansas in April of 2012. After Willie Taggart turned the program around, athletic director Todd Stewart took a chance on Petrino and tasked him with keeping the momentum going, which let him rehab his career in the process. In what was the most anticipated debut in WKU History, the Hilltoppers traveled down to Nashville to take on in-state big brother Kentucky in front of 47,623 fans at LP Field.
Fans weren’t sure how the transition from Taggart’s Stanford style offense would go but Petrino quelled any doubts as the Hilltoppers jumped out to a 7–0 lead on a beautifully scripted 9 play 75-yard drive capped off by a 3-yard Keshawn Simpson touchdown.
The Hilltoppers would trade scores with Kentucky but would eventually extend the lead to 21–10 on another 2-yard touchdown by Simpson with 7:46 left in the 2nd quarter before taking a 21–17 lead into the locker room.
WKU would put away the game in the late 3rd and early fourth quarters on a 9-yard touchdown pass from Brandon Doughty to Mitchell Henry and a 14-yard touchdown run by Leon Allen to extend the lead to 35–17 with 13:32 remaining. WKU would let Kentucky creep back into the game and make it closer than the game actually was in a 35–26 opening statement win. WKU outgained the Wildcats 487–419 and controlled the time of possession 35–25 minutes to reel off their second straight victory over the in-state Wildcats (the last two times the teams would play)
Petrino would go on to finish 8–4 in his lone season on the Hill as the Hilltoppers were left out of a bowl game despite being tied for the second-best overall record in the Sun Belt Conference. Petrino would go back to Louisville for a second time but would leave his offensive coordinator to take over the program and produce arguably the best 3 year run in program history.
1)Jeff Brohm- August 29th, 2014- Beat Bowling Green 59–31
After Petrino’s lone season, most Hilltopper fans didn’t know what to expect from Brohm. In his debut against the defending MAC champions Bowling Green, he answered that question in astonishing fashion in front of 17,215 at Houchens Industries-L.T. Smith Stadium.
Going into the game, most fans were worried about the fast-paced Baylor style offense that new Bowling Green coach Dino Babers was poised to bring to Northwest Ohio. Most fans thought that Brohm would play the deliberate Petrino style that they witnessed the season before to solid results. Fans were shocked as WKU out tempo-ed the Falcons at their own game right from the beginning.
After Bowling Green went three and out on their opening possession, WKU would drive 83 yards on 10 plays in just 3:20 of game clock as Brandon Doughty picked apart the Bowling Green defense and Leon Allen rushed to the endzone to take a 7–0 lead.
WKU’s high flying ways would continue throughout the first half as Doughty connected on long passes to Taywan Taylor (55 yards) & Antwane Grant (34 yards) to take a 21–0 lead with 8:36 remaining in the second quarter.
WKU wouldn’t let their foot off the gas and would end up taking a 31–10 lead into the locker room. The high scoring wouldn’t stop in the second half as Doughty would throw three more touchdowns en route to 569 yards passing and 6 total touchdowns on the day as the Tops continued to score until the end in a 59–31 statement win that showed the potential of the Brohm era.
Brohm (and offensive coordinator Tyson Helton) would have some ups and downs in his debut season, starting off 3–5 before reeling off exciting victories in his last 5 games including a memorable 67–66 overtime classic against the undefeated Marshall Thundering Herd that started a rivalry. He would then use his debut season to springboard the Hilltoppers towards back-to-back Conference USA Championships and the first FBS national ranking in school history (#24 in 2015). He would finish WKU career 30–10 showing what the potential for the Hilltopper program is at the FBS level and it all started with an amazing debut on a Friday night in August.
Only time will tell where Tyson Helton’s debut will rank on this list. The level of the opponent (Central Arkansas) will probably prevent him from breaking into the top 2 no matter how well the Hilltoppers perform. We can only hope that the Brohm magic rubs off on him and he can show promise of more things to come.
