2009 WKU FOOTBALL Newest of 120 Football Bowl Subdivison Members Gameday Information Series Information Game 1 First Meeting Saturday, September 5, 2009 Broadcast Information TV: SEC Network WKU Hilltoppers (Live on WBKO-ABC in Bowling Green) Dave Neal, play-by-play (0-0) Andre Ware, color Cara Capuano, sideline at Sports South / FSN South (Tape Delay) Tennessee Volunteers Radio: Big Red Radio Network (103.7 WPTQ-FM in Bowling Green) (0-0) Randy Lee, play-by-play Leo Peckenpaugh, analysis Rhett Douglas, sideline NeylandN Stadium (101,011) • Knoxville, Tenn. Internet: ESPN360.com 11:21 a.m. (CDT) • SEC Network Offi cial Apparel The Game The Hilltoppers open the 91st — and quite possibly the most anticipated — season in their history Provider of Saturday at Tennessee. WKU becomes offi cially Sun Belt Conference championship and bowl eligible WKU Athletics for the fi rst time in 2009 following a two-year transition to becoming the 120th member of the Football Bowl Subdivision. This is the fourth straight year the Toppers have opened the season on the road, and the third time they have done so against an SEC opponent. WKU opened 2006 at Georgia and 2009 Schedule / Notes 2007 at Florida. at Tennessee First Meeting ... Fourth Sept. 5 • 11:21 a.m. straight season WKU has The Coaches Neyland Stadium faced a team from the SEC ... Likely to be largest crowd WKU — David Elson (Butler ’94), seventh season as head coach at WKU and overall Knoxville, Tenn. to see WKU football game. Record at WKU — 39-32 (54.9%) / Career Record — Same South Florida All-time series tied 2-2 ... Record vs. Tennessee — 0-0 Sept. 12 • 6:30 p.m. Teams played a four-year Houchens-Smith Stadium series between 1997-2000 Tennessee — Lane Kiffi n (Fresno State ‘98), fi rst season at UT and overall ... First Big East team to Bowling Green Record at UT — 0-0 / Career Record — Same visit Smith Stadium. Central Arkansas First Meeting ... First game Record vs. WKU — 0-0 Sept. 19 • 6 p.m. against Southland Confer- Houchens-Smith Stadium ence member since Sam Houston State in ‘04 FCS Bowling Green Playoffs. The Rankings at Navy First Meeting ... Midshipmen Tennessee — RV (1) in ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll ... RV (15) in Associated Press Poll. Sept. 26 • 2:30 p.m. will visit Bowling Green Memorial Stadium in 2011 and 2013 ... First game for WKU against a Annapolis, Md. team from Maryland. The Leaders Florida International All-time series tied 2-2 ... Rushing — Oct. 10 • 6 p.m. WKU’s fi rst Sun Belt Confer- WKU: Tyrell Hayden - 92-388-3 TD UT: Montario Hardesty - 76-271-6 TD Houchens-Smith Stadium ence game ... Hilltoppers won only meeting in Bowling Passing — Bowling Green Green 56-7 in 2002. WKU: Brandon Smith - 12-25-1/47/0 TD UT: Jonathan Crompton - 86-167-5/889/4 TD Louisiana-Lafayette Cajuns have won both Oct. 17 • 6 p.m. games in the series — both Receiving — Houchens-Smith Stadium in Lafayette ... Teams last WKU: Jake Gaebler - 54-588-4 TD UT: Gerald Jones - 30-323-4 TD met in 1998 season fi nale. Bowling Green Tackles — at Middle Tennessee MTSU leads series 30-28-1 WKU: Mark Santoro: 60 TT - 2 INT - 2 FF UT: Rico McCoy - 87 TT - 3.5 TFL - 1 Sack Oct. 24 • 2:30 p.m. ... WKU won last meeting in * Returning leaders from 2008 Floyd Stadium Murfreesboro 20-17 in 2007 ... Teams fi rst met in 1914 Murfreesboro, Tenn. season. 2009 WKU Schedule 2009 Tennessee Schedule at North Texas UNT holds 2-0 lead in Oct. 31 • 3:15 p.m. all-time series (wins in ‘07 S5 at Tennessee ..........................11:21 a.m. S5 WKU .......................................11:21 a.m. Fouts Field and ‘08) ... Teams have S12 South Florida ......................... 6:30 p.m. S12 UCLA .............................................3 p.m. combined for 144 points in Denton, Texas two previous meetings. S19 Central Arkansas .........................6 p.m. S19 at Florida* .................................2:30 p.m. Troy (Homecoming) Troy leads all-time series S26 at Navy .....................................2:30 p.m. S26 Ohio ..............................................6 p.m. Nov. 7 • 4 p.m. 6-0-1 ... Second time in Houchens-Smith Stadium three years Trojans have O10 Florida International* ..................6 p.m. O3 Auburn* ...........................................TBA been WKU’s homecoming Bowling Green game opponent. O17 Louisiana-Lafayette* ...................6 p.m. O10 Georgia* ..........................................TBA at Louisiana-Monroe WKU leads all-time series O24 at Middle Tennessee* ...............2:30 p.m. O24 at Alabama* ......................................TBA Nov. 14 • 3 p.m. 3-1 ... Teams have not O31 at North Texas* .........................3:15 p.m. O31 South Carolina* ..............................TBA Malone Stadium met since a 21-9 ULM win in Monroe during 1955 Monroe, La. N7 Troy* (Hc) .....................................4 p.m. N7 Memphis ..........................................TBA season. N14 at Louisiana-Monroe* ....................3 p.m. N14 at Mississippi* ................................... TBA at Florida Atlantic Owls won fi rst meeting Nov. 28 • 3 p.m. between teams 24-21 last N28 at Florida Atlantic* ......................... 3 p.m. N21 Vanderbilt* .......................................TBA Lockhart Stadium season ... WKU looking for fi rst win in state of Florida D3 Arkansas State* ...........................6 p.m. N28 at Kentucky* .....................................TBA Boca Raton, Fla. since ‘04 at FIU. Arkansas State Series tied 1-1-1 ... First (Hc) Homecoming * Southeastern Conference Game Dec. 3 • 6 p.m. meeting since 1952 ... Only Houchens-Smith Stadium game in Bowling Green was * Sun Belt Conference Game Home games bold face / All Times Central 14-14 tie in 1947. Bowling Green Home games bold face / All Times Central 2009 WKU Hilltopper Football 1 WKU at Tennessee Game Notes • Sept. 5, 2009 WKU Athletic Topper Tidbits Saturday’s game starts the 91st season of football at Western Kentucky University. Over the fi rst 90 Media Relations years, the Hilltoppers have compiled a 511-337-30 record — an all-time winning percentage of .600. All E.A. Diddle Arena those totals add up to 59 winning seasons, and four other campaigns with a .500 record. Football is the Room 1459 second-oldest varsity sport on the Hill, playing its fi rst season in 1913 — three years after WKU fi elded Bowling Green, Ky. 42101 its fi rst baseball team. A team was not fi elded in 1917-19 and 1943-45 due to World War I and II. Phone: 270-745-5388 • FAX: 270-745-3444 While this will be the fi rst meeting with UT, Hilltopper football is no stranger to lining up against teams Todd Stewart ......................Associate AD / FB from the Volunteer state. Over the years, WKU has played 14 different schools from its neighboring state 270-745-3161.......... [email protected] to the south, compiling a 131-88-7 record in 226 games. A bulk of those contests have come against Brad Fields ............................................Director three schools — Austin Peay (34-6-1), Middle Tennessee (28-30-1) and Tennessee Tech (28-23-1). 270-745-5045................brad.fi [email protected] A total of 13 players on the 2009 Hilltopper roster hail from Tennessee. That group includes two Chris Glowacki..........Associate Director / FB projected starters — sophomore strong safety John Garrett and junior inside linebacker Thomas [email protected] Majors. Both players are Nashville natives. Kelly Oravet ...........................Assistant Director Saturday’s game will be the debut for three new Hilltopper coaches, and some familiar faces in new [email protected] roles. Kurt Barber (OLBs), Scott Booker (DBs) and Bob Cole (QBs) will all make their debuts on the Michael Schroder...................................... Intern WKU staff. In addition, Walt Wells — now in his seventh season on staff — will coach his fi rst game 270-745-4298..... [email protected] Paul Just .........................................SID (retired) as offense coordinator, and seventh-year assistant Mike Dietzel will again run the defense. Dietzel 270-745-5379................... [email protected] also served as defensive coordinator in 2004. Kyle Allen ................................Student Assistant While no Hilltoppers were named to the offi cial preseason all-Sun Belt Conference team, three were [email protected] honored in the Phil Steele preseason all-conference team. Jake Gaebler and Derrius Brooks were both third-team receivers, while Gaebler was honored as a fourth-team punt returner. Bobby Rainey Sun Belt Coaches was a fi rst-team kick returner. Teleconference Call The Sun Belt Conference will hold a weekly me- WKU-Tennessee Stats Comparison dia teleconference featuring each of the league’s WKU Offense UT Defense UT Offense WKU Defense head coaches. 17.5 16.8...........................Scoring ............................17.3 27.2 Mondays, Aug. 31 - Nov. 30, 2009 15.2 16.3........................First Downs .........................14.3 20.9 10:30 a.m. (CT)/11:30 a.m. (ET) 143.9 103.1.....................Rushing Yards ......................122.9 162.4 212-812-4494 (passcode 1359 9868) 4.0 2.8...................... Yards per Rush ....................... 3.6 4.4 Schedule of Events: 142.2 160.4.....................Passing Yards ......................145.8 212.8 10:30 a.m. — Announcements 5.4 5.8................Yards per Pass Attempt .................5.7 6.6 10:32 a.m. — Howard Schnellenberger, FAU 286.1 263.5......................Total Offense .......................268.8 375.2 10:38 a.m. — Mario Cristobal, FIU 4.6 4.1.......................Yards per Play ........................ 4.5 5.4 10:44 a.m. — Steve Roberts, ASU 1.6 1.7.......................... Turnovers............................ 1.5 1.5 10:50 a.m. — Rickey Bustle, ULL Note: Stat averages from 2008 season 10:56 a.m. — Charlie Weatherbie, ULM 11:02 a.m. — Rick Stockstill, MT 11:08 a.m. — Todd Dodge, NT Weights & Measures 11:14 a.m. — Larry Blakeney, Troy Here’s a look at how the “Probable Starting Lineups” for the WKU-Tennessee game compare — by 11:20 a.m.