Football: Train Keep A Rollin'

by:  Kale Butler 

...and keep a rollin' we must! Even though the implications of Steven Tyler's lyrics in this Aerosmith classic may be a little different than what it would imply for the Hilltopper football program, there could not be a truer motto to live by on The Hill right now.  

While I am sure we (myself at least) are still riding high off that incredible season we closed out just a little over a month ago, a lot of people may not be sure what is in store for The Tops in 2016. A lot of us are more focused on what we don't have:  Brandon Doughty, Tyler Higbee, Nick Holt Jr, just to name a few. Regardless of Brandon Doughty being on the fast track to having his jersey on the side of Houchen's Industries L.T. Smith Stadium; someone else is going to have to play QB next year, NCAA just wouldn't let us get year seven for #12.

It is looking like JR Mike White (Ft Lauderdale, FL) and RS-JR Nelson Fishback (Durham, CA) are the front runners to take over at QB for the 2016 season. Both seniors to be are more than capable of slinging the ball around and making plays. Will we be seeing laser shows like we did with Doughty? Only time will tell. The big question is, will “QB1” even need to do more than hand the ball off? We have had a slew of monsters in the backfield on The Hill for many years now.  Bobby Rainey, Antonio Andrews, Leon Allen, to name a few. But guess what, Leon is back! After the season ending injury Allen suffered early on, he was quickly granted a medical redshirt by the NCAA. Allen was often named “the best player on the team” by his coaches and teammates leading up to the 2015 season. Write that down, THE BEST PLAYER ON THE TEAM, a team that had the likes of Brandon Doughty, Tyler Higbee, Forrest Lamp, Taywan Taylor, a team that was 12-2, undefeated in conference play, Miami Beach Bowl champs, and when you ask any sane sports fan, the 2015 Kings of the Bluegrass.

...So yeah, you could say he is a kind of a big deal.

We are sitting here with this three headed monster in the backfield, of Leon Allen, D'Andre Ferby, and Ace Wales, pretty great right? Well, I also forgot to mention that every single offensive lineman is returning for WKU. Not just starters or guys with experience, but all of them!  

A lot of us are worried about the talent we have lost, but just the short list of guys mentioned above should remove any Dought (see what I did there?) of The Toppers returning to mediocrity. I didn't even mention the long list of veterans returning who caught all those touchdowns from #12 this past season, but let's just say, they're pretty solid, and that's putting it lightly.

But enough about what some random guy has to say;  I asked one of the guys closest to the program, its overseer, the Athletic Director himself, Mr. Todd Stewart, where he sees WKU football going from here:

“I believe we are just beginning to see the potential of the football program at WKU. To win a conference championship in just our seventh season as an FBS program and to finish ranked in the final Associated Press Top 25 is a tremendous achievement for the football team. It’s a testament to the hard work and commitment to excellence not only from our administration, but from all of the coaches and players who came before to get us to this point. The hardest part now is building on and maintaining that momentum into 2016 and beyond.”  

Todd Stewart, WKU Athletic Director

So as these long days of empty Saturday's approach, and all that is left to do is speculate and debate (and try to tune out those people wearing blue, talk about nothing but round ball), let us not be fearful of the 2016 season for what we have lost, but let us be joyful and excited for what we have!  Stick your chest out and wear your Hilltopper Pride where everyone can see it, because this train will keep a rollin', and it's got a full head of steam. I would hate to be an opposing team caught standing on the tracks in 2016.