2015 WKU Hilltoppers football team

2015 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football

C-USA champion C-USA East Division champion Miami Beach Bowl champion
Conference USA Football Championship Game, W 45–28 vs. Southern Miss
Miami Beach Bowl, W 45–35 vs. South Florida
Conference	Conference USA
Division	East Division
Ranking
AP	No. 24
2015 record	12–2 (8–0 C-USA)
Head coach	Jeff Brohm (2nd as HC; 3rd Overall season)
Offensive coordinator	Tyson Helton (2nd season)
Defensive coordinator	Nick Holt (3rd season)
Home stadium	Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium (Capacity: 22,113)

2015 Conference USA football standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
East Division
No. 24 WKU x$		8	–	0		12	–	2
Middle Tennessee		6	–	2		7	–	6
Marshall		6	–	2		10	–	3
FIU		3	–	5		5	–	7
Old Dominion		3	–	5		5	–	7
Florida Atlantic		3	–	5		3	–	9
Charlotte		0	–	8		2	–	10
West Division
Southern Miss x		7	–	1		9	–	5
Louisiana Tech		6	–	2		9	–	4
UTSA		3	–	5		3	–	9
UTEP		3	–	5		5	–	7
Rice		3	–	5		5	–	7
North Texas		1	–	7		1	–	11

Championship: WKU 45, Southern Miss 28
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions As of January 12, 2015; Rankings from AP Poll

The 2015 WKU Hilltoppers football team represented Western Kentucky University (WKU) in the 2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season as members of the East Division of Conference USA. Led by second year head coach Jeff Brohm, they played their home games at Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium in Bowling Green, Kentucky. They finished the season 12–2, 8–0 in C-USA play to be champions of the East Division. They represented the East Division in the Conference USA Football Championship Game where they defeated Southern Miss to win their first ever C-USA championship. They were invited to the Miami Beach Bowl where they defeated South Florida. They were also ranked in the AP Top 25 for the first time in program history.

Previous season

The Hilltoppers finished the 2014 season 8–5 overall and 4–4 in conference play. WKU biggest win and upset was against season closer Marshall by 67–66 in overtime, Marshall's first and only loss of their season making them ineligible for a berth in a New Year's Six Bowl. WKU became bowl eligible after defeating UTSA and was invited to play in the inaugural Bahamas Bowl, the first international bowl game since 2010. The Hilltoppers defeated the Central Michigan Chippewas, 49–48.

Schedule

Western Kentucky announced their 2015 football schedule on February 2, 2015. The 2015 schedule consist of five home and seven away games in the regular season. The Hilltoppers will host CUSA foes Florida Atlantic, Louisiana Tech, Marshall, and Middle Tennessee, and will travel to Florida International (FIU), North Texas, Old Dominion, and Rice.^[1]

Date	Time	Opponent^#	Rank^#	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 3	7:00 p.m.	at Vanderbilt*		Vanderbilt Stadium • Nashville, TN	SECN	W 14–12	30,307
September 10	7:00 p.m.	Louisiana Tech		Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium • Bowling Green, KY	FS1	W 41–38	17,515
September 19	3:00 p.m.	at Indiana*		Memorial Stadium • Bloomington, IN	ESPNews	L 35–38	44,823
September 26	2:30 p.m.	Miami (OH)*		Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium • Bowling Green, KY	CBSSN	W 56–14	20,320
October 3	2:30 p.m.	at Rice		Rice Stadium • Houston, TX	FSN	W 49–10	20,124
October 10	11:00 a.m.	Middle Tennessee		Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium • Bowling Green, KY (100 Miles of Hate)	FSN	W 58–28	16,993
October 15	6:30 p.m.	at North Texas		Apogee Stadium • Denton, TX	CBSSN	W 55–28	10,155
October 24	6:00 p.m.	at No. 5 LSU*		Tiger Stadium • Baton Rouge, LA	ESPNU	L 20–48	101,561
October 31	11:00 a.m.	at Old Dominion		Foreman Field • Norfolk, VA	FSN	W 55–30	20,118
November 7	11:00 a.m.	Florida Atlantic		Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium • Bowling Green, KY	FSN	W 35–19	18,421
November 21	1:30 p.m.	at FIU		FIU Stadium • Miami, FL	FCS	W 63–7	14,380
November 27	11:00 a.m.	Marshall		Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium • Bowling Green, KY	FS1	W 49–28	17,687
December 5	11:00 a.m.	Southern Miss		Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium • Bowling Green, KY (C–USA Championship)	ESPN2	W 45–28	16,823
December 21	1:30 p.m.	vs. South Florida*	No. 25	Marlins Park • Miami, FL (Miami Beach Bowl)	ESPN	W 45–35	21,712
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. ^#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Central Time.

Schedule source:^[2]

Rankings

Ranking movements
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. ( ) = First place votes.
	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Final
AP	RV	RV	RV	NR	NR	NR	RV	RV	NR	NR	RV	RV	RV	RV	25	24
Coaches	NR	NR	RV	NR	NR	NR	NR	RV	NR	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV
CFP	Not released									NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	Not released

Game summaries

at Vanderbilt

	1	2	3	4	Total
Hilltoppers	0	0	7	7	14
Commodores	0	3	0	9	12

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
0–3	1938	VANDY, 12–0

Louisiana Tech

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulldogs	0	17	7	14	38
Hilltoppers	14	13	11	3	41

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
1–3	2014	LT, 59–10

at Indiana

	1	2	3	4	Total
Hilltoppers	7	21	0	7	35
Hoosiers	7	10	21	0	38

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
0–2	2010	IND, 38–21

Miami (OH)

	1	2	3	4	Total
RedHawks	0	7	0	7	14
Hilltoppers	21	28	0	7	56

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
First meeting

at Rice

	1	2	3	4	Total
Hilltoppers	21	14	0	14	49
Owls	3	7	0	0	10

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
First meeting

Middle Tennessee

	1	2	3	4	Total
Blue Raiders	7	7	7	7	28
Hilltoppers	28	24	3	3	58

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
29–33–1	2014	MTSU, 50–47 ^3OT

at North Texas

	1	2	3	4	Total
Hilltoppers	14	20	14	7	55
Mean Green	0	14	0	14	28

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
2–4	2012	WKU, 25–24

at LSU

	1	2	3	4	Total
Hilltoppers	0	7	6	7	20
#5 Tigers	7	7	20	14	48

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
0–1	2011	LSU, 42–9

at Old Dominion

	1	2	3	4	Total
Hilltoppers	10	21	10	14	55
Monarchs	3	7	7	13	30

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
1–0	2014	WKU, 66–51

Florida Atlantic

	1	2	3	4	Total
Owls	7	6	6	0	19
Hilltoppers	0	14	14	7	35

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
1–5	2014	FAU, 45–38

at Florida International

	1	2	3	4	Total
Hilltoppers	21	14	21	7	63
Panthers	0	0	0	7	7

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
4–4	2012	WKU, 14–6

Marshall

	1	2	3	4	Total
Thundering Herd	0	14	7	7	28
Hilltoppers	7	28	6	8	49

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
2–4	2014	WKU, 67–66 ^OT

Southern Miss (C–USA Championship Game)

	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden Eagles	7	14	7	0	28
Hilltoppers	7	14	10	14	45

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
1–0	2012	WKU, 42–17

South Florida (Miami Beach Bowl)

	1	2	3	4	Total
#25 Hilltoppers	0	10	28	7	45
Bulls	7	7	7	14	35

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
2–4	2010	USF, 24–12

References

↑ "Hilltoppers Announce 2015 Football Schedule and Season Ticket Plans" (Press release). Western Kentucky University Department of Athletics. February 2, 2015. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
↑ "2015 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Football Schedule". FB Schedules. Retrieved March 23, 2015.

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football
Venues	Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium (1968–present)
Bowls & rivalries	1963 Tangerine Bowl Eastern Kentucky: Battle of the Bluegrass Marshall Middle Tennessee: 100 Miles of Hate Murray State: Battle for the Red Belt
Culture & lore	Big Red "Stand Up and Cheer" Big Red Marching Band One Second of Laterals
People	Head coaches NFL draftees Statistical leaders
Seasons	1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
National championship seasons in bold

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