WKU Football: Biggest C-USA Media Day Takeaways
At the Conference USA 2017 Kickoff Show, new WKU head coach Mike Sanford Jr. and company made it very clear that it was time to “get back…
At the Conference USA 2017 Kickoff Show, new WKU head coach Mike Sanford Jr. and company made it very clear that it was time to “get back to work” in hopes of doing what no team has done in C-USA football: three-peat the conference championship game.
WKU has been pretty dominant on the gridiron since joining the C-USA, but with a new era of WKU dawning with a new head coach and with many new players in key positions, many questions still linger. Who will step up for WKU? Will they be able to keep control of the conference away from teams like MTSU, LA Tech, and ODU?
Obviously a lot will still need to play out but coach Sanford is confident in his squad for next season.
Target on their backs
Coach Sanford acknowledged that they have a target on their backs this season after winning back-to-back conference championships, but Sanford looks to continue the winning tradition established at WKU in recent years.
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He has established the kind of coaching staff he wants to coach and strengthen his players and the relationship he has with his players has deepened since taking the head coaching position last December. He praised his young, but talented, offensive line, the running backs, as well as the starting senior quarterback who made the trip with him in Mike White, who he referred to as “one of the most talented quarterbacks in college football,” when talking about the offense and passing. And, with the knowledge and experience Sanford has as a coach and player, he hopes to bring White and the team as a whole to a new level.
WKU could see a slight offensive scheme change
With Sanford and offensive coordinator Junior Adams both having connections to Boise State, Sanford hopes to somewhat model the type of offensive he played in when he was a quarterback with the Blueturfs, which features more-so a spread offense with the QB option.
He still plans to keep WKU balanced on run and pass plays, with running back D’Andre Ferby (who was named to the Doak Walker Award watch list) coming back from injury last season and White (who is on the Davey O’Brien Award watch list, along with several others including the Maxwell), who was one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the nation last season, and is going into his senior year. These adjustments could change WKU’s offense enough to still be fresh and hard for defenses to stop and also fit with the players they have and bring out other strengths they have to succeed next season.
Hurdles in Leon Allen’s comeback
Leon Allen’s comeback could be halted due to university requirements, along with Sanford wanting him to get his weight up. Allen was granted a sixth-year of eligibility and he was hoping to be able to play his final year so hopefully by taking some summer classes and getting his weight up, “thunder and lightning” can be seen plowing through defenders in the open field for WKU one more season.
So far Sanford has been able to talk the talk but we’ll be able to see if he can take WKU to new heights and maintain the success they’ve had the past few seasons. The full presser can be seen below. (The WKU interview is at 1:39:50.)
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