WKU Football: Five Things Mike Sanford Needs to Do to Turn the Program Around
Saturday’s performance was one of the more embarrassing football performances I have ever seen and that is coming from someone who would…
Saturday’s performance was one of the more embarrassing football performances I have ever seen and that is coming from someone who would also admit to being a Cincinnati Bengals and Kentucky football fan. I have had my fair share of disappointment/heartbreak.
If Maine would have come out and dominated the entire game, it would have been a different kind of disappointment for Hilltopper fans, but blowing a 21–0 lead that you had five minutes into the game is just unacceptable.
Mike Sanford didn’t make many friends in the fan base with the way last season ended, but he lost a lot more of them on Saturday night. He made the bed, now he has to lay in it.
Now, we need to figure out how to fix the problem we have at hand. I have come up with five things that Sanford could do before the end of the season, that could begin to help turn this program around.
Delete Twitter
It needs to happen. Fans are ruthless and him sitting and reading comments about how he “needs to be fired” or “stinks as a coach” can’t be good for his psyche.
In his press conference Monday, he mentioned that he is not going to have his players log off of social media and I agree with that point, because the players aren’t getting the hate. For his sake, he needs to log off and stop reading the things people are saying about him. It can’t make things easier for him to read people continuously, in a way, wanting you to fail.
Fire his Dad
Three of last season’s biggest weaknesses were the running game, the offensive line and special teams. Mike Sanford Sr. was in charge of two of those position groups.
This past offseason, Sanford Jr. made Jami DeBerry and Maurice Crum co-special teams coordinator, but did leave his dad in charge of running backs. Last season, that position was horrible and this season, while it only being two games, has not improved at all.
On RedZone Radio last year, we talked in length about whether Sanford Jr. should fire his dad due because of the lack of success. Then we asked the second question on if we could do that in his shoes? Could we fire our own dad? We all agreed that it would be extremely hard to do, but as a father you have to realize you need to do what is best for your son and stepping away might just be that.
Lay On the Gas
Step on their throat, lay on the gas, keep it in drive, insert whatever you want into the headline of this section, but all of them mean the same thing. Stop getting conservative! You can say what you want about Jeff Brohm, but conservative is not something to describe the former WKU head coach.
One of my most underrated moments on the Hill was Brohm’s “onside” kick when he was up big against MTSU. While it might have not been on purpose; it still excited fans.
Look back to the Marshall game in 2014, he had the chance of tying it and taking his chances, but instead he went for the kill.
Mike Sanford attempted to do that in the game against Maine, but it obviously wasn’t the right call.
The moral of this story is simple: When you have a lead, keep on trucking. Don’t stray away from the game plan that got you the specific lead, just keep your foot on the gas.
Beat Marshall and MTSU
One of the easiest ways to get a fan base to turn back into your favor is to beat your two biggest rivals. After winning the previous three installments of the Moonshine Throwdown, the Tops fell in Huntington a season ago. The 100 Miles of Hate has seen back-to-back games go to overtime, with the Tops sneaking by in both.
Sanford needs something to go right and winning these two games will throw some water on the scalding seat. The best part about these two games is that I do think they are winnable. Marshall is a home game and MTSU is probably closer to even talent-wise with the Tops.
Don’t Lose to Anyone They Should Beat Handily
Maine is the epitome of this point. There is no reason why WKU should have lost on Saturday. Sure, Maine might not be the worst FCS team in the nation, but there is no excuse to let it happen.
Looking at the schedule for the remainder of the season, I see three games that Western should be favored in: Charlotte, Old Dominion and UTEP. Sanford cannot lose to any of those teams.
In fact, you could even throw an FIU on that list. That game is Homecoming and will probably be a big crowd with alumni in the stands. He can’t lose their support any more than he already has.
Are there more ways Sanford can turn things around? Absolutely, but those are five things that must happen for him to remain the head coach of this team.
With all of this being said, I do have to mention how I am one of the few that still does have faith that he will get the job done. I think that players genuinely enjoy playing for him. Some coaches would completely lose the team after what has happened to WKU in the past year, but it does not appear that has happened yet.