From the other side, Part 10

By Drew Champlin

Published: November 8, 2007

Thanks to Nick Baumgardner of the Bowling Green Daily News.

What’s the level of excitement in Bowling Green for this game?

There’s a pretty high level of excitement around Bowling Green for this week’s game. Some of that is based on the fact that it’s homecoming, and the rest is because this Troy team coming in looks to be the best team WKU will play this season not named Florida. On top of that, the fact that Troy is the current top dog of the Sun Belt (the conference WKU will be joining in two years) has people hoping that the Hilltoppers can send a message to the rest of the league.
Needless to say, it’s a big time game for the folks around here.

How many high school teams in your area could beat West Virginia Tech (a team WKU beat 87-0 earlier this year)?

Funny question and in all honesty, it’s really one that would be tough to answer. I don’t think anyone was aware that something like that was going to happen during that game, it was simply a classic case of one team being completely outmatched in just about every area. And while I’ll go with the college team most every time, I wouldn’t be too shocked if a few squads around here game them everything they wanted.

What about Troy could Western Kentucky exploit?

Well one of the big things I think Western can exploit is the fact that the game is at home, it will be in front of what they’re hoping to be a very energetic crowd. There’s been talk about Troy being one of the best teams ever to play at Houchens-Smith Stadium, so the opportunity to knock off a great team and get some major exposure is something they’re looking for. As far as X’s and O’s go, Western will definitely try and run the ball, much like they’ve done all season. But again, other than Florida, this is probably the best team they’ll be going up against.

What about WKU could Troy exploit?

While a great home atmosphere could give Western advantage, the fact that Troy has played in some of the toughest environments in the nation this year is something they can always hang their hat on. Loud crowds clearly don’t bother them, and there’s really nothing that this team hasn’t seen before. Also their athleticism. Haugabook is probably hands down the top offensive player in the Sun Belt, and he presents a problem for any opponent. Also, Troy’s secondary will make it extremely difficult for Western to get any sort of vertical passing game going.

Where do you think WKU would finish in the Sun Belt race this year if they were eligible?

Hope around the team this season is that if they were in the league this year, they would land somewhere in the middle. It’s tough for me to call that because they’ve only played Middle this season. Now they did win that game—on the road, and that has been their signature win of the season so far. And Middle is currently sitting in second place having only lost to Florida Atlantic in conference. So my guess would be that they’d most likely be in the top third, but I’ll have a better idea of where they might be after Saturday.

Your prediction?

If I was a betting man—which I’m not—I’d go with Troy 34, Western 17