Breaking down who Louisville football needs to keep an eye on from Western Kentucky.
As Louisville football heads into their perennial showdown with in-state (friendly, sort of) rival Western Kentucky on Saturday, most eyes will be on the Cardinals’ offensive weapons and production, but there’s plenty of talented distractions on the other side of the ball as well.
WKU is coming off of a solid season under first-year head coach Tyson Helton. After a rocky 1-2 start, they stormed Conference USA, ultimately beating the brakes off of teams like Arkansas and Southern Miss, eventually going 9-4, landing them in the First Responder Bowl, which they flipped Western Michigan 26-23 on a last-second field goal.
Alas, even with the label of “mid-major” seemingly stamped on their foreheads, WKU has always been able to hold their own for the most part against Louisville.
Last season, the Cards pulled away for a 38-21 victory, but it wasn’t without a fight. Thus continues the toughness aspect of Hilltopper lore. But how much do we know about this year’s roster in and of itself?
In the pages ahead, we’ll take a look at 4 standout players on WKU, two on offense and two on defense. All seniors too. I’ll tell you why you need to watch them and how they could impact Louisville’s game plan.
Before the slides begin, I will say this: Don’t let anybody out there tell you that WKU is just a bunch of dudes.