Tops fired to the hilt for new season

Jul. 29—BOWLING GREEN — In three seasons as football head coach at Western Kentucky, Tyson Helton has produced three bowl bids, including two victories, a pair of nine-win seasons and a Conference USA East division championship, which the Hilltoppers will attempt to defend this fall.

Moreover, during Thursday's annual WKU Football Media Day at Houchens/Smith Stadium, it was unmistakably apparent that Western — one of the most intriguing and inspiring FBS Group of Five success stories of the past decade — is eager to take the next step on the road to national viability.

"We're always in search of championships here, and we're really excited about the 2022 season," Helton said. "This is a fun day because it's the beginning of the walk-up to the new season, and we're looking forward to stepping on the field and becoming the best team we can be.

"We have a good football team and we also have a lot of questions that need to be answered before we begin the season, but that's exciting to me because we have highly dedicated players and a highly dedicated coaching staff working very hard to get us where we need to be."

In 2021, WKU finished 9-5 and put together a seven-game winning streak to close out the regular season. The Hilltoppers dropped a wild 49-41 decision at Texas-San Antonio in the C-USA championship game, but rebounded to thump Appalachian State 59-38 in the Boca Raton Bowl.

Now, with a new season less than a month away, Helton is counting on the foundation of a strong culture to perpetuate the program, which has been picked to finish third — behind UTSA and UAB — in this year's C-USA Preseason Poll.

"We have a great culture, and our players want to be here," Helton said. "WKU is a great place to go to school, it's a great place to play college football, and this is evident in the culture that's been established through the years.

"I love our players, I love our team. Our guys are here when they don't have to be here, and that says a lot about how much our guys want to play football at this university. As long as we continue to have that, we're going to have the opportunity to go out and win a lof of games, compete for championships."

Western returns plenty of firepower and experience on offense, despite the loss of quarterback Bailey Zappe, the nation's leading passer last season.

Zappe, whose 62 touchdown passes broke the FBS single-season record previously held by LSU Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow, is now in camp with the New England Patriots after being selected in the fourth round of the NFL Draft.

Helton's quarterback room includes six individuals, including two clear-cut front-runners for the starting job: Former West Virginia signal-caller Jarret Doege and Austin Reed, who directed West Florida to an NCAA Division II national championship.

"Jarret is a quality leader, a good game manager, is as tough as they come, our guys feel really comfortable with him back there" Helton said. "This is his last go-around and he's wanting to make the most of it.

"Austin is a gunslinger type who is fun to watch. He won a national championship as a starting quarterback, which is a very hard thing to do, so he comes in here as a proven winner."

The defense is led by 6-foot-3, 275-pound fifth-year senior end Juwuan Jones, whose irrepressible commitment to WKU is emblematic of the close-knit nature of the program.

"We want to be aggressive, but not reckless," Jones said of the WKU defense. "We want to stop the run early and put opposing offenses behind the chains. Then, on third down, we want to get after the quarterback.

"The sky's the limit for our defense. We can be the top defensive unit in our conference and one of the top defensive units in the country."

And Jones is all-in with the Hilltoppers.

"I love Western, I love Bowling Green, I love the community," Jones said. "I've built a lot of relationships outside of football since I've been here, and I'm a guy who's big on finishing something where I started it. That's why I'm still here."

Helton, meanwhile, believes WKU football is precisely where it should be as a new season beckons

"You have to be progressive in your approach and we've always been this way since I've been here," Helton said. "We have an athletic director, Todd Stewart, who has great vision, and our athletic administration has done a great job providing us the tools and resources to be successful.

"I think we're just scratching the surface of what WKU football can be, and I've said this for a long time. I think we're all going to look back eight, 10 years from now, and be amazed at how far this program has come."