University of Tennessee Athletics
Scouting Report: Western Kentucky
September 01, 2009 | Football
Sept. 1, 2009
The Vitals
Kickoff: 12:21 p.m.
Gates Open: 10:20 a.m.
Vol Walk: 10:36 a.m.
Location: Neyland Stadium
Tickets: UTTix.com
TV: SEC Network
Radio: Vol Network
Web: Live audio
Series: First meeting
Names to Know:
Bobby Rainey
Watch for Rainey - who is 5-7 and weighs 207 pounds - on kickoff returns. Last season the sophomore averaged 30.6 yards per return and led the team in total yards per game at 108.8.
Tyrell Hayden
The 5-7 senior tailback returns as the leading rusher from a year ago with 92 rushes, 388 yards and 3 TDs.
Brandon Smith
A 6-foot senior, Smith is a mobile quarterback who rushed for 31 yards and a TD in four games last year, in addition to going 12 for 25 passing for 47 yards and an interception.
Jake Gaebler
With 54 catches for 588 yards and four TDs last season, the senior is the Hilltoppers leading receiver. He's also 25 receptions shy of the school record.
Mark Santoro
While he's not Eric Berry, the sophomore free safety had two picks last season and returned them for an average of 25.5 yards. His 60 tackles from a year ago are highest returning total on the team.
Taurean Smith
The senior inside linebacker finished seventh on the team in tackles last season with 49, but only had 0.5 tackles for loss.
BY JOSH PATE
UTSports.com
Welcome to the big stage.
Western Kentucky University kicks off its 91st season of football -- and its first in the NCAA's Football Bowl Subdivision -- in a major way against Tennessee.
It's a big stage. It's a big season. It's a big task.
The Hilltoppers have completed their NCAA-mandated two-year transition period to become the 120th FBS. Western Kentucky took its lumps last season, going 2-10 after finishing 7-5 in 2007.
ESPN.com ranks the school No. 2 on its "Bottom 10" for 2009.
But rankings mean little in August. It's September now.
What to Watch:
The Hilltopers have been focusing on improving on the deep pass, at least in practice and scrimmages. Last week in the school's annual "Mock Game" scrimmage to end fall camp, WKU showed as much. Kawaun Jakes hit Marcus Vasquez for a 69-yard flea-flicker touchdown strike to open the game. Later in the game, quarterback Brandon Smith found Derrius Brooks for a 59-yard touchdown.
"One of the things we've talked about is how we have to get better at completing the deep pass," head coach David Elson said after the scrimmage. "We have to be able to complete those passes in this offense, so it was good to see our guys respond [in the scrimmage] with the lights on, and hopefully that will give them some confidence going forward."
The interesting thing, however, is that WKU fielded a painfully balanced attack last season. The team averaged 143.9 yards rushing per game and 142.2 yards passing.
Senior receiver Jake Gaebler has been WKU's top receiver for the past two seasons. He needs 25 more receptions to break the school record of 149 and just 15 yards to move into the top 10 in career reception yards at WKU; he has 1,430 career yards. On the ground, seniors Tyrell Hayden (271 yards in 2008) and Marell Booker (192) return with sophomore Bobby Rainey (240) for a triple threat in the backfield.
Did You Know?
Tennessee head coach Lane Kiffin (34 years old) and WKU head coach David Elson (38) are two of the four youngest coaches in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision.
Strengths and Weaknesses:
Strengths
Sophomore safety Mark Santoro returns as the leading tackler for WKU with 60 last season.
WKU has played 14 schools from Tennessee, going 131-88-7 in 226 games. The majority of games have been against Austin Peay (34-6-1), Middle Tennessee (28-30-1) and Tennessee Tech (28-23-1).
WKU had a national championship in 2002 (Division I-AA).
Weaknesses
Senior QB Brandon Smith is the only QB on the depth chart to have played in a game for WKU. His experience includes 12 games in three seasons. He is 18-of-38 for 120 yards and a touchdown for his career. Smith is the third opening-game starter in the last three years.
Seven freshmen are projected to play for WKU, with freshman cornerback Jamal Forrest expected to start the opener.
WKU has just two seniors starting on defense (linebacker Taurean Smith and cornerback Jihad Morris).
Linebackers combined for just one start in 2008, although they appeared in 33 total games (Taurean Smith got the start).
Fifty-seven of WKU's 85 scholarship players are true freshmen, redshirt freshmen or sophomores (67 percent).
WKU's 11 seniors are the fifth-fewest in FBS.
Somebody Say Pahokee?
UT receiver Nu'Keese Richardson and WKU receiver Anthony Sheppard both played high school football at Pahokee High School in South Florida.
UT receiver Quintin Hancock and WKU receiver Quinterrance Cooper were teammates at St. Augustine High School in Florida.
UT linebacker Nigel Mitchell-Thornton and WKU defensive lineman Jared Clendenin played high school football at Stephenson High School in Georgia.
