Bowling Green, Kentucky – With thirty+ games “tentatively” scheduled for our 46th season attending as many college games as possible each season, we start with Sam Houston State at Western Kentucky. Rather than give a preseason review of every team we plan to see in action, today we present our analysis of our first game this season in our opener on Week 0. Thereafter, updates will continue. We will present our analysis of key games we plan to attend this season up until our first game on August 23.
Our analyses will include not only game factors to include for predicting contest outcomes, we’ll also provide the detail regarding why we selected to attend each particular game, plans to get there, personalities we may be attending with, tailgate plans, side-bar interests, our personal historical memoirs of each program, and what we look forward to in regarding these games as we add them to this unique, life-long adventure. On August 23. we start the 2025 season with our 713th game ever – Sam Houston State at Western Kentucky.
Sam Houston State: adding our 134th FBS program to be seen in action
In our 713th game, we not only add the Bearkats as the 134th Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) program on our slate, but it’s also the first time we see SHSU compete at any level of college football. 2025 marks their third year of competition in the FBS as a member of Conference USA. They finished their second season at this level with a 10-3 record, 6-2 in conference play. Their 31-14 loss to Western Kentucky gave the Hilltoppers the head-to head advantage to play against Jacksonville State (9-5, 7-1) for the CUSA championship. Sam Houston earned a bowl bid to play another FBS newcomer, James Madison, in the Boca Raton Bowl. There, they fell, 27-17.
A disappointment from this perspective regarding this opening match-up is that Sam Houston State HC K.C. Keeler left the program after last season to take over at Temple. He left behind an FCS national championship with the Bearkats in the Spring of 2021. Our remorse is totally nostalgic more than anything else regarding Keeler’s departure. We watched him coach Rowan University four times at the D-3 level. A long-time admirer of the Delaware football program, we watched several of his Delaware teams play including his debut win against Georgia Southern in 2002 and two FCS playoff victories in 2010. Delaware, his alma mater, fired him after a 5-6 season in 2012. In 2014, he took over at Sam Houston State.
A tie to our first game ever!
Most memorable of all, in our very first game recorded in this life-long history, the former Sam Houston State HC started at LB for UD in the first game we attended on September 8, 1979. The Blue Hens defeated Rhode Island, 49-14. Under his legendary HC and Hall of Fame predecessor, Harold “Tubby” Raymond, Delaware went on to win the D-2 National Championship that year. Seeing him coach at least one more time will provide a benchmark going all the way back to the that first game ever attended on this great adventure – at least 713 games later!
Sam Houston State 2025: a season of transition
Phil Longo takes over for Keeler this season. A former OC at SHSU under Keeler between 2014-16, he moved on as the same at several other P5 programs to land at Wisconsin the last two seasons. We attended Oregon vs. Wisconsin last season. We came away very disappointed in UW’s offensive performance. So was Badger HC Luke Fickell. On Monday morning after this loss, Luke Fickell fired his offensive coordinator, Phil Longo.
Our assessment reported that day: “For the third time this season, Wisconsin led a ranked team at halftime but lost each game in the second half. Overall, among the three, they got outscored 49-3 in the second half of each. In college ball, you can’t fire a quarterback, so you might as well start searching for a better assistant.” Longo lucked out. He not only found another opportunity to continue running an offense after his exit from Wisconsin. He also landed a promotion as the Bearkat’s HC.
SHSU offense may need new skill sets for pending changes
Sam Houston State returns five starters on offense and three on defense. What’s more, returning QB Hunter Watson possesses better skills as a runner than as a passer. Longo probably desires to take this offense through the air more. He may struggle this first year in transition on offense. The learning curve will be under way in this opener. Transfers may be needed, but that’s no guaranteed solution for any program needing a quick fix. Watson returns as the team’s leading rusher. Two returning WRs combined for only 35 reception’s last year. They retain some offensive line prowess, but skills may need to develop from run-blocking to more pass blocking.
Bearkats return only three defenders; DL needs to be rebuilt
Freddie Aughtry-Lindsay, former nickel back coach at NC State steps in as new DC. The transfer portal and graduation depleted last season’s entire starting defensive unit in its entirety. Aughtry-Lindsay will need to build a new unit from scratch. The transfers coming in lack major experience according to reports from several publications. They better bring tackling skills. The three leading tacklers returning enter 2025 with 16. 14, and 12 tackles respectively. A lot of learning on the job looms for this unit against Western Kentucky for this conference opener for both on Week 0.
Western Kentucky football – a welcome addition to our recent game history
Unlike Sam Houston State, the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers have become an annual staple on this slate since we relocated to Middle Tennessee four years ago. Our first WKU adventure though dates back to September 2009. They played against Tennessee at Neyland Stadium. For the Hilltoppers, the Tennessee Volunteers welcomed them to their inaugural FBS contest that day. Because of this predicted, one-sided match-up, I was able to buy a ticket in the parking lot for $25 from two grandparents escorting their grandson. With the extra ticket, they basically took both me and their 8-year-old grandson, David, to our first Tennessee home game. As UT dominated into the third quarter, David’s grandma quietly leaned over and asked, “Are you sick of hearing ‘Rocky Top’ yet?” To the tune of 63-7. I certainly was! (Read this story in my book, Fifty Years of Tailgate Tales: The Good, the Fun and the Ugly.)
Western Kentucky dominates its nearby rival
Seeing the Hilltoppers play eight games since, their record with us stands at 4-5. In three of the wins, they defeated Middle Tennesse in the rivalry nicknamed “100 Miles of Hate.” Their loss to Troy in 2022 featured a classic lesson regarding the revenge factor when it comes to the transfer portal. Read all about it by clicking here! Last season, we saw Western Kentucky humbled by Jacksonville State in the CUSA championship game, 52-12.
The nice thing about attending Hilltopper games, their Houchens Industries – LT Smith Stadium lies a little over an hour away from us. This makes it convenient to attend pretty competitive Conference USA games during weekday evenings as well as Saturday afternoons. In our first game there, we saw them fall 33-31 against Indiana, quarterbacked by Michael Penix in 2021. The great view of the playing field in the upper deck on the visitors’ side offers perfect sight lines.
Transfer Portal extraordinaire, or HC Tyson Helton’s juggling act
Tyson Helton enters his seventh season as the Hilltopper HC with a record of 48-32. Among those seasons, we watched QB Bailey Zappe set an FBS season passing record in 2021 with 5,967 passing yards before the New England Patriots drafted him. In 2022, QB Austin Reed threw for 4,744 yards and followed with 3,340 the next season. No doubt Helton loves to throw the football. Both QBs transferred to Western Kentucky from FCS Houston Baptist and from D2 West Florida respectively. This season, losing most of his team to the transfer portal (seven to P4 programs) and DB Upton Stout through the draft to San Francisco, Helton has to compensate by going deep himself into the transfer portal. He started by replacing last year’s Frosh QB sensation Tyler Veltkamp (3,108 yards and 25 TDs) who bolted for more NIL money at Florida Atlantic.
Back to the drawing board
Helton started by enticing FCS Abilene Christian QB Maverick McIvor (3,820 yards, 30 TDs) along with ACU’s OC Rick Bowie to Bowling Green. Together, they combined for 470 yards of offense and 33.79 points per game. They posted a 9-5 record and lost to eventual FCS Champ North Dakota State in the playoffs to end their 2024 season. Two pretty good pick-ups to start by Helton. With only two starters returning on offense and four on defense, his Western Kentucky 2025 roster looks like a smorgasbord of talent from schools at all levels throughout the country.
His top RB played last season for FCS Austin Peay. Wide receivers come from Old Dominion, Wisconsin and FCS Western Illinois. TEs picked up experiences at Florida State and Kansas State. The O-line hales from Kent State, Georgia State and FCS Merrimack. Some have already made multiple transfers, but few have the experience of starting throughout an entire season.
SHSU vs WKU: An early battle of transfer students
With the introduction of so many new players on both rosters, we give a big edge to Western Kentucky. With the stability of Tyler Helton at the helm for WKU, plus his ability to bring in lower-level yet good QB experience into his program on a routinely successful basis, he possesses a distinct advantage. Phil Longo struggled at Wisconsin with questionable QB talent. Here, it seems he has to overcome a huge adjustment converting his run-oriented, offensive leadership with inexperience abound among starters. His own capability to transfix a new offensive strategy in his first game at Sam Houston will be tested. It will be a tough opener, no less a conference opener, for the Bearkats on the road. Western Kentucky has beaten better Sam Houston squads the last two seasons.
Key to Western Kentucky victory
Under Helton, the Hilltoppers are 24-12 at home. Most losses came against more formidable programs than the depleted, inexperienced Bearkats. They look to build some cohesion early in the season under their first-year HC. Western Kentucky should take advantage in front of a supportive home crowd to open their 2025 season. We look forward to finding a good spot to tailgate a few hours before Opening kickoff at 6 pm. In the past, we only found spaces in the multi-level parking lot. My Guest Game Analyst (GGA), Al Tatum, Air Force vet and retired law enforcement officer for the State of Tennessee, and I plan to hang out before. We will discuss some other plans we have later during this season. Hopefully, we’ll be basking in the sun with temperatures starting to drop a little. Firehouse Subs, snacks and beers for this one.
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