# 2018 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team

The 2018 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team (WKU) represented Western Kentucky University in the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Hilltoppers played their home games at the Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium in Bowling Green, Kentucky as members of the East Division of Conference USA (C–USA). They were led by second-year head coach Mike Sanford Jr. They finished the season 3–9, 2–6 in C-USA play to finish in a tie for sixth place in the East Division.
On November 25, head coach Mike Sanford Jr. was fired after only two seasons. He finished at WKU with a record of 9–16.

## Preseason
### Award watch lists

Listed in the order that they were released
| Award | Player | Position | Year |
| John Mackey Award | Mik'Quan Deane | TE | SR |
| Wuerffel Trophy | Julien Lewis | DL | SR |

### Preseason media poll

Conference USA released their preseason media poll on July 17, 2018, with the Hilltoppers predicted to finish in fourth place in the East Division.
East Division :
| Predicted finish | Team |
| 1 | Florida Atlantic |
| 2 | Marshall |
| 3 | Middle Tennessee |
| 4 | FIU |
| 5 | Western Kentucky |
| 6 | Old Dominion |
| 7 | Charlotte |

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| August 31 | 8:00 p.m. | at No. 4 Wisconsin* | Camp Randall StadiumMadison, WI | ESPN | L 3–34 | 74,145 |
| September 8 | 6:30 p.m. | No. 22 (FCS) Maine* | Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith StadiumBowling Green, KY | ESPN+ | L 28–31 | 15,178 |
| September 15 | 6:30 p.m. | at Louisville* | Cardinal StadiumLouisville, KY | ACCRSN | L 17–20 | 54,923 |
| September 22 | 2:00 p.m. | at Ball State* | Scheumann StadiumMuncie, IN | ESPN3 | W 28–20 | 15,873 |
| September 29 | 6:30 p.m. | Marshall | Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith StadiumBowling Green, KY | Stadium | L 17–20 | 20,811 |
| October 13 | 2:30 p.m. | at Charlotte | Jerry Richardson StadiumCharlotte, NC | ESPN+ | L 14–40 | 11,610 |
| October 20 | 6:30 p.m. | Old Dominion | Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith StadiumBowling Green, KY | ESPN+ | L 34–37 | 13,269 |
| October 27 | 6:30 p.m. | FIU | Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith StadiumBowling Green, KY | beIN | L 17–38 | 15,138 |
| November 2 | 7:00 p.m. | at Middle Tennessee | Johnny "Red" Floyd StadiumMurfreesboro, TN (100 Miles of Hate) | CBSSN | L 10–29 | 16,617 |
| November 10 | 4:00 p.m. | at Florida Atlantic | FAU StadiumBoca Raton, FL | Stadium | L 15–34 | 14,400 |
| November 17 | 6:30 p.m. | UTEP | Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith StadiumBowling Green, KY | beIN | W 40–16 | 6,221 |
| November 24 | 11:00 a.m. | at Louisiana Tech | Joe Aillet StadiumRuston, LA | CBSSN | W 30–15 | 11,459 |
| *Non-conference gameRankings from AP Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Central time |||||||
    Schedule Source:

## Game summaries
### At Wisconsin

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Hilltoppers | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| No. 4 Badgers | 7 | 17 | 3 | 7 | 34 |

### Maine

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 22 (FCS) Black Bears | 0 | 14 | 14 | 3 | 31 |
| Hilltoppers | 21 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 28 |

### At Louisville

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Hilltoppers | 7 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 17 |
| Cardinals | 0 | 3 | 3 | 14 | 20 |

### At Ball State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Hilltoppers | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 28 |
| Cardinals | 7 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 20 |

### Marshall

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Thundering Herd | 7 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 20 |
| Hilltoppers | 3 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 17 |

### At Charlotte

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Hilltoppers | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| 49ers | 6 | 3 | 21 | 10 | 40 |

### Old Dominion

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Monarchs | 14 | 3 | 2 | 18 | 37 |
| Hilltoppers | 7 | 17 | 3 | 7 | 34 |

### FIU

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Panthers | 7 | 7 | 14 | 10 | 38 |
| Hilltoppers | 0 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 17 |

### At Middle Tennessee

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Hilltoppers | 3 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
| Blue Raiders | 10 | 10 | 3 | 6 | 29 |

### At Florida Atlantic

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Hilltoppers | 0 | 9 | 0 | 6 | 15 |
| Owls | 10 | 0 | 7 | 17 | 34 |

### UTEP

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Miners | 0 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 16 |
| Hilltoppers | 27 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 40 |

### At Louisiana Tech

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Hilltoppers | 14 | 9 | 0 | 7 | 30 |
| Bulldogs | 0 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 15 |