Five days before Western Kentucky beat Ball State on Saturday, coach Mike Sanford spoke Sept. 18 about his vision for the team.
Sanford’s Hilltoppers had lost a heartbreaker Sept. 16 against Louisiana Tech, watching a 22-13 lead slip away in a 23-22 defeat.
Sanford said that “the next step” for the Hilltopper program was for a play like Brown’s interception to result in a “three-phased feeding frenzy.” The first-year coach wanted to see the offense respond to a defensive spark by driving for a score, the kickoff team responding by pinning the opponent deep and then the defense using that energy to get another stop.