WKU finished its 2017 season with a 6-7 record after a 27-17 loss Saturday to Georgia State. The defeat at Camping World Stadium snapped a streak of six straight winning seasons for the Toppers, dating back to 2011.
WKU’s last losing campaign before this one came in 2010, when the Hilltoppers went 2-10 in their first year under coach Willie Taggart. Sanford was quarterbacks coach for that squad.
Now the program’s first-year head coach, Sanford shouldered the blame for WKU’s lackluster 2017 campaign. The 6-7 year came on the heels of a 23-5 stretch and two Conference USA titles from 2015-16 under former coach Jeff Brohm.