MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Even with a new coach at the helm for the first time in 19 seasons, Middle Tennessee football remains extremely familiar with Western Kentucky's staff.
The Blue Raiders' new head coach, Derek Mason, has long known the Hilltoppers' head man, Tyson Helton, and the entire Helton family coaching tree, through years of interactions in the coaching ranks. On the staff side, Mason coached alongside one of WKU's co-offensive coordinators, Will Friend, when he was defensive coordinator at Auburn. And from the program perspective, the Hilltoppers were a consistent non-conference opponent for Mason when he was the head coach at Vanderbilt.