BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — Western Kentucky’s  Lance Guidry has a chance to make history.
The Hilltoppers’ defensive coordinator will be trying to go 2-0 in bowl games as an interim coach when he leads WKU (7-5) against Central Michigan (6-6) in the Little Caesar’s Pizza Bowl at Detroit’s Ford Field today. In January 2011 he coached Miami (Ohio) to victory in the GoDaddy.com Bowl as temporary boss.
If Guidry succeeds again, it will mark WKU’s first bowl win as an FBS member.
He jokes about the irony of being “a closer” again but clearly wants to remain unbeaten as an interim coach.
Guidry was named the Hilltoppers’ interim coach on Dec. 8, a day after Willie Taggart left to coach South Florida. Two days later, WKU hired Bobby Petrino as Taggart’s full-time replacement.
“I’m going after that second win, man,” Guidry said. “I’ve got to make history somehow because right now I feel just like a closer, a mercenary guy, just coming at the end.
“I might start my own business, just be an interim head coach, wait until coaches leave and people just hire me in and I come and close the deal.”
Guidry is helped by having experience at bridging the gap.
Following the 2010 regular season Guidry, then the defensive backs coach at Miami, was promoted to interim head coach after Mike Haywood left for Pittsburgh. He led the Redhawks past Middle Tennessee State 35-21 in the GoDaddy.com Bowl.
Guidry gained national exposure not just for the win, but also for a fiery pregame locker room speech that was replayed on highlight shows the following week. Later that offseason Taggart hired him to be WKU’s defensive coordinator.