Not bad for a debut.

It’s safe to say no one predicted what actually happened on Friday night in Smith Stadium in WKU’s 59-31 thrashing over Bowling Green State.

We all knew this offense was good, but no one thought they would be putting up video game like numbers. No one especially thought Brandon Doughty would have every cheat code.

Here’s a stat line you only see in Madden and it’s usually followed by the letters M-V-P: 46-for-56, 569 yards, six touchdowns.

Go ahead and read that again and let that register in your brain.

Yes, this is the same quarterback that everyone wanted to bench at one point last season before Bobby Petrino actually did it.

Doughty has talked all offseason about his confidence level. Friday night, he was dusting dirt off his shoulders with some touchdowns on the side.

Doughty had a swagger to him and was glowing in confidence in his speech after the game. He credited the game plan, the coaches, and even some overdue credit to his offensive line.

But you won’t see him with his chest out and chin high talking a big game. He’s done that before, and the result wasn’t good.

“I was in this same type of situation last year at Kentucky,” Doughty said. “I got a little higher than I should have and didn’t play really well at Tennessee. I’m not trying to get to high on it. I think I’ve matured in that way. I want to stay level headed and really focus on our game and take it one day at a time.”

My head hurts when I think about the numbers the Tops put up on the field.

The Tops’ offense broke five FBS school records tonight. 708 yards of offense, 59 points, Doughty’s 46 completions, 569 yards and six touchdowns?  Goodness gracious, you literally can’t ask for anything more.

Doughty connected with nine different receivers and threw to four of them for touchdowns.

Taywan Taylor caught one on a screen pass and raced 55 yards down for a score. His 12 catches for 185 yards led the team, but he put all the credit to his quarterback.

“He’s a great quarterback and he’s our leader and we expect him to do that week in and week out,” Taywan Taylor said. “It was just what we expected him to do.”

Doughty set the bar about as high as he could set it. We’ll all shrug our shoulders the next time he throws a “mediocre” 350 yards on average every week.

Now don’t expect these sort of numbers every week. This is the first game of the year, so anything can happen.

However, I’m convinced that Brandon Doughty will be talked about across the country for things other than interceptions this season.

But one thing is for sure, Doughty isn’t going to be listening.