Western Kentucky
Western Kentucky is 3-6 and No. 124 of 138 in the machine's ratings, 15.2 points below an average FBS team. Last game: lost 51-42 at Middle Tennessee in Week 10.
Week 11: vs Jacksonville State, Saturday, Nov 14: the matchup, unit by unit
Why Western Kentucky is No. 124
- Western Kentucky's rating is −15.2: the machine's estimate that Western Kentucky is 15.2 points worse than an average FBS team on a neutral field. That is No. 124 of 138. For scale, 0 is an average FBS team: right now the closest to it is No. 68 Arizona State (0.2).
- It started the season at −4.9, ESPN's preseason Football Power Index from July. Its results since have moved it down 10.3.
- The biggest weekly moves: −7.9 after Week 1 (L 14-49 at Nevada) and −2.2 after Week 5 (L 13-34 at New Mexico State).
- Its record is 3-6. The 6 losses were to No. 1 Georgia, No. 9 Indiana, No. 93 Nevada, No. 99 Delaware, No. 121 New Mexico State, No. 128 Middle Tennessee, by 27.8 points on average. The 3 wins came by 26.3 points on average; the best was over No. 125 Missouri State. The rating weighs how much a team won or lost by and against whom, not just the win-loss count.
- Its FBS opponents so far average No. 89 in the machine's ratings.
- Just above is No. 123 Colorado State (−14.4); just below is No. 125 Missouri State (−15.2).
The rating, week by week
Strengths and weak spots
Head coach
Tyson Helton is in his 8th season at Western Kentucky (since 2019). This season: 3-6. At Western Kentucky overall: 60-42, counting this season.
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
Team stats
Season totals and averages over 9 games, each with its national rank among 138 FBS teams (No. 1 = best). The game-by-game story is in the season, week by week.
Passing
| Completions-attempts | 197-328 |
|---|---|
| Passing yards | 2032 |
| Touchdowns-interceptions | 12-6 |
| Yards per attempt* | 6.2No. 128 of 138 |
| Explosive pass rate | 9.6%No. 89 of 138 |
| Sacks allowed (rate) | 4.7%No. 52 of 138 |
Rushing
| Carries-yards | 322-1413 |
|---|---|
| Yards per carry | 4.4No. 71 of 138 |
| 10-plus-yard runs (rate) | 13.3%No. 81 of 138 |
| Stuffed at or behind the line (rate) | 18.0%No. 85 of 138 |
Scoring
| Points per game | 23.6No. 102 of 138 |
|---|---|
| Yards per play | 5.37No. 106 of 138 |
| Third-down rate | 40.1%No. 72 of 138 |
| Red-zone TD rate | 64.3%No. 54 of 138 |
| Giveaways | 12No. 89 of 138 |
Defense
| Points allowed per game | 33.3No. 126 of 138 |
|---|---|
| Yards per play allowed | 6.42No. 124 of 138 |
| Yards per pass attempt allowed | 7.2No. 76 of 138 |
| Yards per carry allowed | 5.4No. 134 of 138 |
| Sack rate | 3.4%No. 126 of 138 |
| Takeaways | 7No. 131 of 138 |
| Third-down rate allowed | 36.0%No. 51 of 138 |
Totals are the official box score. * Yards per attempt and the rates come from the play-by-play, where passing yards count on completions only, so they can differ from the box score by a play or two.
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
Player leaders
The top 3 in each category over the same games. Passing yards count every completion (official box score).
Passing
- Brock Glenn105-188, 1039 yds, 7 TD, 4 INT
- Rodney Tisdale Jr.91-136, 990 yds, 5 TD, 2 INT
Rushing
- Brock Glenn100 carries, 533 yds, 6 TD
- Ajay Allen109 carries, 521 yds, 6 TD
- Le'Kamren Meadows27 carries, 174 yds, 0 TD
Receiving
- Jonathan Stafford Jr.54 catches, 529 yds, 1 TD
- Moussa Barry18 catches, 223 yds, 1 TD
- CC Ezirim12 catches, 176 yds, 1 TD
Tackles
- Jaylen Lewis68
- Westen Ard55
- Jaylen Wester51
Sacks
- Westen Ard2.5
- Elin Jones2
- Mackavelli Malotumau1.5
Interceptions
- Tony Newsome Jr.2
- Jaylen Wester1
- Justin Brown1
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
Who's playing
Based on who has actually played this season, from the box scores, not the team's published depth chart. Each bar is that player's share of the team's attempts, carries (quarterbacks left out), catches or tackles. The box score lists no positions, so there is no offensive line here.
Throwing
- Brock GlennMost passes in the last game8 games188 attempts58%
- Rodney Tisdale Jr.7 games136 attempts42%
Carrying
- Ajay Allen9 games109 carries60%
- Le'Kamren Meadows8 games27 carries15%
- Jonathan Stafford Jr.5 games12 carries7%
- Jaden McGill3 games11 carries6%
Catching
- Jonathan Stafford Jr.9 games54 catches27%
- Ajay Allen8 games23 catches12%
- Moussa Barry7 games18 catches9%
- Lofton Howard6 games15 catches8%
Tackling
- Jaylen Lewis9 games68 tackles12%
- Westen Ard8 games55 tackles10%
- Jaylen Wester7 games51 tackles9%
- Justin Brown9 games41 tackles8%
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
The season, week by week
- Week 1 L 14–49 at Nevada. The run defense gave ground: Nevada got 7.7 yards a carry, 4.3 over what it usually gains. The most yards a carry it has allowed all season.
- Week 2 L 20–70 at Georgia. The passing game struggled: 3.1 yards an attempt, 3.3 less than Georgia usually allows. Lost the turnover battle by 2.
- Week 3 L 0–38 at Indiana. The passing game struggled: 3.7 yards an attempt, 3.0 less than Indiana usually allows. The most yards an attempt it has allowed all season.
- Week 4 W 52–7 vs Mercyhurst. Mercyhurst is an FCS team, so there is no FBS baseline to grade this one against.
- Week 5 L 13–34 at New Mexico State. The run game struggled: 1.4 yards a carry, 2.8 less than New Mexico State usually allows. The offense gave up 6 sacks.
- Week 6 W 34–13 vs Missouri State. The pass defense was the strength: Missouri State got 5.4 yards an attempt, 2.1 under what it usually gains.
- Week 7 W 16–3 at Sam Houston. The pass defense was the strength: Sam Houston got 3.7 yards an attempt, 3.1 under what it usually gains. The fewest yards an attempt it has allowed all season.
- Week 9 L 21–35 vs Delaware. The run game was the strength: 6.8 yards a carry, 2.8 more than Delaware usually allows.
- Week 10 L 42–51 at Middle Tennessee. The run game was the strength: 7.4 yards a carry, 2.3 more than Middle Tennessee usually allows. The machine had Western Kentucky by 0.9 (52%), so this was a loss it did not see coming.