Conference USA · 2023 · History
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
8-5 (5-3 Conference USA)Last: W 38-35 vs Old Dominion
Tyson Helton · 5th season · .606 at Western Kentucky · .606 career since 2019
- Rating
- -4.584
- Adj Off
- 26.865
- Adj Def
- 31.3102
- WAP
- -3.3959
Style profile
Style
What the offense does with the ball, and what the defense faces.
| Stat | Offense | Defense |
|---|---|---|
| Run rate | 39.2%125 | 52.2%47 |
| Plays per game | 68.541 | 71.69 |
| Time of possession | 29:3377 | 30:2857 |
| Yards per pass attempt | 7.178 | 6.947 |
| Yards per rush | 3.995 | 4.8111 |
| Points per game | 30.546 | 28.793 |
| Points per opportunity | 4.955 | 4.0087 |
| Starting field position | Own 28102 | Own 2963 |
Efficiency and EPA
Down-by-down quality, measured in predicted points.
| Stat | Offense | Defense |
|---|---|---|
| EPA per play | +0.19360 | +0.19286 |
| Adj. EPA per play | +0.16368 | +0.235103 |
| Success rate | 40.6%89 | 43.9%101 |
| Explosiveness | 1.3611 | 1.2246 |
| Rushing EPA per play | +0.019119 | +0.195111 |
| Passing EPA per play | +0.33343 | +0.25569 |
| Std downs success | 45.2%100 | 49.5%102 |
| Passing downs success | 31.0%65 | 31.7%98 |
Situational
Red zone finishing, ball security, discipline, and money downs.
| Stat | Offense | Defense |
|---|---|---|
| Red zone TD rate | 86.2%1 | 62.9%33 |
| Turnovers per game | 1.77115 | 2.004 |
| Penalties per game | 4.517 | 6.439 |
| Penalty yards per game | 36.811 | 54.949 |
| 3rd down conversion | 43.5%31 | 39.3%73 |
| 4th down tries per game | 2.0048 | 3.082 |
| 4th down conversion | 61.5%31 | 67.5%126 |
Rank out of 133 FBS teams. Green is good for the team, red is bad. Blue only orients neutral traits like tempo and run rate.
Schedule and results
| Date | Opponent | Result | WAP | Off EPA | Def EPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2Wk 1 | 89  South Florida | W41-24 | +0.05 | +0.32 | +0.11 |
| Sep 9Wk 2 | Houston Christian(FCS) | W52-22 | +0.00 | +0.49 | +0.21 |
| Sep 16Wk 3 | @3  Ohio State#10 | L10-63 | -0.24 | -0.11 | +0.61 |
| Sep 23Wk 4 | @41  Troy | L24-27 | -0.69 | +0.13 | +0.21 |
| Sep 28Wk 5 | 108  Middle Tennessee | W31-10 | +0.03 | +0.22 | +0.03 |
| Oct 5Wk 6 | @121  Louisiana Tech | W35-28 | +0.04 | +0.25 | +0.09 |
| Oct 17Wk 8 | @87  Jacksonville State | L17-20 | -0.89 | 0.00 | +0.10 |
| Oct 24Wk 9 | 58  Liberty#25 | L29-42 | -0.88 | +0.35 | +0.48 |
| Nov 4Wk 10 | @119  UTEP | W21-13 | +0.04 | +0.29 | +0.06 |
| Nov 11Wk 11 | 88  New Mexico State | L29-38 | -0.95 | +0.18 | +0.36 |
| Nov 18Wk 12 | 120  Sam Houston | W28-23 | +0.02 | +0.14 | +0.11 |
| Nov 25Wk 13 | @130  Florida International | W41-28 | +0.02 | +0.16 | +0.02 |
| Dec 18Post | N107  Old Dominion | W38-35 | +0.05 | +0.14 | +0.30 |
Key players
Sorted by how much of the offense runs through them. Bold rows are the primary option at each spot; the shade tracks their share.
Offense
Quarterbacks
Share of pass attempts| Player | Share | C/A | Cmp% | Yds | Y/A | TD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16Austin ReedSR | 87% | 289/470 | 61.5% | 3324 | 7.1 | 31 | 11 |
| 10Caden VeltkampSR | 10% | 41/54 | 75.9% | 387 | 7.2 | 5 | 1 |
Running backs
Share of rushes| Player | Share | Car | Yds | Y/C | TD | Rec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3Elijah YoungSR | 29% | 104 | 490 | 4.7 | 3 | 20 |
| 30Markese SteppSR | 19% | 69 | 310 | 4.5 | 3 | 7 |
| 2Davion Ervin-PoindexterSR | 18% | 63 | 241 | 3.8 | 1 | 21 |
| 4LT SandersSR | 9% | 31 | 138 | 4.5 | 0 | 8 |
Receivers
Share of pass attempts| Player | Share | Rec | Yds | Y/R | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11Malachi CorleyWR JR | 15% | 79 | 984 | 12.5 | 11 |
| 17Dalvin SmithWR SR | 9% | 50 | 513 | 10.3 | 6 |
| 8Easton MesserWR SR | 8% | 42 | 484 | 11.5 | 4 |
| 19Craig Burt Jr.WR SR | 5% | 28 | 233 | 8.3 | 3 |
| 87River HelmsTE SR | 4% | 22 | 289 | 13.1 | 3 |
| 6Jimmy HolidayWR SR | 4% | 20 | 326 | 16.3 | 2 |
| 2K.D. HutchinsonWR SR | 3% | 18 | 182 | 10.1 | 2 |
Defense
Defensive line
Total tackles| Player | Tkl | TFL | Sck | Hur | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0Hosea WheelerDL SR | 40 | 4.0 | 2.0 | 1 | 0 |
| 8Deante McCrayDL SR | 36 | 4.5 | 2.0 | 4 | 0 |
| 91Jayden LovingDL SR | 32 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 2 | 2 |
| 99Kenyonte DavisDL SR | 26 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| 13Terrion ThompsonDL SR | 21 | 5.0 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 35Dallas Walker IVDL SR | 9 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
Linebackers
Total tackles| Player | Tkl | TFL | Sck | PD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5Kylan GuidryLB SR | 48 | 6.0 | 3.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1Desmyn BakerLB SR | 41 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 1 | 2 |
| 48Niko CooperLB SR | 38 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 2 | 0 |
| 9Jaques EvansLB SR | 30 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 |
| 5Aaron KeyLB SR | 28 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 |
Defensive backs
Total tackles| Player | Tkl | PD | INT | TFL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16Kendrick SimpkinsS SR | 50 | 1 | 0 | 12.0 |
| 11Talique AllenDB SO | 48 | 3 | 1 | 0.5 |
| 7Takulve WilliamsDB SR | 41 | 1 | 1 | 2.5 |
| 4Anthony Johnson Jr.DB JR | 36 | 5 | 4 | 1.0 |
| 14Davion WilliamsDB SR | 27 | 2 | 1 | 0.0 |
| 21Upton StoutDB JR | 24 | 8 | 1 | 1.0 |
| 8Virgil MarshallDB SR | 24 | 2 | 1 | 0.0 |
Special teams
Kickers
By kicks attempted| Player | FG | FG% | Long | XP | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17Lucas CarneiroSR | 9/12 | 75% | 45 | 47/49 | 74 |
Punters
By punts| Player | Punts | Avg | Long | In 20 | TB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 47Tom EllardSO | 46 | 41.0 | 60 | 15 | 1 |
| 46Cory MunsonSR | 12 | 40.0 | 57 | 1 | 0 |