Conference USA · 2024 · History
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
8-6 (6-3 Conference USA)Last: L 17-27 vs James Madison
Tyson Helton · 6th season · .600 at Western Kentucky · .600 career since 2019
- Rating
- -8.0100
- Adj Off
- 21.8107
- Adj Def
- 29.990
- WAP
- -4.1680
Style profile
Style
What the offense does with the ball, and what the defense faces.
| Stat | Offense | Defense |
|---|---|---|
| Run rate | 46.2%104 | 63.8%1 |
| Plays per game | 64.585 | 66.752 |
| Time of possession | 27:52116 | 32:0817 |
| Yards per pass attempt | 7.932 | 7.793 |
| Yards per rush | 3.5118 | 5.0109 |
| Points per game | 24.992 | 24.664 |
| Points per opportunity | 3.8376 | 3.6658 |
| Starting field position | Own 3055 | Own 2958 |
Efficiency and EPA
Down-by-down quality, measured in predicted points.
| Stat | Offense | Defense |
|---|---|---|
| EPA per play | +0.19763 | +0.224103 |
| Adj. EPA per play | +0.14880 | +0.278122 |
| Success rate | 41.8%82 | 45.2%110 |
| Explosiveness | 1.3137 | 1.1926 |
| Rushing EPA per play | +0.021120 | +0.201110 |
| Passing EPA per play | +0.35521 | +0.302104 |
| Std downs success | 48.1%69 | 51.3%116 |
| Passing downs success | 28.6%96 | 29.7%59 |
Situational
Red zone finishing, ball security, discipline, and money downs.
| Stat | Offense | Defense |
|---|---|---|
| Red zone TD rate | 67.7%88 | 71.0%73 |
| Turnovers per game | 1.71110 | 1.4357 |
| Penalties per game | 4.18 | 5.1113 |
| Penalty yards per game | 41.317 | 44.9109 |
| 3rd down conversion | 41.5%58 | 44.2%110 |
| 4th down tries per game | 2.2927 | 1.7976 |
| 4th down conversion | 59.4%40 | 52.0%65 |
Rank out of 134 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 31Wk 1 | @7  Alabama#17 | L0-63 | -0.27 | -0.26 | +0.67 |
| Sep 7Wk 2 | Eastern Kentucky(FCS) | W31-0 | +0.00 | +0.31 | +0.22 |
| Sep 14Wk 3 | @129  Middle Tennessee | W49-21 | +0.02 | +0.61 | +0.40 |
| Sep 21Wk 4 | 78  Toledo | W26-21 | +0.09 | +0.07 | -0.01 |
| Sep 28Wk 5 | @52  Boston College | L20-21 | -0.71 | +0.09 | 0.00 |
| Oct 10Wk 7 | 128  UTEP | W44-17 | +0.01 | +0.40 | +0.18 |
| Oct 16Wk 8 | @101  Sam Houston | W31-14 | +0.10 | +0.28 | +0.14 |
| Oct 30Wk 10 | 132  Kennesaw State | W31-14 | +0.01 | +0.46 | +0.09 |
| Nov 9Wk 11 | @130  New Mexico State | W41-28 | +0.02 | +0.27 | +0.20 |
| Nov 16Wk 12 | 114  Louisiana Tech | L7-12 | -0.97 | +0.04 | 0.00 |
| Nov 23Wk 13 | @94  Liberty | L21-38 | -0.88 | +0.18 | +0.42 |
| Nov 30Wk 14 | 74  Jacksonville State | W19-17 | +0.10 | +0.07 | +0.07 |
| Dec 6Wk 15 | @74Jacksonville State | L12-52 | -0.82 | +0.06 | +0.57 |
| Dec 18Post | N69  James Madison | L17-27 | -0.84 | +0.14 | +0.21 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10Caden VeltkampSR | 83% | 258/389 | 66.3% | 3108 | 8.0 | 25 | 10 |
| 2TJ FinleyJR | 16% | 48/75 | 64.0% | 490 | 6.5 | 1 | 2 |
Running backs
Share of rushes| Player | Share | Car | Yds | Y/C | TD | Rec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3Elijah YoungSR | 46% | 201 | 883 | 4.4 | 3 | 47 |
| 9George Hart IIISR | 10% | 44 | 204 | 4.6 | 2 | 7 |
| 4LT SandersSR | 5% | 21 | 103 | 4.9 | 1 | 3 |
Receivers
Share of pass attempts| Player | Share | Rec | Yds | Y/R | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13Kisean JohnsonWR SR | 16% | 75 | 925 | 12.3 | 7 |
| 8Easton MesserWR SR | 12% | 55 | 793 | 14.4 | 4 |
| 17Dalvin SmithWR SR | 6% | 30 | 397 | 13.2 | 4 |
| 2K.D. HutchinsonWR SR | 6% | 26 | 392 | 15.1 | 3 |
| 87River HelmsTE SR | 4% | 19 | 228 | 12.0 | 2 |
Defense
Defensive line
Total tackles| Player | Tkl | TFL | Sck | Hur | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0Hosea WheelerDL SR | 62 | 4.0 | 2.0 | 2 | 0 |
| 8Deante McCrayDL SR | 55 | 2.5 | 2.0 | 2 | 0 |
| 35Dallas Walker IVDL SR | 51 | 4.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 |
| 13Terrion ThompsonDL SR | 30 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 0 | 1 |
| 6Marcus PattersonDL SR | 22 | 5.0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| 15Zach EdwardsDE SR | 11 | 1.5 | 1.0 | 2 | 2 |
Linebackers
Total tackles| Player | Tkl | TFL | Sck | PD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12Chandler MatthewsLB SR | 59 | 3.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 |
| 9Sebastian BenjaminLB SR | 56 | 6.0 | 3.5 | 0 | 0 |
| 24Darius ThomasLB JR | 54 | 6.5 | 4.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2Terreance EllisLB JR | 48 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 |
| 5Kylan GuidryLB SR | 45 | 7.0 | 3.0 | 1 | 0 |
Defensive backs
Total tackles| Player | Tkl | PD | INT | TFL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14Devonte' MathewsDB SR | 99 | 0 | 2 | 1.5 |
| 23Keyshawn SwansonDB SR | 63 | 2 | 0 | 1.5 |
| 21Upton StoutDB JR | 53 | 1 | 1 | 7.5 |
| 4Anthony Johnson Jr.DB SR | 48 | 6 | 2 | 4.5 |
| 1Demarko WilliamsDB SR | 37 | 1 | 2 | 1.5 |
| 11Kent RobinsonDB JR | 33 | 4 | 1 | 4.0 |
| 5Dave HerardDB SR | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
Special teams
Kickers
By kicks attempted| Player | FG | FG% | Long | XP | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17Lucas CarneiroSR | 18/19 | 95% | 54 | 41/41 | 95 |
Punters
By punts| Player | Punts | Avg | Long | In 20 | TB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18Cole MaynardSR | 54 | 42.8 | 60 | 17 | 2 |