2012 Western Kentucky
7–6 (4–4 Sun Belt Conference), coached by Willie Taggart, then Lance Guidry (interim, bowl game). Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest winBeat Austin Peay 49–10Sep 1
By 39 points, its widest win.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 1 | vs Austin Peay | W 49–10 | 87% |
| Sep 8 | at 1Alabama | L 0–35 | 11% |
| Sep 15 | at Kentucky | W 32–31 | 39% |
| Sep 22 | vs Southern Miss | W 42–17 | 44% |
| Sep 29 | at Arkansas State | W 26–13 | 40% |
| Oct 11 | at Troy | W 31–26 | 55% |
| Oct 20 | vs UL Monroe | L 42–43 | 63% |
| Oct 27 | at Florida International | W 14–6 | 67% |
| Nov 1 | vs Middle Tennessee | L 29–34 | 73% |
| Nov 10 | vs Florida Atlantic | L 28–37 | 85% |
| Nov 17 | at Louisiana | L 27–31 | 40% |
| Nov 24 | vs North Texas | W 25–24 | 71% |
| Dec 26Bowls & playoff | vs Central MichiganLittle Caesars Bowl | L 21–24 | 61% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Lost to Central Michigan 24–21 in the Little Caesars Bowl; unranked in the final AP poll; 5th in the Sun Belt Conference.
In program history: The 14th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 56 on file).
- Record
- 7–6
- Conference
- 4–4 5th in Sun Belt Conference
- AP final
- Unranked
- Points
- 366–331
- Coach
- Willie Taggart, then Lance Guidry (interim, bowl game)
- Elo
- 1457 +0 this season
- SP+ rating
- -4.7 No. 81 of 124; offense No. 80, defense No. 69, special teams No. 116
- SRS
- −4.6 No. 77 of 124 in FBS
- Recruiting class
- No. 97
- Defensive coordinator
- Lance Guidry
- Offense
- West Coast
- Defense
- 4–3
How good, play by play
| EPA per play | Success | Explosiveness | FBS rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 0.10 | 42% | 1.02 | 32nd of 124 |
| Defense | 0.04 | 40% | 0.96 | 49th of 124 |
| Opponent-adjusted | 0.08 off 0.04 def | 41% off 40% def | — | 40th off 41st def |
How these are measured
Play-weighted averages over games against FBS opponents; raw numbers, not adjusted for the strength of the opponent. EPA (expected points added) measures how much each play changed the expected score; success rate counts plays that kept the offense on schedule; explosiveness is the average EPA on successful plays. Lower is better on defense. Ranked by EPA per play among teams that were FBS that season. The opponent-adjusted row (offense / defense) is CollegeFootballData.com’s WEPA, which accounts for who each team played.
Drives and havoc
| Points per trip inside the 40 | Average start | Havoc | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | -0.2 | own 32 | 2% allowed |
| Defense | -0.1 | own 31 | 3% caused |
A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. From CollegeFootballData.com.
Leaders
| Passing yards | Kawaun Jakes QB | 2,488 yds |
| Passing touchdowns | Kawaun Jakes QB | 22 TD |
| Rushing yards | Antonio Andrews RB | 1,684 yds |
| Rushing touchdowns | Antonio Andrews RB | 11 TD |
| Receiving yards | Jack Doyle TE | 566 yds |
| Receiving touchdowns | Willie McNeal WR | 6 TD |
| Interceptions | Jonathan Dowling DB | 6 INT |
Top recruits in the 2012 class
| Tyrone Pearson DT | ★★★ | No. 456 |
| Anthony Wales RB | ★★★ | No. 673 |
| Austin Aikens WR | ★★★ | No. 1380 |
| Travis Elliot RB | ★★★ | No. 1803 |
| Tyler English OG | ★★★ | No. 1803 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2012 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Running backs | 2 | 3.0 | 0.832 |
| Receivers | 1 | 3.0 | 0.821 |
| Offensive line | 2 | 2.5 | 0.789 |
| Defensive line | 4 | 2.3 | 0.793 |
| Athletes and specialists | 1 | 2.0 | 0.758 |
| Whole class | 10 | 2.5 | 0.799 |
High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.
Drafted in 2013
The 2013 draft| Rd 5 | Quanterus Smith DE | Denver Broncos |
Roster 105
The 2012 roster105 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2012 line; 32 have a stat line. See the roster
2012 Sun Belt Conference standings
| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas State | 7–1 | 10–3 | |
| Louisiana | 6–2 | 9–4 | |
| Middle Tennessee | 6–2 | 8–4 | |
| UL Monroe | 6–2 | 8–5 | |
 Western Kentucky | 4–4 | 7–6 | |
| Troy | 3–5 | 5–7 | |
| North Texas | 3–5 | 4–8 | |
| Florida Atlantic | 2–6 | 3–9 | |
| Florida International | 2–6 | 3–9 | |
 South Alabama | 1–7 | 2–11 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.