CollegeFootballDigestfrom CooperSearch

2015 Western Kentucky

12–⁠2 (8–⁠0 Conference USA), coached by Jeff Brohm, finished No. 24 in the AP poll.

Schedule and results

Western Kentucky in 2015, game by game: won at Vanderbilt 14–12; won vs. Louisiana Tech 41–38; lost at Indiana 35–38; won vs. Miami (OH) 56–14; won at Rice 49–10; won vs. Middle Tennessee 58–28; won at North Texas 55–28; lost at No. 5 LSU 20–48; won at Old Dominion 55–30; won vs. Florida Atlantic 35–19; won at Florida International 63–7; won vs. Marshall 49–28; won vs. Southern Miss 45–28; won vs. South Florida 45–35+56−28Won 14–12 at Vanderbilt+2VanderbiltWon 41–38 vs. Louisiana Tech+3Louisiana TechLost 35–38 at Indiana-3IndianaWon 56–14 vs. Miami (OH)+42Miami (OH)Won 49–10 at Rice+39RiceWon 58–28 vs. Middle Tennessee+30Middle TennesseeWon 55–28 at North Texas+27North TexasLost 20–48 at No. 5 LSU-28No. 5 LSUWon 55–30 at Old Dominion+25Old DominionWon 35–19 vs. Florida Atlantic+16Florida AtlanticWon 63–7 at Florida International+56Florida Interna…Won 49–28 vs. Marshall+21MarshallWon 45–28 vs. Southern Miss+17Southern MissWon 45–35 vs. South Florida+10South Florida
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below.
DateOpponentResultElo
Sep 3atVanderbiltW 14–⁠1255%
Sep 10vsLouisiana TechW 41–⁠3852%
Sep 19atIndianaL 35–⁠3854%
Sep 26vsMiami (OH)W 56–⁠1482%
Oct 3atRiceW 49–⁠1044%
Oct 10vsMiddle TennesseeW 58–⁠2876%
Oct 15atNorth TexasW 55–⁠2882%
Oct 24at5LSUL 20–⁠4831%
Oct 31atOld DominionW 55–⁠3075%
Nov 7vsFlorida AtlanticW 35–⁠1985%
Nov 21atFlorida InternationalW 63–⁠773%
Nov 27vsMarshallW 49–⁠2855%
Dec 5vsSouthern MissConference USA Championship GameW 45–⁠2869%
Dec 21Bowls & playoffvsSouth FloridaMiami Beach BowlW 45–⁠3567%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Beat South Florida 45–⁠35 in the Miami Beach Bowl; No. 24 in the final AP poll; Conference USA champions.

In program history: The 2nd-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 56 on file).

AP poll, week by week

  1. Wk 15: 25
  2. Final: 24

Conference USA champions8–⁠0 in the conference, won the Conference USA Championship Game

Led the nationBrandon Doughty: passing yards (5,055 yds), passing touchdowns (48 TD)

Record
12–⁠2
Conference
8–⁠0 first in Conference USA
AP final
No. 24 peak No. 24
Points
620–⁠363
Coach
Jeff Brohm
Elo
1696 +170 this season
SP+ rating
10.8 No. 37 of 128; offense No. 17, defense No. 80, special teams No. 42
SRS
8.0 No. 33 of 128 in FBS
Returning
85% of last season’s EPA, No. 20 of 128
Recruiting class
No. 111 roster talent No. 106 in FBS
Offensive coordinator
Tyson Helton
Defensive coordinator
Nick Holt
Offense
Multiple
Defense
4–⁠3

How good, play by play

  • Offense4th of 128
  • Defense66th of 128
  • Offense, opponent-adjusted5th of 128
  • Defense, opponent-adjusted83rd of 128
EPA per playSuccessExplosivenessFBS rank
Offense0.2951%1.234th of 128
Defense0.0941%1.3766th of 128
Opponent-adjusted0.26 off
0.11 def		50% off
42% def		—5th off
83rd 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 40Average startHavoc
Offense4.4own 311% allowed
Defense3.4own 302% 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 yardsBrandon Doughty QB5,055 yds
Passing touchdownsBrandon Doughty QB48 TD
Rushing yardsAnthony Wales RB1,091 yds
Rushing touchdownsD’Andre Ferby RB11 TD
Receiving yardsTaywan Taylor WR1,467 yds
Receiving touchdownsTaywan Taylor WR17 TD
InterceptionsPrince Charles Iworah DB4 INT

Top recruits in the 2015 class

Quin Jernighan WR★★★No. 1411
Aldwin Jackson CB★★★No. 1648
Devon Quincy OLB★★★No. 1754
Parker Howell SDE★★★No. 2098
Cullen Reynolds OC★★No. 2197

247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.

The 2015 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Running backs12.00.775
Receivers42.30.784
Offensive line42.00.781
Defensive line32.30.787
Linebackers13.00.814
Defensive backs32.30.792
Athletes and specialists22.00.779
Whole class182.20.786

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 2016

The 2016 draft
Rd 4Tyler Higbee TELos Angeles Rams
Rd 7Brandon Doughty QBMiami Dolphins
Rd 7Prince Charles Iworah CBSan Francisco 49ers

Roster 112

The 2015 roster

112 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2015 line; 34 have a stat line. See the roster

2015 Conference USA standings

Conference page
TeamConf.OverallAP final
Western Kentucky8–⁠012–⁠224
Southern Miss7–⁠19–⁠5
Marshall6–⁠210–⁠3
Louisiana Tech6–⁠29–⁠4
Middle Tennessee6–⁠27–⁠6
Rice3–⁠55–⁠7
Old Dominion3–⁠55–⁠7
Florida International3–⁠55–⁠7
UTEP3–⁠55–⁠7
UTSA3–⁠53–⁠9
Florida Atlantic3–⁠53–⁠9
North Texas1–⁠71–⁠11
Charlotte0–⁠82–⁠10

Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.