2018 Western Kentucky
3–9 (2–6 Conference USA), coached by Mike Sanford Jr. Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest winBeat UTEP 40–16Nov 17
By 24 points, its widest win.
- Most excitingBeat Ball State 28–20Sep 22
The win probability swung the most, by CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 31 | at 4Wisconsin | L 3–34 | 16% |
| Sep 8 | vs Maine | L 28–31 | 74% |
| Sep 15 | at Louisville | L 17–20 | 26% |
| Sep 22 | at Ball State | W 28–20 | 56% |
| Sep 29 | vs Marshall | L 17–20 | 50% |
| Oct 13 | at Charlotte | L 14–40 | 62% |
| Oct 20 | vs Old Dominion | L 34–37 | 63% |
| Oct 27 | vs Florida International | L 17–38 | 40% |
| Nov 2 | at Middle Tennessee | L 10–29 | 21% |
| Nov 10 | at Florida Atlantic | L 15–34 | 17% |
| Nov 17 | vs UTEP | W 40–16 | 73% |
| Nov 24 | at Louisiana Tech | W 30–15 | 19% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Beat Louisiana Tech 30–15; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 10th in the Conference USA.
In program history: The 18th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 56 on file).
- Record
- 3–9
- Conference
- 2–6 tied for 10th in Conference USA
- AP final
- Unranked
- Points
- 253–334
- Coach
- Mike Sanford Jr.
- Elo
- 1403 −72 this season
- SP+ rating
- -16.1 No. 112 of 130; offense No. 120, defense No. 93, special teams No. 122
- SRS
- −14.7 No. 119 of 130 in FBS
- Returning
- 22% of last season’s EPA, No. 124 of 130
- Recruiting class
- No. 84 roster talent No. 112 in FBS
- Offensive coordinator
- Junior Adams
- Defensive coordinator
- Clayton White
- Offense
- Multiple
- Defense
- 4–2–5
How good, play by play
| EPA per play | Success | Explosiveness | FBS rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 0.02 | 42% | 1.03 | 106th of 130 |
| Defense | 0.08 | 46% | 1.10 | 58th of 130 |
| Opponent-adjusted | 0.01 off 0.11 def | 40% off 46% def | — | 119th off 75th 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 | 2.9 | own 29 | 17% allowed |
| Defense | 3.3 | own 30 | 16% caused |
CORE rating -9.3, 103rd of 130 (offense -7.9, defense 1.4).
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. CORE is CollegeFootballData.com’s context- and opponent-adjusted rating (points better than an average team; lower is better on defense). From CollegeFootballData.com.
Leaders
| Passing yards | Steven Duncan QB | 1,025 yds |
| Passing touchdowns | Steven Duncan QB | 9 TD |
| Rushing yards | Joshua Samuel RB | 639 yds |
| Rushing touchdowns | D’Andre Ferby RB | 6 TD |
| Receiving yards | Lucky Jackson WR | 550 yds |
| Receiving touchdowns | Mik’Quan Deane TE | 6 TD |
| Tackles | Ben Holt LB | 116 tkl |
| Sacks | DeAngelo Malone DE | 5 sacks |
| Interceptions | Devon Key DB | 3 INT |
Top recruits in the 2018 class
| Kevaris Thomas DUAL | ★★★ | No. 704 |
| Terez Traynor ATH | ★★★ | No. 1165 |
| A.J. Brathwaite S | ★★★ | No. 1168 |
| Avonta Crim S | ★★★ | No. 1172 |
| Garland LaFrance RB | ★★★ | No. 1245 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2018 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks | 1 | 3.0 | 0.867 |
| Running backs | 2 | 3.0 | 0.827 |
| Receivers | 5 | 2.8 | 0.810 |
| Offensive line | 3 | 2.3 | 0.796 |
| Defensive line | 5 | 3.0 | 0.812 |
| Linebackers | 3 | 3.0 | 0.811 |
| Defensive backs | 6 | 2.7 | 0.815 |
| Athletes and specialists | 1 | 3.0 | 0.847 |
| Whole class | 26 | 2.8 | 0.815 |
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.
Roster 103
The 2018 roster103 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2018 line; 65 have a stat line. See the roster
2018 Conference USA standings
Conference page| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
 UAB | 7–1 | 11–3 | |
| Middle Tennessee | 7–1 | 8–6 | |
| Marshall | 6–2 | 9–4 | |
| Florida International | 6–2 | 9–4 | |
 North Texas | 5–3 | 9–4 | |
| Louisiana Tech | 5–3 | 8–5 | |
 Southern Miss | 5–3 | 6–5 | |
| Charlotte | 4–4 | 5–7 | |
| Florida Atlantic | 3–5 | 5–7 | |
| Old Dominion | 2–6 | 4–8 | |
 UTSA | 2–6 | 3–9 | |
 Western Kentucky | 2–6 | 3–9 | |
 Rice | 1–7 | 2–11 | |
| UTEP | 1–7 | 1–11 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.