CollegeFootballDigestfrom CooperSearch

2019 Western Kentucky

9–⁠4 (6–⁠2 Conference USA), coached by Tyson Helton.

Schedule and results

Western Kentucky in 2019, game by game: lost vs. Central Arkansas 28–35; won at Florida International 20–14; lost vs. Louisville 21–38; won vs. UAB 20–13; won at Old Dominion 20–3; won vs. Army 17–8; won vs. Charlotte 30–14; lost at Marshall 23–26; lost vs. Florida Atlantic 24–35; won at Arkansas 45–19; won at Southern Miss 28–10; won vs. Middle Tennessee 31–26; won vs. Western Michigan 23–20+26−17Lost 28–35 vs. Central Arkansas-7Central ArkansasWon 20–14 at Florida International+6Florida Interna…Lost 21–38 vs. Louisville-17LouisvilleWon 20–13 vs. UAB+7UABWon 20–3 at Old Dominion+17Old DominionWon 17–8 vs. Army+9ArmyWon 30–14 vs. Charlotte+16CharlotteLost 23–26 at Marshall-3MarshallLost 24–35 vs. Florida Atlantic-11Florida AtlanticWon 45–19 at Arkansas+26ArkansasWon 28–10 at Southern Miss+18Southern MissWon 31–26 vs. Middle Tennessee+5Middle TennesseeWon 23–20 vs. Western Michigan+3Western Michigan
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below.
DateOpponentResultElo
Aug 29vsCentral ArkansasL 28–⁠3569%
Sep 7atFlorida InternationalW 20–⁠1431%
Sep 14vsLouisvilleL 21–⁠3852%
Sep 28vsUABW 20–⁠1333%
Oct 5atOld DominionW 20–⁠352%
Oct 12vsArmyW 17–⁠838%
Oct 19vsCharlotteW 30–⁠1473%
Oct 26atMarshallL 23–⁠2639%
Nov 2vsFlorida AtlanticL 24–⁠3550%
Nov 9atArkansasW 45–⁠1961%
Nov 23atSouthern MissW 28–⁠1031%
Nov 30vsMiddle TennesseeW 31–⁠2670%
Dec 30Bowls & playoffvsWestern MichiganFirst Responder BowlW 23–⁠2056%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Beat Western Michigan 23–⁠20 in the First Responder Bowl; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 2nd in the Conference USA.

In program history: The 5th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 56 on file).

Record
9–⁠4
Conference
6–⁠2 tied for 2nd in Conference USA
AP final
Unranked
Points
330–⁠261
Coach
Tyson Helton
Elo
1559 +124 this season
SP+ rating
1.7 No. 58 of 130; offense No. 96, defense No. 31, special teams No. 83
SRS
−2.4 No. 75 of 130 in FBS
Returning
76% of last season’s EPA, No. 27 of 130
Recruiting class
No. 86 roster talent No. 82 in FBS
Offensive coordinator
Bryan Ellis
Defensive coordinator
Clayton White
Offense
Multiple
Defense
4–⁠2–⁠5

How good, play by play

  • Offense84th of 130
  • Defense11th of 130
  • Offense, opponent-adjusted93rd of 130
  • Defense, opponent-adjusted18th of 130
EPA per playSuccessExplosivenessFBS rank
Offense0.0845%1.0984th of 130
Defense-0.0338%1.2111th of 130
Opponent-adjusted0.07 off
0.01 def		44% off
40% def		—93rd off
18th 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
Offense3.0own 3119% allowed
Defense2.8own 2718% caused

CORE rating 5.5, 38th of 130 (offense -3.8, defense -9.3).

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 yardsTy Storey QB2,567 yds
Passing touchdownsTy Storey QB14 TD
Rushing yardsGaej Walker RB1,208 yds
Rushing touchdownsGaej Walker RB8 TD
Receiving yardsLucky Jackson WR1,133 yds
Receiving touchdownsJahcour Pearson WR7 TD
TacklesKyle Bailey LB110 tkl
SacksDeAngelo Malone DE11 sacks
InterceptionsKyle Bailey LB3 INT

Top recruits in the 2019 class

Manuel Allen WR★★★No. 625
Tyler Smith WR★★★No. 1194
Clayton Bush S★★★No. 1492
Jack Randolph OG★★★No. 1568
Stephone Atkinson WDE★★★No. 1864

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

The 2019 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Running backs12.00.789
Receivers52.80.827
Offensive line42.80.811
Defensive line33.00.821
Linebackers13.00.811
Defensive backs23.00.822
Athletes and specialists42.50.788
Whole class202.80.812

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 100

The 2019 roster

100 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2019 line; 58 have a stat line. See the roster

2019 Conference USA standings

Conference page
TeamConf.OverallAP final
Florida Atlantic7–⁠111–⁠3
Louisiana Tech6–⁠210–⁠3
Western Kentucky6–⁠29–⁠4
UAB6–⁠29–⁠5
Marshall6–⁠28–⁠5
Charlotte5–⁠37–⁠6
Southern Miss5–⁠37–⁠6
Florida International3–⁠56–⁠7
North Texas3–⁠54–⁠8
UTSA3–⁠54–⁠8
Middle Tennessee3–⁠54–⁠8
Rice3–⁠53–⁠9
Old Dominion0–⁠81–⁠11
UTEP0–⁠81–⁠11

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