2021 Western Kentucky
9–5 (7–1 Conference USA), coached by Tyson Helton. Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest winBeat UT Martin 59–21Sep 2
By 38 points, its widest win.
- Most excitingLost to UTSA 46–52Oct 9
The win probability swung the most, by CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2 | vs UT Martin | W 59–21 | 79% |
| Sep 11 | at Army | L 35–38 | 32% |
| Sep 25 | vs Indiana | L 31–33 | 49% |
| Oct 2 | at 17Michigan State | L 31–48 | 28% |
| Oct 9 | vs UTSA | L 46–52 | 46% |
| Oct 16 | at Old Dominion | W 43–20 | 60% |
| Oct 23 | at Florida International | W 34–19 | 61% |
| Oct 30 | vs Charlotte | W 45–13 | 67% |
| Nov 6 | vs Middle Tennessee | W 48–21 | 64% |
| Nov 13 | at Rice | W 42–21 | 65% |
| Nov 20 | vs Florida Atlantic | W 52–17 | 67% |
| Nov 27 | at Marshall | W 53–21 | 41% |
| Dec 3 | atUTSAConference USA Championship Game | L 41–49 | 46% |
| Dec 18Bowls & playoff | vs App StateBoca Raton Bowl | W 59–38 | 38% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Beat App State 59–38 in the Boca Raton Bowl; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for first in the Conference USA.
In program history: The 3rd-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 56 on file).
C-USA East champions7–1 in the conference
Led the nationBailey Zappe: passing yards (5,967 yds), passing touchdowns (62 TD), total offense (5,984 yds), total offense per game (427.4); Jerreth Sterns: receptions (150 catches), receiving yards (1,902 yds); Jordan Addison: receiving touchdowns (17 TD)
- Record
- 9–5
- Conference
- 7–1 shared first in Conference USA
- AP final
- Unranked
- Points
- 619–411
- Coach
- Tyson Helton
- Elo
- 1638 +158 this season
- SP+ rating
- 13.3 No. 24 of 130; offense No. 5, defense No. 90
- SRS
- 9.1 No. 27 of 130 in FBS
- Returning
- 51% of last season’s EPA, No. 102 of 128
- Recruiting class
- No. 136 roster talent No. 74 in FBS
- Offensive coordinators
- Zach Kittley and Bryan Ellis
- Defensive coordinator
- Maurice Crum Jr.
- Offense
- Air raid
- Defense
- 4–2–5
How good, play by play
| EPA per play | Success | Explosiveness | FBS rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 0.30 | 52% | 1.29 | 4th of 130 |
| Defense | 0.09 | 44% | 1.21 | 31st of 130 |
| Opponent-adjusted | 0.26 off 0.12 def | 50% off 46% def | — | 8th off 54th 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 | 4.7 | own 31 | 14% allowed |
| Defense | 3.9 | own 29 | 17% caused |
CORE rating 10.4, 31st of 130 (offense 11.7, defense 1.3).
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 yards | Bailey Zappe QB | 5,967 yds |
| Passing touchdowns | Bailey Zappe QB | 62 TD |
| Rushing yards | Noah Whittington RB | 617 yds |
| Rushing touchdowns | Adam Cofield RB | 4 TD |
| Receiving yards | Jerreth Sterns WR | 1,902 yds |
| Receiving touchdowns | Jerreth Sterns WR | 17 TD |
| Tackles | Antwon Kincade DB | 100 tkl |
| Sacks | DeAngelo Malone DE | 9 sacks |
| Interceptions | Beanie Bishop CB | 3 INT |
Top recruits in the 2021 class
| River Helms TE | ★★★ | No. 555 |
| Chance McDonald QB | ★★★ | No. 1753 |
| Jarrett Lucombe DL | ★★★ | No. 1758 |
| Anthony Giansante OT | ★★ | No. 2580 |
| Kye Robichaux RB |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2021 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks | 1 | 3.0 | 0.830 |
| Receivers | 1 | 3.0 | 0.877 |
| Offensive line | 1 | 2.0 | 0.789 |
| Defensive line | 1 | 3.0 | 0.830 |
| Whole class | 4 | 2.8 | 0.832 |
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 2022
The 2022 draft| Rd 3 | DeAngelo Malone OLB | Atlanta Falcons |
| Rd 4 | Bailey Zappe QB | New England Patriots |
Roster 107
The 2021 roster107 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2021 line; 64 have a stat line. See the roster
Transfers in 19
The 2021 portal Bailey Zappe PRO | ★★★ | from  Houston Christian |
 Boe Wilson OL | ★★★ | from  Nebraska |
 Tre Shaw CB | ★★★★ | from  North Carolina |
 Cameron Stage OL | ★★★ | from  Bowling Green |
 Daewood Davis WR | ★★★ | from  Oregon |
| Davion Williams CB | ★★★ | from  Michigan State |
 Jamale Carothers RB | ★★★ | from  Navy |
| Matthew Flint LB | ★★★ | from North Carolina |
 Michael Allen DE | ★★★ | from  Wake Forest |
 Michael Pitts LB | ★★★ | from  Cincinnati |
| Niko Cooper LB | ★★★ | from Nebraska |
 Adam Cofield RB | ★★ | from  North Dakota State |
And 7 more, lower-rated or unrated.
Transfers out 24
 Jahcour Pearson WR | ★★★ | to  Ole Miss |
| Avonta Crim S | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| Garland LaFrance S | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| Kavaris Thomas QB | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| Kyle Bailey LB | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| Malik Occiur S | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| Malik Staples RB | ★★★ | returned to  Western Kentucky |
| Mario Wright LB | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| Ricky Barber DL | ★★★ | to  UCF |
| Spencer Owens TE | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| Stephone Atkinson DE | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| Terez Traynor WR | ★★★ | no new school on file |
And 12 more, lower-rated or unrated.
2021 Conference USA standings
Conference page| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
| UTSA | 7–1 | 12–2 | |
| Western Kentucky | 7–1 | 9–5 | |
 UAB | 6–2 | 9–4 | |
| Marshall | 5–3 | 7–6 | |
 North Texas | 5–3 | 6–7 | |
| Old Dominion | 5–3 | 6–7 | |
| Middle Tennessee | 4–4 | 7–6 | |
 UTEP | 4–4 | 7–6 | |
| Charlotte | 3–5 | 5–7 | |
| Florida Atlantic | 3–5 | 5–7 | |
| Rice | 3–5 | 4–8 | |
 Southern Miss | 2–6 | 3–9 | |
 Louisiana Tech | 2–6 | 3–9 | |
| Florida International | 0–8 | 1–11 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.