2020 Western Michigan
4–2 (4–2 Mid-American Conference), coached by Tim Lester. Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest winBeat Akron 58–13Nov 4
By 45 points, its widest win.
- Most excitingBeat Toledo 41–38Nov 11
The win probability swung the most, by CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 4 | at Akron | W 58–13 | 71% |
| Nov 11 | vs Toledo | W 41–38 | 65% |
| Nov 18 | at Central Michigan | W 52–44 | 44% |
| Nov 28 | vs Northern Illinois | W 30–27 | 80% |
| Dec 5 | vs Eastern Michigan | L 42–53 | 80% |
| Dec 12 | at Ball State | L 27–30 | 41% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Lost to Ball State 30–27; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 4th in the Mid-American Conference.
In program history: The 24th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 83 on file).
Led the nationD’Wayne Eskridge: yards per catch (23.1)
- Record
- 4–2
- Conference
- 4–2 tied for 4th in Mid-American Conference
- AP final
- Unranked
- Points
- 250–205
- Coach
- Tim Lester
- Elo
- 1501 +5 this season
- SP+ rating
- 0.6 No. 67 of 130; offense No. 41, defense No. 88
- Returning
- 35% of last season’s EPA, No. 112 of 130
- Recruiting class
- No. 86 roster talent No. 99 in FBS
- Offensive coordinator
- Jake Moreland
- Defensive coordinator
- Lou Esposito
- Offense
- West Coast
- Defense
- 4–2–5
How good, play by play
| EPA per play | Success | Explosiveness | FBS rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 0.30 | 52% | 1.26 | 7th of 127 |
| Defense | 0.20 | 42% | 1.36 | 97th of 127 |
| Opponent-adjusted | 0.23 off 0.17 def | 49% off 42% def | — | 13th off 104th 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 | 4.1 | own 33 | 15% allowed |
| Defense | 4.6 | own 30 | 18% caused |
CORE rating 9.4, 27th of 127 (offense 19.0, defense 9.6).
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 | Kaleb Eleby QB | 1,700 yds |
| Passing touchdowns | Kaleb Eleby QB | 18 TD |
| Rushing yards | La’Darius Jefferson RB | 613 yds |
| Rushing touchdowns | La’Darius Jefferson RB | 5 TD |
| Receiving yards | D’Wayne Eskridge WR | 768 yds |
| Receiving touchdowns | D’Wayne Eskridge WR | 8 TD |
| Tackles | Treshaun Hayward LB | 59 tkl |
| Sacks | Ali Fayad DE | 4 sacks |
| Interceptions | A.J. Thomas S | 1 INT |
Top recruits in the 2020 class
| Logan Wilson SDE | ★★★ | No. 949 |
| Ronald Pledger CB | ★★★ | No. 1148 |
| Kaevion Mack WR | ★★★ | No. 1148 |
| Ryan Kilburg S | ★★★ | No. 1245 |
| Eston Miles DT | ★★★ | No. 1448 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2020 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks | 1 | 3.0 | 0.838 |
| Receivers | 3 | 3.0 | 0.837 |
| Offensive line | 3 | 3.0 | 0.819 |
| Defensive line | 4 | 2.8 | 0.821 |
| Linebackers | 1 | 3.0 | 0.811 |
| Defensive backs | 4 | 3.0 | 0.840 |
| Athletes and specialists | 5 | 2.6 | 0.808 |
| Whole class | 21 | 2.9 | 0.824 |
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 2021
The 2021 draft| Rd 2 | D’Wayne Eskridge WR | Seattle Seahawks |
| Rd 5 | Jaylon Moore OG | San Francisco 49ers |
Roster 106
The 2020 roster106 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2020 line; 50 have a stat line. See the roster
2020 Mid-American Conference standings
Conference page| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
 Buffalo | 5–0 | 6–1 | 25 |
| Ball State | 5–1 | 7–1 | 23 |
 Kent State | 3–1 | 3–1 | |
| Toledo | 4–2 | 4–2 | |
 Western Michigan | 4–2 | 4–2 | |
 Ohio | 2–1 | 2–1 | |
 Miami (OH) | 2–1 | 2–1 | |
| Central Michigan | 3–3 | 3–3 | |
| Eastern Michigan | 2–4 | 2–4 | |
| Akron | 1–5 | 1–5 | |
| Northern Illinois | 0–6 | 0–6 | |
 Bowling Green | 0–5 | 0–5 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.