WKU Football: Grading the 35–28 loss to Central Arkansas
Well, that was atrocious. Nobody on the Towel Rack staff predicted a loss to Central Arkansas, but in case you’re a Topper fan living…
Well, that was atrocious. Nobody on the Towel Rack staff predicted a loss to Central Arkansas, but in case you’re a Topper fan living under a rock, Western lost to an FCS team…again.
We all thought it could be a competitive game, but ultimately, no FBS team plays an FCS team and plans on losing. However, this is just game one, y’all. Let’s calm down on the Armageddon talk. There’s a lot of football to be played.
That being said, let’s grade this bad boy and see what positives and negatives came out of Thursday’s loss.
First…
Let’s Review my Keys to the Game from Wednesday
Hang With UCA’s Offense: A-
Honestly, I expected the Tops to struggle to keep up with UCA’s offense, which, as we now know, is pretty good, especially for an FCS team. They have some weapons and they will be an absolute nightmare in (what used to be) Division I-AA. It turns out WKU was the better offense in terms of every stat except…frickin points and turnovers.
But in terms of what I was talking about, this was not the issue for the Tops. Other than not finishing drives, it was actually the defense that struggled the most Thursday.
WKU Must Win the Trenches: B
Honestly, this was won by the Tops fairly handily. WKU got to UCA’s quarterback three times, while the offensive line gave up only one sack (HALLELUJAH!!!!). WKU slaughtered UCA in Time of Possession by more than ten minutes, another indication of dominance. Western had its first 150-yard rusher (Gaej Walker) since Ace Wales went wild on Memphis for 245 yards in 2016. Mike Sanford had one 100 yard rusher, and that was only for 101 yards (Samuel vs. FAU, 2018). For perspective, if Gaej Walker finishes averaging 152 yards per game, he would be WKU’s all-time single-season rushing leader. Another amazing stat: Walker had exactly one rush for negative yardage, another sign the O-Line was getting it done. The main blight on this would be the defense giving up 424 yards and the fact that UCA was much more even in the battle of the trenches in the second half.
Don’t Lose the Turnover Battle Decisively: F
Yeah here’s your first disastrous issue coming up. First of all, UCA was amazing protecting the football, not committing a turnover. Western threw away two interceptions, both on drives the Tops were already inside UCA territory, and both were at a time WKU was trying to take a three-score lead. Imagine how the game could have been different if WKU could’ve capitalized on either one of those drives! Instead, after Western commits two straight turnovers, UCA finally gets on the board. Devastating.
Throw in the fact UCA converted a fourth down out of two attempts, and WKU turned it over on downs three times without a single 4th down conversion, and that is another net of two more drives stifled by a lack of execution. Throw in a missed field goal, and handing the ball to the opponent six times with momentum is a disaster, especially when they only did it once.
Win in the Decision Making: C- Overall; Third Down: B+; Fourth Down: F; Coaching Decision Making: C-
Honestly, WKU’s offense looked potent, and they tried some trick plays and actually had creative schemes to get some guys open, like tunnel screens and wheel routes, a Jeff Brohm staple. However, the big moments for Western were frankly a disaster. Third down was great most of the night, starting an incredible 8–10. However, the Tops sputtered down the stretch, only converting 2–6 third downs to end the game.
On fourth down, WKU was in some tough spots, but not one conversion of three was made, and they were not any more than 4th-and-5. Surely one or two should be converted, especially when you are averaging more than that per play throughout the game. Nothing should be held against Helton on deciding to go for the field goal. Munson just missed it. Overall, Helton did nothing that made you scratch your head. If that is consistent going forward, that is a massive improvement from Mike Sanford. However, the score is so low because UCA absolutely won the coaching battle, especially with the flea-flicker to tie the game. That was an absolutely beautiful play call that you just have to golf clap for.
Show Up: C
Honestly, Western did show up to the game, but there were moments when you wondered where the fight was. When a ball is thrown up and you’re a receiver, do you not stick with your man and try to bat it down? We can’t expect everyone on the field to be all out every play. They’re human beings, but you also don’t want to be able to question moxie. Ultimately, the Tops still have to learn how to keep showing up. Consistent winning is about consistency. If you’re not consistent and persistent, you’re not winning championships. WKU must learn this quickly, or despite clearly being improved in several facets, they will still struggle.
Individual Positions
Defensive Line: B+
Don’t get me wrong on this: The defensive ends were especially amazing, getting three sacks between Juwuan Jones, DeAngelo Malone, and Jaylon George. UCA offensive linemen were getting blown up left and right. DeAngelo Malone was everywhere, leading the team in tackles (8) by almost double anyone else (5). However, UCA went for over 400 yards passing. It’s the defensive line’s job to continue disrupting the game, and they certainly fell off at the end of the game.
Defensive Backs: F
I mean, what else could it be? This was just a disastrous game for the secondary. They got murdered. Could there have been some penalties to help out? Sure. But not enough to make an excuse for this game. Helton said in the preseason he was concerned about the defensive backs, and I thought he was flat out wrong. Guess he knew what he was talking about, huh? I would say a majority of the passing yards given up were just because of hideous coverage.
Linebackers: D
I mean, they were just kind of there, and no linebacker had more than five tackles. When you only play two on most downs, you need to have productive linebackers. No balls were batted, passes deflected, interceptions made, very few physical plays stood out, and paltry tackle numbers produced. Who noticed one thing a WKU linebacker did all night? Besides the first play of the game on special teams, I didn’t. Ben Holt and Eli Brown are sorely missed, without question. However, this unit seems to be deeper than we thought in the summer. Here’s to them getting there.
Overall Defense: D
I’ll generously give the defense a D because of the awesome job against the run (20 yards). Again, see above for the D-Line (props). However, no one in the universe is blaming the loss on anyone but the defense. Like it or not, I’d say the blame is on them. Sure, the offense could have executed in crucial moments, but the defense absolutely folded after the first quarter and a half. You can’t allow 35 points in a little more than a half of football.
Quarterback: C
Listen, Steven Duncan got lucky he didn’t have at least four interceptions. Joshua Simon (btw, STUDDDD) saved his bacon on a tipped pass, while several others were nearly picked off late in the game. However, the ultimate stat line was OK. Duncan threw for 300 yards and with the exception of some lapses in judgment in the second quarter, he took care of the football. Another quotient that should not be discounted is his toughness. He went out and got some yards on the ground, including a rushing touchdown. That kind of ability, or even willingness, has not happened since Kawaun Jakes in 2012. If Duncan can get a little more accurate and stop making some silly decisions, he could be the next great one.
Running Back: A++++
Sweet Pete, if you had a problem with the running game after the horse manure the Tops put out the past two years on the ground, you’re straight trippin. Gaej Walker was incredible, and his backups contributed significantly. WKU (hopefully) has found a workhorse, and he’s got at least three capable backups. We. Have. A. Running. Game!
Offensive Line: B
Basically, this is not in the A range because it was not as good late in the game. However, one sack given up is awesome against anyone. 200 yards rushing and nearly 500 yards on the ground is a testament to these guys. However, penalties (whether you agreed with them or not) really put a damper on some drives, as well. It was a good performance, but not great from the big fellas.
Tight Ends: B
First of all, Joshua Simon is a true freshman and he produced 53 yards and a touchdown in his first game. That is magic. However, where were the other tight ends? I know Fourtenbary is coming off of some nicks and bruises. However, a catch for four yards is not the pace he wants to carry through the entire season, without question. Anyway, when they only produce about 1/5 of the yards in the air, you really want that closer to 1/4 or 1/3 or so, at least. That spells balance, and it also spells tearing up the defense from within in the passing game. This group is talented enough to produce 100 yards a game, I think. Witchoskey is more of a blocking tight end with a lot of skill in that area and adds a different style of tight end. I like this group, but they could have been better outside of Simon.
Wide Receiver: C
171 yards from the receivers and no plays of more than 25 yards just isn’t enough. Plus, Lucky Jackson had one of his worst games in a while in my opinion. This is for sure not the way he wanted to start. For this group to be elite, I think he needs to produce 100 yards per game. He got 14 yards on three receptions and fell down defending an eventual interception. Bad, but it’s only one game. Also, starter Quin Jernighan was absolutely non-existent. In addition, Garland LaFrance was not that great on special teams, and I didn’t see much production from the other guys that played on special teams, either. On the positive side, Sloan and Pearson were electric, both starting out with really solid first games. Sloan had a really nice block downfield on a big play, too. Without those two, the unit produced 22 yards. Not good. The goal for the next game: At least 200 yards.
Overall Offense: B
In my opinion, you can’t knock an offense too much when it produces nearly 500 yards. That’s winning football numbers for sure. However, this unit must learn to finish drives. 488 yards and nearly 200 on the ground is enough to score at least 40 points, and that likely would have done enough to win the game. Like we talked about, WKU had the offense hand the ball to UCA five times via turnovers on downs or by Steven Duncan Air Mail (shipping and handling extra). Fix half of that and you’ve got a beast of an offense.
Special Teams: B+
The missed field goal kept this from being an A. Not only was it massive, but it was the only miscue on special teams, besides paltry kickoff returning. John Haggerty is a monster. He missed a punt and kicked it 50 yards. Averaged 55 on two punts with ease. He’s out of this world good. Corey Munson looked good, but pulled his lone field goal attempt to the left in a crucial moment. However, his kickoffs were picture perfect, with two touchbacks and some sky balls that ultimately resulted in only 14 yards per return. There’s no question Western won this battle, despite the missed field goal. If Munson can be good going forward, I have full confidence this could be the best kicker/punter/kickoff specialist combo in the conference.
Overall Feeling: F
Overall Progress: C
No excuses, Tops, and I don’t think anyone in the program will make that excuse, either. I don’t care what happened in the game, but you don’t lose to an FCS team. It’s unacceptable at the FBS level. There is no way you look at that game and say, “The better team won.” I don’t buy that for one second. They were better on the night because of Western’s mistakes.
It’s pure and simple. No one in The Houch looks at that result and feels good about it or feels like the job is done. If anything, it would be time to flush that memory and use it for motivation to get moving forward quickly.
As far as actual progress, WKU’s defense made them one dimensional, but that one dimension was enough in key moments, especially in the red zone.
WKU’s offense moved the ball, but sputtered several times after moving the ball for a couple of first downs. Sure, that helps wear the defense down, but wearing them down doesn’t matter unless it eventually results in points. In terms of how anyone should feel about this game, the result is an absolute failure.
However, let’s step away from the score. Did we see good things? Did we see things we haven’t seen in years? Did we see hope on both sides of the ball? Yes. There is hope, and as my wife said, “I don’t know much about football, but I can tell that Helton knows what he’s doing. His offense had a purpose.” Honestly, I liked the game plan against UCA’s offense, too. Helton said he told Clayton White he wanted to force the quarterback to beat them, and that’s what happened. When you have a weakness, find some way to come up with enough gains somewhere else. They almost did that despite getting absolutely shredded for 400 yards through the air. If every team needs to throw for 400 yards to beat the Tops, that’s a good standard to hold, frankly.
Special teams was a huge concern in the Sanford years, and without question, that is much improved. Yes, you shanked a field goal, but other than that, the kicking game is worlds upon worlds better than any moment in the Mike Sanford era. Garland LaFrance didn’t have much chance to show his chops in the return game, but he should be a good option moving forward. He did well in the role last year. Clayton Bush did a nice job making decisions in the punt return game. If he was given a chance to actually return some punts, I think he would prove to be an asset, as well.
So are there issues? Absolutely. It’s now on the table as a possibility to lose every game. However, it’s one game, and it was the first game of the season. At least six FBS teams lose to an FCS every year. Western is one of them. Western has done it three times since joining the FBS in 2009 full time. However, there are 11 more games to play, and the signs (besides the score) point to a better football team than 2018. Unfortunately for the Tops, the scoreboard counts.
Taking it all into account, it’s an F grade for this week, Tops.