WKU Football: Grading The 23–20 Win Over Western Michigan
Western Kentucky officially tripled its win total from 2018. An incredible journey, the Hilltoppers just capped off an incredible…
Western Kentucky officially tripled its win total from 2018. An incredible journey, the Hilltoppers just capped off an incredible turnaround with an improbable untimed down field goal by Cory Munson as time expired to beat Western Michigan, 23–20.
WKU (9–4, 6–2 C-USA) was predicted to improve by just about everyone. However, most realistic expectations had them maybe making a bowl game in a dream world. Very, very few had WKU competing for a conference championship and nearly getting to that elite type of level remotely close to ten or more wins in one season.
However, that’s exactly what they did. And it was in the most improbable way possible, losing to UCA to start the season, losing to a (presumably winnable) ACC team coming off a bad year, losing two games in a row in the late middle of the season. They beat a bunch of good teams on the way, beating an SEC team (although they were a terrible team), beating the defending conference champion who made a return appearance, beating an FIU team that ended up with a winning record, beating a Charlotte team that made a bowl game, and beating the arch-rival, Middle (Who cares if they were terrible? #PleaseExtendStockstillsContract).
I picked WKU to win seven, but I picked Louisville, UCA, and Marshall to all be wins for the Tops. I picked UAB and FIU to be losses. I pretty much got everything wrong but sort of got close on the record.
Hey, I did say at the beginning that I could see a lot of the games flip-flopping. I didn’t think literally half of them would be the opposite of my thoughts, though.
That being said, I laid out Five Keys to Victory to beat WMU. Let’s see how that panned out…
Keys to Victory
Handle the Bowl Game Weirdness: A
Honestly, how does this get a low grade on any spectrum? The ultimate weirdness happened when WKU got an untimed down and a five-yard penalty on WMU’s defense to allow Cory “Vanilla Ice” Munson to nail a career-long 52 yard field goal in a walk-off victory? I’m not sure how this could be anything but perfection. I’ll take a slight tick off for the Tops not really executing despite dominating WMU in everything but the score. Honestly, the stats say “blowout”. The score says “thriller”. That’s bowl season for you.
Hold Levante Bellamy Around his Average: A+
Bellamy had a few moments where he showed why he’s so dadgum good. No question. Then again, his longest play from scrimmage was seven yards. He only had a total of 60 yards rushing, and the total rushing attack was held to about his normal average (114 yards). Western forced the other Western to throw (more below), and it was a winning formula. If Western’s offense hadn’t squandered multiple opportunities and handed a touchdown to WMU’s defense (which played incredibly well at times), Western’s defense would’ve been the unquestioned heroes of the game. They were overshadowed because of the closeness of the final score, but give this defense props for 12 incredible performances (UCA not included). They were there for Helton and the Tops time and again this season.
Make the Quarterback Beat You: A-
WMU’s quarterback Wassink was held to 223 total yards. That includes 30 on the ground, so he didn’t even crack 200 yards on the day through the air. WMU barely crept into the 300s, despite regularly producing over 400 yards all season. He was slightly below his normal average (slightly under 60 percent), throwing 19–36 (53 percent), although he did make some nice throws down the field, throwing and completing several longer than 20 yards.
He was only sacked once and hit two other times, so yeah maybe the defensive line didn’t get a ton of pressure on Wassink, but they did clearly focus on stopping the run. Take a perfect score away for not making his life miserable in the pocket. They also got lucky that he didn’t convert a crucial third down, which possibly could’ve put them in chip shot range to win the game. Still, it was a great effort by the defense against a really good offense.
Win the Big Moments: B-
Well, I’m not really sure how to grade this, because obviously WMU won the turnover battle, picking off Storey two times, including a pick-six that was absolutely the only reason WMU was within shouting distance. Also, WKU’s one turnover resulted in nothing; Western Michigan actually intercepted Western Kentucky within a minute of giving up the initial turnover. So that is a huge blight on the Big Moments category.
However, Dear Old Western (Kentucky) also held a team that generally converts half of its third and fourth downs to a total of 6-of-17. That’s a huge tendency negated, and I believe the difference in the game. If WMU had converted a couple more third downs, or obviously its fourth-down attempt late in the fourth, WKU would have lost. Good for the Tops for standing in there, dealing with a day that didn’t go their way, and finding a way to win a squeaker despite clearly being better than the opponent.
Manage the Kicking Game: A+
Can I toot my own horn here? I freaking nailed this Key. Kicking was huge during the game and obviously at the end. You’re welcome, Topper fans for knowing what to look for. In all seriousness, Tyson Helton did nothing BUT manage the kicking game this game. His freshman kicker, Cory Munson, missed a bunny as time expired to end the half. He made two others during the course of the game.
Then it comes time to make a decision to win the game. Appropriately, WKU is looking at a 57 yarder, it is well within Storey’s Hail Mary range, and it is well outside of Munson’s realistic chance. Munson also knows at 57 yards that he can physically make it, so when he doesn’t get the chance despite getting mentally ready in case they decided to go with him, he gets five more yards taken off the kick and he walks up like a boss thinking he only had to kick from 52. Plus he’s totally distracted by whether he’s even going to kick than the end of the game situation with the whole season on the line, etc. He’s focused on the kick and not the moment.
Whether intentional or not, it was brilliant psychology from Tyson Helton and staff, and it put Munson in the right mindset to nail that beautiful kick right down the pipes. That thing was good from 62, partly because the fact he almost missed his opportunity and it lit a fire under his behind. Good for him for stepping up and playing the hero role in a moment of tension.
Position Grades
Quarterback: B
Ty Storey is my hero, and besides the two interceptions, this is an A+. However, a pick-six and another INT that cost another three points means he took the Tops from driving deep twice to handing a team that couldn’t move the ball ten points. He was brilliant otherwise, but he was also one of the only reasons WMU was even in the game and almost won.
Let’s not dog on him too bad, though. Crap, he threw nearly 70 percent (35–51), two touchdowns, 358 yards, and was only sacked twice. Throw in 30 net yards on the ground, and he nearly produced 400 yards by himself. That is not bad, and he once again showed up and truly led the Tops to the W. Ty Storey should get the “Big Boy Pants Award” from the Topper coaching staff without question.
Running Back: A-
Gaej Walker was solid as usual. He was nothing spectacular, although he had some nice runs. I also liked seeing him catch some balls out of the backfield (4 receptions, 40 yards). All told, the man had a really nice, quiet day, only touching the ball 19 times, but producing a total of 133 yards. Walker has to be the ultimate diamond in the ruff for the Tops. He was a backup nickel last year! This year, he’s a 1,200 yard rusher. Kudos to Bryan Ellis and Tyson Helton for picking up on a tidbit in the spring and trying it out. What an unbelievable story!
Tight End: A+
Joshua Simon was everywhere Monday, having his first 100 yard receiving day of his career in the biggest moment. He also caught his most passes (six), surpassing the four he had against both MTSU and FAU. Simon changed from a sensational freshman catching touchdowns (four in five games) early in the year, to a solid tight end off of the line of scrimmage (at least two catches in six of his last seven games), handling all of the 10,000 things tight ends do to make the offense functional. All told, Joshua Simon finishes with 430 yards and four touchdowns in an absolutely brilliant freshman campaign.
Wide Receiver: B+
Without Lucky Jackson, the receivers did nothing. However, Lucky was incredible, accounting for 17 of the team’s 35 completed passed and racking up 148 yards and a touchdown by himself. Pearson showed up, producing 35 yards and a touchdown. Otherwise, it was three catches for 33 yards from everyone else. That’s 68 yards from everyone not named Lucky Jackson. Sure, it was Lucky’s game. Western Michigan was playing off and trying to force Western Kentucky to march down the field methodically (which worked), and it’s a perfect game for an experienced possession receiver that runs solid routes and understands holes in coverages.
However, moving forward, this receiving corps must improve significantly, because Ty Storey is gone, and so is Lucky Jackson. Speaking of Lucky Jackson, Lucky finishes with over 1,100 yards this season, finally producing like his potential said he could, including dumping in two-thirds of his yards in his final six games.
Offensive Line: A-
The O-Line was stellar all year. This game, they did give up two sacks (against a good defensive front), but they helped the Tops to another really good performance offensively. Storey had time to dink and dunk his way to 358 yards on 51 passes. The running game was competent, as well. Give these guys huge props, because just like 2015 and 2016, this was one of the best offensive lines in the conference. They were not quite to the level of 2015, but they were incredible nonetheless.
In very few games was WKU’s offensive line overwhelmed, including against Power Five clubs. This was no exception, but it wasn’t an utterly dominating performance. There were times WMU got the better of the Tops.
Defensive Line: C+
Hey, this is not a slight on the line, but we have become accustomed to stellar performances, slapping the quarterback down on his back and remembering unbelievable plays from all four positions on the defensive line this season. Maybe we’re a little spoiled, but Malone only getting nine tackles (none for loss) just seems so average, even though most coaches would sacrifice their firstborn children for a defensive lineman that can roam the field like DeAngelo. That extra nine from Monday gives him 99 tackles on the season from a defensive end, people. My…god! I wonder how many defensive linemen recorded 100 tackles this season? I would venture to guess less than five.
I got a little sidetracked there, but Juwuan Jones had a good game, recording a sack and a quarterback hit. Other guys contributed, but nothing extraordinary came out of the defensive line. They get some credit for keeping a good offense down and keeping a truly great running back at bay. But the rest of the defense stood out.
Linebackers: A
Clay Davis and Kyle Bailey each had 10+ tackles in this game. In a year with little LB depth, two players EVER recording ten tackles each was a welcome surprise. Large numbers of tackles aren’t important simply to just rack up numbers.
What it means is those guys are getting “there” quickly and often. It suggests they’re on their game and not missing opportunities. Generally, someone else will make the play if you don’t. The only time there isn’t a tackle made is on a score. Otherwise, somebody is getting that.
This was a great job by the linebackers, and throw in Staples with a really nice play in the open field at one point in the game to prevent a first down and this is more than justified.
Defensive Backs: A
Honestly, it seems like these grades are high for overall unimpressive performance against an inferior opponent. But besides turnovers, WKU played fine enough to win going away. Without Storey’s turnovers, the Tops likely would have won by three possessions. The defensive backs were especially great all day. Ta’Corian Darden broke up four passes by himself, a couple of which would have gone for TD’s. Usual suspects Devon Key and Dionte Ruffin we’re making plays, as well.
For a unit that struggled some early in the year, Roger Cray (injured for the first half of the season) came in and sure cleaned up the issues. We knew Cray would take a starting spot, but it seems like it fixed everyone’s issues in the secondary. Western went from an embattled secondary to an asset in the second half of the season.
Kicker: A+
Give the man credit. 3-of-4 on the day and a game-winner. That’s higher than his season percentage, and the difficulty of that game-winning gem was off the charts. Munson came to play, and he did well on his kickoff duties, as well.
Punter: C
This wasn’t Haggerty’s best. We’ve come to expect other-worldly consistency and leg strength from the junior punter from Australia. He wasn’t great Monday. Of his three punts, only one went 50 yards and barely averaged 40. Most college punters, that’s a fine day. Not for Haggerty. If Haggerty could become just a little more consistent, he could legitimately average 50 yards per punt next year. He’s incredible.
Coaching And Miscellaneous
Offensive Coaching: B
I like the fact that this staff recognized WMU playing off the whole game and throwing short passes. That’s good, winning football. I still would’ve like for them to have found a way to get a few more scores, though. I think there were a few odd play calls, like running on 3rd-and-long (again, a philosophy thing that I don’t agree with but can live with) and also on downs like 2nd-and-12.
If there is one thing I don’t completely agree with, it has been going ultra-conservative and running a normal running play on “obvious passing downs” in “no man’s land”. In other words, the plan is to go for it on third or fourth, so throw in a conservative run and hope to get 7 or 8 instead of a normal 2 or 3 yards. Give the coaching staff credit: They have consistently done this all year. However, frustratingly, it rarely works and rarely results in a first down very often. That’s nitpicking, though and a personal preference. Still, a solid B for recognizing the defense and attacking it in the smartest way possible.
Defensive Coaching: B
This may be a little harsh because the defense barely allowed 300 to an offense that gets in the mid 400s. They also stopped a 1,500 yard back for about half of his average.
That’s all nice, but number one, there wasn’t anything spectacular about the coaching. It was just solid. I do know they allowed Malone to be fluid and float and contain the run game, which is why he was not as much of a factor in the passing game.
However, my biggest issue is a few explosive plays from the defense. One turnover, a couple of QB hits, and one sack. There were several PBU’s. I’ll give them that. But I’d still like to see a little more. But I’m really just trying not to give all A’s in a game the Tops won by three points and should’ve won by 20. (Sorry, Clayton and Ellis).
Overall: B+
Listen, I’m happy, and every Topper should be. I think it was obvious to everyone, including WMU fans, who the better team was both Monday and overall. WKU was not super sharp at all times and made some mistakes. When you look at the stats, it’s hard to pick out individuals and blame them for anything. WMU was just a tough-minded team that took advantage of opportunities.
It felt like the Tops we’re doing everything they could to keep the Broncos in it. That’s kind of why it sort of falls on coaching a little. Ultimately it’s on them to find a way to get guys to execute and make it happen in big moments.
Overall, WKU just won a bowl game thriller, tripled its 2018 win total, got all over Sportscenter and everywhere else, and stole three-game minutes of viewing from Louisville. That’s a win all-around, and Topper fans should be overjoyed with the state of the football program right now.