WKU Football: Grading the C-USA Championship Loss to UTSA

A belated look back at the Tops surprising implosion in San Antonio last Friday.

Credit: Arshots Photography

First of all, I do want to apologize to those that may have been looking for some thoughts post-championship. Work has been crazy, and I sit down late on a Friday honestly pretty tired, but I feel like it needs to get done and we owe it to our followers to provide some thoughts on what happened vs. UTSA and how to approach the game next Saturday in Boca.

Anyway, with that being said…

Honestly, writing this a week later is going to be much more balanced than it would have been straight after the game. I believe we all may have felt at the time, the Tops just choked and gave UTSA the game. But honestly, having time to reflect, UTSA just stepped and made it happen and the Tops did things they haven’t done in months.

Give UTSA credit. They beat WKU at its own game twice in one season, being able to adapt to the murderous style of the WKU offense both times, producing 49+ points twice, and really controlling its destiny both games from start to finish.

There’s no question WKU screwed itself this game. Anyone who watched knows there were three or four scores out there that shouldn’t have existed, be it offensive, defensive, or special teams miscues.

But UTSA also did exactly what it needed to do to win. So again, hats off to the Roadrunners, the team of destiny in C-USA this season.

With that being said, let’s hand out some game grades, starting with my Keys to Victory.

Grading the Keys to Victory

Score 46 Again and Let’s See What Happens: C

Obviously the Tops did not get to 46, so this grade shouldn’t be pretty. However, WKU did drop in 41, and 28 of that was in the second half, outscoring UTSA 28-21 in the back end of the game. So WKU did come to life, and they forced UTSA to score enough to win. WKU also had the game within eight with 11 minutes to play, so much of the scoring came in a quick explosion in about 20 minutes of action to start the second half. So in that way, sure, WKU scored enough to win most days. But the Tops also left tons of opportunities out there on the field. They probably could have scored 60 if they optimized their opportunities.

Avoid Crucial Turnovers: F

Literally all three turnovers came at horrible moments. Obviously the game ending interception was mainly window dressing, but it also sealed the deal. But how about two straight turnovers down two touchdowns (after creating momentum to start the second half defensively with a quick stop) that allowed UTSA to go up 29? And those two turnovers happened deep in WKU’s own territory, only requiring UTSA to go a total of 31 yards to seemingly put the game out of reach. Was there not a more pivotal moment in that game. I would love for a UTSA fan or WKU fan, either one, to tell me at the moment WKU got that stop to start the second half, that it didn’t feel like the Hilltoppers were about to make their move. They had dug enough of a hole that it was no guarantee, but WKU was about to march down the field and score and just about everyone in the world knew they would. Then Jerreth Sterns boinks the ball off of his body and a string of disasters followed the Tops.

An early turnover would not have been as big of a deal, but two second half backbreakers? Literally take those two touchdowns out of the equation and this is a completely different ballgame. Does WKU win because of just that? We can debate, but without question, turnovers changed the feel of the game, and even though UTSA pretty much sputtered the rest of the game, they had enough to cushion to take care of business.

Learn From Last Time: D-

One of my main highlights in this section was penalties. WKU actually was much better than UTSA in terms of penalties overall. However, how many penalties were crucial? Without breaking down every penalty, I count three moments WKU either directly cost itself points or made it more difficult, including a killer offsides on 3rd-and-4 near the end of the game. Without that penalty, WKU may have had several minutes to try to score instead of only having 1:05 remaining. Besides turnovers, I mentioned two point conversions. Again, why go for two point conversions early? Now, WKU made up for it later, but what if WKU missed the two point conversion that 5’8” Jerreth Sterns had to go up for a jump ball to get? Then that game wouldn’t have even come down to one possession, because WKU would have been down ten. Psychologically, it was a big blow to miss the two pointer. Also, after this game, you’re only 2-6 on the year in two pointers. Maybe call some better plays? That number should be 60% or higher.

WKU’s DBs were torched the first game, giving up nearly 400 yards through the air. They were much better, but still, UTSA had some moments where they just manhandled WKU’s smaller DBs. How about wasting opportunities? UTSA scored four touchdowns in the first half, really not having many more opportunities than that to score. WKU had five opportunities to score in the first half, only scoring 13 of a possible 35 points. Again, it happens to leave some points on the board during a game. But that many in one half? Disaster. If you have five scoring chances, you should at least come away with 20. Even just making the two long field goal attempts would have given WKU some confidence and would have made a difference in the strategy in later quarters. Let alone launching a snap on the one backwards 13 yards and having to settle for a field goal. In addition, WKU could not stop the run to save their lives most of the game, and it was even worse than the first meeting.

Adjust to the Addition of Brendan Brady: D+

By the way, if you look at the official stats from the game, #5 Brendan Brady is not listed as playing. Apparently #5 Hunter Duplessis, the kicker, played running back, threw a pass on a trick play, and even had a reception (yeah right). Who knew he was so versatile? Brendan Brady is the backup running back. He had been out for several games this season, but he returned against UNT and was effective. He’s a really good backup, and this game was no exception, although I expected more from him. Instead of rushing for a ton, he completed a trick play for 24 yards, scored a touchdown, and had a reception. All told, he accounted for 56 net yards and a touchdown. You’ll take that every day from your backup.

And what did that do? It freed Sincere McCormick up to stay fresh and rush for 204 yards and three touchdowns. Quarterback Frank Harris was amazing, too, racking up 81 yards on the ground and a touchdown. All told, Brendan Brady allowed both of those guys to be at their best, because he was a reliable option when in the game and a good pass protector on more obvious passing downs.

Account for the Firm of Hicks, Wiley, and Wisdom, Defenders at Ball: F

Rashad Wisdom did exactly what he does: Tackle people, generally to the tune of the most on the team. and what did Hicks and Wiley do? We talked about them being playmakers, that they didn’t make a ton of tackles, but when they did, they were impact plays. They only had six tackles combined, but three of them were sacks, and Hicks actually had another two hurries on Bailey Zappe. These were the guys that stood out as the most prolific playmakers for UTSA, and look at what it would have looked like without them: 14 plays would have gone for more yardage, and UTSA would have had one tackle-for-loss and no sacks on the afternoon. And it’s an easy argument that both of Zappe’s interceptions may not have existed without defensive line pressure.

Prediction: F

I’ll admit it: 54-17 WKU did not happen. That was a bad read on this game. I underestimated UTSA’s ability to rise to the occasion, first of all. I overestimated WKU’s invincibility, without question. I still stand by the basic premise that WKU should have won, almost no matter what. If WKU had played decently, I believe the Tops win by at least a few scores. The defense didn’t exist for a half, two turnovers that resulted in points during WKU momentum, missed field goals, and missed opportunities really added up to WKU losing. I count a tangible 36 points lost just from not converting field goal attempts into touchdowns and the two own-territory turnovers resulting in another 14 points for UTSA. Did UTSA screw themselves a couple of times? Yes, but the Roadrunners were just more solid, and I say this a lot: Football is way more about not screwing up than whether your superstars play well.

Position Grades

Quarterback: B

Bailey Zappe was much better than his statistics indicated, with several receivers dropping balls, a few of which were sure fire touchdowns or chain moving plays. Without the drops, Zappe throws for well over 600 and probably has a touchdown or two more. Now, with two interceptions, one of which was a complete and utter disaster that affected the final score, he has to take a big ding for that. Otherwise, he did his part, throwing for nearly 600 and four scores. What more can the man do?

Running Back: D

Although the running backs did catch seven balls for 107 yards through the air, what about the running game? No back had more than 15 yards rushing, and WKU finished with negative yards rushing, although most of that issue was two launched snaps over Zappe’s head by Rusty Staats. However, even without those two horrible snaps, WKU still would not have mustered 30 yards rushing. Part of it was the fact that Topper running backs only ran it six times, something that is obviously not their fault. That’s play calling. But it is on the running backs to make themselves feel like an option to run the ball, as well.

Wide Receiver: B-

Statistically, wowza, right? I mean two receivers with upper 100s receiving yards and both with two touchdowns? That’s incredible! But what about the drops? What about the fumble by Jerreth Sterns? There were at least two touchdowns, if not three, directly lost due to wide receiver play. Sure they were impactful. But they were also a liability at times.

Tight End: D-

Joey Beljan was open on the two point conversion attempt, so I don’t blame him for not making a fingertips type of catch. But this is very generous to not give him and his position an F. Once again, very little came from this group. But I thought Beljan deserved credit for getting open and Zappe just missed him.

Offensive Line: C

This was not the best performance by the WKU offensive line. Three sacks given up was completely unexpected from this truly elite unit. But in addition, bad snaps, false starts, and negative overall rushing yards takes away from an otherwise pretty good performance. I just can’t give them high marks when there were obvious issues with the offense.

Defensive Line: C+

The WKU defensive line did make some plays in the backfield, with the team recording seven TFLs, most of which came from the line. However, 300+ rushing yards is really bad. Big plays getting busted start with the men up front not maintaining solid gap integrity. This was not their best performance, but they were a presence at times and were able to get home a reasonable amount.

Linebackers: C+

This group is really missing Will Ignont, who has been out with some nagging injuries the past two weeks. He’s the “gamebreaker”, so to speak. But Demetrius Cain and Jaden Hunter did a great job filling up the stat sheet with tackles. However, again, UTSA was able to do what it wanted, including going for long runs. Linebackers are generally tasked with cleaning up messes mid-play, so allowing people to squirt through to the secondary on a fairly simple run up the middle is concerning.

Defensive Backs: C

Somebody has to take the blame for nearly 600 yards given up, and I believe at least part of the issue had to do with the back end. First of all, UTSA had some huge plays in the passing game that you just shrug at and golf clap to for the nice play. But then again, other plays were significant, including some long runs that proved bad eye discipline in the secondary.

Special Teams: D+

Usually the best unit on the team, or certainly a very consistent positive for WKU, Special Teams really struggling at UTSA. Even John Haggerty III only punted for 38 yards, barely getting the punt inside the 20. Cory Munson was great, but other than that, Narveson showed us a few duds and Jerreth Sterns fumbled inside the Tops’ 15. Beanie Bishop was the lone “bright spot” of Special Teams, compiling a nice average on several returns.

Discipline: B-

Overall penalty discipline was pretty good. UTSA actually had significantly more penalties. So good for the Tops. However, discipline falls in other areas, like the timing of penalties, including unsportsmanlike conduct by a team leader late in the game. Also, executing the game plan in crucial moments is a discipline issue. WKU once again lets discipline get the best of them in some crucial ways.

Defensive Coaching: C+

Coach Mo Crum got his butt handed to him in the first half. WKU could not stop the Roadrunners. Well, second half, it was a much more effective adjustment, with WKU giving up much less and making life much more difficult for UTSA, almost allowing WKU to come back, despite being down 29 in the third quarter.

Offensive Coaching: C

I am baffled as to why the running backs only received six carries on the ground. I understand you’re in the air raid type of offense, but they have to have a chance to create a new concern for UTSA by being able to run the ball. They didn’t even get a chance to really run the ball. And only two guys even got an attempt period! Just inexplicable logic right there.

Tyson Helton Decision Making: C-

I absolutely hate the two point conversion decisions. That drives me nuts. These guys are 1-4 heading into this game on two point conversions. Call some better game winning plays! He also burned a timeout late that he could have used on a 40 second clock instead of a typical 25. Calling timeout on 4th-and-11 and punting on your own 47. Not a good look. Not going for it on 4th-and-short, etc.

Overall: C-

Everyone knows WKU didn’t play well. But despite playing pretty awful, the Tops were in with a chance. So sure, WKU was not the team that got hot that knocked off the favorite. But they had it in their grasps, and it’s incredible frustrating to have watched the whole thing.

WKU left a good 30+ points out there last Saturday. And UTSA executed to perfection, not messing around and scoring seven touchdowns. WKU had to score seven times to lose by eight. So despite losing the conference championship, you have to know that this was really within WKU’s grasp most of the night.

WKU ultimately fought like warriors, overcoming their own mistakes to nearly upset the big favorite at halftime, falling short in the waning moments of the fourth quarter.

WKU now draws Appalachian State, a really good team that could’ve ended up ranked if it hadn’t lost a couple of close calls. App. State could seriously be the biggest challenge since facing Big Ten Foes Michigan State and Indiana. So stay tuned! We will keep you up to date on the bowl game, with breakdowns, Q&A's, and predictions and analysis.