WKU Football: Grading the Tops' 52-17 victory over FAU
How did each position group stack up in such a dominating performance on Saturday?
There’s no question Western Kentucky football is on a roll. After starting 1-4, the Tops have won six in a row and now stand at a very respectable 7-4 and 6-1 in Conference USA after steamrolling the Florida Atlantic Owls, 52-17, this past Saturday.
This marks the sixth straight game WKU held its opponent to 21 points or less, and is also the 10th (yes, every game) time that the Tops scored at least 31 points. That is a heck of a winning formula, and that’s why the Tops have won six straight, all by at least 15 points.
This victory in particular sets up a monumental showdown between the Tops and the fairly short-lived but intense rival Marshall Thundering Herd. The winner draws Texas-San Antonio in the Alamodome the first Saturday in December.
So how is WKU grading out heading into the most important game of the season to date?
Let’s start grading out my Keys to Victory, which by the way, are written assuming there might be a close game. In the event there is a blowout, obviously third down conversions probably aren’t going to tell the tale. I digress…anyway…Keys to Victory here I come
Grading the Keys to Victory
Avoid the Noise: A
I’m not sure how WKU could have been much more perfectly focused in this game. The Tops scored on their first possession, got up 21-3, made a few mistakes in the middle there, but ultimately led at halftime by three touchdowns and controlled the game from start to finish. The only blight on the flight of the Tops over the Owls has to be penalties. The Tops tried to let FAU back in it, committing nearly 50 yards of penalties in the first quarter. The Tops surely picked that issue up from there and straightened up, right? No, the Tops committed 13 penalties for 116 yards on the day. Discipline has been an area WKU has been questionable all season, and I shudder to wonder how much this may have meant to the outcome in a closer affair. Hopefully the Tops don’t repeat this issue over its remaining few games.
Slow Down the Run: Keep it under 200: A++
Wow. I mean…did anyone see WKU holding a good rushing attack to 25 yards? That was seriously one of the best performances of the year defensively, and the Tops did it against what has been a significant weakness in most games: Stopping the run. But this performance is just beyond expectation. I would have been thrilled with anything under 125. The Tops nearly allowed single digits in rushing yards in the first half. You would think it relaxed from there, but still FAU mustered a grand total of 15 more yards the entire game. Of course, three sacks for a total of -31 yards really helps. Also, didn’t Beanie Bishop have a sack, as well? How is the WKU scorekeeper not recording some of these sacks? Anyway, Bishop added another -17 yards with his TFL’s, as well. But regardless of semantics, the Tops were stifling up front, and FAU could do nothing but try to sit back and hope some routes opened up in time before the pocked collapsed. This massive win explains one of the reasons how WKU was able to blow out such a competent opponent.
Red Zone Production: Do Not Come up Empty More than Once OR Force FAU to Miss on Multiple Red Zone Trips: A+
WKU visited the red zone seven times, converting all seven times. FAU only went three times, and when they did, they only scored twice. That, along with the rushing totals, certainly made it virtually impossible for FAU to win. WKU was going to move the ball. But if WKU had only scored on four of seven trips, wouldn’t this game have looked much different? Converting like this allowed WKU to get over 600 yards of offense, something they have only done one other time this season. Also, if FAU had stopped WKU more often, they would have surely had more than 301 yards of offense.
Win the Trenches and You Win the Game: A-
I’d say 608-301 speaks volumes on who controlled this game from start to finish. I would also say lost yardage speaks volumes, with WKU winning that battle 56 to 8. However, FAU did manage to get five tackles for loss, and there were moments when FAU was getting some penetration and having some effect on the style of the game. Let’s not pretend like there weren’t a few moments of duress. However, how about this for a clean game from the offensive line? Bailey Zappe (and Zaubi) were neither sacked nor hit all game. That is winning the trenches right there. Plus WKU had three sacks and another three hits on the QB. That’s a stark contrast, and it just goes to show the dominance by both fronts for the Tops.
Win the Stats That Suggest Good Fundamentals and Discipline: D
Honestly, when the announcers talk about your lack of discipline, that must be a real issue, because it is not in their interest to talk about your team making a ton of mistakes. But if it is part of the narrative, they have every right to bring it up. Fortunately for WKU, both teams were sloppy in the penalty department. Perhaps the only positive for WKU in the discipline department was getting off to a good start, and getting off of the field defensively. That was nice, but the penalty issue is just too much to ignore at this point. I even think one 15 yard personal foul was missed, when WKU’s defensive lineman punched an FAU guy. They even threw a flag on something else, and I thought for sure he should have been ejected, or at least flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Every team is going to commit penalties, but let’s not act like penalties are no big deal. If WKU gave up 116 yards in penalties to FAU, that means that not only were those penalties assessed, but any positive plays or yardage that occurred disappears. For example, a kick return for touchdown was wiped out because of holding. Now WKU came right back and scored. But what if they didn’t? What if WKU didn’t overcome on the first drive and stalled? What if FAU hadn’t kicked a field goal and had scored a touchdown there? WKU happened to overcome a ton of penalties by simply being too good, but 13 penalties easily could have cost multiple scores either on offense or defense.
Position Grades
Quarterback: B
Again, before someone flips the frick out here, this is graded on the #Zappe4Heisman scale. Bailey Zappe is flirting with the all-time NCAA record for passing yards in a single season, so when he gets a B for him. It’s just not fair to grade him as a normal man, because every game would be an A+ and we would never have any variety. In this game, yeah he threw for 470. So did I last night on Xbox. Big Whoop! Six touchdowns. Big deal. But seriously of course those numbers are wonderful, but he gets a few dings here: Two interceptions. One was a pick-six. Both were preventable. FAU had a few other opportunities, as well, including Helm in the red zone, who possibly could have picked it off and ran to pay dirt. Instead, he deflected a slant pass and WKU harmlessly ended up kicking a field goal. Zappe has a few plays a game that just make you scratch your head. Then literally every other play, he’s the most electric player you’ve ever seen. But obviously there’s nothing but love here. We just have to find something to complain about every once in a while or it’s just boring to write about.
Running Back: C
The running backs are still a bit of a non-factor for the Tops. Sure, they’re deep enough to play four or five at times, but only once has anyone totaled 100 yards, and the Tops average a hair under 100 yards per game on the ground. With Bailey Zappe hardly ever touched, this number should be well into the 100s in yards per game. In this case, many of the rushing yards came later in the game during garbage time, so really the Tops didn’t do much on the ground. Shoutout to Jakairi Moses, though. First touchdown since 2017. Awesome story and a classy guy who will finish this season playing for the Tops despite announcing his intent to enter the transfer portal. That young man has had a tough go of it, and deserves any good fortune he receives. He’s been a good player on the field when he’s been able to maintain his health.
Wide Receiver: A+
600 yards of offense, and the vast majority was from this group. Also, Mitchell Tinsley made some unbelievable grabs, and Jerreth Sterns was back to being Mr. Reliable, hauling in 12 catches this game. The two combined for over 300 yards and three scores. But in addition, Daewood Davis, DeAngelo Wilson, and Malachi Corley all contributed significantly. All told, the Topper receivers alone racked up over 450 yards receiving.
Tight End: A-
Joey Beljan made an appearance! I’m really happy for him, and he really had a nice game this time, gaining 42 yards on three receptions, two of which were touchdowns. On the year, he has nine receptions. That’s not that great for a starting tight end. But he does have five touchdown catches on those nine grabs. When he does make a catch, it’s usually a big one. Alarmingly, though, he gains 42 yards and more than doubles his receiving total for the entire season. As a starting tight end, you hope for at least a few hundred yards, if not 500-800 yards. So yes, he has been thrown into the fire and has not lived up to the “Tight End U” type of expectations, but keep in mind his five touchdowns are going to put him up there as one of the most prolific tight ends in history at WKU in terms of finding the end zone. For perspective, Jack Doyle had an entire season in which he didn’t score a touchdown. Beljan’s only knock was the holding on the kickoff that called back Beanie Bishop’s kickoff return. But he was on the opposite side of the field and naturally that’s a pretty weak call.
Offensive Line: A
What more can be said about this unit? They continue their stellar work. They did allow five tackles-for-loss this game, but pass protection was great as usual. Zappe and Zaubi were quite literally not touched all game. There were also some moments when FAU did have some control of the line, as well as a few penalties did not go the way of the offensive line. Overall, though, the WKU offensive line came in with a 90 grade as a unit in pass blocking, which stands as the number one number in the nation and would end up being the best mark in three years of any college unit if they maintain it through the last (presumably) three games. That can only stand to go up after not allowing their field generals to see the dirt.
Defensive Line: A+
First of all, 25 rushing yards allowed. Also, three sacks and some other nice plays, as well. The defensive line was in FAU’s face all day, and they needed to be. Definitely a great performance, and with his lone sack of the day, DeAngelo Malone sets the all-time record for sacks at WKU at 30.5. Most amazing, Malone continues to battle Antwon Kincade for the team lead in tackles. He trails by one, but the next closest person is Will Ignont, who trails him by 19 tackles. With an incredible finish to the year, he could end up with 100 tackles as a defensive end. He’s different, man.
Linebackers: B
The linebackers are saved a good bit by Christian Gomez, who made a nice play near the end of the game to pick it off. Otherwise, there wasn’t as much there to get wild and crazy about from the LBs this time. However, 301 yards deserves some attention, so not noticing them but then realizing the Tops allowed 301 total means they were doing their job yesterday and really made it difficult for FAU to get to the middle of the defense.
Defensive Backs: A+
There were a few penalty issues, but I just think the DBs deserve some absolute love for this game. Beanie Bishop’s performance (7 tackles, 3 TFL, 1 INT, 1 PBU) alone should be enough to range this group in the A’s. And that doesn’t even include his return for a touchdown that was back! But also, Kincade was good at usual. Hailassie; Braithwaite; Alexander; others, as well. This unit was really good, and it certainly played a big part in the running game numbers, as well as keeping the passing game numbers down enough to only allow 301 total yards. Sure, FAU threw for almost 300. But that was because they were forced to go to the air. And because of the tone of the game, WKU didn’t have to play aggressive, shut-down, in your face defense specifically against the pass. The Tops went for a more balanced approach and occasionally blitzed, mostly on obvious passing downs. Anyway, shout out to the DBs, who have been quite scrutinized. They have done their job of late and deserve tons of credit. Without them and their efforts in the turnover/big play department, perhaps the Tops don’t waltz to a victory and have much more of a battle on their hands.
Special Teams: A
How about that Cory Munson fella? Good lord. He has had several eye popping tackles of late. The guy made a play at the 25 last game against Rice. This game, he tied for the tenth most tackles on the team, and he’s the freaking kicker. Then Haggerty was back to his normal bombs. Narveson took care of his business, so full marks there. Beanie Bishop returned a touchdown, which was called back. So ding them for that. Other than that, special teams continues to be incredible for WKU.
Overall Discipline: D
Color me concerned about the discipline issues. I said it going in, and the Tops fiddlefarted around and amassed way over 100 yards of penalties against the Owls. If they do that against Marshall, I would lean towards the Tops not going to San Antonio next Saturday. It’s that serious of an issue. This is the one area that Tyson Helton and staff have not cleaned up all season, and I’m afraid it’s “Just deal with it” mode at this point. Well, I really don’t want to deal with it, so I am going to complain about it until it’s fixed, because this level of stupidity before and after (and occasionally during) the whistle might cost the Tops a championship and it drives me bonkers. It’s time for the business end of this season, and the Tops needs to be about their business.
I don’t care about facemasks. I don’t care about a holding here and there. I don’t care about a PI if you got beat or you’re hustling, or a phantom issue from stupid refs here and there. What I care about is a false start. Illegal formation. Offensive PI. Unnecessary DPI. Unsportsmanlike conduct. Illegal substitution. Offsides. Obvious late hits out of bounds. Roughing the passer (when warranted). I’m talking the dumb stuff. You don’t have to be perfect. Just stop screwing up the things you can control. Do that, and how many teams can compete with WKU right now? They have an unstoppable offense and a defense that is forcing turnovers and keeping opponents under three touchdowns. They have a special teams unit that is top 25 level good between all specialists and returners. I hope this warning is heard loud and clear, because if WKU loses another game, it will likely be because of self-inflicted wounds.
Coaching: A
I don’t see much to complain about here. Obviously everyone was prepared. All sides of the ball were brilliant. Heck, the Tops had a surprise onside kick that bought an extra possession. WKU handled any in game pressure well. They got off to a good start, and the clock management was fine to end the half. WKU got the ball with 3:13 remaining and gave the Owls the ball back with 1:36. They were trying to score, so no big deal for leaving that much time. Actually give them some extra credit for buying an extra possession (albeit only 15 seconds) at the end of the half by using timeouts when FAU was backed up on 2nd and 3rd-and-long. That resulted in nothing but a nine yard run, but it was still another opportunity for the offense.
Overall: A
I have complained enough about the penalties, so to explain, that’s my only issue with this performance. There were a few position groups who possibly weren’t their best, but the overall product was elite. FAU is a team that could compete with most of the country, and WKU made them look pretty weak. This was the perfect confidence booster heading into the true “playoffs” of the year, so to speak. This next game is essentially the conference semifinals, so to head into the most important game of the year and all you can find to complain about is penalties, that’s a really great spot to be in.
WKU is surely as prepared as they possibly could be for this moment. It is clear the Tops are peaking at the right time, and they’re ready to make a run at this thing. I don’t pretend to completely promise a championship, but I will say this: Marshall may look better on paper, but in my mind, WKU is the most likely to win the game Saturday in terms of WKU’s worst day vs. Marshall’s. Now, Marshall is fully capable. They have proven they can score (35 ppg) and have scored at least 28 in nine of 11 games. And the Marshall defense is statistically better than WKU. Marshall has some quality performances, especially in some of their losses, just like WKU. They are also peaking at the right time, just like WKU.
It’s an exciting time, and it feels so good for WKU to truly be playing their best. Buckle up, Topper fans, and if you can make it to Huntington, why in the world would you not go? I’ve made the trip twice before, and it was worth it both times.