WKU Football: Grading WKU’s 33–21 Win Over Ball State
After two straight disappointing performances, WKU finally got back in the win column with a 33–21 victory over Ball State. Let’s analyze…
After two straight disappointing performances, WKU finally got back in the win column with a 33–21 victory over Ball State. Let’s analyze what went right (and wrong) during the Tops’ second victory of the season.
Jakairi Moses: B
With D’Andre Ferby once again sidelined and Quinton Baker limited by lingering injuries, Moses proved to be a breath of fresh air to the Hilltopper’s ground game. While his rushing numbers weren’t gaudy — he finished with 12 carries for 56 yards — he also added another dimension to WKU’s passing attack, catching four passes for 48 yards.
During the game-winning 76 yard drive, Moses took over, catching two passes for 22 yards and capping off his game with this five yard touchdown run
In just two games, the freshman from Florida has shown off his playmaking abilities, gaining tough yards and breaking long runs that eluded WKU early in the season. Moses has commanded (see what i did there) more playing time moving forward even when the other backs get healthy.
Offensive Game Plan: B-
As the season has progressed, you can see what Sanford and company are looking to do with their offense. While it can be frustrating compared to Brohm’s system, it does have potential to be good when everything is clicking.
In the first half, the Tops clicked on all cylinders; they piled up 236 total yards in the first half as Mike White hit receivers across all parts of the field and the deep passing game returned. Sanford’s system will always stress long drives and ball control over a wide open scoring system but the first half showed the potential when everything is going well, especially if you forget Mike White’s red zone interception. For a while, it appeared the coaches and players were finally getting comfortable with what they were trying to do.
Unfortunately, the second half was a different story. White’s second red zone interception killed WKU’s chances to put the game out of reach early and then familiar problems returned. After that pick, White didn’t look comfortable, misfiring on throws and taking bad sacks. Some of that can be attributed to struggles by the tackles (more below) but you could tell he let his mistakes affect his game. Before the final drive, WKU averaged a dismal 2.6 yards per play in the second half.
Luckily, the last drive redeemed White and further showed why Sanford’s system can work. The Tops successfully marched those 76 yards in just three minutes and 12 seconds, returning back to their mix of intermediate and deep passes. While the playcalling wasn’t perfect, you can see various signs of a good offense when the players limit mistakes and continue to buy into the system.
Mike White: C
White’s final passing numbers were pretty solid; he went completed 28 of his 44 pass attempts for 319 yards, by far his most effective passing day yet. Unfortunately, its hard to ignore how bad both of those interceptions were in the grand scheme of the game. Even if they had settled for two field goals, WKU would have still been up 23–7, a comfortable lead. You could see that White let those mistakes hurt his play as he took some bad sacks and missed some easy throws until the last drive in the second half. White hasn’t been himself since he left Brohm’s system but he can still be a great passer and it was great to see him put the mistakes behind him and go 6-for-6 on the game winning drive. Let’s hope he can build upon the momentum of that last drive and be the all conference quarterback we all thought he could be over the last eight games.
Defense: B
While giving up 374 yards to an offense lead by Ball State’s back-up quarterback doesn’t sound great, WKU’s defense did a lot of encouraging things over the course of the game. Despite the moderate yard total, WKU’s defense gave up 23 points or less for the fourth game in a row. The defense also forced three turnover’s including Joe Brown’s game sealing pick six.
Clayton White’s unit routinely set up the offense with great field position over the course of the game. Had WKU punched in a couple of those red zone mistakes, it would have been interesting to see how the defense would pin their ears back with a big lead. I still want to see more of a pass rush but WKU’s defense has routinely put the team in position to win games during the first third of the season.
Offensive Line: C
The offensive line has steadily improved since the season began — evidenced by seeing the pocket be repeatedly maintained over the course of the game. White was given enough time to push the ball deep and let plays develop, especially in the first half. They also showed they could pick up a first down in goal-line situations.
Unfortunately the reoccurring problems of the first few games continued to rear their ugly head. The running game averaged only 1.7 yards per carry on 30 attempts and the line gave up four sacks, mainly in the second half. Overall, the line did enough for the Tops to win but they definitely attributed to the second half malaise that almost snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.
Overall Grade: C+
After the last two games, any win is huge for Mike Sanford’s squad. The disappointing second half (last drives not withstanding) moved a good showing to a decent showing. The Tops left a lot of points on the field and could have put the game away early in the second half. The signs of a good offense combined with an opportunistic defense show that this team still has a high ceiling if they can ever put it all together later in the season. Seeing White lead a game winning drive after the two picks was also encouraging. Let’s see if the team will use this win to build momentum and grow into the team we all think they could be heading into this season.
What say you? What would you grade yesterday’s performance in terms of individuals or overall? Were we too harsh on anyone? Let us know in a comment below, via Twitter at @TheTowelRackWKU or on our Facebook page.