WKU Football: Grading the Tops at FIU

2021 WKU Football has established itself as an offensive juggernaut that has had an underachieving defense. After WKU’s performance at FIU, perhaps the Toppers have a new option to win some games: Playing defense. WKU wins this one in a remotely normal score line of 34–19. Western didn’t need 40 or 50 to win. They easily won with a score in the mid-30s. It was nice to see the defense make it happen on their own.

WKU (3–4, 2–1 C-USA) has now won two in a row, while FIU (1–6, 0–3 C-USA) loses its sixth straight. FIU is a team reeling, clearly on a downward trajectory after head coach Butch Davis had brought FIU to prominence with a school record nine wins in 2018. Since, FIU has clearly gone downhill, and Davis’ position has been posted as available. This is not a complete shock, but the optics weren’t great for the Golden Panthers.

With that in mind, WKU shutting down and blowing out a bottom feeder is not that impressive. But they way in which WKU did it (seven sacks, 290 yards allowed, 28 yards rushing) is far and away the best performance statistically of the year on the defensive side of the ball.

So that being said, how did the Tops grade out this past game against FIU? Let’s start with my Keys to Victory.

Grading the Keys to Victory

Easily get 600 Yards of Offense: C- (Impact: Somewhat Significant)

Honestly, WKU’s offense was subpar to its normal standard this game. They still gained 530 yards, so let’s not give them a D, but they absolutely did not even get to 600 yards. And those yards were absolutely attainable. The past two games, WKU has come back to Earth and actually become below average on third down offensively, at least temporarily. Western was only 4-of-12 on third down this game. That alone probably kept the Tops from the 600 yard mark, but there were plenty of surprises in this game, including how well FIU played against WKU. They were solid defensively, and WKU Head Coach Tyson Helton said as much in the locker room speech as well as in the media. Credit FIU, but WKU still should have executed just a little bit more. They know that. FIU knows that. We all know that.

Sterns & Tinsley vs. Singleton & Chambers (Impact: Extremely Significant)

Although Jerreth Sterns and Mitchell Tinsley had below average games individually, for the tone of the game, and for normal receivers, this was a heck of a day. The two combined for 198 yards and three touchdowns. Compare that to the two main receivers for FIU in Bryce Singleton and Tyrese Chambers, who combined for only 90 yards and zero scores. That is a thorough beatdown and a decisive victory for the Tops. What it forced FIU to do was go to a third option in Randall St. Felix (104 yards, 1 TD), who had a career day and still didn’t impact the game significantly. It was crucial to hold these two studs down, or for Sterns and Tinsley to go wild for 300+. The former happened, and WKU won with ease. When you constrict impact players, you force others who aren’t used to it to carry the load. It was too much to overcome for FIU.

Win the Discipline Battle: C- (Impact: Fairly Insignificant)

Thankfully, this was not a close game. WKU was down early, but was well in control when most of the penalties happened. Only two of WKU’s nine penalties actually resulted in the stalling of an offensive drive or helped FIU score. But still, that’s eleven points difference potentially in the scoring margin. FIU had its best day of the entire season in the penalty game, only committing three for a total of 20 yards. Now, were WKU’s plays stupid? For the most part, no. They were hustle plays for the most part, but in a close game, this could have mattered.

In terms of other forms of discipline, WKU’s defense was incredibly sound, with the exception of Randall St. Felix’ 75 yard reception. Tyson Helton gave credit to FIU’s scheme, and WKU was just set up to be perfectly screwed on that play. But given that 75 yard explosion, the fact that WKU held FIU to 290 yards total is just incredible for a defense that was yet to hold anyone under 400. To do it against this offense that has a really good passing game and a good running back? Color me impressed. But overall, you just can’t commit 47 more yards in penalties than the opponent. That’s asking for trouble. Given the fact that WKU has had this issue consistently, I’m not taking it easy on this point. WKU must get better in this area.

More Big Plays Than FIU: B (Somewhat Significant)

FIU frankly did a heck of a job doing what they did against WKU’s offense. No WKU play went for more than 37 yards, something that has not happened all season. But on the defensive side, FIU was completely constricted from doing anything significant besides the one busted play early. After that, WKU buckled down and didn’t allow anyone to do anything more than a 20 yard run and a 21 yard reception. And how about the big plays defensively for the Tops? Seven sacks and three QB hits to FIU’s two with no other hits on Bailey Zappe. WKU did have the massive fumble that likely cost the Tops some points in the first quarter. So overall, the only reason this was a B is because of WKU’s defense. The offense didn’t do much in terms of explosion, but they were more precise than FIU play-to-play.

Deal With the Morgue: B (Somewhat insignificant)

If you’ve ever been to FIU, you knew what I was talking about, or once I explained it, you got it. FIU’s crowds are notoriously dead in terms of energy. They also for whatever reason just don’t show up at all. I feel like WKU found a way to go in and take care of business. It was unconventional in terms of their typical 2021 performance, but the defense fought all game, the offense was still good and fought for everything, and WKU had the energy to sustain itself despite a weird atmosphere. I count that as solid enough. They weren’t completely firing on all cylinders offensively, but credit to the Tops for finding a way to win easily against a team they should handle every time.

Prediction: Way Off

I assumed the WKU defense would be its typical self, forcing the offense to score 40 or more, or at least hoping to force the opponent to some field goals or late drive turnovers to keep points off of the board. Instead, the WKU defense was a wall, and play after play blew up drive after drive. FIU was lucky to get to 19. Last week, ODU scored 20, but WKU was extremely lucky the Monarchs didn’t find a way to get to 30 at least. I predicted the offense would explode and the defense would do enough to keep the margin significant. Instead, this was both teams playing better than they have all year defensively and a fairly normal score range for a college football game. But I definitely thought WKU would handle FIU. That was about all I had right.

Position Grades

Quarterback: C+

Again, on the #Zappe4Heisman scale of greatness, this was a decent performance, but I’m sure most Topper fans and prognosticators assumed he would throw for more against an FIU defense that gives up points and yards. Now, before we crucify the poor guy, he threw for nearly 80 percent on nearly 50 throws. One more completion on another pass attempt and he would have thrown 40-for-50. So it’s not like he was awful. But he did take two sacks for the first time in several games, and he only found the end zone three times. Oh Bailey how you’ve spoiled us!

Wide Receiver: B-

Again, most offenses would be thrilled with over 300 yards from one unit, but we grade on a scale for this Topper team. However, a huge fumble knocks this down, as well as no massive plays to the positive. Although the depth of this group is just astounding. I don’t think there has ever been a more deep group of WKU receivers than this one. Perhaps the championship teams from 2015 and 2016 were there, but they were more top heavy. And no disrespect to Taywan Taylor and Nicholas Norris, but this one has Jerreth Sterns, who will likely set the WKU single season record for yards and receptions without a healthy starting tight end and a running game that may not have a single man rush for 100 in one game. There are several more games left before Sterns gets to that level, but he’s already over 1,000 in seven games. How much higher into the stratosphere will he go?

Running Back: B

What is now a reliable backfield with depth, the trio this game was Adam Cofield, Kye Robichaux, and Jakairi Moses. All of them contributed significantly, but none were “the man”, so to speak. Cofield received the most opportunity in this one, but he averaged less than five yards per carry. The other two men received five carries each but averaged at least 6.6 yards. Each also had at least one catch, as well. All told, the backfield contributed an extra 32 yards on four catches. Shoutout to these guys, who were virtually non-existent early in the season, but now, they are viable options, and they very rarely lose yardage. Hats off to the group as a whole, for sure.

Tight End: F

I hate to be so harsh, and this is not necessarily anybody’s fault. But a target with no receptions and no presence whatsoever is troubling for anyone one position group. Although the tight end position is not as crucial in the Air Raid, the position still exists, and you would like to see the rest of the offense have a short to intermediate option. WKU just doesn’t have that right now.

Offensive Line: B

Another solid performance from a really good unit. You hate to see them give up multiple sacks, but credit FIU with their scheme. FIU doesn’t have a sack master or really anyone that can consistently pressure the quarterback. However, they have ten guys with at least one sack. So it’s clearly a scheme thing, and their scheme worked well enough to get to Bailey Zappe twice. In this case, those were the only two times Zappe was touched the entire game. That’s impressive. Also, the running game was solid once again, rushing for nearly 150 net. The offense as a whole again went for well over 500. The O-Line deserves a ton of credit. This unit has only given up ten sacks in seven games. If WKU plays a 14 game season, meaning they play in a C-USA championship game and a bowl game, that would be a 20 sack pace. That’s very good, especially considering how many times the quarterback passes in this offense.

Defensive Line: A+

Seven sacks total and five by the defensive line itself by five different guys? Another guy with a blocked kick? That is a unit working together to wreak havoc. Add in a total of 290 total yards and only 28 rushing yards, and that is a pure testament to the depth of this defensive line. This line has been deep all season, but a huge sack total, all by different guys is just unheard of at any level of football. Good for them. This defensive line has shown potential all season, but finally they are producing more than just some tackles five yards down the field.

Linebackers: B+

Again, from linebackers, you need production. This was a bizarre game when looking at defensive statistics, though. Only 51 tackles were made by the Tops, because they only faced 69 total plays. So no one on the team had more than four tackles, likely because they would have been subbing significantly after being up comfortably in the second half. But still, the linebacker position showed some depth, with four men contributing significantly, including two sacks, an extra hit on the QB, and three PBUs. That’s production from the middle level of the defense! It was nice to see redshirt sophomore Nick Days back and contributing, who has only played the past three games due to an early season injury. He seems to be rounding back into shape and could seriously add depth and young skill to a very thin position group.

Defensive Backs: B-

Obviously these guys weren’t that bad, but the 75 yard touchdown was frustrating. Yes, it was a great play call by FIU, but WKU has to find a way to prevent 75 yard plays. That’s the longest play given up of the season by far. No other play has gone over 50. That being said, this group didn’t make many fantastic, game changing plays in my opinion. They were fine and present as always, but no turnovers, no sacks, no forced fumbles, no hits, and only three PBUs is not an earth shattering performance. However, 290 yards bumps this up to an above average performance, and they do not deserve to be criticized for very minimal problems. This unit has been one of the more consistent units for the WKU defense so far this season, always contributing, and even though they haven’t made tons of big plays, they have helped force opponents to march down the field instead of busting big plays left and right for easy scores.

Special Teams: A

It looks like everybody did their job. The only ding is a 20 yard punt return, but if that is all you can find in a game where special teams definitely was used and played a significant role, that’s a heck of a day at the office. Haggerty averaged 50, Narveson made everything given to him long and short, and Munson was perfect, either kicking a touchback or allowing a return for zero yards with no kicks out of bounds. The return game was adequate, as well. WKU continues to have elite special teams.

Coaching: A

Is there really anyting to complain about? Obviously, Defensive Coordinator Maurice Crum finally has something to hang his hat on this season. For two games in a row, WKU has sacked the quarterback. This time, add in a great performance against a really good offense. 28 yards rushing is wonderful, and holding the running back to an average game was crucial, in addition to the sacks knocking down that rushing total. Offensively, the Tops got out to a slow start, but Kittley and Helton adjusted and found ways to produce some points in the end, and as always, tons of yards were gained. When things are going well, there’s nothing to complain about. Is there anything anyone noticed at home that was perturbing or disturbing? I don’t remember much in the way of coaching issues in my mind.

Overall: B+

I’m not sure how a WKU fan that’s been paying attention doesn’t feel good about this one. The offense was pretty average, and WKU found a way to win by 15. Really, this game wasn’t even as close as the score, but a late FIU touchdown made it seem prettier than it was. All units were good to great, and the one unit that’s usually great was just really good.

Two fairly easy wins in a row feels nice, but this week, the Tops need to be sharp against the Charlotte 49ers. Charlotte is tied with WKU in the East, so winning this game gives the fortunate party a huge leg up on the other. In theory, barring tiebreaker scenarios, the winner of this game would then need to lose two more to finish below the loser. With only a handful of games left, this is a massive opportunity for both.

If WKU is going to make a legitimate run at a title, the defense needs to play as well as it has the past couple of weeks, and the offense needs to be great in case the defense has a relapse back to its early season woes. Perhaps this Topper team is finally coming together. Dare we say that? But Western fans must be feeling much better about the prospects now that WKU shares a four way tie for first place in C-USA after Charlotte lost to FAU.

These next five games for WKU obviously determine the success or failure of this 2021 version of the Tops. WKU gets its first significant East test in Charlotte at home Saturday at 3 PM at Houchens-Smith Stadium. WKU is considered a 17.5 point favorite or so by most outlets. However, don’t listen to that noise. Charlotte is a significant test that can play well in all three phases and could easily win the rest of its games, including this one.

GO TOPS!