WKU Football: Matt’s Stats: Why We Shouldn’t Be Worried About the Offensive Line in 2019

Photo from Seth Joest’s twitter profile

Western Kentucky Football is attempting to erase its worst season in nearly a decade. The team will have to learn how to win again.

However, if you’ve followed the team and are keeping track of a little bit of progress, you should feel pretty good about the shape of the roster. If there was one thing Mike Sanford did well, he could recruit. He left this roster in very good shape for someone (enter Tyson Helton) to come in and look good with just a little bit of tweaking and some good luck.

I feel this team has a pretty good chance of a bowl game immediately. Call me crazy, but I have been saying since the end of last year, “Look at the talent on that team! How could they have been 3–9? (They could have easily won 5 to 7 games last season if some breaks went their way)

That team lost very few huge contributors. Go back through Senior Night and the transfer portal and tell me one person that was irreplaceable. Nick Holt? I’ll give you that. Other than that, who ya got?

One position group that some people are down on is the offensive line. Frankly, I don’t get it at all.

In this piece, we’ll examine where the offensive line was the past two seasons and why the should be able to take the next step in 2019.

The offensive line during the Sanford era

This is certainly the blight on this group, and it’s obviously clouding our perspective of what was really going on with the offensive line. The fact that they were hideous two years ago is not lost on me. However, that was because most of the Brohm era mega-talent graduated (Forrest Lamp & Darrell Williams specifically), and you were left with some veteran guys that did their best, but they just weren’t the same caliber as the NFL-level players from the previous few years.

The new guys coming in, like Miles Pate, Seth Joest, and Cole Spencer were not really ready to be polished studs. In 2017, Matt Nord and Jimmie Simms manning the tackle positions, and frankly, they were just slow of foot. The middle of your line then was all the new guard trying to beef up and extremely raw at the college level. Dennis Edwards was experienced, but was asked to play center and was not as good as he was at guard (he went back to guard at Purdue). Brandon Ray suffered because he was the lone starter that knew his position and knew what to do. Miles Pate was inexplicably benched in the middle of the season.

The 2017 group “enabled” WKU’s running game to average 60.8 yards per game, gave up 48 sacks, and despite an NFL quarterback, didn’t muster 400 yards per game of total offense. However, the guys that are on the field now started trickling into the starting lineups as young freshmen and sophomores. Sure, this feels like I’m making a case for the opposite, but trust me, I’m getting to my point: This offensive line is going to be really good.

The 2018 Hilltopper offensive line got a little older, solidified itself for the most part, and despite starting left tackle Cole Spencer going down after the third game of the season, the Tops massively improved in every area except passing yards, despite getting younger from the season before. Rushing yards per game more than doubled. Sacks given up dropped by one-third. Total yards were respectable, despite the lack of a reliable quarterback.

Let me make two points here before I move on:

1. From an offensive line perspective, they were so young during the past two seasons. When you look at who is leading the pack this year, they’re all still fairly young with a few seniors now finishing off their careers. However, these guys are big, strong, and fast. And unlike many offensive lines, they all got experience as freshmen and sophomores.
2. How much of the general offensive issues could be blamed on Mike Sanford? Not to just sit here and bash him, but he immediately took a top ten offense and turned it into the 101st total offense in two years. Despite the past two years in the record department, this offensive line showed individual ability and improvement.

How Hard Is It to Play Immediately on the Offensive Line?

Forrest Lamp didn’t do it. Cameron Clemmons didn’t do it. Big Adam Smith from the Taggart era didn’t, either. How many guys on WKU’s offensive line through the years had to redshirt their first year? How many more barely played in their redshirt freshman and sophomore campaigns? Most of them.

Most fans fail to realize that offensive line is one of the toughest position groups (besides quarterback) to come into college football and play, let alone start. Very few people do it, and the reason is that when you’re an 18-year-old, you are not fully developed. How much more could it be emphasized that you’re a kid taking on grown men than in the trenches?

Not only do you have to be a big guy, but you also have to have a brain to combat everything the defense is trying to do and also accomplish everything your offense is trying to get done, as well. This is no shot at the defensive linemen, but it takes way less to see ball tackle ball versus learn play, see front, make calls, change the call, guess right, don’t trip, execute, dominate.

The fact that Matt Nord lost his job to Cole Spencer is a testament to Cole Spencer. The fact that Miles Pate saw time early despite backing up older guys was a testament. However, we forget that Miles didn’t even become a full-time starter until his redshirt sophomore season in 2017. The fact that Seth Joest was rated second among centers in C-USA as a redshirt sophomore is mind-boggling (more to come on that)!

Three of WKU’s top returnees are on the offensive line

These guys have marinated a little bit on the Toppers’ back burner. However, they are ready to get on the gridiron and make some noise. Each of the first seven (known) options available is now capable of stepping straight in and being really good.

Examining the stable of offensive line options

I understand fans that look at everything from the past two years and think, “That line sucked.” Let’s just be honest: It did. But why? That’s the whole key. Think of the great offensive lines in recent memory. Probably the best one was (left to right) Forrest Lamp, Brandon Ray, Max Halpin, Dennis Edwards, and Darrell Williams in 2015 (The Conference USA Championship team that finished #24 in the nation). Now, what was the key to that group? They played together the year before, and it was a mixture of old experience (Ray, Halpin, and Williams), old mega-talent (Lamp), and a young star (Dennis Edwards).

This season, look at the pieces you have on the two-deep depth chart (in no particular order):

1. Miles Pate (R-Sr)-Can play guard or tackle at the college level; rated well at both positions, including second among tackles (first year at the position) in Conference USA in 2018; Preseason Outland Trophy Watch List.
2. Seth Joest (R-Jr)-Full-time starter in 2018 at center; rated second in C-USA at the position overall; preseason Rimington Watch List.
3. Cole Spencer (R-So)-Earned starting spot late his true freshman season (wow) over Matt Nord; started five games to end the season; earned starting left tackle as a true sophomore before being injured in the third game of 2018 (given redshirt).
4. Jordan Meredith (R-Jr)-Allowed one sack last year in 11 starts (of 32 sacks allowed by the team); ranked seventh in run blocking amongst both left and right guards, meaning the 3rd or 4th best right guard in the conference.
5. Parker Howell (R-Sr)-Started last nine games of 2018, replacing Cole Spencer. Filled in quite well. Also just from observing, he’s one of the more vocal and just plain bigger guys in the offensive line room.
6. Tyler Witt (R-Jr)-Starting left guard in 2018; committed two penalties all year; 2017 All-Freshman (started last six games at right guard); 2017 and 2018 All-Academic.
7. Mason Brooks (So)-Backup left tackle in 2018; second-most snaps by a true freshman lineman in Conference USA in 2018; the only freshman in the league not to allow a sack; called for one penalty in 244 snaps.
8. Gunner Britton (R-Fr)-Redshirted 2018; former 2-star prospect
9. Rusty Staats (R-Fr)-Class 2A Mr. Football semifinalist in Tennessee; redshirted 2018
10. Daylen Powell (Fr)-Lone true freshman on the depth chart; three-star prospect; presumably would not play more than four games to redshirt despite being on the two-deep chart.

The last three men on that list are likely the last three in the rotation. However, seven linemen with real experience and an argument to start is an impressive lineup. If the now dismissed Preston Mixon would have stayed out of trouble, this group would be even deeper. He was likely the seventh or eighth best lineman on the team and seemed to be headed for backup at tackle.

First of all, not everyone can start, but Tyson Helton and Offensive Line Coach Greg Goff (who by the way is a heck of a coach in his own right) have options. When I was on The Hill, I took care of the offensive line’s whiteboard on game day as a manager. I sat there and heard their conversations first hand, watched them up close. Very, very rarely did we have seven guys (if ever) that could come in and everyone trust that they would be great.

Since Helton hasn’t released his real two deep (which we’ll find out on Thursday), anyone could be playing any position. For example, you have four guys with starting experience at tackle. Miles Pate is naturally a guard. Do you slide him inside and hope one of the other guys can step up and be a really good consistent starter? Or do you keep him outside and slide one of them in? Or do you keep Pate at right tackle? Or do you move him to the left? Could he play left guard? Could you move someone else?

Every coach has a different philosophy. Some like to put their best five guys out there. Others keep players at their best positions and deal with weaknesses here and there by not asking someone to do something they have never done. Personally, I hope they experiment with it. Play your best five guys.

Regardless of where you turn, you have seven guys with legitimate credentials as good to great linemen in previous years. Then you have three young linemen who have beaten out (an incredible) seven other guys for the final positions on the two-deep depth chart.

The sheer amount of options available

That’s something I think is incredibly undervalued with this unit. When I was a manager, there were years we had eight to ten total linemen at the end of the year. Like I’m talking on the entire team and not including losses to injury. This group has 18! They’re nearly 20 percent of the team, so they have plenty of depth. Whenever they need a body for the scout team, there’s no question they’ll have it, even with as many as five or six injuries at a time on the offensive line. All of those reps will be spread out, and the starters and immediate backups should be able to focus on doing their job during practice and in the game.

For example, some years we were pretty thin on the line, and guys like Luke Stansfield and Seth White had to go run with the scout team, just because we didn’t have the bodies to give the defense a look. Now those backups can run with the twos in practice against the scout team defense. The competition will be so much higher because there are so many options. Someone could pull from under the heap and rise to the top by the end of the year. With that many moving parts, there has to be a hidden gem somewhere.

Imagine what it takes out of a player’s body to have to run 20 percent more during practice every day for an entire season. It’s massive to have that kind of depth. Even if those extra guys are complete trash, which I’m sure they’re not, just the pure amount of bodies will help keep this unit fresh. They have two or three backups for each starter. That’s wonderful for an offensive line, the most physically dangerous position in football.

How the rest of the team will affect the offensive line

Want to blame somebody for the sacks and turnovers? How about the skill positions on offense in 2018? The offensive line had no help, frankly. Despite having no running back or wide receiver able to muster 650 yards, or a quarterback able to muster 1100 passing yards, the offensive line improved dramatically despite losing Mike White from 2017.

Imagine if Lucky Jackson finally blossoms into the receiver he should be. Imagine if Quin Jernighan becomes a jump ball guy. Imagine if Xavier Lane shored up a few of the drops. Imagine if Jahcour Pearson or Jacquez Sloan end up providing explosive plays? Imagine if Joshua Samuel and Jakairi Moses both have true breakout seasons and become a two-headed, or Keyshawn McClendon or Gaej Walker get in on the act and the Tops have a really good, or even pretty good rushing attack? It would be massive for the offensive line.

We know the tight ends should be pretty good, with Fourtenbary nearly leading the team in receptions, Steven Witchoskey set to blossom, and a true freshman in Joshua Simon who looks like the next great NFL-body type tight end for the Tops.

Throw in Special Teams, which should massively improve with the direction of Tyson Helton and the insertion of Corey Munson and John Haggerty into the kicking game. Better field position and capitalizing on scoring opportunities should keep the offensive line from being on the back foot. Try starting inside the 20 all the time, or marching down the field and missing a field goal. Or run back several times to 2017 and 2018, when Sanford couldn’t trust the kickers to make a 35-yard field goal consistently and went for it on 4th-and-medium from the 20-yard line over and over.

With a defense that seems to be getting it figured out and consistency in most of the coaching staff on the defensive side of the ball, hopefully, the defense can be as good or better than last season. A good defense never hurt the offense.

At the end of the day, this line should be much improved. Whether it’s the fact that they individually measure as some of the best linemen in the conference from last season, or whether they’re bound to improve with age and maturity, or whether it’s better coaching, the Topper offensive line should be the best unit on the offense, as it needs to be.

You have multiple guys on award watch lists, potential NFL prospects, a ton of depth, and a unit that already improved massively from a year ago. If they improved significantly while the record plummeted, what does it mean could happen when they all come back and the rest of the team gets better, too? It can only mean more progression for this unit. If this unit improved by another third, it would better the sack total of the 2016 offensive line (22 sacks). Would that be good enough to show how good this unit is?

If Helton puts any of the top seven guys in the starting lineup, or if there is a young freshman that is just superhuman enough to beat out 13 other people for a starting spot, this line should be at least top five in the conference, if not in the running for the best in the league.

An elite offensive line is crucial to controlling the entire game, and maybe the Tops have that all-important piece. Whether you want to push the expectations down or raise them up, this team is more than capable of being a serious football team this year and it all starts with an experienced and peaking offensive line.