This past weekend, Western Kentucky hosted Houston Christian in The Houch, coming away with a 52-22 victory over the visiting FCS opponent.
The offense did exactly what it was supposed to this week: put up a big amount of points against an inferior opponent before Ohio State and Conference USA play begins. While most would have expected more points, the Hilltoppers sat star receiver Malachi Corley while another key piece, Michael Mathison, is still out with a strained hip injury.
With that being said, we examine the Hilltoppers' offensive performance so far this season as they sit at 2-0 with a big road contest with Ohio State looming.
Some New Wrinkles: This team is passing short. As a matter of fact, 62% of the offense’s passing depth has been short (zero to nine yards) or behind the line of scrimmage. Between the two, the team has attempted 52 passes and completed 45 of them (21 of 21 behind the LOS) for two touchdowns. The team has completed 15-of-15 passes between the numbers behind the LOS, and has completed 18-of-22 passes between the numbers in the short game.
Reed Has Played Well Under Pressure: Reed has been under pressure in 15.9% of his dropbacks. In that 15.9%, he’s completed nine of his 12 pass attempts for two touchdowns.
This Team Is Running Up The Middle With Success: With runs geared in the gaps between the right guard, left guard, or either side of the center, the team is getting first downs and meaningful yardage. The team has ran the ball up the middle or inside the tackles 22 times, earning 11 first downs, 129 yards, two touchdowns, and 5.8 yards per carry. Five of those runs have gone for 10+ yards.
The Receiving Corps, Though…: Deep. This is a deep room and everyone is catching footballs. Easton Messer, a redshirt freshman, leads the team in receptions (11) and receiving yards (134) so far. Dalvin Smith (9), Blue Smith (8), KD Hutchinson (7), Davion Ervin-Poindexter (5), Jimmy Holiday (5), and Malachi Corley (4) are the next receiving leaders.
Who’s Running The Ball?: An Ervin-Poindexter, Markese Stepp, and Elijah Young trio is the three headed dragon spearheading this offensive backfield so far. Ervin-Poindexter has recorded 78 rushing yards and 5.2 yards per attempt. Stepp has the only rushing touchdown of three, adding 69 yards on 13 carries. Young, a transfer from Missouri, has 17 rushing yards.
And The Offensive Line? How Are They?: The starting offensive line, from left to right, is as follows: Marke Goode, Quan Leslie, Vincent Murphy, Wesley Horton, and Wes Dorsey. The group has been exceptional in pass blocking, with Murphy recording the highest Pro Football Focus grade at 88.9. Leslie has the highest grade as a run blocker with a 63.1, respectively. In total, the team has been spectacular in the pass blocking realm, but must become more fluent run blockers, especially at the second level.
What Can We Expect For The Rest Of The Season?: This is a hard question to answer. Despite what the analytics say, this is a team that isn’t showing all of their cards yet and is without their top-two receivers, Corley and Mathison. Standing at 2-0, the Hilltoppers likely won’t want to risk injury to any stars come conference play, but I could imagine Corley being back and Mathison seeing time (pending clearance from injury, that is) if the team wants to hang with and possibly beat a weaker Ohio State team, set the tone, and make national headlines. To answer the question: this is a team that wants to take shots, but is doing what *clearly* works until they have the right personnel in place for the season.
The Hilltoppers will take the field in Columbus, Ohio in what will be a measuring stick for a game - we’ll get the chance to see just what we’re working with, some new wrinkles in the offense, and a competitive test across the board.
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