In Western Kentucky’s first week of college football action, the Hilltoppers hosted first year head coach Alex Golesh’s new and improved USF Bulls. The Tops were heavy favorites heading into the week, and while they scored a 41-24 win, it didn’t come as easy as it probably should have.
Admittedly, the Bulls did better than expected. Sophomore quarterback Byrum Brown combined for 320 yards and three scores, throwing two interceptions. Running back Nay’Quan Wright carried the ball 17 times for 111 yards, followed by Michel Dukes, who posted eight carries for 64 yards.
In total, the Bulls offense pulled away with 540 yards (75 yards more than WKU), totalling 26 first downs (going 4-for-5 on fourth down) and just over 30 minutes of ball possession.
The Western Kentucky defense held its ground, allowing just 17 points in the first half and only a single touchdown in the second half. It took the ball away three times with two interceptions and a strip sack, and allowed just a 44.1% completion rate.
Let’s look at some advanced stats and highlight the players that did everything well:
78.8: Per Pro Football Focus, this is the grade the Hilltoppers defense finished with this week, which is best for 32nd in the nation. In totality, this is ahead of schools like Oregon, Oklahoma, UCF, Missouri, Liberty, and 94 others. The pass coverage as a whole received a very high grade - 89.5.
Help!: The run defense grade did not fare as well. It finished with a 65.0 grade, placing it at 94th in the country. Defensive back Upton Stout received the highest run defense grade on the team with an outstanding 81.1 grade. Stout was able to garner five tackles, with the average depth of his tackles being 14.3 yards. Linebackers Rashion Hodge and Desmyn Baker were the next highest rated, finishing with grades of 74.8 and 73.7, respectively.
There Were Some Run Stuffers, Though…: Linebacker JaQues Evans had an 8.1% “Stop Percentage”: the percentage of a player’s run defense snaps where they were responsible for a stop. He combined for three stops in the run game. Evans and linebacker Aaron Key led the team in run stops.
Desmyn Baker Pass Coverage Master Class: Baker finished the week on PFF’s Week One Team of the Week for defense. His pass coverage grade was 89.6, which was amongst the best in the nation. Against Baker, the passer rating was a poor 39.6. He came up with an interception alongside his six tackles.
Some Other Stars In Pass Coverage…: Safety Virgil Marshall and linebacker Key were the next highest graded defenders in the passing game. Marshall accumulated an 86.3 grade 35 total defensive snaps, and didn’t allow a catch on two targets, forcing one incompletion. Key posted a 74.0 in 52 defensive snaps, and snagged an interception in the process.
Who Got Targeted The Most?: Cornerback Anthony Johnson Jr and safety Rome Weber were targeted five times each, allowing a combined four receptions for 96 yards and a touchdown. Johnson put up an alarming NFL passing rating with a 127.1, but did break-up two of the three incompletions pushed his way. Weber allowed just nine receiving yards on his two allowed receptions.
And The Pass Rush?: Evans and defensive lineman Jayden Loving were kings here. Evans blew it out of the water with a 90.3 pass rushing grade, earning a sack, three hurries, and a batted pass. Loving had two hurries and a sack, earning a 76.3 grade from PFF.
Who Should See The Field More?: This is hard to answer after week one, and not a question I’d want to answer purely with analytics and statistics. Baker, Loving, Key, Hodge, defensive lineman Marcus Patterson, and cornerback Davion Williams should see extended snaps against Houston Christian.
Like I said previously, the defense didn’t do bad. After all, they allowed just seven points in the second half, allowing the Hilltoppers to climb back and come away with a victory. The defense, which lost a lot of talent to the NFL Draft, eligibility, and the transfer portal, is loaded with young defenders and transfers.
Week one was a good look and it’ll be figured out after the Houston Christian game.
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