Western Kentucky · W 35-21
4 tackles
The other 7 games average 6 tackles. This one was 2 below.
Blake Matthews
Is steady in every phase without a signature trait. The four seasons span two programs and two head coaches: Jon Sumrall and Ryan Carty. One game to point at: 11 tackles and 2 sacks against Virginia — Week 4, 2026.
47 tackles · 4 sacks
Play style
Solid in every phase without a signature dimension.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
47 tackles. 0 passes defended. 0 interceptions. 7.5 TFL.
Counts only, never a rate — splash-event sample sizes this small (interceptions, pass breakups, TFL) are noise as a rate and signal only as a tally.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
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Last game (Wk 9): 4 tackles.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 8 games
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| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 42-7vs Merrimack | 5 | 0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | L 26-35@ Vanderbilt | 2 | 0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | W 22-14vs Coastal Carolina | 6 | 3 | 1.5 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | L 3-42@ Virginia | 11 | 5 | 2.0 | 2.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 11 tackles |
| Wk 5 | L 14-30vs Liberty | 5 | 1 | 1.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | L 30-33@ Middle Tennessee | 9 | 3 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | W 61-38vs Missouri State | 5 | 4 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 9 | W 35-21@ Western Kentucky | 4 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 47 | 19 | 7.5 | 4.0 | — | 0 |
Oct. 27 · W 35-21 at Western Kentucky, play by play
4 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
His game this year: disruption in the backfield — 7 tackles for loss, 4 of them sacks, in the 8 games with play by play.
How Delaware’s defense played that day
Western Kentucky’s 11 drives: 8 stopped (2 takeaways) · 3 scored. While the game was within a score they held 4 of 7.
5 tackles, including 1 more for loss. He hurried the quarterback 3 times.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
9 tackles. The pressure he forced on 3rd and 7 ended Middle Tennessee’s drive (int).
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. It places 10 for him; the box score credits 9.
Hurried the quarterback on 3rd and 7. Second quarter, down 12-10. Ended Middle Tennessee’s drive (int).
5 tackles, including 1 more for loss. He hurried the quarterback once.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
11 tackles, including 2 sacks, tied for 9th-most sacks in FBS that week.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Sacked the quarterback for a 10-yard loss. Third quarter, down 35-3.
6 tackles, including 1 sack. He hurried the quarterback twice.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
2 tackles. He hurried the quarterback 3 times.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Sacked the quarterback for a 15-yard loss on 3rd and 8. Second quarter, down 14-3.
5 tackles. He hurried the quarterback twice.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. It places 6 for him; the box score credits 5.
Sacked the quarterback for a 6-yard loss. Second quarter, up 7-0.
Conference ranks count every player in the conference with a row in that stat, any position. Career ranks count current FBS players, from the games in our log.
Ratings of the games shown run from -17 to +8 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
Tackle volume
47tackles this seasonTFL rate
16%8 TFLSack rate
9%4 sacksPD rate
0%0 pass breakups47 tackles · 7.5 for loss · 4 sacks.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 8 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home4g | 5.2 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 0.0 |
| Road4g | 6.5 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 6.3 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 0.0 |
| Weeks 8+2g | 4.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Ryan Carty
Pass share
53.3%
278 pass / 244 run
Plays / game
65.2
8 games
Team sack rate
6.9%
318 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced.
Player standing · 2026
About as many tackles a game as a typical FBS linebacker who plays every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Three-star recruit. Now #32 at the position.
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-Conference USA
Based on 2025: #28 of 45 Conference USA LBs
A base rate for the rank, not a forecast of this player: 15% of returning players who ranked #21 or lower at their position in their conference made an all-conference team the next season (95% confidence interval 13–17%).
The No. 2,089 recruit in the country is starting at linebacker in the Conference USA.
2026 is in progress.
A stat line in 26 games over four seasons.
Coaching lineage · 2022–2026
2 coachesPlayed for 2 head coaches at 2 schools: Jon Sumrall and Ryan Carty.
