Bowling Green · W 23-10
6 tackles, 2 for loss
The other 8 games average 5 tackles. This one was 1 above.
Joey Pope
Hits like a linebacker and still takes the ball away. A two-star recruit with four seasons on the field at Western Michigan since. One game to point at: 6 tackles and 2 tackles for loss against Bowling Green — Week 9, 2026.
44 tackles · 0 sacks
Play style
Hits like a linebacker and still takes the ball away.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
44 tackles. 5 passes defended. 0 interceptions. 2 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.
No outlet on our list has written about this player by name this season.
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Season | Team | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Western Michigan | 44 | 25 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 5 | -- |
| 2025 | Western Michigan | 44 | 28 | 2.5 | 0.5 | 2 | 3 |
| 2024 | Western Michigan | 7 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- |
| 2023 | Western Michigan | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- |
| Career | 96 | 58 | 4.5 | 0.5 | 7 | 3 |
Last game (Wk 9): 6 tackles, 2 tackles for loss.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 9 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 12-13@ No. 16 Michigan | 4 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 2 | |
| Wk 2 | W 49-14vs Monmouth | 5 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 3 | W 28-21@ Rice | 6 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | Season-high 6 tackles |
| Wk 4 | L 7-32vs Boise State | 5 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | W 20-17@ Buffalo | 4 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 6 | W 38-7vs Kent State | 6 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 7 | W 21-14@ Central Michigan | 4 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | L 38-45@ Toledo | 4 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 9 | W 23-10vs Bowling Green | 6 | 6 | 2.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 44 | 25 | 2.0 | 0.0 | — | 5 |
Oct. 31 · W 23-10 vs Bowling Green, play by play
6 tackles, including 2 more for loss.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. It places 7 for him; the box score credits 6.
His game this year: coverage — 5 passes defended in the 9 games with play by play.
How Western Michigan’s defense played that day
Bowling Green’s 13 drives: 11 stopped (3 takeaways) · 2 scored. While the game was within a score they held 7 of 9.
4 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
4 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
6 tackles, including 1 pass broken up.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
4 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
5 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
6 tackles, including 1 pass broken up.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play: 5 of his 6, sacks included.
5 tackles, including 1 pass broken up. His pass breakup on 4th and 3 ended Monmouth’s drive (downs).
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Broke up a pass on 4th and 3. First quarter, tied 0-0. Ended Monmouth’s drive (downs).
Ratings of the games shown run from -21 to +12 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
PD rate
11%5 pass breakupsTackle volume
44tackles this seasonTFL rate
5%2 TFL44 tackles · 2 for loss · 5 pass breakups.
4 seasons under Lance Taylor — 26-22 over that span.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 9 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home4g | 5.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.5 |
| Road5g | 4.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.6 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-77g | 4.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.7 |
| Weeks 8+2g | 5.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Lance Taylor
Pass share
33.7%
202 pass / 397 run
Plays / game
66.6
9 games
Team sack rate
6.1%
231 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-heavy.
Player standing · 2026
44 tackles in 9 games, about as many tackles a game as a typical FBS defensive back who plays every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Two-star recruit. Now #183 at the position.
2026 outlook
In the mix for All-MAC
Based on 2025: #9 of 23 Mid-American Ss
A base rate for the rank, not a forecast of this player: 35% of returning players who ranked #4–10 at their position in their conference made an all-conference team the next season (95% confidence interval 31–38%).
2026 is in progress.
A stat line in 28 games over four seasons.
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
1 coachPlayed every college season under Lance Taylor.
