Marshawn Kneeland: DL · Western Michigan · #99.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Marshawn Kneeland
Disrupts the pocket from the interior. The four seasons at Western Michigan span two head coaches: Tim Lester and Lance Taylor. The first career honor came in 2023: All-MAC. On tape: 11 tackles and 4 tackles for loss against Eastern Michigan, Week 9, 2023.
Play style
Disruptive interior rusher who lives in the backfield.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
57 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.
No outlet on our list has written about this player by name this season.
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| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Western Michigan | 57 | 29 | 7.5 | 4.5 | -- |
| 2022 | Western Michigan | 40 | 24 | 11.5 | 3.0 | 3 |
| 2021 | Western Michigan | 32 | 15 | 8.0 | 4.5 | -- |
| 2020 | Western Michigan | 23 | 14 | 2.0 | 2.0 | -- |
| Career | 152 | 82 | 29.0 | 14.0 | 3 |
Game log · Week-by-week
2023 season · 10 games
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| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 35-17vs Saint Francis | 3 | 1 | 0.5 | 0.5 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | L 7-48@ Syracuse | 7 | 5 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | L 10-41@ No. 25 Iowa | 6 | 5 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 6 | L 28-41@ Mississippi State | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | L 21-34vs Miami (OH) | 9 | 6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | L 17-20@ Ohio | 7 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 9 | W 45-21@ Eastern Michigan | 11 | 8 | 4.0 | 3.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 11 tackles |
| Wk 11 | W 38-28vs Central Michigan | 3 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 12 | L 0-24@ Northern Illinois | 4 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 13 | L 10-34vs Bowling Green | 4 | 1 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 57 | 29 | 7.5 | 4.5 | — | 0 |
Week 9 · 2023
W 45-21
3 sacks · 4 tackles for loss · 11 tackles
Dominant 24-point win on the road against Eastern Michigan.
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
TFL rate
13%8 TFLSack rate
8%4 sacksHurry rate
14%8 hurries57 tackles · 7.5 for loss · 4.5 sacks.
Splits · Per-game
2023 season · 10 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home4g | 4.8 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| Road6g | 6.3 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-75g | 5.6 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
| Weeks 8+5g | 5.8 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Lance Taylor
Pass share
45.4%
393 pass / 472 run
Plays / game
72.1
12 games
Team sack rate
7.1%
425 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Player standing · 2023
Picked for an all-conference team by at least one selector.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Two-star recruit. Now #189 at the position.
How it ended
Four seasons at Western Michigan, 14 sacks — drafted at #56 overall by the Dallas Cowboys.
Recruited as a two-star, and honored since.
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
ALL-MAC · 2ND TEAM
All-MAC 2nd team (2023)
Coaching lineage · 2019–2023
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: Tim Lester → Lance Taylor. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
Next stop · NFL
Dallas CowboysEntering 3rd NFL season
Dallas CowboysEntering 3rd NFL season
