As a redshirt junior, Pate started all 12 games and played 893-of-898 offensive snaps at the right tackle position. He led C-USA right tackles with a +21.8 overall cumulative rating by PFF College's Signature Stats, which included +9.5 for pass blocking and +8.9 for run blocking. Pate ranked second among C-USA tackles with a 79.1 rating by PFF College's Premium Stats; his 73.6 run block rating was second, while his 78.6 pass block rating stood fourth. Overall, he was called for only one penalty all season.
Pate was recently chosen as No. 40 on national college football writer Bruce Feldman's 2019 "Freaks List" with the following write-up that featured some of his physical skills:
- "Similar to former Western Kentucky standout Forrest Lamp, Pate plays tackle but projects as an interior lineman at the next level. The 6-2, 314-pounder will be a three-year starter thanks to his terrific agility. He has a 31.5-inch vertical. His 4.50 short shuttle time would have tied for second-best among O-linemen at this year's NFL Combine. His 1.77 10-yard split also would have been one of the better times in the position group. WKU strength coach Jason Veltkamp says Pate moves like 290-pound Patriots lineman Joe Thuney (whom Veltkamp coached at N.C. State), but it's even more freakish when you account for the fact that Pate is 314."
The Hilltoppers open the campaign with a 6:30 p.m. kickoff on Thursday, August 29 vs. Central Arkansas in the debut of new head coach Tyson Helton. WKU returns 16 starters on offense and defense, the third-most nationally, while the team's 10 returning starters on offense rank as the most in the nation.
2019 All-Conference USA Preseason Offense
QB Mason Fine, Sr., North Texas
RB Spencer Brown, Jr., UAB
RB Benny LeMay, Sr., Charlotte
OL Miles Pate, Sr., WKU
OL Levi Brown, Sr., Marshall
OL Josh Dunlop, Sr., UTSA
OL Derron Gatewood, Sr., UTEP
OL Sosaia Mose, Sr., North Texas
TE Harrison Bryant, Sr., Florida Atlantic
WR Rico Bussey, Jr., Sr., North Texas
WR Adrian Hardy, Jr., Louisiana Tech
WR Quez Watkins, Jr., Southern Miss
