2020 App State
9–3 (6–2 Sun Belt Conference), coached by Shawn Clark. Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest winBeat Troy 47–10Nov 28
By 37 points, its widest win.
- Most excitingLost to No. 15 Coastal Carolina 23–34Nov 21
The win probability swung the most, by CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 12 | vs Charlotte | W 35–20 | 82% |
| Sep 19 | at Marshall | L 7–17 | 62% |
| Sep 26 | vs Campbell | W 52–21 | 92% |
| Oct 22 | vs Arkansas State | W 45–17 | 74% |
| Oct 31 | at UL Monroe | W 31–13 | 86% |
| Nov 7 | at Texas State | W 38–17 | 84% |
| Nov 14 | vs Georgia State | W 17–13 | 85% |
| Nov 21 | at 15Coastal Carolina | L 23–34 | 56% |
| Nov 28 | vs Troy | W 47–10 | 77% |
| Dec 4 | vs 20Louisiana | L 21–24 | 59% |
| Dec 12 | at Georgia Southern | W 34–26 | 58% |
| Dec 21Bowls & playoff | vs North TexasMyrtle Beach Bowl | W 56–28 | 85% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Beat North Texas 56–28 in the Myrtle Beach Bowl; unranked in the final AP poll; 3rd in the Sun Belt Conference.
In program history: The 3rd-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 58 on file).
AP poll, week by week
- Wk 3: 24
- Record
- 9–3
- Conference
- 6–2 3rd in Sun Belt Conference
- AP final
- Unranked peak No. 24
- Points
- 406–240
- Coach
- Shawn Clark
- Elo
- 1686 +16 this season
- SP+ rating
- 10.3 No. 28 of 130; offense No. 34, defense No. 28
- SRS
- 8.0 No. 18 of 77 in FBS
- Returning
- 80% of last season’s EPA, No. 25 of 130
- Recruiting class
- No. 83 roster talent No. 101 in FBS
- Offensive coordinator
- Tony Petersen
- Defensive coordinator
- Dale Jones
- Offense
- Multiple
- Defense
- 3–4
How good, play by play
| EPA per play | Success | Explosiveness | FBS rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 0.18 | 46% | 1.26 | 32nd of 127 |
| Defense | 0.00 | 36% | 1.41 | 16th of 127 |
| Opponent-adjusted | 0.16 off 0.03 def | 44% off 37% def | — | 31st off 12th def |
How these are measured
Play-weighted averages over games against FBS opponents; raw numbers, not adjusted for the strength of the opponent. EPA (expected points added) measures how much each play changed the expected score; success rate counts plays that kept the offense on schedule; explosiveness is the average EPA on successful plays. Lower is better on defense. Ranked by EPA per play among teams that were FBS that season. The opponent-adjusted row (offense / defense) is CollegeFootballData.com’s WEPA, which accounts for who each team played.
Drives and havoc
| Points per trip inside the 40 | Average start | Havoc | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 3.9 | own 31 | 13% allowed |
| Defense | 3.3 | own 26 | 20% caused |
CORE rating 15.9, 11th of 127 (offense 6.5, defense -9.3).
A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. CORE is CollegeFootballData.com’s context- and opponent-adjusted rating (points better than an average team; lower is better on defense). From CollegeFootballData.com.
Leaders
| Passing yards | Zac Thomas QB | 2,189 yds |
| Passing touchdowns | Zac Thomas QB | 20 TD |
| Rushing yards | Camerun Peoples RB | 1,124 yds |
| Rushing touchdowns | Camerun Peoples RB | 12 TD |
| Receiving yards | Thomas Hennigan WR | 616 yds |
| Receiving touchdowns | Christian Wells WR | 4 TD |
| Tackles | Trey Cobb LB | 91 tkl |
| Sacks | Demetrius Taylor DL | 6 sacks |
| Interceptions | Brendan Harrington LB | 4 INT |
Top recruits in the 2020 class
| Stan Ellis WR | ★★★ | No. 984 |
| Je’Mari Littlejohn OLB | ★★★ | No. 1103 |
| Tommy Wright ATH | ★★★ | No. 1307 |
| Jamar Rucks SDE | ★★★ | No. 1448 |
| Nate Noel RB | ★★★ | No. 1467 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2020 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks | 1 | 3.0 | 0.828 |
| Running backs | 1 | 3.0 | 0.842 |
| Receivers | 4 | 2.8 | 0.824 |
| Offensive line | 2 | 3.0 | 0.815 |
| Defensive line | 5 | 3.0 | 0.829 |
| Linebackers | 3 | 3.0 | 0.844 |
| Defensive backs | 1 | 3.0 | 0.841 |
| Athletes and specialists | 3 | 3.0 | 0.833 |
| Whole class | 20 | 3.0 | 0.830 |
High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.
Drafted in 2021
The 2021 draft| Rd 5 | Shemar Jean-Charles CB | Green Bay Packers |
Roster 120
The 2020 roster120 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2020 line; 64 have a stat line. See the roster
2020 Sun Belt Conference standings
Conference page| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coastal Carolina | 8–0 | 11–1 | 14 |
| Louisiana | 7–1 | 10–1 | 15 |
 App State | 6–2 | 9–3 | |
| Georgia Southern | 4–4 | 8–5 | |
| Georgia State | 4–4 | 6–4 | |
| Troy | 3–4 | 5–6 | |
 South Alabama | 3–5 | 4–7 | |
| Arkansas State | 2–6 | 4–7 | |
| Texas State | 2–6 | 2–10 | |
| UL Monroe | 0–7 | 0–10 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.