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2012 Arkansas State

10–⁠3 (7–⁠1 Sun Belt Conference), coached by Gus Malzahn, then John Thompson (interim, bowl game).

Schedule and results

Arkansas State in 2012, game by game: lost at No. 5 Oregon 34–57; won vs. Memphis 33–28; lost at Nebraska 13–42; won vs. Alcorn State 56–0; lost vs. Western Kentucky 13–26; won at Florida International 34–20; won vs. South Alabama 36–29; won at Louisiana 50–27; won at North Texas 37–19; won vs. UL Monroe 45–23; won at Troy 41–34; won vs. Middle Tennessee 45–0; won vs. No. 25 Kent State 17–13+56−29Lost 34–57 at No. 5 Oregon-23No. 5 OregonWon 33–28 vs. Memphis+5MemphisLost 13–42 at Nebraska-29NebraskaWon 56–0 vs. Alcorn State+56Alcorn StateLost 13–26 vs. Western Kentucky-13Western KentuckyWon 34–20 at Florida International+14Florida Interna…Won 36–29 vs. South Alabama+7South AlabamaWon 50–27 at Louisiana+23LouisianaWon 37–19 at North Texas+18North TexasWon 45–23 vs. UL Monroe+22UL MonroeWon 41–34 at Troy+7TroyWon 45–0 vs. Middle Tennessee+45Middle TennesseeWon 17–13 vs. No. 25 Kent State+4No. 25 Kent State
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below; orange marks an upset win.
DateOpponentResultElo
Sep 1at5OregonL 34–⁠5721%
Sep 8vsMemphisW 33–⁠2883%
Sep 15atNebraskaL 13–⁠4233%
Sep 22vsAlcorn StateW 56–⁠091%
Sep 29vsWestern KentuckyL 13–⁠2660%
Oct 4atFlorida InternationalW 34–⁠2052%
Oct 13vsSouth AlabamaW 36–⁠2986%
Oct 23atLouisianaW 50–⁠2745%
Nov 3atNorth TexasW 37–⁠1964%
Nov 8vsUL MonroeW 45–⁠2369%
Nov 17atTroyW 41–⁠3466%
Dec 1vsMiddle TennesseeW 45–⁠073%
Jan 6Bowls & playoffvs25Kent StateGoDaddy.com BowlW 17–⁠1350%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Beat Kent State 17–⁠13 in the GoDaddy.com Bowl; unranked in the final AP poll; Sun Belt Conference champions.

In program history: The best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 84 on file).

Sun Belt Conference champions7–⁠1 in the conference

Record
10–⁠3
Conference
7–⁠1 first in Sun Belt Conference
AP final
Unranked
Points
454–⁠318
Coach
Gus Malzahn, then John Thompson (interim, bowl game)
Elo
1640 +101 this season
SP+ rating
1.2 No. 61 of 124; offense No. 41, defense No. 77, special teams No. 91
SRS
2.5 No. 57 of 124 in FBS
Recruiting class
No. 64
Offensive coordinator
Rhett Lashlee
Defensive coordinator
John Thompson
Offense
Spread
Defense
Multiple

How good, play by play

  • Offense18th of 124
  • Defense70th of 124
  • Offense, opponent-adjusted18th of 124
  • Defense, opponent-adjusted70th of 124
EPA per playSuccessExplosivenessFBS rank
Offense0.1247%0.8318th of 124
Defense0.0843%0.9770th of 124
Opponent-adjusted0.11 off
0.07 def		46% off
43% def		—18th off
70th 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 40Average startHavoc
Offense-0.1own 271% allowed
Defense-0.1own 311% caused

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. From CollegeFootballData.com.

Leaders

Passing yardsRyan Aplin QB3,342 yds
Passing touchdownsRyan Aplin QB24 TD
Rushing yardsDavid Oku 1,061 yds
Rushing touchdownsDavid Oku 16 TD
Receiving yardsJ.D. McKissic WR1,022 yds
Receiving touchdownsJulian Jones WR7 TD
InterceptionsNathan Herrold LB4 INT

Top recruits in the 2012 class

Chris Humes CB★★★No. 836
Jemar Clark OT★★★No. 859
Kendrick Daniels APB★★★No. 1074
Tevin Bryson DT★★★No. 1236
Quintaz Struble WDE★★★No. 1280

247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.

The 2012 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Quarterbacks13.00.810
Running backs23.00.820
Receivers22.00.766
Offensive line62.30.790
Defensive line32.70.786
Linebackers13.00.816
Defensive backs32.70.818
Athletes and specialists32.30.798
Whole class212.50.797

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 2013

The 2013 draft
Rd 7Don Jones SMiami Dolphins

Roster 114

The 2012 roster

114 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2012 line; 36 have a stat line. See the roster

2012 Sun Belt Conference standings

Conference page
TeamConf.OverallAP final
Arkansas State7–⁠110–⁠3
Louisiana6–⁠29–⁠4
Middle Tennessee6–⁠28–⁠4
UL Monroe6–⁠28–⁠5
Western Kentucky4–⁠47–⁠6
Troy3–⁠55–⁠7
North Texas3–⁠54–⁠8
Florida Atlantic2–⁠63–⁠9
Florida International2–⁠63–⁠9
South Alabama1–⁠72–⁠11

Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.