CollegeFootballDigestfrom CooperSearch

2019 Arkansas State

8–⁠5 (5–⁠3 Sun Belt Conference), coached by Blake Anderson.

Schedule and results

Arkansas State in 2019, game by game: lost vs. SMU 30–37; won at UNLV 43–17; lost at No. 3 Georgia 0–55; won vs. Southern Illinois 41–28; won at Troy 50–43; lost at Georgia State 38–52; lost vs. Louisiana 20–37; won vs. Texas State 38–14; won at UL Monroe 48–41; won vs. Coastal Carolina 28–27; won vs. Georgia Southern 38–33; lost at South Alabama 30–34; won vs. Florida International 34–26+26−55Lost 30–37 vs. SMU-7SMUWon 43–17 at UNLV+26UNLVLost 0–55 at No. 3 Georgia-55No. 3 GeorgiaWon 41–28 vs. Southern Illinois+13Southern Illino…Won 50–43 at Troy+7TroyLost 38–52 at Georgia State-14Georgia StateLost 20–37 vs. Louisiana-17LouisianaWon 38–14 vs. Texas State+24Texas StateWon 48–41 at UL Monroe+7UL MonroeWon 28–27 vs. Coastal Carolina+1Coastal CarolinaWon 38–33 vs. Georgia Southern+5Georgia SouthernLost 30–34 at South Alabama-4South AlabamaWon 34–26 vs. Florida International+8Florida Interna…
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below.
DateOpponentResultElo
Aug 31vsSMUL 30–⁠3768%
Sep 7atUNLVW 43–⁠1754%
Sep 14at3GeorgiaL 0–⁠5522%
Sep 21vsSouthern IllinoisW 41–⁠2882%
Sep 28atTroyW 50–⁠4335%
Oct 5atGeorgia StateL 38–⁠5267%
Oct 17vsLouisianaL 20–⁠3755%
Oct 26vsTexas StateW 38–⁠1475%
Nov 2atUL MonroeW 48–⁠4149%
Nov 16vsCoastal CarolinaW 28–⁠2776%
Nov 23vsGeorgia SouthernW 38–⁠3357%
Nov 29atSouth AlabamaL 30–⁠3477%
Dec 21Bowls & playoffvsFlorida InternationalCamellia BowlW 34–⁠2656%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Beat Florida International 34–⁠26 in the Camellia Bowl; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 3rd in the Sun Belt Conference.

In program history: The 8th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 84 on file).

Record
8–⁠5
Conference
5–⁠3 tied for 3rd in Sun Belt Conference
AP final
Unranked
Points
438–⁠444
Coach
Blake Anderson
Elo
1532 −4 this season
SP+ rating
-2.9 No. 76 of 130; offense No. 49, defense No. 102, special teams No. 29
SRS
−4.4 No. 84 of 130 in FBS
Returning
40% of last season’s EPA, No. 107 of 130
Recruiting class
No. 95 roster talent No. 93 in FBS
Offensive coordinator
Keith Heckendorf
Defensive coordinator
David Duggan
Offense
Spread
Defense
4–⁠3

How good, play by play

  • Offense48th of 130
  • Defense79th of 130
  • Offense, opponent-adjusted63rd of 130
  • Defense, opponent-adjusted85th of 130
EPA per playSuccessExplosivenessFBS rank
Offense0.1342%1.3448th of 130
Defense0.1344%1.2779th of 130
Opponent-adjusted0.11 off
0.13 def		40% off
44% def		—63rd off
85th 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
Offense4.1own 3022% allowed
Defense4.0own 2917% caused

CORE rating -5.0, 88th of 130 (offense -0.5, defense 4.5).

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 yardsLayne Hatcher QB2,954 yds
Passing touchdownsLayne Hatcher QB27 TD
Rushing yardsMarcel Murray RB820 yds
Rushing touchdownsMarcel Murray RB6 TD
Receiving yardsOmar Bayless WR1,661 yds
Receiving touchdownsOmar Bayless WR17 TD
TacklesDarreon Jackson DB116 tkl
SacksWilliam Bradley-King LB8.5 sacks
InterceptionsJeremy Smith CB3 INT

Top recruits in the 2019 class

Jeff Foreman ATH★★★No. 1311
Isaiah Azubuike RB★★★No. 1377
Vershaud Richardson WDE★★★No. 1386
Coltin Clack PRO★★★No. 1481
Samy Johnson RB★★★No. 1826

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

The 2019 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Quarterbacks22.50.779
Running backs33.00.831
Receivers23.00.809
Offensive line22.00.771
Defensive line13.00.843
Linebackers13.00.807
Defensive backs32.30.787
Athletes and specialists13.00.846
Whole class152.70.805

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.

Roster 112

The 2019 roster

112 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2019 line; 58 have a stat line. See the roster

2019 Sun Belt Conference standings

Conference page
TeamConf.OverallAP final
App State7–⁠113–⁠119
Louisiana7–⁠111–⁠3
Arkansas State5–⁠38–⁠5
Georgia Southern5–⁠37–⁠6
Georgia State4–⁠47–⁠6
UL Monroe4–⁠45–⁠7
Troy3–⁠55–⁠7
Coastal Carolina2–⁠65–⁠7
Texas State2–⁠63–⁠9
South Alabama1–⁠72–⁠10

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