CollegeFootballDigestfrom CooperSearch

2015 Central Michigan

7–⁠6 (6–⁠2 Mid-American Conference), coached by John Bonamego.

Schedule and results

Central Michigan in 2015, game by game: lost vs. Oklahoma State 13–24; won vs. Monmouth 31–10; lost at Syracuse 27–30; lost at No. 2 Michigan State 10–30; won vs. Northern Illinois 29–19; lost at Western Michigan 39–41; won vs. Buffalo 51–14; won at Ball State 23–21; won at Akron 14–6; lost vs. Toledo 23–28; won at Kent State 27–14; won vs. Eastern Michigan 35–28; lost vs. Minnesota 14–21+37−20Lost 13–24 vs. Oklahoma State-11Oklahoma StateWon 31–10 vs. Monmouth+21MonmouthLost 27–30 at Syracuse-3SyracuseLost 10–30 at No. 2 Michigan State-20No. 2 Michigan StateWon 29–19 vs. Northern Illinois+10Northern Illino…Lost 39–41 at Western Michigan-2Western MichiganWon 51–14 vs. Buffalo+37BuffaloWon 23–21 at Ball State+2Ball StateWon 14–6 at Akron+8AkronLost 23–28 vs. Toledo-5ToledoWon 27–14 at Kent State+13Kent StateWon 35–28 vs. Eastern Michigan+7Eastern MichiganLost 14–21 vs. Minnesota-7Minnesota
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below.
DateOpponentResultElo
Sep 3vsOklahoma StateL 13–⁠2448%
Sep 12vsMonmouthW 31–⁠1079%
Sep 19atSyracuseL 27–⁠3042%
Sep 26at2Michigan StateL 10–⁠3014%
Oct 3vsNorthern IllinoisW 29–⁠1941%
Oct 10atWestern MichiganL 39–⁠4147%
Oct 17vsBuffaloW 51–⁠1462%
Oct 24atBall StateW 23–⁠2157%
Oct 31atAkronW 14–⁠654%
Nov 10vsToledoL 23–⁠2845%
Nov 18atKent StateW 27–⁠1467%
Nov 27vsEastern MichiganW 35–⁠2890%
Dec 28Bowls & playoffvsMinnesotaQuick Lane BowlL 14–⁠2155%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Lost to Minnesota 21–⁠14 in the Quick Lane Bowl; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 2nd in the Mid-American Conference.

In program history: The 20th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 68 on file).

Record
7–⁠6
Conference
6–⁠2 tied for 2nd in Mid-American Conference
AP final
Unranked
Points
336–⁠286
Coach
John Bonamego
Elo
1511 +25 this season
SP+ rating
-3.1 No. 85 of 128; offense No. 83, defense No. 61, special teams No. 123
SRS
−1.2 No. 76 of 128 in FBS
Returning
66% of last season’s EPA, No. 59 of 128
Recruiting class
No. 97 roster talent No. 101 in FBS
Offensive coordinator
Morris Watts
Defensive coordinator
Greg Colby

How good, play by play

  • Offense60th of 128
  • Defense41st of 128
  • Offense, opponent-adjusted72nd of 128
  • Defense, opponent-adjusted49th of 128
EPA per playSuccessExplosivenessFBS rank
Offense0.0943%1.1760th of 128
Defense0.0541%1.1441st of 128
Opponent-adjusted0.08 off
0.05 def		41% off
41% def		—72nd off
49th 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
Offense3.5own 301% allowed
Defense3.2own 312% 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 yardsCooper Rush QB3,848 yds
Passing touchdownsCooper Rush QB25 TD
Rushing yardsMartez Walker RB373 yds
Rushing touchdownsJahray Hayes RB4 TD
Receiving yardsJesse Kroll WR866 yds
Receiving touchdownsBen McCord TE5 TD
InterceptionsTony Annese DB2 INT

Top recruits in the 2015 class

Jake Johnson PRO★★★No. 1548
Derek Smith OT★★★No. 1644
Shahid Bellamy DT★★★No. 1711
Jamil Sabbagh S★★★No. 1766
Austin Ervin TE★★★No. 1810

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

The 2015 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Quarterbacks22.50.804
Running backs22.50.797
Receivers32.30.799
Offensive line22.50.804
Defensive line52.60.794
Linebackers22.50.783
Defensive backs32.70.799
Athletes and specialists13.00.808
Whole class202.50.797

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 2016

The 2016 draft
Rd 6Kavon Frazier SDallas Cowboys

Roster 104

The 2015 roster

104 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2015 line; 29 have a stat line. See the roster

2015 Mid-American Conference standings

Conference page
TeamConf.OverallAP final
Bowling Green7–⁠110–⁠4
Toledo6–⁠210–⁠2
Western Michigan6–⁠28–⁠5
Northern Illinois6–⁠28–⁠6
Central Michigan6–⁠27–⁠6
Akron5–⁠38–⁠5
Ohio5–⁠38–⁠5
Buffalo3–⁠55–⁠7
Ball State2–⁠63–⁠9
Miami (OH)2–⁠63–⁠9
Kent State2–⁠63–⁠9
Massachusetts2–⁠63–⁠9
Eastern Michigan0–⁠81–⁠11

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