2020 Florida Atlantic
5–4 (4–2 Conference USA), coached by Willie Taggart. Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest winBeat Massachusetts 24–2Nov 20
By 22 points, its widest win.
- Most excitingBeat Western Kentucky 10–6Nov 7
The win probability swung the most, by CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 3 | vs Charlotte | W 21–17 | 78% |
| Oct 24 | at 22Marshall | L 9–20 | 41% |
| Oct 31 | vs UTSA | W 24–3 | 82% |
| Nov 7 | vs Western Kentucky | W 10–6 | 78% |
| Nov 13 | at Florida International | W 38–19 | 71% |
| Nov 20 | vs Massachusetts | W 24–2 | 92% |
| Dec 5 | at Georgia Southern | L 3–20 | 60% |
| Dec 10 | at Southern Miss | L 31–45 | 74% |
| Dec 23Bowls & playoff | vs MemphisMontgomery Bowl | L 10–25 | 40% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Lost to Memphis 25–10 in the Montgomery Bowl; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 4th in the Conference USA.
In program history: The 3rd-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 25 on file).
- Record
- 5–4
- Conference
- 4–2 tied for 4th in Conference USA
- AP final
- Unranked
- Points
- 170–157
- Coach
- Willie Taggart
- Elo
- 1536 −78 this season
- SP+ rating
- -0.3 No. 72 of 130; offense No. 105, defense No. 33
- SRS
- −8.2 No. 59 of 77 in FBS
- Returning
- 27% of last season’s EPA, No. 119 of 130
- Recruiting class
- No. 73 roster talent No. 76 in FBS
- Offensive coordinators
- Clint Trickett and Drew Mehringer
- Defensive coordinator
- Jim Leavitt
- Offense
- Multiple
- Defense
- 3–4
How good, play by play
| EPA per play | Success | Explosiveness | FBS rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 0.03 | 39% | 1.24 | 98th of 127 |
| Defense | 0.03 | 40% | 1.18 | 29th of 127 |
| Opponent-adjusted | 0.04 off 0.08 def | 39% off 42% def | — | 109th off 48th 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 | 3.1 | own 29 | 19% allowed |
| Defense | 2.1 | own 27 | 16% caused |
CORE rating -8.3, 95th of 127 (offense -10.7, defense -2.4).
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 | Nick Tronti QB | 905 yds |
| Passing touchdowns | Nick Tronti QB | 6 TD |
| Rushing yards | James Charles RB | 429 yds |
| Rushing touchdowns | James Charles RB | 4 TD |
| Receiving yards | T.J. Chase WR | 328 yds |
| Receiving touchdowns | Brandon Robinson WR | 3 TD |
| Tackles | Chase Lasater LB | 72 tkl |
| Sacks | Leighton McCarthy LB | 8 sacks |
| Interceptions | Teja Young S | 2 INT |
Top recruits in the 2020 class
| Marlon Krakue WDE | ★★★ | No. 855 |
| Ja’Marquis Johnson WR | ★★★ | No. 855 |
| Chris Jones WDE | ★★★ | No. 908 |
| Kobe Stewart WR | ★★★ | No. 942 |
| Malik Jones DT | ★★★ | No. 1331 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2020 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Receivers | 3 | 3.0 | 0.848 |
| Offensive line | 3 | 3.0 | 0.826 |
| Defensive line | 6 | 3.0 | 0.837 |
| Defensive backs | 2 | 3.0 | 0.821 |
| Athletes and specialists | 2 | 3.0 | 0.830 |
| Whole class | 16 | 3.0 | 0.834 |
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 116
The 2020 roster116 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2020 line; 52 have a stat line. See the roster
2020 Conference USA standings
| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marshall | 4–1 | 7–3 | |
 UAB | 3–1 | 6–3 | |
| UTSA | 5–2 | 7–5 | |
 Florida Atlantic | 4–2 | 5–4 | |
 Louisiana Tech | 4–2 | 5–5 | |
| Western Kentucky | 4–3 | 5–7 | |
| Charlotte | 2–2 | 2–4 | |
 North Texas | 3–4 | 4–6 | |
 Rice | 2–3 | 2–3 | |
 Middle Tennessee | 2–4 | 3–6 | |
| Southern Miss | 2–4 | 3–7 | |
 UTEP | 0–4 | 3–5 | |
| Florida International | 0–3 | 0–5 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.