CollegeFootballDigestfrom CooperSearch

2017 Florida International

8–⁠5 (5–⁠3 Conference USA), coached by Butch Davis.

Schedule and results

Florida International in 2017, game by game: lost at UCF 17–61; won vs. Alcorn State 17–10; won at Rice 13–7; won vs. Charlotte 30–29; lost at Middle Tennessee 17–37; won vs. Tulane 23–10; won at Marshall 41–30; won vs. UTSA 14–7; lost vs. Old Dominion 30–37; lost at Florida Atlantic 24–52; won vs. Western Kentucky 41–17; won vs. Massachusetts 63–45; lost vs. Temple 3–28+24−44Lost 17–61 at UCF-44UCFWon 17–10 vs. Alcorn State+7Alcorn StateWon 13–7 at Rice+6RiceWon 30–29 vs. Charlotte+1CharlotteLost 17–37 at Middle Tennessee-20Middle TennesseeWon 23–10 vs. Tulane+13TulaneWon 41–30 at Marshall+11MarshallWon 14–7 vs. UTSA+7UTSALost 30–37 vs. Old Dominion-7Old DominionLost 24–52 at Florida Atlantic-28Florida AtlanticWon 41–17 vs. Western Kentucky+24Western KentuckyWon 63–45 vs. Massachusetts+18MassachusettsLost 3–28 vs. Temple-25Temple
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below.
DateOpponentResultElo
Aug 31atUCFL 17–⁠6133%
Sep 8vsAlcorn StateW 17–⁠1053%
Sep 23atRiceW 13–⁠740%
Sep 30vsCharlotteW 30–⁠2974%
Oct 7atMiddle TennesseeL 17–⁠3740%
Oct 14vsTulaneW 23–⁠1045%
Oct 28atMarshallW 41–⁠3026%
Nov 4vsUTSAW 14–⁠749%
Nov 11vsOld DominionL 30–⁠3769%
Nov 18atFlorida AtlanticL 24–⁠5226%
Nov 24vsWestern KentuckyW 41–⁠1744%
Dec 2vsMassachusettsW 63–⁠4567%
Dec 21Bowls & playoffvsTempleGasparilla BowlL 3–⁠2843%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Lost to Temple 28–⁠3 in the Gasparilla Bowl; unranked in the final AP poll; 5th in the Conference USA.

In program history: The 5th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 24 on file).

Record
8–⁠5
Conference
5–⁠3 5th in Conference USA
AP final
Unranked
Points
333–⁠370
Coach
Butch Davis
Elo
1464 +71 this season
SP+ rating
-10.4 No. 102 of 128; offense No. 99, defense No. 105, special teams No. 41
SRS
−9.9 No. 100 of 130 in FBS
Returning
72% of last season’s EPA, No. 38 of 128
Recruiting class
No. 83 roster talent No. 106 in FBS
Offensive coordinator
Rich Skrosky
Defensive coordinator
Brent Guy
Offense
Multiple
Defense
4–⁠3

How good, play by play

  • Offense65th of 130
  • Defense93rd of 130
  • Offense, opponent-adjusted85th of 130
  • Defense, opponent-adjusted112th of 130
EPA per playSuccessExplosivenessFBS rank
Offense0.0842%1.1665th of 130
Defense0.1647%1.2193rd of 130
Opponent-adjusted0.07 off
0.18 def		41% off
49% def		—85th off
112th 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
Offense3.6own 3017% allowed
Defense3.5own 3115% caused

CORE rating -9.5, 103rd of 130 (offense 1.0, defense 10.5).

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 yardsAlex McGough QB2,798 yds
Passing touchdownsAlex McGough QB17 TD
Rushing yardsAlex Gardner RB791 yds
Rushing touchdownsAlex Gardner RB6 TD
Receiving yardsThomas Owens WR887 yds
Receiving touchdownsThomas Owens WR6 TD
TacklesAnthony Wint LB92 tkl
SacksAnthony Johnson DL6.5 sacks
InterceptionsBrad Muhammad CB4 INT

Top recruits in the 2017 class

Dorian Hall ATH★★★No. 856
Cody Bowes OG★★★No. 865
Noah Curtis ATH★★★No. 1117
Jamal Gates OLB★★★No. 1250
Willa Pierre OG★★★No. 1370

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

The 2017 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Quarterbacks13.00.799
Running backs13.00.810
Receivers22.00.788
Offensive line32.70.826
Defensive line32.70.801
Linebackers33.00.829
Defensive backs22.50.802
Athletes and specialists42.80.818
Whole class192.70.812

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 2018

The 2018 draft
Rd 7Alex McGough QBSeattle Seahawks

Roster 111

The 2017 roster

111 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2017 line; 55 have a stat line. See the roster

2017 Conference USA standings

Conference page
TeamConf.OverallAP final
Florida Atlantic8–⁠011–⁠3
North Texas7–⁠19–⁠5
Southern Miss6–⁠28–⁠5
UAB6–⁠28–⁠5
Florida International5–⁠38–⁠5
Marshall4–⁠48–⁠5
Middle Tennessee4–⁠47–⁠6
Louisiana Tech4–⁠47–⁠6
Western Kentucky4–⁠46–⁠7
UTSA3–⁠56–⁠5
Old Dominion3–⁠55–⁠7
Rice1–⁠71–⁠11
Charlotte1–⁠71–⁠11
UTEP0–⁠80–⁠12

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