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2015 Georgia Southern

9–⁠4 (6–⁠2 Sun Belt Conference), coached by Willie Fritz, then Dell McGee (interim, bowl game).

Schedule and results

Georgia Southern in 2015, game by game: lost at West Virginia 0–44; won vs. Western Michigan 43–17; won vs. The Citadel 48–13; won at Idaho 44–20; won at UL Monroe 51–31; won vs. New Mexico State 56–26; lost at App State 13–31; won vs. Texas State 37–13; won at Troy 45–10; lost at Georgia 17–23; won vs. South Alabama 55–17; lost vs. Georgia State 7–34; won vs. Bowling Green 58–27+38−44Lost 0–44 at West Virginia-44West VirginiaWon 43–17 vs. Western Michigan+26Western MichiganWon 48–13 vs. The Citadel+35The CitadelWon 44–20 at Idaho+24IdahoWon 51–31 at UL Monroe+20UL MonroeWon 56–26 vs. New Mexico State+30New Mexico StateLost 13–31 at App State-18App StateWon 37–13 vs. Texas State+24Texas StateWon 45–10 at Troy+35TroyLost 17–23 at Georgia-6GeorgiaWon 55–17 vs. South Alabama+38South AlabamaLost 7–34 vs. Georgia State-27Georgia StateWon 58–27 vs. Bowling Green+31Bowling Green
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below.
DateOpponentResultElo
Sep 5atWest VirginiaL 0–⁠4437%
Sep 12vsWestern MichiganW 43–⁠1758%
Sep 19vsThe CitadelW 48–⁠1378%
Sep 26atIdahoW 44–⁠2073%
Oct 3atUL MonroeW 51–⁠3159%
Oct 17vsNew Mexico StateW 56–⁠2689%
Oct 22atApp StateL 13–⁠3143%
Oct 29vsTexas StateW 37–⁠1372%
Nov 14atTroyW 45–⁠1066%
Nov 21atGeorgiaL 17–⁠2331%
Nov 28vsSouth AlabamaW 55–⁠1779%
Dec 5vsGeorgia StateL 7–⁠3483%
Dec 23Bowls & playoffvsBowling GreenGoDaddy BowlW 58–⁠2731%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Beat Bowling Green 58–⁠27 in the GoDaddy Bowl; unranked in the final AP poll; 3rd in the Sun Belt Conference.

In program history: The 2nd-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 38 on file).

Record
9–⁠4
Conference
6–⁠2 3rd in Sun Belt Conference
AP final
Unranked
Points
474–⁠306
Coach
Willie Fritz, then Dell McGee (interim, bowl game)
Elo
1563 +68 this season
SP+ rating
7.3 No. 52 of 128; offense No. 46, defense No. 56, special teams No. 29
SRS
6.0 No. 46 of 128 in FBS
Returning
71% of last season’s EPA, No. 51 of 128
Recruiting class
No. 85 roster talent No. 93 in FBS
Offensive coordinator
Doug Ruse
Defensive coordinator
Jack Curtis
Offense
Option
Defense
4–⁠3

How good, play by play

  • Offense29th of 128
  • Defense34th of 128
  • Offense, opponent-adjusted47th of 128
  • Defense, opponent-adjusted52nd of 128
EPA per playSuccessExplosivenessFBS rank
Offense0.1744%1.2629th of 128
Defense0.0341%1.2234th of 128
Opponent-adjusted0.12 off
0.06 def		43% off
41% def		—47th off
52nd 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
Offense3.4own 372% allowed
Defense3.5own 263% 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.

Player leaders are hidden for this season: our source’s player stats for Georgia Southern are missing players (they add up to less than 85% of the team’s passing or rushing yards).

Top recruits in the 2015 class

Joshua Moon S★★★No. 1240
Christian Matthew CB★★★No. 1507
Jeremiah Culbreth DT★★★No. 1514
D’Ondre Glenn WR★★★No. 1626
Jeremiah Theus OG★★★No. 1662

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

The 2015 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Quarterbacks13.00.817
Running backs22.50.790
Receivers42.30.784
Offensive line22.50.802
Defensive line13.00.828
Linebackers12.00.779
Defensive backs42.80.808
Athletes and specialists13.00.805
Whole class162.60.799

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 5Antwione Williams OLBDetroit Lions

Roster 131

The 2015 roster

131 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2015 line; 36 have a stat line. See the roster

2015 Sun Belt Conference standings

Conference page
TeamConf.OverallAP final
Arkansas State8–⁠09–⁠4
App State7–⁠111–⁠2
Georgia Southern6–⁠29–⁠4
Georgia State5–⁠36–⁠7
South Alabama3–⁠55–⁠7
Idaho3–⁠54–⁠8
Louisiana3–⁠54–⁠8
Troy3–⁠54–⁠8
New Mexico State3–⁠53–⁠9
Texas State2–⁠63–⁠9
UL Monroe1–⁠72–⁠11

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