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2017 Georgia Southern

2–⁠10 (2–⁠6 Sun Belt Conference), coached by Tyson Summers, then Chad Lunsford (interim, last 6 games).

Schedule and results

Georgia Southern in 2017, game by game: lost at No. 12 Auburn 7–41; lost vs. New Hampshire 12–22; lost at Indiana 17–52; lost vs. Arkansas State 25–43; lost vs. New Mexico State 27–35; lost at Massachusetts 20–55; lost at Troy 16–38; lost vs. Georgia State 17–21; lost at App State 6–27; won vs. South Alabama 52–0; won at Louisiana 34–24; lost at Coastal Carolina 17–28+52−35Lost 7–41 at No. 12 Auburn-34No. 12 AuburnLost 12–22 vs. New Hampshire-10New HampshireLost 17–52 at Indiana-35IndianaLost 25–43 vs. Arkansas State-18Arkansas StateLost 27–35 vs. New Mexico State-8New Mexico StateLost 20–55 at Massachusetts-35MassachusettsLost 16–38 at Troy-22TroyLost 17–21 vs. Georgia State-4Georgia StateLost 6–27 at App State-21App StateWon 52–0 vs. South Alabama+52South AlabamaWon 34–24 at Louisiana+10LouisianaLost 17–28 at Coastal Carolina-11Coastal Carolina
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below.
DateOpponentResultElo
Sep 2at12AuburnL 7–⁠4125%
Sep 9vsNew HampshireL 12–⁠2258%
Sep 23atIndianaL 17–⁠5231%
Oct 4vsArkansas StateL 25–⁠4343%
Oct 14vsNew Mexico StateL 27–⁠3560%
Oct 21atMassachusettsL 20–⁠5549%
Oct 28atTroyL 16–⁠3816%
Nov 4vsGeorgia StateL 17–⁠2140%
Nov 9atApp StateL 6–⁠2714%
Nov 18vsSouth AlabamaW 52–⁠038%
Nov 25atLouisianaW 34–⁠2428%
Dec 2atCoastal CarolinaL 17–⁠2852%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Lost to Coastal Carolina 28–⁠17; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 10th in the Sun Belt Conference.

In program history: The 21st-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 38 on file).

Record
2–⁠10
Conference
2–⁠6 tied for 10th in Sun Belt Conference
AP final
Unranked
Points
250–⁠386
Coach
Tyson Summers, then Chad Lunsford (interim, last 6 games)
Elo
1342 −120 this season
SP+ rating
-15.8 No. 115 of 128; offense No. 120, defense No. 108, special teams No. 20
SRS
−18.3 No. 121 of 130 in FBS
Returning
30% of last season’s EPA, No. 115 of 128
Recruiting class
No. 106 roster talent No. 96 in FBS
Offensive coordinator
Bryan Cook
Defensive coordinator
Lorenzo Costantini
Offense
Spread option
Defense
4–⁠3

How good, play by play

  • Offense97th of 130
  • Defense79th of 130
  • Offense, opponent-adjusted101st of 130
  • Defense, opponent-adjusted80th of 130
EPA per playSuccessExplosivenessFBS rank
Offense0.0238%0.9697th of 130
Defense0.1241%1.4279th of 130
Opponent-adjusted0.04 off
0.11 def		39% off
42% def		—101st off
80th 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
Offense3.0own 3118% allowed
Defense3.4own 3219% caused

CORE rating -10.2, 105th of 130 (offense -4.2, defense 6.0).

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 yardsShai Werts WR929 yds
Passing touchdownsShai Werts WR7 TD
Rushing yardsWesley Fields RB811 yds
Rushing touchdownsL.A. Ramsby RB6 TD
Receiving yardsMalik Henry WR268 yds
Receiving touchdownsEllis Richardson QB3 TD
TacklesR.J. Murray S59 tkl
SacksLogan Hunt DE5 sacks
InterceptionsMonquavion Brinson CB5 INT

Top recruits in the 2017 class

Tre Allen ATH★★★No. 1600
Grant Walker S★★★No. 1607
Demetrice Lofton WDE★★★No. 1607
Brian Miller DT★★★No. 1661
Raymond Johnson WDE★★★No. 1724

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

The 2017 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Quarterbacks12.00.773
Running backs32.30.773
Offensive line32.00.777
Defensive line72.40.798
Linebackers12.00.796
Defensive backs42.80.805
Athletes and specialists22.50.800
Whole class212.40.792

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 106

The 2017 roster

106 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2017 line; 51 have a stat line. See the roster

2017 Sun Belt Conference standings

Conference page
TeamConf.OverallAP final
Troy7–⁠111–⁠2
App State7–⁠19–⁠4
Arkansas State6–⁠27–⁠5
Georgia State5–⁠37–⁠5
New Mexico State4–⁠47–⁠6
Louisiana4–⁠45–⁠7
UL Monroe4–⁠44–⁠8
Idaho3–⁠54–⁠8
South Alabama3–⁠54–⁠8
Coastal Carolina2–⁠63–⁠9
Georgia Southern2–⁠62–⁠10
Texas State1–⁠72–⁠10

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