CollegeFootballDigestfrom CooperSearch

2016 Georgia Tech

9–⁠4 (4–⁠4 Atlantic Coast Conference), coached by Paul Johnson.

Schedule and results

Georgia Tech in 2016, game by game: won vs. Boston College 17–14; won vs. Mercer 35–10; won vs. Vanderbilt 38–7; lost vs. No. 5 Clemson 7–26; lost vs. No. 14 Miami 21–35; lost at Pittsburgh 34–37; won vs. Georgia Southern 35–24; won vs. Duke 38–35; lost at No. 18 North Carolina 20–48; won at No. 18 Virginia Tech 30–20; won vs. Virginia 31–17; won at Georgia 28–27; won vs. Kentucky 33–18+31−28Won 17–14 vs. Boston College+3Boston CollegeWon 35–10 vs. Mercer+25MercerWon 38–7 vs. Vanderbilt+31VanderbiltLost 7–26 vs. No. 5 Clemson-19No. 5 ClemsonLost 21–35 vs. No. 14 Miami-14No. 14 MiamiLost 34–37 at Pittsburgh-3PittsburghWon 35–24 vs. Georgia Southern+11Georgia SouthernWon 38–35 vs. Duke+3DukeLost 20–48 at No. 18 North Carolina-28No. 18 North CarolinaWon 30–20 at No. 18 Virginia Tech+10No. 18 Virginia TechWon 31–17 vs. Virginia+14VirginiaWon 28–27 at Georgia+1GeorgiaWon 33–18 vs. Kentucky+15Kentucky
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below; orange marks an upset win.
DateOpponentResultElo
Sep 3vsBoston CollegeW 17–⁠1458%
Sep 10vsMercerW 35–⁠1085%
Sep 17vsVanderbiltW 38–⁠766%
Sep 22vs5ClemsonL 7–⁠2631%
Oct 1vs14MiamiL 21–⁠3546%
Oct 8atPittsburghL 34–⁠3734%
Oct 15vsGeorgia SouthernW 35–⁠2451%
Oct 29vsDukeW 38–⁠3563%
Nov 5at18North CarolinaL 20–⁠4827%
Nov 12at18Virginia TechW 30–⁠2026%
Nov 19vsVirginiaW 31–⁠1777%
Nov 26atGeorgiaW 28–⁠2732%
Dec 31Bowls & playoffvsKentuckyGator BowlW 33–⁠1858%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Beat Kentucky 33–⁠18 in the Gator Bowl; unranked in the final AP poll; 8th in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

In program history: The 46th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 125 on file).

Record
9–⁠4
Conference
4–⁠4 8th in Atlantic Coast Conference
AP final
Unranked
Points
367–⁠318
Coach
Paul Johnson
Elo
1595 +91 this season
SP+ rating
7.8 No. 48 of 128; offense No. 33, defense No. 67, special teams No. 21
SRS
6.0 No. 40 of 128 in FBS
Returning
88% of last season’s EPA, No. 21 of 128
Recruiting class
No. 60 roster talent No. 50 in FBS
Defensive coordinator
Ted Roof
Offense
Flexbone triple option
Defense
Multiple 4–⁠3

How good, play by play

  • Offense41st of 128
  • Defense92nd of 128
  • Offense, opponent-adjusted38th of 128
  • Defense, opponent-adjusted95th of 128
EPA per playSuccessExplosivenessFBS rank
Offense0.1542%1.3241st of 128
Defense0.1748%1.1292nd of 128
Opponent-adjusted0.16 off
0.15 def		44% off
47% def		—38th off
95th 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 2915% allowed
Defense3.2own 2912% caused

CORE rating 2.6, 47th of 128 (offense 9.4, defense 6.8).

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 yardsJustin Thomas QB1,559 yds
Passing touchdownsJustin Thomas QB8 TD
Rushing yardsDedrick Mills RB771 yds
Rushing touchdownsDedrick Mills RB12 TD
Receiving yardsClinton Lynch 490 yds
Receiving touchdownsClinton Lynch 6 TD
TacklesCorey Griffin DB82 tkl
SacksPatrick Gamble DL7.5 sacks
InterceptionsLance Austin DB3 INT

Top recruits in the 2016 class

Parker Braun OG★★★No. 461
Jordan Woods SDE★★★No. 485
Emanuel Bridges OLB★★★No. 571
Xavier Gantt ATH★★★No. 612
Dedrick Mills RB★★★No. 740

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

The 2016 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Quarterbacks13.00.829
Running backs13.00.856
Receivers32.70.829
Offensive line23.00.842
Defensive line42.80.836
Linebackers23.00.851
Defensive backs22.50.812
Athletes and specialists23.00.859
Whole class172.80.838

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 2017

The 2017 draft
Rd 7Harrison Butker KCarolina Panthers

Roster 110

The 2016 roster

110 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2016 line; 55 have a stat line. See the roster

2016 Atlantic Coast Conference standings

Conference page
TeamConf.OverallAP final
Clemson7–⁠114–⁠11
Louisville7–⁠19–⁠421
Virginia Tech6–⁠210–⁠416
Florida State5–⁠310–⁠38
Miami5–⁠39–⁠420
North Carolina5–⁠38–⁠5
Pittsburgh5–⁠38–⁠5
Georgia Tech4–⁠49–⁠4
Wake Forest3–⁠57–⁠6
NC State3–⁠57–⁠6
Boston College2–⁠67–⁠6
Syracuse2–⁠64–⁠8
Duke1–⁠74–⁠8
Virginia1–⁠72–⁠10

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