2023 Jacksonville State
9–4 (6–2 Conference USA), coached by Rich Rodriguez. Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest winBeat East Tennessee State 49–3Sep 2
By 46 points, its widest win.
- Most excitingBeat Louisiana 34–31Dec 16
The win probability swung the most, by CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 26 | vs UTEP | W 17–14 | 57% |
| Sep 2 | vs East Tennessee State | W 49–3 | 78% |
| Sep 9 | at Coastal Carolina | L 16–30 | 35% |
| Sep 23 | vs Eastern Michigan | W 21–0 | 48% |
| Sep 28 | at Sam Houston | W 35–28 | 63% |
| Oct 4 | at Middle Tennessee | W 45–30 | 50% |
| Oct 10 | vs Liberty | L 13–31 | 46% |
| Oct 17 | vs Western Kentucky | W 20–17 | 46% |
| Oct 25 | at Florida International | W 41–16 | 66% |
| Nov 4 | at South Carolina | L 28–38 | 48% |
| Nov 18 | vs Louisiana Tech | W 56–17 | 80% |
| Nov 25 | at New Mexico State | L 17–20 | 34% |
| Dec 16Bowls & playoff | vs LouisianaNew Orleans Bowl | W 34–31 | 50% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Beat Louisiana 34–31 in the New Orleans Bowl; unranked in the final AP poll; 3rd in the Conference USA.
In program history: The 7th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 46 on file).
- Record
- 9–4
- Conference
- 6–2 3rd in Conference USA
- AP final
- Unranked
- Points
- 392–275
- Coach
- Rich Rodriguez
- Elo
- 1522 +89 this season
- SP+ rating
- -1.6 No. 70 of 133; offense No. 76, defense No. 57, special teams No. 86
- SRS
- −1.8 No. 72 of 133 in FBS
- Recruiting class
- No. 163 roster talent No. 129 in FBS
- Offensive coordinator
- Rod Smith
- Defensive coordinator
- Zac Alley
- Offense
- Spread option
- Defense
- Multiple 4–2–5
How good, play by play
| EPA per play | Success | Explosiveness | FBS rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 0.03 | 42% | 1.18 | 96th of 133 |
| Defense | -0.04 | 36% | 1.28 | 10th of 133 |
| Opponent-adjusted | 0.02 off 0.01 def | 40% off 37% def | — | 115th off 17th 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 | 3.8 | own 31 | 16% allowed |
| Defense | 3.3 | own 27 | 18% caused |
CORE rating -0.1, 64th of 133 (offense -9.4, defense -9.2).
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 | Zion Webb QB | 1,437 yds |
| Passing touchdowns | Logan Smothers QB | 6 TD |
| Rushing yards | Malik Jackson RB | 897 yds |
| Rushing touchdowns | Logan Smothers QB | 7 TD |
| Receiving yards | Perry Carter WR | 687 yds |
| Receiving touchdowns | Sean Brown TE | 5 TD |
| Tackles | Quae Drake LB | 92 tkl |
| Sacks | Chris Hardie DE | 7.5 sacks |
| Interceptions | Kekoura Tarnue S | 3 INT |
Top recruits in the 2023 class
| Anthony Benjamin WR | ★★★ | No. 1710 |
| Earl Woods III QB | ★★★ | No. 1764 |
| Geimere Latimer Jr. CB | ||
| Dee Newsome CB | ||
| Travis Franklin Jr. CB |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2023 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks | 1 | 3.0 | 0.839 |
| Receivers | 1 | 3.0 | 0.840 |
| Whole class | 2 | 3.0 | 0.839 |
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 129
The 2023 roster129 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2023 line; 71 have a stat line. See the roster
Transfers in 2
The 2023 portal Dallan Wright WR | ★★★ | from  Virginia Tech |
 Malik Jackson RB | ★★★ | from  UL Monroe |
Transfers out 0
No transfers out.
2023 Conference USA standings
Conference page| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty | 8–0 | 13–1 | 25 |
| New Mexico State | 7–1 | 10–5 | |
 Jacksonville State | 6–2 | 9–4 | |
| Western Kentucky | 5–3 | 8–5 | |
| Middle Tennessee | 3–5 | 4–8 | |
| Louisiana Tech | 2–6 | 3–9 | |
| UTEP | 2–6 | 3–9 | |
| Sam Houston | 2–6 | 3–9 | |
| Florida International | 1–7 | 4–8 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.