CollegeFootballDigestfrom CooperSearch

2017 Louisiana Tech

7–⁠6 (4–⁠4 Conference USA), coached by Skip Holtz.

Schedule and results

Louisiana Tech in 2017, game by game: won vs. Northwestern State 52–24; lost vs. Mississippi State 21–57; won at Western Kentucky 23–22; lost at South Carolina 16–17; won vs. South Alabama 34–16; lost at UAB 22–23; lost vs. Southern Miss 27–34; won at Rice 42–28; lost vs. North Texas 23–24; lost vs. Florida Atlantic 23–48; won at UTEP 42–21; won vs. UTSA 20–6; won vs. SMU 51–10+41−36Won 52–24 vs. Northwestern State+28Northwestern St…Lost 21–57 vs. Mississippi State-36Mississippi Sta…Won 23–22 at Western Kentucky+1Western KentuckyLost 16–17 at South Carolina-1South CarolinaWon 34–16 vs. South Alabama+18South AlabamaLost 22–23 at UAB-1UABLost 27–34 vs. Southern Miss-7Southern MissWon 42–28 at Rice+14RiceLost 23–24 vs. North Texas-1North TexasLost 23–48 vs. Florida Atlantic-25Florida AtlanticWon 42–21 at UTEP+21UTEPWon 20–6 vs. UTSA+14UTSAWon 51–10 vs. SMU+41SMU
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below.
DateOpponentResultElo
Sep 2vsNorthwestern StateW 52–⁠2491%
Sep 9vsMississippi StateL 21–⁠5755%
Sep 16atWestern KentuckyW 23–⁠2231%
Sep 23atSouth CarolinaL 16–⁠1745%
Sep 30vsSouth AlabamaW 34–⁠1676%
Oct 7atUABL 22–⁠2359%
Oct 21vsSouthern MissL 27–⁠3464%
Oct 28atRiceW 42–⁠2867%
Nov 4vsNorth TexasL 23–⁠2469%
Nov 11vsFlorida AtlanticL 23–⁠4853%
Nov 18atUTEPW 42–⁠2176%
Nov 25vsUTSAW 20–⁠658%
Dec 20Bowls & playoffvsSMUFrisco BowlW 51–⁠1053%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Beat SMU 51–⁠10 in the Frisco Bowl; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 6th in the Conference USA.

In program history: The 14th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 94 on file).

Record
7–⁠6
Conference
4–⁠4 tied for 6th in Conference USA
AP final
Unranked
Points
396–⁠330
Coach
Skip Holtz
Elo
1547 −12 this season
SP+ rating
-5.5 No. 92 of 128; offense No. 79, defense No. 96, special teams No. 50
SRS
−4.1 No. 85 of 130 in FBS
Returning
23% of last season’s EPA, No. 120 of 128
Recruiting class
No. 100 roster talent No. 86 in FBS
Offensive coordinator
Todd Fitch
Defensive coordinator
Blake Baker
Offense
Multiple
Defense
4–⁠3

How good, play by play

  • Offense29th of 130
  • Defense46th of 130
  • Offense, opponent-adjusted38th of 130
  • Defense, opponent-adjusted67th of 130
EPA per playSuccessExplosivenessFBS rank
Offense0.1647%1.0829th of 130
Defense0.0448%1.0646th of 130
Opponent-adjusted0.13 off
0.08 def		45% off
48% def		—38th off
67th 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
Offense3.9own 3115% allowed
Defense3.2own 3315% caused

CORE rating -0.5, 67th of 130 (offense 2.1, defense 2.7).

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 yardsJ’Mar Smith QB2,974 yds
Passing touchdownsJ’Mar Smith QB16 TD
Rushing yardsBoston Scott RB1,040 yds
Rushing touchdownsBoston Scott RB8 TD
Receiving yardsTeddy Veal WR950 yds
Receiving touchdownsTeddy Veal WR7 TD
TacklesDae’Von Washington LB70 tkl
SacksJaylon Ferguson DE7 sacks
InterceptionsAmik Robertson CB5 INT

Top recruits in the 2017 class

Jaiden Cole ATH★★★No. 630
Amik Robertson CB★★★No. 968
JaCorion Andrews CB★★★No. 1154
Elijah Walker PRO★★★No. 1499
Joshua Mote OC★★★No. 2143

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

The 2017 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Quarterbacks13.00.826
Receivers32.00.788
Offensive line22.50.791
Defensive line12.00.782
Linebackers12.00.786
Defensive backs32.70.828
Athletes and specialists22.50.801
Whole class132.40.802

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 6Boston Scott RBNew Orleans Saints

Roster 106

The 2017 roster

106 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2017 line; 62 have a stat line. See the roster

2017 Conference USA standings

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.