2021 Louisiana Tech
3–9 (2–6 Conference USA), coached by Skip Holtz. Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest winBeat Charlotte 42–32Nov 13
By 10 points, its widest win.
- Most excitingBeat SE Louisiana 45–42Sep 11
The win probability swung the most, by CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 4 | at Mississippi State | L 34–35 | 41% |
| Sep 11 | vs SE Louisiana | W 45–42 | 72% |
| Sep 18 | vs SMU | L 37–39 | 46% |
| Sep 25 | vs North Texas | W 24–17 | 70% |
| Oct 2 | at 23NC State | L 27–34 | 33% |
| Oct 16 | at UTEP | L 3–19 | 44% |
| Oct 23 | vs 24UTSA | L 16–45 | 40% |
| Oct 30 | at Old Dominion | L 20–23 | 61% |
| Nov 6 | at UAB | L 38–52 | 23% |
| Nov 13 | vs Charlotte | W 42–32 | 55% |
| Nov 19 | vs Southern Miss | L 19–35 | 75% |
| Nov 27 | at Rice | L 31–35 | 47% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Lost to Rice 35–31; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 12th in the Conference USA.
In program history: The 46th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 94 on file).
- Record
- 3–9
- Conference
- 2–6 tied for 12th in Conference USA
- AP final
- Unranked
- Points
- 336–408
- Coach
- Skip Holtz
- Elo
- 1355 −130 this season
- SP+ rating
- -11.6 No. 108 of 130; offense No. 93, defense No. 112
- SRS
- −9.1 No. 103 of 130 in FBS
- Returning
- 70% of last season’s EPA, No. 72 of 128
- Recruiting class
- No. 121 roster talent No. 76 in FBS
- Offensive coordinator
- Joe Sloan
- Defensive coordinator
- David Blackwell
- Offense
- Multiple
- Defense
- 3–4
How good, play by play
| EPA per play | Success | Explosiveness | FBS rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 0.10 | 41% | 1.32 | 83rd of 130 |
| Defense | 0.20 | 44% | 1.34 | 96th of 130 |
| Opponent-adjusted | 0.10 off 0.19 def | 42% off 45% def | — | 89th off 101st 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 | 3.4 | own 31 | 17% allowed |
| Defense | 4.3 | own 30 | 14% caused |
CORE rating -7.0, 92nd of 130 (offense -0.5, defense 6.5).
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 | Austin Kendall QB | 1,884 yds |
| Passing touchdowns | Austin Kendall QB | 13 TD |
| Rushing yards | Marcus Williams Jr. RB | 792 yds |
| Rushing touchdowns | Marcus Williams Jr. RB | 8 TD |
| Receiving yards | Smoke Harris WR | 756 yds |
| Receiving touchdowns | Smoke Harris WR | 6 TD |
| Tackles | Tyler Grubbs LB | 97 tkl |
| Sacks | Ben Bell DL | 3.5 sacks |
| Interceptions | Bee Jay Williamson DB | 3 INT |
Top recruits in the 2021 class
| J’Dan Burnett LB | ★★★ | No. 864 |
| Cyrus Allen WR | ★★★ | No. 937 |
| Kenneth Bannister OT | ★★★ | No. 992 |
| Solo Lewis WR | ★★★ | No. 1154 |
| Jerrell Boykins Jr. DL | ★★★ | No. 1588 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2021 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Running backs | 1 | 3.0 | 0.811 |
| Receivers | 2 | 3.0 | 0.855 |
| Offensive line | 1 | 3.0 | 0.857 |
| Defensive line | 3 | 3.0 | 0.829 |
| Linebackers | 2 | 3.0 | 0.849 |
| Defensive backs | 1 | 3.0 | 0.822 |
| Whole class | 10 | 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 95
The 2021 roster95 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2021 line; 61 have a stat line. See the roster
Transfers in 9
The 2021 portal Austin Kendall QB | ★★★ | from  West Virginia |
 Samuel Williams OT | ★★★ | from  UL Monroe |
 Baylen Buchanan CB | ★★★ | from  Tennessee |
 Elijah Hamilton CB | ★★★ | from  Vanderbilt |
| Keyon Brooks RB | ★★★ | from Vanderbilt |
 Marcus Williams Jr. RB | ★★★ | from  App State |
 Myles Mason S | ★★★ | from  Arkansas |
 Samuel Emilus WR | ★★★ | from  Massachusetts |
 Christopher Fournier OL | from  Lehigh |
Transfers out 11
 Kody Russey OL | ★★★ | to  Houston |
| C.J. Johnson CB | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| Christian Henderson OT | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| Jakson Thomson QB | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| Steve Ballard OT | ★★★ | to  Northwestern State |
| Wayne Toussant WR | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| Willie Allen OT | ★★★ | to  Michigan |
| Antawn Lewis OT | ★★ | to  South Alabama |
| Cee Jay Powell WR | ★★ | no new school on file |
| Gabe Siemieniec K | no new school on file | |
| Westin Elliott QB | to  Merrimack |
2021 Conference USA standings
| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
| UTSA | 7–1 | 12–2 | |
 Western Kentucky | 7–1 | 9–5 | |
| UAB | 6–2 | 9–4 | |
 Marshall | 5–3 | 7–6 | |
| North Texas | 5–3 | 6–7 | |
| Old Dominion | 5–3 | 6–7 | |
 Middle Tennessee | 4–4 | 7–6 | |
| UTEP | 4–4 | 7–6 | |
| Charlotte | 3–5 | 5–7 | |
 Florida Atlantic | 3–5 | 5–7 | |
| Rice | 3–5 | 4–8 | |
| Southern Miss | 2–6 | 3–9 | |
| Louisiana Tech | 2–6 | 3–9 | |
 Florida International | 0–8 | 1–11 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.