CollegeFootballDigestfrom CooperSearch

2017 Louisiana

5–⁠7 (4–⁠4 Sun Belt Conference), coached by Mark Hudspeth.

Schedule and results

Louisiana in 2017, game by game: won vs. SE Louisiana 51–48; lost at Tulsa 42–66; lost at Texas A&M 21–45; lost vs. UL Monroe 50–56; won at Idaho 21–16; won vs. Texas State 24–7; lost at Arkansas State 3–47; won at South Alabama 19–14; lost at Ole Miss 22–50; won vs. New Mexico State 47–34; lost vs. Georgia Southern 24–34; lost at App State 14–63+17−49Won 51–48 vs. SE Louisiana+3SE LouisianaLost 42–66 at Tulsa-24TulsaLost 21–45 at Texas A&M-24Texas A&MLost 50–56 vs. UL Monroe-6UL MonroeWon 21–16 at Idaho+5IdahoWon 24–7 vs. Texas State+17Texas StateLost 3–47 at Arkansas State-44Arkansas StateWon 19–14 at South Alabama+5South AlabamaLost 22–50 at Ole Miss-28Ole MissWon 47–34 vs. New Mexico State+13New Mexico StateLost 24–34 vs. Georgia Southern-10Georgia SouthernLost 14–63 at App State-49App State
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below.
DateOpponentResultElo
Sep 2vsSE LouisianaW 51–⁠4873%
Sep 9atTulsaL 42–⁠6629%
Sep 16atTexas A&ML 21–⁠4526%
Sep 23vsUL MonroeL 50–⁠5668%
Oct 7atIdahoW 21–⁠1635%
Oct 12vsTexas StateW 24–⁠779%
Oct 19atArkansas StateL 3–⁠4728%
Nov 4atSouth AlabamaW 19–⁠1442%
Nov 11atOle MissL 22–⁠5031%
Nov 18vsNew Mexico StateW 47–⁠3462%
Nov 25vsGeorgia SouthernL 24–⁠3472%
Dec 2atApp StateL 14–⁠6321%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Lost to App State 63–⁠14; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 5th in the Sun Belt Conference.

In program history: The 35th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 92 on file).

Record
5–⁠7
Conference
4–⁠4 tied for 5th in Sun Belt Conference
AP final
Unranked
Points
338–⁠480
Coach
Mark Hudspeth
Elo
1385 −70 this season
SP+ rating
-15.8 No. 115 of 128; offense No. 73, defense No. 127, special teams No. 80
SRS
−18.7 No. 122 of 130 in FBS
Returning
22% of last season’s EPA, No. 123 of 128
Recruiting class
No. 121 roster talent No. 112 in FBS
Offensive coordinator
Rob Sale
Defensive coordinator
Charlie Harbison

How good, play by play

  • Offense59th of 130
  • Defense121st of 130
  • Offense, opponent-adjusted90th of 130
  • Defense, opponent-adjusted129th of 130
EPA per playSuccessExplosivenessFBS rank
Offense0.0942%1.2959th of 130
Defense0.2550%1.17121st of 130
Opponent-adjusted0.05 off
0.24 def		41% off
52% def		—90th off
129th 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
Offense3.6own 3316% allowed
Defense4.1own 3314% caused

CORE rating -13.4, 111th of 130 (offense -0.5, defense 12.9).

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 yardsJordan Davis QB1,386 yds
Passing touchdownsJordan Davis QB10 TD
Rushing yardsTrey Ragas RB813 yds
Rushing touchdownsTrey Ragas RB9 TD
Receiving yardsRyheem Malone WR676 yds
Receiving touchdownsRyheem Malone WR4 TD
TacklesTracy Walker DB97 tkl
SacksJoe Dillon LB4.5 sacks
InterceptionsTracy Walker DB2 INT

Top recruits in the 2017 class

Chase Rogers TE★★★No. 676
Lavante Epson OG★★★No. 960
Levi Lewis ATH★★★No. 1822
Sammy Ochoa DT★★★No. 1843
Schdarren Archie ATH★★★No. 2084

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

The 2017 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Quarterbacks12.00.776
Receivers22.50.816
Offensive line42.30.789
Defensive line32.30.793
Defensive backs22.00.767
Athletes and specialists23.00.807
Whole class142.40.792

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.

Drafted in 2018

The 2018 draft
Rd 3Tracy Walker SDetroit Lions
Rd 6Simeon Thomas CBCleveland Browns

Roster 117

The 2017 roster

117 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2017 line; 67 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.