CollegeFootballDigestfrom CooperSearch

2015 Marshall

10–⁠3 (6–⁠2 Conference USA), coached by Doc Holliday.

Schedule and results

Marshall in 2015, game by game: won vs. Purdue 41–31; lost at Ohio 10–21; won vs. Norfolk State 45–7; won at Kent State 36–29; won vs. Old Dominion 27–7; won vs. Southern Miss 31–10; won at Florida Atlantic 33–17; won vs. North Texas 30–13; won at Charlotte 34–10; lost at Middle Tennessee 24–27; won vs. Florida International 52–0; lost at Western Kentucky 28–49; won vs. UConn 16–10+52−21Won 41–31 vs. Purdue+10PurdueLost 10–21 at Ohio-11OhioWon 45–7 vs. Norfolk State+38Norfolk StateWon 36–29 at Kent State+7Kent StateWon 27–7 vs. Old Dominion+20Old DominionWon 31–10 vs. Southern Miss+21Southern MissWon 33–17 at Florida Atlantic+16Florida AtlanticWon 30–13 vs. North Texas+17North TexasWon 34–10 at Charlotte+24CharlotteLost 24–27 at Middle Tennessee-3Middle TennesseeWon 52–0 vs. Florida International+52Florida Interna…Lost 28–49 at Western Kentucky-21Western KentuckyWon 16–10 vs. UConn+6UConn
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below.
DateOpponentResultElo
Sep 6vsPurdueW 41–⁠3186%
Sep 12atOhioL 10–⁠2169%
Sep 19vsNorfolk StateW 45–⁠794%
Sep 26atKent StateW 36–⁠2976%
Oct 3vsOld DominionW 27–⁠785%
Oct 9vsSouthern MissW 31–⁠1085%
Oct 17atFlorida AtlanticW 33–⁠1779%
Oct 24vsNorth TexasW 30–⁠1393%
Oct 31atCharlotteW 34–⁠1090%
Nov 7atMiddle TennesseeL 24–⁠2775%
Nov 14vsFlorida InternationalW 52–⁠085%
Nov 27atWestern KentuckyL 28–⁠4945%
Dec 26Bowls & playoffvsUConnSt. Petersburg BowlW 16–⁠1075%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Beat UConn 16–⁠10 in the St. Petersburg Bowl; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 3rd in the Conference USA.

In program history: The 6th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 83 on file).

Record
10–⁠3
Conference
6–⁠2 tied for 3rd in Conference USA
AP final
Unranked
Points
407–⁠231
Coach
Doc Holliday
Elo
1638 −11 this season
SP+ rating
3.5 No. 64 of 128; offense No. 91, defense No. 24, special teams No. 109
SRS
−0.8 No. 73 of 128 in FBS
Returning
39% of last season’s EPA, No. 105 of 128
Recruiting class
No. 75 roster talent No. 72 in FBS
Offensive coordinator
Bill Legg
Defensive coordinator
Chuck Heater
Offense
Spread
Defense
3–⁠4

How good, play by play

  • Offense76th of 128
  • Defense9th of 128
  • Offense, opponent-adjusted95th of 128
  • Defense, opponent-adjusted29th of 128
EPA per playSuccessExplosivenessFBS rank
Offense0.0642%1.1576th of 128
Defense-0.0540%1.059th of 128
Opponent-adjusted0.04 off
0.02 def		40% off
43% def		—95th off
29th 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
Offense3.4own 332% allowed
Defense2.4own 262% caused

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. From CollegeFootballData.com.

Leaders

Passing yardsChase Litton QB2,605 yds
Passing touchdownsChase Litton QB23 TD
Rushing yardsDevon Johnson RB593 yds
Rushing touchdownsDevon Johnson RB5 TD
Receiving yardsDavonte Allen WR715 yds
Receiving touchdownsRyan Yurachek TE9 TD
InterceptionsRodney Allen DB3 INT

Top recruits in the 2015 class

Von Davis CB★★★No. 755
Antonio Howard CB★★★No. 1206
Ty Tyler OLB★★★No. 1214
Chase Litton PRO★★★No. 1229
Reggie Rogers S★★★No. 1229

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

The 2015 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Quarterbacks13.00.839
Receivers62.30.791
Offensive line32.30.791
Defensive line13.00.829
Linebackers52.80.811
Defensive backs62.70.814
Whole class222.60.806

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 114

The 2015 roster

114 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2015 line; 30 have a stat line. See the roster

2015 Conference USA standings

TeamConf.OverallAP final
Western Kentucky8–⁠012–⁠224
Southern Miss7–⁠19–⁠5
Marshall6–⁠210–⁠3
Louisiana Tech6–⁠29–⁠4
Middle Tennessee6–⁠27–⁠6
Rice3–⁠55–⁠7
Old Dominion3–⁠55–⁠7
Florida International3–⁠55–⁠7
UTEP3–⁠55–⁠7
UTSA3–⁠53–⁠9
Florida Atlantic3–⁠53–⁠9
North Texas1–⁠71–⁠11
Charlotte0–⁠82–⁠10

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