CollegeFootballDigestfrom CooperSearch

2017 Marshall

8–⁠5 (4–⁠4 Conference USA), coached by Doc Holliday.

Schedule and results

Marshall in 2017, game by game: won vs. Miami (OH) 31–26; lost at NC State 20–37; won vs. Kent State 21–0; won at Cincinnati 38–21; won at Charlotte 14–3; won vs. Old Dominion 35–3; won at Middle Tennessee 38–10; lost vs. Florida International 30–41; lost at Florida Atlantic 25–30; won vs. Western Kentucky 30–23; lost at UTSA 7–9; lost vs. Southern Miss 27–28; won vs. Colorado State 31–28+32−17Won 31–26 vs. Miami (OH)+5Miami (OH)Lost 20–37 at NC State-17NC StateWon 21–0 vs. Kent State+21Kent StateWon 38–21 at Cincinnati+17CincinnatiWon 14–3 at Charlotte+11CharlotteWon 35–3 vs. Old Dominion+32Old DominionWon 38–10 at Middle Tennessee+28Middle TennesseeLost 30–41 vs. Florida International-11Florida Interna…Lost 25–30 at Florida Atlantic-5Florida AtlanticWon 30–23 vs. Western Kentucky+7Western KentuckyLost 7–9 at UTSA-2UTSALost 27–28 vs. Southern Miss-1Southern MissWon 31–28 vs. Colorado State+3Colorado State
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below.
DateOpponentResultElo
Sep 2vsMiami (OH)W 31–⁠2652%
Sep 9atNC StateL 20–⁠3731%
Sep 16vsKent StateW 21–⁠063%
Sep 30atCincinnatiW 38–⁠2144%
Oct 7atCharlotteW 14–⁠370%
Oct 14vsOld DominionW 35–⁠365%
Oct 20atMiddle TennesseeW 38–⁠1052%
Oct 28vsFlorida InternationalL 30–⁠4174%
Nov 3atFlorida AtlanticL 25–⁠3039%
Nov 11vsWestern KentuckyW 30–⁠2351%
Nov 18atUTSAL 7–⁠947%
Nov 25vsSouthern MissL 27–⁠2861%
Dec 16Bowls & playoffvsColorado StateNew Mexico BowlW 31–⁠2846%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Beat Colorado State 31–⁠28 in the New Mexico Bowl; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 6th in the Conference USA.

In program history: The 19th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 83 on file).

Record
8–⁠5
Conference
4–⁠4 tied for 6th in Conference USA
AP final
Unranked
Points
347–⁠259
Coach
Doc Holliday
Elo
1512 +87 this season
SP+ rating
-4.5 No. 85 of 128; offense No. 115, defense No. 41, special teams No. 64
SRS
−1.5 No. 73 of 130 in FBS
Returning
44% of last season’s EPA, No. 94 of 128
Recruiting class
No. 87 roster talent No. 77 in FBS
Offensive coordinator
Bill Legg
Defensive coordinator
Chuck Heater
Offense
Spread
Defense
3–⁠4

How good, play by play

  • Offense85th of 130
  • Defense39th of 130
  • Offense, opponent-adjusted104th of 130
  • Defense, opponent-adjusted50th of 130
EPA per playSuccessExplosivenessFBS rank
Offense0.0640%1.3285th of 130
Defense0.0238%1.2239th of 130
Opponent-adjusted0.03 off
0.06 def		38% off
40% def		—104th off
50th 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
Offense3.1own 3215% allowed
Defense3.1own 2918% caused

CORE rating 0.4, 62nd of 130 (offense -4.7, defense -5.0).

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 yardsChase Litton QB3,115 yds
Passing touchdownsChase Litton QB25 TD
Rushing yardsTyler King RB820 yds
Rushing touchdownsTyler King RB7 TD
Receiving yardsTyre Brady WR942 yds
Receiving touchdownsRyan Yurachek TE10 TD
TacklesChase Hancock LB128 tkl
SacksRyan Bee DL5.5 sacks
InterceptionsChris Jackson DB3 INT

Top recruits in the 2017 class

Darius Hodge ILB★★★No. 562
Monterio Hunt WR★★★No. 876
Sheldon Evans RB★★★No. 1175
Devin Miller TE★★★No. 1549
Koby Cumberlander WDE★★★No. 1569

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

The 2017 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Quarterbacks13.00.807
Running backs22.50.818
Receivers52.60.801
Offensive line12.00.796
Defensive line22.50.804
Linebackers13.00.867
Defensive backs22.50.796
Athletes and specialists22.00.778
Whole class162.50.804

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 98

The 2017 roster

98 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2017 line; 47 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.