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2021 Marshall

7–⁠6 (5–⁠3 Conference USA), coached by Charles Huff.

Schedule and results

Marshall in 2021, game by game: won at Navy 49–7; won vs. North Carolina Central 44–10; lost vs. East Carolina 38–42; lost at App State 30–31; lost at Middle Tennessee 28–34; won vs. Old Dominion 20–13; won at North Texas 49–21; won vs. Florida International 38–0; won at Florida Atlantic 28–13; lost vs. UAB 14–21; won at Charlotte 49–28; lost vs. Western Kentucky 21–53; lost vs. No. 16 Louisiana 21–36+42−32Won 49–7 at Navy+42NavyWon 44–10 vs. North Carolina Central+34North Carolina …Lost 38–42 vs. East Carolina-4East CarolinaLost 30–31 at App State-1App StateLost 28–34 at Middle Tennessee-6Middle TennesseeWon 20–13 vs. Old Dominion+7Old DominionWon 49–21 at North Texas+28North TexasWon 38–0 vs. Florida International+38Florida Interna…Won 28–13 at Florida Atlantic+15Florida AtlanticLost 14–21 vs. UAB-7UABWon 49–28 at Charlotte+21CharlotteLost 21–53 vs. Western Kentucky-32Western KentuckyLost 21–36 vs. No. 16 Louisiana-15No. 16 Louisiana
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below.
DateOpponentResultElo
Sep 4atNavyW 49–⁠752%
Sep 11vsNorth Carolina CentralW 44–⁠1089%
Sep 18vsEast CarolinaL 38–⁠4275%
Sep 23atApp StateL 30–⁠3132%
Oct 2atMiddle TennesseeL 28–⁠3461%
Oct 9vsOld DominionW 20–⁠1381%
Oct 15atNorth TexasW 49–⁠2166%
Oct 30vsFlorida InternationalW 38–⁠084%
Nov 6atFlorida AtlanticW 28–⁠1342%
Nov 13vsUABL 14–⁠2160%
Nov 20atCharlotteW 49–⁠2866%
Nov 27vsWestern KentuckyL 21–⁠5359%
Dec 18Bowls & playoffvs16LouisianaNew Orleans BowlL 21–⁠3623%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Lost to Louisiana 36–⁠21 in the New Orleans Bowl; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 4th in the Conference USA.

In program history: The 17th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 83 on file).

Led the nationRasheen Ali: rushing touchdowns (23 TD), points (150 pts), points per game (11.54)

Record
7–⁠6
Conference
5–⁠3 tied for 4th in Conference USA
AP final
Unranked
Points
429–⁠309
Coach
Charles Huff
Elo
1531 −2 this season
SP+ rating
8.0 No. 51 of 130; offense No. 43, defense No. 41
SRS
1.5 No. 65 of 130 in FBS
Returning
70% of last season’s EPA, No. 73 of 128
Recruiting class
No. 125 roster talent No. 89 in FBS
Offensive coordinator
Tim Cramsey
Defensive coordinator
Lance Guidry
Offense
Pro spread
Defense
4–⁠3

How good, play by play

  • Offense58th of 130
  • Defense40th of 130
  • Offense, opponent-adjusted66th of 130
  • Defense, opponent-adjusted51st of 130
EPA per playSuccessExplosivenessFBS rank
Offense0.1546%1.1958th of 130
Defense0.0942%1.1940th of 130
Opponent-adjusted0.15 off
0.11 def		46% off
43% def		—66th off
51st 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
Offense4.0own 3013% allowed
Defense3.0own 2916% caused

CORE rating 5.9, 45th of 130 (offense 4.0, defense -1.9).

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 yardsGrant Wells QB3,532 yds
Passing touchdownsGrant Wells QB16 TD
Rushing yardsRasheen Ali RB1,401 yds
Rushing touchdownsRasheen Ali RB23 TD
Receiving yardsCorey Gammage WR878 yds
Receiving touchdownsShadeed Ahmed WR3 TD
TacklesAbraham Beauplan LB110 tkl
SacksElias Neal LB5.5 sacks
InterceptionsSteven Gilmore DB3 INT

Top recruits in the 2021 class

Chuck Montgomery ATH★★★No. 441
Caleb Coombs WR★★★No. 520
Isaiah Finnie LB★★★No. 1142
Cam Fancher QB★★★No. 1798
Jeremiah McClendon S★★★No. 1821

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

The 2021 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Quarterbacks23.00.825
Running backs12.00.797
Receivers13.00.880
Offensive line13.00.804
Defensive line13.00.816
Linebackers23.00.832
Defensive backs13.00.827
Athletes and specialists22.50.840
Whole class112.80.829

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 2022

The 2022 draft
Rd 7Nazeeh Johnson SKansas City Chiefs

Roster 103

The 2021 roster

103 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2021 line; 71 have a stat line. See the roster

Transfers in 6

The 2021 portal
Shane Simmons DL★★★from Penn State
Billy Ross OT★★★from North Carolina
LeAnthony Williams CB★★★★from Clemson
Jayden Harrison WR★★★from Vanderbilt
Steven Faucheux DL★★★from Purdue
TyQaze Leggs OL★★★from Austin Peay

Transfers out 13

Cain Madden OL★★★★to Notre Dame
Derrek Pitts S★★★to NC State
Jaquan Yulee LB★★★★no new school on file
Artie Henry III WR★★★to Virginia
Cedrick Wilcox RB★★★no new school on file
Devon King S★★★to East Carolina
Isaiah Green QB★★★to Tennessee State
Jhari Patterson WR★★★to East Carolina
Logan Clark TE★★★no new school on file
Broc Thompson WR★★to Purdue
G’Mone Wilson RB★★to East Carolina
Jason Heller WR★★no new school on file

And 1 more, lower-rated or unrated.

2021 Conference USA standings

TeamConf.OverallAP final
UTSA7–⁠112–⁠2
Western Kentucky7–⁠19–⁠5
UAB6–⁠29–⁠4
Marshall5–⁠37–⁠6
North Texas5–⁠36–⁠7
Old Dominion5–⁠36–⁠7
Middle Tennessee4–⁠47–⁠6
UTEP4–⁠47–⁠6
Charlotte3–⁠55–⁠7
Florida Atlantic3–⁠55–⁠7
Rice3–⁠54–⁠8
Southern Miss2–⁠63–⁠9
Louisiana Tech2–⁠63–⁠9
Florida International0–⁠81–⁠11

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