CollegeFootballDigestfrom CooperSearch

2015 Massachusetts

3–⁠9 (2–⁠6 Mid-American Conference), coached by Mark Whipple.

Schedule and results

Massachusetts in 2015, game by game: lost at Colorado 14–48; lost vs. Temple 23–25; lost at No. 6 Notre Dame 27–62; won vs. Florida International 24–14; lost at Bowling Green 38–62; lost vs. Kent State 10–15; lost vs. No. 19 Toledo 35–51; lost at Ball State 10–20; lost vs. Akron 13–17; won at Eastern Michigan 28–17; lost vs. Miami (OH) 13–20; won at Buffalo 31–26+11−35Lost 14–48 at Colorado-34ColoradoLost 23–25 vs. Temple-2TempleLost 27–62 at No. 6 Notre Dame-35No. 6 Notre DameWon 24–14 vs. Florida International+10Florida Interna…Lost 38–62 at Bowling Green-24Bowling GreenLost 10–15 vs. Kent State-5Kent StateLost 35–51 vs. No. 19 Toledo-16No. 19 ToledoLost 10–20 at Ball State-10Ball StateLost 13–17 vs. Akron-4AkronWon 28–17 at Eastern Michigan+11Eastern MichiganLost 13–20 vs. Miami (OH)-7Miami (OH)Won 31–26 at Buffalo+5Buffalo
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below.
DateOpponentResultElo
Sep 12atColoradoL 14–⁠4842%
Sep 19vsTempleL 23–⁠2530%
Sep 26at6Notre DameL 27–⁠6211%
Oct 3vsFlorida InternationalW 24–⁠1447%
Oct 10atBowling GreenL 38–⁠6220%
Oct 17vsKent StateL 10–⁠1555%
Oct 24vs19ToledoL 35–⁠5118%
Oct 31atBall StateL 10–⁠2032%
Nov 7vsAkronL 13–⁠1742%
Nov 14atEastern MichiganW 28–⁠1751%
Nov 21vsMiami (OH)L 13–⁠2064%
Nov 27atBuffaloW 31–⁠2624%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Beat Buffalo 31–⁠26; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 9th in the Mid-American Conference.

In program history: The 33rd-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 91 on file).

Led the nationTajae Sharpe: receptions (111 catches)

Record
3–⁠9
Conference
2–⁠6 tied for 9th in Mid-American Conference
AP final
Unranked
Points
266–⁠377
Coach
Mark Whipple
Elo
1310 −59 this season
SP+ rating
-9.5 No. 99 of 128; offense No. 106, defense No. 75, special teams No. 123
SRS
−13.6 No. 105 of 128 in FBS
Returning
85% of last season’s EPA, No. 21 of 128
Recruiting class
No. 107 roster talent No. 116 in FBS

How good, play by play

  • Offense105th of 128
  • Defense83rd of 128
  • Offense, opponent-adjusted112th of 128
  • Defense, opponent-adjusted93rd of 128
EPA per playSuccessExplosivenessFBS rank
Offense-0.0040%1.21105th of 128
Defense0.1246%1.0983rd of 128
Opponent-adjusted-0.01 off
0.13 def		38% off
47% def		—112th off
93rd 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
Offense3.3own 282% allowed
Defense3.9own 322% 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 yardsBlake Frohnapfel QB2,919 yds
Passing touchdownsBlake Frohnapfel QB16 TD
Rushing yardsMarquis Young RB960 yds
Rushing touchdownsMarquis Young RB7 TD
Receiving yardsTajae Sharpe WR1,319 yds
Receiving touchdownsTajae Sharpe WR5 TD
InterceptionsTrey Dudley-Giles DB4 INT

Top recruits in the 2015 class

Sekai Lindsay RB★★★No. 851
Andy Isabella ATH★★★No. 1201
Reche Thomas OG★★★No. 1546
Michael Yerardi OT★★★No. 2107
Jack Driscoll OT★★No. 2243

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

The 2015 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Quarterbacks12.00.761
Running backs13.00.854
Receivers22.00.720
Offensive line52.40.793
Defensive line32.00.785
Linebackers22.00.749
Defensive backs42.00.752
Athletes and specialists22.50.794
Whole class202.20.773

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 2016

The 2016 draft
Rd 5Tajae Sharpe WRTennessee Titans

Roster 125

The 2015 roster

125 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2015 line; 34 have a stat line. See the roster

2015 Mid-American Conference standings

Conference page
TeamConf.OverallAP final
Bowling Green7–⁠110–⁠4
Toledo6–⁠210–⁠2
Western Michigan6–⁠28–⁠5
Northern Illinois6–⁠28–⁠6
Central Michigan6–⁠27–⁠6
Akron5–⁠38–⁠5
Ohio5–⁠38–⁠5
Buffalo3–⁠55–⁠7
Ball State2–⁠63–⁠9
Miami (OH)2–⁠63–⁠9
Kent State2–⁠63–⁠9
Massachusetts2–⁠63–⁠9
Eastern Michigan0–⁠81–⁠11

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