CollegeFootballDigestfrom CooperSearch

2015 Miami

8–⁠5 (5–⁠3 Atlantic Coast Conference), coached by Al Golden, then Larry Scott (interim, remainder of season).

Schedule and results

Miami in 2015, game by game: won vs. Bethune-Cookman 45–0; won at Florida Atlantic 44–20; won vs. Nebraska 36–33; lost at Cincinnati 23–34; lost at No. 12 Florida State 24–29; won vs. Virginia Tech 30–20; lost vs. No. 6 Clemson 0–58; won at No. 22 Duke 30–27; won vs. Virginia 27–21; lost at No. 17 North Carolina 21–59; won vs. Georgia Tech 38–21; won at Pittsburgh 29–24; lost vs. Washington State 14–20+45−58Won 45–0 vs. Bethune-Cookman+45Bethune-CookmanWon 44–20 at Florida Atlantic+24Florida AtlanticWon 36–33 vs. Nebraska+3NebraskaLost 23–34 at Cincinnati-11CincinnatiLost 24–29 at No. 12 Florida State-5No. 12 Florida StateWon 30–20 vs. Virginia Tech+10Virginia TechLost 0–58 vs. No. 6 Clemson-58No. 6 ClemsonWon 30–27 at No. 22 Duke+3No. 22 DukeWon 27–21 vs. Virginia+6VirginiaLost 21–59 at No. 17 North Carolina-38No. 17 North CarolinaWon 38–21 vs. Georgia Tech+17Georgia TechWon 29–24 at Pittsburgh+5PittsburghLost 14–20 vs. Washington State-6Washington State
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below; orange marks an upset win.
DateOpponentResultElo
Sep 5vsBethune-CookmanW 45–⁠076%
Sep 11atFlorida AtlanticW 44–⁠2062%
Sep 19vsNebraskaW 36–⁠3355%
Oct 1atCincinnatiL 23–⁠3448%
Oct 10at12Florida StateL 24–⁠2919%
Oct 17vsVirginia TechW 30–⁠2057%
Oct 24vs6ClemsonL 0–⁠5836%
Oct 31at22DukeW 30–⁠2730%
Nov 7vsVirginiaW 27–⁠2171%
Nov 14at17North CarolinaL 21–⁠5931%
Nov 21vsGeorgia TechW 38–⁠2158%
Nov 27atPittsburghW 29–⁠2437%
Dec 26Bowls & playoffvsWashington StateSun BowlL 14–⁠2057%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Lost to Washington State 20–⁠14 in the Sun Bowl; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 5th in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

In program history: The 49th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 96 on file).

Record
8–⁠5
Conference
5–⁠3 tied for 5th in Atlantic Coast Conference
AP final
Unranked
Points
361–⁠366
Coach
Al Golden, then Larry Scott (interim, remainder of season)
Elo
1572 +48 this season
SP+ rating
11.0 No. 35 of 128; offense No. 36, defense No. 54, special teams No. 12
SRS
6.1 No. 45 of 128 in FBS
Returning
65% of last season’s EPA, No. 60 of 128
Recruiting class
No. 27 roster talent No. 17 in FBS
Offensive coordinator
James Coley
Defensive coordinator
Mark D’Onofrio
Offense
Multiple pro-style
Defense
Multiple 4–⁠3

How good, play by play

  • Offense47th of 128
  • Defense81st of 128
  • Offense, opponent-adjusted45th of 128
  • Defense, opponent-adjusted66th of 128
EPA per playSuccessExplosivenessFBS rank
Offense0.1241%1.2547th of 128
Defense0.1249%1.0481st of 128
Opponent-adjusted0.13 off
0.09 def		43% off
45% def		—45th off
66th 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 311% allowed
Defense3.8own 293% 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 yardsBrad Kaaya QB3,242 yds
Passing touchdownsBrad Kaaya QB16 TD
Rushing yardsJoseph Yearby RB1,002 yds
Rushing touchdownsMark Walton RB9 TD
Receiving yardsRashawn Scott WR695 yds
Receiving touchdownsRashawn Scott WR5 TD
InterceptionsArtie Burns DB6 INT

Top recruits in the 2015 class

Mark Walton RB★★★★No. 83
Jaquan Johnson S★★★★No. 210
Bar Milo OT★★★★No. 214
Tyree St. Louis OT★★★★No. 298
Lawrence Cager WR★★★★No. 341

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

The 2015 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Quarterbacks13.00.803
Running backs14.00.961
Receivers14.00.893
Offensive line43.50.889
Defensive line23.00.857
Linebackers13.00.804
Defensive backs33.00.845
Whole class133.30.866

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 1Artie Burns CBPittsburgh Steelers
Rd 4Deon Bush SChicago Bears

Roster 121

The 2015 roster

121 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2015 line; 28 have a stat line. See the roster

2015 Atlantic Coast Conference standings

Conference page
TeamConf.OverallAP final
Clemson8–⁠014–⁠12
North Carolina8–⁠011–⁠315
Florida State6–⁠210–⁠314
Pittsburgh6–⁠28–⁠5
Miami5–⁠38–⁠5
Louisville5–⁠38–⁠5
Duke4–⁠48–⁠5
Virginia Tech4–⁠47–⁠6
NC State3–⁠57–⁠6
Virginia3–⁠54–⁠8
Syracuse2–⁠64–⁠8
Georgia Tech1–⁠73–⁠9
Wake Forest1–⁠73–⁠9
Boston College0–⁠83–⁠9

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