CollegeFootballDigestfrom CooperSearch

2019 Michigan State

7–⁠6 (4–⁠5 Big Ten), coached by Mark Dantonio.

Schedule and results

Michigan State in 2019, game by game: won vs. Tulsa 28–7; won vs. Western Michigan 51–17; lost vs. Arizona State 7–10; won at Northwestern 31–10; won vs. Indiana 40–31; lost at No. 4 Ohio State 10–34; lost at No. 8 Wisconsin 0–38; lost vs. No. 6 Penn State 7–28; lost vs. Illinois 34–37; lost at No. 14 Michigan 10–44; won at Rutgers 27–0; won vs. Maryland 19–16; won vs. Wake Forest 27–21+34−38Won 28–7 vs. Tulsa+21TulsaWon 51–17 vs. Western Michigan+34Western MichiganLost 7–10 vs. Arizona State-3Arizona StateWon 31–10 at Northwestern+21NorthwesternWon 40–31 vs. Indiana+9IndianaLost 10–34 at No. 4 Ohio State-24No. 4 Ohio StateLost 0–38 at No. 8 Wisconsin-38No. 8 WisconsinLost 7–28 vs. No. 6 Penn State-21No. 6 Penn StateLost 34–37 vs. Illinois-3IllinoisLost 10–44 at No. 14 Michigan-34No. 14 MichiganWon 27–0 at Rutgers+27RutgersWon 19–16 vs. Maryland+3MarylandWon 27–21 vs. Wake Forest+6Wake Forest
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below.
DateOpponentResultElo
Aug 30vsTulsaW 28–⁠776%
Sep 7vsWestern MichiganW 51–⁠1769%
Sep 14vsArizona StateL 7–⁠1063%
Sep 21atNorthwesternW 31–⁠1039%
Sep 28vsIndianaW 40–⁠3174%
Oct 5at4Ohio StateL 10–⁠3423%
Oct 12at8WisconsinL 0–⁠3832%
Oct 26vs6Penn StateL 7–⁠2836%
Nov 9vsIllinoisL 34–⁠3771%
Nov 16at14MichiganL 10–⁠4423%
Nov 23atRutgersW 27–⁠073%
Nov 30vsMarylandW 19–⁠1678%
Dec 27Bowls & playoffvsWake ForestPinstripe BowlW 27–⁠2149%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Beat Wake Forest 27–⁠21 in the Pinstripe Bowl; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 8th in the Big Ten.

In program history: The 45th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 122 on file).

AP poll, week by week

  1. Wk 1: 18
  2. Wk 2: 19
  3. Wk 3: 18
  4. Wk 5: 25
  5. Wk 6: 25

Burlsworth TrophyKenny Willekes, DE

Record
7–⁠6
Conference
4–⁠5 tied for 8th in Big Ten
AP final
Unranked peak No. 18
Points
291–⁠293
Coach
Mark Dantonio
Elo
1575 +15 this season
SP+ rating
7.2 No. 41 of 130; offense No. 91, defense No. 13, special teams No. 101
SRS
5.2 No. 42 of 130 in FBS
Returning
93% of last season’s EPA, No. 4 of 130
Recruiting class
No. 32 roster talent No. 31 in FBS
Offensive coordinator
Brad Salem
Defensive coordinator
Mike Tressel

How good, play by play

  • Offense104th of 130
  • Defense20th of 130
  • Offense, opponent-adjusted98th of 130
  • Defense, opponent-adjusted20th of 130
EPA per playSuccessExplosivenessFBS rank
Offense0.0240%1.14104th of 130
Defense0.0138%1.1720th of 130
Opponent-adjusted0.06 off
0.01 def		42% off
38% def		—98th off
20th 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
Offense2.9own 3018% allowed
Defense3.4own 2925% caused

CORE rating 7.0, 33rd of 130 (offense -4.2, defense -11.2).

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 yardsBrian Lewerke QB3,079 yds
Passing touchdownsBrian Lewerke QB17 TD
Rushing yardsElijah Collins RB988 yds
Rushing touchdownsElijah Collins RB5 TD
Receiving yardsCody White WR922 yds
Receiving touchdownsCody White WR6 TD
TacklesAntjuan Simmons LB90 tkl
SacksKenny Willekes DE10.5 sacks
InterceptionsJosiah Scott CB3 INT

Top recruits in the 2019 class

Devontae Dobbs OG★★★★No. 51
Julian Barnett CB★★★★No. 57
Luke Fulton ILB★★★★No. 418
Michael Fletcher SDE★★★★No. 418
Tre’Von Morgan WR★★★No. 473

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

The 2019 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Quarterbacks13.00.854
Running backs23.00.867
Receivers33.00.880
Offensive line53.20.891
Defensive line43.30.869
Linebackers23.50.876
Defensive backs14.00.972
Athletes and specialists43.00.821
Whole class223.20.871

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 2020

The 2020 draft
Rd 4Josiah Scott CBJacksonville Jaguars
Rd 7Kenny Willekes DEMinnesota Vikings

Roster 119

The 2019 roster

119 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2019 line; 61 have a stat line. See the roster

All-Big Ten

1 first team, 2 second team

First team

Second team

From Wikipedia’s 2019 all-conference team article, with the selectors that named each player (AP-1: the Associated Press’s first team).

2019 Big Ten standings

Conference page
TeamConf.OverallAP final
Ohio State9–⁠013–⁠13
Penn State7–⁠211–⁠29
Minnesota7–⁠211–⁠210
Wisconsin7–⁠210–⁠411
Iowa6–⁠310–⁠315
Michigan6–⁠39–⁠418
Indiana5–⁠48–⁠5
Michigan State4–⁠57–⁠6
Illinois4–⁠56–⁠7
Nebraska3–⁠65–⁠7
Purdue3–⁠64–⁠8
Maryland1–⁠83–⁠9
Northwestern1–⁠83–⁠9
Rutgers0–⁠92–⁠10

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