2020 Michigan State
2–5 (2–5 Big Ten), coached by Mel Tucker. Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest upsetBeat No. 11 Northwestern 29–20Nov 28
Northwestern was ranked No. 11 and favored to win.
- Most excitingBeat No. 13 Michigan 27–24Oct 31
The win probability swung the most, by CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 24 | vs Rutgers | L 27–38 | 80% |
| Oct 31 | at 13Michigan | W 27–24 | 22% |
| Nov 7 | at Iowa | L 7–49 | 32% |
| Nov 14 | vs 10Indiana | L 0–24 | 46% |
| Nov 28 | vs 11Northwestern | W 29–20 | 41% |
| Dec 5 | vs 3Ohio State | L 12–52 | 21% |
| Dec 12 | at Penn State | L 24–39 | 29% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Lost to Penn State 39–24; unranked in the final AP poll; 13th in the Big Ten.
In program history: The 85th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 122 on file).
- Record
- 2–5
- Conference
- 2–5 13th in Big Ten
- AP final
- Unranked
- Points
- 126–246
- Coach
- Mel Tucker
- Elo
- 1476 −74 this season
- SP+ rating
- -2.4 No. 80 of 130; offense No. 119, defense No. 21
- SRS
- −4.5 No. 54 of 77 in FBS
- Returning
- 15% of last season’s EPA, No. 129 of 130
- Recruiting class
- No. 43 roster talent No. 33 in FBS
- Offensive coordinator
- Jay Johnson
- Defensive coordinator
- Scottie Hazelton
- Offense
- Multiple
- Defense
- 4–3
How good, play by play
| EPA per play | Success | Explosiveness | FBS rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | -0.12 | 32% | 1.38 | 123rd of 127 |
| Defense | 0.08 | 39% | 1.28 | 50th of 127 |
| Opponent-adjusted | -0.02 off 0.10 def | 35% off 40% def | — | 125th off 53rd 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 40 | Average start | Havoc | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 2.5 | own 26 | 21% allowed |
| Defense | 3.7 | own 34 | 16% caused |
CORE rating -10.4, 101st of 127 (offense -15.1, defense -4.7).
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 yards | Rocky Lombardi QB | 1,090 yds |
| Passing touchdowns | Rocky Lombardi QB | 8 TD |
| Rushing yards | Jordan Simmons RB | 219 yds |
| Rushing touchdowns | Payton Thorne QB | 1 TD |
| Receiving yards | Jalen Nailor WR | 515 yds |
| Receiving touchdowns | Jalen Nailor WR | 4 TD |
| Tackles | Antjuan Simmons LB | 75 tkl |
| Sacks | Drew Beesley DE | 3 sacks |
| Interceptions | Shakur Brown CB | 5 INT |
Top recruits in the 2020 class
| Ricky White III WR | ★★★ | No. 414 |
| Darius Snow OLB | ★★★ | No. 430 |
| Dallas Fincher OG | ★★★ | No. 461 |
| Terry Lockett WR | ★★★ | No. 578 |
| Jordon Simmons RB | ★★★ | No. 605 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2020 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks | 1 | 3.0 | 0.850 |
| Running backs | 2 | 3.0 | 0.852 |
| Receivers | 6 | 2.8 | 0.857 |
| Offensive line | 2 | 3.0 | 0.861 |
| Defensive line | 6 | 3.0 | 0.854 |
| Linebackers | 5 | 2.8 | 0.846 |
| Defensive backs | 1 | 3.0 | 0.870 |
| Athletes and specialists | 1 | 3.0 | 0.834 |
| Whole class | 24 | 2.9 | 0.853 |
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 120
The 2020 roster120 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2020 line; 52 have a stat line. See the roster
All-Big Ten
1 first team, 1 second teamFirst team
Shakur BrownDBCoaches-1; Media-2
Second team
- Antjuan SimmonsLBCoaches-3; Media-2
From Wikipedia’s 2020 all-conference team article, with the selectors that named each player (AP-1: the Associated Press’s first team).
2020 Big Ten standings
Conference page| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio State | 5–0 | 7–1 | 2 |
| Northwestern | 6–1 | 7–2 | 10 |
| Indiana | 6–1 | 6–2 | 12 |
| Iowa | 6–2 | 6–2 | 16 |
 Wisconsin | 3–3 | 4–3 | |
| Penn State | 4–5 | 4–5 | |
 Minnesota | 3–4 | 3–4 | |
 Maryland | 2–3 | 2–3 | |
 Nebraska | 3–5 | 3–5 | |
| Rutgers | 3–6 | 3–6 | |
| Michigan | 2–4 | 2–4 | |
 Purdue | 2–4 | 2–4 | |
| Michigan State | 2–5 | 2–5 | |
 Illinois | 2–6 | 2–6 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.