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2015 Middle Tennessee

7–⁠6 (6–⁠2 Conference USA), coached by Rick Stockstill.

Schedule and results

Middle Tennessee in 2015, game by game: won vs. Jackson State 70–14; lost at No. 2 Alabama 10–37; won vs. Charlotte 73–14; lost at Illinois 25–27; lost vs. Vanderbilt 13–17; lost at Western Kentucky 28–58; won vs. Florida International 42–34; lost at Louisiana Tech 16–45; won vs. Marshall 27–24; won at Florida Atlantic 24–17; won vs. North Texas 41–7; won at UTSA 42–7; lost vs. Western Michigan 31–45+59−30Won 70–14 vs. Jackson State+56Jackson StateLost 10–37 at No. 2 Alabama-27No. 2 AlabamaWon 73–14 vs. Charlotte+59CharlotteLost 25–27 at Illinois-2IllinoisLost 13–17 vs. Vanderbilt-4VanderbiltLost 28–58 at Western Kentucky-30Western KentuckyWon 42–34 vs. Florida International+8Florida Interna…Lost 16–45 at Louisiana Tech-29Louisiana TechWon 27–24 vs. Marshall+3MarshallWon 24–17 at Florida Atlantic+7Florida AtlanticWon 41–7 vs. North Texas+34North TexasWon 42–7 at UTSA+35UTSALost 31–45 vs. Western Michigan-14Western Michigan
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below.
DateOpponentResultElo
Sep 5vsJackson StateW 70–⁠1481%
Sep 12at2AlabamaL 10–⁠3713%
Sep 19vsCharlotteW 73–⁠1475%
Sep 26atIllinoisL 25–⁠2742%
Oct 3vsVanderbiltL 13–⁠1764%
Oct 10atWestern KentuckyL 28–⁠5824%
Oct 17vsFlorida InternationalW 42–⁠3460%
Oct 24atLouisiana TechL 16–⁠4526%
Nov 7vsMarshallW 27–⁠2425%
Nov 14atFlorida AtlanticW 24–⁠1755%
Nov 21vsNorth TexasW 41–⁠780%
Nov 28atUTSAW 42–⁠758%
Dec 24Bowls & playoffvsWestern MichiganBahamas BowlL 31–⁠4545%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Lost to Western Michigan 45–⁠31 in the Bahamas Bowl; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 3rd in the Conference USA.

In program history: The 6th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 63 on file).

Record
7–⁠6
Conference
6–⁠2 tied for 3rd in Conference USA
AP final
Unranked
Points
442–⁠346
Coach
Rick Stockstill
Elo
1485 +38 this season
SP+ rating
-4.6 No. 90 of 128; offense No. 74, defense No. 92, special teams No. 69
SRS
−4.2 No. 84 of 128 in FBS
Returning
74% of last season’s EPA, No. 43 of 128
Recruiting class
No. 86 roster talent No. 82 in FBS
Offensive coordinator
Buster Faulkner
Defensive coordinators
Steve Ellis and Tyrone Nix
Offense
Pro spread
Defense
4–⁠3

How good, play by play

  • Offense64th of 128
  • Defense30th of 128
  • Offense, opponent-adjusted65th of 128
  • Defense, opponent-adjusted44th of 128
EPA per playSuccessExplosivenessFBS rank
Offense0.0844%1.1464th of 128
Defense0.0144%1.0830th of 128
Opponent-adjusted0.09 off
0.05 def		44% off
45% def		—65th off
44th 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
Offense3.9own 291% allowed
Defense2.7own 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 yardsBrent Stockstill QB4,005 yds
Passing touchdownsBrent Stockstill QB30 TD
Rushing yardsJordan Parker RB470 yds
Rushing touchdownsJordan Parker RB6 TD
Receiving yardsRichie James WR1,346 yds
Receiving touchdownsEd’Marques Batties WR13 TD
InterceptionsKevin Byard S4 INT

Top recruits in the 2015 class

Ruben Garnett APB★★★No. 872
Terelle West ATH★★★No. 1447
Josh Fannin OG★★★No. 1564
Chandler Brewer OG★★★No. 1891
Vernon Walker S★★★No. 1906

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

The 2015 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Quarterbacks12.00.786
Running backs22.50.798
Receivers12.00.795
Offensive line32.70.804
Defensive line32.00.772
Defensive backs52.20.776
Athletes and specialists32.70.788
Whole class182.30.786

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 3Kevin Byard STennessee Titans

Roster 114

The 2015 roster

114 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2015 line; 37 have a stat line. See the roster

2015 Conference USA standings

Conference page
TeamConf.OverallAP final
Western Kentucky8–⁠012–⁠224
Southern Miss7–⁠19–⁠5
Marshall6–⁠210–⁠3
Louisiana Tech6–⁠29–⁠4
Middle Tennessee6–⁠27–⁠6
Rice3–⁠55–⁠7
Old Dominion3–⁠55–⁠7
Florida International3–⁠55–⁠7
UTEP3–⁠55–⁠7
UTSA3–⁠53–⁠9
Florida Atlantic3–⁠53–⁠9
North Texas1–⁠71–⁠11
Charlotte0–⁠82–⁠10

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