2016 Middle Tennessee
8–5 (5–3 Conference USA), coached by Rick Stockstill. Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest winBeat Alabama A&M 55–0Sep 3
By 55 points, its widest win.
- Most excitingBeat Missouri 51–45Oct 22
The win probability swung the most, by CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 3 | vs Alabama A&M | W 55–0 | 86% |
| Sep 10 | at Vanderbilt | L 24–47 | 52% |
| Sep 17 | at Bowling Green | W 41–21 | 31% |
| Sep 24 | vs Louisiana Tech | W 38–34 | 53% |
| Oct 1 | at North Texas | W 30–13 | 65% |
| Oct 15 | vs Western Kentucky | L 43–44 | 49% |
| Oct 22 | at Missouri | W 51–45 | 51% |
| Oct 29 | at Florida International | W 42–35 | 73% |
| Nov 5 | vs UTSA | L 25–45 | 77% |
| Nov 12 | at Marshall | L 17–42 | 59% |
| Nov 19 | at Charlotte | W 38–31 | 65% |
| Nov 26 | vs Florida Atlantic | W 77–56 | 78% |
| Dec 24Bowls & playoff | vs Hawai’iHawai’i Bowl | L 35–52 | 66% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Lost to Hawai’i 52–35 in the Hawai’i Bowl; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 4th in the Conference USA.
In program history: The 10th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 63 on file).
- Record
- 8–5
- Conference
- 5–3 tied for 4th in Conference USA
- AP final
- Unranked
- Points
- 516–465
- Coach
- Rick Stockstill
- Elo
- 1464 −26 this season
- SP+ rating
- -1.9 No. 74 of 128; offense No. 33, defense No. 111, special teams No. 69
- SRS
- −7.4 No. 93 of 128 in FBS
- Returning
- 78% of last season’s EPA, No. 37 of 128
- Recruiting class
- No. 96 roster talent No. 85 in FBS
- Offensive coordinator
- Tony Franklin
- Defensive coordinator
- Tyrone Nix
- Offense
- Air raid
- Defense
- 4–3
How good, play by play
| EPA per play | Success | Explosiveness | FBS rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 0.23 | 45% | 1.34 | 15th of 128 |
| Defense | 0.12 | 46% | 1.15 | 67th of 128 |
| Opponent-adjusted | 0.17 off 0.16 def | 42% off 48% def | — | 30th off 98th 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 | 4.0 | own 30 | 15% allowed |
| Defense | 4.5 | own 35 | 16% caused |
CORE rating 0.6, 61st of 128 (offense 8.5, defense 7.9).
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 | Brent Stockstill QB | 3,233 yds |
| Passing touchdowns | Brent Stockstill QB | 31 TD |
| Rushing yards | I’Tavius Mathers RB | 1,561 yds |
| Rushing touchdowns | I’Tavius Mathers RB | 17 TD |
| Receiving yards | Richie James WR | 1,625 yds |
| Receiving touchdowns | Richie James WR | 12 TD |
| Tackles | Chris Melton LB | 102 tkl |
| Sacks | D.J. Sanders LB | 5 sacks |
| Interceptions | Jeremy Cutrer CB | 3 INT |
Top recruits in the 2016 class
| Tyshawn Brown WR | ★★★ | No. 1000 |
| Reginald Henderson WR | ★★★ | No. 1372 |
| Ty Lee WR | ★★★ | No. 1439 |
| Rakavian Poydras DT | ★★★ | No. 1555 |
| Treyton Peters OT | ★★★ | No. 1811 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2016 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks | 1 | 3.0 | 0.808 |
| Receivers | 5 | 2.8 | 0.820 |
| Offensive line | 1 | 3.0 | 0.813 |
| Defensive line | 3 | 2.7 | 0.800 |
| Linebackers | 2 | 2.0 | 0.783 |
| Defensive backs | 2 | 2.0 | 0.776 |
| Athletes and specialists | 1 | 2.0 | 0.754 |
| Whole class | 15 | 2.5 | 0.800 |
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 108
The 2016 roster108 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2016 line; 56 have a stat line. See the roster
2016 Conference USA standings
Conference page| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Western Kentucky | 7–1 | 11–3 | |
 Old Dominion | 7–1 | 10–3 | |
| Louisiana Tech | 6–2 | 9–5 | |
 Middle Tennessee | 5–3 | 8–5 | |
| UTSA | 5–3 | 6–7 | |
 Southern Miss | 4–4 | 7–6 | |
| Florida International | 4–4 | 4–8 | |
| North Texas | 3–5 | 5–8 | |
| Charlotte | 3–5 | 4–8 | |
 UTEP | 2–6 | 4–8 | |
| Marshall | 2–6 | 3–9 | |
| Florida Atlantic | 2–6 | 3–9 | |
 Rice | 2–6 | 3–9 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.