2023 Middle Tennessee
4–8 (3–5 Conference USA), coached by Rick Stockstill. Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest winBeat Florida International 40–6Nov 11
By 34 points, its widest win.
- Most excitingLost to Sam Houston 20–23Nov 25
The win probability swung the most, by CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2 | at 4Alabama | L 7–56 | 18% |
| Sep 9 | at Missouri | L 19–23 | 41% |
| Sep 16 | vs Murray State | W 35–14 | 85% |
| Sep 23 | vs Colorado State | L 23–31 | 74% |
| Sep 28 | at Western Kentucky | L 10–31 | 31% |
| Oct 4 | vs Jacksonville State | L 30–45 | 50% |
| Oct 10 | vs Louisiana Tech | W 31–23 | 60% |
| Oct 17 | at Liberty | L 35–42 | 19% |
| Nov 4 | at New Mexico State | L 7–13 | 32% |
| Nov 11 | vs Florida International | W 40–6 | 70% |
| Nov 18 | vs UTEP | W 34–30 | 70% |
| Nov 25 | at Sam Houston | L 20–23 | 61% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Lost to Sam Houston 23–20; unranked in the final AP poll; 5th in the Conference USA.
In program history: The 17th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 63 on file).
- Record
- 4–8
- Conference
- 3–5 5th in Conference USA
- AP final
- Unranked
- Points
- 291–337
- Coach
- Rick Stockstill
- Elo
- 1419 −89 this season
- SP+ rating
- -9.5 No. 101 of 133; offense No. 93, defense No. 90, special teams No. 92
- SRS
- −8.4 No. 101 of 133 in FBS
- Returning
- 34% of last season’s EPA, No. 105 of 131
- Recruiting class
- No. 120 roster talent No. 90 in FBS
- Offensive coordinator
- Mitch Stewart
- Defensive coordinator
- Scott Shafer
- Offense
- Multiple
- Defense
- Multiple 4–3
How good, play by play
| EPA per play | Success | Explosiveness | FBS rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 0.05 | 40% | 1.33 | 86th of 133 |
| Defense | 0.12 | 44% | 1.18 | 73rd of 133 |
| Opponent-adjusted | 0.06 off 0.12 def | 40% off 44% def | — | 94th off 76th 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 | 3.2 | own 29 | 17% allowed |
| Defense | 4.1 | own 28 | 17% caused |
CORE rating -5.7, 89th of 133 (offense -4.5, defense 1.3).
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 | Nick Vattiato QB | 3,087 yds |
| Passing touchdowns | Nick Vattiato QB | 23 TD |
| Rushing yards | Jaiden Credle RB | 427 yds |
| Rushing touchdowns | Frank Peasant RB | 4 TD |
| Receiving yards | Holden Willis TE | 697 yds |
| Receiving touchdowns | Elijah Metcalf WR | 6 TD |
| Tackles | Sam Brumfield LB | 82 tkl |
| Sacks | Sam Brumfield LB | 3.5 sacks |
| Interceptions | Tra Fluellen S | 3 INT |
Top recruits in the 2023 class
| Ethan Crite WR | ★★★ | No. 1700 |
| Trae Walker ATH | ★★★ | No. 1710 |
| Cam’ron Lacy WR | ★★★ | No. 1924 |
| Anthony Bynum DE | ★★★ | No. 2037 |
| Isaac Rue OT | ★★★ | No. 2070 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2023 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Receivers | 2 | 3.0 | 0.835 |
| Offensive line | 2 | 3.0 | 0.825 |
| Defensive line | 1 | 3.0 | 0.827 |
| Athletes and specialists | 1 | 3.0 | 0.840 |
| Whole class | 6 | 3.0 | 0.831 |
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 117
The 2023 roster117 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2023 line; 68 have a stat line. See the roster
Transfers in 9
The 2023 portal Brandon Buckner LB | ★★★ | from  Oregon |
 Devin Hayes OT | ★★★ | from  Jackson State |
 Holden Willis WR | ★★★ | from  South Florida |
| Julius Pierce OT | ★★★ | from  Florida International |
 Justin Olson WR | ★★★ | from  North Carolina |
 Kalani Norris WR | ★★★ | from  Georgia Tech |
 Tyrell Raby CB | ★★★ | from  Memphis |
 Jaiden Credle RB | ★★ | from  Northern Illinois |
 Ren Hefley QB | from  Presbyterian |
Transfers out 8
 Decorian Patterson CB | ★★★ | to  UCF |
 Jaylin Lane WR | ★★★ | to  Virginia Tech |
| Jace Yerty TE | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| Quaterrius Tolbert WR | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| Seth Falley OL | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| Andrew Leak LB | ★★ | no new school on file |
| Deidrick Stanley II CB | ★★ | no new school on file |
| Joseph Stone OL | ★★ | no new school on file |
2023 Conference USA standings
Conference page| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty | 8–0 | 13–1 | 25 |
| New Mexico State | 7–1 | 10–5 | |
| Jacksonville State | 6–2 | 9–4 | |
| Western Kentucky | 5–3 | 8–5 | |
| Middle Tennessee | 3–5 | 4–8 | |
| Louisiana Tech | 2–6 | 3–9 | |
| UTEP | 2–6 | 3–9 | |
| Sam Houston | 2–6 | 3–9 | |
| Florida International | 1–7 | 4–8 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.