CollegeFootballDigestfrom CooperSearch

2019 Nevada

7–⁠6 (4–⁠4 Mountain West Conference), coached by Jay Norvell.

Schedule and results

Nevada in 2019, game by game: won vs. Purdue 34–31; lost at No. 16 Oregon 6–77; won vs. Weber State 19–13; won at UTEP 37–21; lost vs. Hawai’i 3–54; won vs. San José State 41–38; lost at Utah State 10–36; lost at Wyoming 3–31; won vs. New Mexico 21–10; won at No. 24 San Diego State 17–13; won at Fresno State 35–28; lost vs. UNLV 30–33; lost vs. Ohio 21–30+16−71Won 34–31 vs. Purdue+3PurdueLost 6–77 at No. 16 Oregon-71No. 16 OregonWon 19–13 vs. Weber State+6Weber StateWon 37–21 at UTEP+16UTEPLost 3–54 vs. Hawai’i-51Hawai’iWon 41–38 vs. San José State+3San José StateLost 10–36 at Utah State-26Utah StateLost 3–31 at Wyoming-28WyomingWon 21–10 vs. New Mexico+11New MexicoWon 17–13 at No. 24 San Diego State+4No. 24 San Diego StateWon 35–28 at Fresno State+7Fresno StateLost 30–33 vs. UNLV-3UNLVLost 21–30 vs. Ohio-9Ohio
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below; orange marks an upset win.
DateOpponentResultElo
Aug 30vsPurdueW 34–⁠3154%
Sep 7at16OregonL 6–⁠7738%
Sep 14vsWeber StateW 19–⁠1363%
Sep 21atUTEPW 37–⁠2170%
Sep 28vsHawai’iL 3–⁠5463%
Oct 12vsSan José StateW 41–⁠3870%
Oct 19atUtah StateL 10–⁠3624%
Oct 26atWyomingL 3–⁠3129%
Nov 2vsNew MexicoW 21–⁠1073%
Nov 9at24San Diego StateW 17–⁠1323%
Nov 23atFresno StateW 35–⁠2834%
Nov 30vsUNLVL 30–⁠3376%
Jan 3Bowls & playoffvsOhioFamous Idaho Potato BowlL 21–⁠3041%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Lost to Ohio 30–⁠21 in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 6th in the Mountain West Conference.

In program history: The 28th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 83 on file).

Record
7–⁠6
Conference
4–⁠4 tied for 6th in Mountain West Conference
AP final
Unranked
Points
277–⁠415
Coach
Jay Norvell
Elo
1456 −40 this season
SP+ rating
-12.3 No. 112 of 130; offense No. 113, defense No. 85, special teams No. 51
SRS
−10.4 No. 108 of 130 in FBS
Returning
53% of last season’s EPA, No. 82 of 130
Recruiting class
No. 93 roster talent No. 87 in FBS
Offensive coordinator
Matt Mumme
Defensive coordinators
Jeff Casteel and Jody Sears
Offense
Air raid
Defense
3–⁠3–⁠5

How good, play by play

  • Offense102nd of 130
  • Defense98th of 130
  • Offense, opponent-adjusted114th of 130
  • Defense, opponent-adjusted104th of 130
EPA per playSuccessExplosivenessFBS rank
Offense0.0240%1.13102nd of 130
Defense0.1844%1.3198th of 130
Opponent-adjusted0.01 off
0.16 def		39% off
43% def		—114th off
104th 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
Offense3.0own 3026% allowed
Defense4.0own 2918% caused

CORE rating -10.7, 107th of 130 (offense -7.3, defense 3.4).

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 yardsCarson Strong QB2,327 yds
Passing touchdownsCarson Strong QB11 TD
Rushing yardsToa Taua RB800 yds
Rushing touchdownsDevonte Lee RB7 TD
Receiving yardsElijah Cooks WR926 yds
Receiving touchdownsElijah Cooks WR8 TD
TacklesTyson Williams DB85 tkl
SacksDom Peterson DT9 sacks
InterceptionsDaniel Brown DB4 INT

Top recruits in the 2019 class

Jamaal Bell WR★★★No. 569
Henry Ikahihifo TE★★★No. 1403
Cameron Stephens CB★★★No. 1403
Maurice Wilmer ATH★★★No. 1581
Austin Kirksey PRO★★★No. 1605

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

The 2019 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Quarterbacks13.00.834
Receivers42.80.835
Offensive line22.50.799
Defensive line32.70.812
Linebackers23.00.826
Defensive backs52.40.804
Athletes and specialists22.50.807
Whole class192.60.816

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 2019 roster

117 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2019 line; 70 have a stat line. See the roster

2019 Mountain West Conference standings

Conference page
TeamConf.OverallAP final
Boise State8–⁠012–⁠223
Air Force7–⁠111–⁠222
Utah State6–⁠27–⁠6
San Diego State5–⁠310–⁠3
Hawai’i5–⁠310–⁠5
Wyoming4–⁠48–⁠5
Nevada4–⁠47–⁠6
Colorado State3–⁠54–⁠8
San José State2–⁠65–⁠7
UNLV2–⁠64–⁠8
Fresno State2–⁠64–⁠8
New Mexico0–⁠82–⁠10

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