2020 Nevada

7–⁠2 (6–⁠2 Mountain West Conference), coached by Jay Norvell.

Schedule and results

Nevada in 2020, game by game: won vs. Wyoming 37–34; won at UNLV 37–19; won vs. Utah State 34–9; won at New Mexico 27–20; won vs. San Diego State 26–21; lost at Hawai’i 21–24; won vs. Fresno State 37–26; lost at San José State 20–30; won vs. Tulane 38–27+25−10Won 37–34 vs. Wyoming+3WyomingWon 37–19 at UNLV+18UNLVWon 34–9 vs. Utah State+25Utah StateWon 27–20 at New Mexico+7New MexicoWon 26–21 vs. San Diego State+5San Diego StateLost 21–24 at Hawai’i-3Hawai’iWon 37–26 vs. Fresno State+11Fresno StateLost 20–30 at San José State-10San José StateWon 38–27 vs. Tulane+11Tulane
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below.
DateOpponentResultElo
Oct 24vsWyomingW 37–⁠3448%
Oct 31atUNLVW 37–⁠1954%
Nov 5vsUtah StateW 34–⁠964%
Nov 14atNew MexicoW 27–⁠2072%
Nov 21vsSan Diego StateW 26–⁠2150%
Nov 28atHawai’iL 21–⁠2451%
Dec 5vsFresno StateW 37–⁠2660%
Dec 11atSan José StateL 20–⁠3046%
Dec 22vsTulaneFamous Idaho Potato BowlW 38–⁠2744%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Beat Tulane 38–⁠27 in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl; unranked in the final AP poll; 3rd in the Mountain West Conference.

In program history: The 6th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 83 on file).

Record
7–⁠2
Conference
6–⁠2 3rd in Mountain West Conference
AP final
Unranked
Points
277–⁠210
Coach
Jay Norvell
Elo
1575 +105 this season
SP+ rating
1.9 No. 57 of 130; offense No. 75, defense No. 47
SRS
2.1 No. 34 of 77 in FBS
Returning
75% of last season’s EPA, No. 44 of 130
Recruiting class
No. 119 roster talent No. 92 in FBS
Offensive coordinator
Matt Mumme
Defensive coordinator
Brian Ward
Captains
Carson Strong, Jermaine Ledbetter, Lawson Hall and Sam Hammond
Offense
Air raid
Defense
Multiple

How good, play by play

  • Offense22nd of 127
  • Defense42nd of 127
  • Offense, opponent-adjusted21st of 127
  • Defense, opponent-adjusted51st of 127
EPA per playSuccessExplosivenessFBS rank
Offense0.2143%1.4622nd of 127
Defense0.0741%1.2042nd of 127
Opponent-adjusted0.18 off
0.09 def
43% off
42% def
—21st off
51st 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
Offense3.5own 2915% allowed
Defense3.5own 2813% caused

CORE rating 7.5, 34th of 127 (offense 5.5, defense -2.0).

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 QB2,843 yds
Passing touchdownsCarson Strong QB26 TD
Rushing yardsToa Taua RB675 yds
Rushing touchdownsToa Taua RB4 TD
Receiving yardsRomeo Doubs WR985 yds
Receiving touchdownsCole Turner TE9 TD
TacklesLawson Hall LB65 tkl
SacksDom Peterson DT4.5 sacks
InterceptionsTyson Williams DB2 INT

Top recruits in the 2020 class

Isaac Jernagin ATH★★★No. 1331
Devin Gunter ATH★★★No. 1467
Grant Starck OT★★★No. 1673
Marquese Allen-Patmon ATH★★★No. 1707
Frank Poso OT★★★No. 1800

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

The 2020 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Running backs13.00.829
Receivers13.00.800
Offensive line43.00.820
Defensive line13.00.800
Linebackers23.00.800
Defensive backs42.50.800
Athletes and specialists72.60.805
Whole class202.70.807

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 119

The 2020 roster

119 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2020 line; 50 have a stat line. See the roster

2020 Mountain West Conference standings

Conference page
TeamConf.OverallAP final
San José State6–⁠07–⁠124
Boise State5–⁠05–⁠2
Nevada6–⁠27–⁠2
San Diego State4–⁠24–⁠4
Hawai’i4–⁠45–⁠4
Fresno State3–⁠33–⁠3
Air Force2–⁠23–⁠3
Wyoming2–⁠42–⁠4
New Mexico2–⁠52–⁠5
Colorado State1–⁠31–⁠3
Utah State1–⁠51–⁠5
UNLV0–⁠60–⁠6

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