CollegeFootballDigestfrom CooperSearch

2015 Rice

5–⁠7 (3–⁠5 Conference USA), coached by David Bailiff.

Schedule and results

Rice in 2015, game by game: won vs. Wagner 56–16; lost at Texas 28–42; won at North Texas 38–24; lost at No. 5 Baylor 17–70; lost vs. Western Kentucky 10–49; won at Florida Atlantic 27–26; won vs. Army 38–31; lost vs. Louisiana Tech 17–42; lost at UTEP 21–24; lost vs. Southern Miss 10–65; lost at UTSA 24–34; won vs. Charlotte 27–7+40−55Won 56–16 vs. Wagner+40WagnerLost 28–42 at Texas-14TexasWon 38–24 at North Texas+14North TexasLost 17–70 at No. 5 Baylor-53No. 5 BaylorLost 10–49 vs. Western Kentucky-39Western KentuckyWon 27–26 at Florida Atlantic+1Florida AtlanticWon 38–31 vs. Army+7ArmyLost 17–42 vs. Louisiana Tech-25Louisiana TechLost 21–24 at UTEP-3UTEPLost 10–65 vs. Southern Miss-55Southern MissLost 24–34 at UTSA-10UTSAWon 27–7 vs. Charlotte+20Charlotte
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below.
DateOpponentResultElo
Sep 5vsWagnerW 56–⁠1684%
Sep 12atTexasL 28–⁠4248%
Sep 19atNorth TexasW 38–⁠2462%
Sep 26at5BaylorL 17–⁠7024%
Oct 3vsWestern KentuckyL 10–⁠4956%
Oct 10atFlorida AtlanticW 27–⁠2659%
Oct 24vsArmyW 38–⁠3173%
Oct 30vsLouisiana TechL 17–⁠4247%
Nov 6atUTEPL 21–⁠2459%
Nov 14vsSouthern MissL 10–⁠6557%
Nov 21atUTSAL 24–⁠3452%
Nov 28vsCharlotteW 27–⁠781%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Beat Charlotte 27–⁠7; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 6th in the Conference USA.

In program history: The 73rd-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 115 on file).

Record
5–⁠7
Conference
3–⁠5 tied for 6th in Conference USA
AP final
Unranked
Points
313–⁠430
Coach
David Bailiff
Elo
1396 −148 this season
SP+ rating
-14.6 No. 110 of 128; offense No. 102, defense No. 116, special teams No. 85
SRS
−15.4 No. 109 of 128 in FBS
Returning
73% of last season’s EPA, No. 44 of 128
Recruiting class
No. 101 roster talent No. 91 in FBS
Offensive coordinators
Larry Edmondson and Billy Lynch
Defensive coordinator
Chris Thurmond
Offense
Spread
Defense
4–⁠3

How good, play by play

  • Offense58th of 128
  • Defense128th of 128
  • Offense, opponent-adjusted69th of 128
  • Defense, opponent-adjusted132nd of 128
EPA per playSuccessExplosivenessFBS rank
Offense0.0942%1.1958th of 128
Defense0.3447%1.43128th of 128
Opponent-adjusted0.08 off
0.30 def		40% off
47% def		—69th off
132nd 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
Offense3.6own 291% allowed
Defense4.2own 292% 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 yardsDriphus Jackson QB2,348 yds
Passing touchdownsDriphus Jackson QB18 TD
Rushing yardsDarik Dillard RB698 yds
Rushing touchdownsLuke Turner RB6 TD
Receiving yardsZach Wright WR554 yds
Receiving touchdownsZach Wright WR5 TD
InterceptionsZach Espinosa S2 INT

Top recruits in the 2015 class

Zach Abercrumbia DT★★★No. 795
J.T. Granato PRO★★★No. 1206
Blain Padgett SDE★★★No. 1581
Jackson Tyner ATH★★★No. 1607
Isaiah Edwards OG★★★No. 1727

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

The 2015 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Quarterbacks13.00.840
Running backs32.30.787
Offensive line32.30.791
Defensive line32.70.806
Defensive backs32.00.775
Athletes and specialists52.20.777
Whole class182.30.789

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 113

The 2015 roster

113 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2015 line; 24 have a stat line. See the roster

2015 Conference USA standings

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.