2016 Rutgers

2–⁠10 (0–⁠9 Big Ten), coached by Chris Ash.

Schedule and results

Rutgers in 2016, game by game: lost at No. 14 Washington 13–48; won vs. Howard 52–14; won vs. New Mexico 37–28; lost vs. Iowa 7–14; lost at No. 2 Ohio State 0–58; lost vs. No. 4 Michigan 0–78; lost vs. Illinois 7–24; lost at Minnesota 32–34; lost vs. Indiana 27–33; lost at Michigan State 0–49; lost vs. No. 9 Penn State 0–39; lost at Maryland 13–31+38−78Lost 13–48 at No. 14 Washington-35No. 14 WashingtonWon 52–14 vs. Howard+38HowardWon 37–28 vs. New Mexico+9New MexicoLost 7–14 vs. Iowa-7IowaLost 0–58 at No. 2 Ohio State-58No. 2 Ohio StateLost 0–78 vs. No. 4 Michigan-78No. 4 MichiganLost 7–24 vs. Illinois-17IllinoisLost 32–34 at Minnesota-2MinnesotaLost 27–33 vs. Indiana-6IndianaLost 0–49 at Michigan State-49Michigan StateLost 0–39 vs. No. 9 Penn State-39No. 9 Penn StateLost 13–31 at Maryland-18Maryland
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below.

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Lost to Maryland 31–⁠13; unranked in the final AP poll; 14th in the Big Ten.

In program history: The 129th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 152 on file).

Record
2–⁠10
Conference
0–⁠9 14th in Big Ten
AP final
Unranked
Points
188–⁠450
Coach
Chris Ash
Elo
1322 −134 this season
SP+ rating
-14.9 No. 117 of 128; offense No. 123, defense No. 79, special teams No. 122
SRS
−10.2 No. 103 of 128 in FBS
Returning
72% of last season’s EPA, No. 45 of 128
Recruiting class
No. 64 roster talent No. 49 in FBS
Offensive coordinator
Drew Mehringer
Defensive coordinator
Jay Niemann
Captains
Chris Muller, Derrick Nelson, Darius Hamilton and Julian Pinnix-Odrick
Offense
Power spread
Defense
Multiple

How good, play by play

  • Offense127th of 128
  • Defense98th of 128
  • Offense, opponent-adjusted129th of 128
  • Defense, opponent-adjusted88th of 128
EPA per playSuccessExplosivenessFBS rank
Offense-0.1434%0.92127th of 128
Defense0.1847%1.2098th of 128
Opponent-adjusted-0.05 off
0.14 def
38% off
45% def
—129th off
88th 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
Offense1.9own 2818% allowed
Defense3.5own 3815% caused

CORE rating -12.1, 109th of 128 (offense -11.5, defense 0.7).

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 yardsGiovanni Rescigno QB889 yds
Passing touchdownsChris Laviano QB5 TD
Rushing yardsRobert Martin RB625 yds
Rushing touchdownsJanarion Grant WR3 TD
Receiving yardsJawuan Harris WR481 yds
Receiving touchdownsAndre Patton WR5 TD
TacklesTrevor Morris LB102 tkl
SacksJulian Pinnix-Odrick DL5 sacks
InterceptionsAnthony Cioffi DB2 INT

Top recruits in the 2016 class

Ahmir Mitchell ATH★★★★No. 162
Solomon Manning OLB★★★No. 669
Tylin Oden PRO★★★No. 684
Nick Krimin OT★★★No. 707
Trey Sneed RB★★★No. 836

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

The 2016 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Quarterbacks13.00.859
Running backs22.50.809
Receivers32.30.798
Offensive line42.50.808
Defensive line12.00.793
Linebackers53.00.839
Defensive backs13.00.825
Athletes and specialists23.50.889
Whole class192.70.826

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 107

The 2016 roster

107 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2016 line; 58 have a stat line. See the roster

2016 Big Ten standings

Conference page
TeamConf.OverallAP final
Ohio State8–⁠111–⁠26
Penn State8–⁠111–⁠37
Wisconsin7–⁠211–⁠39
Michigan7–⁠210–⁠310
Nebraska6–⁠39–⁠4
Iowa6–⁠38–⁠5
Minnesota5–⁠49–⁠4
Northwestern5–⁠47–⁠6
Indiana4–⁠56–⁠7
Maryland3–⁠66–⁠7
Illinois2–⁠73–⁠9
Michigan State1–⁠83–⁠9
Purdue1–⁠83–⁠9
Rutgers0–⁠92–⁠10

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