2023 Sam Houston
3–9 (2–6 Conference USA), coached by K.C. Keeler. Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest winBeat Louisiana Tech 42–27Nov 11
By 15 points, its widest win.
- Most excitingLost to Jacksonville State 28–35Sep 28
The win probability swung the most, by CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2 | at BYU | L 0–14 | 19% |
| Sep 9 | vs Air Force | L 3–13 | 17% |
| Sep 23 | at Houston | L 7–38 | 20% |
| Sep 28 | vs Jacksonville State | L 28–35 | 37% |
| Oct 5 | at Liberty | L 16–21 | 12% |
| Oct 11 | at New Mexico State | L 13–27 | 25% |
| Oct 18 | vs Florida International | L 27–33 | 55% |
| Oct 25 | vs UTEP | L 34–37 | 49% |
| Nov 4 | vs Kennesaw State | W 24–21 | 59% |
| Nov 11 | at Louisiana Tech | W 42–27 | 31% |
| Nov 18 | at Western Kentucky | L 23–28 | 18% |
| Nov 25 | vs Middle Tennessee | W 23–20 | 39% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Beat Middle Tennessee 23–20; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 6th in the Conference USA.
In program history: The 26th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 57 on file).
- Record
- 3–9
- Conference
- 2–6 tied for 6th in Conference USA
- AP final
- Unranked
- Points
- 240–314
- Coach
- K.C. Keeler
- Elo
- 1323 −31 this season
- SP+ rating
- -13.8 No. 115 of 133; offense No. 120, defense No. 85, special teams No. 96
- SRS
- −13.8 No. 119 of 133 in FBS
- Recruiting class
- No. 96 roster talent No. 128 in FBS
- Offensive coordinator
- Brad Cornelsen
- Defensive coordinators
- Clayton Carlin and Joe Morris
- Offense
- Spread
- Defense
- 4–2–5
How good, play by play
| EPA per play | Success | Explosiveness | FBS rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 0.01 | 36% | 1.10 | 105th of 133 |
| Defense | 0.07 | 42% | 1.14 | 44th of 133 |
| Opponent-adjusted | 0.02 off 0.11 def | 36% off 42% def | — | 110th off 68th 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 | 3.5 | own 28 | 15% allowed |
| Defense | 3.8 | own 29 | 14% caused |
CORE rating -4.7, 83rd of 133 (offense -7.4, defense -2.7).
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 yards | Keegan Shoemaker QB | 2,504 yds |
| Passing touchdowns | Keegan Shoemaker QB | 15 TD |
| Rushing yards | John Gentry RB | 394 yds |
| Rushing touchdowns | John Gentry RB | 3 TD |
| Receiving yards | Noah Smith WR | 782 yds |
| Receiving touchdowns | Noah Smith WR | 6 TD |
| Tackles | Trevor Williams LB | 114 tkl |
| Sacks | Isaiah Nixon LB | 5 sacks |
| Interceptions | Da’Marcus Crosby DB | 4 INT |
Top recruits in the 2023 class
| Jamarie Wiggins S | ★★★ | No. 1128 |
| Lonnie Adkism WR | ★★★ | No. 1192 |
| Chantson Prox CB | ★★★ | No. 1403 |
| Coco Brown RB | ★★★ | No. 1924 |
| Kolt Dieterich OT | ★★★ | No. 1953 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2023 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Running backs | 1 | 3.0 | 0.830 |
| Receivers | 2 | 3.0 | 0.834 |
| Offensive line | 4 | 3.0 | 0.823 |
| Defensive line | 1 | 3.0 | 0.817 |
| Linebackers | 1 | 3.0 | 0.820 |
| Defensive backs | 5 | 3.0 | 0.834 |
| Whole class | 14 | 3.0 | 0.828 |
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 111
The 2023 roster111 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2023 line; 65 have a stat line. See the roster
Transfers in 5
The 2023 portal Akeem Smith DL | ★★★ | from  Georgia State |
 Jaden Phillips DL | ★★★ | from  New Mexico |
 John Gentry RB | ★★★ | from  Utah State |
 Rhett Larson OT | ★★★ | from  SMU |
 Xavier Ward QB | ★★★ | from  Washington State |
Transfers out 1
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.