
2016 San Diego State
11–3 (6–2 Mountain West Conference), coached by Rocky Long, finished No. 25 in the AP poll. Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest winBeat Hawai’i 55–0Nov 5
By 55 points, its widest win.
- Most excitingLost to Wyoming 33–34Nov 19
The win probability swung the most, by CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 3 | vs | W 31–0 | 81% |
| Sep 10 | vs | W 45–40 | 69% |
| Sep 17 | at | W 42–28 | 65% |
| Oct 1 | at | L 24–42 | 77% |
| Oct 8 | vs | W 26–7 | 83% |
| Oct 14 | at | W 17–3 | 78% |
| Oct 21 | vs | W 42–3 | 86% |
| Oct 28 | at | W 40–13 | 64% |
| Nov 5 | vs | W 55–0 | 86% |
| Nov 12 | at | W 46–16 | 79% |
| Nov 19 | at | L 33–34 | 68% |
| Nov 26 | vs | L 31–63 | 78% |
| Dec 3 | at | W 27–24 | 61% |
| Dec 17Bowls & playoff | vs | W 34–10 | 42% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Beat Houston 34–10 in the Las Vegas Bowl; No. 25 in the final AP poll; Mountain West Conference champions.
In program history: The 4th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 86 on file).
AP poll, week by week
- Wk 4: 22
- Wk 5: 19
- Wk 12: 24
- Final: 25
Mountain West Conference champions6–2 in the conference, won the Mountain West Championship Game
Led the nationDonnel Pumphrey: rushing yards (2,133 yds)
- Record
- 11–3
- Conference
- 6–2 shared first in Mountain West Conference
- AP final
- No. 25 peak No. 19
- Points
- 493–283
- Coach
- Rocky Long
- Elo
- 1659 +44 this season
- SP+ rating
- 11.4 No. 31 of 128; offense No. 50, defense No. 29, special teams No. 10
- SRS
- 5.3 No. 46 of 128 in FBS
- Returning
- 57% of last season’s EPA, No. 85 of 128
- Recruiting class
- No. 82 roster talent No. 74 in FBS
- Offensive coordinator
- Jeff Horton
- Defensive coordinator
- Rocky Long
- Offense
- Pro-style
- Defense
- 3–3–5
How good, play by play
| EPA per play | Success | Explosiveness | FBS rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 0.17 | 44% | 1.30 | 31st of 128 |
| Defense | -0.07 | 38% | 1.23 | 7th of 128 |
| Opponent-adjusted | 0.13 off -0.04 def | 42% off 39% def | — | 49th off 8th 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 | 3.9 | own 34 | 15% allowed |
| Defense | 3.3 | own 27 | 18% caused |
CORE rating 11.8, 17th of 128 (offense 3.0, defense -8.8).
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 | Christian Chapman QB | 1,994 yds |
| Passing touchdowns | Christian Chapman QB | 20 TD |
| Rushing yards | Donnel Pumphrey RB | 2,133 yds |
| Rushing touchdowns | Donnel Pumphrey RB | 17 TD |
| Receiving yards | Mikah Holder WR | 581 yds |
| Receiving touchdowns | Mikah Holder WR | 5 TD |
| Tackles | Calvin Munson LB | 116 tkl |
| Sacks | Alex Barrett DL | 7.5 sacks |
| Interceptions | Damontae Kazee CB | 7 INT |
Top recruits in the 2016 class
| Tayler Hawkins ATH | ★★★ | No. 1042 |
| Chase Jasmin RB | ★★★ | No. 1147 |
| Trenton Thompson S | ★★★ | No. 1164 |
| Dru Mathis ILB | ★★★ | No. 1230 |
| Parker Houston TE | ★★★ | No. 1271 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2016 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Running backs | 2 | 3.0 | 0.827 |
| Receivers | 4 | 2.8 | 0.809 |
| Offensive line | 4 | 2.3 | 0.790 |
| Defensive line | 2 | 2.5 | 0.804 |
| Linebackers | 2 | 3.0 | 0.830 |
| Defensive backs | 5 | 2.6 | 0.809 |
| Athletes and specialists | 2 | 2.5 | 0.815 |
| Whole class | 21 | 2.6 | 0.809 |
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.
Drafted in 2017
The 2017 draft| Rd 4 | Nico Siragusa OG | Baltimore Ravens |
| Rd 4 | Donnel Pumphrey RB | Philadelphia Eagles |
| Rd 5 | Damontae Kazee CB | Atlanta Falcons |
Roster 118
The 2016 roster118 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2016 line; 60 have a stat line. See the roster
2016 Mountain West Conference standings
| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6–2 | 11–3 | 25 | |
| 6–2 | 10–3 | ||
| 6–2 | 9–4 | ||
| 6–2 | 8–6 | ||
| 5–3 | 10–3 | ||
| 5–3 | 7–6 | ||
| 4–4 | 7–7 | ||
| 3–5 | 5–7 | ||
| 3–5 | 4–8 | ||
| 3–5 | 4–8 | ||
| 1–7 | 3–9 | ||
| 0–8 | 1–11 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.