CollegeFootballDigestfrom CooperSearch

2015 SMU

2–⁠10 (1–⁠7 American Athletic Conference), coached by Chad Morris.

Schedule and results

SMU in 2015, game by game: lost vs. No. 4 Baylor 21–56; won vs. North Texas 31–13; lost at No. 3 TCU 37–56; lost vs. James Madison 45–48; lost vs. East Carolina 23–49; lost at Houston 28–49; lost at South Florida 14–38; lost vs. Tulsa 31–40; lost vs. No. 23 Temple 40–60; lost at No. 22 Navy 14–55; won vs. Tulane 49–21; lost at Memphis 0–63+28−63Lost 21–56 vs. No. 4 Baylor-35No. 4 BaylorWon 31–13 vs. North Texas+18North TexasLost 37–56 at No. 3 TCU-19No. 3 TCULost 45–48 vs. James Madison-3James MadisonLost 23–49 vs. East Carolina-26East CarolinaLost 28–49 at Houston-21HoustonLost 14–38 at South Florida-24South FloridaLost 31–40 vs. Tulsa-9TulsaLost 40–60 vs. No. 23 Temple-20No. 23 TempleLost 14–55 at No. 22 Navy-41No. 22 NavyWon 49–21 vs. Tulane+28TulaneLost 0–63 at Memphis-63Memphis
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below.
DateOpponentResultElo
Sep 4vs4BaylorL 21–⁠5619%
Sep 12vsNorth TexasW 31–⁠1349%
Sep 19at3TCUL 37–⁠5611%
Sep 26vsJames MadisonL 45–⁠4850%
Oct 3vsEast CarolinaL 23–⁠4935%
Oct 8atHoustonL 28–⁠4915%
Oct 24atSouth FloridaL 14–⁠3831%
Oct 31vsTulsaL 31–⁠4048%
Nov 6vs23TempleL 40–⁠6019%
Nov 14at22NavyL 14–⁠558%
Nov 21vsTulaneW 49–⁠2145%
Nov 28atMemphisL 0–⁠6313%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Lost to Memphis 63–⁠0; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 10th in the American Athletic Conference.

In program history: The 100th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 110 on file).

Record
2–⁠10
Conference
1–⁠7 tied for 10th in American Athletic Conference
AP final
Unranked
Points
333–⁠548
Coach
Chad Morris
Elo
1311 −59 this season
SP+ rating
-17.5 No. 120 of 128; offense No. 75, defense No. 126, special teams No. 126
SRS
−13.0 No. 104 of 128 in FBS
Returning
88% of last season’s EPA, No. 15 of 128
Recruiting class
No. 81 roster talent No. 75 in FBS
Offensive coordinator
Joe Craddock
Defensive coordinator
Van Malone
Offense
Power spread
Defense
4–⁠2–⁠5

How good, play by play

  • Offense88th of 128
  • Defense120th of 128
  • Offense, opponent-adjusted83rd of 128
  • Defense, opponent-adjusted125th of 128
EPA per playSuccessExplosivenessFBS rank
Offense0.0440%1.1988th of 128
Defense0.2648%1.32120th of 128
Opponent-adjusted0.06 off
0.20 def		41% off
47% def		—83rd off
125th 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
Offense4.1own 282% allowed
Defense4.7own 342% 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 yardsMatt Davis QB2,263 yds
Passing touchdownsMatt Davis QB16 TD
Rushing yardsMatt Davis QB761 yds
Rushing touchdownsMatt Davis QB10 TD
Receiving yardsCourtland Sutton WR862 yds
Receiving touchdownsCourtland Sutton WR9 TD
InterceptionsHorace Richardson DB2 INT

Top recruits in the 2015 class

Kevin Thomas WR★★★No. 769
Hunter Herndon TE★★★No. 1299
Xavier Castille WR★★★No. 1420
Chris Biggurs SDE★★★No. 1891
Bryce Wilds OT★★★No. 1957

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

The 2015 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Running backs22.50.791
Receivers62.70.814
Offensive line32.70.793
Defensive line13.00.808
Linebackers52.20.785
Defensive backs12.00.775
Athletes and specialists12.00.792
Whole class192.50.797

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 116

The 2015 roster

116 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2015 line; 31 have a stat line. See the roster

2015 American Athletic Conference standings

TeamConf.OverallAP final
Houston7–⁠113–⁠18
Navy7–⁠111–⁠218
Temple7–⁠110–⁠4
South Florida6–⁠28–⁠5
Memphis5–⁠39–⁠4
Cincinnati4–⁠47–⁠6
UConn4–⁠46–⁠7
Tulsa3–⁠56–⁠7
East Carolina3–⁠55–⁠7
Tulane1–⁠73–⁠9
SMU1–⁠72–⁠10
UCF0–⁠80–⁠12

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