2017 SMU
7–6 (4–4 American Athletic Conference), coached by Chad Morris, then Sonny Dykes (bowl game). Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest winBeat Stephen F. Austin 58–14Sep 2
By 44 points, its widest win.
- Most excitingBeat Cincinnati 31–28Oct 21
The win probability swung the most, by CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2 | vs Stephen F. Austin | W 58–14 | 80% |
| Sep 9 | vs North Texas | W 54–32 | 65% |
| Sep 16 | at 20TCU | L 36–56 | 27% |
| Sep 23 | vs Arkansas State | W 44–21 | 48% |
| Sep 30 | vs UConn | W 49–28 | 78% |
| Oct 7 | at Houston | L 22–35 | 29% |
| Oct 21 | at Cincinnati | W 31–28 | 60% |
| Oct 27 | vs Tulsa | W 38–34 | 59% |
| Nov 4 | vs 15UCF | L 24–31 | 43% |
| Nov 11 | at Navy | L 40–43 | 35% |
| Nov 18 | at 18Memphis | L 45–66 | 24% |
| Nov 25 | vs Tulane | W 41–38 | 61% |
| Dec 20Bowls & playoff | vs Louisiana TechFrisco Bowl | L 10–51 | 47% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Lost to Louisiana Tech 51–10 in the Frisco Bowl; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 5th in the American Athletic Conference.
In program history: The 67th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 110 on file).
Led the nationTrey Quinn: receptions (114 catches)
- Record
- 7–6
- Conference
- 4–4 tied for 5th in American Athletic Conference
- AP final
- Unranked
- Points
- 492–477
- Coach
- Chad Morris, then Sonny Dykes (bowl game)
- Elo
- 1458 +9 this season
- SP+ rating
- -2.9 No. 82 of 128; offense No. 25, defense No. 111, special teams No. 94
- SRS
- −1.0 No. 71 of 130 in FBS
- Returning
- 85% of last season’s EPA, No. 13 of 128
- Recruiting class
- No. 80 roster talent No. 73 in FBS
- Offensive coordinator
- Joe Craddock
- Defensive coordinator
- Van Malone
- Offense
- Power spread
- Defense
- 4–2–5
How good, play by play
| EPA per play | Success | Explosiveness | FBS rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 0.17 | 45% | 1.36 | 22nd of 130 |
| Defense | 0.18 | 46% | 1.31 | 101st of 130 |
| Opponent-adjusted | 0.15 off 0.15 def | 44% off 45% def | — | 34th off 97th 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 32 | 17% caused |
CORE rating -1.9, 73rd of 130 (offense 6.3, defense 8.1).
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 | Ben Hicks QB | 3,569 yds |
| Passing touchdowns | Ben Hicks QB | 33 TD |
| Rushing yards | Xavier Jones RB | 1,075 yds |
| Rushing touchdowns | Ke’Mon Freeman RB | 11 TD |
| Receiving yards | Trey Quinn WR | 1,236 yds |
| Receiving touchdowns | Trey Quinn WR | 13 TD |
| Tackles | Mikial Onu S | 105 tkl |
| Sacks | Justin Lawler DE | 9.5 sacks |
| Interceptions | Jordan Wyatt CB | 4 INT |
Top recruits in the 2017 class
| Alan Ali OT | ★★★ | No. 538 |
| Matthew Huhn OT | ★★★ | No. 759 |
| Hayden Howerton OC | ★★★ | No. 1051 |
| Kayce Medlock ATH | ★★★ | No. 1117 |
| Judah Bell WR | ★★★ | No. 1218 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2017 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks | 1 | 3.0 | 0.805 |
| Running backs | 1 | 2.0 | 0.773 |
| Receivers | 1 | 3.0 | 0.838 |
| Offensive line | 3 | 3.0 | 0.856 |
| Defensive line | 4 | 2.5 | 0.790 |
| Linebackers | 1 | 2.0 | 0.794 |
| Defensive backs | 3 | 2.0 | 0.786 |
| Athletes and specialists | 3 | 2.7 | 0.821 |
| Whole class | 17 | 2.5 | 0.810 |
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 2018
The 2018 draft| Rd 2 | Courtland Sutton WR | Denver Broncos |
| Rd 7 | Justin Lawler DE | Los Angeles Rams |
| Rd 7 | Trey Quinn WR | Washington Redskins |
Roster 115
The 2017 roster115 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2017 line; 57 have a stat line. See the roster
2017 American Athletic Conference standings
| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
| UCF | 8–0 | 13–0 | 6 |
| Memphis | 7–1 | 10–3 | 25 |
 South Florida | 6–2 | 10–2 | 21 |
| Houston | 5–3 | 7–5 | |
 SMU | 4–4 | 7–6 | |
| Navy | 4–4 | 7–6 | |
 Temple | 4–4 | 7–6 | |
| Tulane | 3–5 | 5–7 | |
| Cincinnati | 2–6 | 4–8 | |
 East Carolina | 2–6 | 3–9 | |
| UConn | 2–6 | 3–9 | |
| Tulsa | 1–7 | 2–10 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.