2015 South Alabama
5–7 (3–5 Sun Belt Conference), coached by Joey Jones. Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest winBeat Gardner-Webb 33–23Sep 5
By 10 points, its widest win.
- Most excitingBeat San Diego State 34–27Sep 19
The win probability swung the most, by CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 5 | vs Gardner-Webb | W 33–23 | 77% |
| Sep 12 | at Nebraska | L 9–48 | 27% |
| Sep 19 | at San Diego State | W 34–27 | 32% |
| Sep 26 | vs NC State | L 13–63 | 41% |
| Oct 3 | at Troy | W 24–18 | 50% |
| Oct 13 | vs Arkansas State | L 31–49 | 56% |
| Oct 24 | at Texas State | L 18–36 | 45% |
| Nov 7 | vs Idaho | W 52–45 | 72% |
| Nov 12 | vs Louisiana | W 32–25 | 48% |
| Nov 21 | at Georgia State | L 10–24 | 59% |
| Nov 28 | at Georgia Southern | L 17–55 | 21% |
| Dec 5 | vs App State | L 27–34 | 31% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Lost to App State 34–27; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 5th in the Sun Belt Conference.
In program history: The 10th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 16 on file).
- Record
- 5–7
- Conference
- 3–5 tied for 5th in Sun Belt Conference
- AP final
- Unranked
- Points
- 300–447
- Coach
- Joey Jones
- Elo
- 1363 −76 this season
- SP+ rating
- -10.4 No. 104 of 128; offense No. 97, defense No. 102, special teams No. 103
- SRS
- −14.7 No. 108 of 128 in FBS
- Returning
- 32% of last season’s EPA, No. 116 of 128
- Recruiting class
- No. 88 roster talent No. 102 in FBS
- Offensive coordinator
- Bryant Vincent
- Defensive coordinator
- Travis Pearson
- Offense
- Spread
- Defense
- 3–4
How good, play by play
| EPA per play | Success | Explosiveness | FBS rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 0.00 | 38% | 1.18 | 104th of 128 |
| Defense | 0.18 | 46% | 1.22 | 104th of 128 |
| Opponent-adjusted | -0.00 off 0.16 def | 38% off 46% def | — | 110th off 107th 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 | 2.9 | own 28 | 2% allowed |
| Defense | 4.2 | own 34 | 2% 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 yards | Cody Clements QB | 2,272 yds |
| Passing touchdowns | Cody Clements QB | 13 TD |
| Rushing yards | Xavier Johnson RB | 956 yds |
| Rushing touchdowns | Xavier Johnson RB | 7 TD |
| Receiving yards | Gerald Everett TE | 575 yds |
| Receiving touchdowns | Gerald Everett TE | 8 TD |
| Interceptions | E.J. May CB | 2 INT |
Top recruits in the 2015 class
| Tavon Cox OLB | ★★★ | No. 1299 |
| Troy Thingstad OT | ★★★ | No. 1507 |
| Ryan Alexander OT | ★★★ | No. 1650 |
| Zach Davis OT | ★★★ | No. 1787 |
| Nigel Lawrence S | ★★★ | No. 1787 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2015 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offensive line | 4 | 3.0 | 0.817 |
| Defensive line | 3 | 2.0 | 0.774 |
| Linebackers | 4 | 2.5 | 0.802 |
| Defensive backs | 2 | 2.5 | 0.793 |
| Athletes and specialists | 1 | 2.0 | 0.774 |
| Whole class | 14 | 2.5 | 0.797 |
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 roster116 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2015 line; 29 have a stat line. See the roster
2015 Sun Belt Conference standings
Conference page| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas State | 8–0 | 9–4 | |
| App State | 7–1 | 11–2 | |
| Georgia Southern | 6–2 | 9–4 | |
| Georgia State | 5–3 | 6–7 | |
 South Alabama | 3–5 | 5–7 | |
| Idaho | 3–5 | 4–8 | |
| Louisiana | 3–5 | 4–8 | |
| Troy | 3–5 | 4–8 | |
 New Mexico State | 3–5 | 3–9 | |
| Texas State | 2–6 | 3–9 | |
 UL Monroe | 1–7 | 2–11 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.