CollegeFootballDigestfrom CooperSearch

2017 South Alabama

4–⁠8 (3–⁠5 Sun Belt Conference), coached by Joey Jones.

Schedule and results

South Alabama in 2017, game by game: lost at Ole Miss 27–47; lost vs. No. 11 Oklahoma State 7–44; won vs. Alabama A&M 45–0; lost vs. Idaho 23–29; lost at Louisiana Tech 16–34; won at Troy 19–8; won vs. UL Monroe 33–23; lost at Georgia State 13–21; lost vs. Louisiana 14–19; won vs. Arkansas State 24–19; lost at Georgia Southern 0–52; lost at New Mexico State 17–22+45−52Lost 27–47 at Ole Miss-20Ole MissLost 7–44 vs. No. 11 Oklahoma State-37No. 11 Oklahoma StateWon 45–0 vs. Alabama A&M+45Alabama A&MLost 23–29 vs. Idaho-6IdahoLost 16–34 at Louisiana Tech-18Louisiana TechWon 19–8 at Troy+11TroyWon 33–23 vs. UL Monroe+10UL MonroeLost 13–21 at Georgia State-8Georgia StateLost 14–19 vs. Louisiana-5LouisianaWon 24–19 vs. Arkansas State+5Arkansas StateLost 0–52 at Georgia Southern-52Georgia SouthernLost 17–22 at New Mexico State-5New Mexico State
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below.
DateOpponentResultElo
Sep 2atOle MissL 27–⁠4728%
Sep 8vs11Oklahoma StateL 7–⁠4423%
Sep 16vsAlabama A&MW 45–⁠072%
Sep 23vsIdahoL 23–⁠2954%
Sep 30atLouisiana TechL 16–⁠3424%
Oct 11atTroyW 19–⁠821%
Oct 21vsUL MonroeW 33–⁠2361%
Oct 26atGeorgia StateL 13–⁠2146%
Nov 4vsLouisianaL 14–⁠1958%
Nov 11vsArkansas StateW 24–⁠1932%
Nov 18atGeorgia SouthernL 0–⁠5262%
Dec 2atNew Mexico StateL 17–⁠2240%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Lost to New Mexico State 22–⁠17; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 8th in the Sun Belt Conference.

In program history: The 11th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 16 on file).

Record
4–⁠8
Conference
3–⁠5 tied for 8th in Sun Belt Conference
AP final
Unranked
Points
238–⁠318
Coach
Joey Jones
Elo
1354 −65 this season
SP+ rating
-12.0 No. 106 of 128; offense No. 120, defense No. 90, special teams No. 26
SRS
−13.6 No. 111 of 130 in FBS
Returning
51% of last season’s EPA, No. 88 of 128
Recruiting class
No. 116 roster talent No. 88 in FBS
Offensive coordinators
Bryant Vincent and Richard Owens
Defensive coordinator
Kane Wommack
Offense
Spread
Defense
4–⁠2–⁠5

How good, play by play

  • Offense122nd of 130
  • Defense76th of 130
  • Offense, opponent-adjusted128th of 130
  • Defense, opponent-adjusted74th of 130
EPA per playSuccessExplosivenessFBS rank
Offense-0.0739%1.08122nd of 130
Defense0.1145%1.1476th of 130
Opponent-adjusted-0.05 off
0.10 def		38% off
45% def		—128th off
74th 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
Offense3.1own 2921% allowed
Defense3.2own 3014% caused

CORE rating -15.5, 118th of 130 (offense -15.2, defense 0.2).

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 yardsCole Garvin QB1,490 yds
Passing touchdownsDallas Davis QB8 TD
Rushing yardsXavier Johnson RB445 yds
Rushing touchdownsXavier Johnson RB6 TD
Receiving yardsJamarius Way WR762 yds
Receiving touchdownsJamarius Way WR3 TD
TacklesJeremy Reaves S103 tkl
SacksFinesse Middleton DE3.5 sacks
InterceptionsJeremy Reaves S3 INT

Top recruits in the 2017 class

Kendric Haynes OLB★★★No. 538
Devin Rockette CB★★★No. 915
A.J. Deshazor S★★★No. 947
Jalon Sheffield DT★★★No. 1756
Davyn Flenord ATH★★No. 2466

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

The 2017 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Quarterbacks12.00.786
Receivers22.00.771
Offensive line22.00.757
Defensive line13.00.815
Linebackers13.00.869
Defensive backs32.70.823
Athletes and specialists22.00.744
Whole class122.30.790

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 114

The 2017 roster

114 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2017 line; 61 have a stat line. See the roster

2017 Sun Belt Conference standings

Conference page
TeamConf.OverallAP final
Troy7–⁠111–⁠2
App State7–⁠19–⁠4
Arkansas State6–⁠27–⁠5
Georgia State5–⁠37–⁠5
New Mexico State4–⁠47–⁠6
Louisiana4–⁠45–⁠7
UL Monroe4–⁠44–⁠8
Idaho3–⁠54–⁠8
South Alabama3–⁠54–⁠8
Coastal Carolina2–⁠63–⁠9
Georgia Southern2–⁠62–⁠10
Texas State1–⁠72–⁠10

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