2006 Southern Miss
9–5 (6–2 Conference USA), coached by Jeff Bower. Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest winBeat SE Louisiana 45–0Sep 9
By 45 points, its widest win.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2 | at 7Florida | L 7–34 | 30% |
| Sep 9 | vs SE Louisiana | W 45–0 | 83% |
| Sep 16 | vs NC State | W 37–17 | 56% |
| Sep 26 | at UCF | W 19–14 | 57% |
| Oct 3 | at Tulsa | L 6–20 | 42% |
| Oct 14 | vs Houston | W 31–27 | 63% |
| Oct 21 | at Virginia Tech | L 6–36 | 29% |
| Oct 28 | vs East Carolina | L 17–20 | 67% |
| Nov 5 | at Memphis | W 42–21 | 60% |
| Nov 11 | at Tulane | W 31–3 | 66% |
| Nov 18 | vs UAB | W 25–20 | 77% |
| Nov 25 | vs Marshall | W 42–7 | 69% |
| Dec 1 | atHoustonConference USA Championship Game | L 20–34 | 42% |
| Jan 7Bowls & playoff | vs OhioGMAC Bowl | W 28–7 | 58% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Beat Ohio 28–7 in the GMAC Bowl; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 2nd in the Conference USA.
In program history: The 14th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 90 on file).
C-USA East champions6–2 in the conference
- Record
- 9–5
- Conference
- 6–2 tied for 2nd in Conference USA
- AP final
- Unranked
- Points
- 356–260
- Coach
- Jeff Bower
- Elo
- 1585 +62 this season
- SP+ rating
- -0.3 No. 62 of 119; offense No. 68, defense No. 60, special teams No. 75
- SRS
- 1.9 No. 55 of 119 in FBS
- Recruiting class
- No. 64
- Offensive coordinator
- Jay Johnson
- Defensive coordinator
- Jay Hopson
- Offense
- Multiple
- Defense
- 4–3
How good, play by play
| EPA per play | Success | Explosiveness | FBS rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 0.04 | 41% | 0.93 | 53rd of 119 |
| Defense | 0.05 | 39% | 1.03 | 65th of 119 |
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.
Drives and havoc
| Points per trip inside the 40 | Average start | Havoc | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | -0.2 | own 31 | 3% allowed |
| Defense | -0.1 | own 29 | 3% 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.
Top recruits in the 2006 class
| Ryan Ellis WR | ★★★ | No. 981 |
| C.J. Bailey CB | ★★★ | No. 1028 |
| Tory Harrison RB | ★★★ | No. 1045 |
| Brandon Davis S | ★★ | No. 1212 |
| Damion Fletcher APB | ★★ | No. 1216 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2006 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks | 1 | 2.0 | 0.789 |
| Running backs | 3 | 2.3 | 0.768 |
| Receivers | 5 | 2.2 | 0.742 |
| Offensive line | 2 | 2.0 | 0.745 |
| Defensive line | 1 | 2.0 | 0.789 |
| Defensive backs | 3 | 2.3 | 0.799 |
| Athletes and specialists | 3 | 2.0 | 0.722 |
| Whole class | 18 | 2.2 | 0.758 |
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.
2006 Conference USA standings
| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Houston | 7–1 | 10–4 | |
 Southern Miss | 6–2 | 9–5 | |
 Rice | 6–2 | 7–6 | |
| Tulsa | 5–3 | 8–5 | |
| East Carolina | 5–3 | 7–6 | |
 SMU | 4–4 | 6–6 | |
| Marshall | 4–4 | 5–7 | |
 UTEP | 3–5 | 5–7 | |
| UCF | 3–5 | 4–8 | |
| Tulane | 2–6 | 4–8 | |
| UAB | 2–6 | 3–9 | |
| Memphis | 1–7 | 2–10 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.