2016 Southern Miss
7–6 (4–4 Conference USA), coached by Jay Hopson. Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest winBeat Savannah State 56–0Sep 10
By 56 points, its widest win.
- Most excitingLost to North Texas 23–29Nov 19
The win probability swung the most, by CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 3 | at Kentucky | W 44–35 | 52% |
| Sep 10 | vsSavannah State | W 56–0 | 95% |
| Sep 17 | vs Troy | L 31–37 | 74% |
| Sep 24 | at UTEP | W 34–7 | 64% |
| Oct 1 | vs Rice | W 44–28 | 80% |
| Oct 8 | at UTSA | L 32–55 | 69% |
| Oct 15 | at LSU | L 10–45 | 26% |
| Oct 29 | vs Marshall | W 24–14 | 64% |
| Nov 5 | vs Charlotte | L 27–38 | 83% |
| Nov 12 | at Old Dominion | L 35–51 | 39% |
| Nov 19 | at North Texas | L 23–29 | 51% |
| Nov 25 | vs Louisiana Tech | W 39–24 | 29% |
| Dec 17Bowls & playoff | vs LouisianaNew Orleans Bowl | W 28–21 | 51% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Beat Louisiana 28–21 in the New Orleans Bowl; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 6th in the Conference USA.
In program history: The 47th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 90 on file).
- Record
- 7–6
- Conference
- 4–4 tied for 6th in Conference USA
- AP final
- Unranked
- Points
- 427–384
- Coach
- Jay Hopson
- Elo
- 1479 −47 this season
- SP+ rating
- 0.7 No. 65 of 128; offense No. 67, defense No. 78, special teams No. 26
- SRS
- −6.9 No. 91 of 128 in FBS
- Returning
- 58% of last season’s EPA, No. 82 of 128
- Recruiting class
- No. 100 roster talent No. 83 in FBS
- Offensive coordinator
- Shannon Dawson
- Defensive coordinator
- Tony Pecoraro
- Offense
- Spread
- Defense
- 4–3
How good, play by play
| EPA per play | Success | Explosiveness | FBS rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 0.09 | 43% | 1.26 | 68th of 128 |
| Defense | 0.09 | 37% | 1.47 | 51st of 128 |
| Opponent-adjusted | 0.07 off 0.12 def | 41% off 40% def | — | 82nd off 72nd 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 | 3.8 | own 28 | 19% allowed |
| Defense | 3.6 | own 34 | 21% caused |
CORE rating 1.8, 50th of 128 (offense 1.3, defense -0.5).
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 | Nick Mullens QB | 3,272 yds |
| Passing touchdowns | Nick Mullens QB | 24 TD |
| Rushing yards | Ito Smith RB | 1,459 yds |
| Rushing touchdowns | Ito Smith RB | 17 TD |
| Receiving yards | Allenzae Staggers WR | 1,165 yds |
| Receiving touchdowns | Allenzae Staggers WR | 7 TD |
| Tackles | D’Nerius Antoine LB | 86 tkl |
| Sacks | Dylan Bradley DL | 8.5 sacks |
| Interceptions | Curtis Mikell DB | 2 INT |
Top recruits in the 2016 class
| JaCorey Morris ILB | ★★★ | No. 603 |
| Keon Howard PRO | ★★★ | No. 780 |
| Jacob Johnson OT | ★★★ | No. 1562 |
| Jacques Turner WDE | ★★★ | No. 1624 |
| Racheem Booth ILB | ★★★ | No. 1797 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2016 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks | 1 | 3.0 | 0.855 |
| Running backs | 2 | 2.0 | 0.775 |
| Receivers | 1 | 2.0 | 0.793 |
| Offensive line | 4 | 2.3 | 0.785 |
| Defensive line | 3 | 2.7 | 0.796 |
| Linebackers | 2 | 3.0 | 0.839 |
| Defensive backs | 2 | 2.5 | 0.783 |
| Athletes and specialists | 1 | 2.0 | 0.779 |
| Whole class | 16 | 2.4 | 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 114
The 2016 roster114 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2016 line; 60 have a stat line. See the roster
2016 Conference USA standings
| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
 Western Kentucky | 7–1 | 11–3 | |
| Old Dominion | 7–1 | 10–3 | |
| Louisiana Tech | 6–2 | 9–5 | |
 Middle Tennessee | 5–3 | 8–5 | |
| UTSA | 5–3 | 6–7 | |
 Southern Miss | 4–4 | 7–6 | |
 Florida International | 4–4 | 4–8 | |
| North Texas | 3–5 | 5–8 | |
| Charlotte | 3–5 | 4–8 | |
| UTEP | 2–6 | 4–8 | |
| Marshall | 2–6 | 3–9 | |
 Florida Atlantic | 2–6 | 3–9 | |
| Rice | 2–6 | 3–9 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.