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2017 Southern Miss

8–⁠5 (6–⁠2 Conference USA), coached by Jay Hopson.

Schedule and results

Southern Miss in 2017, game by game: lost vs. Kentucky 17–24; won vs. Southern 45–0; won at UL Monroe 28–17; lost vs. North Texas 28–43; won at UTSA 31–29; won vs. UTEP 24–0; won at Louisiana Tech 34–27; lost vs. UAB 12–30; lost at Tennessee 10–24; won at Rice 43–34; won vs. Charlotte 66–21; won at Marshall 28–27; lost vs. Florida State 13–42+45−29Lost 17–24 vs. Kentucky-7KentuckyWon 45–0 vs. Southern+45SouthernWon 28–17 at UL Monroe+11UL MonroeLost 28–43 vs. North Texas-15North TexasWon 31–29 at UTSA+2UTSAWon 24–0 vs. UTEP+24UTEPWon 34–27 at Louisiana Tech+7Louisiana TechLost 12–30 vs. UAB-18UABLost 10–24 at Tennessee-14TennesseeWon 43–34 at Rice+9RiceWon 66–21 vs. Charlotte+45CharlotteWon 28–27 at Marshall+1MarshallLost 13–42 vs. Florida State-29Florida State
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below.
DateOpponentResultElo
Sep 2vsKentuckyL 17–⁠2457%
Sep 9vsSouthernW 45–⁠068%
Sep 16atUL MonroeW 28–⁠1758%
Sep 30vsNorth TexasL 28–⁠4373%
Oct 7atUTSAW 31–⁠2933%
Oct 14vsUTEPW 24–⁠082%
Oct 21atLouisiana TechW 34–⁠2736%
Oct 28vsUABL 12–⁠3069%
Nov 4atTennesseeL 10–⁠2436%
Nov 11atRiceW 43–⁠3465%
Nov 18vsCharlotteW 66–⁠2184%
Nov 25atMarshallW 28–⁠2739%
Dec 27Bowls & playoffvsFlorida StateIndependence BowlL 13–⁠4232%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Lost to Florida State 42–⁠13 in the Independence Bowl; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 3rd in the Conference USA.

In program history: The 49th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 90 on file).

Record
8–⁠5
Conference
6–⁠2 tied for 3rd in Conference USA
AP final
Unranked
Points
379–⁠318
Coach
Jay Hopson
Elo
1468 −18 this season
SP+ rating
-3.4 No. 84 of 128; offense No. 92, defense No. 70, special teams No. 67
SRS
−7.3 No. 96 of 130 in FBS
Returning
53% of last season’s EPA, No. 83 of 128
Recruiting class
No. 74 roster talent No. 87 in FBS
Offensive coordinator
Shannon Dawson
Defensive coordinator
Tony Pecoraro
Offense
Spread
Defense
4–⁠3

How good, play by play

  • Offense53rd of 130
  • Defense44th of 130
  • Offense, opponent-adjusted87th of 130
  • Defense, opponent-adjusted70th of 130
EPA per playSuccessExplosivenessFBS rank
Offense0.1042%1.2553rd of 130
Defense0.0439%1.2644th of 130
Opponent-adjusted0.06 off
0.09 def		39% off
41% def		—87th off
70th 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
Offense3.5own 2917% allowed
Defense3.5own 3220% caused

CORE rating -4.8, 82nd of 130 (offense -5.2, defense -0.4).

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 yardsKwadra Griggs QB1,879 yds
Passing touchdownsKwadra Griggs QB16 TD
Rushing yardsIto Smith RB1,413 yds
Rushing touchdownsIto Smith RB13 TD
Receiving yardsKorey Robertson WR1,106 yds
Receiving touchdownsKorey Robertson WR12 TD
TacklesTarvarius Moore DB87 tkl
SacksPaxton Schrimsher LB5.5 sacks
InterceptionsTarvarius Moore DB3 INT

Top recruits in the 2017 class

Emanuel Dabney CB★★★No. 679
Paul Gainer OG★★★No. 736
Jaylond Adams APB★★★No. 839
Tim Jones WR★★★No. 930
WyDale Flott CB★★★No. 930

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

The 2017 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Quarterbacks23.00.808
Running backs23.00.841
Receivers22.50.816
Offensive line42.80.816
Defensive line22.50.799
Linebackers33.00.823
Defensive backs52.40.814
Athletes and specialists12.00.783
Whole class212.70.815

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 3Tarvarius Moore SSan Francisco 49ers
Rd 4Ito Smith RBAtlanta Falcons
Rd 6Cornell Armstrong CBMiami Dolphins

Roster 124

The 2017 roster

124 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2017 line; 60 have a stat line. See the roster

2017 Conference USA standings

TeamConf.OverallAP final
Florida Atlantic8–⁠011–⁠3
North Texas7–⁠19–⁠5
Southern Miss6–⁠28–⁠5
UAB6–⁠28–⁠5
Florida International5–⁠38–⁠5
Marshall4–⁠48–⁠5
Middle Tennessee4–⁠47–⁠6
Louisiana Tech4–⁠47–⁠6
Western Kentucky4–⁠46–⁠7
UTSA3–⁠56–⁠5
Old Dominion3–⁠55–⁠7
Rice1–⁠71–⁠11
Charlotte1–⁠71–⁠11
UTEP0–⁠80–⁠12

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