2020 Southern Miss
3–7 (2–4 Conference USA), coached by Jay Hopson, then Scotty Walden (next four games), then Tim Billings (remainder of season). Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest winBeat Florida Atlantic 45–31Dec 10
By 14 points, its widest win.
- Most excitingBeat North Alabama 24–13Nov 7
The win probability swung the most, by CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 3 | vs South Alabama | L 21–32 | 74% |
| Sep 19 | vs Louisiana Tech | L 30–31 | 43% |
| Sep 26 | vs Tulane | L 24–66 | 46% |
| Oct 3 | at North Texas | W 41–31 | 41% |
| Oct 24 | at Liberty | L 35–56 | 26% |
| Oct 31 | vs Rice | L 6–30 | 67% |
| Nov 7 | vs North Alabama | W 24–13 | 77% |
| Nov 14 | at Western Kentucky | L 7–10 | 35% |
| Nov 21 | vs UTSA | L 20–23 | 55% |
| Dec 10 | vs Florida Atlantic | W 45–31 | 26% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Beat Florida Atlantic 45–31; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 10th in the Conference USA.
In program history: The 57th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 90 on file).
- Record
- 3–7
- Conference
- 2–4 tied for 10th in Conference USA
- AP final
- Unranked
- Points
- 253–323
- Coach
- Jay Hopson, then Scotty Walden (next four games), then Tim Billings (remainder of season)
- Elo
- 1409 −83 this season
- SP+ rating
- -7.9 No. 101 of 130; offense No. 96, defense No. 93
- SRS
- −15.0 No. 70 of 77 in FBS
- Returning
- 57% of last season’s EPA, No. 81 of 130
- Recruiting class
- No. 76 roster talent No. 91 in FBS
- Offensive coordinators
- Matt Kubik and Scotty Walden
- Defensive coordinator
- Tony Pecoraro
- Offense
- Pro spread
- Defense
- Multiple
How good, play by play
| EPA per play | Success | Explosiveness | FBS rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 0.09 | 41% | 1.32 | 71st of 127 |
| Defense | 0.22 | 47% | 1.26 | 103rd of 127 |
| Opponent-adjusted | 0.09 off 0.21 def | 41% off 47% def | — | 82nd off 117th 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 | 3.5 | own 29 | 17% allowed |
| Defense | 3.7 | own 33 | 14% caused |
CORE rating -15.7, 114th of 127 (offense -2.7, defense 13.0).
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 | Jack Abraham QB | 1,207 yds |
| Passing touchdowns | Jack Abraham QB | 7 TD |
| Rushing yards | Frank Gore Jr. RB | 708 yds |
| Rushing touchdowns | Kevin Perkins RB | 7 TD |
| Receiving yards | Jason Brownlee WR | 595 yds |
| Receiving touchdowns | Jason Brownlee WR | 5 TD |
| Tackles | Hayes Maples LB | 91 tkl |
| Sacks | Santrell Latham LB | 4 sacks |
| Interceptions | Eric Scott Jr. DB | 1 INT |
Top recruits in the 2020 class
| Frank Gore Jr. RB | ★★★ | No. 1028 |
| Xavier Morrow OLB | ★★★ | No. 1043 |
| Dontavious Turner ATH | ★★★ | No. 1103 |
| Brandon Hayes WR | ★★★ | No. 1448 |
| Kristin Booth WDE | ★★★ | No. 1487 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2020 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Running backs | 2 | 3.0 | 0.843 |
| Receivers | 2 | 3.0 | 0.828 |
| Defensive line | 1 | 3.0 | 0.841 |
| Linebackers | 4 | 3.0 | 0.828 |
| Defensive backs | 2 | 3.0 | 0.814 |
| Athletes and specialists | 1 | 3.0 | 0.853 |
| Whole class | 12 | 3.0 | 0.831 |
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 103
The 2020 roster103 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2020 line; 55 have a stat line. See the roster
2020 Conference USA standings
| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
 Marshall | 4–1 | 7–3 | |
 UAB | 3–1 | 6–3 | |
| UTSA | 5–2 | 7–5 | |
| Florida Atlantic | 4–2 | 5–4 | |
| Louisiana Tech | 4–2 | 5–5 | |
| Western Kentucky | 4–3 | 5–7 | |
 Charlotte | 2–2 | 2–4 | |
| North Texas | 3–4 | 4–6 | |
| Rice | 2–3 | 2–3 | |
 Middle Tennessee | 2–4 | 3–6 | |
 Southern Miss | 2–4 | 3–7 | |
 UTEP | 0–4 | 3–5 | |
 Florida International | 0–3 | 0–5 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.