2020 Tulsa
6–3 (6–0 American Athletic Conference), coached by Philip Montgomery. Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest upsetBeat No. 11 UCF 34–26Oct 3
UCF was ranked No. 11 and favored to win.
- Most excitingBeat Tulane 30–24Nov 19
The win probability swung the most, by CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 19 | at 11Oklahoma State | L 7–16 | 27% |
| Oct 3 | at 11UCF | W 34–26 | 14% |
| Oct 23 | at South Florida | W 42–13 | 54% |
| Oct 30 | vs East Carolina | W 34–30 | 73% |
| Nov 14 | vs 19SMU | W 28–24 | 41% |
| Nov 19 | vs Tulane | W 30–24 | 51% |
| Dec 5 | at Navy | W 19–6 | 52% |
| Dec 19 | at 6CincinnatiAmerican Athletic Championship Game | L 24–27 | 21% |
| Dec 31Bowls & playoff | vs Mississippi StateArmed Forces Bowl | L 26–28 | 64% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Lost to Mississippi State 28–26 in the Armed Forces Bowl; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for first in the American Athletic Conference.
In program history: The 27th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 111 on file).
AP poll, week by week
- Wk 12: 25
- Wk 13: 24
- Wk 14: 22
- Wk 15: 18
- Wk 16: 20
Lombardi AwardZaven Collins, LB; also the Nagurski and Bednarik
- Record
- 6–3
- Conference
- 6–0 shared first in American Athletic Conference
- AP final
- Unranked peak No. 18
- Points
- 244–194
- Coach
- Philip Montgomery
- Elo
- 1557 +116 this season
- SP+ rating
- 5.6 No. 45 of 130; offense No. 56, defense No. 31
- Returning
- 87% of last season’s EPA, No. 13 of 130
- Recruiting class
- No. 112 roster talent No. 79 in FBS
- Defensive coordinator
- Joe Gillespie
- Offense
- Veer and shoot
- Defense
- 3–3–5
How good, play by play
| EPA per play | Success | Explosiveness | FBS rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 0.06 | 41% | 1.28 | 81st of 127 |
| Defense | -0.02 | 36% | 1.08 | 12th of 127 |
| Opponent-adjusted | 0.08 off 0.02 def | 42% off 37% def | — | 85th off 11th 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 | 3.3 | own 30 | 17% allowed |
| Defense | 2.8 | own 29 | 19% caused |
CORE rating 9.7, 25th of 127 (offense 0.1, defense -9.6).
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 | Zach Smith QB | 1,946 yds |
| Passing touchdowns | Zach Smith QB | 13 TD |
| Rushing yards | Corey Taylor II RB | 516 yds |
| Rushing touchdowns | Corey Taylor II RB | 4 TD |
| Receiving yards | Keylon Stokes WR | 644 yds |
| Receiving touchdowns | Josh Johnson WR | 6 TD |
| Tackles | Justin Wright LB | 63 tkl |
| Sacks | Anthony Goodlow DE | 4 sacks |
| Interceptions | Zaven Collins LB | 4 INT |
Top recruits in the 2020 class
| Everitt Rogers DT | ★★★ | No. 1590 |
| Sean O’Keefe ATH | ★★★ | No. 1735 |
| Roman Fuller PRO | ★★★ | No. 1780 |
| Jalen Paxton WR | ★★★ | No. 1800 |
| Malachai Jones WR | ★★★ | No. 2029 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2020 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks | 1 | 3.0 | 0.832 |
| Receivers | 3 | 3.0 | 0.827 |
| Offensive line | 2 | 3.0 | 0.813 |
| Defensive line | 3 | 2.7 | 0.811 |
| Linebackers | 1 | 3.0 | 0.823 |
| Defensive backs | 3 | 3.0 | 0.807 |
| Athletes and specialists | 2 | 2.5 | 0.787 |
| Whole class | 15 | 2.9 | 0.813 |
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 2021
The 2021 draft| Rd 1 | Zaven Collins OLB | Arizona Cardinals |
Roster 111
The 2020 roster111 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2020 line; 55 have a stat line. See the roster
2020 American Athletic Conference standings
Conference page| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati | 6–0 | 9–1 | 8 |
 Tulsa | 6–0 | 6–3 | |
 Memphis | 5–3 | 8–3 | |
| UCF | 5–3 | 6–4 | |
| SMU | 4–3 | 7–3 | |
 Houston | 3–3 | 3–5 | |
| Navy | 3–4 | 3–7 | |
| Tulane | 3–5 | 6–6 | |
| East Carolina | 3–5 | 3–6 | |
 Temple | 1–6 | 1–6 | |
| South Florida | 0–7 | 1–8 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.