Updated on 1/4/18
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Mississippi State Bulldogs (SEC West)
2017 Schedule & Results
| Record: 9-4 | Second-order wins (diff.): 9.0 (0.0) | S&P+ Rk: 28 | |||||||||
| Date | Opponent | Opp. S&P+ Rk | Score | W-L | Win Expectancy |
Adj. Scoring Margin |
Percentile Performance |
Off. Percentile |
Def. Percentile |
| 2-Sep | Charleston Southern | N/A | 49-0 | W | 100% | 38.1 | 92% | 88% | NULL |
| 9-Sep | at Louisiana Tech | 71 | 57-21 | W | 100% | 32.4 | 94% | 91% | 81% |
| 16-Sep | LSU | 21 | 37-7 | W | 100% | 35.6 | 95% | 76% | 95% |
| 23-Sep | at Georgia | 3 | 3-31 | L | 0% | -33.7 | 9% | 4% | 28% |
| 30-Sep | at Auburn | 10 | 10-49 | L | 0% | -37.2 | 7% | 10% | 9% |
| 14-Oct | BYU | 101 | 35-10 | W | 100% | 29.6 | 91% | 78% | 93% |
| 21-Oct | Kentucky | 90 | 45-7 | W | 100% | 33.3 | 91% | 79% | 94% |
| 28-Oct | at Texas A&M | 61 | 35-14 | W | 99% | 22.0 | 87% | 61% | 86% |
| 4-Nov | Massachusetts | 84 | 34-23 | W | 66% | 3.7 | 59% | 40% | 69% |
| 11-Nov | Alabama | 1 | 24-31 | L | 6% | -14.6 | 22% | 33% | 28% |
| 18-Nov | at Arkansas | 91 | 28-21 | W | 87% | 10.2 | 69% | 66% | 65% |
| 23-Nov | Ole Miss | 42 | 28-31 | L | 54% | 1.0 | 53% | 64% | 36% |
| 30-Dec | vs. Louisville | 16 | 31-27 | W | 86% | 10.0 | 73% | 71% | 52% |
| Category | Offense | Rk | Defense | Rk |
| S&P+ | 28.5 | 64 | 21.4 | 20 |
| Points Per Game | 34.7 | 40 | 22.7 | 26 |
Five Factors
| Offense | Defense | |||||
| Category | Avg. | Rk | Avg. | Rk | Nat'l Avg. | |
| EFFICIENCY | Success Rate | 45.5% | 21 | 35.6% | 13 | 40.3% |
| EXPLOSIVENESS | IsoPPP | 0.99 | 125 | 1.34 | 120 | 1.17 |
| FIELD POSITION | Avg. FP | 31.1 | 31 | 28.5 | 42 | 29.6 |
| FINISHING DRIVES | Pts. Per Trip in 40 | 4.42 | 72 | 4.39 | 62 | 4.42 |
| TURNOVER MARGIN | EXPECTED | 2.6 | 44 | Turnover Luck (PPG): -1.39 |
||
| ACTUAL | -1 | 71 | ||||
Rushing
| Offense | Defense | ||||
| Avg. | Rk | Avg. | Rk | Nat'l Avg. | |
| Rushing S&P+ | 115.8 | 17 | 122.0 | 16 | 100.0 |
| Rushing Success Rate | 47.5% | 16 | 39.2% | 38 | 42.2% |
| Rushing IsoPPP | 0.84 | 88 | 1.03 | 112 | 0.92 |
| Adj. Line Yards | 114.3 | 19 | 130.1 | 3 | 100.0 |
| Opportunity Rate | 44.8% | 6 | 38.7% | 70 | 38.5% |
| Power Success Rate | 84.2% | 2 | 67.6% | 68 | 67.7% |
| Stuff Rate | 14.3% | 7 | 22.4% | 34 | 19.3% |
Individual Rushing Stats
| Player | Pos. | Ht, Wt | Year | Rushes | Yards | TD | Yards/ Carry |
Hlt Yds/ Opp. |
Opp. Rate |
Fumbles (Lost) |
| Aeris Williams | RB | 6'1, 217 | JR | 236 | 1107 | 6 | 4.7 | 3.3 | 40.7% | 1 (0) |
| Nick Fitzgerald | QB | 6'5, 230 | JR | 155 | 1025 | 14 | 6.6 | 5.6 | 47.1% | 2 (0) |
| Kylin Hill | RB | 5'11, 212 | FR | 78 | 393 | 2 | 5.0 | 3.4 | 43.6% | 1 (0) |
| Keytaon Thompson | QB | 6'4, 222 | FR | 69 | 481 | 6 | 7.0 | 5.8 | 49.3% | 3 (2) |
| Nick Gibson | RB | 5'11, 211 | SO | 45 | 239 | 1 | 5.3 | 3.7 | 53.3% | 1 (1) |
| Dontavian Lee | RB | 6'1, 235 | JR | 16 | 64 | 1 | 4.0 | 1.1 | 43.8% | 0 (0) |
| Keith Mixon | WR | 5'8, 187 | SO | 2 | 13 | 0 | 6.5 | 3.5 | 50.0% | 1 (1) |
| Alec Murphy | RB | 6'0, 230 | SO | 2 | 9 | 0 | 4.5 | 1.0 | 50.0% | 0 (0) |
| Jesse Jackson | WR | 6'2, 210 | JR | 2 | 8 | 0 | 4.0 | 1.5 | 50.0% | 0 (0) |
| NOTE: Quarterback run totals above do not include sacks (which are counted toward pass averages below) or kneeldowns. | ||||||||||
Passing
| Offense | Defense | ||||
| Avg. | Rk | Avg. | Rk | Nat'l Avg. | |
| Passing S&P+ | 108.0 | 37 | 137.0 | 4 | 100.0 |
| Passing Success Rate | 42.3% | 48 | 31.1% | 4 | 40.3% |
| Passing IsoPPP | 1.26 | 122 | 1.83 | 128 | 1.48 |
| Adj. Sack Rate | 202 | 7 | 142 | 6 | 100 |
Individual Passing Stats
| Player | Ht, Wt | Year | Comp | Att | Yards | TD | INT | Comp Rate |
Sacks | Sack Rate | Yards/ Att. |
| Nick Fitzgerald | 6'5, 230 | JR | 159 | 286 | 1782 | 15 | 11 | 55.6% | 7 | 2.4% | 5.9 |
| Keytaon Thompson | 6'4, 222 | FR | 32 | 66 | 388 | 2 | 2 | 48.5% | 6 | 8.3% | 4.9 |
Individual Receiving Stats
| Player | Pos. | Ht, Wt | Year | Targets | Catches | Yards | TD | Yds/ Catch |
Yds/ Target |
Catch Rate | Success Rate | Target Rate |
| Donald Gray | WR | 5'10, 200 | SR | 44 | 24 | 214 | 3 | 8.9 | 4.9 | 54.5% | 45.5% | 13.1% |
| Jordan Thomas | TE | 6'5, 280 | SR | 43 | 22 | 263 | 3 | 12.0 | 6.1 | 51.2% | 46.5% | 12.8% |
| Deddrick Thomas | WR | 5'9, 187 | SO | 43 | 22 | 227 | 4 | 10.3 | 5.3 | 51.2% | 37.2% | 12.8% |
| Jesse Jackson | WR | 6'2, 210 | JR | 39 | 27 | 276 | 0 | 10.2 | 7.1 | 69.2% | 51.3% | 11.6% |
| Reggie Todd | WR | 6'4, 204 | FR | 34 | 14 | 160 | 1 | 11.4 | 4.7 | 41.2% | 29.4% | 10.1% |
| Keith Mixon | WR | 5'8, 187 | SO | 25 | 18 | 275 | 1 | 15.3 | 11.0 | 72.0% | 60.0% | 7.4% |
| Jamal Couch | WR | 6'4, 227 | SO | 25 | 10 | 191 | 2 | 19.1 | 7.6 | 40.0% | 36.0% | 7.4% |
| Aeris Williams | RB | 6'1, 217 | JR | 22 | 16 | 142 | 0 | 8.9 | 6.5 | 72.7% | 45.5% | 6.5% |
| Farrod Green | TE | 6'3, 246 | SO | 18 | 9 | 174 | 0 | 19.3 | 9.7 | 50.0% | 38.9% | 5.3% |
| Gabe Myles | WR | 6'0, 195 | SR | 16 | 9 | 90 | 2 | 10.0 | 5.6 | 56.2% | 37.5% | 4.7% |
| Justin Johnson | TE | 6'3, 247 | JR | 11 | 8 | 44 | 1 | 5.5 | 4.0 | 72.7% | 54.5% | 3.3% |
| Osirus Mitchell | WR | 6'4, 207 | FR | 6 | 5 | 51 | 0 | 10.2 | 8.5 | 83.3% | 66.7% | 1.8% |
| Kylin Hill | RB | 5'11, 212 | FR | 5 | 4 | 38 | 0 | 9.5 | 7.6 | 80.0% | 20.0% | 1.5% |
| Nick Gibson | RB | 5'11, 211 | SO | 5 | 3 | 25 | 0 | 8.3 | 5.0 | 60.0% | 40.0% | 1.5% |
| Chris Rayford | DB | 6'0, 202 | JR | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.3% |
Standard Downs
| Offense | Defense | ||||
| Avg. | Rk | Avg. | Rk | Nat'l Avg. | |
| Standard Downs S&P+ | 112.6 | 21 | 127.4 | 7 | 100.0 |
| Standard Downs Success Rate | 50.7% | 23 | 39.9% | 9 | 46.5% |
| Standard Downs IsoPPP | 0.92 | 119 | 1.19 | 115 | 1.07 |
| SD Line Yards per Carry | 3.41 | 7 | 2.42 | 15 | 2.92 |
| SD Sack Rate | 3.0% | 20 | 11.6% | 2 | 5.3% |
Passing Downs
| Offense | Defense | ||||
| Avg. | Rk | Avg. | Rk | Nat'l Avg. | |
| Passing Downs S&P+ | 104.0 | 60 | 123.9 | 14 | 100.0 |
| Passing Downs Success Rate | 31.6% | 55 | 26.7% | 26 | 30.7% |
| Passing Downs IsoPPP | 1.31 | 116 | 1.82 | 125 | 1.53 |
| PD Line Yards per Carry | 3.57 | 29 | 3.49 | 94 | 3.22 |
| PD Sack Rate | 4.1% | 17 | 10.0% | 21 | 7.8% |
Situational
| Offense | Defense | |||
| Avg. | Rk | Avg. | Rk | |
| Q1 S&P+ | 119.9 | 26 | 127.9 | 14 |
| Q2 S&P+ | 99.0 | 79 | 137.0 | 7 |
| Q3 S&P+ | 114.6 | 34 | 113.7 | 26 |
| Q4 S&P+ | 108.5 | 41 | 107.4 | 33 |
| 1st Down S&P+ | 105.2 | 49 | 132.7 | 6 |
| 2nd Down S&P+ | 110.5 | 37 | 114.6 | 28 |
| 3rd Down S&P+ | 115.5 | 30 | 106.8 | 41 |
Offensive Footprint
| Team | Rk | Nat'l Average | |
| Std. Downs Run Rate | 69.8% | 21 | 60.0% |
| Pass Downs Run Rate | 41.1% | 27 | 35.3% |
| Adj. Pace | -0.7 | 48 | +0.0 |
| % of Solo Tackles | 58.3% | 129 | 73.8% |
Defensive Footprint
| Team | Rk | Nat'l Average | |
| Std. Downs Run Rate | 62.2% | 39 | 59.9% |
| Pass. Downs Run Rate | 41.2% | 13 | 35.0% |
| Overall Havoc Rate | 20.8% | 7 | 16.0% |
| DL Havoc Rate | 7.6% | 11 | 4.9% |
| LB Havoc Rate | 5.0% | 45 | 4.4% |
| DB Havoc Rate | 8.2% | 16 | 6.5% |
| PD to INC | 37.7% | 24 | 33.9% |
Individual Defensive Stats
| Name | Pos | Ht, Wt | Year | Tackles | TFL (Sacks) | Run Stuffs* | Int (PBU) | FF | Succ. Rate** |
| Mark McLaurin | DB | 6'2, 215 | JR | 57.5 | 3.5 (1.5) | 8 | 6 (6) | 1 | 64.6% |
| Johnathan Abram | DB | 6'0, 210 | JR | 57.0 | 5 (2) | 6 | 0 (5) | 2 | 58.8% |
| J.T. Gray | DB | 6'0, 202 | SR | 43.5 | 3 (1.5) | 5 | 1 (8) | 1 | 43.6% |
| Jeffery Simmons | DL | 6'4, 301 | SO | 40.5 | 12 (5) | 14 | 0 (1) | 2 | 16.7% |
| Dezmond Harris | LB | 6'4, 243 | SR | 36.5 | 3 (2) | 2 | 0 (0) | 1 | 38.2% |
| Montez Sweat | DL | 6'6, 241 | JR | 34.5 | 15.5 (10.5) | 9 | 0 (0) | 0 | 16.7% |
| Erroll Thompson | LB | 6'1, 250 | FR | 33.5 | 5.5 (2.5) | 4 | 0 (1) | 1 | 23.9% |
| Leo Lewis | LB | 6'2, 235 | SO | 30.5 | 1 (1) | 3 | 0 (1) | 1 | 37.0% |
| Gerri Green | LB | 6'4, 245 | JR | 25.5 | 11 (5) | 13 | 1 (3) | 3 | 21.1% |
| Brandon Bryant | DB | 6'0, 215 | JR | 22.5 | 0.5 (0) | 1 | 1 (2) | 0 | 58.1% |
| Cameron Dantzler | DB | 6'2, 175 | FR | 20.0 | 2 (0) | 2 | 1 (3) | 0 | 66.7% |
| Fletcher Adams | DL | 6'2, 270 | SO | 17.5 | 3.5 (0.5) | 10 | 0 (1) | 1 | 24.1% |
| Willie Gay Jr. | LB | 6'2, 230 | FR | 15.5 | 2 (1) | 6 | 0 (2) | 1 | 38.5% |
| Jamal Peters | DB | 6'2, 218 | JR | 15.5 | 0 (0) | 1 | 1 (2) | 0 | 57.9% |
| Tolando Cleveland | DB | 6'0, 194 | SR | 13.5 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (3) | 0 | 70.6% |
| Kobe Jones | DL | 6'4, 275 | FR | 13.0 | 4.5 (1) | 7 | 0 (0) | 1 | 16.7% |
| Braxton Hoyett | DL | 6'3, 303 | JR | 13.0 | 2.5 (0.5) | 3 | 1 (0) | 0 | 28.6% |
| Marquiss Spencer | DL | 6'4, 271 | SO | 12.0 | 4.5 (1) | 8 | 0 (2) | 0 | 21.1% |
| Tre Brown | DL | 6'4, 305 | JR | 11.5 | 2.5 (0) | 6 | 0 (0) | 1 | 18.8% |
| Chris Rayford | DB | 6'0, 202 | JR | 11.0 | 1 (0) | 1 | 0 (0) | 0 | 55.6% |
| Grant Harris | DL | 6'3, 285 | JR | 9.5 | 1 (1) | 1 | 0 (0) | 0 | 28.6% |
| Lashard Durr | DB | 5'11, 195 | SR | 8.5 | 0 (0) | 0 | 1 (3) | 0 | 80.0% |
| Cory Thomas | DL | 6'5, 303 | JR | 8.0 | 0 (0) | 2 | 0 (1) | 1 | 16.7% |
| C.J. Morgan | DB | 6'0, 202 | FR | 4.5 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 60.0% |
| Maurice Smitherman | DB | 5'10, 190 | SO | 4.5 | 0 (0) | 1 | 0 (0) | 0 | 16.7% |
* Stuffs are rushes stopped at or behind the line. They are not necessarily tackles for loss (since they include zero-yard gains), so adding sacks and stuffs won't necessarily equal TFLs. Also: the figure is based on how many stuffs a tackler has taken part in -- solo tackles and assist tackles count for the same amount.
** For defenders, Success Rate is defined as the offense's success rate on plays in which the defender made a tackle. The lower the number, the better for the defender. On average, due to proximity to the line of scrimmage, defensive linemen will produce lower success rates than linebackers, who producer lower rates than defensive backs.
Special Teams
| Rating | Rank | |
| Special Teams S&P+ | 0.6 | 16 |
| Category | Rate | Rank |
| FG Value (per kick) | 0.12 | 52 |
| Punt Success Rate | 61.8% | 44 |
| Kickoff Success Rate | 92.0% | 7 |
| Punt Return Success Rate | 52.2% | 53 |
| Kick Return Success Rate | 55.2% | 20 |
| Place-Kicker | Ht, Wt | Year | PAT | FG | Pct |
| Jace Christmann | 6'0, 195 | FR | 42-42 | 12-14 | 85.7% |
| Tucker Day | 6'0, 206 | FR | 8-10 | 2-4 | 50.0% |
| Punter | Ht, Wt | Year | Punts | Avg | TB | FC | I20 | FC/I20 Ratio |
| Logan Cooke | 6'5, 228 | SR | 52 | 42.7 | 5 | 21 | 19 | 76.9% |
| Kody Schexnayder | 5'10, 203 | SO | 1 | 28.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0% |
| Nick Fitzgerald | 6'5, 230 | JR | 1 | 14.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0% |
| Kicker | Ht, Wt | Year | Kickoffs | Avg | TB | TB% | OOB | Fair Catches |
Onside Att |
Onside Success |
| Logan Cooke | 6'5, 228 | SR | 73 | 64.2 | 43 | 58.9% | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| Tucker Day | 6'0, 206 | FR | 2 | 65.0 | 2 | 100.0% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Punt Returner | Ht, Wt | Year | Returns | Avg. | TD | Fair Catch | Fumbles (Lost) |
| Gabe Myles | 6'0, 195 | SR | 8 | 3.6 | 0 | 16 | 1 (1) |
| Donald Gray | 5'10, 200 | SR | 7 | 9.0 | 0 | 21 | 0 (0) |
| Deddrick Thomas | 5'9, 187 | SO | 6 | 17.3 | 1 | 4 | 0 (0) |
| Kick Returner | Ht, Wt | Year | Returns | Avg. | TD | Fair Catch | Fumbles (Lost) |
| Reggie Todd | 6'4, 204 | FR | 15 | 18.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 (0) |
| Deddrick Thomas | 5'9, 187 | SO | 6 | 21.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 (0) |
| Keith Mixon | 5'8, 187 | SO | 5 | 17.8 | 0 | 0 | 1 (1) |
| Tackler | Pos | Ht, Wt | Year | ST Tackles | PR Avg | KR Avg |
| J.T. Gray | DB | 6'0, 202 | SR | 6.0 | 3.0 | 17.1 |
| Cameron Dantzler | DB | 6'2, 175 | FR | 5.5 | 5.0 | 16.5 |
| Dontavian Lee | RB | 6'1, 235 | JR | 3.5 | 21.2 | |
| Chris Rayford | DB | 6'0, 202 | JR | 3.0 | -2.5 | 22.3 |
| Jamal Peters | DB | 6'2, 218 | JR | 2.5 | 16.8 |
Stats via SportSource Analytics