Houston Cougars (9-3) vs. San Diego State Aztecs (10-3)
December 17, 2016 ( 3:30 PM ET, ABC )
Spread: Houston -3.5
S&P+ Projection: Houston (28.3-24.7)
Confused? Check out the advanced-stats glossary here.
Statistical profiles index.
Full Football Outsiders F/+ rankings can be found here.
The Basics
| Category | Houston | San Diego State | ||
| S&P+ (Rk) | 27 | 46 | ||
| Category | Houston offense | San Diego State defense | San Diego State offense | Houston defense |
| Yards per play (Rk) | 5.23 (86) | 4.78 (22) | 6.08 (32) | 4.62 (13) |
| Yards per game (Rk) | 452.7 (38) | 319.5 (11) | 405.2 (69) | 324.8 (15) |
| Points per possession (Rk) | 2.70 (31) | 1.66 (26) | 2.83 (20) | 1.65 (24) |
| Category | Houston offense | San Diego State defense | San Diego State offense | Houston defense |
| S&P+ (Rk) | 31.2 (54) | 24.0 (33) | 29.0 (72) | 21.9 (22) |
| Rushing S&P+ (Rk) | 96.1 (91) | 130.4 (5) | 101.2 (71) | 130.5 (4) |
| Passing S&P+ (Rk) | 110.6 (43) | 102.7 (53) | 95.5 (83) | 111.4 (29) |
| Standard Downs S&P+ (Rk) | 102.1 (64) | 109.6 (33) | 102.6 (60) | 110.9 (30) |
| Passing Downs S&P+ (Rk) | 112.2 (41) | 121.4 (19) | 87.9 (107) | 130.4 (11) |
| Q1 S&P+ (Rk) | 104.5 (63) | 101.4 (61) | 104.6 (62) | 108.8 (40) |
| Q2 S&P+ (Rk) | 117.4 (30) | 138.6 (7) | 93.5 (99) | 113.2 (32) |
| Q3 S&P+ (Rk) | 97.0 (79) | 107.2 (40) | 102.6 (58) | 142.1 (4) |
| Q4 S&P+ (Rk) | 87.3 (109) | 123.0 (11) | 98.6 (81) | 116.5 (19) |
Five biggest advantages* (according to the advanced stats)
* or smallest disadvantages
Houston
- Standard Downs Sack Rate (No. 20 defense vs. No. 123 offense)
- Passing Downs S&P+ (No. 11 defense vs. No. 107 offense)
- Passing Downs Explosiveness (IsoPPP) (No. 13 defense vs. No. 109 offense)
- Passing Downs Efficiency (Success Rate) (No. 12 defense vs. No. 105 offense)
- Adj. Line Yards (No. 3 defense vs. No. 91 offense)
San Diego State
- Rushing Explosiveness (IsoPPP) (No. 3 defense vs. No. 90 offense)
- Rushing S&P+ (No. 5 defense vs. No. 91 offense)
- Adj. Line Yards (No. 34 defense vs. No. 114 offense)
- First Down S&P+ (No. 17 defense vs. No. 80 offense)
- Rushing Efficiency (Success Rate) (No. 18 defense vs. No. 76 offense)
Five Factors
| Category | Houston offense | San Diego State defense | San Diego State offense | Houston defense |
| EXPLOSIVENESS | 1.22 (89) | 1.24 (56) | 1.29 (54) | 1.29 (88) |
| EFFICIENCY | 45.2% (31) | 36.8% (22) | 45.1% (34) | 35.7% (14) |
| FIELD POSITION | 32.2 (22) | 26.4 (9) | 32.1 (25) | 28.1 (41) |
| FINISHING DRIVES | 4.6 (53) | 4.7 (83) | 5.0 (21) | 4.6 (77) |
| TURNOVER MARGIN | EXPECTED: Houston 2.12 (51) San Diego State 8.89 (6) |
ACTUAL Houston -3 (83) San Diego State 10 (9) |
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Offensive Footprint
| Category (Rk) | Houston offense | San Diego State offense |
| Adj. Pace | 11.8 (6) | -4.5 (104) |
| Plays per game | 86.5 (5) | 66.7 (120) |
| Possessions per game | 14.1 (16) | 12.5 (93) |
| Std. Downs Run Rate | 51.5% (106) | 74.4% (8) |
| Pass. Downs Run Rate | 36.7% (38) | 47.0% (12) |
| % of solo tackles | 77.7% (36) | 72.5% (82) |
Defensive Footprint
| Category (Rk) | Houston defense | San Diego State defense |
| Std. Downs Run Rate | 56.2% (101) | 58.7% (76) |
| Pass. Downs Run Rate | 33.6% (69) | 28.5% (111) |
| Overall Havoc Rate | 19.4% (12) | 17.8% (31) |
| Front 7 Havoc Rate | 11.7% (20) | 8.0% (86) |
| DB Havoc Rate | 7.6% (29) | 8.9% (6) |
| PD to INC | 31.1% (89) | 40.8% (5) |
When Houston has the ball…
Standard Downs
| Houston Offense | San Diego State Defense | ||||
| Avg. | Rk | Avg. | Rk | Edge | |
| Standard Downs S&P+ | 102.1 | 64 | 109.6 | 33 | San Diego State |
| Standard Downs Success Rate | 49.1 | 43 | 43.0 | 29 | San Diego State |
| Standard Downs IsoPPP | 1.07 | 89 | 1.15 | 58 | San Diego State |
| SD Line Yards per Carry | 2.57 | 115 | 2.74 | 36 | San Diego State big |
| SD Sack Rate | 4.9% | 68 | 6.9% | 22 | San Diego State |
Passing Downs
| Houston Offense | San Diego State Defense | ||||
| Avg. | Rk | Avg. | Rk | Edge | |
| Passing Downs S&P+ | 112.2 | 41 | 121.4 | 19 | San Diego State |
| Passing Downs Success Rate | 37.4 | 14 | 26.0 | 18 | |
| Passing Downs IsoPPP | 1.61 | 107 | 1.71 | 39 | San Diego State big |
| PD Line Yards per Carry | 2.99 | 91 | 2.90 | 36 | San Diego State big |
| PD Sack Rate | 6.4% | 43 | 6.4% | 86 | Houston |
When San Diego State has the ball…
Standard Downs
| San Diego State Offense | Houston Defense | ||||
| Avg. | Rk | Avg. | Rk | Edge | |
| Standard Downs S&P+ | 102.6 | 60 | 110.9 | 30 | Houston |
| Standard Downs Success Rate | 51.8 | 19 | 42.6 | 26 | |
| Standard Downs IsoPPP | 1.18 | 40 | 1.10 | 87 | San Diego State |
| SD Line Yards per Carry | 3.31 | 20 | 2.29 | 7 | Houston |
| SD Sack Rate | 9.2% | 123 | 7% | 20 | Houston big |
Passing Downs
| San Diego State Offense | Houston Defense | ||||
| Avg. | Rk | Avg. | Rk | Edge | |
| Passing Downs S&P+ | 87.9 | 107 | 130.4 | 11 | Houston big |
| Passing Downs Success Rate | 29.5 | 84 | 24.3 | 13 | Houston big |
| Passing Downs IsoPPP | 1.75 | 63 | 1.67 | 61 | |
| PD Line Yards per Carry | 3.45 | 47 | 1.85 | 3 | Houston |
| PD Sack Rate | 9.6% | 94 | 5.8% | 101 | |
Stats via SportSource Analytics












