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2016 New Orleans Bowl stats preview: Southern Miss vs. La.-Lafayette advanced tale of the tape

Southern Miss Golden Eagles (6-6) vs. UL-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns (6-6)

December 17, 2016 ( 9:00 PM ET, ESPN )
Spread: Southern Miss -4.5
S&P+ Projection: Southern Miss (31.0-23.3)

Confused? Check out the advanced-stats glossary here.
Statistical profiles index.
Full Football Outsiders F/+ rankings can be found here.

The Basics
Category Southern Miss UL-Lafayette
S&P+ (Rk) 80 107
Category Southern Miss offense UL-Lafayette defense UL-Lafayette offense Southern Miss defense
Yards per play (Rk) 5.89 (42) 4.94 (29) 4.79 (117) 5.65 (75)
Yards per game (Rk) 484.3 (21) 366.3 (36) 357.5 (110) 327.9 (16)
Points per possession (Rk) 2.40 (52) 1.98 (48) 1.85 (104) 2.17 (70)
Category Southern Miss offense UL-Lafayette defense UL-Lafayette offense Southern Miss defense
S&P+ (Rk) 27.2 (80) 30.7 (78) 19.0 (121) 31.7 (86)
Rushing S&P+ (Rk) 89.6 (111) 112.0 (30) 97.2 (88) 98.5 (71)
Passing S&P+ (Rk) 98.6 (70) 89.8 (109) 89.1 (98) 97.5 (74)
Standard Downs S&P+ (Rk) 96.7 (86) 100.8 (56) 91.4 (105) 88.5 (117)
Passing Downs S&P+ (Rk) 93.9 (94) 87.6 (107) 95.2 (87) 127.0 (14)
Q1 S&P+ (Rk) 87.9 (103) 89.1 (104) 87.9 (102) 82.0 (123)
Q2 S&P+ (Rk) 120.9 (19) 103.8 (53) 91.3 (103) 97.8 (81)
Q3 S&P+ (Rk) 95.8 (86) 110.9 (32) 96.8 (80) 109.4 (34)
Q4 S&P+ (Rk) 86.1 (111) 108.7 (33) 96.0 (93) 130.3 (4)
Five biggest advantages* (according to the advanced stats)

* or smallest disadvantages

Southern Miss

  1. Passing Efficiency (Success Rate) (No. 10 defense vs. No. 114 offense)
  2. Adj. Sack Rate (No. 15 defense vs. No. 115 offense)
  3. Short-Yardage Rushing (No. 21 defense vs. No. 115 offense)
  4. Second Down S&P+ (No. 23 defense vs. No. 110 offense)
  5. Passing Downs Sack Rate (No. 7 defense vs. No. 89 offense)

UL-Lafayette

  1. Rushing Efficiency (Success Rate) (No. 32 defense vs. No. 115 offense)
  2. Rushing S&P+ (No. 30 defense vs. No. 111 offense)
  3. Adj. Line Yards (No. 49 defense vs. No. 125 offense)
  4. Rushing Explosiveness (IsoPPP) (No. 29 defense vs. No. 105 offense)
  5. Field Position (No. 58 offense vs. No. 123 defense)
Five Factors
Category Southern Miss offense UL-Lafayette defense UL-Lafayette offense Southern Miss defense
EXPLOSIVENESS 1.29 (57) 1.22 (40) 1.17 (114) 1.67 (128)
EFFICIENCY 40.8% (86) 41.3% (51) 40.5% (89) 34.4% (5)
FIELD POSITION 27.3 (118) 31.0 (98) 30.0 (58) 33.4 (123)
FINISHING DRIVES 4.7 (47) 4.1 (35) 3.8 (118) 4.9 (104)
TURNOVER MARGIN EXPECTED:
Southern Miss -10.45 (126)
UL-Lafayette 4.38 (30)
ACTUAL
Southern Miss -16 (125)
UL-Lafayette 0 (67)
Offensive Footprint
Category (Rk) Southern Miss offense UL-Lafayette offense
Adj. Pace 7.5 (14) 0.7 (57)
Plays per game 82.3 (11) 74.7 (57)
Possessions per game 13.8 (26) 12.9 (70)
Std. Downs Run Rate 55.5% (92) 65.8% (32)
Pass. Downs Run Rate 35.6% (47) 41.1% (22)
% of solo tackles 69.9% (102) 72.6% (81)
Defensive Footprint
Category (Rk) Southern Miss defense UL-Lafayette defense
Std. Downs Run Rate 62.4% (45) 59.5% (67)
Pass. Downs Run Rate 36.9% (46) 29.4% (105)
Overall Havoc Rate 21.0% (5) 15.2% (75)
Front 7 Havoc Rate 14.7% (3) 9.8% (51)
DB Havoc Rate 6.2% (63) 5.1% (106)
PD to INC 35.9% (36) 29.8% (99)

When Southern Miss has the ball…

Standard Downs
Southern Miss Offense UL-Lafayette Defense
Avg. Rk Avg. Rk Edge
Standard Downs S&P+ 96.7 86 100.8 56 UL-Lafayette
Standard Downs Success Rate 46.4 81 45.0 42 UL-Lafayette
Standard Downs IsoPPP 1.11 67 1.58 46 UL-Lafayette
SD Line Yards per Carry 2.89 83 2.50 17 UL-Lafayette big
SD Sack Rate 6.5% 99 4.1% 82 UL-Lafayette
Passing Downs
Southern Miss Offense UL-Lafayette Defense
Avg. Rk Avg. Rk Edge
Passing Downs S&P+ 93.9 94 87.6 107 Southern Miss
Passing Downs Success Rate 29.2 88 33.6 94
Passing Downs IsoPPP 1.85 36 1.97 25 UL-Lafayette
PD Line Yards per Carry 1.87 125 3.34 76 UL-Lafayette
PD Sack Rate 6.2% 40 7.1% 74 Southern Miss

When UL-Lafayette has the ball…

Standard Downs
UL-Lafayette Offense Southern Miss Defense
Avg. Rk Avg. Rk Edge
Standard Downs S&P+ 91.4 105 88.5 117 UL-Lafayette
Standard Downs Success Rate 45.5 89 42.0 19 Southern Miss big
Standard Downs IsoPPP 1.02 108 1.07 128 UL-Lafayette
SD Line Yards per Carry 2.74 101 2.34 8 Southern Miss big
SD Sack Rate 7.1% 108 4.4% 76 Southern Miss
Passing Downs
UL-Lafayette Offense Southern Miss Defense
Avg. Rk Avg. Rk Edge
Passing Downs S&P+ 95.2 87 127.0 14 Southern Miss big
Passing Downs Success Rate 29.2 87 21.5 5 Southern Miss big
Passing Downs IsoPPP 1.67 92 1.63 117 UL-Lafayette
PD Line Yards per Carry 3.86 15 2.84 31 UL-Lafayette
PD Sack Rate 9.3% 89 13.3% 7 Southern Miss big

Stats via SportSource Analytics

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