Sam Houston

2026 season

Conference USA

2026 preseason report

Historical preseason snapshot from 2026-07-29, including roster context and illustrative season projections. This is not a live injury feed.

What every system says

Sam Houston's rank in each system (1 = best). Middle rank 129 across 8 systems; best 123, worst 132, so they disagree by 9 places.

Lab EPA: #126; Through week 82026 · 138 rated FBS teams · Through week 8. Rank 1 is best; lower rank numbers are better. Higher rating values are better. Equal ratings take separate places, ordered by team name.
Lab SRS: #132; down 32026 · 138 FBS roster teams, including prior-only teams · Through week 8 · built 2026-10-30T11:17:06.745613+00:00. Rank 1 is best; lower rank numbers are better. Higher rating values are better. Equal ratings take separate places, ordered by team name.
SP+: #129; down 22026 · 138 published SP+ teams · Provider week 9 · captured 2026-10-25T21:28:39.844929+00:00. Rank 1 is best; lower rank numbers are better. Higher rating values are better. Published provider ranks; tie handling is not documented in this snapshot.
Elo: #130; up 12026 · 138 rated FBS teams · Through week 8 · captured 2026-10-30T11:02:01.130624+00:00. Rank 1 is best; lower rank numbers are better. Higher rating values are better. Equal ratings share the best tied rank; the next rank skips places.
FPI: #129; down 22026 · 138 rated FBS teams · Event cutoff not supplied · captured 2026-10-30T11:02:01.130624+00:00. Rank 1 is best; lower rank numbers are better. Higher rating values are better. Equal ratings share the best tied rank; the next rank skips places.
CORE: #131; down 6 · Through week 8 · captured 2026-10-30T11:02:01.130624+00:002026 · 138 rated FBS teams · Through week 8 · captured 2026-10-30T11:02:01.130624+00:00. Rank 1 is best; lower rank numbers are better. Higher rating values are better. Equal ratings share the best tied rank; the next rank skips places.
CFBD SRS: #123; down 102026 · 138 rated FBS teams · Event cutoff not supplied · captured 2026-10-30T11:02:01.130624+00:00. Rank 1 is best; lower rank numbers are better. Higher rating values are better. Equal ratings share the best tied rank; the next rank skips places.
WEPA: #126; up 12026 · 138 rated FBS teams · Event cutoff not supplied · captured 2026-10-30T11:02:01.130624+00:00. Rank 1 is best; lower rank numbers are better. Higher rating values are better. Equal ratings share the best tied rank; the next rank skips places.

Compare every team

FPI context

ESPN FPI via CFBD · 2026

Résumé and schedule

Results earned and schedule difficulty

Strength of record: #135 of 138
Schedule strength: #87 of 138
Remaining schedule strength: #128 of 138
Game control: #120 of 138

Unit efficiency

Performance by unit

Overall: #119 of 138
Offense: #130 of 138
Defense: #83 of 138
Special teams: #88 of 138

Ranks calculated among rated FBS teams; ties share rank. #1 means strongest résumé, hardest schedule, best game control or highest efficiency. These are separate measures, not a combined forecast. Captured Oct 30, 2026, 06:02:01 CDT. FPI supplies no results-through week; capture time records when we received it.

Why the ratings disagree

Sam Houston · 2026. Each system answers a different question. The cards show each source's rank (published or computed here) and coverage, so a rank gap can also reflect which teams have data.

Record

1-6 wins–losses

No rank assigned

Results earned. Wins and losses do not account for opponent strength or victory margin.

2026, provider Week 9; captured 2026-10-25T21:28:39.844929+00:00

SP+ workbook record

Descriptive EPA

-0.167 net EPA/play

#126

2026 · 138 rated FBS teams · Through week 8. Rank 1 is best; lower rank numbers are better. Higher rating values are better. Equal ratings take separate places, ordered by team name.

Observed per-play efficiency after opponent adjustment. FBS-vs-FBS plays; no preseason strength prior. Sparse schedules can produce sharp early movement.

2026, through CFBD Week 8; opponent adjusted ridge

Lab EPA from CFBD plays

Local predictive SRS

-12.92 points

#132 · Down 3 places since the previous CFBD cutoff

2026 · 138 FBS roster teams, including prior-only teams · Through week 8 · built 2026-10-30T11:17:06.745613+00:00. Rank 1 is best; lower rank numbers are better. Higher rating values are better. Equal ratings take separate places, ordered by team name.

This season's 7 games, with recent games counting a bit more: average margin -9.61 (with blowouts capped at 35 points and overtime games counted as a 1-point result, then 2.5 points of home field removed) against opponents averaging -4.61, schedule #92 of 138 (#1 = toughest); 1 FCS opponent counts at −25; FBS opponents alone average -1.44. That is worth -14.22 on its own; the preseason prior of -8.92 still carries 25% of the weight, giving -12.92.

How each game enters this SRS rating

Sam Houston · 2026, through CFBD Week 8. Margins are team minus opponent. The fit caps margins and treats overtime as a one-point result before adjusting for venue. Recent games carry more weight; the fit share includes the preseason prior in its denominator.

Game	Raw margin → transformed	Venue adjustment	Recency weight	Fit share	Opponent rating	Margin term	Opponent term	Total term
Week 1 · Troy away · 2026-09-05 · ID 401870763	-3.00 → -3.00	+2.50	0.7637	9.40%	-9.91	-0.047	-0.932	-0.979
Week 2 · Tulsa home · 2026-09-12 · ID 401862707	-6.00 → -6.00	-2.50	0.7937	9.77%	-1.22	-0.830	-0.119	-0.949
Week 3 · Nicholls home · 2026-09-19 · ID 401870764	+59.00 → +35.00	-2.50	0.8249	10.15%	-25.00 (fixed lower division)	3.298	-2.537	0.761
Week 4 · Texas Tech away · 2026-09-26 · ID 401856805	-35.00 → -35.00	+2.50	0.8572	10.55%	+10.71	-3.428	1.129	-2.299
Week 6 · Liberty away · 2026-10-08 · ID 401870766	-32.00 → -32.00	+2.50	0.9259	11.39%	+6.67	-3.361	0.760	-2.601
Week 7 · Western Kentucky home · 2026-10-15 · ID 401871068	-13.00 → -13.00	-2.50	0.9622	11.84%	-7.94	-1.835	-0.941	-2.776
Week 8 · New Mexico State home · 2026-10-22 · ID 401871070	-6.00 → -6.00	-2.50	1.0000	12.30%	-6.78	-1.046	-0.834	-1.880

Game terms -10.72 points; prior term -2.19 points. Their unrounded sum is the fitted rating -12.92 points. The preseason prior is -8.92 with 24.61% of the fit weight. Displayed values are rounded; the producer checks the unrounded identity within 0.00000001 points.

These are additive terms of the current fit, not the effect of removing a game. Opponent ratings already reflect the connected schedule. Lower-division opponents use the fixed anchor, not an individually fitted rating. The rating's model-based 95% band is ±9.2 points; this decomposition does not reduce uncertainty or assign causal effects.

Download fitted terms and source hashes

Estimated strength from schedule-adjusted scoring margins, margin caps, home-field adjustment and recency weighting. Half of prior-season strength, including postseason, carries forward with two games of weight. SRS includes FCS opponents under a fixed strength assumption. 7 current games; prior available.

2026, through CFBD Week 8; generated 2026-10-30T11:17:06.745613+00:00

Lab SRS from CFBD scores

External SP+

-18.0 SP+ points

#129 · Down 2 places

2026 · 138 published SP+ teams · Provider week 9 · captured 2026-10-25T21:28:39.844929+00:00. Rank 1 is best; lower rank numbers are better. Higher rating values are better. Published provider ranks; tie handling is not documented in this snapshot.

Bill Connelly's published predictive strength estimate. Its method and scale differ from local SRS.

2026, provider Week 9; captured 2026-10-25T21:28:39.844929+00:00

Bill Connelly SP+ workbook

External CORE

-18.52 net points per 100 offensive + 100 defensive plays

#131 of 138 by overall (ranked here; CORE publishes no rank)

2026 · 138 rated FBS teams in this CORE board · 2026, through regular Week 8; model core-v1; captured 2026-10-30T11:02:06.855798+00:00. Rank 1 is best; lower rank numbers are better. Higher rating values are better. Equal ratings share the best tied rank; the next rank skips places.

CFBD's context- and opponent-relative efficiency. Offense is higher-better; defense is points allowed above average, so lower is better; overall is offense minus defense. It counts only pass and rush plays from FBS-vs-FBS games, with no special teams, overtime or garbage time; early-week values are pulled toward average but are still uncertain, and it is not a résumé ranking. Its scale is not comparable to EPA, SRS or SP+. Offense -15.33 on 340 plays; defense 3.19 on 375 plays.

2026, through regular Week 8; model core-v1; captured 2026-10-30T11:02:06.855798+00:00

CFBD CORE rating CORE board: offense vs defense

EPA ranks Sam Houston 6 places higher than local SRS at the matched cutoff. This identifies a disagreement; it does not isolate its cause. SP+ movement compares provider weeks 8 and 9. Provider weeks may differ from CFBD weeks, so no cross-provider rank gap is calculated. CORE reports its own inclusive cutoff and is shown beside these systems for comparison only; it is an external research rating and is never blended into the lab's opponent-adjusted EPA, local SRS or any pick.

Team ratings and rank gaps are not matchup spreads or win probabilities. Matchup context and a calibrated forecast mapping are required. Do not average EPA, SRS, SP+ and CORE values across their different scales.

Read local SRS assumptions and forecast evidence

Program context

2026 · CFBD records, polls, recruiting, coaches

Record: 1-7 · conf 0-4 · home 1-3 · away 0-4 · expected wins 2.2
Polls (Week 9): unranked
CFP latest: not published
CFP final: not published
Against the spread: 2026: 3-5 ATS (+0.9 avg) · 2025: 3-9 ATS (-8.1 avg)
Head coach: Phil Longo · hired 2024-12-18 · 2-10 over 2 captured seasons
Recruiting classes: 2024 #124 (121 pts) · 2025 #122 (108 pts) · 2026 #126 (161 pts)
Returning: 58% of production · 52% of usage
Passing, receiving and rushing detail
Category Production Usage
Passing -31% 38%
Receiving 57% 66%
Rushing -3% 56%
Shares of prior-season PPA and usage returning in each category. Missing values are unavailable.

Category	Production	Usage
Passing	-31%	38%
Receiving	57%	66%
Rushing	-3%	56%

Provider values from CFBD captures dated 2026-09-22, 2026-10-30. head coach for the season; tenure counts cover only the captured seasons, hire date is the provider's. Returning usage carries no signal beyond returning production in this repo's research; neither is a model input.

Recruiting by position group

2023–2026 classes · High school · CFBD · captured 2026-10-30 UTC

Position group	Commits	Avg. stars	Avg. rating	Total rating
Defensive Back	13	3.00	0.8390	10.91
Defensive Line	6	3.00	0.8294	4.98
Linebacker	5	3.00	0.8201	4.10
Offensive Line	8	3.00	0.8298	6.64
Quarterback	5	3.00	0.8346	4.17
Receiver	8	3.00	0.8296	6.64
Running Back	3	3.00	0.8318	2.50

Recruiting class aggregates, not current roster strength. Commits count recruits across the window; total rating also reflects class size. JUCO, prep-school and transfer ratings are excluded. These values do not enter the prediction model.

Player efficiency and usage

2026 · observed 2026-10-30 UTC

Passing and rushing WEPA adjust efficiency for opponents. Kicker PAAR measures points added above replacement. Higher is better within each metric. Metric rows are ordered by sample size, followed by usage-only players. Usage is the share of team plays involving the player within each category; categories overlap and should not be added. CFBD definitions

Player / history	Metric	Value	Plays / attempts	Overall usage	Usage detail	Recruiting
Landyn Locke · QB CFBD athlete 5148427. Sam Houston (2025–2026)	Passing WEPA	0.211	224	60.6%	Pass 95.3% · Rush 13.7% 1st 56.3% · 2nd 59.6% · 3rd 68.9% Standard downs 53.6% · Passing downs 74.0%	2025: 3★ · 0.8639
Alton McCaskill · RB CFBD athlete 4680018. Arizona State (2024–2024); Colorado (2023–2023); Houston (2021–2022); Sam Houston (2025–2026)	Rushing WEPA	0.081	46	14.9%	Pass 6.0% · Rush 28.7% 1st 15.6% · 2nd 15.9% · 3rd 12.8% Standard downs 17.3% · Passing downs 10.6%	2021: 3★ · 0.8893
Samuel Carpenter · PK CFBD athlete 5154317. Pittsburgh (2023–2025); Sam Houston (2026–2026)	Kicker PAAR	-0.630	8	—	Pass — · Rush — 1st — · 2nd — · 3rd — Standard downs — · Passing downs —	Not linked
Ah'Marion Gaines-Smith · RB CFBD athlete 5296823. Team attribution from the captured season usage record.	Not available	—	—	3.8%	Pass 0.0% · Rush 7.0% 1st 2.8% · 2nd 4.2% · 3rd 5.6% Standard downs 3.4% · Passing downs 5.3%	Not linked
Aviyon Smith-Mack · WR CFBD athlete 5159290. Team attribution from the captured season usage record.	Not available	—	—	1.3%	Pass 3.1% · Rush 0.0% 1st 0.0% · 2nd 4.2% · 3rd 0.0% Standard downs 0.0% · Passing downs 5.3%	Not linked
Brett Holloway · QB CFBD athlete 5384797. Team attribution from the captured season usage record.	Not available	—	—	5.9%	Pass 3.3% · Rush 9.8% 1st 3.6% · 2nd 4.9% · 3rd 11.8% Standard downs 6.1% · Passing downs 5.5%	Not linked
Chris Reed · WR CFBD athlete 4895711. Team attribution from the captured season usage record.	Not available	—	—	9.8%	Pass 16.8% · Rush 0.0% 1st 8.7% · 2nd 8.5% · 3rd 12.0% Standard downs 8.2% · Passing downs 12.8%	Not linked
DJ Bailey · QB CFBD athlete 5220425. Team attribution from the captured season usage record.	Not available	—	—	39.5%	Pass 55.4% · Rush 10.5% 1st 38.0% · 2nd 41.2% · 3rd 37.0% Standard downs 37.9% · Passing downs 41.7%	Not linked
Darrick Bledsoe III · WR CFBD athlete 5220443. Team attribution from the captured season usage record.	Not available	—	—	4.4%	Pass 7.5% · Rush 0.0% 1st 6.1% · 2nd 1.8% · 3rd 5.2% Standard downs 3.9% · Passing downs 5.5%	Not linked
Grady O'Neill · WR CFBD athlete 5104888. Team attribution from the captured season usage record.	Not available	—	—	11.6%	Pass 19.8% · Rush 0.0% 1st 9.2% · 2nd 10.4% · 3rd 17.1% Standard downs 9.1% · Passing downs 16.2%	Not linked
Jerrian Parker · RB CFBD athlete 5227793. Team attribution from the captured season usage record.	Not available	—	—	8.6%	Pass 7.4% · Rush 10.7% 1st 10.4% · 2nd 9.9% · 3rd 4.4% Standard downs 9.1% · Passing downs 7.7%	Not linked
Kaden Winkfield · RB CFBD athlete 5327228. Team attribution from the captured season usage record.	Not available	—	—	6.4%	Pass 0.0% · Rush 11.6% 1st 11.1% · 2nd 4.2% · 3rd 0.0% Standard downs 8.5% · Passing downs 0.0%	Not linked
Kamari Maxwell · WR CFBD athlete 5301576. Team attribution from the captured season usage record.	Not available	—	—	2.2%	Pass 3.9% · Rush 0.0% 1st 2.1% · 2nd 2.1% · 3rd 1.9% Standard downs 2.7% · Passing downs 1.3%	Not linked
Kyan Berry-Johnson · WR CFBD athlete 5142319. Team attribution from the captured season usage record.	Not available	—	—	5.8%	Pass 9.7% · Rush 0.5% 1st 5.2% · 2nd 7.5% · 3rd 4.9% Standard downs 3.7% · Passing downs 9.7%	Not linked
Landan Brown · RB CFBD athlete 5160209. Team attribution from the captured season usage record.	Not available	—	—	10.0%	Pass 6.4% · Rush 15.8% 1st 11.5% · 2nd 10.4% · 3rd 7.7% Standard downs 11.8% · Passing downs 6.7%	Not linked
London Deyon · TE CFBD athlete 5207795. Team attribution from the captured season usage record.	Not available	—	—	2.6%	Pass 4.1% · Rush 0.0% 1st 2.0% · 2nd 5.3% · 3rd 0.0% Standard downs 1.4% · Passing downs 4.2%	Not linked
MJ Dowdy · RB CFBD athlete 5384799. Team attribution from the captured season usage record.	Not available	—	—	12.7%	Pass 1.8% · Rush 27.5% 1st 13.5% · 2nd 15.6% · 3rd 6.9% Standard downs 15.5% · Passing downs 8.0%	Not linked
Matt Smith · TE CFBD athlete 4568237. Team attribution from the captured season usage record.	Not available	—	—	2.3%	Pass 3.7% · Rush 0.0% 1st 3.1% · 2nd 3.0% · 3rd 0.0% Standard downs 2.6% · Passing downs 1.8%	Not linked
Max Whisner · TE CFBD athlete 4695711. Team attribution from the captured season usage record.	Not available	—	—	3.3%	Pass 5.8% · Rush 0.0% 1st 2.1% · 2nd 7.1% · 3rd 0.0% Standard downs 3.3% · Passing downs 3.2%	Not linked
Tim Burns Jr. · WR CFBD athlete 5296832. Team attribution from the captured season usage record.	Not available	—	—	7.4%	Pass 12.7% · Rush 0.0% 1st 9.4% · 2nd 4.9% · 3rd 7.8% Standard downs 8.0% · Passing downs 6.3%	Not linked

Transfers

Incoming · 20 reported

Player	From	Date	Stars / rating	Eligibility
Brian Bates · LB	Delaware State	2026-01-18	3★ / 0.8400	Immediate
Brock Kuhl · TE	Florida Atlantic	2026-01-08	3★ / —	Immediate
Brock Stukes · IOL	NC State	2026-01-12	— / —	Immediate
Caesar Magee III · CB	Northwestern State	2026-01-16	3★ / 0.8000	Immediate
Christian Zachary · WR	NC State	2026-02-03	3★ / —	Immediate
Denell Nix Jr. · OT	App State	2026-02-04	3★ / 0.8400	Immediate
Dimitry Nicolas · DL	Maryland	2026-01-12	3★ / 0.8500	Immediate
Elijah Collins · IOL	Western Carolina	2026-01-16	3★ / 0.8300	Immediate
Elijah Groves · LB	NC State	2026-01-10	3★ / 0.8600	Immediate
Ishmel Atkins · CB	Elon	2026-01-20	3★ / 0.8500	Immediate
Jarra Anderson · DL	Arizona	2026-01-12	3★ / 0.8500	Immediate
Jayden Fry · EDGE	Boston College	2026-01-11	3★ / 0.8600	Immediate
Josiah Chenault · IOL	Kennesaw State	2026-02-04	3★ / 0.8400	Immediate
Justin Terrell · DL	NC State	2026-01-10	3★ / 0.8500	Immediate
Kyan Berry-Johnson · WR	Wisconsin	2026-01-13	3★ / 0.8400	Immediate
Max Whisner · TE	Akron	2026-01-17	3★ / 0.8300	Immediate
Sam Carpenter · K	Pittsburgh	2026-01-15	— / —	Immediate
Stacy Bey · LB	Arizona	2026-01-07	3★ / 0.8500	Immediate
William Davis · S	West Virginia	2026-01-15	3★ / 0.8300	Immediate
Zion Taylor · EDGE	Houston	2026-01-12	3★ / 0.8300	Immediate

Outgoing · 15 reported

Player	To	Date	Stars / rating	Eligibility
Curtis Gerrand · P	UCLA	2026-01-10	— / —	Immediate
Fatu Mukuba · WR	Not reported	2025-12-09	3★ / —	Immediate
Hunter Watson · QB	Not reported	2026-01-08	2★ / —	Immediate
JaMair Diaz · LB	Temple	2026-01-06	— / —	Immediate
Jaidan Scott · S	Not reported	2026-01-07	3★ / —	Immediate
Jayveon Johnson · LB	Not reported	2025-12-14	3★ / —	Immediate
Joe Swen · CB	Not reported	2026-01-15	3★ / —	TBD
Kevin Kalonji · OT	Not reported	2026-01-12	3★ / —	Immediate
Kolt Dieterich · OT	Washington	2026-01-05	4★ / 0.9200	Immediate
Lonnie Adkism · WR	Not reported	2025-12-07	3★ / —	Immediate
Mabrey Mettauer · QB	SMU	2026-07-24	3★ / —	Immediate
Michael Phoenix II · WR	Not reported	2026-01-10	3★ / —	Immediate
Rayfield Lotten · TE	New Mexico State	2026-01-21	3★ / 0.8200	Immediate
Rhett Larson · IOL	Western Kentucky	2026-01-16	3★ / 0.8500	Immediate
Zeiqui Lawton · DL	Not reported	2026-01-02	3★ / —	Immediate

Transfer observations can include unresolved destinations. CFBD supplies no timezone for transfer dates and no athlete ID linking these records to the efficiency table. These observations do not establish current roster membership or game availability.

Descriptive context only; no player or transfer value enters the prediction model. Adjusted metrics require unambiguous season/team history. Usage-only rows use the captured athlete ID and team; conflicting usage identities are omitted. Missing values are unavailable, not zero. Provider coverage is incomplete.

Coaching eras

Continuous appointments at Sam Houston. Records are CFBD-attributed results; active tenures and the current season may be incomplete.

Phil Longo · career 2–10 across 2 seasons and 1 schools

Tenure timeline · 3 appointments

2025–present · Phil Longo · active at capture
2–10 · 12 attributed games · 2 seasons
Hired 2024-12-18. Exact effective dates unavailable.
2024–2024 · Brad Cornelsen · interim
1–0 · 1 attributed games · 1 seasons
Hired 2024-12-01. Effective dates: 2024-12-20 to unknown.
2023–2024 · K.C. Keeler
12–12 · 24 attributed games · 2 seasons
Hired 2014-01-23. Effective dates: unknown to 2024-12-20.

Season résumé · 2015–2026

Coach-attributed records appear beside team-season ratings, recruiting and poll context. Shared seasons appear once per coach; rows are not assigned to individual stints. Ratings describe team performance, not a causal coaching effect.

Season / coach	Record	Conference	Postseason	SP+	SRS	Recruiting rank	Final poll
2026 · Phil Longo · incomplete attribution	0–0	—	—	-16.9	-14.3	126	—
2025 · Phil Longo	2–10	1–7	0–0	-27.8	-22.7	122	—
2024 · K.C. Keeler	9–3	6–2	0–0	-6.9	-6.2	124	—
2024 · Brad Cornelsen	1–0	0–0	1–0	-6.9	-6.2	124	—
2023 · K.C. Keeler	3–9	2–6	0–0	-13.8	-13.3	96	—

Download coaching history JSON

Source: CFBD · captured 2026-10-26T02:02:59.394463+00:00 UTC. Season résumé covers 2015–2026; timeline spans all returned tenures. — means unavailable. Career summaries cover active coaches at capture. This snapshot is descriptive and is not a pregame cutoff.

CFBD season overview

2026 stored season snapshot, including postseason and garbage time. Raw CFBD PPA is not opponent-adjusted EPA or player WEPA. No week cutoff; these values do not enter our forecasts.

Captured 2026-10-26 04:10:14.047809 UTC · Source data

Stat rankings

CFBD FBS ranks · source updated 2026-10-25 13:18:12 UTC · calculated 2026-10-26 04:10:14 UTC · provider cache expiry 2026-10-26 04:20:14 UTC. Rank 1 is best; percentiles use CFBD’s 0–100 scale.

Statistic	Offense rank / population	Percentile	Defense rank / population	Percentile
PPA / play	126 / 138	8.8	77 / 138	44.5
Success rate	127 / 138	8.0	55 / 138	60.6
Explosiveness	28 / 138	80.3	45 / 138	67.9
Standard-down success	131 / 138	5.1	58 / 138	58.4
Passing-down success	T81 / 138	41.2	47 / 138	66.4
Pass PPA	123 / 138	10.9	19 / 138	86.9
Rush PPA	128 / 138	7.3	124 / 138	10.2
Pass explosiveness	40 / 138	71.5	24 / 138	83.2
Rush explosiveness	105 / 138	24.1	110 / 138	20.4
Line yards	133 / 138	3.6	110 / 138	20.4
Second-level yards	T99 / 138	28.1	125 / 138	9.5
Open-field yards	130 / 138	5.8	124 / 138	10.2
Stuff rate	134 / 138	2.9	T81 / 138	41.2
Power success	T133 / 138	2.9	T94 / 138	31.0
Havoc	135 / 138	2.2	T22 / 138	84.3
Front-seven havoc	130 / 138	5.8	T46 / 138	65.7
DB havoc	T118 / 138	13.9	T17 / 138	87.6
Points / opportunity	134 / 138	2.9	68 / 138	51.1
Average field position	T100 / 138	27.4	T72 / 138	47.1
Field-position expected points	T92 / 138	32.8	T89 / 138	35.0

Player PPA and usage

Ordered by overall usage. Open a player for pass, rush, down and situation splits. Usage is the provider’s share of team plays in each situation; PPA is the provider’s average or total for that player. Missing values stay blank (—); play counts are not supplied here. Standard downs are 1st down, 2nd-and-7 or shorter, and 3rd/4th-and-4 or shorter; other situations are passing downs.

Landyn Locke · QBUsage 60.6% · Avg PPA 0.067 · Total 18.311

Split	Average PPA	Total PPA	Usage
Overall	0.067	18.311	60.6%
Pass	0.099	24.271	95.3%
Rush	-0.062	-1.546	13.7%
1st down	0.130	14.028	56.3%
2nd down	0.056	4.847	59.6%
3rd down	0.337	23.956	68.9%
Standard downs	-0.036	-5.750	53.6%
Passing downs	0.211	24.061	74.0%

Alton McCaskill · RBUsage 15.8% · Avg PPA -0.104 · Total -7.395

Split	Average PPA	Total PPA	Usage
Overall	-0.104	-7.395	15.8%
Pass	-0.143	-2.425	6.6%
Rush	-0.092	-4.970	29.7%
1st down	-0.189	-6.226	17.2%
2nd down	-0.027	-0.653	16.4%
3rd down	0.312	4.051	12.6%
Standard downs	-0.095	-5.313	19.0%
Passing downs	-0.139	-2.082	9.7%

MJ Dowdy · RBUsage 11.7% · Avg PPA -0.127 · Total -3.687

Split	Average PPA	Total PPA	Usage
Overall	-0.127	-3.687	11.7%
Pass	-0.458	-0.458	0.8%
Rush	-0.115	-3.229	25.2%
1st down	-0.235	-3.052	12.1%
2nd down	-0.138	-1.521	14.1%
3rd down	1.310	5.238	6.9%
Standard downs	-0.102	-2.253	13.8%
Passing downs	-0.205	-1.434	8.0%

Grady O'Neill · WRUsage 10.9% · Avg PPA 0.249 · Total 12.187

Split	Average PPA	Total PPA	Usage
Overall	0.249	12.187	10.9%
Pass	0.249	12.187	19.0%
Rush	—	0.000	0.0%
1st down	0.056	0.847	7.8%
2nd down	-0.102	-1.740	11.6%
3rd down	0.769	13.080	16.5%
Standard downs	-0.129	-3.101	8.1%
Passing downs	0.611	15.287	16.2%

Landan Brown · RBUsage 10.5% · Avg PPA -0.076 · Total -3.556

Split	Average PPA	Total PPA	Usage
Overall	-0.076	-3.556	10.5%
Pass	-0.208	-3.541	6.6%
Rush	0.000	-0.015	16.5%
1st down	-0.165	-4.125	13.0%
2nd down	0.139	2.086	10.3%
3rd down	-0.217	-1.518	6.8%
Standard downs	-0.211	-7.583	12.2%
Passing downs	0.366	4.027	7.1%

Jerrian Parker · RBUsage 9.3% · Avg PPA 0.283 · Total 8.489

Split	Average PPA	Total PPA	Usage
Overall	0.283	8.489	9.3%
Pass	0.495	7.423	8.6%
Rush	0.071	1.066	10.8%
1st down	0.686	10.293	10.9%
2nd down	-0.230	-2.526	10.7%
3rd down	0.180	0.722	5.3%
Standard downs	0.293	6.163	9.6%
Passing downs	0.258	2.325	8.6%

Chris Reed · WRUsage 8.7% · Avg PPA 0.134 · Total 5.242

Split	Average PPA	Total PPA	Usage
Overall	0.134	5.242	8.7%
Pass	0.134	5.242	15.1%
Rush	—	0.000	0.0%
1st down	0.033	0.431	6.8%
2nd down	0.787	8.652	7.5%
3rd down	0.672	8.064	11.7%
Standard downs	-0.271	-5.689	7.1%
Passing downs	0.607	10.931	11.7%

Tim Burns Jr. · WRUsage 7.3% · Avg PPA 0.773 · Total 21.657

Split	Average PPA	Total PPA	Usage
Overall	0.773	21.657	7.3%
Pass	0.773	21.657	12.7%
Rush	—	0.000	0.0%
1st down	0.606	9.697	9.7%
2nd down	0.819	4.914	4.8%
3rd down	1.174	7.047	6.7%
Standard downs	0.413	8.682	8.4%
Passing downs	1.854	12.975	5.3%

Brett Holloway · QBUsage 6.8% · Avg PPA 0.080 · Total 1.432

Split	Average PPA	Total PPA	Usage
Overall	0.080	1.432	6.8%
Pass	-0.619	-3.093	3.5%
Rush	0.348	4.525	11.6%
1st down	-0.302	-1.508	4.4%
2nd down	-1.623	-8.114	6.0%
3rd down	1.382	11.054	12.9%
Standard downs	0.543	7.064	7.3%
Passing downs	-1.126	-5.632	5.9%

Kaden Winkfield · RBUsage 6.4% · Avg PPA -0.131 · Total -0.656

Split	Average PPA	Total PPA	Usage
Overall	-0.131	-0.656	6.4%
Pass	—	0.000	0.0%
Rush	-0.131	-0.656	11.6%
1st down	-0.047	-0.189	11.1%
2nd down	-0.467	-0.467	4.2%
3rd down	—	0.000	0.0%
Standard downs	-0.131	-0.656	8.5%
Passing downs	—	0.000	0.0%

Kyan Berry-Johnson · WRUsage 5.8% · Avg PPA 0.423 · Total 11.002

Split	Average PPA	Total PPA	Usage
Overall	0.423	11.002	5.8%
Pass	0.436	10.893	9.7%
Rush	0.109	0.109	0.5%
1st down	0.380	3.800	5.2%
2nd down	0.170	1.867	7.5%
3rd down	1.067	5.334	4.9%
Standard downs	0.867	9.533	3.7%
Passing downs	0.098	1.469	9.7%

DJ Bailey · QBUsage 5.6% · Avg PPA -0.732 · Total -2.196

Split	Average PPA	Total PPA	Usage
Overall	-0.732	-2.196	5.6%
Pass	-0.732	-2.196	8.8%
Rush	—	0.000	0.0%
1st down	-1.041	-1.041	4.2%
2nd down	-0.631	-0.631	6.3%
3rd down	-0.524	-0.524	7.7%
Standard downs	-1.041	-1.041	3.2%
Passing downs	-0.577	-1.155	8.7%

Darrick Bledsoe III · WRUsage 4.6% · Avg PPA 0.621 · Total 8.075

Split	Average PPA	Total PPA	Usage
Overall	0.621	8.075	4.6%
Pass	0.621	8.075	8.2%
Rush	—	0.000	0.0%
1st down	0.851	5.959	5.8%
2nd down	-0.532	-1.064	2.2%
3rd down	0.795	3.180	6.3%
Standard downs	0.851	5.959	3.6%
Passing downs	0.353	2.116	7.1%

Ah'Marion Gaines-Smith · RBUsage 3.8% · Avg PPA 0.888 · Total 2.665

Split	Average PPA	Total PPA	Usage
Overall	0.888	2.665	3.8%
Pass	—	0.000	0.0%
Rush	0.888	2.665	7.0%
1st down	0.087	0.087	2.8%
2nd down	2.014	2.014	4.2%
3rd down	0.564	0.564	5.6%
Standard downs	0.325	0.651	3.4%
Passing downs	2.014	2.014	5.3%

Max Whisner · TEUsage 3.3% · Avg PPA 0.304 · Total 2.126

Split	Average PPA	Total PPA	Usage
Overall	0.304	2.126	3.3%
Pass	0.304	2.126	5.8%
Rush	—	0.000	0.0%
1st down	0.092	0.184	2.1%
2nd down	0.388	1.942	7.1%
3rd down	—	0.000	0.0%
Standard downs	0.019	0.096	3.3%
Passing downs	1.015	2.030	3.2%

London Deyon · TEUsage 2.9% · Avg PPA -0.125 · Total -0.624

Split	Average PPA	Total PPA	Usage
Overall	-0.125	-0.624	2.9%
Pass	-0.125	-0.624	4.8%
Rush	—	0.000	0.0%
1st down	-0.519	-1.038	2.7%
2nd down	0.138	0.414	5.3%
3rd down	—	0.000	0.0%
Standard downs	-0.519	-1.038	1.9%
Passing downs	0.138	0.414	4.3%

Matt Smith · TEUsage 2.3% · Avg PPA -0.053 · Total -0.374

Split	Average PPA	Total PPA	Usage
Overall	-0.053	-0.374	2.3%
Pass	-0.053	-0.374	3.7%
Rush	—	0.000	0.0%
1st down	-0.099	-0.397	3.1%
2nd down	0.008	0.023	3.0%
3rd down	—	0.000	0.0%
Standard downs	-0.068	-0.340	2.6%
Passing downs	-0.017	-0.034	1.8%

Kamari Maxwell · WRUsage 2.2% · Avg PPA 0.330 · Total 3.300

Split	Average PPA	Total PPA	Usage
Overall	0.330	3.300	2.2%
Pass	0.330	3.300	3.9%
Rush	—	0.000	0.0%
1st down	1.933	7.730	2.1%
2nd down	-0.318	-0.954	2.1%
3rd down	0.150	0.300	1.9%
Standard downs	0.882	7.059	2.7%
Passing downs	-1.880	-3.759	1.3%

Aviyon Smith-Mack · WRUsage 1.3% · Avg PPA -0.405 · Total -0.405

Split	Average PPA	Total PPA	Usage
Overall	-0.405	-0.405	1.3%
Pass	-0.405	-0.405	3.1%
Rush	—	0.000	0.0%
1st down	—	0.000	0.0%
2nd down	-0.405	-0.405	4.2%
3rd down	—	0.000	0.0%
Standard downs	—	0.000	0.0%
Passing downs	-0.405	-0.405	5.3%

Where Sam Houston sits · 2026 FBS distributions138 teams · raw PPA

2026 · Through provider Week 8. Each metric uses only published FBS teams with a numeric value. Higher percentile is better; tied values receive the midpoint of their positions, rounded to a whole percentile. Missing values are unranked.

Values and percentiles

Sam Houston metric values with FBS percentiles, 2026
Metric	Value	Percentile	Better
Offense PPA/play	-0.018	9th138 teams	higher
Offense success rate	0.374	8th138 teams	higher
Offense explosiveness	1.308	80th138 teams	higher
Offense pass PPA/play	0.036	11th138 teams	higher
Offense rush PPA/play	-0.065	7th138 teams	higher
Defense PPA/play	0.078	45th138 teams	lower
Defense success rate	0.397	61st138 teams	lower
Defense explosiveness	1.177	68th138 teams	lower
Defense havoc created	0.185	84th138 teams	higher

Passing profile

2026 · CFBD passing family · raw PPA

Captured 2026-10-30. Offense: 99% of 279 attempts charted. Average depth of target 7.8 yards (21st percentile of FBS). Yards after catch 5.5 per completion. Completion 60.9%, 7.1 yards per attempt, pass PPA 0.12.

Completion percentage over expected (CPOE)
Side	Actual	Expected	CPOE (pp)	Qualifying / all attempts
Offense	60.2%	64.1%	-3.9	244 / 279
Defense allowed	55.9%	60.7%	-4.8	177 / 203

Actual and expected use the same qualifying attempts, which can be fewer than all passes. CPOE is their difference in percentage points (pp); higher is better on offense, lower allowed is better on defense. CFBD models FBS-vs-FBS passes, excluding spikes, throwaways, intentional grounding and attempts without air yards. — means unavailable; small samples have fewer than 40 qualifying attempts.

Depth of target vs yards after catch, FBS offenses

138 teams with at least 40 charted attempts. The highlighted point is Sam Houston.

Target mix by zone, Sam Houston offense

Highlighted bars are deep zones. Shares are of located attempts only.

Defense and rushing detail

Sam Houston passing defense and rushing profile, 2026
Side	Attempts	Charted	ADOT	YAC	Comp %	PPA	CPOE	CPOE att
Passing offense	279	99%	7.8	5.5	60.9%	0.12	-3.9 pp	244
Passing defense	203	99%	8.6	6.0	53.7%	0.07	-4.8 pp	177

Rushing production

Side	Attempts	Yards / carry	Success	PPA	Line yards / rush	Second-level yards / rush	Open-field yards / rush	Stuff rate	Power success
Offense	222	3.0	39.7%	-0.03	2.70	0.90	0.60	20.6%	62.5%
Defense allowed	316	4.8	45.1%	0.19	3.10	1.20	1.50	17.3%	73.0%

Second-level yards are gained 5–10 yards past the line; open-field yards are beyond 10. These are provider per-rush averages, not totals. Power success measures success with two or fewer yards needed. Exact line-metric and power-success denominators are not supplied in this feed.

Rushing sample and attribution

Side	Yards recorded	Individual	Unattributed	Sacks	Kneels	Team rushes	Multiple carriers	Direction located / eligible
Offense	215 / 222	211	11	19	4	4	1	198 / 199 · 99.5%
Defense allowed	312 / 316	306	10	15	6	6	0	294 / 295 · 99.7%

Counts are attempts. Team totals include sacks, kneels, team-only rushes and unresolved attribution; these categories can overlap and must not be summed. Direction coverage uses ordinary direction-eligible rushes, not all attempts. Missing fields in older captures remain unavailable.

Raw provider values, no opponent adjustment; not model inputs. CFBD metric definitions.

Game-by-game passing and rushing

MetricSide

2026 · Passing CPOE · percentage points. Dashed line: season -3.9 pp. 7 of 8 captured games have this metric. Missing observations break the line.

CPOE is completion percentage over expected on qualifying FBS-vs-FBS attempts; positive means more completions than expected. PPA is raw provider PPA. These are game observations, not opponent-adjusted forecasts. P labels postseason weeks.

Game log and attempt coverage

Week	Opponent	Pass att	CPOE att	Comp %*	Expected %*	CPOE	ADOT	Pass PPA	Rush att	Rush yds/carry	Rush PPA
W1	Troy	46	46	65.2%	64.1%	+1.1 pp	7.8	0.34	22	2.8	-0.33
W2	Tulsa	35	34	70.6%	68.5%	+2.1 pp	3.9	0.52	30	1.8	0.08
W3	Nicholls	32	0	—	—	—	10.2	0.85	43	5.5	0.38
W4	Texas Tech	38	37	62.2%	65.9%	-3.8 pp	6.9	-0.48	27	2.7	0.03
W6	Liberty	30	30	66.7%	68.0%	-1.4 pp	5.4	-0.22	29	3.6	-0.15
W7	Western Kentucky	30	30	43.3%	60.2%	-16.8 pp	10.6	-0.27	27	2.3	-0.16
W8	New Mexico State	33	32	53.1%	64.8%	-11.7 pp	5.8	-0.05	20	1.8	-0.47
W9	Missouri State	35	35	57.1%	57.6%	-0.4 pp	11.7	0.20	24	1.6	-0.10

*Completion and expected rates use the same CPOE-eligible attempts. ADOT uses available air-yard attempts; a game needs at least one. No missing family is filled with the other family’s data.

Punting and returns

2026 season to date · CFBD · captured 2026-10-30T11:16:37.416814+00:00. Descriptive totals, including postseason when present.

Our punts

50 punts · 44.8 gross yards/punt · 37.7 net yards/punt

12 inside the 20 · 6 touchbacks · 0 blocked

Known gross yards: 50/50 punts. Known net yards: 42/50 punts.

Our punt returns

15 returns · 4.9 yards/return · 1 touchdowns

0 muffs · 1 opponent punts blocked

Known return yards: 15/15 returns. Return totals include team-only and unattributed plays.

Recent games

Game	Punts	Gross yd/punt	Net yd/punt	Known net yards
Week 9 · Missouri State	5	50.2	35.3	4/5
Week 8 · New Mexico State	8	42.9	36.8	6/8
Week 7 · Western Kentucky	8	45.0	37.7	7/8
Week 6 · Liberty	5	44.4	41.4	5/5
Week 4 · Texas Tech	9	46.6	30.1	7/9

Team style

Rating history