Putting Up Numbers· college football

Air Force’s rushing yards with Liam Szarka and without Liam Szarka

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Against what the season’s ratings expected, Air Force was 36.3 yards over with Liam Szarka and 52.3 yards over without Liam Szarka over its last 25 games, 10 games against 7. The plain averages are 278.2 and 315.9, a difference of 37.7. All 3 games after a bye were with Liam Szarka.

Liam Szarka, quarterback: 1,590 passing yards, 158 pass attempts and 94 completions in 14 of those 25 games, 34% of Air Force’s rushing yards in those games.

rushing yards a game over expected

A −16.0 difference in rushing yards over expected with Liam Szarka vs without Liam Szarka is about what you’d expect.

A −37.7 difference in rushing yards with Liam Szarka vs without Liam Szarka is about what you’d expect.

The games

with Liam Szarkawithout Liam Szarka
Air Force’s games, last 25 games, each marked with Liam Szarka or without Liam Szarka
SideDateGameResultrushing yardsExpected
Nov 2, 2024@ArmyL117176.5
Nov 9, 2024vsFresno StateW345169.1
Nov 16, 2024vsOregon StateW271230.7
Nov 23, 2024@NevadaW319227.7
Nov 30, 2024@San Diego StateW280232.1
Aug 30, 2025vsBucknellW270—
Sep 13, 2025@Utah StateL266253.0
Sep 20, 2025vsBoise StateL269232.4
Sep 27, 2025vsHawaiiL216241.6
Oct 4, 2025@NavyL211192.6
Oct 11, 2025@UNLVL428227.5
Oct 18, 2025vsWyomingW331245.3
Nov 1, 2025vsArmyL174211.7
Nov 8, 2025@San Jose StateW261234.3
Nov 15, 2025@UConnL290277.5
Nov 22, 2025vsNew MexicoL110220.0
Nov 28, 2025@Colorado StateW316273.5
Sep 5, 2026vsDuquesneW422—
Sep 12, 2026vsNNorth Dakota StateL207—
Sep 26, 2026@NevadaW363238.0
Oct 3, 2026vsNavyW190269.7
Oct 10, 2026@Northern IllinoisW440292.9
Oct 17, 2026vsUNLVW431274.3
Oct 23, 2026@WyomingL304298.1
Oct 31, 2026vsUConnW366255.0

Method

Read against .

  • Expected is an offense and a defense a team, fit over every game of its season between two teams in the table with the game being read left out, plus 5.9 in 2025, plus 8.1 in 2026 for the home team (the edge the fit finds once strength is in), nothing at a neutral site.
  • Each expected number is then fit to the season’s games: a game bears out about 77% in 2025, 60% in 2026 of the difference the model predicts.
  • The shuffle keeps the season’s shape: the games are cut in two where one date leaves the least variance, each game is read against its stretch, and the sides are shuffled only inside each stretch.
  • Bucknell, Duquesne, North Dakota State have no other game in the table, so those games have no expected number and sit out the second figure.
  • Who played is read from the schools’ box scores’ participation lists, which name every player who entered the game.
  • With him means he was the team’s quarterback that game, at least half of its pass attempts; a game he left early or came into late reads as without him.
  • 5 games in 2024 are neither with Liam Szarka nor without Liam Szarka: Liam Szarka had no game for the team that season, and sit out.