Putting Up Numbers· college football

Air Force’s third-down conversion rate with Evan Medders and without Evan Medders

, ,

Against what the season’s ratings expected, Air Force was 1.0 percentage points under with Evan Medders and 6.1 percentage points over without Evan Medders over its last 25 games, 1 game against 16. The plain averages are 44.4% and 51.7%, a difference of 7.3%. All 9 away games were without Evan Medders. All 5 night games were without Evan Medders. All 3 opponents outside the major colleges were without Evan Medders.

Evan Medders, quarterback: 92 passing yards, 14 pass attempts and 8 completions in 6 of those 25 games.

One game with Evan Medders is one game, not a sample, but maybe you can find something if you squint.

third-down conversion rate a game over expected

The games

with Evan Medderswithout Evan Medders
Air Force’s games, last 25 games, each marked with Evan Medders or without Evan Medders
SideDateGameResult3rd downsExpected
Nov 2, 2024@ArmyL33.3%43.4%
Nov 9, 2024vsFresno StateW52.6%36.7%
Nov 16, 2024vsOregon StateW66.7%40.6%
Nov 23, 2024@NevadaW68.8%43.5%
Nov 30, 2024@San Diego StateW66.7%43.6%
Aug 30, 2025vsBucknellW66.7%—
Sep 13, 2025@Utah StateL44.4%44.7%
Sep 20, 2025vsBoise StateL57.1%40.5%
Sep 27, 2025vsHawaiiL50.0%46.5%
Oct 4, 2025@NavyL53.8%44.6%
Oct 11, 2025@UNLVL40.0%41.3%
Oct 18, 2025vsWyomingW42.9%44.0%
Nov 1, 2025vsArmyL57.1%47.5%
Nov 8, 2025@San Jose StateW47.1%43.8%
Nov 15, 2025@UConnL40.0%47.6%
Nov 22, 2025vsNew MexicoL38.5%46.3%
Nov 28, 2025@Colorado StateW73.3%47.4%
Sep 5, 2026vsDuquesneW60.0%—
Sep 12, 2026vsNNorth Dakota StateL42.9%—
Sep 26, 2026@NevadaW44.4%36.8%
Oct 3, 2026vsNavyW50.0%45.1%
Oct 10, 2026@Northern IllinoisW76.9%47.7%
Oct 17, 2026vsUNLVW44.4%45.5%
Oct 23, 2026@WyomingL53.3%42.6%
Oct 31, 2026vsUConnW43.8%48.0%

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 0.7% in 2025, plus 1.4% 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 56% in 2025, 40% in 2026 of the difference the model predicts.
  • 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 Evan Medders nor without Evan Medders: Evan Medders had no game for the team that season, and sit out.