Putting Up Numbers· college football

Arizona’s points with Ismail Mahdi and without Ismail Mahdi

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Against what the season’s ratings expected, Arizona was 0.8 points over with Ismail Mahdi and 3.9 points over without Ismail Mahdi over its last 25 games, 14 games against 5. The plain averages are 32.4 and 33.8, a difference of 1.4.

Ismail Mahdi, running back: 931 rushing yards, 146 carries and 18 receptions in 15 of those 25 games.

points a game over expected

A −3.1 difference in points over expected with Ismail Mahdi vs without Ismail Mahdi is about what you’d expect.

A −1.4 difference in points with Ismail Mahdi vs without Ismail Mahdi is about what you’d expect.

The games

with Ismail Mahdiwithout Ismail Mahdi
Arizona’s games, last 25 games, each marked with Ismail Mahdi or without Ismail Mahdi
SideDateGameResultpointsExpected
Nov 2, 2024@UCFL1224.6
Nov 15, 2024vsHoustonW2719.7
Nov 23, 2024@TCUL2820.6
Nov 30, 2024vsArizona StateL721.7
Aug 30, 2025vsHawaiiW4033.4
Sep 6, 2025vsWWeber StateW48—
Sep 12, 2025vsKansas StateW2330.2
Sep 27, 2025@Iowa StateL1425.5
Oct 4, 2025vsOklahoma StateW4135.0
Oct 11, 2025vsBYUL2723.4
Oct 18, 2025@HoustonL2828.9
Nov 1, 2025@ColoradoW5227.5
Nov 8, 2025vsKansasW2433.2
Nov 15, 2025@CincinnatiW3028.7
Nov 22, 2025vsBaylorW4135.8
Nov 28, 2025@Arizona StateW2323.5
Jan 2, 2026vsSMU (neutral)L1926.4
Sep 5, 2026vsNorthern ArizonaW35—
Sep 12, 2026@BYUL1724.4
Sep 19, 2026vsNorthern IllinoisW4244.4
Sep 26, 2026@Washington StateW3431.0
Oct 3, 2026vsCincinnatiW3434.8
Oct 10, 2026@West VirginiaW5232.1
Oct 24, 2026vsIowa StateW3929.7
Oct 31, 2026@Texas TechL2627.6

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 1.5 in 2025, plus 1.9 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 78% in 2025, 66% 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.
  • Weber State, Northern Arizona 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.
  • 4 games in 2024 are neither with Ismail Mahdi nor without Ismail Mahdi: Ismail Mahdi had no game for the team that season, and sit out.