Putting Up Numbers· college football

Arkansas State’s penalty yards with Kenyon Clay and without Kenyon Clay

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Against what the season’s ratings expected, Arkansas State was 0.7 yards over with Kenyon Clay and 22.0 yards under without Kenyon Clay over its last 25 games, 17 games against 2. The plain averages are 55.5 and 35.0, a difference of 20.5. Both neutral-site games were with Kenyon Clay. Both opponents outside the major colleges were with Kenyon Clay. All 3 games after a bye were with Kenyon Clay.

Kenyon Clay, running back: 744 rushing yards, 191 carries and 47 receptions in 19 of those 25 games.

2 games without Kenyon Clay is still too small a sample for the statistics to say much, but maybe you can find something if you squint.

penalty yards a game over expected

A +22.8 difference in penalty yards over expected with Kenyon Clay vs without Kenyon Clay is about what you’d expect.

A +20.5 difference in penalty yards with Kenyon Clay vs without Kenyon Clay is about what you’d expect.

The games

with Kenyon Claywithout Kenyon Clay
Arkansas State’s games, last 25 games, each marked with Kenyon Clay or without Kenyon Clay
SideDateGameResultpenalty yardsExpected
Nov 16, 2024@Georgia StateW6355.7
Nov 23, 2024vsLouisiana MonroeW8047.6
Nov 30, 2024vsOld DominionL3551.7
Dec 26, 2024vsBowling Green (neutral)W5049.3
Aug 30, 2025vsSSoutheast Missouri StateW70—
Sep 6, 2025vsArkansas (neutral)L5647.6
Sep 13, 2025vsIowa StateL9052.7
Sep 20, 2025@Kennesaw StateL4561.7
Sep 27, 2025@Louisiana MonroeL1856.8
Oct 4, 2025vsTexas StateW6547.6
Oct 14, 2025@South AlabamaW9149.9
Oct 25, 2025vsGeorgia SouthernW8250.6
Nov 1, 2025@TroyW6051.1
Nov 8, 2025vsSouthern MissL1063.4
Nov 20, 2025vsLouisianaL1558.7
Nov 29, 2025@Appalachian StateW4053.5
Dec 18, 2025vsMissouri State (neutral)W11060.0
Sep 5, 2026@MemphisL3754.5
Sep 12, 2026vsWWest GeorgiaW60—
Sep 19, 2026@TCUL1051.8
Sep 26, 2026vsKennesaw StateW5554.3
Oct 3, 2026@LouisianaL1559.7
Oct 8, 2026vsSouth AlabamaL9046.0
Oct 17, 2026@Southern MissW5057.4
Oct 24, 2026vsGeorgia StateW5548.2

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, minus 2.1 in 2025, minus 1.3 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 45% in 2025, 27% 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.
  • Southeast Missouri State, West Georgia 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 Kenyon Clay nor without Kenyon Clay: Kenyon Clay had no game for the team that season, and sit out.