Putting Up Numbers· college football

Arkansas State’s third-down conversion rate with Kenyon Clay and without Kenyon Clay

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Against what the season’s ratings expected, Arkansas State was 0.0 percentage points over with Kenyon Clay and 1.4 percentage points over without Kenyon Clay over its last 25 games, 17 games against 2. The plain averages are 40.2% and 43.6%, a difference of 3.3%. Expected was 3.6 percentage points lower with Kenyon Clay than without Kenyon Clay. 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.

third-down conversion rate a game over expected

A −1.3% difference in third-down conversion rate over expected with Kenyon Clay vs without Kenyon Clay is about what you’d expect.

A −3.3% difference in third-down conversion rate 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
SideDateGameResult3rd downsExpected
Nov 16, 2024@Georgia StateW30.8%41.6%
Nov 23, 2024vsLouisiana MonroeW33.3%41.7%
Nov 30, 2024vsOld DominionL53.3%40.0%
Dec 26, 2024vsBowling Green (neutral)W50.0%35.9%
Aug 30, 2025vsSSoutheast Missouri StateW45.5%—
Sep 6, 2025vsArkansas (neutral)L52.6%35.8%
Sep 13, 2025vsIowa StateL43.8%33.2%
Sep 20, 2025@Kennesaw StateL26.7%35.5%
Sep 27, 2025@Louisiana MonroeL20.0%41.6%
Oct 4, 2025vsTexas StateW42.9%38.4%
Oct 14, 2025@South AlabamaW23.5%37.1%
Oct 25, 2025vsGeorgia SouthernW61.1%41.1%
Nov 1, 2025@TroyW30.8%36.3%
Nov 8, 2025vsSouthern MissL60.0%38.7%
Nov 20, 2025vsLouisianaL26.7%40.8%
Nov 29, 2025@Appalachian StateW41.2%39.3%
Dec 18, 2025vsMissouri State (neutral)W18.2%39.3%
Sep 5, 2026@MemphisL50.0%34.5%
Sep 12, 2026vsWWest GeorgiaW62.5%—
Sep 19, 2026@TCUL35.7%37.0%
Sep 26, 2026vsKennesaw StateW41.7%45.0%
Oct 3, 2026@LouisianaL45.5%39.4%
Oct 8, 2026vsSouth AlabamaL80.0%39.1%
Oct 17, 2026@Southern MissW23.5%46.8%
Oct 24, 2026vsGeorgia StateW20.0%41.5%

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.
  • 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.