Putting Up Numbers· college football

Army’s rushing yards with Carson Smith and without Carson Smith

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Against what the season’s ratings expected, Army was 54.9 yards over with Carson Smith and 42.7 yards under without Carson Smith over its last 25 games, 17 games against 6. The plain averages are 303.2 and 197.8, a difference of 105.3. Both opponents outside the major colleges were with Carson Smith. Both bowl and playoff games were with Carson Smith.

Carson Smith, running back: 421 rushing yards, 100 carries and 1 reception in 17 of those 25 games, 8% of Army’s rushing yards in those games.

rushing yards a game over expected

A +97.6 difference in rushing yards over expected with Carson Smith vs without Carson Smith is unusual: shuffle which games were with Carson Smith and it comes up 2 times in 100.

A +105.3 difference in rushing yards with Carson Smith vs without Carson Smith is a bit unusual: shuffle which games were with Carson Smith and it comes up 7 times in 100.

The games

with Carson Smithwithout Carson Smith
Army’s games, last 25 games, each marked with Carson Smith or without Carson Smith
SideDateGameResultrushing yardsExpected
Nov 30, 2024vsUTSAW219233.9
Dec 6, 2024vsTulaneW338234.6
Dec 14, 2024vsNavy (neutral)L114270.7
Dec 28, 2024vsLouisiana Tech (neutral)W322254.0
Aug 29, 2025vsTTarleton StateL280—
Sep 6, 2025@Kansas StateW237204.7
Sep 20, 2025vsNorth TexasL387252.0
Sep 25, 2025@East CarolinaL241185.1
Oct 4, 2025@UABW250218.9
Oct 11, 2025vsCharlotteW305249.1
Oct 18, 2025@TulaneL233167.6
Nov 1, 2025@Air ForceW194230.1
Nov 8, 2025vsTempleW228255.9
Nov 22, 2025vsTulsaL247255.4
Nov 29, 2025@UTSAW237199.5
Dec 13, 2025vsNavy (neutral)L0215.3
Dec 27, 2025vsUConn (neutral)W368253.9
Sep 5, 2026vsBBryantW570—
Sep 12, 2026vsSouth FloridaL219244.5
Sep 25, 2026@TempleW283250.9
Oct 3, 2026@Louisiana TechL270212.0
Oct 10, 2026vsTulaneW329264.1
Oct 17, 2026vsFlorida AtlanticW479262.4
Oct 23, 2026@TulsaW275246.1
Oct 31, 2026@MemphisL322258.5

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 3.8 in 2024, plus 5.9 in 2025, plus 8.0 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 75% in 2024, 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.
  • Tarleton State, Bryant 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 for 20 of these 25 games; in the other 5 a player is counted as in them when the box score has a stat for him.