Putting Up Numbers· college football

Boise State’s rushing yards with Sire Gaines and without Sire Gaines

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Against what the season’s ratings expected, Boise State was 14.4 yards over with Sire Gaines and 7.6 yards under without Sire Gaines over its last 25 games, 17 games against 6. The plain averages are 202.1 and 180.2, a difference of 21.9. Both opponents outside the major colleges were with Sire Gaines. All 3 games after a bye were with Sire Gaines.

Sire Gaines, running back: 1,229 rushing yards, 236 carries and 21 receptions in 19 of those 25 games, 32% of Boise State’s rushing yards in those games.

rushing yards a game over expected

A +22.0 difference in rushing yards over expected with Sire Gaines vs without Sire Gaines is about what you’d expect.

A +21.9 difference in rushing yards with Sire Gaines vs without Sire Gaines is about what you’d expect.

The games

with Sire Gaineswithout Sire Gaines
Boise State’s games, last 25 games, each marked with Sire Gaines or without Sire Gaines
SideDateGameResultrushing yardsExpected
Nov 29, 2024vsOregon StateW272237.0
Dec 6, 2024vsUNLVW218185.3
Dec 31, 2024vsPenn State (neutral)L108173.5
Aug 28, 2025@South FloridaL122146.2
Sep 5, 2025vsEEastern WashingtonW330—
Sep 20, 2025@Air ForceW285153.5
Sep 27, 2025vsAppalachian StateW153187.8
Oct 4, 2025@Notre DameL100104.2
Oct 11, 2025vsNew MexicoW163133.1
Oct 18, 2025vsUNLVW296182.7
Oct 24, 2025@NevadaW139170.8
Nov 1, 2025vsFresno StateL91190.3
Nov 15, 2025@San Diego StateL164163.0
Nov 22, 2025vsColorado StateW280211.2
Nov 28, 2025@Utah StateW171188.5
Dec 5, 2025vsUNLVW172198.7
Dec 13, 2025vsWashington (neutral)L58125.0
Sep 5, 2026@OregonL94189.0
Sep 12, 2026vsMemphisW359203.7
Sep 19, 2026vsSSouth DakotaW327—
Sep 26, 2026@Western MichiganW177183.6
Oct 3, 2026vsUtah StateW185165.4
Oct 10, 2026@Fresno StateW275185.0
Oct 24, 2026@Washington StateW261205.4
Oct 31, 2026vsTexas StateW121181.8

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.
  • Eastern Washington, South Dakota 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 21 of these 25 games; in the other 4 a player is counted as in them when the box score has a stat for him.