Putting Up Numbers· college football

Buffalo’s points of margin with Terrance Shelton Jr. and without Terrance Shelton Jr.

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Against what the season’s ratings expected, Buffalo was 0.6 points over with Terrance Shelton Jr. and 2.4 points over without Terrance Shelton Jr. over its last 25 games, 13 games against 9. The plain averages are 2.9 and 1.9, a difference of 1.0. All 3 night games were with Terrance Shelton Jr.. All 4 games after a bye were with Terrance Shelton Jr..

Terrance Shelton Jr., running back: 362 rushing yards, 92 carries and 12 receptions in 15 of those 25 games.

points of margin a game over expected

A −1.8 difference in points of margin over expected with Terrance Shelton Jr. vs without Terrance Shelton Jr. is about what you’d expect.

A +1.0 difference in points of margin with Terrance Shelton Jr. vs without Terrance Shelton Jr. is about what you’d expect.

The games

with Terrance Shelton Jr.without Terrance Shelton Jr.
Buffalo’s games, last 25 games, each marked with Terrance Shelton Jr. or without Terrance Shelton Jr.
SideDateGameResultpoints of marginExpected
Nov 12, 2024vsBall StateW314.3
Nov 20, 2024@Eastern MichiganW170.4
Nov 26, 2024vsKent StateW3622.4
Jan 4, 2025vsLiberty (neutral)W19-0.8
Aug 28, 2025@MinnesotaL-13-20.4
Sep 6, 2025vsSSt. Francis (PA)W39—
Sep 13, 2025@Kent StateW3-0.3
Sep 20, 2025vsTroyL-4-3.9
Sep 27, 2025vsUConnL-3-7.4
Oct 4, 2025vsEastern MichiganW11.6
Oct 18, 2025@UMassW716.8
Oct 25, 2025vsAkronL-811.0
Nov 1, 2025@Bowling GreenW25-8.2
Nov 12, 2025@Central MichiganL-19-4.5
Nov 19, 2025vsMiami (OH)L-17-3.5
Nov 28, 2025vsOhioL-5-10.1
Sep 3, 2026vsUUAlbanyW4—
Sep 12, 2026@Florida InternationalL-13-1.6
Sep 19, 2026@Penn StateL-42-17.3
Sep 26, 2026vsRRobert MorrisW3—
Oct 3, 2026vsWestern MichiganL-3-4.1
Oct 10, 2026@ToledoW15-15.9
Oct 17, 2026vsUMassW710.2
Oct 24, 2026vsBowling GreenW710.9
Nov 3, 2026@Miami (OH)W3-2.2

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, plus 3.0 in 2024, plus 3.1 in 2025, plus 3.7 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 85% in 2024, 87% in 2025, 79% 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.
  • St. Francis (PA), UAlbany, Robert Morris 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.