Putting Up Numbers· college football

Buffalo’s total yards with Nino Hill and without Nino Hill

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Against what the season’s ratings expected, Buffalo was 29.8 yards under with Nino Hill and 16.6 yards over without Nino Hill in 2026, 5 games against 1. The plain averages are 335.3 and 308.0, a difference of 27.3. Expected was 50.2 yards higher with Nino Hill than without Nino Hill. All 5 home games were with Nino Hill. All 6 day games were with Nino Hill. Both opponents outside the major colleges were with Nino Hill.

Nino Hill, running back: 202 rushing yards and 63 carries in 7 games this season.

One game without Nino Hill is one game, not a sample, but maybe you can find something if you squint.

total yards a game over expected

The games

with Nino Hillwithout Nino Hill
Buffalo’s games, 2026, each marked with Nino Hill or without Nino Hill
SideDateGameResulttotal yardsExpected
Sep 3, 2026vsUUAlbanyW343—
Sep 12, 2026@Florida InternationalL308291.4
Sep 19, 2026@Penn StateL173278.6
Sep 26, 2026vsRRobert MorrisW445—
Oct 3, 2026vsWestern MichiganL305361.3
Oct 10, 2026@ToledoW352348.3
Oct 17, 2026vsUMassW351346.4
Oct 24, 2026vsBowling GreenW378373.1

Method

Read against .

  • Expected is an offense and a defense a team, fit over every 2026 game between two teams in the table with the game being read left out, plus 12.1 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 67% of the difference the model predicts.
  • 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, which name every player who entered the game.