Putting Up Numbers· college football

Charlotte’s third-down conversion rate with Cole Gonzales and since Cole Gonzales’ last game

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Against what the season’s ratings expected, Charlotte was 20.0 percentage points under with Cole Gonzales and 8.6 percentage points over since Cole Gonzales’ last game over its last 25 games, 4 games against 3. The plain averages are 23.0% and 44.4%, a difference of 21.3%. All 4 nonconference games were with Cole Gonzales.

Cole Gonzales, quarterback: 802 passing yards, 127 pass attempts and 79 completions in 5 of those 25 games.

3 games since Cole Gonzales’ last game 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 −28.6% difference in third-down conversion rate over expected with Cole Gonzales vs since Cole Gonzales’ last game is a bit unusual: shuffle which games were with Cole Gonzales and it comes up 6 times in 100.

A −21.3% difference in third-down conversion rate with Cole Gonzales vs since Cole Gonzales’ last game is about what you’d expect.

The games

with Cole Gonzalessince Cole Gonzales’ last game
Charlotte’s games, last 25 games, each marked with Cole Gonzales or since Cole Gonzales’ last game
SideDateGameResult3rd downsExpected
Oct 26, 2024@MemphisL41.7%34.4%
Oct 31, 2024vsTulaneL11.1%32.8%
Nov 16, 2024vsSouth FloridaL35.7%33.6%
Nov 23, 2024@Florida AtlanticW30.8%35.9%
Nov 30, 2024vsUABW30.8%37.8%
Aug 29, 2025vsAppalachian State (neutral)L28.6%40.3%
Sep 6, 2025vsNorth CarolinaL43.8%34.5%
Sep 13, 2025vsMMonmouthW66.7%—
Sep 18, 2025vsRiceL44.4%34.4%
Oct 3, 2025@South FloridaL33.3%33.8%
Oct 11, 2025@ArmyL35.7%35.7%
Oct 18, 2025vsTempleL37.5%34.2%
Oct 24, 2025vsNorth TexasL25.0%39.6%
Nov 8, 2025@East CarolinaL28.6%30.1%
Nov 15, 2025vsUTSAL40.0%30.4%
Nov 22, 2025@GeorgiaL9.1%31.5%
Nov 29, 2025@TulaneL15.4%35.5%
Sep 5, 2026vsThe CitadelL64.7%—
Sep 12, 2026@Ole MissL21.4%31.9%
Sep 19, 2026@Appalachian StateL10.0%33.5%
Sep 26, 2026vsLouisianaL9.1%34.9%
Oct 3, 2026vsMemphisL10.0%30.2%
Oct 10, 2026@North TexasL23.1%34.0%
Oct 17, 2026@TempleW60.0%36.5%
Oct 30, 2026vsTulaneL50.0%36.7%

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 1.4% 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 40% of the difference the model predicts.
  • The two sides are the games before and after one date, so the shuffle moves any game between them.
  • The Citadel has no other game in the table, so that game has no expected number and sits out the second figure.
  • Who played is read from the schools’ box scores’ participation lists, which name every player who entered the game.
  • With him means he was the team’s quarterback that game, at least half of its pass attempts; a game he left early or came into late reads as without him.
  • 17 games in 2024 and 2025 are neither with Cole Gonzales nor since Cole Gonzales’ last game: Cole Gonzales had no game for the team those seasons, and sit out.