Putting Up Numbers· college football

Cincinnati’s penalty yards with Gi'Bran Payne and without Gi'Bran Payne

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Against what the season’s ratings expected, Cincinnati was 2.9 yards under with Gi'Bran Payne and 2.2 yards over without Gi'Bran Payne over its last 25 games, 6 games against 1. The plain averages are 60.4 and 55.0, a difference of 5.4. Both away games were with Gi'Bran Payne. All 3 night games were with Gi'Bran Payne. All 6 unranked opponents were with Gi'Bran Payne.

Gi'Bran Payne, running back: 485 rushing yards, 78 carries and 7 receptions in 7 of those 25 games.

One game without Gi'Bran Payne is one game, not a sample, but maybe you can find something if you squint.

penalty yards a game over expected

The games

with Gi'Bran Paynewithout Gi'Bran Payne
Cincinnati’s games, last 25 games, each marked with Gi'Bran Payne or without Gi'Bran Payne
SideDateGameResultpenalty yardsExpected
Nov 9, 2024vsWest VirginiaL4547.2
Nov 16, 2024@Iowa StateL9748.0
Nov 23, 2024@Kansas StateL3043.2
Nov 30, 2024vsTCUL2546.9
Aug 28, 2025vsNebraska (neutral)L2057.8
Sep 6, 2025vsBowling GreenW5259.6
Sep 13, 2025vsNorthwestern StateW65—
Sep 27, 2025@KansasW6857.1
Oct 4, 2025vsIowa StateW12859.0
Oct 11, 2025vsUCFW8055.3
Oct 18, 2025@Oklahoma StateW7158.5
Oct 25, 2025vsBaylorW8863.2
Nov 1, 2025@UtahL6061.3
Nov 15, 2025vsArizonaL5858.8
Nov 22, 2025vsBYUL4057.7
Nov 29, 2025@TCUL4058.4
Jan 2, 2026vsNavy (neutral)L7651.6
Sep 5, 2026vsBoston CollegeW6959.1
Sep 12, 2026vsWestern CarolinaW105—
Sep 19, 2026vsMiami (OH)W4054.1
Sep 26, 2026vsKansas StateW7250.0
Oct 3, 2026@ArizonaL4655.5
Oct 17, 2026@West VirginiaL4959.6
Oct 24, 2026vsTexas TechW5552.8
Oct 31, 2026vsUtahL4257.1

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, minus 1.3 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 27% of the difference the model predicts.
  • Western Carolina 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 for 7 of these 8 games; in the other game a player is counted as in it when the box score has a stat for him.
  • 17 games in 2024 and 2025 are neither with Gi'Bran Payne nor without Gi'Bran Payne: Gi'Bran Payne had no game for the team those seasons, and sit out.