Putting Up Numbers· college football

Florida’s penalty yards with Vernell Brown III and without Vernell Brown III

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Against what the season’s ratings expected, Florida was 5.2 yards over with Vernell Brown III and 2.1 yards under without Vernell Brown III over its last 25 games, 12 games against 6. The plain averages are 56.9 and 54.7, a difference of 2.2. Expected was 3.6 yards lower with Vernell Brown III than without Vernell Brown III. Both neutral-site games were without Vernell Brown III. All 8 night games were with Vernell Brown III. Both opponents outside the major colleges were with Vernell Brown III.

Vernell Brown III, receiver: 783 receiving yards, 57 receptions and 2 receiving touchdowns in 14 of those 25 games.

penalty yards a game over expected

A +7.4 difference in penalty yards over expected with Vernell Brown III vs without Vernell Brown III is a bit unusual: shuffle which games were with Vernell Brown III and it comes up 16 times in 100.

A +2.2 difference in penalty yards with Vernell Brown III vs without Vernell Brown III is a bit unusual: shuffle which games were with Vernell Brown III and it comes up 13 times in 100.

The games

with Vernell Brown IIIwithout Vernell Brown III
Florida’s games, last 25 games, each marked with Vernell Brown III or without Vernell Brown III
SideDateGameResultpenalty yardsExpected
Nov 9, 2024@TexasL3552.2
Nov 16, 2024vsLSUW5553.9
Nov 23, 2024vsOle MissW4453.3
Nov 30, 2024@Florida StateW7047.9
Dec 20, 2024vsTulane (neutral)W9546.8
Aug 30, 2025vsLLong Island UniversityW0—
Sep 6, 2025vsSouth FloridaL10355.3
Sep 13, 2025@LSUL5753.9
Sep 20, 2025@Miami (FL)L2045.9
Oct 4, 2025vsTexasW5043.7
Oct 11, 2025@Texas A&ML5447.1
Oct 18, 2025vsMississippi StateW6056.6
Nov 1, 2025vsGeorgia (neutral)L5047.1
Nov 8, 2025@KentuckyL2054.3
Nov 15, 2025@Ole MissL3549.5
Nov 22, 2025vsTennesseeL3050.5
Nov 29, 2025vsFlorida StateW4550.7
Sep 5, 2026vsFlorida AtlanticW3261.7
Sep 12, 2026vsCCampbellW95—
Sep 19, 2026@AuburnW13855.6
Sep 26, 2026vsOle MissW9262.7
Oct 3, 2026@MissouriL8063.0
Oct 10, 2026vsSouth CarolinaL3062.6
Oct 17, 2026@TexasW5558.6
Oct 31, 2026vsGeorgia (neutral)L7860.0

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, minus 2.1 in 2025, minus 1.3 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 45% in 2025, 27% 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.
  • Long Island University, Campbell 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.
  • 5 games in 2024 are neither with Vernell Brown III nor without Vernell Brown III: Vernell Brown III had no game for the team that season, and sit out.