Putting Up Numbers· college football

Fresno State’s carries with Rayshon Luke and without Rayshon Luke

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Against what the season’s ratings expected, Fresno State was 0.3 carries over with Rayshon Luke and 12.0 carries under without Rayshon Luke in 2026, 6 games against 1. The plain averages are 33.9 and 16.0, a difference of 17.9. All 4 away games were with Rayshon Luke. All 6 unranked opponents were with Rayshon Luke. All 4 nonconference games were with Rayshon Luke.

Rayshon Luke, running back: 377 rushing yards, 61 carries and 15 receptions in 7 games this season, 26% of Fresno State’s carries in those games.

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

carries a game over expected

The games

with Rayshon Lukewithout Rayshon Luke
Fresno State’s games, 2026, each marked with Rayshon Luke or without Rayshon Luke
SideDateGameResultcarriesExpected
Sep 4, 2026@USCL2831.6
Sep 12, 2026vsSSacramento StateW33—
Sep 19, 2026@San Jose StateW3734.4
Sep 26, 2026vsRiceW3135.0
Oct 3, 2026@Washington StateW3431.6
Oct 10, 2026vsBoise StateL1628.0
Oct 17, 2026@San Diego StateL3938.0
Oct 31, 2026vsOregon StateW3531.7

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 0.6 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 61% of the difference the model predicts.
  • Sacramento State 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.