Putting Up Numbers· college football

Georgia Southern’s points of margin with David Mbadinga and without David Mbadinga

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Against what the season’s ratings expected, Georgia Southern was 1.2 points under with David Mbadinga and 0.4 points under without David Mbadinga over its last 25 games, 16 games against 7. The plain averages are -0.5 and -0.9, a difference of 0.4. Expected was 2.6 points lower with David Mbadinga than without David Mbadinga. Both opponents outside the major colleges were with David Mbadinga.

David Mbadinga, running back: 518 rushing yards, 115 carries and 19 receptions in 18 of those 25 games.

points of margin a game over expected

A −0.8 difference in points of margin over expected with David Mbadinga vs without David Mbadinga is about what you’d expect.

A +0.4 difference in points of margin with David Mbadinga vs without David Mbadinga is about what you’d expect.

The games

with David Mbadingawithout David Mbadinga
Georgia Southern’s games, last 25 games, each marked with David Mbadinga or without David Mbadinga
SideDateGameResultpoints of marginExpected
Nov 16, 2024vsTroyL-811.1
Nov 23, 2024@Coastal CarolinaW20-0.1
Nov 30, 2024vsAppalachian StateW98.8
Dec 19, 2024vsSam Houston (neutral)L-55.2
Aug 30, 2025@Fresno StateL-28-9.5
Sep 6, 2025@USCL-39-32.6
Sep 13, 2025vsJacksonville StateW70.4
Sep 20, 2025vsMaineW28—
Sep 27, 2025@James MadisonL-25-26.2
Oct 9, 2025vsSouthern MissL-31.2
Oct 18, 2025vsGeorgia StateW179.4
Oct 25, 2025@Arkansas StateL-10-1.9
Nov 6, 2025@Appalachian StateW2-0.7
Nov 15, 2025vsCoastal CarolinaW56.6
Nov 22, 2025vsOld DominionL-35-11.0
Nov 29, 2025@MarshallW5-8.6
Dec 29, 2025vsAppalachian State (neutral)W19-0.1
Sep 5, 2026vsCCharleston SouthernW31—
Sep 12, 2026@ClemsonL-15-8.4
Sep 19, 2026@Jacksonville StateL-4-0.0
Sep 26, 2026vsHoustonL-14-12.9
Oct 3, 2026@Coastal CarolinaW7-0.7
Oct 10, 2026vsJames MadisonL-3-2.4
Oct 15, 2026@Old DominionW812.4
Oct 31, 2026vsAppalachian StateW168.2

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, plus 3.0 in 2024, plus 3.1 in 2025, plus 3.7 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 85% in 2024, 87% in 2025, 79% 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.
  • Maine, Charleston Southern 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 for 20 of these 25 games; in the other 5 a player is counted as in them when the box score has a stat for him.