Putting Up Numbers· college football

Georgia State’s points of margin with Dennis Murray Jr. and without Dennis Murray Jr.

, ,

Against what the season’s ratings expected, Georgia State was 4.3 points under with Dennis Murray Jr. and 2.8 points over without Dennis Murray Jr. over its last 25 games, 16 games against 7. The plain averages are -9.4 and -6.7, a difference of 2.7. Both ranked opponents were with Dennis Murray Jr.. Both opponents outside the major colleges were with Dennis Murray Jr.. All 3 games after a bye were with Dennis Murray Jr..

Dennis Murray Jr., running back: 323 rushing yards, 59 carries and 28 receptions in 17 of those 25 games.

points of margin a game over expected

A −7.1 difference in points of margin over expected with Dennis Murray Jr. vs without Dennis Murray Jr. is about what you’d expect.

A −2.7 difference in points of margin with Dennis Murray Jr. vs without Dennis Murray Jr. is about what you’d expect.

The games

with Dennis Murray Jr.without Dennis Murray Jr.
Georgia State’s games, last 25 games, each marked with Dennis Murray Jr. or without Dennis Murray Jr.
SideDateGameResultpoints of marginExpected
Nov 1, 2024@UConnL-7-11.3
Nov 9, 2024@James MadisonL-31-13.7
Nov 16, 2024vsArkansas StateL-75.0
Nov 23, 2024@Texas StateW8-21.7
Nov 30, 2024vsCoastal CarolinaL-214.3
Aug 30, 2025@Ole MissL-56-38.9
Sep 6, 2025vsMemphisL-22-19.1
Sep 13, 2025vsMMurray StateW16—
Sep 20, 2025@VanderbiltL-49-39.6
Oct 4, 2025vsJames MadisonL-7-32.0
Oct 11, 2025vsAppalachian StateL-210.5
Oct 18, 2025@Georgia SouthernL-17-9.4
Oct 23, 2025vsSouth AlabamaL-7-4.7
Nov 8, 2025@Coastal CarolinaL-13-5.8
Nov 15, 2025vsMarshallL-12-8.4
Nov 22, 2025@TroyL-12-14.8
Nov 29, 2025@Old DominionL-17-29.6
Sep 4, 2026vsNNorth Carolina A&TW49—
Sep 12, 2026@Kennesaw StateW14-2.7
Sep 19, 2026@UCFL-14-12.9
Sep 26, 2026vsNorthern IllinoisW2116.4
Oct 3, 2026vsOld DominionW328.5
Oct 17, 2026@James MadisonL-27-10.2
Oct 24, 2026@Arkansas StateL-6-0.1
Oct 31, 2026vsCoastal CarolinaL-117.9

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 3.8 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.
  • Murray State, North Carolina A&T 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.