Putting Up Numbers· college football

Houston’s pass attempts with DJ Butler and without DJ Butler

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Against what the season’s ratings expected, Houston was 0.2 pass attempts over with DJ Butler and 4.6 pass attempts under without DJ Butler over its last 25 games, 19 games against 4. The plain averages are 28.8 and 26.0, a difference of 2.8. Both opponents outside the major colleges were with DJ Butler. All 3 games after a bye were with DJ Butler.

DJ Butler, running back: 452 rushing yards, 89 carries and 12 receptions in 21 of those 25 games.

pass attempts a game over expected

A +4.8 difference in pass attempts over expected with DJ Butler vs without DJ Butler is a bit unusual: shuffle which games were with DJ Butler and it comes up 19 times in 100.

A +2.8 difference in pass attempts with DJ Butler vs without DJ Butler is about what you’d expect.

The games

with DJ Butlerwithout DJ Butler
Houston’s games, last 25 games, each marked with DJ Butler or without DJ Butler
SideDateGameResultpass attemptsExpected
Nov 2, 2024vsKansas StateW1229.1
Nov 15, 2024@ArizonaL2823.7
Nov 23, 2024vsBaylorL2525.1
Nov 30, 2024@BYUL2525.4
Aug 28, 2025vsSStephen F. AustinW27—
Sep 6, 2025@RiceW2228.9
Sep 12, 2025vsColoradoW2426.4
Sep 26, 2025@Oregon StateW3625.0
Oct 4, 2025vsTexas TechL2534.5
Oct 11, 2025@Oklahoma StateW3427.0
Oct 18, 2025vsArizonaW2329.0
Oct 25, 2025@Arizona StateW2233.6
Nov 1, 2025vsWest VirginiaL3631.1
Nov 7, 2025@UCFW3129.7
Nov 22, 2025vsTCUL2931.6
Nov 29, 2025@BaylorW3127.5
Dec 27, 2025vsLSU (neutral)W3730.4
Sep 5, 2026vsOregon StateW3130.9
Sep 12, 2026vsSouthernW19—
Sep 18, 2026@Texas TechL3836.1
Sep 26, 2026@Georgia SouthernW2230.9
Oct 3, 2026vsUCFW3330.5
Oct 10, 2026@Kansas StateW3024.9
Oct 17, 2026vsOklahoma StateW3330.0
Oct 24, 2026@UtahL3535.1

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 0.4 in 2024, minus 0.3 in 2025, minus 0.1 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 73% in 2024, 73% in 2025, 60% 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.
  • Stephen F. Austin, 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 21 of these 25 games; in the other 4 a player is counted as in them when the box score has a stat for him.