Putting Up Numbers· college football

Houston’s total yards with DJ Butler and without DJ Butler

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Against what the season’s ratings expected, Houston was 42.4 yards over with DJ Butler and 14.1 yards under without DJ Butler in 2026, 5 games against 2. The plain averages are 489.7 and 419.0, a difference of 70.7. All 3 night games were with DJ Butler. All 3 ranked opponents were with DJ Butler.

DJ Butler, running back: 86 rushing yards, 11 carries and 1 reception in 6 games this season.

2 games without DJ Butler is still too small a sample for the statistics to say much, but maybe you can find something if you squint.

total yards a game over expected

A +56.4 difference in total yards over expected with DJ Butler vs without DJ Butler is about what you’d expect.

A +70.7 difference in total yards with DJ Butler vs without DJ Butler is about what you’d expect.

The games

with DJ Butlerwithout DJ Butler
Houston’s games, 2026, each marked with DJ Butler or without DJ Butler
SideDateGameResulttotal yardsExpected
Sep 5, 2026vsOregon StateW536433.0
Sep 12, 2026vsSouthernW591—
Sep 18, 2026@Texas TechL460439.7
Sep 26, 2026@Georgia SouthernW443417.6
Oct 3, 2026vsUCFW395448.5
Oct 10, 2026@Kansas StateW475391.8
Oct 17, 2026vsOklahoma StateW508463.5
Oct 24, 2026@UtahL368407.3

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 12.1 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 67% 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.
  • Southern 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, which name every player who entered the game.