Putting Up Numbers· college football

Jacksonville State’s carries with Jalen Likely and without Jalen Likely

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Against what the season’s ratings expected, Jacksonville State was 1.8 carries under with Jalen Likely and 3.8 carries over without Jalen Likely in 2026, 4 games against 2. The plain averages are 32.3 and 38.0, a difference of 5.7. Both opponents outside the major colleges were with Jalen Likely. Both games after a bye were with Jalen Likely.

Jalen Likely, running back: 240 rushing yards, 44 carries and 8 receptions in 6 games this season, 23% of Jacksonville State’s carries in those games.

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

carries a game over expected

A −5.6 difference in carries over expected with Jalen Likely vs without Jalen Likely is about what you’d expect.

A −5.7 difference in carries with Jalen Likely vs without Jalen Likely is about what you’d expect.

The games

with Jalen Likelywithout Jalen Likely
Jacksonville State’s games, 2026, each marked with Jalen Likely or without Jalen Likely
SideDateGameResultcarriesExpected
Aug 29, 2026@NNorth Dakota StateL27—
Sep 5, 2026vsEEastern KentuckyW31—
Sep 12, 2026@OhioL4434.4
Sep 19, 2026vsGeorgia SouthernW2336.2
Sep 26, 2026vsMiddle TennesseeW3835.5
Oct 7, 2026@Kennesaw StateW2938.5
Oct 13, 2026vsFlorida InternationalW3234.0
Oct 28, 2026@New Mexico StateW4633.1

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.
  • 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.
  • North Dakota State, Eastern Kentucky 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, which name every player who entered the game.