Putting Up Numbers· college football

Jacksonville State’s penalty yards with Jalen Likely and without Jalen Likely

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Against what the season’s ratings expected, Jacksonville State was 4.4 yards under with Jalen Likely and 6.7 yards over without Jalen Likely over its last 25 games, 11 games against 8. The plain averages are 55.7 and 59.5, a difference of 3.8. All 3 opponents outside the major colleges were with Jalen Likely.

Jalen Likely, running back: 292 rushing yards, 51 carries and 11 receptions in 11 of those 25 games.

penalty yards a game over expected

A −11.1 difference in penalty yards over expected with Jalen Likely vs without Jalen Likely is about what you’d expect.

A −3.8 difference in penalty yards with Jalen Likely vs without Jalen Likely is about what you’d expect.

The games

with Jalen Likelywithout Jalen Likely
Jacksonville State’s games, last 25 games, each marked with Jalen Likely or without Jalen Likely
SideDateGameResultpenalty yardsExpected
Nov 30, 2024@Western KentuckyL4050.1
Dec 6, 2024vsWestern KentuckyW8546.2
Dec 20, 2024vsOhio (neutral)L7554.0
Aug 28, 2025@UCFL6048.4
Sep 6, 2025vsLibertyW1048.9
Sep 13, 2025@Georgia SouthernL1557.0
Sep 20, 2025vsMMurray StateW99—
Sep 27, 2025@Southern MissL5360.1
Oct 9, 2025vsSam Houston (neutral)W7648.8
Oct 15, 2025vsDelawareW6052.4
Oct 29, 2025@Middle TennesseeW2548.7
Nov 8, 2025@UTEPW6656.7
Nov 15, 2025vsKennesaw StateW9254.0
Nov 22, 2025@Florida InternationalL4554.0
Nov 29, 2025vsWestern KentuckyW7053.7
Dec 5, 2025vsKennesaw StateL7255.5
Dec 16, 2025vsTroy (neutral)W4549.4
Aug 29, 2026@NNorth Dakota StateL76—
Sep 5, 2026vsEEastern KentuckyW49—
Sep 12, 2026@OhioL4054.0
Sep 19, 2026vsGeorgia SouthernW6059.5
Sep 26, 2026vsMiddle TennesseeW3056.6
Oct 7, 2026@Kennesaw StateW9354.2
Oct 13, 2026vsFlorida InternationalW8053.1
Oct 28, 2026@New Mexico StateW4061.5

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 2.1 in 2025, minus 1.3 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 45% in 2025, 27% 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 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.
  • 3 games in 2024 are neither with Jalen Likely nor without Jalen Likely: Jalen Likely had no game for the team that season, and sit out.