Putting Up Numbers· college football

Kentucky’s passing yards with CJ Baxter and without CJ Baxter

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Against what the season’s ratings expected, Kentucky was 0.7 yards under with CJ Baxter and 40.7 yards under without CJ Baxter over its last 25 games, 6 games against 1. The plain averages are 228.1 and 158.0, a difference of 70.1. All 5 home games were with CJ Baxter. All 5 day games were with CJ Baxter. All 3 ranked opponents were with CJ Baxter.

CJ Baxter, running back: 487 rushing yards, 88 carries and 8 receptions in 7 of those 25 games.

One game without CJ Baxter is one game, not a sample, but maybe you can find something if you squint.

passing yards a game over expected

The games

with CJ Baxterwithout CJ Baxter
Kentucky’s games, last 25 games, each marked with CJ Baxter or without CJ Baxter
SideDateGameResultpassing yardsExpected
Oct 26, 2024vsAuburnL154194.9
Nov 2, 2024@TennesseeL192163.9
Nov 16, 2024vsMMurray StateW313—
Nov 23, 2024@TexasL211140.6
Nov 30, 2024vsLouisvilleL173212.8
Aug 30, 2025vsToledoW85223.7
Sep 6, 2025vsOle MissL187194.6
Sep 13, 2025vsEastern MichiganW240217.4
Sep 27, 2025@South CarolinaL124202.6
Oct 4, 2025@GeorgiaL225182.6
Oct 18, 2025vsTexasL258200.2
Oct 25, 2025vsTennesseeL330199.7
Nov 1, 2025@AuburnW161210.3
Nov 8, 2025vsFloridaW168201.8
Nov 15, 2025vsTTennessee TechW261—
Nov 22, 2025@VanderbiltL284227.2
Nov 29, 2025@LouisvilleL100192.9
Sep 5, 2026vsYYoungstown StateW301—
Sep 12, 2026vsAlabamaL146242.4
Sep 19, 2026@Texas A&MW252168.7
Sep 26, 2026vsSouth AlabamaW177280.8
Oct 3, 2026@South CarolinaW272211.1
Oct 10, 2026vsLSUW246183.2
Oct 17, 2026@OklahomaW158198.7
Oct 24, 2026vsVanderbiltW203214.3

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 4.1 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 59% of the difference the model predicts.
  • Youngstown State 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 for 3 of these 8 games; in the other 5 a player is counted as in them when the box score has a stat for him.
  • 17 games in 2024 and 2025 are neither with CJ Baxter nor without CJ Baxter: CJ Baxter had no game for the team those seasons, and sit out.