Kentucky’s penalty yards with CJ Baxter and without CJ Baxter
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Against what the season’s ratings expected, Kentucky was 12.1 yards under with CJ Baxter and 22.7 yards under without CJ Baxter in 2026, 6 games against 1. The plain averages are 43.3 and 32.0, a difference of 11.3. 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 games this season.
One game without CJ Baxter is one game, not a sample, but maybe you can find something if you squint.
penalty yards a game over expected
with CJ Baxter
−12.1
without CJ Baxter
−22.7
-200
plain
43.3
32.0
204060
The games
with CJ Baxterwithout CJ Baxter
| Side | Date | Game | Result | penalty yards | Expected |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 5, 2026 | vsYYoungstown State | W | 70 | — | |
| Sep 12, 2026 | vs Alabama | L | 70 | 50.6 | |
| Sep 19, 2026 | @ Texas A&M | W | 59 | 49.9 | |
| Sep 26, 2026 | vs South Alabama | W | 22 | 52.2 | |
| Oct 3, 2026 | @ South Carolina | W | 38 | 52.0 | |
| Oct 10, 2026 | vs LSU | W | 20 | 50.2 | |
| Oct 17, 2026 | @ Oklahoma | W | 32 | 54.7 | |
| Oct 24, 2026 | vs Vanderbilt | W | 24 | 50.8 |
Method
- 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, minus 1.4 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 27% 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.