Putting Up Numbers· college football

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

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Against what the season’s ratings expected, Kentucky was 17.8 yards over with CJ Baxter and 118.4 yards under without CJ Baxter in 2026, 6 games against 1. The plain averages are 409.3 and 232.0, a difference of 177.3. 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.

total yards a game over expected

The games

with CJ Baxterwithout CJ Baxter
Kentucky’s games, 2026, each marked with CJ Baxter or without CJ Baxter
SideDateGameResulttotal yardsExpected
Sep 5, 2026vsYYoungstown StateW509—
Sep 12, 2026vsAlabamaL209389.0
Sep 19, 2026@Texas A&MW409322.0
Sep 26, 2026vsSouth AlabamaW567468.2
Oct 3, 2026@South CarolinaW394360.9
Oct 10, 2026vsLSUW401291.4
Oct 17, 2026@OklahomaW232350.4
Oct 24, 2026vsVanderbiltW376417.4

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.
  • 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.