Putting Up Numbers· college football

Liberty’s pass attempts with Ethan Vasko and without Ethan Vasko

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Against what the season’s ratings expected, Liberty was 1.8 pass attempts over with Ethan Vasko and 5.4 pass attempts under without Ethan Vasko over its last 25 games, 8 games against 10. The plain averages are 28.9 and 20.6, a difference of 8.3.

Ethan Vasko, quarterback: 1,967 passing yards, 268 pass attempts and 152 completions in 16 of those 25 games, 65% of Liberty’s pass attempts in those games.

pass attempts a game over expected

A +7.2 difference in pass attempts over expected with Ethan Vasko vs without Ethan Vasko is a bit unusual: shuffle which games were with Ethan Vasko and it comes up 12 times in 100.

A +8.3 difference in pass attempts with Ethan Vasko vs without Ethan Vasko is unusual: shuffle which games were with Ethan Vasko and it comes up 4 times in 100.

The games

with Ethan Vaskowithout Ethan Vasko
Liberty’s games, last 25 games, each marked with Ethan Vasko or without Ethan Vasko
SideDateGameResultpass attemptsExpected
Nov 9, 2024@Middle TennesseeW1625.3
Nov 16, 2024@UMassW1620.9
Nov 23, 2024vsWestern KentuckyW1223.0
Nov 29, 2024@Sam HoustonL3724.6
Jan 4, 2025vsBuffalo (neutral)L2130.1
Aug 30, 2025vsMaineW33—
Sep 6, 2025@Jacksonville StateL2924.7
Sep 13, 2025@Bowling GreenL2524.1
Sep 20, 2025vsJames MadisonL2126.4
Sep 27, 2025@Old DominionL1230.3
Oct 8, 2025@UTEPW3326.4
Oct 14, 2025vsNew Mexico StateW3027.5
Nov 1, 2025vsDelawareW2328.5
Nov 8, 2025vsMissouri StateL3523.3
Nov 15, 2025@Florida InternationalL3126.7
Nov 22, 2025@Louisiana TechL2131.5
Nov 29, 2025vsKennesaw StateL2127.2
Sep 5, 2026@James MadisonL2729.7
Sep 12, 2026vsGGardner-WebbW21—
Sep 19, 2026vsBall StateW2424.4
Sep 24, 2026@Coastal CarolinaW1823.3
Oct 2, 2026@DelawareW2526.7
Oct 8, 2026vsSam HoustonW1422.2
Oct 22, 2026@Kennesaw StateW2128.1
Oct 31, 2026vsFlorida InternationalW2321.7

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 0.3 in 2025, minus 0.1 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 73% in 2025, 60% 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.
  • Maine, Gardner-Webb 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.
  • With him means he was the team’s quarterback that game, at least half of its pass attempts; a game he left early or came into late reads as without him.
  • 5 games in 2024 are neither with Ethan Vasko nor without Ethan Vasko: Ethan Vasko had no game for the team that season, and sit out.