Putting Up Numbers· college football

Liberty’s passing yards with Ethan Vasko and without Ethan Vasko

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Against what the season’s ratings expected, Liberty was 17.6 yards over with Ethan Vasko and 29.9 yards under without Ethan Vasko over its last 25 games, 8 games against 10. The plain averages are 220.2 and 177.6, a difference of 42.6.

Ethan Vasko, quarterback: 1,967 passing yards, 268 pass attempts and 152 completions in 16 of those 25 games, 60% of Liberty’s passing yards in those games.

passing yards a game over expected

A +47.5 difference in passing yards over expected with Ethan Vasko vs without Ethan Vasko is about what you’d expect.

A +42.6 difference in passing yards with Ethan Vasko vs without Ethan Vasko is a bit unusual: shuffle which games were with Ethan Vasko and it comes up 10 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
SideDateGameResultpassing yardsExpected
Nov 9, 2024@Middle TennesseeW161196.6
Nov 16, 2024@UMassW114145.1
Nov 23, 2024vsWestern KentuckyW137160.0
Nov 29, 2024@Sam HoustonL83146.6
Jan 4, 2025vsBuffalo (neutral)L80225.4
Aug 30, 2025vsMaineW197—
Sep 6, 2025@Jacksonville StateL335188.3
Sep 13, 2025@Bowling GreenL194198.4
Sep 20, 2025vsJames MadisonL75192.5
Sep 27, 2025@Old DominionL77199.2
Oct 8, 2025@UTEPW243188.3
Oct 14, 2025vsNew Mexico StateW179216.2
Nov 1, 2025vsDelawareW279228.2
Nov 8, 2025vsMissouri StateL196199.5
Nov 15, 2025@Florida InternationalL218202.7
Nov 22, 2025@Louisiana TechL141222.5
Nov 29, 2025vsKennesaw StateL212208.1
Sep 5, 2026@James MadisonL230226.5
Sep 12, 2026vsGGardner-WebbW186—
Sep 19, 2026vsBall StateW248217.3
Sep 24, 2026@Coastal CarolinaW222189.2
Oct 2, 2026@DelawareW157256.4
Oct 8, 2026vsSam HoustonW114187.5
Oct 22, 2026@Kennesaw StateW187213.2
Oct 31, 2026vsFlorida InternationalW246177.3

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, plus 1.8 in 2025, plus 4.1 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 68% in 2025, 59% 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.