Putting Up Numbers· college football

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

, ,

Against what the season’s ratings expected, Liberty was 1.9 yards under with Ethan Vasko and 29.2 yards over without Ethan Vasko over its last 25 games, 8 games against 10. The plain averages are 195.0 and 211.1, a difference of 16.1.

Ethan Vasko, quarterback: 1,967 passing yards, 268 pass attempts and 152 completions in 16 of those 25 games, 9% of Liberty’s rushing yards in those games.

rushing yards a game over expected

A −31.1 difference in rushing yards over expected with Ethan Vasko vs without Ethan Vasko is about what you’d expect.

A −16.1 difference in rushing yards with Ethan Vasko vs without Ethan Vasko is about what you’d expect.

The games

with Ethan Vaskowithout Ethan Vasko
Liberty’s games, last 25 games, each marked with Ethan Vasko or without Ethan Vasko
SideDateGameResultrushing yardsExpected
Nov 9, 2024@Middle TennesseeW342235.3
Nov 16, 2024@UMassW311225.6
Nov 23, 2024vsWestern KentuckyW419233.7
Nov 29, 2024@Sam HoustonL179201.0
Jan 4, 2025vsBuffalo (neutral)L162207.5
Aug 30, 2025vsMaineW194—
Sep 6, 2025@Jacksonville StateL199191.3
Sep 13, 2025@Bowling GreenL153184.4
Sep 20, 2025vsJames MadisonL158112.1
Sep 27, 2025@Old DominionL137153.3
Oct 8, 2025@UTEPW165213.9
Oct 14, 2025vsNew Mexico StateW114228.0
Nov 1, 2025vsDelawareW285178.9
Nov 8, 2025vsMissouri StateL202204.7
Nov 15, 2025@Florida InternationalL160203.8
Nov 22, 2025@Louisiana TechL283171.0
Nov 29, 2025vsKennesaw StateL291208.3
Sep 5, 2026@James MadisonL102179.5
Sep 12, 2026vsGGardner-WebbW210—
Sep 19, 2026vsBall StateW217219.2
Sep 24, 2026@Coastal CarolinaW265205.3
Oct 2, 2026@DelawareW282169.8
Oct 8, 2026vsSam HoustonW297197.3
Oct 22, 2026@Kennesaw StateW216187.6
Oct 31, 2026vsFlorida InternationalW147187.6

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 5.9 in 2025, plus 8.0 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 77% 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.