Putting Up Numbers· college football

Louisiana Monroe’s points allowed with Zach Palmer-Smith and without Zach Palmer-Smith

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Against what the season’s ratings expected, Louisiana Monroe was 1.1 points over with Zach Palmer-Smith and 10.0 points over without Zach Palmer-Smith in 2026, 5 games against 2. The plain averages are 34.0 and 42.0, a difference of 8.0. All 4 conference games were with Zach Palmer-Smith. All 4 second-half games were with Zach Palmer-Smith.

Zach Palmer-Smith, running back: 156 rushing yards, 34 carries and 4 receptions in 5 games this season.

3 games without Zach Palmer-Smith is still too small a sample for the statistics to say much, but maybe you can find something if you squint.

points allowed a game over expected

A −8.9 difference in points allowed over expected with Zach Palmer-Smith vs without Zach Palmer-Smith is about what you’d expect.

A −8.0 difference in points allowed with Zach Palmer-Smith vs without Zach Palmer-Smith is about what you’d expect.

The games

with Zach Palmer-Smithwithout Zach Palmer-Smith
Louisiana Monroe’s games, 2026, each marked with Zach Palmer-Smith or without Zach Palmer-Smith
SideDateGameResultpoints allowedExpected
Sep 5, 2026@Mississippi StateL6236.9
Sep 12, 2026@UABL2631.1
Sep 19, 2026vsSS E LouisianaL38—
Sep 26, 2026vsFlorida AtlanticL4532.3
Oct 3, 2026@South AlabamaL5235.2
Oct 17, 2026vsLouisiana TechL2433.3
Oct 24, 2026@TroyW1436.1
Oct 31, 2026vsSouthern MissL3527.8

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, minus 1.9 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 66% of the difference the model predicts.
  • The two sides are the games before and after one date, so the shuffle moves any game between them.
  • S E Louisiana 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, which name every player who entered the game.