Putting Up Numbers· college football

Louisiana Monroe’s rushing yards with Zach Palmer-Smith and without Zach Palmer-Smith

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Against what the season’s ratings expected, Louisiana Monroe was 18.7 yards under with Zach Palmer-Smith and 85.1 yards over without Zach Palmer-Smith over its last 25 games, 16 games against 2. The plain averages are 140.9 and 174.3, a difference of 33.4. Expected was 62.6 yards higher with Zach Palmer-Smith than without Zach Palmer-Smith. All 12 conference games were with Zach Palmer-Smith. All 3 games after a bye were with Zach Palmer-Smith.

Zach Palmer-Smith, running back: 816 rushing yards, 149 carries and 11 receptions in 17 of those 25 games, 34% of Louisiana Monroe’s rushing yards in those games.

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.

rushing yards a game over expected

A −103.8 difference in rushing yards over expected with Zach Palmer-Smith vs without Zach Palmer-Smith is a bit unusual: shuffle which games were with Zach Palmer-Smith and it comes up 10 times in 100.

A −33.4 difference in rushing yards with Zach Palmer-Smith vs without Zach Palmer-Smith is a bit unusual: shuffle which games were with Zach Palmer-Smith and it comes up 9 times in 100.

The games

with Zach Palmer-Smithwithout Zach Palmer-Smith
Louisiana Monroe’s games, last 25 games, each marked with Zach Palmer-Smith or without Zach Palmer-Smith
SideDateGameResultrushing yardsExpected
Nov 2, 2024@MarshallL239175.2
Nov 9, 2024vsTexas StateL163169.1
Nov 16, 2024@AuburnL88125.6
Nov 23, 2024@Arkansas StateL256198.2
Nov 30, 2024vsLouisianaL167180.2
Aug 28, 2025vsSSt. Francis (PA)W311—
Sep 6, 2025@AlabamaL9395.5
Sep 20, 2025@UTEPW252153.3
Sep 27, 2025vsArkansas StateW200161.6
Oct 4, 2025@NorthwesternL87117.4
Oct 11, 2025@Coastal CarolinaL140180.7
Oct 18, 2025vsTroyL98174.2
Oct 25, 2025@Southern MissL209145.2
Nov 1, 2025vsOld DominionL132121.1
Nov 15, 2025vsSouth AlabamaL72180.7
Nov 22, 2025@Texas StateL134149.7
Nov 29, 2025@LouisianaL205162.2
Sep 5, 2026@Mississippi StateL14257.2
Sep 12, 2026@UABL201115.6
Sep 19, 2026vsSS E LouisianaL180—
Sep 26, 2026vsFlorida AtlanticL54194.2
Oct 3, 2026@South AlabamaL87144.2
Oct 17, 2026vsLouisiana TechL71103.0
Oct 24, 2026@TroyW94113.6
Oct 31, 2026vsSouthern MissL157187.5

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.
  • St. Francis (PA), S E Louisiana 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.
  • 5 games in 2024 are neither with Zach Palmer-Smith nor without Zach Palmer-Smith: Zach Palmer-Smith had no game for the team that season, and sit out.