Putting Up Numbers· college football

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

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Against what the season’s ratings expected, Louisiana Monroe was 20.8 yards under with Zach Palmer-Smith and 7.2 yards over without Zach Palmer-Smith over its last 25 games, 16 games against 2. The plain averages are 321.8 and 344.7, a difference of 22.9. Expected was 73.3 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.

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.

total yards a game over expected

A −28.0 difference in total yards over expected with Zach Palmer-Smith vs without Zach Palmer-Smith is about what you’d expect.

A −22.9 difference in total yards 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, last 25 games, each marked with Zach Palmer-Smith or without Zach Palmer-Smith
SideDateGameResulttotal yardsExpected
Nov 2, 2024@MarshallL388317.9
Nov 9, 2024vsTexas StateL282325.5
Nov 16, 2024@AuburnL242259.6
Nov 23, 2024@Arkansas StateL393393.5
Nov 30, 2024vsLouisianaL335320.0
Aug 28, 2025vsSSt. Francis (PA)W434—
Sep 6, 2025@AlabamaL148234.2
Sep 20, 2025@UTEPW401332.2
Sep 27, 2025vsArkansas StateW385354.2
Oct 4, 2025@NorthwesternL273255.0
Oct 11, 2025@Coastal CarolinaL316388.3
Oct 18, 2025vsTroyL326327.7
Oct 25, 2025@Southern MissL312360.2
Nov 1, 2025vsOld DominionL293283.4
Nov 15, 2025vsSouth AlabamaL154359.6
Nov 22, 2025@Texas StateL300350.8
Nov 29, 2025@LouisianaL516331.8
Sep 5, 2026@Mississippi StateL282260.6
Sep 12, 2026@UABL257263.9
Sep 19, 2026vsSS E LouisianaL495—
Sep 26, 2026vsFlorida AtlanticL332413.1
Oct 3, 2026@South AlabamaL442335.2
Oct 17, 2026vsLouisiana TechL236320.1
Oct 24, 2026@TroyW243322.0
Oct 31, 2026vsSouthern MissL359401.5

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 7.7 in 2025, plus 12.1 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 79% in 2025, 67% 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.