Putting Up Numbers· college football

Marshall’s third-down conversion rate with Jo'Shon Barbie and without Jo'Shon Barbie

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Against what the season’s ratings expected, Marshall was 3.3 percentage points under with Jo'Shon Barbie and 4.9 percentage points over without Jo'Shon Barbie over its last 25 games, 14 games against 4. The plain averages are 34.0% and 41.6%, a difference of 7.6%. Both ranked opponents were with Jo'Shon Barbie. Both opponents outside the major colleges were with Jo'Shon Barbie.

Jo'Shon Barbie, running back: 501 rushing yards, 112 carries and 13 receptions in 16 of those 25 games.

third-down conversion rate a game over expected

A −8.2% difference in third-down conversion rate over expected with Jo'Shon Barbie vs without Jo'Shon Barbie is about what you’d expect.

A −7.6% difference in third-down conversion rate with Jo'Shon Barbie vs without Jo'Shon Barbie is about what you’d expect.

The games

with Jo'Shon Barbiewithout Jo'Shon Barbie
Marshall’s games, last 25 games, each marked with Jo'Shon Barbie or without Jo'Shon Barbie
SideDateGameResult3rd downsExpected
Nov 9, 2024@Southern MissW37.5%41.9%
Nov 16, 2024vsCoastal CarolinaW38.5%41.9%
Nov 23, 2024@Old DominionW33.3%41.2%
Nov 30, 2024@James MadisonW33.3%37.1%
Dec 7, 2024@LouisianaW53.3%40.2%
Aug 30, 2025@GeorgiaL20.0%31.4%
Sep 6, 2025vsMissouri StateL20.0%39.8%
Sep 13, 2025vsEEastern KentuckyW37.5%—
Sep 20, 2025@Middle TennesseeW58.3%33.6%
Sep 27, 2025@LouisianaL42.9%38.2%
Oct 11, 2025vsOld DominionW26.7%33.3%
Oct 18, 2025vsTexas StateW42.9%38.5%
Oct 30, 2025@Coastal CarolinaL37.5%35.9%
Nov 8, 2025vsJames MadisonL35.3%30.5%
Nov 15, 2025@Georgia StateW33.3%41.5%
Nov 22, 2025@Appalachian StateL41.7%39.3%
Nov 29, 2025vsGeorgia SouthernL30.0%44.8%
Sep 5, 2026@Penn StateL9.1%33.3%
Sep 12, 2026vsMiddle TennesseeW33.3%40.2%
Sep 19, 2026@Missouri StateW53.8%40.0%
Sep 26, 2026vsGGardner-WebbW25.0%—
Oct 3, 2026@James MadisonL50.0%35.7%
Oct 10, 2026vsCoastal CarolinaL60.0%38.6%
Oct 20, 2026vsSouth AlabamaW38.5%41.8%
Oct 31, 2026@Old DominionW14.3%38.7%

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 0.7% in 2025, plus 1.4% 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 56% in 2025, 40% 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.
  • Eastern Kentucky, 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.
  • 5 games in 2024 are neither with Jo'Shon Barbie nor without Jo'Shon Barbie: Jo'Shon Barbie had no game for the team that season, and sit out.