Putting Up Numbers· college football

Middle Tennessee’s third-down conversion rate with Terrence Brown and without Terrence Brown

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Against what the season’s ratings expected, Middle Tennessee was 7.1 percentage points under with Terrence Brown and 3.5 percentage points under without Terrence Brown over its last 25 games, 6 games against 1. The plain averages are 30.5% and 26.7%, a difference of 3.8%. Expected was 5.4 percentage points higher with Terrence Brown than without Terrence Brown. All 4 away games were with Terrence Brown. All 4 conference games were with Terrence Brown.

Terrence Brown, running back: 348 rushing yards, 54 carries and 26 receptions in 7 of those 25 games.

One game without Terrence Brown is one game, not a sample, but maybe you can find something if you squint.

third-down conversion rate a game over expected

The games

with Terrence Brownwithout Terrence Brown
Middle Tennessee’s games, last 25 games, each marked with Terrence Brown or without Terrence Brown
SideDateGameResult3rd downsExpected
Oct 23, 2024@Jacksonville StateL38.5%40.2%
Nov 2, 2024@UTEPW23.1%39.3%
Nov 9, 2024vsLibertyL46.2%38.5%
Nov 23, 2024vsNew Mexico StateL50.0%41.2%
Nov 30, 2024vsFlorida International (neutral)L35.7%36.1%
Aug 30, 2025vsAAustin PeayL0.0%—
Sep 6, 2025@WisconsinL35.7%31.7%
Sep 13, 2025@NevadaW41.2%37.9%
Sep 20, 2025vsMarshallL30.0%41.8%
Sep 27, 2025@Kennesaw StateL28.6%38.6%
Oct 8, 2025vsMissouri StateL43.8%40.2%
Oct 22, 2025@DelawareL42.9%40.6%
Oct 29, 2025vsJacksonville StateL43.8%38.6%
Nov 8, 2025vsFlorida InternationalL29.4%41.1%
Nov 15, 2025@Western KentuckyL46.7%36.4%
Nov 22, 2025vsSam HoustonW41.7%42.8%
Nov 29, 2025@New Mexico StateW44.4%39.3%
Sep 5, 2026vsMMurray StateW42.9%—
Sep 12, 2026@MarshallL25.0%35.6%
Sep 19, 2026vsNevadaW26.7%30.2%
Sep 26, 2026@Jacksonville StateL36.4%40.6%
Oct 3, 2026@KansasL9.1%34.0%
Oct 13, 2026vsDelawareW22.2%36.7%
Oct 20, 2026@Florida InternationalW23.1%32.4%
Oct 28, 2026vsKennesaw StateL55.0%34.2%

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, plus 1.4% 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 40% of the difference the model predicts.
  • Murray State 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.
  • 17 games in 2024 and 2025 are neither with Terrence Brown nor without Terrence Brown: Terrence Brown had no game for the team those seasons, and sit out.