Putting Up Numbers· college football

Mississippi State’s penalty yards with Fluff Bothwell and without Fluff Bothwell

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Against what the season’s ratings expected, Mississippi State was 9.5 yards over with Fluff Bothwell and 17.4 yards over without Fluff Bothwell in 2026, 7 games against 1. The plain averages are 69.9 and 75.0, a difference of 5.1. All 4 home games were with Fluff Bothwell. All 3 night games were with Fluff Bothwell. All 4 unranked opponents were with Fluff Bothwell.

Fluff Bothwell, running back: 563 rushing yards, 108 carries and 13 receptions in 7 games this season.

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

penalty yards a game over expected

The games

with Fluff Bothwellwithout Fluff Bothwell
Mississippi State’s games, 2026, each marked with Fluff Bothwell or without Fluff Bothwell
SideDateGameResultpenalty yardsExpected
Sep 5, 2026vsLouisiana MonroeW7856.4
Sep 12, 2026@MinnesotaW6058.9
Sep 19, 2026@South CarolinaW9857.9
Sep 26, 2026vsMissouriW8463.0
Oct 3, 2026vsAlabamaL2966.1
Oct 17, 2026@LSUL7557.6
Oct 24, 2026vsOklahomaL9060.0
Oct 31, 2026@TexasL5060.3

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 1.3 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 27% of the difference the model predicts.
  • Who played is read from the schools’ box scores’ participation lists for 7 of these 8 games; in the other game a player is counted as in it when the box score has a stat for him.