Putting Up Numbers· college football

Missouri’s points with Matt Zollers and without Matt Zollers

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Against what the season’s ratings expected, Missouri was 5.7 points under with Matt Zollers and 2.1 points over without Matt Zollers over its last 25 games, 4 games against 15. The plain averages are 20.8 and 33.1, a difference of 12.3. Both opponents outside the major colleges were without Matt Zollers.

Matt Zollers, quarterback: 590 passing yards, 101 pass attempts and 55 completions in 9 of those 25 games.

points a game over expected

A −7.8 difference in points over expected with Matt Zollers vs without Matt Zollers is about what you’d expect.

A −12.3 difference in points with Matt Zollers vs without Matt Zollers is about what you’d expect.

The games

with Matt Zollerswithout Matt Zollers
Missouri’s games, last 25 games, each marked with Matt Zollers or without Matt Zollers
SideDateGameResultpointsExpected
Nov 16, 2024@South CarolinaL3017.0
Nov 23, 2024@Mississippi StateW3930.7
Nov 30, 2024vsArkansasW2828.2
Dec 30, 2024vsIowa (neutral)W2722.5
Aug 28, 2025vsCCentral ArkansasW61—
Sep 6, 2025vsKansasW4228.3
Sep 13, 2025vsLouisianaW5234.9
Sep 20, 2025vsSouth CarolinaW2923.1
Sep 27, 2025vsUMassW4246.4
Oct 11, 2025vsAlabamaL2421.5
Oct 18, 2025@AuburnW2319.2
Oct 25, 2025@VanderbiltL1026.7
Nov 8, 2025vsTexas A&ML1724.6
Nov 15, 2025vsMississippi StateW4929.5
Nov 22, 2025@OklahomaL617.9
Nov 29, 2025@ArkansasW3131.0
Dec 27, 2025vsVirginia (neutral)L725.0
Sep 3, 2026vsAArkansas-Pine BluffW54—
Sep 11, 2026@KansasW3825.5
Sep 19, 2026vsTroyW2737.9
Sep 26, 2026@Mississippi StateL2426.7
Oct 3, 2026vsFloridaW4524.9
Oct 10, 2026vsTexas A&MW2723.6
Oct 17, 2026@Ole MissL328.1
Oct 31, 2026@ArkansasW3426.1

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 1.5 in 2025, plus 1.9 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 78% in 2025, 66% 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.
  • Central Arkansas, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 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 for 11 of these 21 games; in the other 10 a player is counted as in them when the box score has a stat for him.
  • With him means he was the team’s quarterback that game, at least half of its pass attempts; a game he left early or came into late reads as without him.
  • 4 games in 2024 are neither with Matt Zollers nor without Matt Zollers: Matt Zollers had no game for the team that season, and sit out.