Putting Up Numbers· college football

Nebraska’s penalty yards with Jamal Rule and without Jamal Rule

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Against what the season’s ratings expected, Nebraska was 2.3 yards over with Jamal Rule and 71.3 yards over without Jamal Rule over its last 25 games, 6 games against 1. The plain averages are 60.4 and 132.0, a difference of 71.6. Both away games were with Jamal Rule. All 3 night games were with Jamal Rule. All 3 nonconference games were with Jamal Rule.

Jamal Rule, running back: 463 rushing yards, 73 carries and 4 receptions in 7 of those 25 games.

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

penalty yards a game over expected

The games

with Jamal Rulewithout Jamal Rule
Nebraska’s games, last 25 games, each marked with Jamal Rule or without Jamal Rule
SideDateGameResultpenalty yardsExpected
Nov 16, 2024@USCL4053.2
Nov 23, 2024vsWisconsinW4852.5
Nov 29, 2024@IowaL2054.8
Dec 28, 2024vsBoston College (neutral)W5556.3
Aug 28, 2025vsCincinnati (neutral)W2744.6
Sep 6, 2025vsAkronW7151.9
Sep 13, 2025vsHHouston ChristianW45—
Sep 20, 2025vsMichiganL947.9
Oct 4, 2025vsMichigan StateW4449.2
Oct 11, 2025@MarylandW4950.1
Oct 17, 2025@MinnesotaL6552.7
Oct 25, 2025vsNorthwesternW3947.8
Nov 1, 2025vsUSCL4553.8
Nov 8, 2025@UCLAW2549.1
Nov 22, 2025@Penn StateL5840.9
Nov 28, 2025vsIowaL5341.9
Dec 31, 2025vsUtah (neutral)L3551.4
Sep 5, 2026vsOhioW6561.6
Sep 12, 2026vsBowling GreenW6562.9
Sep 19, 2026vsNNorth DakotaW45—
Sep 26, 2026@Michigan StateW6056.9
Oct 3, 2026vsMarylandW13260.7
Oct 10, 2026vsIndianaL5958.6
Oct 17, 2026@OregonL5559.4
Oct 31, 2026vsWashingtonL7465.0

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.
  • North Dakota 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 for 6 of these 8 games; in the other 2 a player is counted as in them when the box score has a stat for him.
  • 17 games in 2024 and 2025 are neither with Jamal Rule nor without Jamal Rule: Jamal Rule had no game for the team those seasons, and sit out.