Putting Up Numbers· college football

Nevada’s passing yards with Carter Jones and without Carter Jones

, ,

Against what the season’s ratings expected, Nevada was 14.6 yards under with Carter Jones and 39.7 yards under without Carter Jones over its last 25 games, 11 games against 6. The plain averages are 157.8 and 155.6, a difference of 2.3. Expected was 17.1 yards lower with Carter Jones than without Carter Jones. Both ranked opponents were without Carter Jones. Both top-10 opponents were without Carter Jones. All 3 opponents outside the major colleges were without Carter Jones.

Carter Jones, quarterback: 1,673 passing yards, 260 pass attempts and 163 completions in 13 of those 25 games, 83% of Nevada’s passing yards in those games.

passing yards a game over expected

A +25.1 difference in passing yards over expected with Carter Jones vs without Carter Jones is a bit unusual: shuffle which games were with Carter Jones and it comes up 17 times in 100.

A +2.3 difference in passing yards with Carter Jones vs without Carter Jones is about what you’d expect.

The games

with Carter Joneswithout Carter Jones
Nevada’s games, last 25 games, each marked with Carter Jones or without Carter Jones
SideDateGameResultpassing yardsExpected
Oct 26, 2024@HawaiiL286203.7
Nov 2, 2024vsColorado StateL252218.2
Nov 9, 2024@Boise StateL232226.1
Nov 23, 2024vsAir ForceL268198.6
Nov 30, 2024@UNLVL292193.2
Aug 30, 2025@Penn StateL125142.0
Sep 6, 2025vsSSacramento StateW144—
Sep 13, 2025vsMiddle TennesseeL166220.7
Sep 20, 2025@Western KentuckyL165190.6
Oct 4, 2025@Fresno StateL117120.5
Oct 11, 2025vsSan Diego StateL194129.7
Oct 18, 2025@New MexicoL202175.1
Oct 24, 2025vsBoise StateL148139.9
Nov 8, 2025@Utah StateL122212.2
Nov 15, 2025vsSan Jose StateW195209.1
Nov 22, 2025@WyomingW58160.0
Nov 29, 2025vsUNLVL148197.0
Sep 5, 2026vsWestern KentuckyW163194.8
Sep 12, 2026vsMontana StateL167—
Sep 19, 2026@Middle TennesseeL185176.2
Sep 26, 2026vsAir ForceL224190.4
Oct 10, 2026@UTEPW102204.1
Oct 17, 2026@NNorth Dakota StateL190—
Oct 24, 2026vsSan Jose StateW210204.7
Oct 31, 2026@UCLAL111167.1

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 1.8 in 2025, plus 3.9 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 68% in 2025, 59% 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.
  • Sacramento State, Montana State, North Dakota State 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.
  • 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.
  • 5 games in 2024 are neither with Carter Jones nor without Carter Jones: Carter Jones had no game for the team that season, and sit out.