Putting Up Numbers· college football

Nevada’s total yards with Luke Duncan and without Luke Duncan

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Against what the season’s ratings expected, Nevada was 65.0 yards under with Luke Duncan and 0.5 yards under without Luke Duncan over its last 25 games, 1 game against 5. The plain averages are 332.0 and 336.3, a difference of 4.3. Expected was 52.7 yards higher with Luke Duncan than without Luke Duncan. All 4 away games were without Luke Duncan. All 5 night games were without Luke Duncan. Both opponents outside the major colleges were without Luke Duncan.

Luke Duncan, quarterback: 265 passing yards, 55 pass attempts and 26 completions in 4 of those 25 games.

One game with Luke Duncan is one game, not a sample, but maybe you can find something if you squint.

total yards a game over expected

The games

with Luke Duncanwithout Luke Duncan
Nevada’s games, last 25 games, each marked with Luke Duncan or without Luke Duncan
SideDateGameResulttotal yardsExpected
Oct 26, 2024@HawaiiL386387.0
Nov 2, 2024vsColorado StateL441395.0
Nov 9, 2024@Boise StateL319360.7
Nov 23, 2024vsAir ForceL362361.3
Nov 30, 2024@UNLVL359332.4
Aug 30, 2025@Penn StateL203251.3
Sep 6, 2025vsSSacramento StateW410—
Sep 13, 2025vsMiddle TennesseeL369368.7
Sep 20, 2025@Western KentuckyL372357.2
Oct 4, 2025@Fresno StateL246245.5
Oct 11, 2025vsSan Diego StateL254273.0
Oct 18, 2025@New MexicoL257272.0
Oct 24, 2025vsBoise StateL249274.1
Nov 8, 2025@Utah StateL243375.6
Nov 15, 2025vsSan Jose StateW413346.5
Nov 22, 2025@WyomingW273290.8
Nov 29, 2025vsUNLVL341357.1
Sep 5, 2026vsWestern KentuckyW488356.4
Sep 12, 2026vsMontana StateL349—
Sep 19, 2026@Middle TennesseeL263394.7
Sep 26, 2026vsAir ForceL411306.1
Oct 10, 2026@UTEPW381373.9
Oct 17, 2026@NNorth Dakota StateL286—
Oct 24, 2026vsSan Jose StateW332397.0
Oct 31, 2026@UCLAL176290.4

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 12.1 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 67% of the difference the model predicts.
  • 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.
  • 17 games in 2024 and 2025 are neither with Luke Duncan nor without Luke Duncan: Luke Duncan had no game for the team those seasons, and sit out.