Putting Up Numbers· college football

New Mexico’s penalty yards with Toa Fa'avae and without Toa Fa'avae

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Against what the season’s ratings expected, New Mexico was 13.3 yards over with Toa Fa'avae and 38.9 yards under without Toa Fa'avae in 2026, 5 games against 1. The plain averages are 60.6 and 20.0, a difference of 40.6. All 4 away games were with Toa Fa'avae. All 5 day games were with Toa Fa'avae. Both opponents outside the major colleges were with Toa Fa'avae.

Toa Fa'avae, quarterback: 888 passing yards, 101 pass attempts and 58 completions in 8 games this season.

One game without Toa Fa'avae is one game, not a sample, but maybe you can find something if you squint.

penalty yards a game over expected

The games

with Toa Fa'avaewithout Toa Fa'avae
New Mexico’s games, 2026, each marked with Toa Fa'avae or without Toa Fa'avae
SideDateGameResultpenalty yardsExpected
Sep 5, 2026vsCentral MichiganW2058.9
Sep 12, 2026vsMMercyhurstW44—
Sep 19, 2026@OklahomaL5558.0
Sep 26, 2026@New Mexico StateW6560.3
Oct 3, 2026vsUTEPW4057.9
Oct 17, 2026@HawaiiW14553.7
Oct 24, 2026vsNNorth Dakota StateW24—
Oct 31, 2026@San Jose StateW5159.8

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.
  • Mercyhurst, 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 for 5 of these 8 games; in the other 3 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.