Putting Up Numbers· college football

North Carolina’s rushing yards with Benjamin Hall and without Benjamin Hall

, ,

Against what the season’s ratings expected, North Carolina was 15.4 yards under with Benjamin Hall and 53.6 yards under without Benjamin Hall in 2026, 6 games against 1. The plain averages are 109.6 and 101.0, a difference of 8.6. Expected was 38.2 yards lower with Benjamin Hall than without Benjamin Hall. All 3 away games were with Benjamin Hall. All 6 day games were with Benjamin Hall. All 3 ranked opponents were with Benjamin Hall.

Benjamin Hall, running back: 296 rushing yards, 60 carries and 5 receptions in 7 games this season, 39% of North Carolina’s rushing yards in those games.

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

rushing yards a game over expected

The games

with Benjamin Hallwithout Benjamin Hall
North Carolina’s games, 2026, each marked with Benjamin Hall or without Benjamin Hall
SideDateGameResultrushing yardsExpected
Aug 29, 2026vsTCU (neutral)W90126.1
Sep 12, 2026vsEast Tennessee StateW161—
Sep 19, 2026@ClemsonL214124.9
Oct 3, 2026vsNotre DameL77105.1
Oct 10, 2026@PittsburghW22116.5
Oct 17, 2026@DukeW136127.5
Oct 24, 2026vsSyracuseL101154.6
Oct 31, 2026vsMiami (FL)L6797.9

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 8.0 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 60% of the difference the model predicts.
  • East Tennessee State 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 7 of these 8 games; in the other game a player is counted as in it when the box score has a stat for him.