Putting Up Numbers· college football

Ohio State’s rushing yards with Ja'Kobi Jackson and since Ja'Kobi Jackson’s last game

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Against what the season’s ratings expected, Ohio State was 2.2 yards over with Ja'Kobi Jackson and 4.7 yards over since Ja'Kobi Jackson’s last game in 2026, 6 games against 2. The plain averages are 166.3 and 142.5, a difference of 23.8. Expected was 26.4 yards higher with Ja'Kobi Jackson than since Ja'Kobi Jackson’s last game. All 4 home games were with Ja'Kobi Jackson. All 3 nonconference games were with Ja'Kobi Jackson. All 4 first-half games were with Ja'Kobi Jackson.

Ja'Kobi Jackson, running back: 354 rushing yards, 59 carries and 2 receptions in 6 games this season, 35% of Ohio State’s rushing yards in those games.

2 games since Ja'Kobi Jackson’s last game is still too small a sample for the statistics to say much, but maybe you can find something if you squint.

rushing yards a game over expected

A −2.6 difference in rushing yards over expected with Ja'Kobi Jackson vs since Ja'Kobi Jackson’s last game is about what you’d expect.

A +23.8 difference in rushing yards with Ja'Kobi Jackson vs since Ja'Kobi Jackson’s last game is about what you’d expect.

The games

with Ja'Kobi Jacksonsince Ja'Kobi Jackson’s last game
Ohio State’s games, 2026, each marked with Ja'Kobi Jackson or since Ja'Kobi Jackson’s last game
SideDateGameResultrushing yardsExpected
Sep 5, 2026vsBall StateW237201.4
Sep 12, 2026@TexasL94107.7
Sep 19, 2026vsKent StateW145186.3
Sep 26, 2026vsIllinoisW153191.6
Oct 3, 2026@IowaW162118.1
Oct 10, 2026vsMarylandW207179.9
Oct 17, 2026@IndianaW81123.1
Oct 31, 2026@USCL204152.4

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 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.
  • The two sides are the games before and after one date, so the shuffle moves any game between them.
  • 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.