Putting Up Numbers· college football

Ohio’s passing yards with Duncan Brune and without Duncan Brune

, ,

Against what the season’s ratings expected, Ohio was 20.5 yards under with Duncan Brune and 25.5 yards over without Duncan Brune over its last 25 games, 18 games against 4. The plain averages are 177.6 and 230.0, a difference of 52.4. All 4 games after a bye were with Duncan Brune. All 3 of Tim Albin’s games were without Duncan Brune. All 12 of Brian Smith’s games were with Duncan Brune.

Duncan Brune, running back: 1,048 rushing yards, 211 carries and 10 receptions in 20 of those 25 games.

passing yards a game over expected

A −46.1 difference in passing yards over expected with Duncan Brune vs without Duncan Brune is about what you’d expect.

A −52.4 difference in passing yards with Duncan Brune vs without Duncan Brune is a bit unusual: shuffle which games were with Duncan Brune and it comes up 19 times in 100.

The games

with Duncan Brunewithout Duncan Brune
Ohio’s games, last 25 games, each marked with Duncan Brune or without Duncan Brune
SideDateGameResultpassing yardsExpected
Nov 29, 2024vsBall StateW205258.1
Dec 7, 2024vsMiami (OH) (neutral)W235177.9
Dec 20, 2024vsJacksonville State (neutral)W254196.3
Aug 28, 2025@RutgersL239177.2
Sep 6, 2025vsWest VirginiaW247215.3
Sep 13, 2025@Ohio StateL113113.6
Sep 20, 2025vsGGardner-WebbW290—
Sep 27, 2025vsBowling GreenW208192.7
Oct 4, 2025@Ball StateL188207.2
Oct 18, 2025vsNorthern IllinoisW205169.5
Oct 25, 2025@Eastern MichiganW315176.7
Nov 4, 2025vsMiami (OH)W201205.2
Nov 11, 2025@Western MichiganL70179.0
Nov 18, 2025vsUMassW28239.8
Nov 28, 2025@BuffaloW147190.7
Dec 23, 2025vsUNLV (neutral)W143213.0
Sep 5, 2026@NebraskaL164152.4
Sep 12, 2026vsJacksonville StateW97164.7
Sep 19, 2026@South AlabamaL234193.6
Sep 26, 2026vsSStonehillW222—
Oct 3, 2026@Kent StateW72229.3
Oct 10, 2026vsCentral MichiganW158185.2
Oct 17, 2026@SSacramento StateW203—
Oct 24, 2026vsEastern MichiganW266216.3
Nov 3, 2026@AkronW197199.7

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 2.3 in 2024, 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 72% in 2024, 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.
  • Gardner-Webb, Stonehill, Sacramento 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 21 of these 25 games; in the other 4 a player is counted as in them when the box score has a stat for him.