Putting Up Numbers· college football

Old Dominion’s carries with Maurki James and without Maurki James

, ,

Against what the season’s ratings expected, Old Dominion was 0.3 carries under with Maurki James and 8.1 carries over without Maurki James over its last 25 games, 17 games against 3. The plain averages are 37.6 and 44.3, a difference of 6.6. Both games after a bye were with Maurki James.

Maurki James, running back: 327 rushing yards, 89 carries and 10 receptions in 17 of those 25 games, 14% of Old Dominion’s carries in those games.

carries a game over expected

A −8.3 difference in carries over expected with Maurki James vs without Maurki James is about what you’d expect.

A −6.6 difference in carries with Maurki James vs without Maurki James is about what you’d expect.

The games

with Maurki Jameswithout Maurki James
Old Dominion’s games, last 25 games, each marked with Maurki James or without Maurki James
SideDateGameResultcarriesExpected
Nov 16, 2024vsJames MadisonL5444.2
Nov 23, 2024vsMarshallL4649.8
Nov 30, 2024@Arkansas StateW5046.2
Aug 30, 2025@IndianaL2333.2
Sep 6, 2025vsNNorth Carolina CentralW31—
Sep 13, 2025@Virginia TechW3939.8
Sep 27, 2025vsLibertyW4442.0
Oct 4, 2025vsCoastal CarolinaW4343.5
Oct 11, 2025@MarshallL3843.4
Oct 18, 2025@James MadisonL2936.3
Oct 25, 2025vsAppalachian StateW4340.6
Nov 1, 2025@Louisiana MonroeW4442.3
Nov 13, 2025vsTroyW4642.6
Nov 22, 2025@Georgia SouthernW5640.6
Nov 29, 2025vsGeorgia StateW5242.2
Dec 17, 2025vsSouth Florida (neutral)W5240.0
Sep 5, 2026vsNNorfolk StateW39—
Sep 12, 2026@Virginia TechL3030.9
Sep 19, 2026vsEast CarolinaL4236.0
Sep 26, 2026vsJames MadisonL2837.2
Oct 3, 2026@Georgia StateL3435.4
Oct 10, 2026@Appalachian StateW5831.9
Oct 15, 2026vsGeorgia SouthernL3233.6
Oct 24, 2026@Louisiana TechL2234.4
Oct 31, 2026vsMarshallL2938.1

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 0.3 in 2025, plus 0.6 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 74% in 2025, 61% 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.
  • North Carolina Central, Norfolk 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 18 of these 22 games; in the other 4 a player is counted as in them when the box score has a stat for him.
  • 3 games in 2024 are neither with Maurki James nor without Maurki James: Maurki James had no game for the team that season, and sit out.