Sam Houston’s total yards with MJ Dowdy and without MJ Dowdy
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Against what the season’s ratings expected, Sam Houston was 52.4 yards under with MJ Dowdy and 18.8 yards over without MJ Dowdy in 2026, 5 games against 2. The plain averages are 324.8 and 320.0, a difference of 4.8. Expected was 16.3 yards higher with MJ Dowdy than without MJ Dowdy. All 4 conference games were with MJ Dowdy. All 4 second-half games were with MJ Dowdy.
MJ Dowdy, running back: 147 rushing yards, 40 carries and 2 receptions in 5 games this season.
2 games without MJ Dowdy is still too small a sample for the statistics to say much, but maybe you can find something if you squint.
total yards a game over expected
A −71.3 difference in total yards over expected with MJ Dowdy vs without MJ Dowdy is about what you’d expect.
A +4.8 difference in total yards with MJ Dowdy vs without MJ Dowdy is about what you’d expect.
The games
| Side | Date | Game | Result | total yards | Expected |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 5, 2026 | @ Troy | L | 373 | 275.7 | |
| Sep 12, 2026 | vs Tulsa | L | 371 | 310.3 | |
| Sep 19, 2026 | vsNNicholls | W | 624 | — | |
| Sep 26, 2026 | @ Texas Tech | L | 269 | 292.0 | |
| Oct 8, 2026 | @ Liberty | L | 243 | 241.0 | |
| Oct 14, 2026 | vs Western Kentucky | L | 177 | 382.5 | |
| Oct 21, 2026 | vs New Mexico State | L | 248 | 316.9 | |
| Oct 27, 2026 | @ Missouri State | L | 284 | 371.1 |
Method
- 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 12.1 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 67% 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.
- Nicholls 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, which name every player who entered the game.