Putting Up Numbers· college football

Southern Miss’ rushing yards with Robert Briggs and without Robert Briggs

, ,

Against what the season’s ratings expected, Southern Miss was 16.1 yards under with Robert Briggs and 14.6 yards over without Robert Briggs over its last 25 games, 11 games against 8. The plain averages are 139.5 and 166.8, a difference of 27.3. Both opponents outside the major colleges were with Robert Briggs.

Robert Briggs, running back: 370 rushing yards, 66 carries and 13 receptions in 13 of those 25 games, 20% of Southern Miss’s rushing yards in those games.

rushing yards a game over expected

A −30.7 difference in rushing yards over expected with Robert Briggs vs without Robert Briggs is about what you’d expect.

A −27.3 difference in rushing yards with Robert Briggs vs without Robert Briggs is about what you’d expect.

The games

with Robert Briggswithout Robert Briggs
Southern Miss’ games, last 25 games, each marked with Robert Briggs or without Robert Briggs
SideDateGameResultrushing yardsExpected
Nov 9, 2024vsMarshallL113132.6
Nov 16, 2024@Texas StateL12499.2
Nov 23, 2024vsSouth AlabamaL169100.0
Nov 30, 2024@TroyL31108.7
Aug 30, 2025vsMississippi StateL104131.8
Sep 6, 2025vsJackson StateW139—
Sep 13, 2025vsAppalachian StateW114137.7
Sep 20, 2025@Louisiana TechL122126.6
Sep 27, 2025vsJacksonville StateW227129.0
Oct 9, 2025@Georgia SouthernW187170.4
Oct 18, 2025@LouisianaW136147.2
Oct 25, 2025vsLouisiana MonroeW197128.9
Nov 8, 2025@Arkansas StateW172129.1
Nov 15, 2025vsTexas StateL124136.1
Nov 22, 2025@South AlabamaL41147.7
Nov 29, 2025vsTroyL97148.0
Dec 23, 2025vsWestern Kentucky (neutral)L129165.6
Sep 5, 2026vsAlcorn StateW317—
Sep 12, 2026@AuburnL50128.5
Sep 19, 2026vsUConnL102136.9
Sep 26, 2026@TulaneL131158.6
Oct 6, 2026@TroyL121135.5
Oct 17, 2026vsArkansas StateL95210.4
Oct 24, 2026vsLouisianaW290113.6
Oct 31, 2026@Louisiana MonroeW252169.8

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 5.9 in 2025, plus 8.0 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 77% in 2025, 60% 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.
  • Jackson State, Alcorn 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, which name every player who entered the game.
  • 4 games in 2024 are neither with Robert Briggs nor without Robert Briggs: Robert Briggs had no game for the team that season, and sit out.