Putting Up Numbers· college football

Temple’s rushing yards with Ajani Sheppard and without Ajani Sheppard

, ,

Against what the season’s ratings expected, Temple was 16.8 yards over with Ajani Sheppard and 5.7 yards under without Ajani Sheppard over its last 25 games, 6 games against 1. The plain averages are 194.9 and 178.0, a difference of 16.9. All 3 away games were with Ajani Sheppard. All 7 unranked opponents were with Ajani Sheppard. All 4 conference games were with Ajani Sheppard.

Ajani Sheppard, quarterback: 1,245 passing yards, 140 pass attempts and 85 completions in 8 of those 25 games, 26% of Temple’s rushing yards in those games.

One game without Ajani Sheppard is one game, not a sample, but maybe you can find something if you squint.

rushing yards a game over expected

The games

with Ajani Sheppardwithout Ajani Sheppard
Temple’s games, last 25 games, each marked with Ajani Sheppard or without Ajani Sheppard
SideDateGameResultrushing yardsExpected
Oct 26, 2024@East CarolinaL111112.5
Nov 9, 2024@TulaneL10382.6
Nov 16, 2024vsFlorida AtlanticW138148.1
Nov 22, 2024@UTSAL7069.6
Nov 30, 2024vsNorth TexasL78149.1
Aug 30, 2025@UMassW192201.7
Sep 6, 2025vsHHowardW331—
Sep 13, 2025vsOklahomaL2773.1
Sep 20, 2025@Georgia TechL184139.4
Oct 4, 2025vsUTSAW132134.8
Oct 11, 2025vsNavyL175100.6
Oct 18, 2025@CharlotteW174166.0
Oct 25, 2025@TulsaW180162.7
Nov 1, 2025vsEast CarolinaL82128.1
Nov 8, 2025@ArmyL111101.6
Nov 22, 2025vsTulaneL20118.4
Nov 28, 2025@North TexasL172181.6
Sep 5, 2026vsRRhode IslandW231—
Sep 12, 2026vsPenn StateL178183.7
Sep 19, 2026@ToledoL261144.9
Sep 25, 2026vsArmyL217192.2
Oct 3, 2026@South FloridaW182152.6
Oct 10, 2026vsUConnL146179.0
Oct 17, 2026vsCharlotteL206185.2
Oct 31, 2026@East CarolinaL121178.4

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.
  • Rhode Island 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.
  • With him means he was the team’s quarterback that game, at least half of its pass attempts; a game he left early or came into late reads as without him.
  • 17 games in 2024 and 2025 are neither with Ajani Sheppard nor without Ajani Sheppard: Ajani Sheppard had no game for the team those seasons, and sit out.