Putting Up Numbers· college football

Temple’s rushing yards with Jaxon Smolik and without Jaxon Smolik

, ,

Against what the season’s ratings expected, Temple was 5.7 yards under with Jaxon Smolik and 16.8 yards over without Jaxon Smolik in 2026, 1 game against 6. The plain averages are 178.0 and 194.9, a difference of 16.9. All 3 away games were without Jaxon Smolik. All 7 unranked opponents were without Jaxon Smolik. All 4 conference games were without Jaxon Smolik.

Jaxon Smolik, quarterback: 129 passing yards, 27 pass attempts and 16 completions in 4 games this season, 9% of Temple’s rushing yards in those games.

One game with Jaxon Smolik is one game, not a sample, but maybe you can find something if you squint.

rushing yards a game over expected

The games

with Jaxon Smolikwithout Jaxon Smolik
Temple’s games, 2026, each marked with Jaxon Smolik or without Jaxon Smolik
SideDateGameResultrushing yardsExpected
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.