Putting Up Numbers· college football

Tennessee’s passing yards with Faizon Brandon and since Faizon Brandon’s last game

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Against what the season’s ratings expected, Tennessee was 20.0 yards under with Faizon Brandon and 28.3 yards under since Faizon Brandon’s last game over its last 25 games, 3 games against 4. The plain averages are 196.5 and 166.5, a difference of 30.0. Both night games were with Faizon Brandon. All 3 nonconference games were with Faizon Brandon.

Faizon Brandon, quarterback: 697 passing yards, 101 pass attempts and 61 completions in 5 of those 25 games, 80% of Tennessee’s passing yards in those games.

passing yards a game over expected

A +8.4 difference in passing yards over expected with Faizon Brandon vs since Faizon Brandon’s last game is about what you’d expect.

A +30.0 difference in passing yards with Faizon Brandon vs since Faizon Brandon’s last game is about what you’d expect.

The games

with Faizon Brandonsince Faizon Brandon’s last game
Tennessee’s games, last 25 games, each marked with Faizon Brandon or since Faizon Brandon’s last game
SideDateGameResultpassing yardsExpected
Nov 16, 2024@GeorgiaL167194.5
Nov 23, 2024vsUTEPW219257.2
Nov 30, 2024@VanderbiltW257222.9
Dec 21, 2024@Ohio StateL104191.0
Aug 30, 2025vsSyracuse (neutral)W247260.7
Sep 6, 2025vsEast Tennessee StateW458—
Sep 13, 2025vsGeorgiaL371233.0
Sep 20, 2025vsUABW275280.1
Sep 27, 2025@Mississippi StateW335257.0
Oct 11, 2025vsArkansasW221275.8
Oct 18, 2025@AlabamaL268227.5
Oct 25, 2025@KentuckyW396250.7
Nov 1, 2025vsOklahomaL393227.9
Nov 15, 2025vsNew Mexico StateW219298.7
Nov 22, 2025@FloridaW204261.0
Nov 29, 2025vsVanderbiltL299296.1
Dec 30, 2025vsIllinois (neutral)L121267.3
Sep 5, 2026vsFurmanW309—
Sep 12, 2026@Georgia TechW148178.5
Sep 19, 2026vsKennesaw StateW178217.6
Sep 26, 2026vsTexasL151140.9
Oct 3, 2026vsAuburnW86213.5
Oct 10, 2026@ArkansasW247175.5
Oct 17, 2026vsAlabamaW197190.1
Oct 24, 2026@South CarolinaL136200.2

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 4.1 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 59% of the difference the model predicts.
  • The two sides are the games before and after one date, so the shuffle moves any game between them.
  • Furman 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 Faizon Brandon nor since Faizon Brandon’s last game: Faizon Brandon had no game for the team those seasons, and sit out.