Putting Up Numbers· college football

Texas State’s points of margin with Beau Sparks and without Beau Sparks

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Against what the season’s ratings expected, Texas State was 0.4 points over with Beau Sparks and 9.1 points under without Beau Sparks over its last 25 games, 22 games against 1. The plain averages are 8.6 and -5.0, a difference of 13.6. All 10 away games were with Beau Sparks. Both neutral-site games were with Beau Sparks. All 4 night games were with Beau Sparks.

Beau Sparks, receiver: 1,713 receiving yards, 124 receptions and 13 receiving touchdowns in 24 of those 25 games.

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

points of margin a game over expected

The games

with Beau Sparkswithout Beau Sparks
Texas State’s games, last 25 games, each marked with Beau Sparks or without Beau Sparks
SideDateGameResultpoints of marginExpected
Nov 16, 2024vsSouthern MissW5528.4
Nov 23, 2024vsGeorgia StateL-821.7
Nov 29, 2024@South AlabamaW72.8
Jan 3, 2025vsNorth Texas (neutral)W212.0
Aug 30, 2025vsEastern MichiganW2511.2
Sep 6, 2025@UTSAW7-11.3
Sep 13, 2025@Arizona StateL-19-11.4
Sep 20, 2025vsNNichollsW32—
Oct 4, 2025@Arkansas StateL-17.2
Oct 11, 2025vsTroyL-710.4
Oct 18, 2025@MarshallL-33.6
Oct 28, 2025vsJames MadisonL-32-8.0
Nov 8, 2025@LouisianaL-38.7
Nov 15, 2025@Southern MissW270.4
Nov 22, 2025vsLouisiana MonroeW1722.7
Nov 29, 2025vsSouth AlabamaW2310.0
Jan 2, 2026vsRice (neutral)W3112.2
Sep 5, 2026@TexasL-52-15.5
Sep 12, 2026vsUTSAL-54.1
Sep 19, 2026vsNorth TexasW14-2.2
Sep 26, 2026vsIIncarnate WordW53—
Oct 3, 2026@San Diego StateL-211.6
Oct 15, 2026vsColorado StateW398.4
Oct 24, 2026vsUtah StateW36.8
Oct 31, 2026@Boise StateL-1-16.8

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 3.0 in 2024, plus 3.1 in 2025, plus 3.7 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 85% in 2024, 87% in 2025, 79% in 2026 of the difference the model predicts.
  • Nicholls, Incarnate Word 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 for 20 of these 25 games; in the other 5 a player is counted as in them when the box score has a stat for him.