Putting Up Numbers· college football

Toledo’s third-down conversion rate with Connor Walendzak and since Connor Walendzak’s last game

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Against what the season’s ratings expected, Toledo was 1.6 percentage points under with Connor Walendzak and 15.1 percentage points over since Connor Walendzak’s last game over its last 25 games, 21 games against 1. The plain averages are 38.9% and 50.0%, a difference of 11.1%. Both neutral-site games were with Connor Walendzak. All 10 nonconference games were with Connor Walendzak. Both bowl and playoff games were with Connor Walendzak.

Connor Walendzak, running back: 613 rushing yards, 131 carries and 20 receptions in 18 of those 25 games.

One game since Connor Walendzak’s last game is one game, not a sample, but maybe you can find something if you squint.

third-down conversion rate a game over expected

The games

with Connor Walendzaksince Connor Walendzak’s last game
Toledo’s games, last 25 games, each marked with Connor Walendzak or since Connor Walendzak’s last game
SideDateGameResult3rd downsExpected
Nov 20, 2024vsOhioL30.8%38.1%
Nov 26, 2024@AkronL35.3%36.4%
Dec 26, 2024vsPittsburgh (neutral)W18.8%33.3%
Aug 30, 2025@KentuckyL41.2%35.9%
Sep 6, 2025vsWestern KentuckyW41.7%36.9%
Sep 13, 2025vsMMorgan StateW50.0%—
Sep 20, 2025@Western MichiganL27.8%35.7%
Sep 27, 2025vsAkronW37.5%39.0%
Oct 11, 2025@Bowling GreenL23.1%39.6%
Oct 18, 2025vsKent StateW53.8%44.5%
Oct 25, 2025@Washington StateL37.5%33.5%
Nov 5, 2025vsNorthern IllinoisW64.3%42.5%
Nov 12, 2025@Miami (OH)W50.0%42.9%
Nov 22, 2025vsBall StateW30.0%43.2%
Nov 29, 2025@Central MichiganW33.3%44.0%
Dec 23, 2025vsLouisville (neutral)L30.8%32.5%
Sep 4, 2026@Michigan StateL12.5%37.0%
Sep 12, 2026vsCCentral ConnecticutW57.1%—
Sep 19, 2026vsTempleW61.5%43.7%
Sep 26, 2026vsSan Diego StateW53.3%40.4%
Oct 3, 2026@Ball StateW44.4%38.4%
Oct 10, 2026vsBuffaloL21.4%41.4%
Oct 17, 2026@Eastern MichiganW38.5%41.4%
Oct 24, 2026vsWestern MichiganW50.0%34.9%
Nov 4, 2026@SSacramento StateW——

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 0.6% in 2024, plus 0.7% in 2025, plus 1.4% 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 50% in 2024, 56% in 2025, 40% in 2026 of the difference the model predicts.
  • Morgan State, Central Connecticut, Sacramento 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 for 21 of these 25 games; in the other 4 a player is counted as in them when the box score has a stat for him.