Putting Up Numbers· college football

Troy’s points of margin with Goose Crowder and without Goose Crowder

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Against what the season’s ratings expected, Troy was 2.1 points under with Goose Crowder and 2.9 points over without Goose Crowder over its last 25 games, 11 games against 12. The plain averages are -2.7 and 3.1, a difference of 5.8. All 3 ranked opponents were with Goose Crowder. Both opponents outside the major colleges were with Goose Crowder.

Goose Crowder, quarterback: 2,489 passing yards, 379 pass attempts and 217 completions in 15 of those 25 games.

points of margin a game over expected

A −5.0 difference in points of margin over expected with Goose Crowder vs without Goose Crowder is about what you’d expect.

A −5.8 difference in points of margin with Goose Crowder vs without Goose Crowder is about what you’d expect.

The games

with Goose Crowderwithout Goose Crowder
Troy’s games, last 25 games, each marked with Goose Crowder or without Goose Crowder
SideDateGameResultpoints of marginExpected
Nov 16, 2024@Georgia SouthernW8-11.1
Nov 23, 2024@LouisianaL-21-7.7
Nov 30, 2024vsSouthern MissW3217.3
Aug 30, 2025vsNNichollsW18—
Sep 6, 2025@ClemsonL-11-19.8
Sep 13, 2025vsMemphisL-21-5.5
Sep 20, 2025@BuffaloW43.9
Oct 4, 2025vsSouth AlabamaW76.6
Oct 11, 2025@Texas StateW7-10.4
Oct 18, 2025@Louisiana MonroeW239.2
Oct 25, 2025vsLouisianaW126.5
Nov 1, 2025vsArkansas StateL-139.3
Nov 13, 2025@Old DominionL-33-13.2
Nov 22, 2025vsGeorgia StateW1214.8
Nov 29, 2025@Southern MissW10-2.8
Dec 5, 2025@James MadisonL-17-22.9
Dec 16, 2025vsJacksonville State (neutral)L-43.6
Sep 5, 2026vsSam HoustonW317.4
Sep 12, 2026vsAAlabama StateW17—
Sep 19, 2026@MissouriL-10-34.3
Sep 26, 2026@Utah StateL-11-9.1
Oct 6, 2026vsSouthern MissW216.1
Oct 17, 2026@LouisianaL-27-4.7
Oct 24, 2026vsLouisiana MonroeL-722.0
Oct 29, 2026@James MadisonW3-19.5

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.
  • The shuffle keeps the season’s shape: the games are cut in two where one date leaves the least variance, each game is read against its stretch, and the sides are shuffled only inside each stretch.
  • Nicholls, Alabama 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 22 of these 25 games; in the other 3 a player is counted as in them when the box score has a stat for him.
  • 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.