Putting Up Numbers· college football

UConn’s penalty yards with Kenji Christian and without Kenji Christian

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Against what the season’s ratings expected, UConn was 10.3 yards over with Kenji Christian and 6.1 yards over without Kenji Christian over its last 25 games, 6 games against 1. The plain averages are 78.7 and 69.0, a difference of 9.7. All 4 away games were with Kenji Christian. Both night games were with Kenji Christian.

Kenji Christian, running back: 306 rushing yards, 55 carries and 12 receptions in 7 of those 25 games.

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

penalty yards a game over expected

The games

with Kenji Christianwithout Kenji Christian
UConn’s games, last 25 games, each marked with Kenji Christian or without Kenji Christian
SideDateGameResultpenalty yardsExpected
Nov 9, 2024@UABW6054.6
Nov 23, 2024@SyracuseL4551.7
Nov 30, 2024@UMassW7548.4
Dec 28, 2024vsNorth Carolina (neutral)W3057.4
Aug 30, 2025vsCCentral ConnecticutW78—
Sep 6, 2025@SyracuseL3251.6
Sep 13, 2025@DelawareL6751.3
Sep 20, 2025vsBall StateW2051.9
Sep 27, 2025@BuffaloW047.4
Oct 4, 2025vsFlorida InternationalW4848.8
Oct 18, 2025@Boston CollegeW7253.2
Oct 25, 2025@RiceL3049.0
Nov 1, 2025vsUABW5549.1
Nov 8, 2025vsDukeW6051.5
Nov 15, 2025vsAir ForceW2547.7
Nov 22, 2025@Florida AtlanticW10553.0
Dec 27, 2025vsArmy (neutral)L3641.1
Sep 5, 2026vsLafayetteW134—
Sep 12, 2026vsMarylandL7261.5
Sep 19, 2026@Southern MissW7464.0
Sep 26, 2026@Miami (OH)L6059.0
Oct 3, 2026vsSyracuseL6962.9
Oct 10, 2026@TempleW6554.7
Oct 23, 2026vsUMassW10059.4
Oct 31, 2026@Air ForceL4656.6

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, minus 1.3 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 27% of the difference the model predicts.
  • Lafayette 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.
  • 17 games in 2024 and 2025 are neither with Kenji Christian nor without Kenji Christian: Kenji Christian had no game for the team those seasons, and sit out.