Putting Up Numbers· college football

UMass’ points with T.Y. Harding and without T.Y. Harding

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Against what the season’s ratings expected, UMass was 4.1 points over with T.Y. Harding and 4.4 points under without T.Y. Harding over its last 25 games, 9 games against 11. The plain averages are 26.6 and 11.3, a difference of 15.4. All 5 opponents outside the major colleges were with T.Y. Harding. All 3 of Don Brown’s games were with T.Y. Harding. Both of Shane Montgomery’s games were with T.Y. Harding.

T.Y. Harding, receiver: 493 receiving yards, 43 receptions and 4 receiving touchdowns in 12 of those 25 games.

points a game over expected

A +8.5 difference in points over expected with T.Y. Harding vs without T.Y. Harding is about what you’d expect.

A +15.4 difference in points with T.Y. Harding vs without T.Y. Harding is rare: shuffle which games were with T.Y. Harding and it comes up once in 100.

The games

with T.Y. Hardingwithout T.Y. Harding
UMass’ games, last 25 games, each marked with T.Y. Harding or without T.Y. Harding
SideDateGameResultpointsExpected
Oct 26, 2024vsWWagnerW35—
Nov 2, 2024@Mississippi StateL2024.7
Nov 16, 2024vsLibertyL3425.0
Nov 23, 2024@GeorgiaL2110.6
Nov 30, 2024vsUConnL4219.9
Aug 30, 2025vsTempleL1019.2
Sep 6, 2025vsBBryantL26—
Sep 13, 2025@IowaL7-3.4
Sep 27, 2025@MissouriL61.8
Oct 4, 2025vsWestern MichiganL39.5
Oct 11, 2025@Kent StateL624.4
Oct 18, 2025vsBuffaloL2117.2
Oct 25, 2025@Central MichiganL1312.6
Nov 4, 2025@AkronL1020.8
Nov 12, 2025vsNorthern IllinoisL318.0
Nov 18, 2025@OhioL149.2
Nov 25, 2025vsBowling GreenL1417.2
Sep 3, 2026@RutgersW3718.2
Sep 12, 2026vsSSacred HeartW37—
Sep 19, 2026vsSStonehillW36—
Sep 26, 2026@SSacramento StateW35—
Oct 3, 2026vsEastern MichiganL1427.9
Oct 10, 2026vsMiami (OH)L1925.4
Oct 17, 2026@BuffaloL1820.4
Oct 23, 2026@UConnL1621.5

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 1.5 in 2024, plus 1.5 in 2025, plus 1.9 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 75% in 2024, 78% in 2025, 66% 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.
  • Wagner, Bryant, Sacred Heart, Stonehill, 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 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.