Putting Up Numbers· college football

UNLV’s passing yards with Kayden McGee and without Kayden McGee

, ,

Against what the season’s ratings expected, UNLV was 1.0 yards over with Kayden McGee and 0.6 yards under without Kayden McGee over its last 25 games, 19 games against 4. The plain averages are 225.7 and 218.6, a difference of 7.1. Expected was 16.6 yards higher with Kayden McGee than without Kayden McGee. All 3 neutral-site games were with Kayden McGee. Both bowl and playoff games were with Kayden McGee.

Kayden McGee, receiver: 491 receiving yards, 22 receptions and 6 receiving touchdowns in 14 of those 25 games.

passing yards a game over expected

A +1.7 difference in passing yards over expected with Kayden McGee vs without Kayden McGee is about what you’d expect.

A +7.1 difference in passing yards with Kayden McGee vs without Kayden McGee is about what you’d expect.

The games

with Kayden McGeewithout Kayden McGee
UNLV’s games, last 25 games, each marked with Kayden McGee or without Kayden McGee
SideDateGameResultpassing yardsExpected
Nov 30, 2024vsNevadaW168167.6
Dec 6, 2024@Boise StateL110206.3
Dec 18, 2024vsCalifornia (neutral)W148170.5
Aug 23, 2025vsIdaho StateW232—
Aug 29, 2025vsSam Houston (neutral)W249279.0
Sep 6, 2025vsUCLAW203203.3
Sep 20, 2025@Miami (OH)W293252.8
Oct 4, 2025@WyomingW102233.1
Oct 11, 2025vsAir ForceW377272.7
Oct 18, 2025@Boise StateL215207.9
Nov 1, 2025vsNew MexicoL382233.2
Nov 8, 2025@Colorado StateW251249.0
Nov 15, 2025vsUtah StateW276274.1
Nov 21, 2025vsHawaiiW253254.3
Nov 29, 2025@NevadaW270233.4
Dec 5, 2025@Boise StateL225206.7
Dec 23, 2025vsOhio (neutral)L184256.4
Aug 29, 2026vsMemphisL291216.2
Sep 5, 2026@HawaiiW116231.9
Sep 12, 2026@North TexasL203247.1
Sep 26, 2026@AkronW290236.8
Oct 3, 2026vsCaliforniaW177204.4
Oct 10, 2026vsNNorth Dakota StateW77—
Oct 17, 2026@Air ForceL246216.8
Oct 31, 2026vsNorthern IllinoisW269227.1

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 2.3 in 2024, plus 1.8 in 2025, plus 3.9 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 72% in 2024, 68% in 2025, 59% 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.
  • Idaho State, North Dakota 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.