Putting Up Numbers· college football

UTEP’s points with EJ Colson Jr. and without EJ Colson Jr.

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Against what the season’s ratings expected, UTEP was 4.6 points under with EJ Colson Jr. and 8.4 points under without EJ Colson Jr. over its last 25 games, 4 games against 2. The plain averages are 14.8 and 12.0, a difference of 2.8. Expected was 8.1 points lower with EJ Colson Jr. than without EJ Colson Jr.. All 4 away games were with EJ Colson Jr.. Both ranked opponents were with EJ Colson Jr.. Both opponents outside the major colleges were with EJ Colson Jr..

EJ Colson Jr., quarterback: 687 passing yards, 99 pass attempts and 66 completions in 7 of those 25 games.

2 games without EJ Colson Jr. is still too small a sample for the statistics to say much, but maybe you can find something if you squint.

points a game over expected

A +3.8 difference in points over expected with EJ Colson Jr. vs without EJ Colson Jr. is about what you’d expect.

A +2.8 difference in points with EJ Colson Jr. vs without EJ Colson Jr. is about what you’d expect.

The games

with EJ Colson Jr.without EJ Colson Jr.
UTEP’s games, last 25 games, each marked with EJ Colson Jr. or without EJ Colson Jr.
SideDateGameResultpointsExpected
Oct 22, 2024@Louisiana TechL1019.5
Nov 2, 2024vsMiddle TennesseeL1332.9
Nov 9, 2024vsKennesaw StateW4326.1
Nov 23, 2024@TennesseeL09.2
Nov 30, 2024@New Mexico StateW4228.8
Aug 30, 2025@Utah StateL1620.0
Sep 6, 2025vsUUT MartinW42—
Sep 13, 2025@TexasL108.4
Sep 20, 2025vsLouisiana MonroeL2528.6
Sep 27, 2025vsLouisiana TechL1122.0
Oct 8, 2025vsLibertyL827.2
Oct 15, 2025vsSam Houston (neutral)W3528.8
Oct 28, 2025@Kennesaw StateL2019.9
Nov 8, 2025vsJacksonville StateL2723.2
Nov 15, 2025@Missouri StateL2422.0
Nov 22, 2025vsNew Mexico StateL3124.3
Nov 29, 2025@DelawareL3124.6
Sep 4, 2026@OklahomaL09.0
Sep 12, 2026vsTexas SouthernW51—
Sep 19, 2026@MichiganL177.9
Sep 26, 2026vsOregon StateL721.0
Oct 3, 2026@New MexicoL711.2
Oct 10, 2026vsNevadaL1320.4
Oct 17, 2026vsSan Jose StateL1120.4
Oct 31, 2026@NNorth Dakota StateL7—

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, plus 1.9 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 66% 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.
  • Texas Southern, 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, which name every player who entered the game.
  • 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.
  • 17 games in 2024 and 2025 are neither with EJ Colson Jr. nor without EJ Colson Jr.: EJ Colson Jr. had no game for the team those seasons, and sit out.