Putting Up Numbers· college football

Virginia’s points with Noah Vaughn and without Noah Vaughn

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Against what the season’s ratings expected, Virginia was 0.4 points under with Noah Vaughn and 1.5 points under without Noah Vaughn over its last 25 games, 12 games against 11. The plain averages are 29.6 and 24.8, a difference of 4.8. Both opponents outside the major colleges were with Noah Vaughn.

Noah Vaughn, running back: 375 rushing yards, 67 carries and 6 receptions in 12 of those 25 games.

points a game over expected

A +1.1 difference in points over expected with Noah Vaughn vs without Noah Vaughn is about what you’d expect.

A +4.8 difference in points with Noah Vaughn vs without Noah Vaughn is a bit unusual: shuffle which games were with Noah Vaughn and it comes up 14 times in 100.

The games

with Noah Vaughnwithout Noah Vaughn
Virginia’s games, last 25 games, each marked with Noah Vaughn or without Noah Vaughn
SideDateGameResultpointsExpected
Nov 23, 2024vsSMUL723.6
Nov 30, 2024@Virginia TechL1717.4
Aug 30, 2025vsCoastal CarolinaW4839.0
Sep 6, 2025@NC StateL3125.2
Sep 13, 2025vsWilliam & MaryW55—
Sep 20, 2025vsStanfordW4826.9
Sep 26, 2025vsFlorida StateW4623.3
Oct 4, 2025@LouisvilleW3021.7
Oct 18, 2025vsWashington StateW2224.9
Oct 25, 2025@North CarolinaW1729.5
Nov 1, 2025@CaliforniaW3130.0
Nov 8, 2025vsWake ForestL929.2
Nov 15, 2025@DukeW3429.8
Nov 29, 2025vsVirginia TechW2732.4
Dec 6, 2025vsDuke (neutral)L2033.0
Dec 27, 2025vsMissouri (neutral)W1322.7
Aug 29, 2026vsNC StateW3424.7
Sep 11, 2026vsNNorfolk StateW59—
Sep 19, 2026vsWest Virginia (neutral)L2729.0
Sep 26, 2026vsDelawareW4226.8
Oct 3, 2026@Florida StateL725.7
Oct 10, 2026vsSyracuseW2824.2
Oct 17, 2026@SMUL1321.8
Oct 23, 2026vsDukeL1618.1
Oct 31, 2026@Wake ForestL715.8

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.
  • William & Mary, Norfolk 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 17 of these 25 games; in the other 8 a player is counted as in them when the box score has a stat for him.