Putting Up Numbers· college football

Western Michigan’s total yards with Cole Cabana and without Cole Cabana

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Against what the season’s ratings expected, Western Michigan was 25.9 yards under with Cole Cabana and 2.0 yards under without Cole Cabana over its last 25 games, 9 games against 12. The plain averages are 320.8 and 352.9, a difference of 32.1. Both neutral-site games were without Cole Cabana. Both ranked opponents were with Cole Cabana. Both opponents outside the major colleges were with Cole Cabana.

Cole Cabana, running back: 148 rushing yards, 27 carries and 7 receptions in 8 of those 25 games.

total yards a game over expected

A −23.9 difference in total yards over expected with Cole Cabana vs without Cole Cabana is a bit unusual: shuffle which games were with Cole Cabana and it comes up 19 times in 100.

A −32.1 difference in total yards with Cole Cabana vs without Cole Cabana is a bit unusual: shuffle which games were with Cole Cabana and it comes up 8 times in 100.

The games

with Cole Cabanawithout Cole Cabana
Western Michigan’s games, last 25 games, each marked with Cole Cabana or without Cole Cabana
SideDateGameResulttotal yardsExpected
Nov 30, 2024vsEastern MichiganW362405.1
Dec 14, 2024vsSouth Alabama (neutral)L317368.8
Aug 29, 2025@Michigan StateL217321.4
Sep 6, 2025vsNorth TexasL303384.1
Sep 13, 2025@IllinoisL204277.7
Sep 20, 2025vsToledoW292297.9
Sep 27, 2025vsRRhode IslandW372—
Oct 4, 2025@UMassW382419.1
Oct 11, 2025vsBall StateW462367.1
Oct 25, 2025@Miami (OH)L316331.0
Nov 1, 2025vsCentral MichiganW329362.4
Nov 11, 2025vsOhioW338340.3
Nov 18, 2025@Northern IllinoisW395339.5
Nov 25, 2025@Eastern MichiganW379395.1
Dec 6, 2025vsMiami (OH) (neutral)W399327.6
Dec 19, 2025vsKennesaw State (neutral)W423373.4
Sep 5, 2026@MichiganL222229.7
Sep 12, 2026vsMMonmouthW415—
Sep 19, 2026@RiceW334336.6
Sep 26, 2026vsBoise StateL223353.2
Oct 3, 2026@BuffaloW327380.2
Oct 10, 2026vsKent StateW472329.4
Oct 17, 2026@Central MichiganW272355.2
Oct 24, 2026@ToledoL351338.3
Oct 31, 2026vsBowling GreenW337375.0

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 7.7 in 2025, plus 12.1 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 79% in 2025, 67% 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.
  • Rhode Island, Monmouth 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.
  • 2 games in 2024 are neither with Cole Cabana nor without Cole Cabana: Cole Cabana had no game for the team that season, and sit out.