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Southern Utah

Thunderbirds · Big Sky · FCS
0-22014 · vs FBS opponents

Expected points

YardLine's expected-points model values every snap by what a drive from that spot is worth on average, so a drive can be judged against where it started. How it works →

Drives vs. expectation, 2014
Per drive

Points over expected per drive, from where each drive started.

Offense−0.87
Defense+0.67allowed
Adjusted for opponents

Per drive against an average FBS opponent, neutral field.

Offense−1.04
Defense+0.83allowed
Finishing

Points over expected per trip inside the opponent's 40.

Offense−1.282.4 pts/trip
Defense+0.224.4 pts/trip allowed
Field position

Average expected points where drives started.

Offense0.85
Defense1.17opponents

Every snap has an expected-points value: what a drive from that spot, down and distance is worth on average. A drive over expected beat its starting spot; defense counts what Southern Utah allowed, so lower is better. The adjusted number fits every team against the opponents it actually played, so it leans toward average early in a season.

Game by game
Offense: points over expected per drive
Defense: points kept off the board per drive

Bars above the line: better than expected for Southern Utah.

Fourth downs

YardLine's fourth-down model values going for it, kicking and punting on every real fourth down, so each call can be checked against the numbers. How it works →

Fourth-down calls vs. the numbers, 2014
Made the numbers' call

Calls that matched the option with the best modeled win probability.

13 of 2259%
Win probability given up

Summed over every call that differed, in points of win probability.

0.8 ptsper game
0.02 expected wins over 2 games
When going was clearly right

Went for it when going beat every other option by a point or more.

-

Each real fourth down is valued three ways (go for it, kick, punt) from the score, clock and field position before the snap, using league-wide odds rather than Southern Utah's own. A call that differs gives up the gap to the best option; gaps under one point are close calls, and the 0 clear-cut ones account for 0.00 of the 0.02 expected wins. The model sees the situation, not the injury report, so a call it disagrees with can still be right.

Costliest calls against the numbers
  1. at FRESQ3 7:26 4th & 1 at SUU 29, down 26Punted; the numbers favored going for it (close call)−0.5 pts
  2. at FRESQ2 14:55 4th & 3 at FRES 3, tiedKicked a field goal; the numbers favored going for it (close call)−0.3 pts
  3. at NEVQ1 5:14 4th & 1 at SUU 45, tiedPunted; the numbers favored going for it (close call)−0.2 pts
  4. at NEVQ4 8:56 4th & 5 at midfield, down 15Punted; the numbers favored going for it (close call)−0.2 pts
  5. at NEVQ3 3:16 4th & 21 at NEV 37, down 15Punted; the numbers favored a field goal (close call)−0.1 pts
  6. at FRESQ2 10:26 4th & 5 at FRES 25, up 3Kicked a field goal; the numbers favored going for it (close call)−0.1 pts
  7. at NEVQ1 10:03 4th & 3 at SUU 47, tiedPunted; the numbers favored going for it (close call)<0.1 pts
  8. at FRESQ1 11:41 4th & 8 at FRES 40, tiedPunted; the numbers favored going for it (close call)<0.1 pts
Every call this season (22)
After touchdowns: kick or go for two?
Made the numbers' call

Tries that matched the option with the better modeled win probability.

1 of 250%
Win probability given up

Summed over every try that differed, in points of win probability.

0.1 ptsthis season
When two was clearly right

Went for two when it beat kicking by a point or more.

-
Never went for two
Costliest tries against the numbers
  1. at NEVQ4 10:16 Touchdown, down 16 before the tryKicked; the numbers favored going for two (close call)−0.1 pts

Win probability

YardLine's model estimates each team's chance of winning before kickoff and again after every play, from the score, clock, down, distance and field position. How it works →

Record vs. expectation, 2014
0-2vs. 0.3 expected−0.3 wins

Expected wins adds up Southern Utah's chance of winning each game as the model saw it at kickoff - a 70% favorite counts 0.7.

  1. L
    NEV
  2. L
    FRES
What moved it, 2014
−0.7 wins
before kickoff: being favored, vs. coin flips
−0.2 wins
on the field, after the opening snap

Every game starts at Southern Utah's pregame chance; everything after that is the field. The model's own breakdown of each game's final play splits the on-field part by what drove it, and the parts add up exactly. How it works →

  • Scoreboard−0.34
  • Possession & field position−0.01
  • Less the pregame edge, counted before kickoff+0.12
Game by game

Points of win probability, from Southern Utah's side.

Closest call

SUU 27-24 UTEP (2024) - Southern Utah dropped to a 18.0% win probability before pulling it out.

Season arc, 2014

Every completed game this season, in order - each tile is Southern Utah's own win-probability curve.

Biggest swings of 2014

The largest single-play change in Southern Utah's win probability this season - one snap that moved the outcome the most.

Stolen wins

Southern Utah's own lowest win probability at any point in a game it went on to win, across the whole archive - the deepest holes it climbed out of.

Let it slip

Southern Utah's own highest win probability at any point in a game it went on to lose, across the whole archive - the biggest leads it didn't hold.

Stock & rivalries

Stock

Southern Utah's leaguewide Elo rating, tracked like a stock price - built from game results and margins, not the model's own win-probability predictions.

View full history ›
$77.53
Series & rivalries

Southern Utah's most-played opponents across the whole archive - open one for the full head-to-head history.

YardLine · model v10Model estimate - not betting advice · Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com