Brenden Knox is a 2-year Featured Back for Marshall. Brenden's 2020 season ranks in the 15th percentile nationally by opponent-adjusted EPA per play across 177 plays — a developing rate for the RB.
The centerpiece of the run game — high carry volume, used in early downs and goal-line, true workhorse role.
Players from 2014–2024 matched on EPA efficiency, play volume, and adjusted value tier — not just one metric.
| Player | Team | Yr | Plays | WEPA/play | Line val | Total EPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saquon Barkley | Penn State | 2016 | 288 | 0.340 | 3.9 | 97.9 |
| Dalvin Cook | Florida State | 2016 | 292 | 0.340 | 4.3 | 99.3 |
| Travis Etienne | Clemson | 2019 | 213 | 0.470 | 4.7 | 100.1 |
| James Flanders | Tulsa | 2016 | 266 | 0.390 | 4.9 | 103.7 |
| Saquon Barkley | Penn State | 2017 | 240 | 0.410 | 5.2 | 98.4 |
Comps are statistical — efficiency, volume, and value tier all factor in. Style and conference context differ.
| Wk | Opponent | Result | Opp SP+ | Car | Rush Yds | Avg | Rush TD | Rec | Rec Yds | Rec TD | EPA/play |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | vsEastern Kentucky | W59-0 | — | 18 | 85 | 4.7 | 1 | — | — | — | 0.38 |
| 3 | vsApp State | W17-7 | 10.3 | 28 | 138 | 4.9 | 1 | — | — | — | 0.20 |
| 6 | @Western Kentucky | W38-14 | -3.2 | 15 |
Usage = share of team plays (CFBD has no true snap counts).
Chart shows per-game EPA (bars) and rolling 5-game average (line). Season breaks marked with dashed lines. Line value = est. points over replacement per game.
Car 17 · Rush Yds 67 · Avg 3.9 · Rush TD 0
| 107 |
| 7.1 |
| 3 |
| — |
| — |
| — |
| 0.68 |
| 7 | @Louisiana Tech | W35-17 | -7.0 | 32 | 125 | 3.9 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 0 | 0.25 |
| 8 | vsFlorida Atlantic | W20-9 | -0.3 | 25 | 101 | 4.0 | 0 | 2 | 55 | 1 | 0.25 |
| 10 | vsMassachusetts | W51-10 | -31.3 | 14 | 118 | 8.4 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 0 | 0.60 |
| 11 | vsMiddle Tennessee | W42-14 | -11.7 | 16 | 70 | 4.4 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | -0.16 |
| 14 | vsRice | L0-20 | -9.2 | 20 | 76 | 3.8 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | -0.07 |
| 16 | vsUAB | L13-22 | 6.3 | 17 | 67 | 3.9 | 0 | — | — | — | -0.09 |
