Christian McCaffrey is a 2-year Pass-Catching Back for Stanford. Christian's 2015 season ranks in the 8th percentile nationally by opponent-adjusted EPA per play across 373 plays — a developing rate for the RB.
Third-down weapon out of the backfield. Routes, hands, and separation in coverage define this role as much as rushing.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Donnel Pumphrey | San Diego State | 2016 | 344 | 0.320 | 4.2 | 110.1 |
| Jeremy McNichols | Boise State | 2016 | 340 | 0.330 | 4.7 | 112.2 |
| Eno Benjamin | Arizona State | 2018 | 316 | 0.330 | 4.6 | 104.3 |
| Saquon Barkley | Penn State | 2016 | 288 | 0.340 | 3.9 | 97.9 |
| Breece Hall | Iowa State | 2020 | 301 | 0.340 | 4.5 | 102.3 |
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 | @Northwestern | L6-16 | 0.2 | 12 | 66 | 5.5 | 0 | 5 | 23 | 0 | 0.00 |
| 2 | vsUCF | W31-7 | -15.5 | 20 | 58 | 2.9 |
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 18 · Rush Yds 172 · Avg 9.6 · Rush TD 0
| 0 |
| 4 |
| 59 |
| 1 |
| 0.17 |
| 3 | @USC | W41-31 | 16.8 | 26 | 115 | 4.4 | 0 | 3 | 37 | 0 | 0.22 |
| 4 | @Oregon State | W42-24 | -10.1 | 30 | 206 | 6.9 | 0 | 1 | 38 | 0 | 0.07 |
| 5 | vsArizona | W55-17 | 4.7 | 17 | 156 | 9.2 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 0.43 |
| 7 | vsUCLA | W56-35 | 18.6 | 25 | 243 | 9.7 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0.61 |
| 8 | vsWashington | W31-14 | 9.7 | 23 | 109 | 4.7 | 1 | 5 | 112 | 1 | 0.48 |
| 9 | @Washington State | W30-28 | 4.2 | 22 | 107 | 4.9 | 0 | 4 | 26 | 0 | -0.11 |
| 10 | @Colorado | W42-10 | -4.0 | 23 | 147 | 6.4 | 0 | 3 | 15 | 0 | 0.42 |
| 11 | vsOregon | L36-38 | 15.9 | 33 | 147 | 4.5 | 1 | 5 | 42 | 0 | 0.08 |
| 12 | vsCalifornia | W35-22 | 12.1 | 29 | 192 | 6.6 | 0 | 1 | 49 | 1 | 0.32 |
| 13 | vsNotre Dame | W38-36 | 22.4 | 27 | 94 | 3.5 | 0 | 3 | 19 | 0 | 0.06 |
| 14 | vsUSC | W41-22 | 16.8 | 32 | 207 | 6.5 | 1 | 4 | 105 | 1 | 0.46 |
| 1 | vsIowa | W45-16 | 9.3 | 18 | 172 | 9.6 | 0 | 4 | 105 | 1 | 0.64 |
