Darik Dillard is a Explosive Back for Rice. Darik's 2014 season ranks in the 20th percentile nationally by opponent-adjusted EPA per play across 147 plays — a developing rate for the RB.
Elite per-carry efficiency — breaks big runs and creates chunk plays at a top rate while in a limited 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 |
| Travis Etienne | Clemson | 2019 | 213 | 0.470 | 4.7 | 100.1 |
| Dalvin Cook | Florida State | 2016 | 292 | 0.340 | 4.3 | 99.3 |
| James Flanders | Tulsa | 2016 | 266 | 0.390 | 4.9 | 103.7 |
| Clyde Edwards-Helaire | LSU | 2019 | 216 | 0.490 | 5.0 | 105.8 |
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 | @Notre Dame | L17-48 | 10.8 | 6 | 18 | 3.0 | 0 | 3 | 30 | 0 | 0.50 |
| 3 | @Texas A&M | L10-38 | 20.2 | 11 | 50 | 4.5 | 0 |
Usage = share of team plays (CFBD has no true snap counts).
Car 2 · Rush Yds 1 · Avg 0.5 · Rush TD 1
| 2 |
| 14 |
| 0 |
| 0.10 |
| 4 | vsOld Dominion | L42-45 | -12.7 | 14 | 70 | 5.0 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 0 | 0.38 |
| 5 | @Southern Miss | W41-23 | -15.9 | 11 | 55 | 5.0 | 0 | 1 | -4 | 0 | 0.05 |
| 6 | vsHawai'i | W28-14 | -15.0 | 23 | 141 | 6.1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.46 |
| 7 | @Army | W41-21 | -16.9 | 9 | 73 | 8.1 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 1.04 |
| 9 | vsNorth Texas | W41-21 | -9.4 | 13 | 80 | 6.2 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 0.22 |
| 10 | @Florida International | W31-17 | -16.2 | 10 | 47 | 4.7 | 0 | — | — | — | -0.27 |
| 11 | vsUTSA | W17-7 | -3.4 | 12 | 34 | 2.8 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 0 | -0.14 |
| 12 | @Marshall | L14-41 | 16.8 | 6 | 24 | 4.0 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 0.33 |
| 13 | vsUTEP | W31-13 | -12.0 | 8 | 43 | 5.4 | 2 | — | — | — | 0.79 |
| 14 | @Louisiana Tech | L31-76 | -1.7 | 9 | 16 | 1.8 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 0 | 0.14 |
| 1 | vsFresno State | W30-6 | -6.9 | 2 | 1 | 0.5 | 1 | 2 | 57 | 0 | 0.93 |
