Donnel Pumphrey is a 3-year Featured Back for San Diego State. Donnel's 2014 season ranks in the 63th percentile nationally by opponent-adjusted EPA per play across 311 plays — a average rate for the RB. Production has trended downward season-over-season on adjusted value metrics.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jonathan Taylor | Wisconsin | 2018 | 297 | 0.360 | 5.0 | 106.9 |
| Jonathan Taylor | Wisconsin | 2017 | 307 | 0.350 | 4.8 | 107.4 |
| Jaret Patterson | Buffalo | 2019 | 319 | 0.370 | 5.6 | 118.0 |
| Mohamed Ibrahim | Minnesota | 2022 | 314 | 0.330 | 5.3 | 103.6 |
| Blake Corum | Michigan | 2023 | 283 | 0.380 | 5.1 | 107.5 |
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 | vsNorthern Arizona | W38-7 | — | 19 | 111 | 5.8 | 2 | 1 | 31 | 0 | 0.40 |
| 2 | @North Carolina | L27-31 | 0.0 | 17 | 100 | 5.9 | 2 | 5 | 18 | 0 | 0.38 |
| 4 | @Oregon State | L7-28 | 3.2 | 17 |
Usage = share of team plays (CFBD has no true snap counts).
| Season | Team | Line value | WEPA/play | YoY Δ | Total EPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | San Diego State | 5 | 0.380 | — | 93.5 |
| 2015 | San Diego State | 2.6 | 0.240 | -0.14 | 73.2 |
| 2016 | San Diego State | 4.2 | 0.320 | +0.08 | 110.1 |
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 21 · Rush Yds 112 · Avg 5.3 · Rush TD 1
| 89 |
| 5.2 |
| 1 |
| 2 |
| 14 |
| 0 |
| 0.22 |
| 5 | vsUNLV | W34-17 | -17.6 | 22 | 167 | 7.6 | 4 | 2 | -3 | 0 | 0.41 |
| 6 | @Fresno State | L13-24 | -6.9 | 24 | 94 | 3.9 | 0 | — | — | — | -0.01 |
| 7 | @New Mexico | W24-14 | -15.0 | 20 | 246 | 12.3 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0.56 |
| 8 | vsHawai'i | W20-10 | -15.0 | 25 | 182 | 7.3 | 1 | 1 | -4 | 0 | 0.33 |
| 10 | @Nevada | L14-30 | -7.3 | 13 | 85 | 6.5 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | -0.53 |
| 11 | vsIdaho | W35-21 | -17.4 | 26 | 142 | 5.5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0.17 |
| 12 | @Boise State | L29-38 | 11.6 | 24 | 147 | 6.1 | 2 | 3 | 28 | 0 | 0.20 |
| 13 | vsAir Force | W30-14 | -1.4 | 27 | 131 | 4.9 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 0 | 0.02 |
| 14 | vsSan José State | W38-7 | -11.5 | 21 | 261 | 12.4 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0.67 |
| 1 | vsNavy | L16-17 | 3.4 | 21 | 112 | 5.3 | 1 | 4 | 42 | 0 | 0.20 |