Ezekiel Elliott is a 2-year Featured Back for Ohio State. Ezekiel's 2015 season ranks in the 95th percentile nationally by opponent-adjusted EPA per play across 310 plays — a elite 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Devin Singletary | Florida Atlantic | 2017 | 319 | 0.500 | 8.4 | 159.5 |
| J.K. Dobbins | Ohio State | 2019 | 318 | 0.510 | 8.4 | 162.2 |
| Rashaad Penny | San Diego State | 2017 | 294 | 0.470 | 7.7 | 138.2 |
| Chuba Hubbard | Oklahoma State | 2019 | 343 | 0.450 | 8.2 | 154.4 |
| Leonard Fournette | LSU | 2015 | 321 | 0.390 | 7.2 | 125.2 |
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 | @Virginia Tech | W42-24 | 11.4 | 11 | 122 | 11.1 | 1 | 2 | 16 | 0 | 0.68 |
| 2 | vsHawai'i | W38-0 | -16.3 | 27 | 101 | 3.7 |
Usage = share of team plays (CFBD has no true snap counts).
| Season | Team | Line value | WEPA/play | YoY Δ | Total EPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Ohio State | 7.8 | 0.520 | — | 151.8 |
| 2015 | Ohio State | 8.6 | 0.480 | -0.04 | 149.3 |
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 27 · Rush Yds 149 · Avg 5.5 · Rush TD 4
| 3 |
| 1 |
| 0 |
| 0 |
| 0.21 |
| 3 | vsNorthern Illinois | W20-13 | -0.9 | 23 | 108 | 4.7 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 0 | -0.04 |
| 4 | vsWestern Michigan | W38-12 | 4.9 | 16 | 124 | 7.8 | 1 | 3 | 29 | 0 | 0.68 |
| 5 | @Indiana | W34-27 | 0.4 | 23 | 274 | 11.9 | 3 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 0.71 |
| 6 | vsMaryland | W49-28 | -1.6 | 21 | 106 | 5.0 | 2 | 6 | 47 | 0 | 0.46 |
| 7 | vsPenn State | W38-10 | 11.3 | 27 | 153 | 5.7 | 1 | 4 | 21 | 0 | 0.23 |
| 8 | @Rutgers | W49-7 | -10.1 | 19 | 142 | 7.5 | 2 | 3 | 29 | 0 | 0.55 |
| 10 | vsMinnesota | W28-14 | 8.1 | 26 | 114 | 4.4 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 0.14 |
| 11 | @Illinois | W28-3 | 2.7 | 27 | 181 | 6.7 | 2 | — | — | — | 0.42 |
| 12 | vsMichigan State | L14-17 | 15.6 | 12 | 33 | 2.8 | 1 | — | — | — | 0.11 |
| 13 | @Michigan | W42-13 | 19.7 | 30 | 214 | 7.1 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0.35 |
| 1 | vsNotre Dame | W44-28 | 22.4 | 27 | 149 | 5.5 | 4 | 1 | 30 | 0 | 0.25 |