Ito Smith is a 2-year Featured Back for Southern Miss. Ito's 2017 season ranks in the 18th percentile nationally by opponent-adjusted EPA per play across 291 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 |
| Breece Hall | Iowa State | 2020 | 301 | 0.340 | 4.5 | 102.3 |
| Donnel Pumphrey | San Diego State | 2016 | 344 | 0.320 | 4.2 | 110.1 |
| Eno Benjamin | Arizona State | 2018 | 316 | 0.330 | 4.6 | 104.3 |
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 | vsKentucky | L17-24 | 2.7 | 16 | 37 | 2.3 | 0 | 9 | 78 | 0 | -0.18 |
| 2 | vsSouthern | W45-0 | — | 17 | 77 | 4.5 | 1 | 2 | 18 | 0 | -0.04 |
| 3 | @UL Monroe | W28-17 | -12.9 | 27 |
Usage = share of team plays (CFBD has no true snap counts).
| Season | Team | Line value | WEPA/play | YoY Δ | Total EPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Southern Miss | 1.9 | 0.240 | — | 65.5 |
| 2017 | Southern Miss | 2.4 | 0.260 | +0.02 | 62.9 |
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 16 · Rush Yds 92 · Avg 5.8 · Rush TD 0
| 219 |
| 8.1 |
| 1 |
| 3 |
| 13 |
| 0 |
| 0.24 |
| 5 | vsNorth Texas | L28-43 | -4.5 | 13 | 102 | 7.8 | 2 | 2 | 47 | 0 | 0.48 |
| 6 | @UTSA | W31-29 | -2.5 | 17 | 178 | 10.5 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 0.31 |
| 7 | vsUTEP | W24-0 | -27.4 | 28 | 120 | 4.3 | 2 | 3 | 24 | 0 | 0.24 |
| 8 | @Louisiana Tech | W34-27 | -5.5 | 14 | 48 | 3.4 | 0 | 3 | 40 | 1 | 0.18 |
| 9 | vsUAB | L12-30 | — | 12 | 36 | 3.0 | 0 | 3 | 93 | 1 | 0.15 |
| 10 | @Tennessee | L10-24 | 1.2 | 20 | 51 | 2.5 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 0 | -0.16 |
| 11 | @Rice | W43-34 | -23.6 | 24 | 150 | 6.3 | 2 | 3 | 23 | 0 | 0.46 |
| 12 | vsCharlotte | W66-21 | -26.1 | 15 | 153 | 10.2 | 3 | 1 | -1 | 0 | 0.72 |
| 13 | @Marshall | W28-27 | -4.5 | 29 | 150 | 5.2 | 1 | 3 | 12 | 0 | 0.11 |
| 1 | vsFlorida State | L13-42 | 22.8 | 16 | 92 | 5.8 | 0 | 4 | 26 | 0 | 0.11 |