James Butler is a Featured Back for Nevada. James's 2016 season ranks in the 8th percentile nationally by opponent-adjusted EPA per play across 250 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 | vsCal Poly | W30-27 | — | 21 | 123 | 5.9 | 2 | 2 | -1 | 0 | 0.18 |
| 2 | @Notre Dame | L10-39 | 15.7 | 17 | 50 | 2.9 | 0 | 4 | 48 | 0 | 0.17 |
| 3 | vsBuffalo | W38-14 | -18.8 | 28 |
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 32 · Rush Yds 196 · Avg 6.1 · Rush TD 3
| 174 |
| 6.2 |
| 3 |
| 1 |
| 5 |
| 0 |
| 0.44 |
| 4 | @Purdue | L14-24 | -11.0 | 14 | 38 | 2.7 | 0 | 6 | 44 | 1 | -0.10 |
| 5 | @Hawai'i | L17-38 | -10.1 | 21 | 168 | 8.0 | 0 | 3 | 16 | 0 | 0.30 |
| 6 | vsFresno State | W27-22 | -16.9 | 37 | 175 | 4.7 | 0 | 1 | 19 | 0 | 0.23 |
| 7 | @San José State | L10-14 | -13.6 | 20 | 94 | 4.7 | 0 | 3 | 92 | 1 | 0.50 |
| 8 | vsWyoming | L34-42 | -6.9 | 14 | 73 | 5.2 | 2 | 6 | 43 | 0 | — |
| 10 | @New Mexico | L26-35 | -5.1 | 16 | 94 | 5.9 | 1 | — | — | — | 0.32 |
| 11 | vsSan Diego State | L16-46 | 11.4 | 14 | 32 | 2.3 | 0 | 2 | 15 | 0 | -0.01 |
| 12 | vsUtah State | W38-37 | -4.4 | 26 | 119 | 4.6 | 1 | 4 | 52 | 0 | 0.13 |
| 13 | @UNLV | W45-10 | -14.3 | 32 | 196 | 6.1 | 3 | 5 | 48 | 1 | 0.45 |
