Joshua Kelley is a 2-year Featured Back for UCLA. Joshua's 2018 season ranks in the 50th percentile nationally by opponent-adjusted EPA per play across 251 plays — a average 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Flanders | Tulsa | 2016 | 266 | 0.390 | 4.9 | 103.7 |
| Hassan Haskins | Michigan | 2021 | 280 | 0.380 | 4.8 | 106.4 |
| Royce Freeman | Oregon | 2015 | 275 | 0.360 | 5.1 | 99.0 |
| Ameer Abdullah | Nebraska | 2014 | 262 | 0.380 | 5.3 | 99.6 |
| Nick Wilson | Arizona | 2014 | 250 | 0.410 | 5.2 | 102.5 |
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 | vsCincinnati | L17-26 | 5.4 | 6 | 20 | 3.3 | 0 | 3 | 19 | 0 | 0.04 |
| 2 | @Oklahoma | L21-49 | 24.9 | 5 | 7 | 1.4 | 0 | — | — | — | -0.05 |
| 5 | @Colorado | L16-38 | -0.7 | 12 | 124 |
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 18 · Rush Yds 55 · Avg 3.1 · Rush TD 2
| 10.3 |
| 0 |
| 3 |
| 10 |
| 0 |
| 0.69 |
| 6 | vsWashington | L24-31 | 19.9 | 20 | 125 | 6.3 | 1 | 3 | 39 | 0 | 0.45 |
| 7 | @California | W37-7 | 3.9 | 30 | 157 | 5.2 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 0.33 |
| 8 | vsArizona | W31-30 | 3.6 | 31 | 136 | 4.4 | 1 | 4 | 43 | 0 | 0.07 |
| 9 | vsUtah | L10-41 | 16.8 | 16 | 90 | 5.6 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 0.15 |
| 10 | @Oregon | L21-42 | 7.3 | 26 | 161 | 6.2 | 1 | 6 | 32 | 0 | 0.41 |
| 11 | @Arizona State | L28-31 | 5.0 | 21 | 79 | 3.8 | 1 | 2 | 17 | 0 | -0.13 |
| 12 | vsUSC | W34-27 | 9.7 | 40 | 289 | 7.2 | 2 | — | — | — | 0.29 |
| 13 | vsStanford | L42-49 | 13.0 | 18 | 55 | 3.1 | 2 | 2 | 14 | 0 | 0.13 |
