Justin Jackson is a 2-year Featured Back for Northwestern. Justin's 2016 season ranks in the 13th percentile nationally by opponent-adjusted EPA per play across 348 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Donnel Pumphrey | San Diego State | 2016 | 344 | 0.320 | 4.2 | 110.1 |
| Saquon Barkley | Penn State | 2016 | 288 | 0.340 | 3.9 | 97.9 |
| Jeremy McNichols | Boise State | 2016 | 340 | 0.330 | 4.7 | 112.2 |
| Eno Benjamin | Arizona State | 2018 | 316 | 0.330 | 4.6 | 104.3 |
| Dalvin Cook | Florida State | 2016 | 292 | 0.340 | 4.3 | 99.3 |
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 | vsWestern Michigan | L21-22 | 11.5 | 23 | 124 | 5.4 | 3 | 2 | 47 | 0 | 0.48 |
| 2 | vsIllinois State | L7-9 | — | 12 | 42 | 3.5 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | -0.10 |
| 3 | vsDuke | W24-13 | -2.8 | 28 |
Usage = share of team plays (CFBD has no true snap counts).
| Season | Team | Line value | WEPA/play | YoY Δ | Total EPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Northwestern | 2.5 | 0.260 | — | 77.7 |
| 2017 | Northwestern | 0.7 | 0.160 | -0.10 | 49.3 |
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 32 · Rush Yds 224 · Avg 7.0 · Rush TD 3
| 94 |
| 3.4 |
| 0 |
| 1 |
| -3 |
| 0 |
| -0.17 |
| 4 | vsNebraska | L13-24 | 10.3 | 20 | 79 | 4.0 | 0 | 3 | 18 | 0 | -0.01 |
| 5 | @Iowa | W38-31 | 10.3 | 26 | 171 | 6.6 | 1 | 3 | 13 | 0 | 0.15 |
| 7 | @Michigan State | W54-40 | 7.4 | 34 | 188 | 5.5 | 2 | 4 | 10 | 0 | 0.13 |
| 8 | vsIndiana | W24-14 | 4.6 | 28 | 94 | 3.4 | 0 | 5 | 34 | 0 | -0.04 |
| 9 | @Ohio State | L20-24 | 22.4 | 17 | 76 | 4.5 | 0 | 3 | 21 | 0 | -0.07 |
| 10 | vsWisconsin | L7-21 | 16.1 | 13 | 42 | 3.2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | -0.50 |
| 11 | @Purdue | W45-17 | -11.0 | 22 | 127 | 5.8 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 0.43 |
| 12 | @Minnesota | L12-29 | 12.6 | 22 | 90 | 4.1 | 1 | 8 | 51 | 0 | -0.14 |
| 13 | vsIllinois | W42-21 | -6.7 | 21 | 173 | 8.2 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0.49 |
| 1 | vsPittsburgh | W31-24 | 13.1 | 32 | 224 | 7.0 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 0.23 |