Justin Jackson is a 2-year Featured Back for Northwestern. Justin's 2017 season ranks in the 0th percentile nationally by opponent-adjusted EPA per play across 362 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 | vsNevada | W31-20 | -16.4 | 30 | 109 | 3.6 | 0 | 5 | 42 | 0 | 0.10 |
| 2 | @Duke | L17-41 | 6.1 | 7 | 18 | 2.6 | 1 | 1 | 24 | 0 | 0.13 |
| 3 | vsBowling Green | W49-7 | -10.0 | 18 |
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 157 · Avg 4.9 · Rush TD 2
| 121 |
| 6.7 |
| 3 |
| 3 |
| 21 |
| 0 |
| 0.69 |
| 5 | @Wisconsin | L24-33 | 26.8 | 9 | 25 | 2.8 | 0 | 4 | 16 | 0 | -0.12 |
| 6 | vsPenn State | L7-31 | 26.0 | 16 | 66 | 4.1 | 0 | 6 | 23 | 0 | -0.03 |
| 7 | @Maryland | W37-21 | -4.5 | 28 | 171 | 6.1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0.10 |
| 8 | vsIowa | W17-10 | 9.8 | 25 | 93 | 3.7 | 0 | 5 | 38 | 0 | 0.16 |
| 9 | vsMichigan State | W39-31 | 13.8 | 17 | 41 | 2.4 | 1 | 7 | 51 | 0 | 0.23 |
| 10 | @Nebraska | W31-24 | 2.5 | 31 | 154 | 5.0 | 1 | 2 | 22 | 0 | 0.29 |
| 11 | vsPurdue | W23-13 | 5.8 | 25 | 46 | 1.8 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 0 | -0.33 |
| 12 | vsMinnesota | W39-0 | 0.4 | 31 | 166 | 5.4 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 0.08 |
| 13 | @Illinois | W42-7 | -7.4 | 18 | 144 | 8.0 | 1 | 3 | 13 | 0 | 0.23 |
| 1 | vsKentucky | W24-23 | 2.7 | 32 | 157 | 4.9 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 0.05 |