Mekhi Sargent is a Committee Back for Iowa. Mekhi's 2018 season ranks in the 0th percentile nationally by opponent-adjusted EPA per play across 168 plays — a developing rate for the RB.
Part of a rotation — contributes in a complementary role and keeps the featured back fresh.
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 |
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 | vsNorthern Illinois | W33-7 | -2.7 | 12 | 40 | 3.3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | -0.20 |
| 2 | vsIowa State | W13-3 | 7.9 | 11 | 25 | 2.3 |
Usage = share of team plays (CFBD has no true snap counts).
Car 7 · Rush Yds -3 · Avg -0.4 · Rush TD 0
| 1 |
| — |
| — |
| — |
| -0.15 |
| 3 | vsNorthern Iowa | W38-14 | — | 15 | 72 | 4.8 | 2 | 1 | 48 | 0 | 0.94 |
| 4 | vsWisconsin | L17-28 | 15.5 | 6 | 14 | 2.3 | 0 | — | — | — | -0.46 |
| 6 | @Minnesota | W48-31 | 6.3 | 9 | 33 | 3.7 | 1 | — | — | — | 0.14 |
| 7 | @Indiana | W42-16 | 1.6 | 10 | 59 | 5.9 | 0 | 2 | 21 | 0 | 0.30 |
| 8 | vsMaryland | W23-0 | 3.0 | 10 | 54 | 5.4 | 0 | — | — | — | -0.04 |
| 9 | @Penn State | L24-30 | 19.0 | 16 | 91 | 5.7 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 0 | 0.01 |
| 10 | @Purdue | L36-38 | 6.5 | 10 | 39 | 3.9 | 2 | 4 | 33 | 0 | 0.56 |
| 11 | vsNorthwestern | L10-14 | 1.9 | 10 | 27 | 2.7 | 0 | 3 | 19 | 0 | -0.52 |
| 12 | @Illinois | W63-0 | -7.9 | 17 | 121 | 7.1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0.39 |
| 13 | vsNebraska | W31-28 | 5.4 | 26 | 173 | 6.7 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0.27 |
| 1 | vsMississippi State | W27-22 | 23.2 | 7 | -3 | -0.4 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | -0.63 |
