Miles Sanders is a Featured Back for Penn State. Miles's 2018 season ranks in the 25th percentile nationally by opponent-adjusted EPA per play across 242 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 |
| Hassan Haskins | Michigan | 2021 | 280 | 0.380 | 4.8 | 106.4 |
| James Flanders | Tulsa | 2016 | 266 | 0.390 | 4.9 | 103.7 |
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 | vsApp State | W45-38 | 11.9 | 19 | 91 | 4.8 | 2 | 3 | 20 | 0 | 0.30 |
| 2 | @Pittsburgh | W51-6 | 2.7 | 16 | 118 | 7.4 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0.11 |
| 3 | vsKent State | W63-10 | -20.4 | 14 |
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 13 · Rush Yds 51 · Avg 3.9 · Rush TD 0
| 86 |
| 6.1 |
| 0 |
| 3 |
| 30 |
| 0 |
| 0.49 |
| 4 | @Illinois | W63-24 | -7.9 | 22 | 200 | 9.1 | 3 | — | — | — | 0.81 |
| 5 | vsOhio State | L26-27 | 24.1 | 16 | 43 | 2.7 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | -0.07 |
| 7 | vsMichigan State | L17-21 | 11.5 | 17 | 162 | 9.5 | 1 | — | — | — | 0.26 |
| 8 | @Indiana | W33-28 | 1.6 | 15 | 72 | 4.8 | 1 | 6 | 54 | 0 | 0.25 |
| 9 | vsIowa | W30-24 | 13.3 | 17 | 62 | 3.6 | 0 | — | — | — | -0.39 |
| 10 | @Michigan | L7-42 | 22.0 | 6 | 11 | 1.8 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 0 | -0.22 |
| 11 | vsWisconsin | W22-10 | 15.5 | 23 | 159 | 6.9 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 0.42 |
| 12 | @Rutgers | W20-7 | -12.3 | 27 | 88 | 3.3 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | -0.24 |
| 13 | vsMaryland | W38-3 | 3.0 | 14 | 128 | 9.1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.21 |
| 1 | vsKentucky | L24-27 | 13.1 | 13 | 51 | 3.9 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0.02 |