Rodney Smith is a 2-year Featured Back for Minnesota. Rodney's 2019 season ranks in the 18th percentile nationally by opponent-adjusted EPA per play across 238 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 |
| Eno Benjamin | Arizona State | 2018 | 316 | 0.330 | 4.6 | 104.3 |
| Hassan Haskins | Michigan | 2021 | 280 | 0.380 | 4.8 | 106.4 |
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 | vsSouth Dakota State | W28-21 | — | 21 | 92 | 4.4 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.05 |
| 2 | @Fresno State | W38-35 | -4.0 | 22 | 61 | 2.8 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 0 | -0.03 |
| 3 | vsGeorgia Southern | W35-32 | -4.5 |
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 16 · Rush Yds 69 · Avg 4.3 · Rush TD 0
| 11 |
| 57 |
| 5.2 |
| 0 |
| — |
| — |
| — |
| 0.37 |
| 5 | @Purdue | W38-31 | -0.7 | 22 | 115 | 5.2 | 1 | 1 | 20 | 0 | 0.27 |
| 6 | vsIllinois | W40-17 | 0.6 | 24 | 211 | 8.8 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0.44 |
| 7 | vsNebraska | W34-7 | 2.6 | 18 | 139 | 7.7 | 1 | — | — | — | 0.39 |
| 8 | @Rutgers | W42-7 | -14.6 | 19 | 111 | 5.8 | 2 | 2 | 24 | 0 | 0.44 |
| 9 | vsMaryland | W52-10 | -6.3 | 17 | 103 | 6.1 | 1 | — | — | — | 0.38 |
| 11 | vsPenn State | W31-26 | 24.3 | 18 | 51 | 2.8 | 0 | — | — | — | -0.20 |
| 12 | @Iowa | L19-23 | 16.7 | 14 | 46 | 3.3 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | -0.33 |
| 13 | @Northwestern | W38-22 | -5.5 | 15 | 77 | 5.1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.06 |
| 14 | vsWisconsin | L17-38 | 20.3 | 11 | 31 | 2.8 | 0 | — | — | — | -0.15 |
| 1 | vsAuburn | W31-24 | 21.0 | 16 | 69 | 4.3 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 0 | -0.03 |
