Saquon Barkley is a 2-year Featured Back for Penn State. Saquon's 2015 season ranks in the 0th percentile nationally by opponent-adjusted EPA per play across 205 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dalvin Cook | Florida State | 2016 | 292 | 0.340 | 4.3 | 99.3 |
| Breece Hall | Iowa State | 2020 | 301 | 0.340 | 4.5 | 102.3 |
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 | @Temple | L10-27 | 6.0 | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 0 | — | — | — | -0.93 |
| 2 | vsBuffalo | W27-14 | -10.3 | 12 | 115 | 9.6 | 1 | — | — | — | 0.27 |
| 3 | vsRutgers | W28-3 | -10.1 | 21 |
Usage = share of team plays (CFBD has no true snap counts).
| Season | Team | Line value | WEPA/play | YoY Δ | Total EPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Penn State | 3.9 | 0.340 | — | 97.9 |
| 2017 | Penn State | 5.2 | 0.410 | +0.07 | 98.4 |
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 17 · Rush Yds 69 · Avg 4.1 · Rush TD 0
| 195 |
| 9.3 |
| 2 |
| — |
| — |
| — |
| 0.53 |
| 4 | vsSan Diego State | W37-21 | 8.0 | 8 | 62 | 7.8 | 0 | 1 | 22 | 1 | 0.40 |
| 7 | @Ohio State | L10-38 | 29.5 | 26 | 194 | 7.5 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.18 |
| 8 | vsMaryland | W31-30 | -1.6 | 20 | 65 | 3.3 | 1 | — | — | — | -0.03 |
| 9 | vsIllinois | W39-0 | 2.7 | 20 | 84 | 4.2 | 1 | 3 | 58 | 0 | 0.18 |
| 10 | @Northwestern | L21-23 | 0.2 | 25 | 120 | 4.8 | 2 | 6 | 50 | 0 | 0.24 |
| 12 | vsMichigan | L16-28 | 19.7 | 15 | 68 | 4.5 | 0 | 2 | 19 | 0 | -0.28 |
| 13 | @Michigan State | L16-55 | 15.6 | 17 | 103 | 6.1 | 0 | 3 | -1 | 0 | 0.09 |
| 1 | vsGeorgia | L17-24 | 16.8 | 17 | 69 | 4.1 | 0 | 5 | 13 | 0 | -0.26 |