Donnel Pumphrey is a 3-year Featured Back for San Diego State. Donnel's 2016 season ranks in the 30th percentile nationally by opponent-adjusted EPA per play across 353 plays — a developing rate for the RB. Production has trended downward season-over-season on adjusted value metrics.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeremy McNichols | Boise State | 2016 | 340 | 0.330 | 4.7 | 112.2 |
| Eno Benjamin | Arizona State | 2018 | 316 | 0.330 | 4.6 | 104.3 |
| D'Onta Foreman | Texas | 2016 | 332 | 0.340 | 5.3 | 112.9 |
| Jonathan Taylor | Wisconsin | 2017 | 307 | 0.350 | 4.8 | 107.4 |
| 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 | vsNew Hampshire | W31-0 | — | 21 | 98 | 4.7 | 1 | 4 | 41 | 0 | 0.14 |
| 2 | vsCalifornia | W45-40 | 2.4 | 29 | 281 |
Usage = share of team plays (CFBD has no true snap counts).
| Season | Team | Line value | WEPA/play | YoY Δ | Total EPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | San Diego State | 5 | 0.380 | — | 93.5 |
| 2015 | San Diego State | 2.6 | 0.240 | -0.14 | 73.2 |
| 2016 | San Diego State | 4.2 | 0.320 | +0.08 | 110.1 |
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 19 · Rush Yds 115 · Avg 6.1 · Rush TD 1
| 9.7 |
| 3 |
| 4 |
| 29 |
| 0 |
| 0.59 |
| 3 | @Northern Illinois | W42-28 | -2.4 | 23 | 220 | 9.6 | 3 | 1 | -3 | 0 | 0.41 |
| 5 | @South Alabama | L24-42 | -9.4 | 25 | 151 | 6.0 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 0 | -0.02 |
| 6 | vsUNLV | W26-7 | -14.3 | 31 | 141 | 4.5 | 1 | 7 | 57 | 0 | 0.14 |
| 7 | @Fresno State | W17-3 | -16.9 | 38 | 220 | 5.8 | 2 | — | — | — | 0.24 |
| 8 | vsSan José State | W42-3 | -13.6 | 24 | 135 | 5.6 | 2 | 2 | 14 | 0 | 0.31 |
| 9 | @Utah State | W40-13 | -4.4 | 32 | 223 | 7.0 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.44 |
| 10 | vsHawai'i | W55-0 | -10.1 | 21 | 112 | 5.3 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.24 |
| 11 | @Nevada | W46-16 | -13.0 | 26 | 198 | 7.6 | 1 | — | — | — | 0.48 |
| 12 | @Wyoming | L33-34 | -6.9 | 17 | 76 | 4.5 | 0 | 5 | 52 | 0 | 0.14 |
| 13 | vsColorado State | L31-63 | 0.8 | 18 | 53 | 2.9 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 0.03 |
| 14 | @Wyoming | W27-24 | -6.9 | 25 | 110 | 4.4 | 1 | — | — | — | 0.03 |
| 1 | vsHouston | W34-10 | 10.1 | 19 | 115 | 6.1 | 1 | 1 | 26 | 0 | 0.14 |