Ito Smith is a 2-year Pass-Catching Back for Southern Miss. Ito's 2016 season ranks in the 5th percentile nationally by opponent-adjusted EPA per play across 308 plays — a developing rate for the RB.
Third-down weapon out of the backfield. Routes, hands, and separation in coverage define this role as much as rushing.
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 |
| Donnel Pumphrey | San Diego State | 2016 | 344 | 0.320 | 4.2 | 110.1 |
| 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 |
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 | @Kentucky | W44-35 | -2.6 | 36 | 173 | 4.8 | 1 | 5 | 40 | 0 | 0.24 |
| 2 | vsSavannah St | W56-0 | — | 8 | 128 | 16.0 | 1 | — | — | — | 0.80 |
| 3 | vsTroy | L31-37 | 1.1 | 20 |
Usage = share of team plays (CFBD has no true snap counts).
| Season | Team | Line value | WEPA/play | YoY Δ | Total EPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Southern Miss | 1.9 | 0.240 | — | 65.5 |
| 2017 | Southern Miss | 2.4 | 0.260 | +0.02 | 62.9 |
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 26 · Rush Yds 138 · Avg 5.3 · Rush TD 2
| 131 |
| 6.6 |
| 2 |
| 3 |
| 17 |
| 0 |
| 0.08 |
| 4 | @UTEP | W34-7 | -16.1 | 16 | 108 | 6.8 | 0 | 4 | 33 | 1 | 0.32 |
| 5 | vsRice | W44-28 | -16.5 | 19 | 77 | 4.1 | 1 | 4 | 64 | 0 | -0.21 |
| 6 | @UTSA | L32-55 | -11.2 | 20 | 94 | 4.7 | 1 | 3 | 22 | 0 | 0.13 |
| 7 | @LSU | L10-45 | 25.3 | 16 | 64 | 4.0 | 1 | 6 | 46 | 0 | 0.15 |
| 9 | vsMarshall | W24-14 | -12.7 | 26 | 140 | 5.4 | 2 | 4 | 43 | 0 | 0.14 |
| 10 | vsCharlotte | L27-38 | -20.9 | 15 | 69 | 4.6 | 1 | 5 | 47 | 0 | -0.01 |
| 11 | @Old Dominion | L35-51 | -0.7 | 20 | 97 | 4.8 | 3 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 0.28 |
| 12 | @North Texas | L23-29 | -14.6 | 19 | 113 | 5.9 | 2 | 3 | 67 | 0 | 0.24 |
| 13 | vsLouisiana Tech | W39-24 | 3.1 | 24 | 127 | 5.3 | 0 | 4 | 63 | 0 | 0.16 |
| 1 | vsLouisiana | W28-21 | -8.7 | 26 | 138 | 5.3 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 0.19 |