Justin Jackson is a 2-year Featured Back for Northwestern. Justin's 2014 season ranks in the 0th percentile nationally by opponent-adjusted EPA per play across 251 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 |
| Donnel Pumphrey | San Diego State | 2016 | 344 | 0.320 | 4.2 | 110.1 |
| 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 | vsCalifornia | L24-31 | -0.6 | 8 | 40 | 5.0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0.04 |
| 2 | vsNorthern Illinois | L15-23 | -0.6 | 12 | 52 | 4.3 | 0 | 2 | 19 | 0 | 0.19 |
| 4 | vsWestern Illinois | W24-7 | — | 21 |
Usage = share of team plays (CFBD has no true snap counts).
| Season | Team | Line value | WEPA/play | YoY Δ | Total EPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Northwestern | 2.5 | 0.260 | — | 77.7 |
| 2017 | Northwestern | 0.7 | 0.160 | -0.10 | 49.3 |
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 24 · Rush Yds 130 · Avg 5.4 · Rush TD 2
| 92 |
| 4.4 |
| 1 |
| 2 |
| 12 |
| 0 |
| 0.04 |
| 5 | @Penn State | W29-6 | 9.2 | 15 | 50 | 3.3 | 0 | 2 | 17 | 0 | -0.17 |
| 6 | vsWisconsin | W20-14 | 20.8 | 33 | 162 | 4.9 | 0 | — | — | — | -0.05 |
| 7 | @Minnesota | L17-24 | 6.8 | 23 | 106 | 4.6 | 0 | 4 | 50 | 1 | 0.36 |
| 8 | vsNebraska | L17-38 | 13.1 | 22 | 128 | 5.8 | 2 | — | — | — | 0.34 |
| 10 | @Iowa | L7-48 | 6.8 | 24 | 96 | 4.0 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 0 | 0.15 |
| 11 | vsMichigan | L9-10 | 8.2 | 17 | 35 | 2.1 | 0 | 4 | 25 | 0 | -0.24 |
| 12 | @Notre Dame | W43-40 | 10.8 | 23 | 149 | 6.5 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 0.12 |
| 13 | @Purdue | W38-14 | -6.2 | 23 | 147 | 6.4 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 0.13 |
| 14 | vsIllinois | L33-47 | 0.4 | 24 | 130 | 5.4 | 2 | 3 | 46 | 0 | 0.39 |