Saquon Barkley is a 2-year Featured Back for Penn State. Saquon's 2016 season ranks in the 45th percentile nationally by opponent-adjusted EPA per play across 303 plays — a average 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 |
| Eno Benjamin | Arizona State | 2018 | 316 | 0.330 | 4.6 | 104.3 |
| Jonathan Taylor | Wisconsin | 2017 | 307 | 0.350 | 4.8 | 107.4 |
| Donnel Pumphrey | San Diego State | 2016 | 344 | 0.320 | 4.2 | 110.1 |
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 | vsKent State | W33-13 | -12.0 | 22 | 105 | 4.8 | 1 | 1 | 17 | 0 | 0.24 |
| 2 | @Pittsburgh | L39-42 | 13.1 | 20 | 85 | 4.3 |
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 25 · Rush Yds 194 · Avg 7.8 · Rush TD 2
| 4 |
| 2 |
| 45 |
| 1 |
| 0.14 |
| 3 | vsTemple | W34-27 | 11.9 | 9 | 68 | 7.6 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0.04 |
| 4 | @Michigan | L10-49 | 24.4 | 15 | 59 | 3.9 | 0 | 5 | 77 | 0 | 0.10 |
| 5 | vsMinnesota | W29-26 | 12.6 | 20 | 63 | 3.2 | 1 | 1 | -3 | 0 | -0.38 |
| 6 | vsMaryland | W38-14 | -0.6 | 31 | 202 | 6.5 | 1 | — | — | — | 0.04 |
| 8 | vsOhio State | W24-21 | 22.4 | 12 | 99 | 8.3 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.35 |
| 9 | @Purdue | W62-24 | -11.0 | 18 | 207 | 11.5 | 2 | 3 | 70 | 0 | 0.80 |
| 10 | vsIowa | W41-14 | 10.3 | 20 | 167 | 8.4 | 1 | 1 | 44 | 1 | 0.71 |
| 11 | @Indiana | W45-31 | 4.6 | 33 | 58 | 1.8 | 2 | 2 | 34 | 0 | -0.17 |
| 12 | @Rutgers | W39-0 | -14.9 | 16 | 92 | 5.8 | 1 | 2 | 25 | 0 | 0.37 |
| 13 | vsMichigan State | W45-12 | 7.4 | 12 | 14 | 1.2 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 0 | -0.09 |
| 14 | vsWisconsin | W38-31 | 16.1 | 19 | 83 | 4.4 | 1 | 2 | 20 | 1 | 0.30 |
| 1 | vsUSC | L49-52 | 23.6 | 25 | 194 | 7.8 | 2 | 5 | 55 | 1 | 0.34 |