Eastern Michigan · W 54-10
No carries.
Michigan State · W 31-3
No carries.
Iowa · L 0-30
6 carries, 23 yards
The other 5 games average 59 yards. This one was 36 below.
Sama has carries in 6 of Wisconsin’s 8 games: none against Eastern Michigan and Michigan State.
Dashed line: 100 yards.
“Iowa had the line there, there was an earlier crease that maybe Sama could’ve found but eh”
7 stories in the last 30 days, from 5 outlets.
Wisconsin needs more out of transfer running back Abu Sama vs. USC
Badgers Wire +1 Oct 24
No bar in a game where the team had under 100 rushing yards: a share of that little says nothing.
Share of the team's total this season.
Each line is one carry: taller means more yards, and a line pointing down lost yards. Black lines are touchdowns. The play text only says left, middle or right, so inside each lane the carries are lined up shortest to longest, not placed. Of his carries with a spot in the play text: left 12, middle 35, right 10. His longest went for 72 yards.
Abu Sama III
Played for two head coaches at two programs in four seasons: Matt Campbell and Luke Fickell. The first career honor came in 2023: Big 12 Newcomer Player of the Week. One game to point at: 107 rushing yards and 5 receiving yards against Western Illinois — Week 2, 2026.
318 rushing yards · 1 rushing TD · 57 carries
Play style
Does a little of everything without one standout trait.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
from 5 outlets
Wisconsin needs more out of transfer running back Abu Sama vs. USC
Badgers Wire +1 Oct 24 · 2 outlets
from 9 outlets
Wisconsin needs more out of transfer running back Abu Sama vs. USC
Badgers Wire +1 Oct 24 · 2 outlets
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel +1Will Wisconsin RB Abu Sama III play vs Michigan State? What we knowOct 3
Sports IllustratedLuke Fickell Updates Health of Star Badgers RB Abu Sama After he Misses Week 3Sep 19
FOX SportsAbu Sama III scores 72-yard TD, giving Wisconsin lead over Western IllinoisSep 12Milwaukee Journal SentinelWisconsin football insider: Abu Sama's TD set tone for Badgers' winSep 13Milwaukee Journal Sentinel +1Milwaukee Journal Sentinel +1
Yahoo SportsMilwaukee Journal Sentinel
On3Each week: his team’s game, the stories about him that week, and the week’s biggest news headline.
Stories we tracked, by school.
Wisconsin19 stories2026 to nowMost about: preview and matchup, performance and stat line, awards and watch lists.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel +1Wisconsin RB Abu Sama's status remains in question for Michigan StateOct 2Milwaukee Journal Sentinel +1Will Wisconsin RB Abu Sama III play vs Michigan State? What we knowOct 3Milwaukee Journal Sentinel +1Wisconsin's Luke Fickell provides updates for Abu Sama, Austin KaweckiOct 12
Iowa State3 stories2023 to 2025Most about: profile and feature, performance and stat line.
Locked OnWisconsin Badgers Running Back Battle intensifies, can Abu Sama or Darrion Dupree dominate?May 20Sports IllustratedNolan Winter, Abu Sama, More top Badgers Stars Just Got Another Year of EligibilityJun 24Reported by Sports IllustratedOn3Can Abu Sama be the first 1,000-Yard RB For Wisconsin Since 2022?Jun 24Stories are headlines grouped by what they are about, counted through Nov 4.
Fans first named Abu Sama III at Notre Dame.
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Wisconsin | 57 | 318 | 5.6 | 1 | 72 |
| 2025 | Iowa State | 141 | 732 | 5.2 | 5 | 44 |
| 2024 | Iowa State | 124 | 587 | 4.7 | 2 | 77 |
| 2023 | Iowa State | 84 | 614 | 7.3 | 6 | 77 |
| Career | 406 | 2,251 | 5.5 | 14 | 77 |
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Wisconsin | 4 | 23 | 5.8 | 0 | 11 |
| 2025 | Iowa State | 5 | 19 | 3.8 | 0 | 5 |
| 2024 | Iowa State | 8 | 58 | 7.2 | 0 | 26 |
| 2023 | Iowa State | 7 | 51 | 7.3 | 0 | 21 |
| Career | 24 | 151 | 6.3 | 0 | 26 |
Last game (Wk 9): 23 rushing yards.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 6 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 13-41vs No. 4 Notre Dame | 15 | 49 | 3.3 | 0 | 7 | |
| Wk 2 | W 36-9vs Western Illinois | 8 | 107 | 13.4 | 1 | 72 | Season-high 107 yds |
| Wk 4 | W 24-20@ No. 13 Penn State | 5 | 34 | 6.8 | 0 | 17 | |
| Wk 7 | L 7-17@ No. 12 UCLA | 6 | 34 | 5.7 | 0 | 17 | |
| Wk 8 | W 24-7vs No. 16 USC | 17 | 71 | 4.2 | 0 | 17 | |
| Wk 9 | L 0-30@ Iowa | 6 | 23 | 3.8 | 0 | 11 | |
| Total | 57 | 318 | 5.6 | 1 | 72 |
Oct. 31 · L 0-30 at Iowa, play by play
6 carries for 23 yards.
11-yard run on 3rd and 3. Second quarter, down 10-0. Converted.
1-yard loss on 4th and 1. Second quarter, down 10-0. Turnover on downs.
17 carries for 71 yards.
The per-play feed is missing an 8-yard run in the third quarter (the play drew a penalty), which the play text shows; the chart draws the 16 carries it has.
17-yard run. Second quarter, down 7-3.
6-yard run on 3rd and 6. Second quarter, down 7-3. Converted.
4-yard run on 3rd and 1. Second quarter, down 7-3. Converted.
Each carry is a stem from the line, in the lane the play text names, sorted shortest to longest. The play text only says left, middle or right, so inside a lane marks are sorted, not placed.
6 carries for 34 yards.
17-yard run. Second quarter, down 10-0.
Each carry is a stem from the line, in the lane the play text names, sorted shortest to longest. The play text only says left, middle or right, so inside a lane marks are sorted, not placed.
5 carries for 34 yards.
17-yard run on 3rd and 7. Second quarter, down 17-0. Converted.
Each carry is a stem from the line, in the lane the play text names, sorted shortest to longest. The play text only says left, middle or right, so inside a lane marks are sorted, not placed.
8 carries for 107 yards and a touchdown, his most this season.
72-yard touchdown run. First quarter, made it 7-0.
Each carry is a stem from the line, in the lane the play text names, sorted shortest to longest. The play text only says left, middle or right, so inside a lane marks are sorted, not placed.
15 carries for 49 yards.
The per-play feed is missing a 5-yard run in the second quarter (the play drew a penalty), which the play text shows; the chart draws the 14 carries it has.
7-yard run on 3rd and 6. First quarter, tied 0-0. Converted.
2-yard run on 4th and 1. Third quarter, down 27-10. Converted.
Each carry is a stem from the line, in the lane the play text names, sorted shortest to longest. The play text only says left, middle or right, so inside a lane marks are sorted, not placed.
Week 2 · 2026
W 36-9
The plays that mattered most
206th in rushing yards, among all 1,551 FBS players with a rushing row this season, any position
Conference ranks count every player in the conference with a row in that stat, any position. Career ranks count current FBS players, from the games in our log.
Ratings of the games shown run from +9 to +25 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Rush profile · Shape, efficiency, and ball security
How he gets his yards, and how often it works
Success rate
36%55 carriesStuffed
0 or fewer ydsGrind
1–3 ydsChunk
4–9 ydsExplosive
10+ yds5.6 yds/carry on 57 carries · 11% explosive (10+ yds) · 36% success rate.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 6 games
Home vs Road
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home2g | 89.0 | 8.8 | 0.5 |
| Road3g | 30.3 | 5.4 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-74g | 56.0 | 7.3 | 0.2 |
| Weeks 8+2g | 47.0 | 4.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Luke Fickell
Pass share
43.5%
200 pass / 260 run
Plays / game
57.5
8 games
Team sack rate
4.6%
218 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning, slow tempo.
Player standing · 2026
About as many touches a game as a typical FBS running back who plays every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Three-star recruit. Now #140 at the position.
2026 is in progress.
Honored in a first season.
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
2 coachesPlayed for 2 head coaches at 2 schools: Matt Campbell and Luke Fickell.
Next stop · Transfer
Transferred to Wisconsin
