Short-yardage / goal-line · enumeration
Who gets the tough yard
15/203rd/4th & short
14/22Inside-5 share
15 of 20 on 3rd/4th-and-2-or-less (75.0%). 14 of the team's 22 inside-the-5 carries (63.6%).
Dontel James
Dontel James: RB · Fresno State · #28.
Similar players
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Dontel James
Does a little of everything without one standout trait. The two seasons at Fresno State span two head coaches: Tim DeRuyter and Eric Kiesau. On tape: 169 rushing yards and 1 reception against Nevada, Week 6, 2016.
Style of play
Style of play
Play style
Plays within the scheme — consistent production without a dominant dimension.
Fans
No outlet on our list has written about this player by name this season.
Where to follow
Career stats
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Fresno State | 208 | 697 | 3.4 | 5 | 34 |
| 2014 | Fresno State | 5 | 8 | 1.6 | 0 | 8 |
| Career | 213 | 705 | 3.3 | 5 | 34 |
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Fresno State | 3 | 9 | 3.0 | 0 | 6 |
| 2014 | Fresno State | 1 | 8 | 8.0 | 0 | 8 |
| Career | 4 | 17 | 4.2 | 0 | 8 |
Game log
Game log · Week-by-week
2016 season · 11 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 10-43@ Nebraska | 12 | 20 | 1.7 | 0 | 5 | |
| Wk 2 | W 31-3vs Sacramento State | 27 | 121 | 4.5 | 1 | 19 | |
| Wk 3 | L 17-52@ Toledo | 13 | 40 | 3.1 | 0 | 18 | |
| Wk 4 | L 41-48vs Tulsa | 21 | 65 | 3.1 | 1 | 13 | |
| Wk 5 | L 20-45@ UNLV | 18 | 53 | 2.9 | 0 | 7 | |
| Wk 6 | L 22-27@ Nevada | 27 | 169 | 6.3 | 1 | 34 | Season-high 169 yds |
| Wk 7 | L 3-17vs San Diego State | 15 | 34 | 2.3 | 0 | 10 | |
| Wk 8 | L 20-38@ Utah State | 29 | 80 | 2.8 | 1 | 20 | |
| Wk 9 | L 21-31vs Air Force | 19 | 24 | 1.3 | 0 | 6 | |
| Wk 12 | L 13-14vs Hawai'i | 15 | 49 | 3.3 | 0 | 9 | |
| Wk 13 | L 14-16vs San José State | 12 | 42 | 3.5 | 1 | 17 | |
| Total | 208 | 697 | 3.4 | 5 | 34 |
Signature game
Week 2 · 2016
W 31-3
Signature plays
The plays that mattered most
- Week 5 · UNLV · 4th and 1 · Q2 · EPA −3.48Dontel James run for no gain to the UNLV 23
- Week 6 · Nevada · 1st and 10 · Q1 · EPA +2.65Dontel James run for 34 yds to the FrsSt 48 for a
- Week 2 · Sacramento State · 1st and 10 · Q4 · EPA +2.58Dontel James run for 17 yds for a TD, (Kody Kroening KICK)
- Week 4 · Tulsa · 3rd and 2 · Q1 · EPA +2.54Dontel James run for 2 yds for a TD, (Kody Kroening KICK)
- Week 6 · Nevada · 2nd and 10 · Q3 · EPA +2.12Dontel James run for 16 yds to the FrsSt 41 for a
- Week 4 · Tulsa · 3rd and 2 · Q3 · EPA +2.05Dontel James run for 12 yds to the Tulsa 44 for a
4 more plays
- Week 1 · Nebraska · 4th and 2 · Q1 · EPA +2.04Dontel James run for 3 yds to the Neb 37 for a
- Week 13 · San José State · 2nd and 1 · Q2 · EPA +1.90Dontel James run for 1 yd for a TD, (Kody Kroening KICK)
- Week 2 · Sacramento State · 3rd and 11 · Q2 · EPA +1.90Dontel James run for 19 yds to the SacSt 5 for a
- Week 6 · Nevada · 1st and 5 · Q4 · EPA +1.88Dontel James run for 5 yds for a TD, (Two-Point Conversion failed )
Rushing profile
Rush profile · Shape, efficiency, and ball security
How he gets his yards, and how often it works
208 of 208 carries matched to play-by-play
Success rate
33%208 carriesFumble rate
1.4%3 of 208 carries · 2 lostStuffed
0 or fewer yds26%of carries
55 carries
Grind
1–3 yds38%of carries
78 carries
Chunk
4–9 yds28%of carries
59 carries
Explosive
10+ yds8%of carries
16 carries
15 of 20 (75%) converted on 3rd/4th & short (≤2 to go) · 4 of 14 (29%) scored from inside the 5-yard line
3.4 yds/carry on 208 carries · 8% explosive (10+ yds) · 33% success rate.
Situational
Situational · Carry shape (PBP, full season)
Yardage DNA
26%
Stuffed (≤0)
38%
Grind (1–3)
28%
Chunk (4–9)
8%
Explosive (10+)
Teams and coaches
2014Fresno State6-8HC: Tim DeRuyter · Balanced, fast tempo
2016Fresno State1-11HC: Tim DeRuyter and Eric Kiesau · Balanced
Our ratings
Splits
Home and road splits, scheme and staff
Splits · Per-game
2016 season · 11 games
Home vs Road
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home6g | 55.8 | 3.0 | 0.5 |
| Road5g | 72.4 | 3.4 | 0.4 |
First half vs Second half
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-77g | 71.7 | 3.4 | 0.4 |
| Weeks 8+4g | 48.8 | 2.7 | 0.5 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Eric Kiesau
Pass share
47.9%
405 pass / 440 run
Plays / game
70.4
12 games
Team sack rate
6.9%
448 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced.
Awards
Player standing · 2016
Starter
208 carries and 3 catches in 11 games, more touches a game than nearly every FBS running back who plays every week.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Four seasons at Fresno State
- 2016 Fresno State DeRuyterYear 4 · 11 games
- 2015 Fresno State DeRuyterYear 3 · on the roster, no stat line
- 2014 Fresno State DeRuyterYear 2 · 1 game
- 2013 Fresno State DeRuyterYear 1 · on the roster, no stat line
- High school ColonyOntario, CA · Class of 2013Three-star, No. 1,654 in the 2013 class. Signed with Fresno State.Also from Colony: AJ Jones (Middle Tennessee), Isaiah Ward (Washington) and Deijon Laffitte (Fresno State).
How it ended
Two seasons at Fresno State, 705 rushing yards — the college career is complete.
2013
- Signed with Fresno StateThree-star, out of Colony
Coaching lineage · 2013–2016
2 coaches2013–2015
Fresno State
Coaching transition mid-career: Tim DeRuyter → Eric Kiesau. Worth noting in scheme + development context.