Short-yardage / goal-line · enumeration
Who gets the tough yard
3/103rd/4th & short
3 of 10 on 3rd/4th-and-2-or-less (30.0%).
Quinten Joyner
Rushing yards249227th of 278 running backsLast gameW 34–26vs Arizona · Oct 31
Nextvs West VirginiaSat Nov 7 · 9:30 pm ET
- touchdown
Arizona · W 34-26
2 carries, 2 yards
The other 7 games average 35 yards. This one was 33 below.
Dashed line: 100 yards.
This week
- RecordTexas Tech is 7-1, No. 13 in the AP poll (week 10).
- Next gamevs West Virginia · Sat Nov 7
His most important play this season
Quinten Joyner
Played for two head coaches across three seasons and two programs. One game to point at: 69 rushing yards and 24 receiving yards against Cincinnati — Week 8, 2026.
249 rushing yards · 3 rushing TD · 57 carries
Style of play
Style of play
Play style
Just keeps getting the ball, series after series.
Similar players
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
What fans said
Fans first named Quinten Joyner vs Abilene Christian.
- How much fans talked in a game against the usual
- The usual, named once in the key
- A fan first, numbered by kind (1 first named)
vs Arizona, Oct 31using Joyner's strengths. Getting the football and going to the ground.Texas Tech fan, r/CFB game thread
at Cincinnati, Oct 24There we go joyner!Texas Tech fan, r/CFB game thread
vs Arizona State, Oct 17How is it that Joyner plays so much better when he’s with Tommy? That great vision on the run one play then the run blocking for Tommy the next play.Texas Tech fan, r/CFB game thread
Named in
Where to follow
The latest game
Against Arizona on Oct. 31: 2 carries for 2 yards. In the 8 games drawn here: 57 carries for 249 yards.
First quarterSecond quarterThird quarterFourth quarter
- W 34-26 vs Arizona2 carries, 2 yds
- L 24-37 at Cincinnati12 carries, 69 yds, 1 TD
- W 53-25 vs Arizona State8 carries, 24 yds
- W 29-7 at Colorado10 carries, 63 yds, 1 TD
- W 49-14 vs Sam Houston8 carries, 12 yds
- W 28-26 vs Houston2 carries, 11 yds
- W 35-24 at Oregon State5 carries, 25 yds
- W 33-10 vs Abilene Christian10 carries, 43 yds, 1 TD
a carry, by its yardsa loss, below the linea catcha touchdown
Each game is split into its four quarters, so the columns line up from game to game; inside a quarter, plays keep their order. Third and fourth downs are marked under the line, bold when he moved the chains.
“Joyner is hot ass bro”Texas Tech fan, r/CFB game thread, after his -2-yard run against Colorado. Fans named him again and again right after.
Career stats
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Texas Tech | 57 | 249 | 4.4 | 3 | 30 |
| 2024 | USC | 63 | 478 | 7.6 | 3 | 75 |
| 2023 | USC | 18 | 125 | 6.9 | 1 | 47 |
| Career | 138 | 852 | 6.2 | 7 | 75 |
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Texas Tech | 2 | 38 | 19.0 | 0 | 24 |
| 2024 | USC | 12 | 89 | 7.4 | 1 | 13 |
| 2023 | USC | 1 | 7 | 7.0 | 0 | 7 |
| Career | 15 | 134 | 8.9 | 1 | 24 |
Last game (Wk 9): 2 rushing yards.
Game log
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 8 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 33-10vs Abilene Christian | 10 | 43 | 4.3 | 1 | 14 | |
| Wk 2 | W 35-24@ Oregon State | 5 | 25 | 5.0 | 0 | 16 | |
| Wk 3 | W 28-26vs No. 22 Houston | 2 | 11 | 5.5 | 0 | 11 | |
| Wk 4 | W 49-14vs Sam Houston | 8 | 12 | 1.5 | 0 | 6 | |
| Wk 5 | W 29-7@ Colorado | 10 | 63 | 6.3 | 1 | 30 | |
| Wk 7 | W 53-25vs Arizona State | 8 | 24 | 3.0 | 0 | 12 | |
| Wk 8 | L 24-37@ Cincinnati | 12 | 69 | 5.8 | 1 | 13 | Season-high 69 yds |
| Wk 9 | W 34-26vs No. 22 Arizona | 2 | 2 | 1.0 | 0 | 4 | |
| Total | 57 | 249 | 4.4 | 3 | 30 |
Signature game
Week 8 · 2026
L 24-37
at Cincinnati
69 rush yds (12 car) · 1 TD · 1 rec · 24 yds
With W. Hammond — 227 yds · 0 TD · 1 INT · QBR 41.8 · 23 rush yds (14 car) · J. Williams — 81 rush yds (12 car) · 3 rec · 10 yds
Signature plays
The plays that mattered most
- Week 9 · Arizona · 4th and 1 · Q1 · EPA −4.44Q.Joyner rush left for 2 yards loss (T.Brown), TURNOVER ON DOWNS
- Week 5 · Colorado · 4th and 1 · Q2 · EPA −4.23Q.Joyner rush middle for 0 yards (G.Lampron), TURNOVER ON DOWNS
- Week 5 · Colorado · 2nd and 14 · Q4 · EPA +3.71Q.Joyner rush middle for 30 yards gain for a touchdown
- Week 1 · Abilene Christian · 2nd and 6 · Q1 · EPA +2.61Quinten Joyner run for 14 yds, for a TD (S. Harrington KICK)
- Week 7 · Arizona State · 3rd and 3 · Q1 · EPA +2.35Hammond to Joyner: a 14-yard pass.
- Week 8 · Cincinnati · 2nd and 3 · Q4 · EPA +2.21Q.Joyner rush middle for 3 yards gain for a touchdown W.Hammond pass attempt failed
4 more plays
- Week 8 · Cincinnati · 1st and 15 · Q3 · EPA +1.49Q.Joyner rush middle for 13 yards gain (M.Cannon; J.Thompson)
- Week 3 · Houston · 2nd and 5 · Q3 · EPA +1.32Q.Joyner rush left for 11 yards gain (J.Yates)
- Week 5 · Colorado · 1st and 10 · Q3 · EPA −1.24Q.Joyner rush middle for 1 yard loss (S.Hopper; M.Ezeogu)
- Week 3 · Houston · 1st and 10 · Q3 · EPA −1.14Q.Joyner rush right for 0 yards (J.White)
Where he ranks
Rush yards249227thAmong 278 backs with 40 or more carries
Yards / carry4.4tied for 194thAmong 278 backs with 40 or more carries
Rush TDs3tied for 136thAmong 278 backs with 40 or more carries
Long run30tied for 184thAmong 278 backs with 40 or more carries
Carries57tied for 203rdAmong 278 backs with 40 or more carries
Rec yards38tied for 192ndAmong 273 backs with 40 or more carries
Receptions2tied for 253rdAmong 273 backs with 40 or more carries
279th in rushing yards, among all 1,551 FBS players with a rushing row this season, any position
Opponents faced, by strength
Ratings of the games shown run from -18 to +16 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Rushing profile
Rush profile · Shape, efficiency, and ball security
How he gets his yards, and how often it works
57 of 57 carries matched to play-by-play
Success rate
39%56 carriesStuffed
0 or fewer yds26%of carries
15 carries
Grind
1–3 yds33%of carries
19 carries
Chunk
4–9 yds23%of carries
13 carries
Explosive
10+ yds18%of carries
10 carries
3 of 10 (30%) converted on 3rd/4th & short (≤2 to go)
4.4 yds/carry on 57 carries · 18% explosive (10+ yds) · 39% success rate.
Teams and coaches
2023USC8-5HC: Lincoln Riley · Pass-leaning, slow tempo
2024USC7-6HC: Lincoln Riley · Pass-leaning
2026Texas Tech7-1HC: Joey McGuire · Run-leaning
Our ratings
Splits
Home and road splits, scheme and staff
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 8 games
Home vs Road
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home5g | 18.4 | 3.1 | 0.2 |
| Road3g | 52.3 | 5.7 | 0.7 |
First half vs Second half
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 29.7 | 4.3 | 0.3 |
| Weeks 8+2g | 35.5 | 3.4 | 0.5 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Joey McGuire
Pass share
43.2%
236 pass / 310 run
Plays / game
68.2
8 games
Team sack rate
4.2%
260 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
57 carries and 2 catches in 8 games
Fewer touches a game than most FBS running backs who play every week.
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
37 · #257 of 330 RBs
Former four-star. Now #257 at the position.
Starter
Returning starter at running back for a 12-2 Texas Tech team that went +2 in the portal.
Four seasons, two schools
2026 is in progress.
- 2026 Texas Tech McGuireYear 4 · 8 games
- 2025 Texas Tech McGuireYear 3 · on the roster, no stat line
- Dec 2024 Entered the transfer portalUSC to Texas Tech
- 2024 USC RileyYear 2 · 12 games
- 2023 USC RileyYear 1 · 5 games
- High school ManorManor, TX · Class of 2023Four-star, No. 186 in the 2023 class. Signed with USC.Also from Manor: Princewill Umanmielen (LSU), Jayden Cofield (Texas Tech), Ike Esonwune (UAB) and 3 more.
Moves
- Transferred from USC to Texas Tech, Dec 19, 2024.
A stat line in 25 games over three seasons.
2023 5 games
- Signed with USCFour-star, out of Manor
2025
- Transferred to Texas Techfrom USC
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
2 coaches2023–2024
Played for 2 head coaches at 2 schools: Lincoln Riley and Joey McGuire.