Samson Evans: RB · Eastern Michigan · #22.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Samson Evans
Does a little of everything without one standout trait. Fourth year in the Eastern Michigan backfield. The first career honor came in 2022: All-MAC. On tape: 127 rushing yards and 5 receiving yards against Buffalo, Week 13, 2023.
Play style
Plays within the scheme — consistent production without a dominant dimension.
Closer · Q4-with-lead carry share
The closer
34.7% of carries overall (133/383) → 33.9% of Q4-with-lead carries (21/62) — 100.0% of those in competitive (≤16-pt) games.
Counted from the play-by-play, so a carry or two can differ from the box score.
Short-yardage / goal-line · enumeration
Who gets the tough yard
17 of 24 on 3rd/4th-and-2-or-less (70.8%). 15 of the team's 22 inside-the-5 carries (68.2%).
No outlet on our list has written about this player by name this season.
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| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Eastern Michigan | 142 | 635 | 4.5 | 12 | 61 |
| 2022 | Eastern Michigan | 249 | 1,166 | 4.7 | 15 | 42 |
| 2021 | Eastern Michigan | 83 | 316 | 3.8 | 13 | 37 |
| 2020 | Eastern Michigan | 41 | 185 | 4.5 | 1 | 37 |
| Career | 515 | 2,302 | 4.5 | 41 | 61 |
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Eastern Michigan | 12 | 89 | 7.4 | 0 | 17 |
| 2022 | Eastern Michigan | 15 | 96 | 6.4 | 0 | 11 |
| 2021 | Eastern Michigan | 19 | 107 | 5.6 | 0 | 19 |
| 2020 | Eastern Michigan | 6 | 46 | 7.7 | 0 | 17 |
| Career | 52 | 338 | 6.5 | 0 | 19 |
Game log · Week-by-week
2023 season · 12 games
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| Wk | Opp | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 33-23vs Howard | 16 | 52 | 3.3 | 1 | 16 | |
| Wk 2 | L 6-25@ Minnesota | 11 | 73 | 6.6 | 0 | 20 | |
| Wk 3 | W 19-17vs Massachusetts | 8 | 89 | 11.1 | 0 | 61 | |
| Wk 4 | L 0-21@ Jacksonville State | 3 | 6 | 2.0 | 0 | 6 | |
| Wk 5 | L 23-26@ Central Michigan | 9 | 22 | 2.4 | 1 | 6 | |
| Wk 6 | W 24-10vs Ball State | 14 | 42 | 3.0 | 1 | 9 | |
| Wk 7 | W 28-14vs Kent State | 13 | 47 | 3.6 | 2 | 19 | |
| Wk 8 | L 13-20@ Northern Illinois | 19 | 68 | 3.6 | 1 | 9 | |
| Wk 9 | L 21-45vs Western Michigan | 8 | 26 | 3.3 | 2 | 15 | |
| Wk 11 | L 23-49@ Toledo | 4 | 12 | 3.0 | 0 | 5 | |
| Wk 12 | W 30-27vs Akron | 15 | 71 | 4.7 | 3 | 12 | 3 rushing TDs |
| Wk 13 | W 24-11@ Buffalo | 22 | 127 | 5.8 | 1 | 35 | Season-high 127 yds |
| Total | 142 | 635 | 4.5 | 12 | 61 |
Week 12 · 2023
W 30-27
vs Akron
71 rush yds (15 car) · 3 TD · 1 rec · 12 yds
A close one, won by 3 at home.
With M. Tomasek — 46.3 yards per punt · 4 punts · 1 inside the 20 · A. Smith — 214 yds · 1 TD · 0 INT · QBR 54.8
The plays that mattered most
Rush profile · Shape, efficiency, and ball security
How he gets his yards, and how often it works
Success rate
46%133 carriesFumble rate
1.4%2 of 142 carries · 2 lostStuffed
0 or fewer ydsGrind
1–3 ydsChunk
4–9 ydsExplosive
10+ yds4.5 yds/carry on 142 carries · 9% explosive (10+ yds) · 46% success rate.
Situational · Carry shape (PBP, full season)
Yardage DNA
Stuffed (≤0)
Grind (1–3)
Chunk (4–9)
Explosive (10+)
4 seasons under Chris Creighton — 24-21 over that span.
Splits · Per-game
2023 season · 12 games
Home vs Road
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home6g | 54.5 | 4.8 | 1.5 |
| Road6g | 51.3 | 3.9 | 0.5 |
First half vs Second half
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-77g | 47.3 | 4.6 | 0.7 |
| Weeks 8+5g | 60.8 | 4.1 | 1.4 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Chris Creighton
Pass share
46.1%
358 pass / 418 run
Plays / game
59.7
13 games
Team sack rate
8.2%
392 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning, slow tempo.
Player standing · 2023
142 carries, 12 catches and 1 pass attempt in 12 games, 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 #128 at the position.
How it ended
Four seasons at Eastern Michigan, 2,302 rushing yards — the college career is complete.
Four or fewer games in the first season, then ten or more.
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
ALL-MAC · 2ND TEAM
All-MAC 2nd team (2022)
Coaching lineage · 2019–2023
2 coachesPlayed for 2 head coaches at 2 schools: Kirk Ferentz and Chris Creighton.
