Running back, Rutgers, 2011–⁠15

Paul James

Lettered 2013–⁠15 (school media guide)

Number
No. 34
Height
6′0″
Hometown
Glassboro, NJ

Paul James played running back at Rutgers (2011–⁠15).

At a glance

Best season
881
Rushing yards, 2013 (Rutgers, 6–⁠7)
Best game
192 yards
Vs. Eastern Michigan, week 3, 2013: No. 1 rushing game in FBS that week

Career highs

192rushing yards, career highvs. Eastern Michigan, 20133rushing touchdowns, career highfour times; last at Army, 2015100receiving yards, career highvs. Howard, 20142receiving touchdowns, career highvs. Howard, 2014

Team titles: Big East champions, 2012

Rushing

Rushing yards, season by season, with his team’s record
SeasonTeamCarYdsAvgTDLong
2012Rutgers5224.4010
2013Rutgers1568815.6965
2014Rutgers633635.8556
2015Rutgers995445.5572
Career3231,8105.61972

Receiving

SeasonTeamRecYdsAvgTDLong
2013Rutgers111079.7030
2014Rutgers412030.0269
2015Rutgers6406.7019
Career2126712.7269

Season lines from CollegeFootballData, regular season and bowls.

On the roster

SeasonTeamNo.PosHt
2011Rutgers34RB
2012Rutgers34RB
2013Rutgers34RB
2014Rutgers34RB
2015Rutgers34RB6′0″

As each season’s roster listed the player (CollegeFootballData). Classes before the latest listing are counted back from it; “Yr 1” is the year on file where that count can’t place a season he played (a redshirt, transfer or 2020 year); height and weight as last listed.

Per play

SeasonTeamPlaysEPA/playPctileMedianTotalUsageAdj. rush
2013Rutgers1570.0440th (n=226)0.075.828%-0.01
2014Rutgers690.3597th (n=253)0.1224.126%0.38
2015Rutgers1060.1045th (n=268)0.1210.615%0.16

Expected points added: how much the player’s plays moved the team’s expected score, per play and in total. Plays: total EPA divided by EPA per play, the plays the source credits to him (for a receiver roughly his catches and runs, not every target; for a passer, not every attempt), so it can differ from attempts plus carries. Percentile: against the position’s regulars that season across all divisions on file (quarterbacks with 150+ plays, backs 60+, receivers and tight ends 30+), with how many there were (n) and their median; a dash means too few plays to rank. A season in progress uses the full-season bar scaled by games played, never below 75 plays for quarterbacks, 30 for backs and 20 for receivers. The cohort grows or shrinks with the source’s coverage each season (2025 lists far more players), so compare percentiles rather than raw EPA across years. FCS seasons are marked. Usage: the share of the team’s plays the player was part of (shown from 20 plays). Adjusted pass and rush: EPA per play adjusted for the defenses faced (CollegeFootballData’s WEPA). From CollegeFootballData, 2013 on.

Game by game

2015 Rutgers 10 games, 544 rushing yards, 5 TD
DateOpponentResultCarYdsTDLongRecRec yds
Sep 5vs.Norfolk StateW 63–⁠131582016––
Sep 12vs.Washington StateL 34–⁠376230912
Sep 19atPenn StateL 3–⁠2810704111
Sep 26vs.KansasW 27–⁠14957027119
Oct 10vs.Michigan StateL 24–⁠31274072––
Oct 17atIndianaW 55–⁠5264214026
Oct 24vs.Ohio StateL 7–⁠491056025––
Oct 31atWisconsinL 10–⁠486160612
Nov 21atArmyW 31–⁠2118116354––
Nov 28vs.MarylandL 41–⁠461771121––
2014 Rutgers 4 games, 363 rushing yards, 5 TD
DateOpponentResultCarYdsTDLongRecRec yds
Aug 28atWashington StateW 41–⁠3829173356––
Sep 6vs.HowardW 38–⁠2513431132100
Sep 13vs.Penn StateL 10–⁠131451015113
Sep 20atNavyW 31–⁠2479613817
2013 Rutgers 9 games, 881 rushing yards, 9 TD
DateOpponentResultCarYdsTDLongRecRec yds
Aug 29atFresno StateL 51–⁠522218206519
Sep 7vs.Norfolk StateW 38–⁠01811932512
Sep 14vs.Eastern MichiganW 28–⁠1021192355130
Sep 21vs.ArkansasW 28–⁠241780016324
Nov 16vs.CincinnatiL 17–⁠521978023––
Nov 21atUCFL 17–⁠411220113––
Nov 30atUConnL 17–⁠281149014––
Dec 7vs.South FloridaW 31–⁠626113215320
Dec 28 ✦vs.Notre DameL 16–⁠291048013222
2012 Rutgers 1 game, 22 rushing yards
DateOpponentResultCarYdsTDLongRecRec yds
Nov 24atPittsburghL 6–⁠27522010––

Box scores from CollegeFootballData, 2004 on. ✦ postseason; ★ a career high on file.

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