Have Any Cowboy Running Backs Separated Themselves from the Pack Through Two Games?

As somewhat expected, the Cowboys have used a heavy rotation of running backs through the opening two weeks of their season.

Three different backs took handoffs in Oklahoma State’s 27-7 season-opening win against UT-Martin before four backs had carries in the Pokes’ blowout loss to the Ducks this past weekend.

Given the heavy rotation and the fact that it’s been only two games, it’s tough to draw too big a conclusion on the Cowboys’ running back room because of the small sample sizes. But let’s take a little bit deeper look at the room to this point and see which way things are trending.

Traditional Stats

Thus far, Kalib Hicks taken the lion’s share of handoffs, more than tripling any other Cowboy running back.

After starting the UT-Martin game and taking a team-high 21 carries, Hicks toted the rock just three times in the first half against Oregon, running for nine yards in that stretch.

A lot of Hicks’ work in that Oregon game came late. He carried eight times in the fourth quarter against the Ducks and gained 50 yards. Hicks, an OU transfer, had a 14-yard run in that fourth quarter, OSU’s longest of the day. Opinion on his Oregon performance bases on how much stock you put into him running against the Ducks twos and threes, though you could argue that those twos and threes are as good, if not better than the UT-Martin starters.

Howland stands out from the pack in terms of yards per carry. The sample size is low, but the level of competition is not. After not getting on the field against UT-Martin, Howland carried six times for 31 yards (5.2 yards per carry) in the first half against Oregon. He did leave that game and returned to the sideline in a boot, but Howland told Robert Allen after the game:

“I’ll be good,” Howland said. “It is a small minor thing and it wasn’t worth risking it. I’ll be out there going forward. I’ll be practicing this week.”

Despite the sample size being low this season, this is actually a continuation of Howland from 2024. Working in a limited role behind Ollie Gordon, Howland carried 41 times last season for 230 yards — 5.6 yards per carry. More often than not, when the Cowboys have handed Howland the ball, the 247-pound back has found a way to get forward.

Yards After Contact (Stats Per PFF)

Another area where Hicks’ larger sample size stands out, but even with that larger sample, his 2.34 yards after contact per attempt number is among the best on the team.

Like with the yards per carry, this is a spot where Howland takes the early season cake at 2.83. No missed tackles forced with the highest yards per contact per attempt shows that Howland is a strong runner who falls forward. In his final two years at Indiana and last season at Oklahoma State, Howland has finished with 3.2 yards after contact or higher each year.

The missed tackles forced numbers across the board are a little low, but it’s hard to harp too much on that just two weeks into the season. But, when held to the Gordon standard (which is a high bar), OSU’s Doak Walker winner forced 13 missed tackles in the season opener against South Dakota State last season alone and averaged 3.4 missed tackles forced a game last season and 4.4 missed tackles forced a game in 2023.

Big Plays

The Cowboys haven’t exactly found their home run threat quite yet, evident by the fact that Zane Flores’ 19-yard scamper against UT-Martin is the Cowboys’ longest rush through the first two games.

Like all rushing stats, this one has a little to do with offensive line play, as if you’re not running in space, odds are getting 10 yards is going to be tough.

Back to the Gordon standard: Ollie had 20 carries of 10 yards or more last season (1.67 of such runs a game). He had 45 10-yard runs in 2023 and had at least a 20-yard carry in 10 games in 2023.