ComPewter Analysis: Gap widening between Ronald Jones, Peyton Barber
By Cory Kinnan
The numbers are not close between the backs
Before we take a dive into the analytical numbers of Jones and Barber, we will first take a look at what the black and white numbers in the box score seem to indicate. As the gap continues to widen between Barber and Jones, what does the box score say about both of the young backs?
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Through the first five games of the season, Barber is averaging just three and a half yards per carry and has carried the ball 61 times for the Bucs. Barber currently have 214 yards rushing and has gotten the bulk of goalline carries, scoring three times as well. As a receiver, Jones has caught six passes for just 25 yards out of the backfield.
Jones, on the other hand, has been far more explosive than Barber thus far, and has averaged four and a half yards per carry on two less carries. On the season, Jones has 259 yards rushing and one touchdown on the ground; the second year USC product has also been a reliable receiver out of the backfield, catching five passes for 92 yards.
On three less total catches, Jones already has more yards than Barber, averaging over a yard more per touch as well. Now taking an analytical dive, the gap widens by more than just 45 yards rushing between the top backs in Tampa.