Top 5 Running Back Performances of Week 12 College Football: Jahiem White, Ollie Gordon II, more

November 20, 2023

Justin's NCAA college football top running backs from Week 12 of the 2023 season. Top RB performers include Jahiem White and Ollie Gordon II.

Week 12 of the college football season is over. It was a fun day of football and included some good performances from running backs, with 14 backs rushing for 150 or more yards. Two running backs ran for over 200 yards in their game.

Many of these players are mentioned below, but a quick shoutout to the 150-plus yard rushers who didn't make this week's top five: Dean Connors (Rice), Aidan Robbins (BYU), Tahj Brooks (Texas Tech), George Holani (Boise State), Omarion Hampton (North Carolina), Jadyn Ott (Cal), Tyrone Tracy Jr. (Purdue), Antario Brown (Northern Illinois), Quali Conley (San Jose State), and Jermaine Brown Jr. (UAB). Big week for running backs. Honestly, big week in general for offense. Whether it was the passing game or the running game, there were plenty of big numbers this week.

Below are the top five running back performances from Week 12 of the college football season. These are judged through a combination of statistics, fantasy scoring, and game context, with consideration also given based on the team's offensive systems. Let's take a look at this week's top performances.

5. Malik Jackson - Jacksonville State

Jacksonville State took Louisiana Tech to the woodshed this weekend, winning 56-17 to move to 8-3 overall and 6-1 in Conference USA play. Three different Jacksonville State players wound up rushing for over 100 yards.

Quarterback Zion Webb found the end zone three times, carrying the ball 10 times for 122 yards. Anwar Lewis had 14 carries for 122 yards and a touchdown. The player I'm highlighting, though, is Malik Jackson, who had nine carries for 193 yards and two touchdowns in the game.

Jackson opened the season with five straight games of 73 or more yards, with three 100-yard efforts mixed in there. Then, something changed. His touches went down, with him hitting a season low against South Carolina with three carries for nine yards. Good job here for Jackson to get things back on track.

4. Jacory Croskey-Merritt - New Mexico

New Mexico's Jacory Croskey-Merritt returns to the list this week. He was last here way back in Week 2, when he ran for 162 yards and three touchdowns in a win over Tennessee Tech.

Since then, Croskey-Merritt had just one 100-yard game, running for 103 yards in a loss to Wyoming. He's done a good job finding the end zone this season, but Croskey-Merritt just wasn't racking up the yards.

That changed on Saturday against Fresno State. He carried the ball 21 times for 204 yards in the 25-17 victory, finding the end zone twice. Croskey-Merritt has now scored 16 touchdowns on the ground this season which leads the Mountain West Conference and ranks second in all of the FBS.

3. Ja'Quez Cross - Arkansas State

Arkansas State running back Ja'Quez Cross had three touchdowns coming into Saturday's win over Texas State. He doubled that number in the 77-31 victory.

First, let's just briefly talk about that 77. Texas State has made some good strides on offense this year, but the defense ranks 114th in opponent points per game after this week's contest. The Bobcats really struggle to stop the other team.

That was especially true on Saturday and it was especially true in the second quarter for Ja'Quez Cross, when he scored three rushing touchdowns. Arkansas State was trailing before his first score, but after he scored on a 42-yard run with 9:14 to go in the second quarter, the Red Wolves scored six touchdowns in a row before Texas State scored again. Cross also added 15 and 57-yard scores in the second, part of a 139-yard night for Cross.

That wasn't all, though. At the end of the third quarter, Cross added a fourth touchdown. This time, it was via a 93-yard kickoff return touchdown. It was just a monstrous performance from Cross and, really, from all of this Arkansas State team.

2. Ollie Gordon II - Oklahoma State

Back on Nov. 11, Oklahoma State's offense was curiously bad against UCF. Entering that game, running back Ollie Gordon II had run for 100-plus yards in six consecutive games, but in that loss, he was held to 25 yards on 12 carries. It was a surprising result considering how well he'd been playing.

Gordon bounced back from that showing in a big way on Saturday against Houston though. He carried the ball 25 times for 164 yards and three touchdowns in the 43-30 victory. Gordon also caught five passes for 16 yards.

His ascension to the role of "best running back in college football" is back on. Despite not taking over as the team's primary running back until the team's fourth game, Gordon has run for 1,414 yards this season, which leads all of the FBS. He's fifth in rushing touchdowns with 15. This guy is a star.

1. Jahiem White  - West Virginia

West Virginia's offense was unstoppable in its 42-21 win over Cincinnati, especially on the ground. Quarterback Garrett Green ran for 154 yards and three touchdowns in the game, while running back Jahiem White had a huge game of his own. White carried the ball 21 times for 204 yards and a touchdown. White also caught Greene's lone touchdown pass, with a 75-yard scoring play early in the second quarter.

The freshman running back has had a really odd campaign so far. After rushing for 110 yards in the team's opener against Duquesne, he had just one carry over the next two games.

However, White's had an increase in production lately. Two games ago against BYU, he had 16 carries for 146 yards. He's now up to 659 yards and three touchdowns this season. White's a name to remember going forward. He's part of a talented group of young running backs in the Big 12.

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