Top 5 Running Back Performances of Week 13 College Football: Audric Estimé, Ollie Gordon II, more

November 27, 2023

Justin's NCAA college football top running backs from Week 13 of the 2023 season. Top RB performers include Audric Estime and Ollie Gordon II.

Week 13 of the college football season is over. It was a fun day of football and included some good performances from running backs, with 11 backs rushing for 150 or more yards. Four 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: Peny Boone (Toledo), Makhi Hughes (Tulane), Kairee Robinson (San Jose State), Braelon Allen (Wisconsin), Kendall Milton (Georgia), and Emani Bailey (TCU). Two backs also had over 100 receiving yards: Ashton Jeanty of Boise State and E.J. Smith of Stanford.

Below are the top five running back performances from Week 13 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. Cody Schrader - Missouri

Not that I expected a close game, but Missouri just absolutely smashed Arkansas on Friday to the tune of a 48-14 victory for the Tigers. I had a chance to watch a little of this one and it was such a chippy game, even with the blowout score.

Mizzou got out to a 41-0 lead in this one, with Arkansas not scoring until the fourth quarter. The scoring for Missouri got going with a two-yard run by Cody Schrader in the first quarter, his only touchdown of the day.

But while Schrader only found the end zone once, he was the engine that moved the ball up and down the field for the Tigers. He had 27 carries for 217 yards in the victory. For an example of just how much Missouri relied on him, look at the numbers for quarterback Brady Cook, who attempted 20 passes and had 112 passing yards. This was Schrader's game and the Razorbacks just consistently had no answer for him.

4. Jacory Croskey-Merritt - New Mexico

For the second game in a row, New Mexico's Jacory Croskey-Merritt rushed for over 200 yards. After going for 209 and two scores against Fresno State last week, Croskey-Merritt had 31 carries for 233 yards and one score in Friday's double-overtime loss to Utah State.

This now makes four games this season with at least 100 yards for Croskey-Merritt, with three of those being 150-plus yards. After spending most of his career at the FCS level at Alabama State, Croskey-Merritt has shown out in his FBS debut.

He currently leads the Mountain West in rushing attempts and rushing yards and sits second in the conference in rushing touchdowns. Those 17 rushing scores are also enough to place him fifth in all of FBS.

3. Abu Sama III - Iowa State

Iowa State and Kansas State played a snow game this weekend, with the Cyclones scoring the 42-35 upset victory. Running back Abu Sama III was a huge part of that win, running the football 16 times for 276 yards and three touchdowns.

All three touchdowns were long ones. He opened the scoring with a 71-yard score just seconds into the game, then added a 77-yard touchdown just seconds into the second quarter. His third touchdown was the shortest of them all, but it was still a 60-yard run.

The freshman has had pretty erratic production this year. Two games ago against BYU, he had eight carries for 110 yards and two touchdowns in an apparent breakout performance, but he followed that up against Texas with seven carries for just 11 yards. Maybe this week is his real breakout.

2. Ollie Gordon II - Oklahoma State

Oklahoma State's Ollie Gordon II remains just absolutely impossible to stop. This week in a double-overtime win over BYU, Gordon found the end zone five times. I mean...five rushing scores is what some teams get from their starting running back in a season. Gordon did it in one game.

Overall on Saturday, Gordon had 34 carries for 166 yards. He also caught four passes for 10 yards. This was the fifth time this season that Gordon has finished with over 150 rushing yards in a game.

For the season, Gordon has 1,580 rushing yards, which leads the FBS. He has 1,852 yards from scrimmage, which also leads the FBS. His 21 touchdowns don't lead the FBS, but it's close as he ranks second in that behind only Michigan's Blake Corum.

1. Audric Estimé - Notre Dame

Notre Dame running back Audric Estimé had a monster showing on Saturday against Stanford, running the football 25 times for 238 yards with four touchdowns. It was the fifth time this season that Estimé has scored multiple rushing touchdowns in a game.

It was also his sixth game with at least 100 rushing yards, though it was the first time that the junior running back had hit the 200-yard mark.

Estimé's 18 rushing touchdowns this season put him third in the FBS, behind only Blake Corum and Ollie Gordon. It's just been a huge year for Estimé. He now has 30 rushing touchdowns over the past two seasons.

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