Short-yardage / goal-line · enumeration
Who gets the tough yard
5/29Inside-5 share
5 of the team's 29 inside-the-5 carries (17.2%).
Dillon Birden
Last confirmed: Houston, 2017. No 2026 box-score games on record.
5′10″ · 200 lb · Houston, TX
Dillon Birden: RB · Houston · #25.
Players he’s like
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Dillon Birden
Does a little of everything without one standout trait. Two seasons at Houston, two different head coaches: Tom Herman and Major Applewhite. One game to point at: 106 rushing yards and 13 receiving yards against Memphis — Week 8, 2017.
How he plays
How he plays
Play style
Plays within the scheme — consistent production without a dominant dimension.
News and fans
No outlet on our list has written about him by name this season.
Houston in the news
- Stephon Johnson, Myles Rowser cleared to play
Houston Chronicle Oct 4
Where to follow him
Career stats
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Game log
Game log · Week-by-week
2017 season · 6 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 2 | W 19-16@ Arizona | 14 | 83 | 5.9 | 1 | 33 | |
| Wk 3 | W 38-3vs Rice | 4 | 12 | 3.0 | 1 | 8 | |
| Wk 4 | L 24-27vs Texas Tech | 4 | 16 | 4.0 | 0 | 6 | |
| Wk 5 | W 20-13@ Temple | 6 | 34 | 5.7 | 0 | 13 | |
| Wk 7 | L 17-45@ Tulsa | 11 | 82 | 7.5 | 1 | 24 | |
| Wk 8 | L 38-42vs No. 25 Memphis | 21 | 106 | 5.0 | 1 | 40 | Season-high 106 yds |
| Total | 60 | 333 | 5.5 | 4 | 40 |
Signature game
Week 8 · 2017
L 38-42
vs Memphis
Signature plays
The plays that mattered most
- Week 7 · Tulsa · 2nd and 10 · Q4 · EPA +3.12Dillon Birden run for 24 yds for a TD, (Caden Novikoff KICK)
- Week 8 · Memphis · 1st and 10 · Q3 · EPA +3.11Dillon Birden run for 40 yds to the Memph 35 for a
- Week 3 · Rice · 3rd and 1 · Q1 · EPA +2.45Dillon Birden run for 1 yd for a TD, (Caden Novikoff KICK)
- Week 7 · Tulsa · 3rd and 6 · Q4 · EPA +2.44Dillon Birden run for 11 yds to the Tulsa 41 for a
- Week 8 · Memphis · 2nd and 10 · Q3 · EPA +2.38Dillon Birden run for 15 yds to the Houst 48 for a
- Week 5 · Temple · 2nd and 9 · Q1 · EPA +2.10Dillon Birden run for 13 yds to the Temp 45 for a
4 more plays
- Week 7 · Tulsa · 2nd and 10 · Q4 · EPA +2.04Dillon Birden run for 10 yds to the 50 yard line for a
- Week 2 · Arizona · 2nd and 10 · Q1 · EPA +1.86Dillon Birden run for 33 yds to the Ariz 11 for a
- Week 7 · Tulsa · 2nd and 8 · Q1 · EPA +1.78Dillon Birden run for 10 yds to the Houst 47 for a
- Week 2 · Arizona · 3rd and 4 · Q2 · EPA +1.76Kyle Allen pass complete to Dillon Birden for 11 yds to the Houst 37 for a
Rushing profile
Rush profile · Shape, efficiency, and ball security
How he gets his yards, and how often it works
59 of 60 carries matched to play-by-play
Success rate
48%59 carriesStuffed
0 or fewer yds8%of carries
5 carries
Grind
1–3 yds47%of carries
28 carries
Chunk
4–9 yds29%of carries
17 carries
Explosive
10+ yds15%of carries
9 carries
4 of 4 (100%) converted on 3rd/4th & short (≤2 to go) · 3 of 5 (60%) scored from inside the 5-yard line
5.6 yds/carry on 60 carries · 15% explosive (10+ yds) · 48% success rate.
Teams and coaches
2016Houston9-4HC: Tom Herman · Balanced, fast tempo
2017Houston7-5HC: Major Applewhite · Balanced
Our ratings
Splits
Home and road splits, scheme and staff
Splits · Per-game
2017 season · 6 games
Home vs Road
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home3g | 44.7 | 4.0 | 0.7 |
| Road3g | 66.3 | 6.4 | 0.7 |
First half vs Second half
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-75g | 45.4 | 5.2 | 0.6 |
| Weeks 8+1g | 106 | 5.0 | 1.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Major Applewhite
Pass share
48.2%
411 pass / 441 run
Plays / game
71.0
12 games
Team sack rate
3.7%
437 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced.
Awards
Player standing · 2017
60 carries and 8 catches in 6 games
About as many touches a game as a typical FBS running back who plays every week.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Two seasons at Houston
- 2017 Houston ApplewhiteYear 2 · 6 games
- 2016 Houston HermanYear 1 · 11 games
How it ended
Two seasons at Houston, 622 rushing yards — his college career is complete.
Coaching lineage · 2016–2017
2 coaches2016
Houston
Coaching transition mid-career: Tom Herman → Major Applewhite. Worth noting in scheme + development context.