Syracuse · L 27-30
14 carries, 51 yards, 1 TD
The other 7 games average 92 yards. This one was 41 below.
Dashed line: 100 yards.
Raphael against SMU’s best seasons, game by game
Backs who run like Raphael, and how their seasons went
Raphael against this year’s top backs, game by game
The road ahead: 697 yards, 87 a game, 4 regular-season games left.
Over the last few games, SMU fans have been high on Raphael.
“Raphael is a BEAST”
“Surprise surprise the guy carrying us all game is the answer - Raphael”
“Thank you Calgorithm for Raphael”
From r/CFB game thread. Read by AI.
8 stories in the last 30 days, from 5 outlets.
No bar in a game where the team had under 100 rushing yards: a share of that little says nothing.
Share of the team's total this season.
Each line is one carry: taller means more yards, and a line pointing down lost yards. Black lines are touchdowns. The play text only says left, middle or right, so inside each lane the carries are lined up shortest to longest, not placed. Of the carries with a spot in the play text: left 25, middle 68, right 29. The longest went for 40 yards.
Kendrick Raphael
Kendrick Raphael takes over from TJ Harden at SMU.
Rushing value per play
+0.30
our model · 2026 · 59 plays
SMU fans are litigating the player's worthiness — the eye test against the résumé.
Minority viewA vocal minority sees it the other way.
AI-generated narrative · may contain errors · not journalism · updated 2026-11-05
Play style
Does a little of everything without one standout trait.
Boom vs consistent · carry-yardage shape
Steady, not spectacular
Just 22.0% of the season's rushing yards came on the 5 best carries — remarkably even — and the back is stuffed on 14.5% of carries. 3 carries for 3 yds vs UC Davis; 22 for 189 vs Louisville.
Counted from the play-by-play, so a carry or two can differ from the box score.
Closer · Q4-with-lead carry share
Not actually a closer
49.4% of carries overall (130/263) → 37.0% of Q4-with-lead carries (17/46) — 82.4% of those in competitive (≤16-pt) games.
Counted from the play-by-play, so a carry or two can differ from the box score.
Short-yardage / goal-line · enumeration
Who gets the tough yard
10 of 11 on 3rd/4th-and-2-or-less (90.9%). 10 of the team's 20 inside-the-5 carries (50.0%).
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
from 5 outlets
SMU's Kevin Jennings 'Super Grateful' To Have Kendrick Raphael Ahead Of California Rematch
Roundtable +1 Oct 23 · 2 outlets
from 5 outlets
SMU's Kevin Jennings 'Super Grateful' To Have Kendrick Raphael Ahead Of California Rematch
Roundtable +1 Oct 23 · 2 outlets
Roundtable +1
The Dallas Morning NewsThe Dallas Morning NewsRoundtableRoundtableEach week: the team’s game, the stories about this player that week, and the week’s biggest news headline.
Stories we tracked, by school.
SMU14 stories2026 to nowMost about: win, profile and feature, preview and matchup.
Roundtable +1SMU's Rhett Lashlee Reacts To Wasting Kendrick Raphael's Monster Day vs. LouisvilleSep 22Roundtable +1SMU's Kevin Jennings 'Super Grateful' To Have Kendrick Raphael Ahead Of California RematchOct 23RoundtableSMU's Kendrick Raphael Making Waves At CampAug 8RoundtableKendrick Raphael's Doak Walker Recognition Raises SMU's Offensive CeilingAug 19The Dallas Morning NewsCal transfer RB Kendrick Raphael gives SMU something it's been missing since CFP runAug 20
California5 stories2025Most about: awards and watch lists, profile and feature, starting job and depth chart.
Locked OnHow SMU Running Back Room upgraded with Kendrick Raphael While saving ResourcesJan 14Locked OnSMU Lands in PFF Top 25 as Kendrick Raphael and Defense elevate the Mustangs’ HypeFeb 3Locked OnSmu’s Kendrick Raphael Will explode In 2026Feb 6Locked OnSMU Mustangs should feature Both Kendrick Raphael & Dramekco GreenApr 21Locked OnSmu’s Kendrick Raphael Poised to be a gamechanger – Why He’ll explode in 2026Jun 10
NC State2023 to 2024not trackedStories are headlines grouped by what they are about, counted through Nov 5.
Fans first named Kendrick Raphael at Florida State.
Aura™ · Him Watch
Aura compares how much fans talk about this player with how well this player plays, each ranked among RBs.
−12aura tax
63rd percentile our rushing-value metric (weighted expected points added) ranked among 104 RBs
— the play ranks higher than the talk.Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | SMU | 135 | 697 | 5.2 | 9 | 40 |
| 2025 | California | 233 | 952 | 4.1 | 13 | 33 |
| 2024 | NC State | 78 | 425 | 5.4 | 3 | 40 |
| 2023 | NC State | 67 | 311 | 4.6 | 1 | 31 |
| Career | 513 | 2,385 | 4.6 | 26 | 40 |
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | SMU | 15 | 152 | 10.1 | 1 | 36 |
| 2025 | California | 34 | 245 | 7.2 | 1 | 42 |
| 2024 | NC State | 10 | 41 | 4.1 | 0 | 11 |
| 2023 | NC State | 10 | 96 | 9.6 | 0 | 21 |
| Career | 69 | 534 | 7.7 | 2 | 42 |
Last game (Wk 9): 51 rushing yards, 1 rushing TD, 5 catches.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 8 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 27-24@ Florida State | 12 | 75 | 6.3 | 0 | 23 | |
| Wk 2 | W 56-10vs UC Davis | 3 | 3 | 1.0 | 1 | 5 | |
| Wk 3 | L 31-41@ No. 23 Louisville | 24 | 197 | 8.2 | 3 | 40 | Season-high 197 yds |
| Wk 4 | W 34-24vs Missouri State | 23 | 98 | 4.3 | 1 | 21 | |
| Wk 5 | W 25-16vs Boston College | 15 | 45 | 3.0 | 1 | 20 | |
| Wk 7 | W 23-13vs Virginia | 22 | 124 | 5.6 | 0 | 28 | |
| Wk 8 | W 59-20vs California | 22 | 104 | 4.7 | 2 | 16 | |
| Wk 9 | L 27-30@ Syracuse | 14 | 51 | 3.6 | 1 | 13 | |
| Total | 135 | 697 | 5.2 | 9 | 40 |
Oct. 31 · L 27-30 at Syracuse, play by play
14 carries for 51 yards and a touchdown. Kendrick Raphael also caught 5 passes for 33 yards.
13-yard catch. Fourth quarter, down 20-19.
22 carries for 104 yards and 2 touchdowns. Kendrick Raphael converted a 4th and 1 with SMU down 17-10.
The per-play feed is missing a 1-yard run in the third quarter (the play drew a penalty), which the play text shows; the chart draws the 21 carries it has.
1-yard run on 3rd and 2. First quarter, tied 0-0.
22-yard touchdown on 4th and 2. First quarter, made it 10-7.
1-yard touchdown run on 4th and 1. Second quarter, made it 17-17.
Each carry is a stem from the line, in the lane the play text names, sorted shortest to longest. The play text only says left, middle or right, so inside a lane marks are sorted, not placed.
22 carries for 124 yards.
2-yard run on 3rd and 3. First quarter, tied 0-0.
3-yard run on 3rd and 4. First quarter, tied 0-0.
Incomplete on 3rd and 3. Second quarter, down 7-3.
28-yard run. Second quarter, tied 10-10.
Each carry is a stem from the line, in the lane the play text names, sorted shortest to longest. The play text only says left, middle or right, so inside a lane marks are sorted, not placed.
15 carries for 45 yards and a touchdown.
2-yard touchdown run on 3rd and 1. First quarter, made it 6-0.
3-yard run on 3rd and 1. First quarter, down 10-6. Converted.
20-yard run. Second quarter, up 13-10.
No gain on 3rd and 13. Second quarter, up 13-10.
Each carry is a stem from the line, in the lane the play text names, sorted shortest to longest. The play text only says left, middle or right, so inside a lane marks are sorted, not placed.
23 carries for 98 yards and a touchdown. In the fourth quarter, with SMU ahead by one score, Kendrick Raphael carried 5 times for 10 yards. Kendrick Raphael also caught 4 passes for 48 yards.
The per-play feed is missing a 5-yard run in the second quarter (the play drew a penalty), which the play text shows; the chart draws the 22 carries it has.
2-yard run on 3rd and 1. First quarter, tied 0-0. Converted.
21-yard run. First quarter, down 10-0.
5-yard catch on 3rd and 12. Second quarter, down 10-7.
4-yard run on 3rd and 3. Fourth quarter, up 21-18. Converted.
Each carry is a stem from the line, in the lane the play text names, sorted shortest to longest. The play text only says left, middle or right, so inside a lane marks are sorted, not placed.
24 carries for 197 yards and 3 touchdowns, a season high. Kendrick Raphael converted a 4th and 1 with the score tied 0-0.
The per-play feed is missing a 5-yard run in the first quarter (the play drew a penalty) and a 3-yard run in the third quarter (the play drew a penalty), which the play text shows; the chart draws the 22 carries it has.
40-yard run. First quarter, tied 0-0.
2-yard touchdown run on 4th and 1. First quarter, made it 7-0.
2-yard run on 3rd and 2. Third quarter, down 21-17. Converted.
34-yard run on 4th and 1. Fourth quarter, down 41-31. Converted.
Each carry is a stem from the line, in the lane the play text names, sorted shortest to longest. The play text only says left, middle or right, so inside a lane marks are sorted, not placed.
3 carries for 3 yards and a touchdown.
23-yard catch. Second quarter, up 21-0.
Each carry is a stem from the line, in the lane the play text names, sorted shortest to longest. The play text only says left, middle or right, so inside a lane marks are sorted, not placed.
12 carries for 75 yards.
23-yard run. Second quarter, up 17-10.
5-yard run on 3rd and 10. Second quarter, up 17-10.
3-yard run on 3rd and 4. Fourth quarter, tied 24-24.
Each carry is a stem from the line, in the lane the play text names, sorted shortest to longest. The play text only says left, middle or right, so inside a lane marks are sorted, not placed.
Week 3 · 2026
L 31-41
at Louisville
197 rush yds (24 car) · 3 TD · 2 rec · 11 yds
With K. Jennings — 222 yds · 1 TD · 2 INT · QBR 71.5 · 35 rush yds (9 car) · W. McSparron — 39.7 yards per punt · 3 punts · 1 inside the 20
The plays that mattered most
31st in rushing yards, among all 1,551 FBS players with a rushing row this season, any position
Conference ranks count every player in the conference with a row in that stat, any position. Career ranks count current FBS players, from the games in our log.
Ratings of the games shown run from -17 to +12 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Rush profile · Shape, efficiency, and ball security
How the yards come, and how often it works
Success rate
50%130 carriesStuffed
0 or fewer ydsGrind
1–3 ydsChunk
4–9 ydsExplosive
10+ yds5.2 yds/carry on 135 carries · 14% explosive (10+ yds) · 50% success rate.
Receiver profile · Targets, catch rate, and throw depth
How often the receiver is targeted, and how well it works
Targets
168% of team targetsCatch rate
88%14 of 16 targetsBehind LOS · Negative air yds
Short · 0–9 air yds
Middle · 10–19 air yds
Deep · 20+ air yds
88% catch rate on 16 targets · 8% of the team's targets.
Situational · Carry shape (PBP, full season)
Yardage DNA
Stuffed (≤0)
Grind (1–3)
Chunk (4–9)
Explosive (10+)
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 8 games
Home vs Road
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home5g | 74.8 | 3.7 | 1.0 |
| Road3g | 108 | 6.0 | 1.3 |
First half vs Second half
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 90.3 | 4.7 | 1.0 |
| Weeks 8+2g | 77.5 | 4.2 | 1.5 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Rhett Lashlee
Pass share
49.4%
268 pass / 275 run
Plays / game
67.9
8 games
Team sack rate
4.9%
288 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced.
Player standing · 2026
135 carries and 15 catches in 8 games, more touches a game than most FBS running backs who play every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Three-star recruit. Now #23 at the position.
2026 is in progress.
Played for three programs.
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
3 coachesPlayed for 3 head coaches at 3 schools: Dave Doeren, Justin Wilcox and Rhett Lashlee.
Next stop · Transfer
Transferred to SMU
