Short-yardage / goal-line · enumeration
Who gets the tough yard
9/153rd/4th & short
8/30Inside-5 share
9 of 15 on 3rd/4th-and-2-or-less (60.0%). 8 of the team's 30 inside-the-5 carries (26.7%).
Ron Cook Jr.
Ron Cook Jr.: RB · Buffalo · #2.
Similar players
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Ron Cook Jr.
Wins in space out of the backfield. The five seasons at Buffalo span two head coaches: Lance Leipold and Maurice Linguist. On tape: 97 rushing yards and 35 receiving yards against Toledo, Week 10, 2023.
Style of play
Style of play
Play style
Deployed as a receiver as much as a runner. Value is in space, not between the tackles.
Fans
No outlet on our list has written about this player by name this season.
Where to follow
Career stats
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Game log
Game log · Week-by-week
2023 season · 12 games
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| Wk | Opp | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 17-38@ No. 19 Wisconsin | 12 | 51 | 4.3 | 0 | 14 | |
| Wk 2 | L 37-40vs Fordham | 11 | 52 | 4.7 | 0 | 27 | |
| Wk 3 | L 27-55vs Liberty | 7 | 17 | 2.4 | 0 | 5 | |
| Wk 4 | L 38-45@ Louisiana | 11 | 48 | 4.4 | 2 | 12 | |
| Wk 5 | W 13-10@ Akron | 17 | 62 | 3.6 | 0 | 14 | |
| Wk 6 | W 37-13vs Central Michigan | 11 | 53 | 4.8 | 2 | 15 | |
| Wk 7 | L 14-24vs Bowling Green | 12 | 47 | 3.9 | 0 | 9 | |
| Wk 8 | W 24-6@ Kent State | 9 | 42 | 4.7 | 1 | 32 | |
| Wk 10 | L 13-31@ Toledo | 17 | 97 | 5.7 | 0 | 36 | Season-high 97 yds |
| Wk 11 | L 10-20vs Ohio | 16 | 48 | 3.0 | 0 | 19 | |
| Wk 12 | L 10-23@ Miami (OH) | 15 | 49 | 3.3 | 0 | 8 | |
| Wk 13 | L 11-24vs Eastern Michigan | 10 | 43 | 4.3 | 1 | 11 | |
| Total | 148 | 609 | 4.1 | 6 | 36 |
Signature game
Week 4 · 2023
L 38-45
at Louisiana
48 rush yds (11 car) · 2 TD · 2 rec · 32 yds
With A. Venneri — 44 yards per punt · 6 punts · 3 inside the 20 · C. Snyder — 198 yds · 1 TD · 2 INT · QBR 19.7
Signature plays
The plays that mattered most
- Week 7 · Bowling Green · 4th and 9 · Q3 · EPA +3.17CJ Ogbonna pass complete to Ron Cook Jr. for 15 yds to the BGSU 24 for a
- Week 4 · Louisiana · 3rd and 4 · Q4 · EPA +3.07Cole Snyder pass complete to Ron Cook Jr. for 25 yds to the UL 34 for a
- Week 10 · Toledo · 2nd and 8 · Q3 · EPA +3.01Ron Cook Jr. run for 36 yds to the TOL 25 for a
- Week 10 · Toledo · 3rd and 5 · Q2 · EPA +2.93Cole Snyder pass complete to Ron Cook Jr. for 21 yds to the 50 yard line for a
- Week 11 · Ohio · 4th and 5 · Q4 · EPA +2.87Cole Snyder pass complete to Ron Cook Jr. for 11 yds to the BUFF 47 for a
- Week 4 · Louisiana · 2nd and 9 · Q3 · EPA +2.78Ron Cook Jr. run for 12 yds for a TD Louisiana Penalty, Horse Collar Tackle (Tyree Skipper) to the UL 0 (R. Cook Jr. Run For Two-point Conversion)
4 more plays
- Week 13 · Eastern Michigan · 3rd and 1 · Q3 · EPA +2.50Ron Cook Jr. 6 Yd Run (Cole Snyder Pass to Cameron Ball for Two-Point Conversion)
- Week 8 · Kent State · 3rd and 1 · Q2 · EPA +2.45Ron Cook Jr. 1 Yd Run
- Week 11 · Ohio · 2nd and 10 · Q1 · EPA +2.41Ron Cook Jr. run for 19 yds to the BUFF 44 for a
- Week 4 · Louisiana · 2nd and 4 · Q3 · EPA +2.33Ron Cook Jr. run for 4 yds for a TD (Two-Point Conversion failed)
Situational
Situational · Carry shape (PBP, full season)
Yardage DNA
16%
Stuffed (≤0)
33%
Grind (1–3)
40%
Chunk (4–9)
10%
Explosive (10+)
Teams and coaches
2019Buffalo8-5HC: Lance Leipold · Run-heavy
2020Buffalo6-1HC: Lance Leipold · Run-heavy, fast tempo
2021Buffalo4-8HC: Maurice Linguist · Run-leaning
2022Buffalo7-6HC: Maurice Linguist · Run-leaning
2023Buffalo3-9HC: Maurice Linguist · Balanced
Our ratings
Splits
Home and road splits, scheme and staff
Splits · Per-game
2023 season · 12 games
Home vs Road
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home6g | 43.3 | 3.9 | 0.5 |
| Road6g | 58.2 | 4.3 | 0.5 |
First half vs Second half
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-77g | 47.1 | 4.0 | 0.6 |
| Weeks 8+5g | 55.8 | 4.2 | 0.4 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Maurice Linguist
Pass share
47.8%
394 pass / 430 run
Plays / game
68.7
12 games
Team sack rate
4.4%
365 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced.
Awards
Player standing · 2023
Starter
148 carries and 29 catches in 12 games, more touches a game than most FBS running backs who play every week.
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
49 · #120 of 310 RBs · 2023
Five seasons at Buffalo
- 2023 Buffalo LinguistYear 5 · 12 games
- 2022 Buffalo LinguistYear 4 · 10 games
- 2021 Buffalo LinguistYear 3 · 12 games
- 2020 Buffalo LeipoldYear 2 · 6 games
- 2019 Buffalo LeipoldYear 1 · 10 games
How it ended
Five seasons at Buffalo, 1,826 rushing yards — the college career is complete.
Coaching lineage · 2019–2023
2 coaches2019–2020
Buffalo
Coaching transition mid-career: Lance Leipold → Maurice Linguist. Worth noting in scheme + development context.