Short-yardage / goal-line · enumeration
Who gets the tough yard
8/113rd/4th & short
11/27Inside-5 share
8 of 11 on 3rd/4th-and-2-or-less (72.7%). 11 of the team's 27 inside-the-5 carries (40.7%).
Will Matthews
Last confirmed: Kent State, 2019. No 2026 box-score games on record.
5′7″ · 201 lb · Destrehan, LA
Will Matthews: RB · Kent State · #2.
Players he’s like
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Will Matthews
Does a little of everything without one standout trait. Will Matthews has played for two head coaches in four seasons at Kent State. A game that shows it: 126 rushing yards and 1 rushing TD against Akron — Week 7, 2019.
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.
Where to follow him
Career stats
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Season | Team | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Kent State | 123 | 570 | 4.6 | 3 |
| 2018 | Kent State | 29 | 115 | 4.0 | 1 |
| 2017 | Kent State | 54 | 188 | 3.5 | 1 |
| 2016 | Kent State | 31 | 138 | 4.5 | 0 |
| Career | 237 | 1,011 | 4.3 | 5 |
| Season | Team | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Kent State | 7 | 70 | 10.0 | 0 |
| 2018 | Kent State | 5 | 47 | 9.4 | 0 |
| 2017 | Kent State | 5 | 71 | 14.2 | 0 |
| 2016 | Kent State | 3 | 91 | 30.3 | 0 |
| Career | 20 | 279 | 13.9 | 0 |
Game log
Game log · Week-by-week
2019 season · 8 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 7 | W 26-3@ Akron | 25 | 126 | 5.0 | 1 | 16 | Season-high 126 yds |
| Wk 8 | L 38-45@ Ohio | 14 | 85 | 6.1 | 1 | 25 | |
| Wk 9 | L 16-23vs Miami (OH) | 15 | 52 | 3.5 | 0 | 10 | |
| Wk 11 | L 33-35@ Toledo | 13 | 55 | 4.2 | 0 | 25 | |
| Wk 12 | W 30-27vs Buffalo | 11 | 37 | 3.4 | 0 | 15 | |
| Wk 13 | W 41-38vs Ball State | 14 | 85 | 6.1 | 0 | 34 | |
| Wk 14 | W 34-26@ Eastern Michigan | 14 | 74 | 5.3 | 0 | 11 | |
 Bowl | W 51-41vs Utah State | 17 | 56 | 3.3 | 1 | 12 | |
| Total | 123 | 570 | 4.6 | 3 | 34 |
Signature game
Week 8 · 2019
L 38-45
at Ohio
Signature plays
The plays that mattered most
- Week 11 · Toledo · 3rd and 18 · Q4 · EPA +4.01Dustin Crum pass complete to Will Matthews for 28 yds to the Toled 40 for a
- Week 11 · Toledo · 1st and 10 · Q1 · EPA −3.46Will Matthews run for 5 yds to the Toled 41 Will Matthews fumbled, forced by Terrance Taylor, recovered by Toled Saeed Holt
- Week 13 · Ball State · 2nd and 10 · Q3 · EPA +3.20Will Matthews run for 34 yds to the 50 yard line for a
- Week 8 · Ohio · 2nd and 10 · Q1 · EPA +3.05Will Matthews run for 25 yds to the Ohio 39 for a
- Week 11 · Toledo · 2nd and 6 · Q1 · EPA +2.65Will Matthews run for 25 yds to the Toled 46 for a
- Week 8 · Ohio · 1st and 25 · Q2 · EPA +2.29Will Matthews run for 17 yds to the Ohio 48
4 more plays
- Week 7 · Akron · 2nd and 2 · Q2 · EPA +2.09Will Matthews run for 5 yds for a TD, (Matthew Trickett KICK)
- Week 8 · Ohio · 2nd and 2 · Q2 · EPA +2.07Will Matthews run for 2 yds for a TD, (Matthew Trickett KICK)
- Week 8 · Ohio · 2nd and 8 · Q2 · EPA −1.85Will Matthews run for a loss of 4 yards to the KntSt 44 Will Matthews fumbled, forced by Will Evans, recovered by KntSt Dustin Crum
- Week 7 · Akron · 2nd and 10 · Q4 · EPA +1.73Will Matthews run for 16 yds to the KntSt 35 for a
Rushing profile
Rush profile · Shape, efficiency, and ball security
How he gets his yards, and how often it works
123 of 123 carries matched to play-by-play
Success rate
48%106 carriesFumble rate
1.6%2 of 123 carries · 1 lostStuffed
0 or fewer yds17%of carries
21 carries
Grind
1–3 yds33%of carries
41 carries
Chunk
4–9 yds35%of carries
43 carries
Explosive
10+ yds15%of carries
18 carries
8 of 11 (73%) converted on 3rd/4th & short (≤2 to go) · 3 of 11 (27%) scored from inside the 5-yard line
4.6 yds/carry on 123 carries · 15% explosive (10+ yds) · 48% success rate.
Situational
Situational · Carry shape (PBP, full season)
Yardage DNA
17%
Stuffed (≤0)
33%
Grind (1–3)
35%
Chunk (4–9)
15%
Explosive (10+)
Teams and coaches
2016Kent State3-9HC: Paul Haynes · Run-heavy
2017Kent State2-10HC: Paul Haynes · Run-heavy
2018Kent State2-10HC: Sean Lewis · Run-leaning, fast tempo
2019Kent State7-6HC: Sean Lewis · Run-heavy
Our ratings
Splits
Home and road splits, scheme and staff
Splits · Per-game
2019 season · 8 games
Home vs Road
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home3g | 58.0 | 4.3 | 0.0 |
| Road4g | 85.0 | 5.2 | 0.5 |
First half vs Second half
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-72g | 91.0 | 4.2 | 1.0 |
| Weeks 8+6g | 64.7 | 4.8 | 0.2 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Sean Lewis
Pass share
39.4%
355 pass / 546 run
Plays / game
69.3
13 games
Team sack rate
10.5%
418 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-heavy.
Awards
Player standing · 2019
123 carries and 7 catches in 8 games
More touches a game than most FBS running backs who play every week.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Four seasons at Kent State
- 2019 Kent State LewisYear 4 · 8 games
- 2018 Kent State LewisYear 3 · 8 games
- 2017 Kent State HaynesYear 2 · 9 games
- 2016 Kent State HaynesYear 1 · 8 games
How it ended
Four seasons at Kent State, 1,011 rushing yards — his college career is complete.
Coaching lineage · 2016–2019
2 coaches2016–2017
Kent State
Coaching transition mid-career: Paul Haynes → Sean Lewis. Worth noting in scheme + development context.