SEC StatCat's Top5 Red Zone Rushers for 2021

For better or worse, teams tend to revert to the old ways of doing things inside the red zone. They will turn to condensed sets and look towards their run game to punch the ball past the goal line. Each down is precious and each yard yet to be gained is at a premium. Performance in this area of the field can often swing ball games —and many times — seasons. Let’s face it, some dudes just have a knack for pushing the ball past the plain. Though things can change moving forward, here are the SEC running backs returning for 2021 who are the most successful red zone rushers.

5. Isaiah Spiller

Despite being held to a rush yards before contact clip right at a yard, Texas A&M’s Isaiah Spiller was a noticeably determined rusher inside his opponents’ 20. While sharing the conference’s 5th-best returning Success Rate, his 40.6% Broken Tackle Rate in this area of the field holds the SEC’s silver medal for 2021. Though he was less bruising on his goal-to-go tries, Spiller still finished with a top3 YAC cumulative average in this area of the field. Considering the Aggie logged the conference’s 3rd-most red zone yards and 4th-most first down+TD runs, he displayed a very good mix of volume and efficiency inside the red zone.  

4. Kevin Harris

Kevin Harris helped his value-based metrics not only by being an efficient rusher on the money down but by also delivering in the red zone. A good deal of his metrics fell outside the top5 amongst returners; and his Yards/Carry, Broken Tackle Rate and YAC average, are the worst of anyone else’s on this list. Because of those shortcomings, I docked his final position on even though he totals the highest combined number of conversions and scores in this area of the field amongst returners. His best selling point come via his result-based metrics per a top3 First Down+TD Rate and top2 TD Rate on goal-to-go-carries. On the tries of the latter, Harris’ 20% Broken Tackle Rate holds the conference’s bronze medal for this fall. 

3. Jerrion Ealy

Behind crafty RPO schematics, Jerrion Ealy’s scheme and environment gifted him the highest red zone rush yards before contact average ahead of this fall. His 2.53 clip is over a yard better than anyone else on this list. But before you jump all over him for that luxury, Ealy still displayed plenty of forcefulness. Both of his Broken Tackle Rate and YAC average sit inside the top4 amongst his peers, and no rusher produced a more preferable Yards/Carry. Furthermore, Ealy fought and clawed on goal-to-go carries admirably. Despite suffering from a negative before contact clip on these runs, he sports the 2nd-best YAC average with about 42% his goal-to-go tries resulting in points. For what it’s worth, Ealy’s 142 red zone rush yards are the most within the SEC of 2021. 

2. Tank Bigsby

Tank Bigsby’s ferocious running style predominantly carried over into the red zone. Despite his age and a humble rush yards before contact average, exactly half of his attempts in this area of the field resulted in either a fresh set of downs or six points. Like you’d expect from the SEC’s reigning hardest back to tackle, Bigbsy’s 40.9% Broken Tackle Rate wasn’t too far behind his overall clip and stands to be the best amongst his peers for this fall. All the while, his 2.86 YAC average is runner-up. But on goal-to-go carries, the soon-to-be sophomore mostly followed his blockers. No returner bests his 1.57 rush yards before contact average as his 43% TD Rate in the low-red zone cracks the top5.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

1. Brian Robinson

In terms of makeup of carries, Brian Robinson was one of the conference’s most-featured red zone rushers in 2020. No, you don’t need to remind me of his teammate Najee Harris’ prowess pushing the ball past the plain. But, Robinson was even better at turning his carries in this area of the field into either a first down or a tuddy by about five percentage points. Playing in garbage time and frequently with a cushion on the scoreboard, the Tider didn’t decrease his effort. On both overall red zone tries as well as goal-to-go carries, Robinson posted a 2.91 YAC average, which stands to be the conference’s best for this fall, and only Jerrion Ealy tops his Yards/Carry. In the low red-zone, Robinson’s determination shined through via the SEC’s gold medals in goal-to-go TD Rate and Broken Tackle Rate that both rock 54.6% clips.