Finding the end zone hasn’t been a problem for redshirt senior running back Rachaad White. In nine games this season, White has been a touchdown machine, scoring 14 times on the ground and once through the air. Numbers don’t tell the entire story, but they paint a pretty solid picture of what White has meant to the Sun Devils this year. Here are a few numbers that stand out:
63: During Arizona State’s run-and-Rachaad White-heavy 35-30 comeback win over Washington, White accounted for 63 percent of Arizona State’s total offensive yardage. The week prior against USC, he was responsible for 55.5 percent of the Sun Devils offensive output during a 31-16 win over the Trojans.
“Rachaad has done a fabulous job of running,” said head coach Herm Edwards after ASU escaped Seattle with its seventh win of the season. “He’s literally carrying the offense on his back right now.”
The past two performances from White represent the first and third-highest percentages of yardage by one Sun Devil during a win in the Herm Edwards era. Sandwiched in between the Washington and USC showings from White is another outstanding game from another Sun Devil who wore No. 3: Eno Benjamin’s 339 total yards and four touchdowns in a 52-24 win over Oregon State in September of 2018 gave Benjamin 60.8 percent of ASU’s total offense in that game.
131: The lowest rushing yardage total for the Sun Devils this season came in ASU’s 34-21 loss to Washington State on Oct. 30. Coincidentally, that season-low came with White out of the lineup, as Edwards and the ASU staff decided to protect their star running back. In doing so, the ASU offense struggled to execute – turning the ball over five times in a performance that had the Sun Devils looking like a shell of themselves.
“My legs for sure were fresh off the bye week,” said White two days after being named Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week for the second consecutive week. The honor came after two straight weeks with exactly 237 yards of total offense. “It was just a big thing of getting healthy. That was a big emphasis for me, and I feel like I came back healthy. Right now, I feel pretty good.”
37: White said he feels good despite a huge workload recently. Sneakily, White has never been a high touch player during his time at Arizona State. Efficient in his production, the Kansas City, Mo., native is usually given rest throughout games as offensive coordinator Zak Hill and running backs coach Shaun Aguano give work to either sophomore running back DeaMonte Trayanum or redshirt freshman running back Daniyel Ngata.
“He wants to be in there,” said Hill after the victory against Washington. “He doesn’t want to come out. He wants the ball.”
Before consecutive weeks of 30-plus touches, White’s previous career high was 27 touches, coming in ASU’s September win over UNLV. Until the last two weeks – when White has set new career highs in touches in a game – the matchup with the Rebels represented White’s only 20-touch game in a Sun Devil uniform.
“I do be getting tired at times,” White admitted Wednesday after getting 32 carries and five receptions against the Huskies. “At the end of the day, you just want to win, so you push through. Like I said, you see it in my teammate’s eyes. Guys believe in me. I believe in myself, and you can see it in the opposing team’s eyes, too. A lot of teams don’t like it when you can just keep running the ball and pounding it.”
On Arizona State’s first possession of the fourth quarter, the Sun Devils burnt over nine minutes off the clock on a 20-play drive.
“That can make a defense tired, too. As I’m tired, I know the other team is tired,” explained White. “It’s kind of like, ‘what are you going to do?’ You’ve gotta stand up, man up, and go ahead and finish it off.”
11: In 11 of 13 games that White has donned the maroon and gold, he’s found the end zone at least one time. The only game this season White has not found the end zone was against Utah when the ASU running back was limited due to a leg injury. White has eight games with multiple touchdowns – an astounding 4:1 ratio of games with two scores to games with no scores at all.
In breaking down what he’s seen on tape of Oregon State (6-4, 4-3 Pac-12) ahead of this weekend’s trip to Corvallis, the always joyous White had another wry smile and confidence that his success should continue.
“They’re technically sound,” White said of the Beaver defense, “so we just know what we have to do. Everybody’s doing their job, we’ve got a good game plan in, and we should be good.”
6.8: Yes, White could use the NCAA’s free COVID year exemption to return to Arizona State in the 2022-23 season if he so chooses, but many expect this to be his last season in Tempe.
White’s short Sun Devil career – made shorter by a four-game season in 2020 – likely won’t see him accumulate enough carries to reach the NCAA’s 300-carry minimum for all-time records. But that doesn’t make his career mark of 6.8 yards per carry any less impressive.
“He has great contact balance,” Edwards said following White’s outstanding performance against USC. “Strong, strong legs, powerful body, and a great body balance, but goes with the hit. When you hit him, he just kind of flows with the hit.”
On one play against the Trojans, White was contacted by nine defenders before being tackled for a long gain. Along with the big plays, White has gotten the tough yards – as Hill, and the Sun Devils called his number to convert a key fourth-and-1 in the fourth quarter of ASU’s win over Washington.
White’s 6.8 yards per carry – in comparison to the NCAA all-time yards per carry record book – would put him in a tie for 27th all-time along with names like Barry Sanders, Vince Young, and Bryce Love. Of all Sun Devils that have carried the ball at least 150 times, White’s mark would rank third, trailing only Leon Burton (8.1 yards per carry on 285 carries) and Tony Lorick (6.9 yards per carry on 254 carries).
42: Over White’s career at ASU, he’s also shown an ability to be a threat as a pass-catcher, and the trust that he and junior quarterback Jayden Daniels has been apparent. In the Seattle rain, Daniels made five of his ten completions on passes to White.
The most spectacular catch came along the Huskies’ sideline as White tracked a ball over his shoulder and corralled it for a gain of 18 yards.
“It’s kind of a big part of my game,” said White of his pass-catching abilities. He’s caught 42 passes as a Sun Devil and averaged 11.7 yards per reception. “I take a lot of pride in all parts of my game. I want to be great. There’s a lot of labels that they give all running backs, and I want to be a running back that can do it all.
“I just make sure I’ve got that in my game. I don’t want any knock on my game. It’s cool that the coaches trust me and that (Daniels) trusts me to throw the ball to in situations like that.”
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