There is a difference of opinion in the UCLA locker room as to which running back is better. Bruins freshman linebacker Myles Jack -- certainly qualified to render an opinion after earning Pac-12 offensive player of the week honors after rushing for 120 yards and one touchdown -- picked Arizona's Ka'Deem Carey, while freshman defensive lineman Eddie Vanderdoes is going with Washington's Bishop Sankey, who will visit the Rose Bowl this Friday.
With that in mind, here is a brief breakdown of how Carey and Sankey stack up:
Quality of Praise:
On Carey: "He's the truth," Jack told the Tucson Citizen.
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"He's the real deal. He's everything they say he is. He's NFL. ... I mean, I had to hit him and I felt that I felt more of it than he did. He's a great pass blocker. He can cut you. He'll meet you head up. Ka'Deem Carey is the truth.
"Everything they say about him is real. You hit him and he constantly keeps his feet running. He's real."
On Sankey: "We'll see when we play, but on film, I think Sankey might be better than Ka'Deem," Vanderdoes told the Daily News.
Even if Vanderdoes wasn't undercutting his own evaluation with qualifiers like "maybe," it would nearly have been impossible to top Jack coming strong with "He's the truth."
Edge: Carey
Production:
Carey has rushed for 1,221 yards and 11 touchdowns this season, averaging 5.65 yards per carry. Carey ranks second in the FBS in rushing yards per game (152.6) and third in total rushing yards. Carey was also suspended for the season opener against Northern Arizona, which allowed 139 yards and one touchdown to backup Daniel Jenkins on 12 carries.
Sankey has rushed for 1,305 yards and 13 touchdowns this season, averaging 5.88 yards per carry. Sankey ranks third in the FBS in both total rushing yards and rushing yards per game (145).
Edge: Sankey
Consistency:
Carey has rushed for at least 119 yards in all eight games he has played in this season, and has topped the century mark in his last 12 games and 16 of his last 17.
Sankey has topped 160 rushing yards in five games this season, including a career-high 241 against California and 208 against Illinois. However, Sankey was held to 22 yards on 13 carries at Arizona State.
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Edge: Carey
Versatility:
Carey has caught 19 passes for 133 yards.
Sankey has caught 20 passes for 225 yards and one touchdown. He's also asked to do more in pass protection than Carey.(UW has attempted 302 passes this season, compared to 269 for UA.)
Edge: Sankey
Quality of opposition:
Carey averaged 6.5 yards per carry at USC, 5.9 against Utah, and 5.3 against UCLA, three of the four most talented front sevens in the conference, but also feasted on UNLV, UTSA, California and Colorado.
Sankey faced two name-brand opponents, Boise State and Illinois, in non-conference play, but this is not a vintage Broncos defense (ranked 72nd in rushing defense and 93rd in total defense) and the Fighting Illini have lost every game in Big Ten play, all but one decided by at least 17 points. However, Sankey rushed for 310 yards and four touchdowns in back-to-back weeks against Stanford and Oregon, the two best per-play rushing defenses in the Pac-12.
Edge: Sankey
Advantage, Sankey.
But Jack and Vanderdoes will be able to render a definitive judgment in a few days.
Follow Dan Greenspan on Twitter @DanGreenspan.
