Hmmm.
Perine played in bowl games all three years he played, 2014-16.
Peterson played in bowl games all three years he played, 2004-06. I think.
Washington only played in a bowl game his freshman year, 1972. EDIT: Correction, he also played in the Orange Bowl vs. Michigan after his senior year.
Owens only played in bowl games his sophomore and junior years, 1967-68.
Sims probably played in four bowl games, 1975, '77-79.
Griffin played in three bowl games, 2000-02.
Murray played in four bowl games, 2006-10.
I think that wishbone halfbacks get undervalued in your ranking system because they tended to get fewer carries than the tailback in an I-formation offense or the running back in a pro-style 2-back offense. I'm just noting that. There's nothing you can or should do to "fix" that.
I agree with you on the NCAA and bowl stats. If they are going to count them, and I think they should, they should retroactively count bowl-game yardage of the modern era. It might not be possible to get individual stats of the 1946 (season) Harbor Bowl, but Barry Sanders' stats from the 1988 Holiday Bowl are easily retrievable.