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Can Ashton Jeanty break Barry Sanders' FBS single-season rushing record?

Posted on by Vanessa
Can Ashton Jeanty break Barry Sanders' FBS single-season rushing record?

A month into the 2024 college football season, several stars have arrived to shape the sport.

Colorado's Travis Hunter excels on both sides of the ball in a way not seen in college football in years, if not decades. Cam Ward has turned chronic underperformer Miami into a top-10 team and a College Football Playoff threat through his seemingly effortless play at quarterback. Freed from the burden of playing for noted coaching facilitator Nick Saban, Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe has drastically improved from last season, positioning the Crimson Tide as perhaps the best team in the sport.

Then there's Ashton Jeanty.

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Once a three-star recruit who only received two major conference offers out of high school, Jeanty transformed into a star at Boise State. The junior running back has been an absolute force for the Broncos this season, posting rushing totals that often require a double take. Just four games into the season, he has already surpassed 800 rushing yards and helped lead his team to a 3-1 record.

How good has Jeanty been so far? He has positioned himself to potentially make history at this early point in the season.

Here's a look at Jeanty's stats so far and how they compare to some of the most successful seasons ever for a college running back:

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Ashton Jeanty stats

In just four games, Jeanty has rushed for 845 yards and 13 rushing touchdowns.

He leads all FBS players in both categories – by a wide margin. He has 160 more yards than the next closest player, Iowa's Kaleb Johnson, and three more touchdowns than the next-closest player in that category, Tennessee's Dylan Sampson.

Jeanty was not only productive but also efficient. He gained those 845 yards on just 82 rushing attempts, an average of 10.3 yards per carry.

Jeanty has surpassed 250 rushing yards in two of Boise State's four games. His season-low rushing total was 127 yards in a 56-14 win over Portland State on September 21, a game in which he did not attempt a rushing game beyond the second quarter.

His eye-popping rushing stats aren't just the result of subpar competition. He ran for 192 yards and three touchdowns on the road against a top-10 Oregon team on 25 carries and rushed for 259 yards and four touchdowns last Saturday against previously undefeated Washington State.

Here is Jeanty's performance in every Broncos game this season:

  • at Georgia Southern (F, 56-45): 20 carries, 267 yards, 13.4 yards per carry, 6 touchdowns
  • at No. 6 Oregon (L, 37-34): 25 carries, 192 yards, 7.7 yards per carry, 3 touchdowns
  • vs. Portland State (W, 56-14): 11 carries, 127 yards, 11.5 yards per carry
  • vs. Washington State (W, 45-24): 26 carries, 259 yards, 10 yards per carry, 4 touchdowns

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Ashton Jeanty vs Barry Sanders stats

Jeanty's performance early in the season didn't just make him one of the few frontrunners for the Heisman Trophy.

He's on track to surpass one of college football's most famous records.

In 1988, Oklahoma State's Barry Sanders posted one of the best individual seasons in college football history, winning that year's Heisman Trophy and laying the foundation for an NFL career that would earn him induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame brought in.

This season, Sanders ran for 2,628 yards and 37 touchdowns, setting the FBS single-season record for rushing yards in a season.

If Jeanty kept up with his current production rate, he would have 2,535 yards at the end of the regular season, 113 yards shy of Sanders' mark. If he stays healthy, his season wouldn't be over yet. Boise State remains a heavy favorite to advance to the Mountain West Conference championship game. After that, barring a truly unforeseen collapse, the Broncos will face each other in a bowl game, although it's possible Jeanty, who was projected by some media outlets to be a first-round NFL draft pick, could forgo a bowl.

Even if Jeanty can overtake Sanders, it won't be a completely equal comparison between the players. The NCAA did not count bowl games toward a player's statistical record until 2002, meaning Sanders' standout performance against Wyoming in the 1988 Holiday Bowl – 222 rushing yards and five touchdowns – is not part of his record total. If bowl numbers were included, Sanders' record would be 2,850 yards.

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FBS single-season rushing yards leader

With Sanders at the top of the list, here is a look at the ten highest single-season rushing totals in FBS history:

  1. Barry Sanders (Oklahoma State), 1988: 2,628
  2. Melvin Gordon (Wisconsin), 2014: 2,587
  3. Kevin Smith (UCF), 2007: 2,567
  4. Marcus Allen (USC), 1981: 2,342
  5. Rashaad Penny (San Diego State), 2017: 2,248
  6. Derrick Henry (Alabama), 2015: 2,219
  7. Jonathan Taylor (Wisconsin), 2018: 2,194
  8. Troy Davis (Iowa State), 1996: 2,185
  9. Andre Williams (Boston College), 2013: 2,177
  10. LaDainian Tomlinson (TCU), 2000: 2,158

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