College football has a long and rich history filled with legendary players, performances, and games. From “Slinging” Sammy Baugh to Johnny Manziel, the FBS ranks have no shortage of folklore across their 100-plus programs. However, since its inception in 1869, many college football history buffs believe the best single-season performances belong to Oklahoma State Cowboys running back Barry Sanders (1988) and LSU Tigers quarterback Joe Burrow (2019), among others. Regarding the running back position, Sanders belongs on a pedestal by himself, holding the single-season rushing record for yards and touchdowns.
A record held for nearly four decades despite the advent of more games and opportunities, Sanders’ record and the title for best single college football season could be in jeopardy in 2024 with the meteoric rise of Boise State superstar rusher Ashton Jeanty. Heading into the second Saturday of October, Jeanty is eyeing the most outstanding season in the sport, a title not easily achieved since college football debuted in 1869.
Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty Pacing College Football’s Greatest Season
According to Unnecessary Roughness on Twitter:
The Mountain West’s Top 5 Leading Rushers
1. Ashton Jeanty (1,031)
2. Ashton Jeanty after contact (635)
3. Marquez Cooper (584)
4. Rahsul Faison (504)
5. Savion Red (453)
College football Heisman Trophy Award front-runner Ashton Jeanty is not just pacing an elite season but also a historic campaign. Leading the league in rushing by nearly 300 yards, Jeanty has nearly double the rushing yards of the previous three Heisman Trophy Award running back winners (Derrick Henry, Mark Ingram, and Reggie Bush) across their first five games. More notably, his 16 rushing touchdowns through five games are relatively close to the combined rushing touchdown total of Henry, Ingram, and Bush during that same span (21).
Extrapolated across 12 games, the minimum amount of matchups Boise State could play this season, Jeanty would tally 2,472 rushing yards and 38 rushing touchdowns, a new college football record. However, with Boise owning a 4-1 record and likely to play in the Mountain West Conference title tilt and a bowl game, the star running back could post the first 3,000 rushing yards and 45 rushing touchdowns in history. A solid finish to the season and a berth in the College Football Playoff could also add a 15th, 16th, or 17th game for Jeanty and Boise. Keeping Jeanty from being a bonafide lock for the Heisman remains his participation in the Mountain West Conference, a non-Power Four league.
Lack of high-end competition would hurt Jeanty, but the Florida native scampered for 192 yards and three touchdowns on the road against top-ranked Oregon. Comparatively, Barry Sanders, considered one of the best college football running backs of all time, had 2,628 rushing yards and 37 touchdowns at Oklahoma State, with his team finishing with a 10-2 record. For Jeanty to have a shot at positioning himself among the greatest ever to play college football, BSU would need to win all their remaining games and possibly cause a significant upset in the first round of the CFP. Even so, after five games, Jeanty has the opportunity to establish himself as one of the greatest in the sport’s history.
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