Ashton Jeanty closing in on Barry Sanders’ single-season rushing record

Jeanty needs 132 yards in College Football Playoff to pass Sanders

Boise State Broncos running back Ashton Jeanty. / Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

As No. 3 Boise State (12-1) takes advantage of its first-round College Football Playoff bye, Heisman Trophy finalist Ashton Jeanty is within reach of an all-time great. 

Jeanty, a two-time Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year, has 344 carries for 2,497 yards and 29 touchdowns this season, leading the country in all three categories. 

Oklahoma State’s Barry Sanders owns the FBS single-season rushing record. In 1988, Sanders ran for 2,628 yards and 37 touchdowns in 11 games (the NCAA didn’t begin including bowl game statistics until 2002) en route to the Heisman Trophy. 

Jeanty needs 132 yards — he averages 192 per game — in the College Football Playoff to break Sanders’ record. Boise State will face either No. 6 Penn State (11-2) or No. 11 SMU (11-2) in the Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Eve. 

In his most recent performance, Jeanty ran for 209 yards and a touchdown as Boise State captured its second straight Mountain West Football Championship with a 21-7 win over UNLV. Jeanty ripped off a 75-yard touchdown run against the Rebels, his 12th carry of 50 or more yards this season; no FBS team has more than seven. 

Jeanty’s junior season already ranks among the best in college football history. 

Here are five other players who had seasons that rival Jeanty’s 2024 production:

1. Barry Sanders, Oklahoma State, 1988

Oklahoma State Cowboys running back Barry Sanders. / Malcolm Emmons-Imagn Images

Including the bowl game victory over Wyoming, Sanders ran for 2,850 yards and 42 touchdowns. His worst game of the season was a 25-carry, 154-yard effort against Missouri that included two touchdowns. Sanders bounced back the following game to run for 320 yards and three TDs against Kansas State. 

2. Ricky Williams, Texas, 1998

Ricky Williams. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Williams had 391 carries for 2,327 yards and 29 touchdowns to close his prolific four-year career with the Longhorns. 

3. Marcus Allen, USC, 1981

USC running back Marcus Allen. / Long Photography-Imagn Images

Allen topped the 200-yard mark eight times and ran for 2,342 yards and 22 touchdowns on 403 carries. 

4. Derrick Henry, Alabama, 2015

Alabama running back Derrick Henry. / Mickey Welsh

In his only season as the lead back, Henry had 395 carries for 2,219 yards and 28 touchdowns. Henry was the last running back to lift the Heisman Trophy.

5. Melvin Gordon, Wisconsin, 2014

Wisconsin Badgers running back Melvin Gordon. / Rick Wood / USA TODAY NETWORK

Gordon was a beast in his final season with the Badgers, carrying it 343 times for 2,587 yards and 29 touchdowns. 

MORE BOISE STATE NEWS & ANALYSIS

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• ‘Thighs-man:’ Ashton Jeanty adds another NIL deal

• Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty named Heisman Trophy finalist

• College Football Playoff: Easy draw for Penn State? Boise State may feel the same

• Boise State coach Spencer Danielson: Several Broncos ‘are getting illegally recruited to get in the portal’

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