Former Cowboy RB Legend Shines For Carolina Panthers
It is hard to forget the glory days of Chuba Hubbard during his time with the Oklahoma State Cowboys. The year was 2019 and Hubbard was a redshirt sophomore for the Cowboys. He strung together one of the most impressive single seasons of any OSU running back.
Hubbard averaged 161.1 yards per game that season and finished the year with 2,094 rushing yards which ranked third in Big 12 history. He rushed for over 100 yards in each of his last 11 games, which was the longest streak in the nation.
He led the nation in the big play category with 15 rushes over 30 yards, nine rushes over 40 yards, seven rushes over 50 yards, five rushes over 60 yards, three rushes of 70 yards or more, two rushes over 80 yards and one rush that went for over 90 yards.
His 2,094 yards were second to only Barry Sanders in school history. He reached the 1,000-yard mark in only his sixth game of the season as he became one of the 15th fastest players in FBS history to accomplish the mark.
He went on to stack up the awards during his sophomore season. Chuba brought home the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, First team Big 12 honors and the OSU Bob Fenimore Award (Team MVP).
An injury plagued junior season still saw Hubbard put up solid numbers, but the NFL was calling, and he was ready to answer. Flash forward to the 2024 NFL season with the Carolina Panthers. Hubbard has come alive in his last three games at running back.
There goes Chuba Hubbard for a @Panthers touchdown! #KeepPounding
— NFL (@NFL) October 6, 2024
📺: #CARvsCHI on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/WHZzLWr0ox
In a September 22 meeting with the Las Vegas Raiders, Hubbard carried the rock 21 times for 114 yards. He followed up that stellar performance with 104 yards rushing on 18 carries and a touchdown against the Cincinnati Bengals. In his best rushing game of the season against the Chicago Bears, Hubbard only needed 13 carries to rush for 97 yards including a 38-yard touchdown run.
Despite back-to-back losses, the Panthers may have found their man in Hubbard. In his last three games in which he has garnished a majority of the workload, he has rushed for 315 combined yards to go along with a pair of touchdowns.
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Taylor Skieens has been an avid sports journalist with the McCurtain Gazette in Idabel, Oklahoma for seven years. He holds the title of Sports Editor for one of the oldest remaining print publications in the state of Oklahoma. Taylor grew up in the small lumber town of Wright City Oklahoma where he played baseball and basketball for the Lumberjax.