Barry Sanders will stay at the top of the NCAA college football record books for at least one more season.
With Boise State being knocked out of the College Football Playoff Fiesta Bowl quarterfinal by No. 6 Penn State, Broncos star running back Ashton Jeanty will finish 28 yards short of surpassing Sanders’ record.
Jeanty, who entered Tuesday’s Fiesta Bowl 132 yards shy of surpassing Sanders, will finish in second place on the all-time single-season rushing yards list, at 2,601 yards.
It took until the fourth quarter on Tuesday for Jeanty to really get anything going against Penn State’s defensive line, as the Heisman Trophy runner-up entered the fourth quarter with only 59 yards on the night.
Jeanty’s longest run of the night was a 26-yard carry in the fourth quarter along the right sideline. He finished with 104 rushing yards and two fumbles (one lost) on 30 carries in Boise State’s 31-14 loss to Penn State on Tuesday.
Sanders, who sent a pregame good luck message to Jeanty on X (formerly Twitter), has held the NCAA record for 36 years, setting it in 11 games — three fewer than what Jeanty needed to make attempt history this year. The former Oklahoma State star running back’s 222 yards in the Holiday Bowl do not count toward his 1988 rushing record.
Following Tuesday’s Fiesta Bowl quarterfinal, here’s where Jeanty’s season finishes among the all-time great campaigns:
NCAA single-season rushing record leaders
Oklahoma State RB Barry Sanders (1988): 2,628 yards
Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty (2024): 2,601 yards
Wisconsin RB Melvin Gordon (2014): 2,587 yards
UCF RB Kevin Smith (2007): 2,567 yards
USC RB Marcus Allen (1981): 2,342 yards
San Diego State RB Rashaad Penny (2017): 2,248 yards
Alabama RB Derrick Henry (2015): 2,219 yards
Wisconsin RB Jonathan Taylor (2018): 2,194
Iowa State RB Troy Davis (1996): 2,185 yards
Boston College RB Andre Williams (2013): 2,177