Ashton Jeanty falls short of Barry Sanders’ rushing record as Penn State clamps down
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Boise State in the College Football Playoff
The Broncos played Penn State in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal Fiesta Bowl in Arizona on Dec. 31, 2024.
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Penn State has no connection to Barry Sanders, but the Nittany Lions were determined Tuesday night to protect the former Oklahoma State star’s longstanding NCAA Division I single-season rushing record.
By holding Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty to a season-low yardage total in the Fiesta Bowl, Penn State ensured that Sanders’ 1988 campaign remained one for the books.
Jeanty rushed for 104 yards on 30 carries in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal game — just 3.5 yards per run — as No. 3 seed Boise State (12-2) fell 31-14 to No. 6 Penn State (13-2). He was tackled for a loss five times, and even at the very end of the game, with the Broncos seemingly trying to get Jeanty the record on the game’s final possession, he was stymied.
His first three carries of the game netted 4 yards, and his final three carries totaled 3 yards.
All of that left the Heisman Trophy runner-up 27 yards away from tying Sanders’ mark, 28 yards from breaking it.
“They have a great D, front seven,” Jeanty said. “It wasn’t really, at the end, anything extraordinary. They executed, they tackled. We didn’t play our best.”
Jeanty entered the game with 2,497 yards and needed 132 to break the 36-year-old record of 2,628 set by the 1988 Heisman winner. Sanders compiled those stats in just 11 games — at a time when NCAA rules meant his bowl game stats would not count toward the total. Sanders rushed for 222 yards in the Holiday Bowl.
With Boise State’s season now over, Jeanty ended his junior year with 2,601 yards — the second-greatest rushing season on record.
“Our defensive front played lights out,” Penn State coach James Franklin said. “They knew (Jeanty) was chasing records. They were a determined, highly motivated group.
“I have a ton of respect for that young man. We were able to disrupt them. He’s an impressive guy, one of the best in the history of this game, but we’re pretty dang good on defense.”
Talk about Jeanty breaking the record kicked off all the way back in the opening week of the season, when he rushed for 267 yards and six touchdowns in a 56-45 victory over Georgia Southern.
He had not looked back since, rushing for at least 127 yards in every game and averaging about 192 yards per contest. Penn State bottled him up and frustrated him to hold him 88 yards below that average.
There were moments when Jeanty looked like he might be able to break away for one of his patented long runs, including a 26-yard carry early in the fourth quarter that gave the Broncos some hope. That brought Jeanty to 84 yards on the night, giving him nearly a full quarter to close in on the record.
But the Nittany Lions continued to pound away at the line of scrimmage and get penetration into the backfield, limiting Jeanty’s progress even when he could break a tackle or two. That 26-yard run was his longest of the night, and he had only two other runs that covered at least 10 yards.
“I think we knew going in, one of the strengths of their team was stopping the run,” Boise State coach Spencer Danielson said. “They’re one of the top 10 rushing defenses in the country. ... We know we would get their best stuff, and we did.”
While keeping the record, Sanders’ 1988 season still stands out for several reasons. He had four — yes, four — 300-yard rushing games, and another game in which he gained 293. He racked up his 2,628 yards on 344 carries, an average of 238.9 yards per game and 7.6 yards per carry. He also ran for 37 touchdowns.
Jeanty had six 200-yard rushing games this season, with the Georgia Southern game his high-water mark. He came in averaging 7.3 yards per carry and had 29 touchdowns on the ground.
In the end, Jeanty still could have had the record if he had played some full games in blowouts. He played only the first half against Portland State and vs. Utah State, racking up 127 and 186 yards, respectively, before sitting out in the second half.
This story was originally published December 31, 2024 at 10:14 PM.
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