How Ashton Jeanty Can Break Barry Sanders’ NCAA Rushing Records

Do Postseason Bowl Stats Count Toward NCAA Records?

Yes, but they haven’t always.

“The NCAA statistics staff makes policies and rules on statistical matters, with input from the membership schools and conferences mainly through the sports information department community,” NCAA Associate Director of Communications Greg Johnson told Athlon Sports via email. “Whereas statistics from bowl games didn’t count towards season or career totals prior to 2002, the NCAA staff made a policy change after considerable discussion with the membership. Currently, this is not up for reconsideration.”

Sanders’ 222 yards and five touchdowns in the 1988 Holiday Bowl don’t count toward his record. With his bowl stats included, Sanders would have a whopping 2,850 rushing yards and 42 rushing touchdowns over 12 games.

Jeanty already has played 12 regular-season games and any further stats he accrues will count toward his pursuit of Sanders’ official records of 2,628 yards and 37 touchdowns.

How Many Rushing Yards and Touchdowns Does Ashton Jeanty Have?

Entering Friday’s Mountain West title game against UNLV, Jeanty leads the FBS with 2,288 rushing yards and 28 rushing touchdowns. He has a 628-yard lead on UNC running back Omarion Hampton and a three-touchdown lead on Army quarterback Bryson Daily. Jeanty has recorded at least 127 yards in every game this season, and he has found the end zone on the ground in all but one game this season.

How Can Jeanty Surpass Sanders?

Jeanty needs 341 more yards to surpass Sanders for the official NCAA FBS single-season record. He has at least one more game to do so, but Boise State potentially could play as many as four more games. With a win Friday night against UNLV, the Broncos will be in the College Football Playoff, likely as a top-four seed, which would earn them a first-round bye.

If Friday’s game against the Rebels — who held him to 128 yards, his second-worst output this season — is Jeanty’s last, he would need to run for 341 to set the single-season record. That seems highly unlikely considering Jeanty’s career high is 267 yards.

If the Broncos defeat UNLV and lose their first playoff game, Jeanty would have to average 170.5 yards per game between the Mountain West title game and the CFP quarterfinal. A win in the quarterfinals to advance to the semifinals brings his requisite average down to 134.6 over three games. Two wins in the playoff would ensure a national championship trip, meaning Jeanty would only need to run for 82.5 yards per game over his next four outings. For context, he’s been good for 190.6 rushing yards per game this season.

As for the touchdown chase, Jeanty isn’t yet in striking distance of Sanders. Jeanty likely would need four more games to have a shot at tying the record of 37, though Jeanty does have six games this season with three-plus touchdowns.

Sanders' unofficial records from 1988 put him 562 yards and 14 touchdowns ahead of Jeanty's 2024 stats.

How Does the Rushing Leaderboard Change with Postseason Bowl Stats Included?

Sanders would still be the all-time leader with his Holiday Bowl stats included. Here’s how the top 10 single-season rushing leaderboard would look if bowl stats counted toward official NCAA records before 2002.