The 25 most unbelievable college football single-game performances

Amazingly, Patterson tied an all-time FBS record with eight rushing touchdowns when leading Buffalo to a 70-41 win over Kent State in 2020. The junior halfback also came within 18 yards of reaching the single-game rushing yards record when he finished with 409 on the day. His historic effort saw five of his scores come in the first half. To no surprise, Patterson would go on to set the school record for most career rushing touchdowns when his collegiate tenure came to an end. 

To reach this level of absurdity, it took an unreal back-and-forth shootout. Mahomes went toe-for-toe with another future first-rounder, Baker Mayfield, who would get the better of the eventual Super Bowl MVP as Oklahoma won 66-59 after the two teams combined for a record 1,708 yards of offense. Mahomes was responsible for 813 yards (734 passing), becoming the first player ever to reach that plateau. He threw the ball 88 times with five of those resulting in touchdowns. He added another two scores on the ground. 

The Houston gunslinger put on a clinic that was and remains something never seen before. In an onslaught that saw his side win 84-21 back in 1990, Klingler went 41-58 for 572 yards and a record 11 touchdowns, eight of which went to different receivers. He tied the then-record of nine passing touchdowns in a single game in the third quarter, highlighting just how remarkable this performance was. 

A week before Samaje Perine set the record for the most rushing yards in a single game, Gordon held the title. While short-lived, it doesn't take away from the incredible effort. Unlike Perine, who did so against an inferior opponent, the Wisconsin back did it against the No. 11 Nebraska Cornhuskers, leading his side to a massive road upset. He turned 25 carries into 408 yards and four scores, breaking a 15-year-old record previously held by LaDanian Tomlinson. 

Seeing a quarterback throw more touchdowns than incompletions is rare. What's even more rare is seeing that happen when he has six incompletions. That's right, Smith tossed eight touchdowns in a thrilling 70-63 win for West Virginia in 2012. The video game-esque numbers don't stop there, though. He did all of that while nearly being perfect, going 45-51 with 656 passing yards and a 248.0 passer rating. 

No player has ever had more receiving yards in a bowl game than Smith-Njigba did for Ohio State in the 2022 Rose Bowl. The future star NFL wideout hauled in 15 receptions for 347 yards and three touchdowns in the victory. The context behind this heroic effort, though, is even more unlikely. That season, JSN was actually the third receiver on the depth chart behind Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave, but the two opted to sit out in preparation for the NFL Draft. The sophomore receiver took the opportunity and ran with it... literally. 

Back in 1998, Troy Edwards was a senior receiver at Louisiana Tech. While his squad didn't get many opportunities to play big games, he did get a shot at the No. 4 Nebraska Cornhuskers. He took that moment by the horns, setting an FBS record with 405 receiving yards on 21 catches. Edwards torched the feared "Blackshirts" defense, scoring three times in the historic effort. The Bulldogs may have been blown out by Nebraska, but Edwards had his claim to fame. 

This achievement has a few layers to it that make it all the more special. Perine was a true freshman at the time of setting the record for rushing with 427 yards in one game in 2014. Just seven days prior, Melvin Gordon set the then-record at Wisconsin. Perine came out of nowhere to top that milestone, doing so in the pouring rain when the opposing defense knew exactly what was coming the entire game. His quarterback completed just three passes all day, but it didn't prevent Perine from doing his thing. He reached the endzone five times, averaging more than 12 yards per carry. 

This was a performance for the ages. On the biggest stage, Young delivered in ways that no one could have predicted. The Texas junior quarterback pulled off a 41-38 victory over the favored USC Trojans, doing so with a Rose Bowl-record 467 total yards. He ran for 200 yards and three scores, adding 267 through the air on 30 completions. The game saw Young lead the Longhorns to the comeback after trailing by 12 with seven minutes left, capped off by an iconic 4th-and-5th game-winning touchdown run in the final seconds. 

Sanders had four 300-yard games during his Heisman season. This was the first of those. He gashed Tulsa for 304 yards and five touchdowns on 33 carries. He electrified right out of the gate with 118 of those yards coming in the first quarter. It was this particular game that showcased what was about to come for the legendary running back. 

His Heisman-winning senior season featured many memorable moments. None, though, compared to his dominant first half in the national championship. The capstone of the season saw the future first-round pick bring in 12 receptions for 215 yards and three scores in just the first half. Those numbers are national championship records for an entire game, let alone one half. He was tracking for 400 yards had it not been for a dislocated finger early in the third quarter, leaving Alabama fans to wonder "what if" had he remained healthy the entire game. 

The Houston junior needed just one half to reach these unseen levels. He eclipsed 500 passing yards and tossed six touchdowns, with 340 of those yards coming in the second quarter. Ware was absurd in the record-setting game, sitting out the second half as Houston destroyed SMU, 95-21. Some important context: this was the season after SMU’s “death penalty” which meant the whole team was basically freshmen and walk-ons.

A quarterback throwing seven touchdowns in any one game is special in itself. How about doing that all in one half? The LSU phenom did exactly that in the CFP semifinals in 2019. All seven of his touchdowns came in the first half with a stat line that saw him go 21-27 for 403 yards. The Tigers routed Oklahoma, 63-28, which meant Burrow didn't get much action in the second half, though he did add a rushing score for good measure. 

After the game was postponed because of a hurricane, Thomas looked the part of a storm in the eyes of Texas A&M. The Bama edge rusher was unstoppable as he put up an Alabama record five sacks in that game, with seven tackles for loss and a forced fumble with a recovery. 

Navy is known for its triple-option offense. Perhaps the shining moment of that unique approach was on November 22, 2013. That was when quarterback Keenan Reynolds found the endzone a record seven times on the ground. He only completed four of his six passes, but was undeniable with the ball in his hands as he burst for 240 yards. Navy won a thriller in triple-overtime thanks to a walk-off rushing score by, you guessed it, Reynolds.

In 1990, Illinois destroyed its inner state rival, Illinois State, 56-21. The former saw eight touchdowns go on the board, with every single one of those coming on the legs of Howard Griffith. The then-NCAA record for most rushing touchdowns in a game stood for 30 years. The senior running back had just 21 carries with more than a third of them winding up in the endzone en route to 208 yards. 

In his heyday, Keenum was more often than not putting up video-game-like numbers. That being said, none stand out more than the historic outing in which he became the all-time NCAA leader in career touchdown passes. To break the record, all Keenum did was put up nine touchdowns with 534 yards. 

A segue that makes too much sense. The day that saw Case Keenum break the NCAA record for career touchdown passes also saw Edwards do some absurd things on the football field. That day, he turned seven catches into 318 yards and five touchdowns.

The eventual NFL star defensive end showed early on at Ohio State that he was a menace for offensive linemen. He solidified his place in the Heisman race with an unreal game against ranked Wisconsin, taking down the quarterback four times, tying the school's single-game sack record. More so, he forced a pair of fumbles and recorded five tackles for loss in a dominant showing. 

In a thrilling overtime win for Penn State over USC, it was the tight end who stole the show. Warren was a true Swiss Army Knife in every sense of the term. He tied the FBS single-game record for tight ends with 17 receptions, turning that into a school-record 224 yards and one score. He even completed a nine-yard pass and took a carry for four yards to top it off. 

The West Virginia standout was faster than everyone else on the field. In 2012, he exemplified that better than ever before to the tune of 572 all-purpose yards. This was his first collegiate start, and all he did was torment Oklahoma State with 344 rushing, 82 receiving, and 146 return yards in a game for the ages. 

NFL fans know what CMC is capable of. College fans saw that early on when the Stanford star took over the 2016 Rose Bowl. The first play of the game saw him go for 75 yards and a score. He became the first play in the game's history to rush for 100 yards and add another 100 with his receiving work. He finished with 368 all-purpose yards in a game where Iowa had no answer for him. 

Some players would be happy to catch 22 passes in a season. Jones did so in one game -- no overtime needed. With so many receptions, it'd be assumed that he'd have 200-300 yards with multiple scores. None of that actually was the case, though, as he put up 190 yards in that contest and failed to reach the endzone. That's impressive in itself for the Eastern Carolina standout. 

Pull up Lynch's gamelogs, throw a dart at one, and you'll likely land on an unbelievable box score. That's how astronomical his career at Northern Illinois was. In 2013, he casually ran for 316 yards on the ground with three scores. That was a single-game NCAA record which he would break yet again one month later (321). In this particular game, though, he also threw for 155 yards as he amassed nearly 500 yards. 

The San Diego State do-it-all halfback could take it to the house every single time he touched it. No game showcased that skill more so than his 2017 meeting with Nevada. That was when he took a punt return 70 yards to the house, then took a kickoff 100 yards. He even added two more scores on the ground for four total touchdowns and more than 400 all-purpose yards on 21 touches.