30 Best College Running Backs of All-Time
Career Statistics
- Games: 49
- Carries: 1,112
- Rushing Yards: 5,540
- Rushing Yards Per Game: 113.1
- Rushing Yards Per Season: 1,385
- Rushing Touchdowns: 64
- Yards Per Carry: 5.0
- Receptions: 69
- Receiving Yards: 621
- Receiving Touchdowns: 3
- Notable: Doak Walker Award, 2004
One of the most decorated running backs in Texas high school history, and a star baseball player that spent time in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization after being drafted in the 12th round of the 2001 MLB First-Year Player Draft, Cedric Benson signed with Texas as one of the nation’s most highly sought-after recruits.
Benson quickly emerged as the starting running back for the Longhorns and ran for 1,053 yards and 12 touchdowns as a true freshman. He also caught 17 passes for 203 yards and a touchdown. As a sophomore, Benson carried the ball 305 times for 1,293 yards (4.2 yards per attempt) and scored 12 touchdowns, and followed with 1,360 rushing yards and a nation-leading 21 touchdowns on 258 carries (5.3 yards per carry) as a junior. Benson also caught a touchdown pass, to push his total to 22 touchdowns from scrimmage, which also led the country.
Benson’s senior season was his most successful, both personally and for the Longhorns, who finished 11-1 with a Rose Bowl victory over Michigan. On a workman-like 326 carries, Benson gained 1,834 yards – a career-high 5.6 yards per carry – scored 19 touchdowns, and won the Doak Walker Award. He finished second on the school’s all-time rushing list and became the first Texas player to run for more than 1,000 yards in four separate seasons – making him one of the first eight players in NCAA history to do so.
Next: LaMichael James