Can Ashton Jeanty Break Barry Sanders' Rushing Record & Make History?

After a dominant performance in the Mountain West Championship Game on Friday night, Ashton Jeanty is now just 132 yards away from breaking Barry Sanders' NCAA single-season rushing record.

The Boise State star ran for 209 yards and a touchdown on 32 carries in the 21-7 victory over UNLV, pushing his season totals to 2,497 rushing yards and 29 rushing touchdowns.

Oklahoma State legend Barry Sanders set the NCAA FBS single-season rushing record in 1988—15 years before Jeanty was born—racking up an incredible 2,628 yards in just 11 games during his historic, Heisman-winning season with the Cowboys.

Now, Ashton Jeanty is closing in on that mark and will have a shot to break it in the CFB quarterfinals. With Boise State earning the No. 3 seed and a first-round bye as the third-highest-ranked conference champion, Jeanty will face the winner of Penn State and SMU in the Fiesta Bowl on December 31.

Penn State, currently an 8.5-point favorite over SMU at DraftKings, has one of the toughest run defenses in the country.

The Nittany Lions are allowing just 103.6 rushing yards per game—ninth best in the nation—and have given up 100 yards to only one running back this season (USC's Jo'quavious Marks). If Boise State ends up facing Penn State, Jeanty will have his work cut out for him against such a dominant front.

But if SMU pulls off the upset, Boise State won’t have it much easier. The Mustangs are even tougher against the run, giving up just 93.4 yards per game—fourth best in the country. However, their pass defense has been shaky, allowing 232.7 yards per game, which ranks outside the top 90 in FBS.

That might push Boise State to lean more on its quarterback Maddux Madsen and the passing game, which wouldn’t necessarily bode well for Jeanty’s chances of breaking the all-time rushing record.

But I’m sure Ashton Jeanty isn’t worried about all that. His focus, like the rest of the team’s, will be on doing whatever it takes to win and advance in the College Football Playoff. A win, of course, would mean even more for Jeanty and the Broncos, giving them another game to chase both a championship and the all-time rushing record.

Whether that means grinding out tough yards against a stacked box or playing a supporting role in the passing game, the Broncos’ star running back has proven all season that he’s ready to rise to the occasion.

Plus, neither Penn State nor SMU has faced a running back quite like Jeanty this season. The 132 rushing yards he needs to break Barry Sanders' single-season record is a number he’s hit in 11 of 13 games so far.

And if the game’s outcome is all but decided late, you can bet Boise State will lean on Jeanty to give him a shot at making history.

But before all that, the two-time Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year has another milestone moment coming up. Ashton Jeanty, who currently has the second-best chance to take home college football’s top honor according to the latest Heisman Trophy betting odds, will head to New York as one of four 2024 finalists alongside Travis Hunter, Dillon Gabriel, and Cam Ward.

The ceremony, set for 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, Dec. 14, could be another highlight in what has already been a historic season for Jeanty—with even more still ahead in the College Football Playoff.

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