Active players are listed in bold. Active players are listed in bold. 1-ranked and two-time defending national champion Alabama Crimson Tide (11-0, 7-0 in the SEC) as a 10-point favorite over the No. Raghib Rocket Ismail from Notre Dame returned two kickoffs for touchdowns in a 1988 game against Rice. 2,850 rushing yards is more than anyone's ever gained at any level of college or pro football. Attaboy, Leach. While his special teams coach may have been upset, Cobb rewarded him with a dazzling play, using his 4.46-second 40-yard dash time to blaze by the New Orleans Saints defense. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. One college player tops everybody in this category because he returned two kickoffs for touchdowns twice! But others, at least on the surface, appear untouchable. Rushing for 1,500 yards in a season is a terrific accomplishment for a player one likely to earn the player all-conference, if not All-America, honors. + Indicates Hall of Famer, season age in parentheses, Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Friday, March 3, 2:32PM. Statistics are current through the 2022 NFL season and include stats accrued in NFL, AFL and APFA games. I want to be the punt returner, too. Detroit Lions RB Jamaal Williams' autograph signing. Not only did Sanders win the Heisman in the 1988 season with his all-time great junior campaign 2,628 rushing yards, 7.6 yards per carry, 37 rushing touchdowns, one punt return touchdown and one kick return touchdown but his brother, Byron, also turned in a 1,000-yard season with Northwestern the fall of '88. Looking for a great NFL history book? Here are 10 current college football records one man at SDS has deemed unbreakable: Who holds it: Oklahoma, from 1953-57 The Yellow Jackets posted two 63-point quarters in the first half during a beating that will never be forgotten. Listen to The Game Before the Money Podcast! Hester took the opening kickoff from his own 10-yard line and darted through the first wave of would-be tacklers with a fantastic juke step, and he was offHester made it 90 yards before anyone on the Colts touched him, but by then he was already in the endzone. Record: 36 attempts Record-holder: Dominique Davis, East Carolina Season: 2011 In the 2020 season, Wisconsin quarterback Graham Mertz completed his first 17 pass attempts in the Badgers'. And before Hester made his name in the biggest game by returning the opening kickoff for a TD in Super Bowl XLI, he showed similarly great timing in college. All rights reserved. Return to Top; Players. A kickoff return for a touchdown is one of the most exciting plays in football. Not only is it remarkable that Burleson didn't reach the end zone that day, but in his previous game, he didn't catch a single pass, and in the game after he set this record, he had a pedestrian four catches for 23 yards. In this post, we talk about kickoff returns for touchdowns. Williams missed most of last season due to an ACL injury but is expected to be fully healthy by the start of the next season. Add Roydell Williams for the time he was here, Scaife, and the first two seasons, of Hill, and this draft provided five starters and two dependable backups in Fuller and Loper from its eleven members. Find out more. I got kick return, too, I would have housed that one.' All NFL TeamsNFL All NFL TeamsNFL 20 college football teams we aren't sold on in 2023, SEC Basketball Power Rankings: Mizzou shocks Tennessee, Alabama downs Auburn and more, SEC Basketball Power Rankings: Alabama stays unbeaten in SEC play, Tennessee outlasts Auburn and more, SEC Basketball Power Rankings: A new top team emerges, Alabama loses in blowout fashion, Mizzou lights it up again. Though I understand the safety concerns, it would be a shame to tear down a stage on which some of college football's most talented players have put in work. He is a former college linebacker, a longtime coach and a parent. Do you have a blog? All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. Jackson was one of the NFL's best return men early in his career, but less effective as a returner after taking on a bigger role at receiver. Subscribe to Stathead Football: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Pro Football Reference Database. Who holds it: Connor Halliday, Washington State, 2014 For those that don't know, a kick return touchdown is when the kickoff retu. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. Jameson also has to hold his part and make sure that hes doing everything that he needs to do. Enter your information to receive emails about offers, promotions from NCAA.com and our partners. Good luck figuring out exactly what happened in November 2001 and why. 4-ranked Auburn Tigers (10-1, 6-1 in the SEC). Watch on. Ismail said his job was to find a crease, run through it, and make somebody miss. In todays game, for the most part, teams take their foot off the gas once they hit the 63-point plateau and play out the stretch. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NCAA or its member institutions. Grant, who is six inches shorter than the 6-foot-1 Williams, has made his biggest impact in the NFL as a return man. Hall was fasthe once recorded a 40-yard dash time of 4.29 secondsand his slender frame at 58, 187 pounds made it easy for him to slip around tacklers. We present them here for purely educational purposes. 5th down. Weaving through traffic and toeing the sidelines in ways that would make Kyle Busch and Cris Carter smile, Javier showed anybody who watched him serve four years ('06-09) as Alabama's home run threat that he is more than just Gilbert Arenas' little cousin. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. Washington also returned a punt 99 yards for a touchdown later in that game, setting a team record with two return scores in the same game. For a quarterback to break East Carolina's Dominique Davis' record of 36 consecutive passes completed, he would have to double Mertz's streak of 17 completions in a row, then complete three additional passes for good measure. Recruited to play defensive back and run track, Ginn made an immediate impact with the ball, leading the nation in punt return average (25.6) as a freshman and scoring four touchdowns. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. (Jones-Drew's 91-yard kickoff return TD in that same game was understandably overshadowed.). NFL Career Leaders - Punt Return Touchdowns. Daynes record is safe. But to do so in just five games is potentially unsustainable, and that's why Sanders' record, amid a season in which he rushed for 2,628 yards in just 11 games (! Roos and Stewart were bookend tackles throughout their career, and it's not often a team finds a pair of starting offensive tackles in the same draft. Dwight's style wasn't gracefulhe was reminiscent of one of those old NFL Films segments starring Crazy Legs Hirschbut he got where he needed to go in a hurry. Schiano, like anybody who cares about football, cares about the welfare of the players. After the game, Notre Dame head coach Lou Holtz told reporters he simply told Ismail to run to middle. Officially, Arizona States Terrell Suggs holds the NCAAs single-season record with 24 sacks in 2002. Who holds it: Trevor Insley, 1996-99 With the game still tied between these two top-10 teams, Cam Newton did what he did best in 2010, take over a game with a game changing play. Watching Spiller make defenders look like clowns while flying down the field in Clemson's orange unis, it was easy to recall images of Barry Sanders at Oklahoma State. Over the past eight months, Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano has become the public face of a movement to eliminate the kickoff from college football. No one on the field noticed except for Bailey, who scooped up the ball and sped down the field completely untouched and unchallenged. The next year, in 1989, he returned to kickoffs for touchdowns against Michigan at Michigan in the Big House. 1990. Leaders Since 1976 Share & Export Record: 140.9 yards per gameRecord-holder: Alex Van Dyke, NevadaSeasons: 1994-95. Another score against Missouri later that year gave Perkins the FBS single-season record for punt return TDs. Or write about sports? 46. Four games. About Saturday Down South | Ethics and Editorial Standards | Privacy Policy | Terms and Conditions | Do Not Sell My Personal Information, Other Conferences: Big Ten | ACC | Pac-12. The longtime Chicago Bears return man forced teams to think hard about kicking him the ballhis electrifying speed and agility made him arguably the best kick returner of all time. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. Like, 'Damn, I dont think I got that in me right now,' as opposed to the guy whos coming off the bench and like, 'Dude, I just want to play right now. The raw video game-like numbers nearly 20,000 yards passing and 155 touchdowns jump off the page. All rights reserved. Statistics are current through the 2022 NFL season and include stats accrued in NFL, AFL and APFA games. One of the college football's best receivers in 2021, Williams tore his ACL in Alabama's national championship game loss to Georgia and played limited snaps in six games with the Lions last season. But scan through the FBS record book and you'll find other records in the highest level of college football that are likely so untouchable either due to rule changes and the evolution of the game, or due to a flash of brilliance (or the opposite of brilliance) that we think they'll stand in the history books forever. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Why its untouchable: College footballs Heisman winner in 1999, Dayne topped 2,000 yards for the second time in his Big Ten career to finish with an incredible NCAA-record 7,125 yards on the ground on a record-breaking 1,220 carries. 1 on that list? Adams took one step back after receiving the kick and seemingly had nowhere to go as he got close to the right sidelinethree Tennessee tacklers got right in his facebut instead of giving up, he changed direction and ran backwards (something coaches say never to do on punt returns). Not that the Red Raiders' notoriously potent offense needed help putting points on the board, but Welker was an extra threat to score any time he fielded a kick. There have been 43 kickoffs returned for a touchdown since Patterson was drafted in 2013. That's why Dominique Davis' record for consecutive completions in a season is unbreakable, even as passing efficiency in college football has improved over the course of the last decade. A compilation of every kick return touchdown of the 2020 college football season. We present them here for purely educational purposes. Thomas is a member of both the College Football and NFL Hall of Fame. The score set records for the longest kickoff return and longest play in Super Bowl history. As a senior, Keenum was spectacular, throwing 48. So its always an accountability factor on both sides, but we expect big things from him.". Cooper wouldve had to post last seasons jaw-dropping numbers three consecutive seasons to pass Insley. Duke fans and players were absolutely stunned, and while after the fact it was ruled that the play should have been blown dead about 12 timesthe result stood. Spiller racked up 2,052 yards and seven touchdowns (an FBS record) on kickoff returns and added 569 yards and a score on punt returns for good measure. Keenums NCAA record of 1,546 career completions also wont be touched. Before Hester was torching NFL special teams units in the pros, he was making complete fools of his fellow college players while playing at the University of Miami. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson said Williams is on par with Cleveland Browns receiver Jakeem Grant as the fastest player he's ever coached. You can't knock Schiano for wanting to make the game safer. NASHVILLE - It's time to reveal our No.3 class in the top-ten draft classes of the Titans history countdown. Do you have a blog? "Hes done it. Watch Newton go 49 yards against the LSU defense. Missouri. College Football at Sports-Reference.com Blog and Articles. Talk about making an impact in your NFL debut. That's roughly what Nevada's Alex Van Dyke averaged during his two-year career Nevada. Ten players have done that in NFL history. We present them here for purely educational purposes. And its like, 'Well, yeah, thats good, but what happens when the balls punted to that side of the field, we thought it was going to be over (on the other) side of the field and hes like, 'Oh, (expletive), I got to go over there.' Some school's results have been altered by retroactive NCAA penalties. So, Sanders' Heisman-winning season in '88 when he ran for 332 yards against Texas Tech, 320 yards against Kansas State, 312 yards against Kansas and 304 yards against Tulsa hasn't been matched by any other running back in their career, let alone a single season. The football gods skipped over this game pitting the nations best team against a small college from Tennessee at legendary Grant Field and let the bloodletting continue for four horrific quarters. Josh Cribbs (3/2009), Sports Reference Baseball Football(college) Basketball(college) Hockey Ftbol Blog Stathead Questions or Comments? The touchdown also helped Hester set an NFL record for the most return touchdowns by a player in a single season. Williams returned two kicks for touchdowns in his one season at Alabama, when he averaged 35.2 yards on 10 kick returns. That dipped last season with 13 returns for 270 yards and 20.8 yards. Kick return touchdown in the Super Bowldoes it get any more exciting than that? Join our linker program. Why its untouchable: Klingler set several single-game and career passing records during his time at Houston (that were later broken), but this one could be his most notable. Notre Dame beat Michigan 24-19 on that day in a battle of the nations top two ranked teams. So well just see how it goes.". (And the truth is that we could triple dip, quadruple dip, etc., with Sanders because he was that good and set that many records.) One of his players, Eric LeGrand, remains paralyzed from the neck down today due to an injury suffered on a kickoff last October. He was a man among boys off the edge in Tuscaloosa and later set an NFL record with seven sacks in a single game for the Kansas City Chiefs in 1990. It's an impressive genetic and familial accomplishment to have siblings that play at the FBS level, but for them to play the same position in the same season, as starters, and both rush for more than 1,000 yards requires countless stars to align. Some school's results have been altered by retroactive NCAA penalties. Their role on special teams is more influenced by offense and defense than it is on what he can do on teams.". The Human Joystick made video-game like moves on the field and one of his most impressive returns came against the Denver Broncos in 2003the same season in which he set a record by returning a kickoff or a punt for a touchdown four games in a row. Build your own custom leaderboards with Stathead Football. Single game leaders only reflect years for which we have complete boxscore data (1950 onward), all playoff games, and all 100 yard rushing/receiving or 300 yard passing games from 1940-1959. Hester set the NFL record for most return touchdowns (combining kickoffs and punts) with 20 over the course of his career, and one of his best came in Super Bowl XLIwhich was played in Miami, where Hester went to collegeagainst the Indianapolis Colts. To start things off, Jones commited what many special teams coaches say is the biggest mistake for all return mendont take the ball out of the endzone if you catch it over five yards deep. It's also worth noting that numerous Nevada players from the 1990s and early 2000s hold FBS passing and receiving records, so Van Dyke's record might be a case of the right player in the right system in the right era, which is why it may never be topped. most games with two kickoff returns for touchdowns, A Brief History of The 1970s Pittsburgh Steelers vs Houston Oilers Rivalry. The Hurricanes star did some impressive work in the NFL, but his best return ever might be from his days at The U. Hesters return against Duke was like a work of artif there were a museum honoring returns in football, this one might be considered the Mona Lisa of punt returns. As a senior, Keenum was spectacular, throwing 48 touchdowns passes to just five interceptions a ratio of nearly 10:1. 1977 1976 1947 NFL Punt Returns for Touchdown Single Game Leaders All-Time Punt Returns for Touchdown Leaders Players must meet the minimum requirements to show up on this leaderboard. was better than Barry when it came to returning kicks. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. The Kick Six (also known as Kick Bama Kick) was the final play of the 78th Iron Bowl college football game played on November 30, 2013 at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Alabama.The game featured the No. 2022 The Game Before the Money All Rights Reserved. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. Those gargantuan numbers would only be approached within a pass-happy offense with literally two or fewer reliable targets. Raghib "Rocket" Ismail Holds Record for Most Games With Two Kickoff Returns for Touchdowns Cordarrelle Patterson was tied for the most kick return touchdowns in NFL history entering Week 11 of the 2022 season. Interview quotes are usually edited for length and clarity. If any quarterback is going to approach this record in the future, hell be another Mike Leach understudy. It shouldn't include Jalen Ramsey. CRYSTAL BALL: 5 predictions for the 2021 college football season, Record: 36 attemptsRecord-holder: Dominique Davis, East CarolinaSeason: 2011. Well, in this case, its probably a good idea that Jones didnt listen to that advice. As a senior in 1997, Rossum finished fourth nationally in kickoff-return average; as a junior he led the country in punt-return average. Find out more. The former Seattle Seahawks running back was ready to go on the opening kickoff of this game against the San Diego Chargers. Start the video below at 1:11 for the amazing return. It would take a dynamic talent like Randy Moss, who was interested in playing four seasons, to come close. Kickoff Return Touchdowns Single Season Leaders and Records An asterisk (*) after a player's name indicates bowl stats are included. The record? I watched him do things in a USC uniform that Marcus Allen, O.J. The Minnesota Vikings receiver was literally as far back into the endzone as he could be on an NFL field when he received this kickoff against the Green Bay Packers. That year, he took the opening kickoff of the opening game back for a TD against Tulsa. The Lions used backup receiver Kalif Raymond as their primary punt returner and No. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. 1 Georgia Tech trampled Cumberland Gap (Tenn.) 222-0 in 1916 If you don't, then you punt the ball. After receiving the pooch kick at their own 25-yard line, Miami started lateraling the ball to keep it alive, eventually getting all the way back to their own 3-yard line before making their way upfield again. Who holds it: Derrick Thomas, Alabama, 1988 Who holds it: John Reaves, Florida, 1969 Kickoff Return Touchdowns Single Season Leaders and Records | College Football at Sports-Reference.com , Google Podcasts, or YouTube. Just look at Moore's freshman (36.2 receiving yards per game) and sophomore (70.8 yards per game) seasons to see that it took Moore time (and potentially a coaching change to offensive mind Lane Kiffin) for him to develop into a receiver who could average that many yards per game. Making the play even more amazing: The Saints basically had Cobb wrapped up, but he was able to spin out, flipping nearly upside downbreaking multiple tackles along the way to the Packers win in his first-ever NFL game. Why its untouchable: The NCAA didnt start collecting sacks as an official FBS statistic until 2000, but were putting Thomas insane number of 27 quarterback faceplants with the Crimson Tide in 1988 inside the Top 10. All rights reserved. 14. . Ron Brown (3/1985), 3. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. NFL Kick Returns for Touchdown Single-Season Leaders | Pro-Football-Reference.com 1. That will never be topped. The Cougars simply refused to run the football. Hester had himself quite the day against the St. Louis Rams back in 2006, returning two kicks for touchdowns in the game. KEY: Gms = Games Played, Num = Kickoff Returns, Yds = Kickoff Return Yards, Avg = Kickoff Return Average, Lg = Longest Kickoff Return, TD = Kickoff Return Touchdowns, Yds/G = Kickoff Return Yards Per Game. Whether it's football, fashion or just breathing, it's tough to make any "Most Electrifying" list without including Deion. Record: 1,383 passing yardsRecord-holder: Patrick Mahomes, Texas Tech (819 yards) and Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma (564 yards)Season: 2016. Twenty-five players in college football history have run two kickoffs back for touchdowns in the same game. Hester set the NFL record for most return touchdowns (combining kickoffs and punts) with 20 over the course of his career, and one of his best came in Super Bowl XLIwhich was played in. College Football at Sports-Reference.com Blog and Articles. Most rushing touchdowns, game [ edit] FBS: 8 - Howard Griffith, Illinois, 1990; Kalen Ballage, Arizona State, 2016; Jaret Patterson, Buffalo, 2020 FCS: 7 - Archie Amerson, Northern Arizona, 1996 Div II: 8 - Junior Wolf, Oklahoma Panhandle State, 1958 Div III: 8 - Donavan Henderson, Manchester, 2019; Carey Bender, Coe, 1994 Join our linker program. MORE FROM THE COMBINE:Brad Holmes: 'I don't think the cupboard's bare on defense'. Why its untouchable: The Cougars waxed SMU, 95-21, in a biblical beating that featured an all-out aerial assault from Ware, who threw for 517 yards and later won the Heisman. Build your own custom leaderboards with Stathead Football. Adams slipped through a couple tackles and appeared to be at a dead end againbut with blazing speed he darted up the sideline and got a key block, sending him straight towards the end zone with nearly the entire Tennessee team chasing him, but all coming up short. "Obviously, it would be great to see him back there (as a returner) if thats what his role provides," Fipp said. Lions special teams coordinator Dave Fipp is open to the idea of incorporating Williams into a return role, and Williams himself has expressed . We're going to double dip with Barry Sanders but this time it's a family affair. Build your own custom leaderboards with Stathead Football. You should have watched the Ohio Stadium crowd any time Ted Ginn Jr. went back to field a kick. The notion of putting up "video-game numbers" can be overstated at times, but a stat line like that to start a game is something you're far more likely to find in an arcade or a friend's basement than on the gridiron in an actual FBS game. Only twice since the turn of the century has a team surpassed 30 or more straight wins USC and Miami. (Looking at you, Liberty quarterback Malik Willis, Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder, and Ohio State wide receivers Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson.). Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Hall started running backwards and crossed to the other side of the field, outrunning the entire Broncos unit before heading into the endzone untouched. 3 running back Justin Jackson as their top kick returner last season. The team that would now be kicking off would have the option: They could punt the ball or they could go for it. Down three points with just six seconds left in this ACC matchup against Duke, the Miami Hurricanes were in a desperate positionthey needed to find a way to score a touchdown after a late score by the Blue Devils. 44 touchdowns are tied with Kmic for the most ever and ahead of anyone else in NCAA history. Punts are a much, much less physical play.". Hester may not be the fastest person to ever play football, but I don't think I've seen anybody run faster on a football field. Why its untouchable: Youve got to feel for Reaves, the Gators errant passer who tossed nine completions to the opposing defense at Auburn in 1969. Do you have a sports website? Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. Brandon Jones, who physically looked the part, and Damien Nash were the only two real misses in this class. Or write about sports? See our list of forfeits and vacated games for more details. In 2010, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. For his career, he scored six times on kick returns. Heisman Trophy, Walter Camp Award, Doak Walker Award, AP and Sporting News Player of the Year. This might be the most controversial of all our classes to be No.3, but this class had depth and a star on the field, and a headache off it all rolled into one class. Read more about our data coverage. Why its untouchable: Houston quarterback David Klinglers single-game FBS passing record of 716 yards stood for nearly 25 years before Halliday, a lesser-known quarterback and Air Raid product, eclipsed the mark last season. But the NCAA told me none of it ever happened, so maybe I was just dreaming. An asterisk (*) after a player's name indicates bowl stats are included.Read more about our data coverage. Andy Wittry has written for Stadium, SI.com, Sporting News, the Indianapolis Star, Louisville Courier-Journal and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Brown probably wouldn't have become the first receiver to win the Heisman (1987) without his contributions on special teams. After a punt from the New Orleans Saints landed into the endzone, it appeared that the ball was going to bounce out of bounds, causing a touchback to the 20-yard linebut it didnt. And his most memorable returna 91-yard dash with one minute left in the 1991 Orange Bowl that (would have) dashed Colorado's national championshipdidn't even count due to a clipping penalty. Still, he has breakaway. Stats: 2,854 passing yards, 30 passing touchdowns, 1,473 rushing yards, 20 rushing touchdowns, 42 receiving yards, receiving touchdown Newton got his one SEC chance after his troubled time. The longtime NFL cornerback made everyone look like a fool on this play while he was playing with the Los Angeles Rams. Do you have a sports website? A compilation of every kick return touchdown of the 2021 college football season. Jameis Winston led Florida State to 29 consecutive victories during his tenure, an impressive streak snapped in violent fashion by Oregon in last years first College Football Playoff semifinal at the Rose Bowl. Join our linker program. By any measure, it was a near-perfect performance and the one incompletion was a dropped pass. "White Lightning" was another dual-sport football/track star who finished his Iowa career ('94-97) as the Big Ten's all-time leader in punt-return yardage and touchdowns. Follow him on Twitter@davebirkett. Most episodes include stories from legendary football stars. Jacoby Jones has had a few standout returns in his career, and this one against the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII might be his most impressive. He doesn't own any national kick return records, and apparently he only scored six return touchdowns in his college career. Simpson, Charles White and Anthony Davis wouldn't have imagined. Except C.J. He is a graduate of Indiana University. Keenum was granted a medical hardship in 2010 after tearing a knee ligament, but his five touchdowns over three games prior to injury count. Racked up 1,522 kickoff return yards, 559 punt return yards and four kick-return touchdowns in three seasons. Both records have since been broken. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. Both of Ismails kickoffs returned for touchdowns were in the second half, the first coming on the second-half kickoff.

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