JimBob
12-29-2007, 09:25 AM
Chasing Sanders
By MATT DOYLE World Sports Writer
12/29/2007
Last Modified: 12/29/2007 1:43 AM
If he gains 181 yards in Saturday’s Liberty Bowl against Mississippi State, Central Florida’s Kevin Smith will surpass the NCAA Division I-A (now officially known as the Football Bowl Subdivision) single-season rushing record set by Oklahoma State’s Barry Sanders in 1988.
The rub? Smith will have needed 14 games to break the mark. Sanders needed only 11 games to amass 2,628 yards in 1988. Sanders’ 222 yards in that year’s Holiday Bowl did not count toward his season total because the NCAA did not officially recognize bowl statistics as part of the season totals until 2002.
Barry Sanders
1988 season breakdown
date opponent ............... att-yds. TD
9/10 Miami (Ohio) ............... 18-178 2
9/24 Texas A&M .................... 20-157 2
10/1 Tulsa ............................... 33-304 5
10/8 at Colorado .................... 24-174 4
10/15 at Nebraska .................... 34-189 4
10/22 Missouri......................... 25-154 2
10/29 at Kansas State ............... 37-320 3
11/5 Oklahoma...................... 39-215 2
11/12 Kansas ............................ 37-312 5
11/19 at Iowa State .................. 32-293 4
12/3 Texas Tech (in Tokyo) .. 44-332 4
*12/30 Wyoming ....................... 29-222 5
Totals ............... 344-2,628 37
* Statistics in the Holiday Bowl did not count toward his overall totals, perNCAArules at the time.
Note: He also had two TD receptions.
Kevin Smith
2007 season breakdown
date opponent ............... att-yds. TD
9/1 at N.C. State ................... 35-217 2
9/15 Texas ............................... 27-149 2
9/22 Memphis........................ 22-124 3
9/29 Louisiana-Lafayette ...... 33-223 3
10/6 at East Carolina ............. 29-147 1
10/13 at South Florida .............. 18-55 0
10/20 Tulsa ............................... 33-170 3
10/27 at SouthernMiss ........... 43-175 2
11/3 Marshall ......................... 29-188 2
11/10 at UAB............................ 41-320 4
11/17 at SMU........................... 20-177 2
11/24 UTEP ............................. 46-219 1
12/1 Tulsa ............................... 39-284 4
Totals ............... 415-2,448 29
Note: He also had one TD reception.
THE LIST
The top five single-season rushing leaders in Division I-A history:
1. Barry Sanders, Oklahoma State, 1988, 2,628 yards.
2. Kevin Smith, Central Florida, 2007, 2,448 yards.
3.Marcus Allen,USC, 1981, 2,342 yards.
4. Troy Davis, Iowa State, 1996, 2,185 yards.
5. LaDainian Tomlinson, TCU, 2000, 2,158 yards.
A COMMON THREAD
The University of Tulsa is the only program to have faced both backs in their record-setting seasons.
Sanders vs. TU
The OSU tailback set a thenschool record with 304 yards rushing and matched a Big Eight Conference recordwith five touchdowns in a 56- 35 win over the Golden Hurricane.
After the game,TU coachDave Rader said “Barry Sanders is a tremendous back — the closest thing to a Bo Jackson.”
Smith vs. TU
In the first of two matchups this year against TU, Smith rumbled for 170 yards and three touchdowns in a 44-23 Knights triumph.
“I thought we got after him pretty good, but yeah, he’s a great back,” TU coach Todd Graham said.
BREAKOUT GAMES
Breakout games that brought national attention to both backs during their record seasons:
Sanders: Bedlam battle
The 1988 Bedlam game was the only time OSU played on national TV in that regular season. The ESPN audience saw Sanders gain 215 yards and score twice in a 31-28 loss.
“Everybody watch my lips. I think Barry Sanders is the best collegiate football player in the country,” OSU coach Pat Jones said in his postgame press conference.
Smith: C-USA title
Smith ran for 284 yards and four touchdowns in a 44-25 win over TU in the Conference USA championship, the Knights’ secondmeeting with the Hurricane.
“He just wore us down. He’s a tough back to bring down,” TU coach Todd Graham said.
THE EXPLANATION: RULES WERE CHANGED IN 2002
The inquiry has been a common one for both Jim Wright and Kevin Klintworth the past few weeks.Why can’t Sanders’ 222 yards in the Holiday Bowl be added now to his 1988 total?
It’s not that simple.
The College Sports Information Directors of America passed a vote to start allowing Division I-A bowl statistics to count toward season totals starting with the 2002 season. Division I-A college football was the only college sport to not include postseason stats as part of the season totals.
If Smith does gain 181 yards in the Liberty Bowl, the NCAArecord book would recognize Smith as the new single-season rushing record holder “regardless of the fact that we now count bowl games but did not when Sanders was playing,”said Wright, the NCAA’s director of statistics.
Klintworth is his second year as OSU’s associate athletic director for media relations.Unlike many Division I-A schools,OSU has not updated its football stats to include the school’s 13 bowl appearances prior to 2002.
Klintworth was the media relations director at San Diego Statewhen the sports information directors’ vote took place.He voted against the measure because it would be effective starting in 2002 and not count previous seasons.
“I think bowl games should count, but I think it (the measure) was not fair unless it made everything retroactive,” Klintworth said.
Klintworth said season length has always been an issue. There were seasons when teams only played nine or 10 games.Now regular seasons are 12 games, and leagues that have championship games likely have member institutions playing up to 14 games a year.
That’s why Klintworth believes Sanders’ 1988 record of yards per game, 238.9, is the more impressive accomplishment.
By MATT DOYLE World Sports Writer
12/29/2007
Last Modified: 12/29/2007 1:43 AM
If he gains 181 yards in Saturday’s Liberty Bowl against Mississippi State, Central Florida’s Kevin Smith will surpass the NCAA Division I-A (now officially known as the Football Bowl Subdivision) single-season rushing record set by Oklahoma State’s Barry Sanders in 1988.
The rub? Smith will have needed 14 games to break the mark. Sanders needed only 11 games to amass 2,628 yards in 1988. Sanders’ 222 yards in that year’s Holiday Bowl did not count toward his season total because the NCAA did not officially recognize bowl statistics as part of the season totals until 2002.
Barry Sanders
1988 season breakdown
date opponent ............... att-yds. TD
9/10 Miami (Ohio) ............... 18-178 2
9/24 Texas A&M .................... 20-157 2
10/1 Tulsa ............................... 33-304 5
10/8 at Colorado .................... 24-174 4
10/15 at Nebraska .................... 34-189 4
10/22 Missouri......................... 25-154 2
10/29 at Kansas State ............... 37-320 3
11/5 Oklahoma...................... 39-215 2
11/12 Kansas ............................ 37-312 5
11/19 at Iowa State .................. 32-293 4
12/3 Texas Tech (in Tokyo) .. 44-332 4
*12/30 Wyoming ....................... 29-222 5
Totals ............... 344-2,628 37
* Statistics in the Holiday Bowl did not count toward his overall totals, perNCAArules at the time.
Note: He also had two TD receptions.
Kevin Smith
2007 season breakdown
date opponent ............... att-yds. TD
9/1 at N.C. State ................... 35-217 2
9/15 Texas ............................... 27-149 2
9/22 Memphis........................ 22-124 3
9/29 Louisiana-Lafayette ...... 33-223 3
10/6 at East Carolina ............. 29-147 1
10/13 at South Florida .............. 18-55 0
10/20 Tulsa ............................... 33-170 3
10/27 at SouthernMiss ........... 43-175 2
11/3 Marshall ......................... 29-188 2
11/10 at UAB............................ 41-320 4
11/17 at SMU........................... 20-177 2
11/24 UTEP ............................. 46-219 1
12/1 Tulsa ............................... 39-284 4
Totals ............... 415-2,448 29
Note: He also had one TD reception.
THE LIST
The top five single-season rushing leaders in Division I-A history:
1. Barry Sanders, Oklahoma State, 1988, 2,628 yards.
2. Kevin Smith, Central Florida, 2007, 2,448 yards.
3.Marcus Allen,USC, 1981, 2,342 yards.
4. Troy Davis, Iowa State, 1996, 2,185 yards.
5. LaDainian Tomlinson, TCU, 2000, 2,158 yards.
A COMMON THREAD
The University of Tulsa is the only program to have faced both backs in their record-setting seasons.
Sanders vs. TU
The OSU tailback set a thenschool record with 304 yards rushing and matched a Big Eight Conference recordwith five touchdowns in a 56- 35 win over the Golden Hurricane.
After the game,TU coachDave Rader said “Barry Sanders is a tremendous back — the closest thing to a Bo Jackson.”
Smith vs. TU
In the first of two matchups this year against TU, Smith rumbled for 170 yards and three touchdowns in a 44-23 Knights triumph.
“I thought we got after him pretty good, but yeah, he’s a great back,” TU coach Todd Graham said.
BREAKOUT GAMES
Breakout games that brought national attention to both backs during their record seasons:
Sanders: Bedlam battle
The 1988 Bedlam game was the only time OSU played on national TV in that regular season. The ESPN audience saw Sanders gain 215 yards and score twice in a 31-28 loss.
“Everybody watch my lips. I think Barry Sanders is the best collegiate football player in the country,” OSU coach Pat Jones said in his postgame press conference.
Smith: C-USA title
Smith ran for 284 yards and four touchdowns in a 44-25 win over TU in the Conference USA championship, the Knights’ secondmeeting with the Hurricane.
“He just wore us down. He’s a tough back to bring down,” TU coach Todd Graham said.
THE EXPLANATION: RULES WERE CHANGED IN 2002
The inquiry has been a common one for both Jim Wright and Kevin Klintworth the past few weeks.Why can’t Sanders’ 222 yards in the Holiday Bowl be added now to his 1988 total?
It’s not that simple.
The College Sports Information Directors of America passed a vote to start allowing Division I-A bowl statistics to count toward season totals starting with the 2002 season. Division I-A college football was the only college sport to not include postseason stats as part of the season totals.
If Smith does gain 181 yards in the Liberty Bowl, the NCAArecord book would recognize Smith as the new single-season rushing record holder “regardless of the fact that we now count bowl games but did not when Sanders was playing,”said Wright, the NCAA’s director of statistics.
Klintworth is his second year as OSU’s associate athletic director for media relations.Unlike many Division I-A schools,OSU has not updated its football stats to include the school’s 13 bowl appearances prior to 2002.
Klintworth was the media relations director at San Diego Statewhen the sports information directors’ vote took place.He voted against the measure because it would be effective starting in 2002 and not count previous seasons.
“I think bowl games should count, but I think it (the measure) was not fair unless it made everything retroactive,” Klintworth said.
Klintworth said season length has always been an issue. There were seasons when teams only played nine or 10 games.Now regular seasons are 12 games, and leagues that have championship games likely have member institutions playing up to 14 games a year.
That’s why Klintworth believes Sanders’ 1988 record of yards per game, 238.9, is the more impressive accomplishment.