most kick return touchdowns in one game college most kick return touchdowns in one game college

That season, he averaged 19.8 yards per kickoff return and scored three TDs on punt returns. Insane. All rights reserved. Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Saturday, March 4, 6:41AM. Who holds it: Ron Dayne, Wisconsin, 1996-99 The University of Miami alum was in his first season of the NFL, and he made the Rams pay for kicking him the ball. Keenums NCAA record of 1,546 career completions also wont be touched. 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. And that wasn't even the most impressive part of the return. If you don't, then you punt the ball. Find out more. 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. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NCAA or its member institutions. Who holds it: Derrick Thomas, Alabama, 1988 College Football at Sports-Reference.com Blog and Articles; We're Social.for Statheads . Ismail dashed for 88 yards on that kickoff. He finished his college career ('03-05)averaging 25.5 yards per kickoff return and 15.6 per punt return, with six return touchdowns. 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. Statistics are current through the 2022 NFL season and include stats accrued in NFL, AFL and APFA games. most games with two kickoff returns for touchdowns, A Brief History of The 1970s Pittsburgh Steelers vs Houston Oilers Rivalry. 5th down. A kickoff return for a touchdown is one of the most exciting plays in football. It would take a dynamic talent like Randy Moss, who was interested in playing four seasons, to come close. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. 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. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. None of the members of this class will ever hear their names called in Canton, but as a group, and what they provided for the Titans, even though small in some cases, was a solid class top to bottom that played some excellent football and were part of some good, but not great Titans teams. For those that don't know, a kick return touchdown is when the kickoff retu. 2,850 rushing yards is more than anyone's ever gained at any level of college or pro football. 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. Raghib "Rocket" Ismail Holds Record for Most Games With Two Kickoff Returns for Touchdowns As a sophomore, he led the nation in kickoff return yards with 442, while averaging 31.6 yards per return. Listen to The Game Before the Money Podcast! 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. Do you have a blog? NFL Kick Returns for Touchdown Single-Season Leaders | Pro-Football-Reference.com 1. In 2010, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Build your own custom leaderboards with Stathead Football, Frequently Asked Questions about the NFL and Football, Pro-Football-Reference.com Blog and Articles, Subscribe to Stathead Football: Get your first month FREE. Leaders Since 1976 Share & Export Modify, Export & Share Table Get as Excel Workbook Good luck figuring out exactly what happened in November 2001 and why. Even as the length of the college football season has increased to 15 games for the teams that advance to the College Football Playoff National Championship, in order for Sanders' record to be broken, it would still require a player who plays for a national finalist to rush for at least 300 yards in one out of every three games in a single season. He'd find the seam, hit the seam and just out-sprint the coverage like they were wearing snow shoes. The score set records for the longest kickoff return and longest play in Super Bowl history. Hester blew through an open lane to go basically untouched into the endzonehigh-stepping his way in all the way from the 20-yard line. We present them here for purely educational purposes. In the 2020 season, Wisconsin quarterback Graham Mertz completed his first 17 pass attempts in the Badgers' season-opener against Illinois as he finished 20-for-21 passing for 248 yards and five touchdowns. Michigan had narrowed Notre Dames lead to a single point right before halftime, but Rockets first touchdown returned stretched the Irishs lead to 14-6. 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. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. The best kick-returners have a knack for making big plays in big games. As a matter of policy, Sports Reference only reports the results of games as played on the field. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. That same season, his best game came in week 15 against Jacksonville, where he had an 83-yard interception return for a score, a 70-yard kick return, and broke up a touchdown pass to save the game. 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. 1 spot on this list? We present them here for purely educational purposes. Please see our Contributors and Sources page for data source details. "But yeah, were just gong to continue to do everything that we need to do to make sure that hes set up to succeed. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. The score marked the first time an opening kickoff was returned for a touchdown in Super Bowl history. Jameson also has to hold his part and make sure that hes doing everything that he needs to do. It'd be like turning a demolition crew on the Apollo Theater. Burleson's effort against San Jose State ranks tied for eighth all-time in single-game receiving yards and yet, he never made it to the end zone. Bears game on Sunday. Cordarrelle Patterson was tied for the most kick return touchdowns in NFL history entering Week 11 of the 2022 season. Welker scored eight touchdowns on punt returns in his career ('00-03), tying the FBS record. As a matter of policy, Sports Reference only reports the results of games as played on the field. (Jones-Drew's 91-yard kickoff return TD in that same game was understandably overshadowed.). Build your own custom leaderboards with Stathead Football. The Irish victory at Michigan in front of over 105,000 fans made Norte Dame the first school to defeat Michigan head coach Bo Schembechler in three straight seasons. In an interview with an Atlanta radio station last week, he again laid out his proposal: "Instead of having a kickoff, every place where you would have a kickoff now, you would put in place a 4th-and-15 situation. 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. Who holds it: Houston offense led by QB Andre Ware in 1990 Do you have a sports website? We present them here for purely educational purposes. Simpson, Charles White and Anthony Davis wouldn't have imagined. Mitchell was a full-time quarterback at Louisiana-Lafayette. Have we mentioned this guys pretty good at returning kicks? 1 pick in the NFL draft (Mayfield), the former of whom is arguably a generational talent at the position and the latter of whom was named the best player in the country one year later. 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. Green Bay Packers wideout Randall Cobb was anxious to get his pro career startedso anxious that he brought out a kickoff after receiving it eight yards deep in the end zone. 46. New Mock Thinks It Possible: CJ Stroud falls to Titans at No.6 overall in a trade-up scenario. 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. Except C.J. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. 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. Both records have since been broken. Or write about sports? 14. . Interview quotes are usually edited for length and clarity. Record: 1,383 passing yardsRecord-holder: Patrick Mahomes, Texas Tech (819 yards) and Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma (564 yards)Season: 2016. "The goal when we originally drafted him, we didnt know really how much we were going to get out of him but it was good to have him get some kind of game experience to kind of feel the speed of the game," Holmes said. He still showed game-breaking ability at times last season but had two punt return touchdowns wiped out due to penalties while averaging 8.8 yards on 13 attempts with a long of 19. But even if he'd been stopped for 10- and 12-yard gains every time, surely he'd find some way to remain memorable. Imagine if the fantasy football owners who covet Jones-Drew so much now could have had him in college, where in addition to his rushing and receiving exploits,he was also a record-setting kick-returner. ), is safe in our opinion. The next year, his Heisman year, Sanders took the opening kickoff in the opening game back 100 yards for a score against Miami-Ohio. One college player tops everybody in this category because he returned two kickoffs for touchdowns twice! 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. Catch up on DI women's conference tourneys, There are a handful of FBS records and milestones that could be broken and reached this season, respectively. It shouldn't include Jalen Ramsey. Sanders, the 1988 Heisman Trophy winner and College Football Hall of Fame inductee, also holds the career record for most games with at least 300 rushing yards. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. As a junior in 2005, Jones-Drew set the FBS single-season markby averaging 28.5 yards per punt return. He tossed six touchdown passes in the second quarter of a blowout win over Louisiana Tech in 1991. It was a challenging discussion, but in the end, the Titans 2005 class grabbed this position despite some of the antics of their first-round pick, Adam "Pacman" Jones. No one on the field noticed except for Bailey, who scooped up the ball and sped down the field completely untouched and unchallenged. Keenum was granted a medical hardship in 2010 after tearing a knee ligament, but his five touchdowns over three games prior to injury count. Or write about sports? NFL Single Season Leaders - Kickoff Return Touchdowns The following is a list of the NFL single season kickoff returnleaders ranked by kickoff return touchdowns. Do you have a blog? In order for this record to be topped, it would take a pair of quarterbacks likely future NFL starters to average roughly 700 passing yards apiece. All rights reserved. You want to see over 100,000 people afraid to move? The Yellow Jackets posted two 63-point quarters in the first half during a beating that will never be forgotten. 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'. Watch Newton go 49 yards against the LSU defense. The national leader in receiving yards per game during the 2020 season was Ole Miss' consensus All-American wide receiver Elijah Moore, who averaged 149.1 yards per game. Davis' record stretched across back-to-back games against Memphis and Navy (he completed his first 26 attempts against the Midshipmen), and given the number of passes Davis completed in a row, it would likely force a potential record-breaker to complete 37 or more passes against two different opponents, which means two different schemes and opposing rosters to diagnose and dominate. 1 Georgia Tech trampled Cumberland Gap (Tenn.) 222-0 in 1916 No. 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. Grant, who is six inches shorter than the 6-foot-1 Williams, has made his biggest impact in the NFL as a return man. All rights reserved. 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. ', "There's just a difference in there, and that difference makes an exponential difference on the field of play with the whole group.". For his career, he scored six times on kick returns. Javier owns the SEC career record with seven punt-return touchdowns, averaging 14.0 yards per punt return and 24.1 yards per kickoff return. And I think the great players are like that, and they want to do all that stuff. Active players are listed in bold. From there it was a track meetand no one could catch Jones. He made everybody miss twice against Michigan. Missouri. Could Top QB Fall To The Titans? College Football at Sports-Reference.com Blog and Articles. Find out more. 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. 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. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? His 27.6 yards per kickoff and 13.6 yards per punt-return averages were solid but not eye-popping. No one will forget the Heisman pose after the 93-yard punt return TD against Ohio State, but they also shouldn't forget the body of work that led to Howard's defining moment. It takes speed to return kicks well, but it also takes field vision, anticipation, agility, and some video game-like juke moves. The record? NO REGRETS:Ben Johnson, Aaron Glenn content even if head coach jobs never materialize. Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson said Williams is on par with Cleveland Browns receiver Jakeem Grant as the fastest player he's ever coached. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. Brown probably wouldn't have become the first receiver to win the Heisman (1987) without his contributions on special teams. Gordons incredible 408-yard performance through three quarters, no less against Nebraska was short-lived. We do not target any individuals under the age of 21. It was potentially a perfect storm of a conference (Big 12) and its offensive philosophy (the air raid and spread offenses), a startling lack of defense (each team finished with 854 yards of offense) and two special quarterbacks. NFL Career Leaders - Kickoff Return Touchdowns. Again, that's with Kmic playing in 3 more games. 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. 5. Record: 326 yardsRecord-holder: Nate Burleson, NevadaSeason: 2001. On one September day in 2003, Perkins tortured the Bruins for 277 yards on seven punt returns, scoring touchdowns from65, 74 and 84 yards out. ruled that the play should have been blown dead. See our list of forfeits and vacated games for more details. 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. In this post, we talk about kickoff returns for touchdowns. Whether it's football, fashion or just breathing, it's tough to make any "Most Electrifying" list without including Deion. 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. That dipped last season with 13 returns for 270 yards and 20.8 yards. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. I got kick return, too, I would have housed that one.' Because when I was a kid, he was the guy who made me think returners were supposed to take punts and kickoffs back for touchdowns on a regular basis. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? He ran for 92 yards on the second touchdown. Punts are a much, much less physical play.". Al Diaz/Miami Herald/TNS. The truth is, Florida didnt have a second-team quarterback to relieve Reaves of his obvious tragic afternoon on the Plains and let the future first-round pick heave it 66 times during the game. That's roughly what Nevada's Alex Van Dyke averaged during his two-year career Nevada. Daynes record is safe. Travis Etienne. He doesn't own any national kick return records, and apparently he only scored six return touchdowns in his college career. 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. 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. An asterisk (*) after a player's name indicates bowl stats are included.Read more about our data coverage. Like sports history? Brian Mitchell, the three-time All-Pro who, interestingly enough, never once returned a punt or kickoff in college. 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. The day before Halloween 2004, from the press box at Washington State's Martin Stadium, I watched him run into a crowd on a punt return on a wet field, then with one cut, leave a trail of flailing arms and jockstraps on his way to the end zone. Miami kick returner Jakeem Grant, in his fourth NFL season, had a 101-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in Week 11, his second career kick-return touchdown of at least . That's not happening. Or write about sports? Active players are listed in bold. 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. Lions special teams coordinator Dave Fipp is open to the idea of incorporating Williams into a return role, and Williams himself has expressed . CLICK HERE````````````````````````, Titans Looking To Evolve Analytically: Changes in how the Titans view things are coming. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. The former Seattle Seahawks running back was ready to go on the opening kickoff of this game against the San Diego Chargers. Jackson is a pending free agent, while Raymond is coming off the best season of his career. The longtime NFL cornerback made everyone look like a fool on this play while he was playing with the Los Angeles Rams. And unfortunately, its days may be numbered. Do you have a sports website? The guy loves playing. The raw video game-like numbers nearly 20,000 yards passing and 155 touchdowns jump off the page. Both of Ismails kickoffs returned for touchdowns were in the second half, the first coming on the second-half kickoff. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. Join our linker program. Kickoff Return Touchdowns Career Leaders and Records | College Football at Sports-Reference.com Kickoff Return Touchdowns Career Leaders and Records An asterisk (*) after a player's name indicates bowl stats are included. 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. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. In order for this record to fall and reminder, this is two brothers and even a family with three active FBS running backs would struggle to best the Sanders' combined total it would likely take a pair of brothers to each make a run at a 2,000-yard season in the same season. "It's hard to ask a guy to do all those things at a really high level, and people dont realize that," Fipp said. The next year, in 1989, he returned to kickoffs for touchdowns against Michigan at Michigan in the Big House. In 2019, Wright finished with 10 returns for 380 yards, 38 yards per return and two touchdowns. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. Subscribe to Stathead Football: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Pro Football Reference Database. All rights reserved. Twenty-five players in college football history have run two kickoffs back for touchdowns in the same game. With this play against Tennessee in 2011, the Arkansas wide receiver and return specialist made the argument that he pulled off the best punt return in football history. I watched him do things in a USC uniform that Marcus Allen, O.J. 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. Find out more. Statistics are current through the 2022 NFL season and include stats accrued in NFL, AFL and APFA games. For those that don't know, a kick return touchdown is when the kickoff retu. Some school's results have been altered by retroactive NCAA penalties. Return to Top; Players. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. 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. See our list of forfeits and vacated games for more details. SHAWN WINDSOR:Lions' brass has a plan. As good as Jones-Drew was, UCLA has never seen a return man as dangerous as Antonio Perkins. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. Before there was Devin Hester, there was Dante Hall. . Washington took the kick from one yard inside the endzone and proceeded to juke his way past the front line of the Chargers special teams unit. MORE FROM THE COMBINE:Brad Holmes: 'I don't think the cupboard's bare on defense'. He is a former college linebacker, a longtime coach and a parent. 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. 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. 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.' By any measure, it was a near-perfect performance and the one incompletion was a dropped pass. NASHVILLE - It's time to reveal our No.3 class in the top-ten draft classes of the Titans history countdown. Four games. Fast, flashy and fearless, Howardaveraged 27.9 yards per kickoff return and 16.2 per punt return in his Wolverines career ('89-91), scoring three return TDs. 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). Ismail could dance away from contact when he had to, and he had the strength to break tackles, but his style was more like Eric Dickerson. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. I think it would start the game in similar field position. I sat in awe, refreshing ESPN.coms GameTracker last season after every carry from Melvin Gordon, waiting on Wisconsins star running back to surpass the 400-yard barrier and inch closer to Ladainian Tomlinsons all-time mark. Patterson somehow broke through the throng of tacklers and then it became a track meetand he won. Feel free to disagree because that's part of what this is about. And that really wasn't even his best year as a kick-returner. One of the college football's best receivers in 2021, Williams. 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. Enter your information to receive emails about offers, promotions from NCAA.com and our partners. 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. UTEP has been on the wrong end of several FBS records former Houston quarterback Case Keenum holds the record for the most career passing yards gained against one opponent (1,882 yards against UTEP) and former TCU running back LaDainian Tomlinson has the record for career rushing yards against one opponent (788 yards against UTEP) but the Miners are also in the FBS record book for positive reasons, too. Whether it was a kickoff or punt return, these players knew how to electrify a stadiumand avoid tacklers at all costs. But wiping out the kickoff? The return marked the longest punt return touchdown in NFL history. 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. 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. 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. It took about two years of post-Rocket recovery before I realized kick return TDs are actually a rare football gift. 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. But the NCAA told me none of it ever happened, so maybe I was just dreaming. Start the video below at 1:11 for the amazing return. 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.