Do you have a blog? As a junior in 2005, Jones-Drew set the FBS single-season markby averaging 28.5 yards per punt return. 5th down. 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. Lions special teams coordinator Dave Fipp embraced the idea of incorporating Williams into a return role next season, when the team expects him fully healthy after missing most of last season while rehabbing from a torn ACL. 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. Join our linker program. 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. Simpson, Charles White and Anthony Davis wouldn't have imagined. Consider what we've seen from the most electrifying kick-returners to mark the college football landscape over the past quarter-century. 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. And that wasn't even the most impressive part of the return. 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. Build your own custom leaderboards with Stathead Football. 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. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. If any quarterback is going to approach this record in the future, hell be another Mike Leach understudy. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. Who holds it: David Klingler, Houston, 1991 Ginn visited the end zone four more times on kick returns over the next three seasonsincluding taking the opening kickoff back 92 yards in the 2007 BCS National Championship Gameand finished his career as the Big Ten's all-time leader in punt-return touchdowns. 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. One of his players, Eric LeGrand, remains paralyzed from the neck down today due to an injury suffered on a kickoff last October. The NFL's All-Time Kick and Punt Return Touchdown Leaders CRYSTAL BALL: 5 predictions for the 2021 college football season, Record: 36 attemptsRecord-holder: Dominique Davis, East CarolinaSeason: 2011. 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. 2,850 rushing yards is more than anyone's ever gained at any level of college or pro football. Theres no way Im going to let that ball hit the ground. Do you have a sports website? Heisman Trophy, Walter Camp Award, Doak Walker Award, AP and Sporting News Player of the Year. NFL Single Season Leaders - Kickoff Return Touchdowns ruled that the play should have been blown dead. 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. Welker scored eight touchdowns on punt returns in his career ('00-03), tying the FBS record. Williams returned two kicks for touchdowns in his one season at Alabama, when he averaged 35.2 yards on 10 kick returns. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Like sports history? The record? Learn how your comment data is processed. Record: 140.9 yards per gameRecord-holder: Alex Van Dyke, NevadaSeasons: 1994-95. most games with two kickoff returns for touchdowns, A Brief History of The 1970s Pittsburgh Steelers vs Houston Oilers Rivalry. ', "There's just a difference in there, and that difference makes an exponential difference on the field of play with the whole group.". Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? New Mock Thinks It Possible: CJ Stroud falls to Titans at No.6 overall in a trade-up scenario. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Do you have a sports website? From there it was a track meetand no one could catch Jones. Here are 10 current college football records one man at SDS has deemed unbreakable: Who holds it: Oklahoma, from 1953-57 Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. Boasting the speed and fluidity you'd expect from an All-American sprinter, Rossum owns the FBS career record with nine total return touchdownsthree on punts, three on kickoffs, three on interceptionsand ranks second in Notre Dame history with a 22.9 punt-return average. Top 10 returning college football players to score special - 247Sports Before there was Devin Hester, there was Dante Hall. 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. 1990. Klingler also holds the NCAA mark for most touchdown passes in one game (11). Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. Twelve players, including 2014 Biletnikoff winner Amari Cooper from Alabama, have surpassed the lofty 1,700-mark in a single season since 2008, but that often means NFL dollars will soon come calling once the three-year removed from high school rule has passed. 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. Notre Dame beat Michigan 24-19 on that day in a battle of the nations top two ranked teams. Recently, Oregon and Baylor have each topped the 700-yard mark with their no-huddle attacks, but hitting quadruple digits in a single game just seems unfathomable. In an interview with an Atlanta radio station. By any measure, it was a near-perfect performance and the one incompletion was a dropped pass. Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Saturday, March 4, 6:41AM. Insane. Offenses rarely get six possessions in a quarter, much less time to throw it to the end zone six different times. His career punt-return average (23.2) ranks second all-time nationally. 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. In 1988, "Prime Time" led the nation in punt-return average and left FSU as the school's all-time leader in punt return yards. Mitchell was a full-time quarterback at Louisiana-Lafayette. CLICK HERE, Ranking Titans All-Time Draft Classes, No.4: "It's time for The Freak." I mean, when you talk to him theres one thing I love about him. 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. 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. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. 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. No one on the field noticed except for Bailey, who scooped up the ball and sped down the field completely untouched and unchallenged. 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. Those gargantuan numbers would only be approached within a pass-happy offense with literally two or fewer reliable targets. Heisman Trophy Winners: D. Henry, B. Sanders, . Jameson Williams could handle kick returns for Detroit Lions in 2023 Schiano, like anybody who cares about football, cares about the welfare of the players. 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 In the famous UCLA game, on his first punt return, he made about four or five moves in a five-yard area before finding daylight. As a senior, he won the Mosi Tatupu Award as the nation's top special teams player. In fact, he only scored two touchdowns in 2001, despite finishing the season with 53 receptions and 737 receiving yards. Find out more. If you feel like you're losing control over your gambling experience, call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ, PA, WV), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA), 1-888- 532-3500(Virginia) 1-800-522-4700 (NV, TN), 1-800-522-4700 (CO, TN), 1-855-2CALLGA (IL), 1-800-270-7117 (MI). Fipp said it sometimes makes more sense to use a complmentary player in a return role so they can devote more energy to the craft, and he cited former NFL receiver DeSean Jackson, who he coached with the Philadelphia Eagles, as an example. 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. Beforehis breakout Heisman season (1988), Barry played backup to Thurman Thomas and made his mark on special teams. We support responsible gambling. Statistics are current through the 2022 NFL season and include stats accrued in NFL, AFL and APFA games. Why its untouchable: Coached by the legendary Bud Wilkinson, the Sooners won two national championships during their record-setting stretch in the mid 1950s. Active players are listed in bold. Hester danced his way around defenders like a true artistcutting side to side, running backwards, spinning out of tacklesbefore breaking free and taking the ball into the endzone. Start the video below at 1:11 for the amazing return. The touchdown also helped Hester set an NFL record for the most return touchdowns by a player in a single season. 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. Travis Etienne. Hundreds waited in line for Jamaal Williams to sign autographs at DC Sports on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023. Record: Four gamesRecord-holder: Barry Sanders, Oklahoma StateSeason: 1988. Most games scoring a touchdown, career. Please see our Contributors and Sources page for data source details. (Looking at you, Liberty quarterback Malik Willis, Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder, and Ohio State wide receivers Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson.). After the game, Notre Dame head coach Lou Holtz told reporters he simply told Ismail to run to middle. It'd be like turning a demolition crew on the Apollo Theater. 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. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. NFL Career Leaders - Kickoff Return Touchdowns. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. 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. 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. He tossed six touchdown passes in the second quarter of a blowout win over Louisiana Tech in 1991. 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. So its always an accountability factor on both sides, but we expect big things from him.". As a sophomore, he led the nation in kickoff return yards with 442, while averaging 31.6 yards per return. Al Diaz/Miami Herald/TNS. 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. 'Be a gunner? Could Top QB Fall To The Titans? 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. One of the most controversial endings in college football history, Colorado scored a last second touchdown on the last play of the game on mistakenly-given . Andy Wittry has written for Stadium, SI.com, Sporting News, the Indianapolis Star, Louisville Courier-Journal and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 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. One college player tops everybody in this category because he returned two kickoffs for touchdowns twice! As good as Jones-Drew was, UCLA has never seen a return man as dangerous as Antonio Perkins. Ron Brown (3/1985), 3. Well, in this case, its probably a good idea that Jones didnt listen to that advice. Good luck figuring out exactly what happened in November 2001 and why. 7 college football records *we think* will never be broken But the NCAA told me none of it ever happened, so maybe I was just dreaming. NFL Punt Returns for Touchdown Single Game Leaders 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. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. Gordons incredible 408-yard performance through three quarters, no less against Nebraska was short-lived. (And the truth is that we could triple dip, quadruple dip, etc., with Sanders because he was that good and set that many records.) 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. 3 running back Justin Jackson as their top kick returner last season. After a final lateralmaking for eight laterals in totalall the way across to the opposite side field, the Hurricanes took the ball up the sideline and found wide open space, scoring the game-winning touchdown. But others, at least on the surface, appear untouchable. Build your own custom leaderboards with Stathead Football. Enter your information to receive emails about offers, promotions from NCAA.com and our partners. Jameson also has to hold his part and make sure that hes doing everything that he needs to do. The following is a list of the NFL career punt return leaders ranked by punt return touchdowns. Ranking Titans' Best Draft Classes: No. 3 The 2005 Group Anchored By 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. As a matter of policy, Sports Reference only reports the results of games as played on the field. NFL Career Leaders - Kickoff Return Touchdowns - FootballDB.com 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. He made everybody miss twice against Michigan. Watch on. Leaders Since 1976 Share & Export Modify, Export & Share Table Get as Excel Workbook It takes speed to return kicks well, but it also takes field vision, anticipation, agility, and some video game-like juke moves. 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. The Lane College alum ratcheted up his speed at the 15-yard line and bursted through a small seam in between the 49ers special teams front line. + Indicates Hall of Famer, season age in parentheses, Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Friday, March 3, 2:32PM. These opinions are mine and mine alone. Im going to go track that thing down. Join our linker program. 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. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. In 1997 he totaled a Super Bowl-record 90 punt return yards and 154 kickoff return yards with one . We present them here for purely educational purposes. The University of Miami alum was in his first season of the NFL, and he made the Rams pay for kicking him the ball. Division III Mount Union's Nate Kmic had 2,790 in 15 games in 2008, compared to Sanders' 12.