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. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NCAA or its member institutions. On Wednesday, Lions general manager Brad Holmes praised Williams' "rare talent, rare ability (and) serious passion for the game," and said the team was "expecting big things" from last year's No. Do you have a sports website? 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). Have we mentioned this guys pretty good at returning kicks? We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. Whether it be a kickoff return or a punt return, football players put their amazing athletic ability on display as they weave in and out of tacklers, rushing down the field after receiving a kick. CLICK HERE````````````````````````, Titans Looking To Evolve Analytically: Changes in how the Titans view things are coming. 14. . Reaves led the SEC in passing yards and attempts all three seasons in Gainesville and is the leagues all-time leader in interceptions thrown with 59. New Mock Thinks It Possible: CJ Stroud falls to Titans at No.6 overall in a trade-up scenario. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. Do you have a blog? Again, that's with Kmic playing in 3 more games. Twenty-five players in college football history have run two kickoffs back for touchdowns in the same game. Ismails first touchdown return against Michigan was the first kickoff returned for a touchdown against the Wolverines since 1957 over 30 years before Rockets epic launch. Some school's results have been altered by retroactive NCAA penalties. I watched him do things in a USC uniform that Marcus Allen, O.J. 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. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Join our linker program. ', "There's just a difference in there, and that difference makes an exponential difference on the field of play with the whole group.". 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. Detroit Lions RB Jamaal Williams' autograph signing. Read more about our data coverage. 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 Build your own custom leaderboards with Stathead Football. Both of Ismails kickoffs returned for touchdowns were in the second half, the first coming on the second-half kickoff. Check out The Game Before the Money: Voices of the Men Who Built the NFL available at Amazon.comBarnes and NobleUniversity of Nebraska Press. You could still try to maintain possession of the ball. Well, in this case, its probably a good idea that Jones didnt listen to that advice. 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. Do you have a sports website? Why its untouchable: Could it be more obvious? Some records are meant to be broken. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? 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. All NFL TeamsNFL All NFL TeamsNFL In 2010, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Grant, who is six inches shorter than the 6-foot-1 Williams, has made his biggest impact in the NFL as a return man. 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. 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. 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. MORE FROM THE COMBINE:Brad Holmes: 'I don't think the cupboard's bare on defense'. NFL Career Leaders - Kickoff Return Touchdowns. Build your own custom leaderboards with Stathead Football. It shouldn't include Jalen Ramsey. Travis Etienne. Like sports history? Most episodes include stories from legendary football stars. And that wasn't even the most impressive part of the return. That will never be topped. "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. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. Keenums NCAA record of 1,546 career completions also wont be touched. 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. 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. In this post, we talk about kickoff returns for touchdowns. 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. NO REGRETS:Ben Johnson, Aaron Glenn content even if head coach jobs never materialize. All rights reserved. This Big 12 shootout, which ended in a 66-59 win for Oklahoma, featured a future NFL MVP and Super Bowl champion(Mahomes) and a future Heisman Trophy winner and No. Josh Cribbs (3/2009), Sports Reference Baseball Football(college) Basketball(college) Hockey Ftbol Blog Stathead Questions or Comments? Interpreted as: most kickoff return touchdowns by a playerin one regular-seasongame this season As a matter of policy, Sports Reference only reports the results of games as played on the field. Looking for a great NFL history book? As a matter of policy, Sports Reference only reports the results of games as played on the field. In 1997 he totaled a Super Bowl-record 90 punt return yards and 154 kickoff return yards with one . He doesn't own any national kick return records, and apparently he only scored six return touchdowns in his college career. NFL Single Season Leaders - Kickoff Return Touchdowns The following is a list of the NFL single season kickoff returnleaders ranked by kickoff return touchdowns. INDIANAPOLIS The Detroit Lions are making big plans to get more out of explosive wide receiver Jameson Williams next season, and that could include using him on returns. We do not target any individuals under the age of 21. Brian Mitchell, the three-time All-Pro who, interestingly enough, never once returned a punt or kickoff in college. 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. 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. Ismail dashed for 88 yards on that kickoff. 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. Jameson also has to hold his part and make sure that hes doing everything that he needs to do. 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. (And the truth is that we could triple dip, quadruple dip, etc., with Sanders because he was that good and set that many records.) That season, he averaged 19.8 yards per kickoff return and scored three TDs on punt returns. Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson said Williams is on par with Cleveland Browns receiver Jakeem Grant as the fastest player he's ever coached. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. 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 (! Leaders Since 1976 Share & Export Modify, Export & Share Table Get as Excel Workbook The Game Before the Money Radio Showshared outstanding college football records. No one on the field noticed except for Bailey, who scooped up the ball and sped down the field completely untouched and unchallenged. Mitchell was a full-time quarterback at Louisiana-Lafayette. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Read more about our data coverage. Ismail said his job was to find a crease, run through it, and make somebody miss. 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. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. 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. Who holds it: Ron Dayne, Wisconsin, 1996-99 "Hes done it. After the game, Notre Dame head coach Lou Holtz told reporters he simply told Ismail to run to middle. Career Leaders. 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. He made everybody miss twice against Michigan. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? All rights reserved. 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. One college player tops everybody in this category because he returned two kickoffs for touchdowns twice! The following is a list of the NFL career punt return leaders ranked by punt return touchdowns. Why its untouchable: Kevin Sumlins facilitator of the Air Raid during his time in college, Keenum was fearless from the pocket channeled visions of high-powered Cougars offenses of old, slinging it around like record-setting quarterbacks Andre Ware and David Klingler before him. Why its untouchable: Coached by the legendary Bud Wilkinson, the Sooners won two national championships during their record-setting stretch in the mid 1950s. Their role on special teams is more influenced by offense and defense than it is on what he can do on teams.". Statistics are current through the 2022 NFL season and include stats accrued in NFL, AFL and APFA games. 5. CLICK HERE, Ranking Titans All-Time Draft Classes, No.4: "It's time for The Freak." Travis Williams (4/1967), 3. It would take a dynamic talent like Randy Moss, who was interested in playing four seasons, to come close. So its always an accountability factor on both sides, but we expect big things from him.". Contact Dave Birkett atdbirkett@freepress.com. 2022 The Game Before the Money All Rights Reserved. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. Do you have a sports website? Join our linker program. Howard, the 1991 Heisman trophy winner, is the only return man to win the Super Bowl MVP. 44 touchdowns are tied with Kmic for the most ever and ahead of anyone else in NCAA history. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. 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. NFL Kick Returns for Touchdown Single-Season Leaders | Pro-Football-Reference.com 1. The longtime NFL cornerback made everyone look like a fool on this play while he was playing with the Los Angeles Rams. If you don't, then you punt the ball. An asterisk (*) after a player's name indicates bowl stats are included.Read more about our data coverage. 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. 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. 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. Or write about sports? The option to go for it would replace the onside kickoff. See our list of forfeits and vacated games for more details. Or write about sports? Could Top QB Fall To The Titans? Consider what we've seen from the most electrifying kick-returners to mark the college football landscape over the past quarter-century. O.J . 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. 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. Lions coach Dan Campbell said he planned to use Williams as a gunner on punt team in his first NFL game, but the Lions never got the opportunity as the Jacksonville Jaguars failed to force a punt. 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. 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. 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. Do you have a blog? All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. 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. If any quarterback is going to approach this record in the future, hell be another Mike Leach understudy. 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. Find out more. The following is a list of the NFL career kickoff return leaders ranked by kickoff return 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. The Cougars simply refused to run the football. Follow him on Twitter@davebirkett. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. He has been covering the NFL for various outlets since 2000. 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. It is the most violent, video-friendly, terrifying, electrifying, dangerous and dramatic play in football. Kickoff Return Touchdowns Single Season Leaders and Records An asterisk (*) after a player's name indicates bowl stats are included. All NFL Teams. 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. Greg Arias covers the Tennessee Titans for All Titans.com on Sports Illustrated/FanNation. "But yeah, were just gong to continue to do everything that we need to do to make sure that hes set up to succeed. 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. 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. College Football at Sports-Reference.com Blog and Articles; We're Social.for Statheads . We present them here for purely educational purposes. ROAD WARRIORS: College football's longest active road winning streaks, Record: 3,690 rushing yardsRecord-holder: Barry Sanders, Oklahoma State and Byron Sanders, NorthwesternSeason: 1988. Feel free to disagree because that's part of what this is about. 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. 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. As a junior in '86, Brown averaged 27.9 yards per kickoff return, including two touchdowns and 37.5 yards per punt return. Twenty-five players in college football history have run two kickoffs back for touchdowns in the same game. Andy Wittry has written for Stadium, SI.com, Sporting News, the Indianapolis Star, Louisville Courier-Journal and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Whether it was a kickoff or punt return, these players knew how to electrify a stadiumand avoid tacklers at all costs. 2,850 rushing yards is more than anyone's ever gained at any level of college or pro football. For his career, he scored six times on kick returns. 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. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. 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. When we went through and ranked these classes, there was a lot of debate as to who and which classes should be in what positions. 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. Statistics are current through the 2022 NFL season and include stats accrued in NFL, AFL and APFA games. Except C.J. The score marked the first time an opening kickoff was returned for a touchdown in Super Bowl history. The score set records for the longest kickoff return and longest play in Super Bowl history. 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. 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. All rights reserved. That dipped last season with 13 returns for 270 yards and 20.8 yards. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. Another score against Missouri later that year gave Perkins the FBS single-season record for punt return TDs. He finished his college career ('03-05)averaging 25.5 yards per kickoff return and 15.6 per punt return, with six return touchdowns. Hundreds waited in line for Jamaal Williams to sign autographs at DC Sports on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023. 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. Interview quotes are usually edited for length and clarity. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. Watch Newton go 49 yards against the LSU defense. These opinions are mine and mine alone. 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. Or write about sports? Williams returned two kicks for touchdowns in his one season at Alabama, when he averaged 35.2 yards on 10 kick returns. Missouri. Brown probably wouldn't have become the first receiver to win the Heisman (1987) without his contributions on special teams. 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. 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. 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. Of course, some records are literally unbreakable. It'd be like turning a demolition crew on the Apollo Theater. He left Oklahoma as the school's career leader in punt return yards and tied Wes Welker and Ted Ginn Jr. for the FBS career record with eight total kick return touchdowns. In an interview with an Atlanta radio station. Join our linker program. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. 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.' Listen to The Game Before the Money Podcast! Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. 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. 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.