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. Jackson is a pending free agent, while Raymond is coming off the best season of his career. "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. 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. 1 Georgia Tech trampled Cumberland Gap (Tenn.) 222-0 in 1916 No one on the field noticed except for Bailey, who scooped up the ball and sped down the field completely untouched and unchallenged. 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. He is a graduate of Indiana University. Andy Wittry has written for Stadium, SI.com, Sporting News, the Indianapolis Star, Louisville Courier-Journal and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Both of Ismails kickoffs returned for touchdowns were in the second half, the first coming on the second-half kickoff. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Keenums NCAA record of 1,546 career completions also wont be touched. A compilation of every kick return touchdown of the 2021 college football season. You should have watched the Ohio Stadium crowd any time Ted Ginn Jr. went back to field a kick. That dipped last season with 13 returns for 270 yards and 20.8 yards. + Indicates Hall of Famer, season age in parentheses, Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Friday, March 3, 2:32PM. Good luck figuring out exactly what happened in November 2001 and why. Here's a look at the 2005 draft class and its impact on the team. 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. Simpson, Charles White and Anthony Davis wouldn't have imagined. Travis Etienne. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. Learn how your comment data is processed. Build your own custom leaderboards with Stathead Football. The next year, his Heisman year, Sanders took the opening kickoff in the opening game back 100 yards for a score against Miami-Ohio. We do not target any individuals under the age of 21. 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. 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. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? Schiano referenced a statistic that more than 15 percent of the catastrophic injuries suffered on the football field happen on kickoffs, even though there are only a handful of kickoffs per game. I expected him to score every time he touched the ball. 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. 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. Active players are listed in bold. 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'. 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 blog? Raghib Rocket Ismail from Notre Dame returned two kickoffs for touchdowns in a 1988 game against Rice. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. 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. 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. Ouch. 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. Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Saturday, March 4, 6:41AM. Please see our Contributors and Sources page for data source details. Follow him on Twitter@davebirkett. 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. An asterisk (*) after a player's name indicates bowl stats are included.Read more about our data coverage. 1 on that list? Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. His career punt-return average (23.2) ranks second all-time nationally. 5th down. 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. The option to go for it would replace the onside kickoff. 4-ranked Auburn Tigers (10-1, 6-1 in the SEC). Like, he wants to do everything. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. A kickoff return for a touchdown is one of the most exciting plays in football. Most games scoring a touchdown, career. 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. We present them here for purely educational purposes. SHAWN WINDSOR:Lions' brass has a plan. Notre Dame beat Michigan 24-19 on that day in a battle of the nations top two ranked teams. From there it was a track meetand no one could catch Jones. 12 overall pick in 2023. Record: Four gamesRecord-holder: Barry Sanders, Oklahoma StateSeason: 1988. 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 Lions used backup receiver Kalif Raymond as their primary punt returner and No. As a freshman in just his second game for the Hurricanes, against rival Florida, Hester took the opening kickoff 98 yards to the house. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. Active players are listed in bold. Attaboy, Leach. Jameson also has to hold his part and make sure that hes doing everything that he needs to do. Could Top QB Fall To The Titans? 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. It'd be like turning a demolition crew on the Apollo Theater. You want to see over 100,000 people afraid to move? Statistics are current through the 2022 NFL season and include stats accrued in NFL, AFL and APFA games. Or write about sports? Listen to The Game Before the Money Podcast! In 1997 he totaled a Super Bowl-record 90 punt return yards and 154 kickoff return yards with one . 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. 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. most kickoff return touchdowns in one game Kene Nwangwu, Cordarrelle Pattersonand Devin Duvernayare tied for the most kick-return touchdowns in a game this season, with 1 touchdown. Do you have a blog? 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. Why its untouchable: Insley, the NCAAs all-time receiving yards leader, managed just 574 yards as a freshman in 1996 before exploding for 4,431 yards and 30 touchdowns over his final three seasons. 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. All NFL TeamsNFL All NFL TeamsNFL 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. 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. As a receiver, Williams caught one pass for a 41-yard touchdown last season, had three drops on nine targets and had one carry for 40 yards. Both records have since been broken. The return marked the longest punt return touchdown in NFL history. Racked up 1,522 kickoff return yards, 559 punt return yards and four kick-return touchdowns in three seasons. 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. "Hes done it. 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. I got kick return, too, I would have housed that one.' Find out more. 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. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. SEC Women's Basketball Tournament action suspended due to weather delay, Alabama basketball adds commitment from 4-star forward, 2 SEC players named to late-season watch list for Oscar Robertson Player of the Year Trophy, Bruce Pearl tosses headset during radio interview after Auburn-Alabama game, Overrated? Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? Leaders Since 1976 Share & Export Modify, Export & Share Table Get as Excel Workbook 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. ruled that the play should have been blown dead. So its always an accountability factor on both sides, but we expect big things from him.". Interpreted as: most kickoff return touchdowns by a playerin one regular-seasongame this season 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. 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. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NCAA or its member institutions. Do you have a sports website? 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. Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Saturday, March 4, 6:41AM. 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. Hundreds waited in line for Jamaal Williams to sign autographs at DC Sports on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023. MORE FROM THE COMBINE:Brad Holmes: 'I don't think the cupboard's bare on defense'. 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. That same power, speed and aggressive running style that has made him a superstar every-down back in the NFL made him a lethal returner for UCLA. Here are 10 current college football records one man at SDS has deemed unbreakable: Who holds it: Oklahoma, from 1953-57 Join our linker program. Lions special teams coordinator Dave Fipp is open to the idea of incorporating Williams into a return role, and Williams himself has expressed . 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. 14. . document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Whether it's football, fashion or just breathing, it's tough to make any "Most Electrifying" list without including Deion. Travis Williams (4/1967), 3. 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. Leaders Since 1976 Share & Export Build your own custom leaderboards with Stathead Football. 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. Check out The Game Before the Money: Voices of the Men Who Built the NFL available at Amazon.comBarnes and NobleUniversity of Nebraska Press. 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. As a senior, Keenum was spectacular, throwing 48 touchdowns passes to just five interceptions a ratio of nearly 10:1. Perkins wasn't ridiculously fast, but he mastered the art of being elusive in tight spaces. 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.' 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 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. Hester had himself quite the day against the St. Louis Rams back in 2006, returning two kicks for touchdowns in the game. And I think the great players are like that, and they want to do all that stuff. 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 . 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. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. 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. Please see our Contributors and Sources page for data source details. Only twice since the turn of the century has a team surpassed 30 or more straight wins USC and Miami. It's almost unfathomable to see a stat line of 12 receptions, 326 yards, 27.2 yards per reception andzero touchdowns. Twenty-six players have one, five players have two, and Patterson has seven, a total that accounts for. 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. 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. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. Some school's results have been altered by retroactive NCAA penalties. Interview quotes are usually edited for length and clarity. 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. . Kickoff Return Touchdowns Single Season Leaders and Records An asterisk (*) after a player's name indicates bowl stats are included. No. 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). Ben Johnson, Aaron Glenn content even if head coach jobs never materialize, Brad Holmes: 'I don't think the cupboard's bare on defense'. In an interview with an Atlanta radio station. But the NCAA told me none of it ever happened, so maybe I was just dreaming. Who holds it: Case Keenum, Houston, 2007-11 But wiping out the kickoff? Well, in this case, its probably a good idea that Jones didnt listen to that advice. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. Keenum was granted a medical hardship in 2010 after tearing a knee ligament, but his five touchdowns over three games prior to injury count. 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. All rights reserved. "I dont totally know the answer to it, only because he is just kind of coming back," Fipp said when asked if he's open to using Williams as a kick returner in 2023. Elite running backs rarely play four seasons in todays game where the shelf life for ballcarriers has diminished and players arent often asked to carry it 30 times-plus every Saturday to save tread. 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. Im going to go track that thing down. After the game, Notre Dame head coach Lou Holtz told reporters he simply told Ismail to run to middle. 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.