One college player tops everybody in this category because he returned two kickoffs for touchdowns twice! Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. No. Enter your information to receive emails about offers, promotions from NCAA.com and our partners. Record: 1,383 passing yardsRecord-holder: Patrick Mahomes, Texas Tech (819 yards) and Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma (564 yards)Season: 2016. NASHVILLE - It's time to reveal our No.3 class in the top-ten draft classes of the Titans history countdown. That year, he took the opening kickoff of the opening game back for a TD against Tulsa. 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. "But yeah, were just gong to continue to do everything that we need to do to make sure that hes set up to succeed. Perkins wasn't ridiculously fast, but he mastered the art of being elusive in tight spaces. Record: 326 yardsRecord-holder: Nate Burleson, NevadaSeason: 2001. Kickoff Return Touchdowns Single Season Leaders and Records An asterisk (*) after a player's name indicates bowl stats are included. As good as Jones-Drew was, UCLA has never seen a return man as dangerous as Antonio Perkins. Rocket Ismails record of most games with two kickoff returns for touchdowns set in 1989 still stands today. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. ), is safe in our opinion. Please see our Contributors and Sources page for data source details. Learn how your comment data is processed. Join our linker program. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. 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. 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. But even if he'd been stopped for 10- and 12-yard gains every time, surely he'd find some way to remain memorable. As a junior in 2005, Jones-Drew set the FBS single-season markby averaging 28.5 yards per punt return. It'd be like turning a demolition crew on the Apollo Theater. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Welker scored eight touchdowns on punt returns in his career ('00-03), tying the FBS record. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. Only twice since the turn of the century has a team surpassed 30 or more straight wins USC and Miami. + Indicates Hall of Famer, season age in parentheses, Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Friday, March 3, 2:32PM. Do you have a sports website? 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. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. 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. And that wasn't even the most impressive part of the return. You can't knock Schiano for wanting to make the game safer. 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. Read more about our data coverage. Listen to The Game Before the Money Podcast! 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. Who holds it: Houston offense led by QB Andre Ware in 1990 All rights reserved. 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. I watched him do things in a USC uniform that Marcus Allen, O.J. Notre Dame beat Michigan 24-19 on that day in a battle of the nations top two ranked teams. Except C.J. And before Hester made his name in the biggest game by returning the opening kickoff for a TD in Super Bowl XLI, he showed similarly great timing in college. 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. Adams slipped through a couple tackles and appeared to be at a dead end againbut with blazing speed he darted up the sideline and got a key block, sending him straight towards the end zone with nearly the entire Tennessee team chasing him, but all coming up short. 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. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. The guy loves playing. Hester had himself quite the day against the St. Louis Rams back in 2006, returning two kicks for touchdowns in the game. 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. See our list of forfeits and vacated games for more details. Williams returned two kicks for touchdowns in his one season at Alabama, when he averaged 35.2 yards on 10 kick returns. The Yellow Jackets posted two 63-point quarters in the first half during a beating that will never be forgotten. 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. Weaving through traffic and toeing the sidelines in ways that would make Kyle Busch and Cris Carter smile, Javier showed anybody who watched him serve four years ('06-09) as Alabama's home run threat that he is more than just Gilbert Arenas' little cousin. Ten players have done that in NFL history. 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. Cooper wouldve had to post last seasons jaw-dropping numbers three consecutive seasons to pass Insley. Punts are a much, much less physical play.". 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. 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. 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. Build your own custom leaderboards with Stathead Football. 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. Watch on. 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. Join our linker program. 1 on that list? "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. Active players are listed in bold. Good luck figuring out exactly what happened in November 2001 and why. 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. We present them here for purely educational purposes. He tossed six touchdown passes in the second quarter of a blowout win over Louisiana Tech in 1991. There have been some amazing kick and punt returns in football over the years, here are the best of the best. For a few years in the early 2000s with the Kansas City Chiefs, Hall electrified the NFL with his dynamic speed and hard-to-believe kick and punt returns. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. NO REGRETS:Ben Johnson, Aaron Glenn content even if head coach jobs never materialize. College Football at Sports-Reference.com Blog and Articles. 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. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. Record: Six passesRecord-holder: Brooks Dawson, UTEPSeason: 1967. College Football at Sports-Reference.com Blog and Articles; We're Social.for Statheads . 46. Ismail said his job was to find a crease, run through it, and make somebody miss. 5. 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. 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. 2023 NCAA | Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. College football bold predictions with B/R's Adam Kramer, FBS records and milestones that could be broken and reached this season, 5 predictions for the 2021 college football season, College football's longest active road winning streaks, Georgia wins the 2023 CFP National Championship, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Brandon Jones, who physically looked the part, and Damien Nash were the only two real misses in this class. 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. The Detroit Lions are reportedly considering using wide receiver Jameson Williams as a returner for the 2023 NFL season. As a matter of policy, Sports Reference only reports the results of games as played on the field. Follow him on Twitter@davebirkett. Join our linker program. Who holds it: No. 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. 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. Hall backpedaled as he caught a booming punt, and then proceeded to embarrass the entire special teams unitHall was nearly consumed by three Broncos players, but he juked in and out of the way to avoid them. SHAWN WINDSOR:Lions' brass has a plan. He finished his college career ('03-05)averaging 25.5 yards per kickoff return and 15.6 per punt return, with six return touchdowns. Roby was a miss for the Titans, but he was ultimately the only member of his class to play a prominent role on a team and win a Super Bowl. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. 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. It's impossible for someone to break Nevada punter Pat Brady's 99-yard punt without having a touchback, and similarly, no player will ever top the record of a 100-yard return of an extra-point attempt, which is held by eight different players. 12 overall pick in 2023. All rights reserved. Travis Etienne. Some might argue how much of a hit Jones really was, but he produced on the field, and if he had spent his off-field time as efficiently, who knows where he might rank with the all-time greats of the game. We present them here for purely educational purposes. 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. 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. Rossum played 12 years in the NFL, where he made the Pro Bowl as a return specialist and ranks second all-time in combined kick return yardage. See our list of forfeits and vacated games for more details. Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson said Williams is on par with Cleveland Browns receiver Jakeem Grant as the fastest player he's ever coached. A kickoff return for a touchdown is one of the most exciting plays in football. 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. Insane. Ben Johnson, Aaron Glenn content even if head coach jobs never materialize, Brad Holmes: 'I don't think the cupboard's bare on defense'. Or write about sports? Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? The score marked the first time an opening kickoff was returned for a touchdown in Super Bowl history. The following is a list of the NFL career kickoff return leaders ranked by kickoff return touchdowns. 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. 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. Or write about sports? Start the video below at 1:11 for the amazing return. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. 1 Georgia Tech trampled Cumberland Gap (Tenn.) 222-0 in 1916 So why is "Rocket" holding down the No. 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. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. CLICK HERE````````````````````````, Titans Looking To Evolve Analytically: Changes in how the Titans view things are coming. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. His 65-yard catch-and-run score against Kansas State, 82-yard punt return touchdown against Texas Tech, and 80-yard jet sweep touchdown in 2022 are plenty of evidence that he could rewrite the . You could still try to maintain possession of the ball. 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. 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. NFL Kick Returns for Touchdown Single-Season Leaders | Pro-Football-Reference.com 1. Whether it was a kickoff or punt return, these players knew how to electrify a stadiumand avoid tacklers at all costs. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. "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. Keenum was granted a medical hardship in 2010 after tearing a knee ligament, but his five touchdowns over three games prior to injury count. Statistics are current through the 2022 NFL season and include stats accrued in NFL, AFL and APFA games. 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.