Anyone who’s an ardent fan of NCAA football knows that college gridiron regularly trumps the NFL when it comes to high drama and shocking results.
This article is dedicated to those crazy records, set by the legends of college football, which will take some stopping to be broken.
Andre Ware – 500+ Passing Yards… In Just the 1st Half
Of all the crazy records that exist in college football, one of the best simply must be the passing yards record held by 1989 Heisman Trophy winner Andre Ware.
During the season when Ware claimed the Heisman Trophy, he was untouchable, registering a staggering 4,699 passing yards, over 500 of which came in just the first half against the hapless Southern Methodist.
Ware’s team at the time were the Houston Cougars, whose fans would dearly love to see another period of domination such as the one seen under Ware’s reign. Unfortunately, the odds of that happening in the upcoming 2023-24 season look slim. The Cougars are priced as long as +30000 with DraftKings Sportsbook to win next season’s NCAAF National Championship.
Although the Cougars are unlikely to be anywhere near the 23-24 NCAAF National Championship Game, as Ware’s 1st half passing yards record shows, anything is possible if you want it badly enough.
Barry Sanders – 239 Running Yards Per Game
Now and again a player comes along who is so physically superior to his college peers that no one could ever dream of keeping up.
That was the case with this Oklahoma State running back, who a year prior to Ware’s incredible feat, arguably went one better, running for 2,628 yards in one season, which averaged out at a truly staggering 239 yards per game.
It was always a crime that Sanders never got to showcase his skills in a Super Bowl, and that is perhaps the only blot on the career of a man who is still regarded as one of the greatest running backs of all time.
The Best Defense to Ever Do It
To win anything in college football, a team must be built on solid foundations, and that was certainly the mentality of the Tennessee Volunteers of 1939, who managed to claim 15 straight shut-out victories only to then succumb to one themselves in the Rose Bowl.
Despite the anti-climactic ending to their story, they are still considered the most robust college football outfit ever assembled, and one that the current Tennessee crop could learn a thing or two from.
