BYU Football: Did you know? (Six 100 Yard Rushing Games)

Brigham Young Cougars running back Pete Van Valkenburg may be the only BYU running back to ever lead the nation in rushing yards in a season, but he is not the only one to post six 100 yard rushing games in a single season.

Did you know that five BYU players have had at least six 100 yard rushing games in a single season?

Eldon Fortie (1962), Luke Staley (2001), Curtis Brown (2005), and Harvey Unga (2007) are the other four players.

I was unable to identify the specific games and yardage for Fortie, but the BYU Football Almanac does credit Fortie with six games in 1962. One game is known. He set a school record with 272 yards against George Washington University.

As for the others, the opponents and yardage are as follows:

Pete Van Valkenburg, 1972
Kansas State: 164 yards
Long Beach State: 247 yards
Wyoming: 184 yards
Arizona: 155 yards
Utah: 158 yards
New Mexico: 190 yards

Luke Staley, 2001
Tulane: 142 yards
Nevada: 124 yards
Utah State: 207 yards
Air Force: 134 yards
San Diego State: 165 yards
Colorado State: 196 yards
Wyoming: 172 yards
Utah: 169 yards
Mississippi State: 149 yards

Curtis Brown, 2005
Eastern Illinois: 110 yards
New Mexico: 104 yards
Colorado State: 147 yards
Air Force: 219 yards
Wyoming: 153 yards
Utah: 153 yards

Harvey Unga, 2007
Tulsa: 100 yards
Air Force: 111 yards
UNLV: 177 yards
Eastern Washington: 145 yards
Wyoming: 110 yards
Utah: 141 yards
San Diego State: 161 yards

Some other observations are:

• Luke Staley had the most 100 yard games with nine (9).
• Harvey Unga is the only player to not have a 200 yard rushing game.
• Utah and Wyoming are common opponents among the four running backs.
• All five running backs finished with over 1,000 yards rushing in their respective season.

The Editor appreciates all feedback. He can be reached via email at bluecougarfootball@gmail.com