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| Squally Canada is the latest BYU player to rush for 200 yards in a game (Jaren Wilkey, BYU Photo) |
The major headline of the BYU Cougars' win over the UNLV Running Rebels was supposed to be freshman quarterback Joe Critchlow getting a win in his first start. Squally Canada, however, stole the show as he rushed for 213 yards on 25 carries. The 213 yards gives Canada a spot at number 10 on the list of most rushing yards in a game by a BYU football player, and gives him a seat the table with a very selective group of Cougar running backs.
Here is the list of all the BYU running backs to run for 200 yards in a game:
- Jamaal Williams
- Eldon Fortie
- Ronney Jenkins
- Pete Van Valkenburg
- Curtis Brown
- Jeff Blanc
- Luke Staley
- Jamal Willis
- John Ogden
Now, Squally Canada joins this list. To put into perspective how exclusive this list is, conspicuously absent are Harvey Unga and Lakei Heimuli. (Note: Taysom Hill ran for 200 yards in a game, but he was a quarterback, not a running back.)
Every one of these 200-yard-rushing running backs did something significant during their Cougar careers.
Jamaal Williams
Williams is the current BYU record holder for most rushing yards in a career with 3,901, and most rushing yards in a game with 286 in that memorable game just a year ago against Toledo. He rushed for over 1,200 yards in a season twice as a Cougar (1,233 in 2013; 1.375 in 2016). No one has more 200 yard rushing games in BYU history than Williams. He topped this milestone three times, with 219 yards at Nevada in 2013, and 210 yards against Wyoming in his final game (Poinsettia Bowl, 2016) to go along with the Toledo outburst.
Eldon Fortie
Fortie played for BYU from 1960-62. He became the first BYU player to rush for over 1,000 yards in a season (1,149 in 1962), and to earn votes in the Heisman Trophy balloting. His number 40 jersey was retired immediately following his career, making him the first Cougar to earn that honor. Fortie's 272 yards rushing against George Washington in 1962 stood as the benchmark for rushing yards in a game for 54 years. He left BYU as the career rushing leader with 1,624 yards.
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| Ronney Jenkins (Gary McKellar, Deseret News) |
Jenkins is, probably, the fastest running back in BYU history. He set the BYU record for most rushing yards by a true freshman with 733 in 1996, which stood until Williams rushed for 775 in 2012. (Jenkins had a much better yards per carry average than Williams as a freshman, 5.7 to 4.7.) As a sophomore in 1998, Jenkins set a school record for most carries in a season with 252. That was the season he gained 250 yards in a game against San Jose State. That is currently fourth most in BYU history and was second most at the time. With 1,307 yards rushing in 1998, he went over 2,000 yards rushing in his two-year career. Jenkins became the only player to average 1,000 yards rushing per season in his Cougar career.
Editor's Note: While Harvey Unga had 1,000 yards rushing as a freshman, sophomore, and junior before leaving a year early for the NFL, he did not average 1,000 yards per season. In 2006, he carried the ball 4 times for 9 yards in 2006 before redshirting the season with medical hardship.
Pete Van Valkenburg
Van Valkenburg (1970-72) is the only Cougar to ever lead the nation in rushing. He did it in 1972 when he broke Fortie's school record for most rushing yards in a season. Van Valkenburg finished that year with 1,386 yards. That record stood nearly 30 years until it was broken in 2001; it is still the second most rushing yards in a single season in BYU history. During that record breaking season, Van Valkenburg had 247 yards rushing against Long Beach State. He also left BYU as the school's leader in career rushing yards (2,392) eclipsing the old mark by 16 yards.
Curtis Brown
Brown is the only true freshman in BYU history to rush for over 200 yards in a game. His first foray into the land to 200 yards rushing came against Utah State in 2002. Injuries had pushed Brown into the starting lineup for that game, and he showed he was going to be special. He finished the night with 217 yards. He would top 200 yards again as a junior in 2005 against Air Force (219). Brown would finish that season with over 1,000 yards rushing, and he would repeat that feat the following season. He finished his career as the school's all-time leading rusher with 3,221 yards.
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| Jeff Blanc (BYU Media Guide, 1976) |
Blanc gets a little lost in BYU football history because he played at the time the Cougars adopted the forward pass as its identity (1973-76). Nevertheless, Blanc found a way to reach the 200 yard rushing mark in the 1975 contest against Wyoming. He finished with 215 yards that day. Blanc was the team's leading rusher for three seasons, and finished with a career-best 984 yards rushing in 1975. No BYU player would have more rushing yards in a single season until 1992. Blanc ended up breaking Van Valkenburg's school record for most rushing yards in a career and finished with 2,663 yards.
Luke Staley
Staley just had his jersey retired earlier this season. That would never have happened without his Doak Walker Award winning season in 2001. Staley set new standards of excellence for BYU running backs in almost every way possible: yards rushing (1,582), touchdowns rushing (24), 100-yard rushing games (9), and yards per carry (8.0). Along the way that season, Staley rallied BYU to victory against Utah State while rushing for 207 yards.
Jamal Willis
Before there was Jamaal Williams, BYU fans fell in love with another JW. With 1,000 yards rushing in 1992, Willis ended the drought of 1,000-yard rushers that had lasted since 1972. He became the first BYU player with two 1,000 yards seasons when he finished with 1,042 yards in 1994. Part of his 1994 campaign was a 204-yard outing against New Mexico, which also happened to be career win number 200 for LaVell Edwards. Willis finished his playing days in Provo as the school's leader in career rushing yards with 2,970. That mark would stand for 12 years; the longest known span for any BYU player who held this record.
Fun Fact: Both Jamal Willis and Jamaal Williams rushed for 35 touchdowns in their respective BYU careers.
John Ogden
Ogden may be another obscure name for many of the current Cougar fans, but that doesn't change what he accomplished 50 years ago. Each of his three seasons (1964-66), Ogden was the team's leading rusher. He broke Fortie's career rushing mark by 752 yards (2,376). In the final game of his career, Ogden put an exclamation mark on his playing days with a 204-yard outburst against Pacific. That gave him 906 yards rushing on the season, which was second most in school history only to Fortie's 1,149 in 1962.
After the UNLV game, BYU head coach Kalani Sitake said of Canada, "We knew going into the season we had something special with him."
Canada is a junior. In light of what these other players accomplished, it only creates more excitement to think of what he may do in the final two games of this season and his final year next year.
The Editor appreciates all feedback. He can be reached via email at bluecougarfootball@gmail.com
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