What a day it was for BYU running backs. At the start of the NFL roster, former BYU star running back Tyler Allgeier surpassed the 1,000 yard mark for the season. In the Atlanta Falcons’ win over Tampa Bay, Allgeier rushed the ball 24 times for 135 yards. In doing so, he eclipsed the 1,000 rushing yards mark in his rookie season in the NFL. He is the first ex-BYU official to do so in the NFL.
The accolades didn’t stop at 1,000 meters, however. Allgeier’s performance pushed his season total to 1,035 rushing yards, breaking the Falcons’ franchise record for most rushing yards during their rookie season. Allgeier, a fifth-round pick in last year’s draft, has proven he’s going to play an important role in the Falcons’ offense for years to come. His monster season proved the Falcons hit a fifth-round home run in the draft.
The BEST running season ever by a Falcons rookie pic.twitter.com/WYJyZZK7F3
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) January 8, 2023
Allgeier was the first BYU running back to join the NFL’s 1,000-yard club, but he wasn’t the only BYU running back at the club for very long. In today’s prime time game, jamal williams also eclipsed the 1,000 yard mark for the season. In the Lions’ road win over Green Bay, Williams rushed for 72 yards on 16 carries, giving him 1,066 rushing yards for the season.
Like Allgeier, Williams was not done making history when he broke the 1,000 yard mark. He also added two more rushing touchdowns for the Lions during the game. That gives him 17 rushing touchdowns on the year, breaking the Lions team record for most rushing touchdowns in a single season, a record that was previously held by the legendary Barry Sanders.
A message from @BarrySanders to the #The Lions‘ new TD record holder in a single season, @jswaggdaddy ?? pic.twitter.com/pLdPRRLASg
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) January 9, 2023
But wait, Cougar fans, there’s more! Allgeier and Williams aren’t the only 1,000-yard backs making headlines at BYU today. UNLV transfer Aidan Robin announced that he officially arrived in Provo today. Robbins has yet to carry the ball for BYU, but he rushed for over 1,000 yards last year for UNLV. Now he’s bringing his talents to BYU and expects to play a major role in BYU’s offense next season.
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— Aidan Robin (@theaidanrobbins) January 8, 2023
1,000-yard running backs were BYU football history today. Two legendary Cougar running backs joined the NFL’s 1,000-yard club today, and the Cougars have officially had a 1,000-yard rusher join the Cougar family for next season. BYU proves they are capable of producing NFL running backs. They’re also hoping their next NFL running back will officially join the family today.