San Diego State's Pumphrey sets NCAA career rushing record

By AP
Published

LAS VEGAS (AP) San Diego State running back Donnel Pumphrey has broken the NCAA career rushing record held by Wisconsin's Ron Dayne, setting the mark in the fourth quarter of the Las Vegas Bowl on Saturday.

Pumphrey, a senior from Las Vegas, topped Dayne with a 15-yard run early in the fourth quarter that gave him 6,402 yards. Teammates swarmed Pumphrey on the sideline after the run off right tackle.

Pumphrey came into the game needing 108 yards to pass Dayne's record of 6,397 yards, though the NCAA did not include statistics from bowl games when Dayne was playing for the Badgers.

Facing Houston's run defense, which allowed just 97.9 yards rushing per game in the regular season and ranked No. 3 nationally, SDSU also became the first team in NCAA history with a 2,000-yard rusher and a 1,000-yard rusher in the same season. Rashaad Penny topped the 1,000-yard mark in the second quarter.