“Ashton Jeanty Had Two Extra Games”: RJ Young Reacts as Heisman Finalist Falls Short of Barry Sanders’ Rushing Record

Penn State Nittany Lions sprung up a massive surprise by thwarting Ashton Jeanty and his Boise State Broncos in the Fiesta Bowl, 31-14. To add to the running back’s woes, he fell short of breaking Barry Sanders’ single-season rushing record after a lackluster performance. What made this even more frustrating for many was that Jeanty had two extra games compared to Sanders, yet he still couldn’t surpass the record.

After the conclusion of the Fiesta Bowl, Fox Sports Analyst RJ Young was amongst the most vocal critics, slamming Jeanty for not doing well enough against a relatively inferior opposition.

The analyst also noted that among the four RBs who have had 2,500+ yards in a single season, Jeanty played the most games (14), while Sanders reached that milestone in just 11 games, and Melvin Gordon and Kevin Smith achieved it in 12.

“The thing that I wanted to stress is that Barry Sanders got that record in 11 freaking games. We started playing 12 regular season games in 2006, so Melvin Gordon and Kevin Smith benefited from that extra game. Ashton Jeanty had two extra games on top of that – the Mountain West championship and then getting the bye to the Fiesta Bowl to host the winner of Penn State,” Young said on his YouTube show.

Unfortunately for the Boise State RB, Young’s tirade against him didn’t stop there, as he revisited Jeanty’s statement about Travis Hunter at the Heisman ceremony.

For those out of the loop, Jeanty hadn’t minced words after the Heisman snub, stating that he deserved to win the award over Hunter. “I really felt like I should’ve walked away with the award, but kudos to Travis for winning,” he said to the media.

RJ Young revisited this statement and posed a simple question to the running back: does Ashton really deserve the Heisman if he cannot defeat a 6th-seeded team with a 3rd-seeded team? As brutal as it may sound, there is an element of truth in Young’s remarks.

That said, Jeanty has to be cut some slack. Yes, he couldn’t overtake Barry Sander’s rushing record with a two-game advantage. But he did overtake his modern-day contemporaries in Derrick Henry and Christian McCaffrey — two of the most talented RBs in the NFL.

As Ashton Jeanty is understandably bummed about missing the record, those around him should assure him of the bright future ahead. He is a bona fide first-round pick in next year’s NFL draft, which means he has at least a decade ahead of him to break multiple legendary records and win some coveted awards. Considering his talent, not even the sky is the limit for Jeanty.