Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty (2) pushes away from the arms of UNLV defensive lineman Tatuo Martinson (98) on a run in the first half of the Mountain West Championship NCAA college football game Friday, Dec. 6, 2024, in Boise, Idaho. (AP Photo/Steve Conner)
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — After Ashton Jeanty streaked through the middle of UNLV’s defense on his way to a 75-yard touchdown run Friday night in the Mountain West Conference title game, he didn’t strike the Heisman pose.
He didn’t even lobby for it after the game, instead letting his play do the talking.
“I think the same thing week after week,” Jeanty said of all the Heisman Trophy hype after No. 10 Boise State beat No. 19 UNLV 21-7 to earn a spot in the College Football Playoff. “Not only is this one of the best teams in the nation, but they’ve got one of the best players in the nation.”
Jeanty added another 209 yards — his sixth game over 200 yards this season — to push his total to 2,497 — just 132 yards short of passing Barry Sanders’ FBS season rushing record.
Boise State coach Spencer Danielson, who sprinted down the sideline for a few yards with Jeanty — playing his final game in Boise — on the long run, wasn’t quiet at all after the game.
“In regards to the Heisman, I ask all voters to please just watch the film, watch the stats,” Danielson said. “That will show you that he’s the best football player in the country. … If you’re a Heisman candidate, you should play in a championship game. And to see what he did in a championship game for his team also speaks volumes.”
It was a not-so-subtle dig at Heisman frontrunner and Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter, whose team was left out of the Big 12 championship game and won’t make a playoff appearance.
But Jeanty will be in the playoffs too, albeit long after the ballots have been cast and the ceremony held. And he’ll have a chance to finish one of the greatest single-season rushing performances in FBS history.
“He showcases week in and week out that he’s the best football player in the country and I don’t even think it’s close,” Danielson said.
The fact that Jeanty is even at Boise State this season in the era of NIL and transfer portals is almost as amazing as his eye-popping stats —the 2,497 yards rushing along with 29 touchdowns and five TD runs of 70-plus yards.
Jeanty, who spurned several offseason NIL offers from Power 4 schools a year ago, chose to return to Boise State to do something special.
He soaked it all in Friday.
“As soon as I woke up, that was all that was on my mind,” Jeanty said of his time at Boise State. “I was just so grateful for the program, the coaches and the community and everybody that believes in me. I took it all in the whole game. It was just an amazing experience. I wouldn’t want to go out any other way.”
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