Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty rushed for a school-record 267 yards and six touchdowns, helping the Broncos avoid a season-opening upset bid with a 56-45 road win over Georgia Southern on Saturday.
Jeanty, a preseason All-American and the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year in 2023, broke away for a career-long 77-yard touchdown run on his second carry and delivered a 75-yard score in the fourth quarter to help the Broncos pull away after Georgia Southern took a 37-36 lead.
"Obviously, it goes without saying, but Ashton Jeanty is the best player in the country," Boise State coach Spencer Danielson said. "That was on full display tonight."
Jeanty became the first FBS player to score six rushing touchdowns in a game since Pitt's Israel Abanikanda had six against Virginia Tech in 2022, according to TruMedia. He averaged 13.4 yards per carry on his 20 attempts. Jeanty finished No. 2 in FBS in yards from scrimmage last season with 1,916 yards and 19 total touchdowns.
Boise State launched a Heisman Trophy campaign for Jeanty earlier this week, and he struck a Heisman pose in the end zone after his first touchdown of the year.
"I've got to shout out my O-line," Jeanty said. "They opened up big, wide holes all game. I've got the easy part: Make some guys miss and go run to the end zone."
Boise State, the reigning Mountain West champions, is considered a top contender to earn the Group of 5 spot in the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff and received the most votes among G5 teams in the preseason AP poll. The Broncos held a 28-9 lead late in the second quarter before Georgia Southern rallied with four consecutive touchdown drives to pull ahead.
Jeanty answered with his 75-yard touchdown on the first play of Boise State's next possession and the Broncos got two fourth-quarter scores from true freshman running back Sire Gaines, who produced 154 total yards in his first career game.
"I'm proud of how our team battled," Danielson said. "I'm proud of how they stayed in the fight, kept swinging, didn't always go our way and sometimes it was self-inflicted, sometime they're just things that happen in a game that you've got to respond to. That's what I'm excited about as a coach. Week 1, when you can find a lot of things to clean up on film and still find a way to win the game? That's what I'm proud of our team doing."
The Broncos go on the road again next week for a massive test against No. 3 Oregon. They opened the 2023 season at Washington, losing 56-19 to a team that went on to play for the national championship, and hadn't won a season opener since 2020.