BYU Football: Comparing Taysom Hill's Week 2 Performance to Other Cougar Greats

En route to a 40-21 victory over No. 15-ranked Texas, Taysom Hill made the Longhorn rushing defense look like Hawaii.

Scratch that, Hill ran for only 141 yards against the Warriors last year.

His 259 rushing yards were close to breaking a single-game rushing record for BYU, and were the most by a Cougar quarterback since 1962. But how does Hill's game rank against other great performances at BYU? 

Here are the top four rushing games by Cougar athletes, and how they compare to last week's showcase.

4. Curtis Brown vs. Air Force, 2005

Yards: 219

Over/Under Hill's Total: -40

Curtis Brown posted a 217-yard game in 2002, but eclipsed that with 219 in 2005. Brown tore up the Air Force defense, and his four touchdowns earned him the MWC Player of the Week award.

Brown's numbers may be impressive, but remember that he was a tailback. Hill outran the speedster by 50 yards, while playing a very different role in the offense. Still, props go to Brown for a whopping four rushing touchdowns.

3. Pete Van Valkenburg vs. Long Beach State, 1972

Yards: 247

Over/Under Hill's Total: -12

Pete Van Valkenburg led the NCAA in rushing yards per game, 138.6, during his senior year, and reached his peak with 247 yards against Long Beach State. A Cougar Hall of Fame inductee, the tailback was named as an All-American.

Hill edged Van Valkenburg's rushing total against CSULB by a mere 12 yards, but remember that "Fleet Pete" put up that number against a 5-6 49er squad.

2. Ronney Jenkins vs. San Jose State, 1998

Yards: 250

Over/Under Hill's Total: -9

Ronney Jenkins led BYU to a three-point shootout victory over San Jose State, but the 46-43 scoreboard wasn't as impressive as the statsheet. With 250 rushing yards and five touchdowns (tied for a school record in TD's), the Spartans couldn't find an answer for Jenkins.

Hill found the endzone two times less than Jenkins but outran him by nine yards. Despite transferring to Northern Arizona a season later, Jenkins' name is still found throughout Cougar record books.

1. Eldon Fortie vs. George Washington, 1962

Yards: 272

Over/Under Hill's Total: +13

Eldon Fortie was more of a running back/quarterback then what we now consider a QB, but he holds the record for rushing yards per game. His 272-yard outing against George Washington is the most by any Cougar player, quarterback or another position.

Hill came close to shattering the half-century-old record, but didn't quite make it. Sure, offenses and defenses were run differently 50 years ago, but Fortie still deserves heaps of credit for an outstanding performance.