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College Football Rushing Leaders Entering Week 1: Jeremy Payne Looks Like a Star for TCU

See which plays broke out in Week 0 with the biggest rushing performances in college football.
Ryan Young|
TCU's offense scuffled in its loss to North Carolina, but running back Jeremy Payne was the bright spot. Credit: Laszlo Geczo-Imagn Images
TCU's offense scuffled in its loss to North Carolina, but running back Jeremy Payne was the bright spot. Credit: Laszlo Geczo-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

In this story:

USC TrojansVirginia CavaliersFlorida State SeminolesEastern Michigan EaglesNorth Dakota State BisonMemphis TigersStanford CardinalTCU Horned Frogs

The rest of college football gets going this week, but eight FBS games in Week 0 provided a tease of what's to come in 2026.

A couple of bellcow running backs asserted themselves in a big way while a well-traveled dual-threat quarterback had a career-best performance over the weekend.

There were the 10 top rushing outputs of Week 0.

Jeremy Payne carried the ball 25 times for 142 yards in TCU's loss to North Carolina in Dublin, Ireland.
Jeremy Payne carried the ball 25 times for 142 yards in TCU's loss to North Carolina in Dublin, Ireland. Credit: Laszlo Geczo-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

1. TCU RB Jeremy Payne (142 yards)

Payne started to emerge for the Horned Frogs late in his sophomore season with a string of big statistical performances down the stretch last year, and he's carried that momentum into 2026.

The junior running back carried the ball 25 times for 142 yards Saturday in TCU's 15-10 loss to North Carolina and added 5 receptions for 27 yards. That accounted for more than half of the Horned Frogs' offensive output as they finished with just 281 yards overall.

Expect a big season from Payne, who had 350 rushing yards, 109 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns over the final three games of 2025.

2. Florida State RB Ousmane Kromah (115 yards)

Florida State has decent depth in the backfield this year, adding proven veteran Texas transfer Quintrevion Wisner to the mix, but it was the sophmore Kromah who looked like the clear No. 1 for the Seminoles in their opener.

Kromah carried the ball 14 times for 115 yards and a TD, averaging 8.2 yards per carry in Florida State's 34-17 win over New Mexico State.

Kromah had 408 rushing yards on 72 carries (5.7 YPC) as a true freshman and looks primed for a true breakout this fall.

Beau Pribula had an impressive debut for Virginia, passing for 155 yards and 2 TDs and rushing for 115 yards vs. NC State.
Beau Pribula had an impressive debut for Virginia, passing for 155 yards and 2 TDs and rushing for 115 yards in a big win over NC State on Saturday. Credit: Greg Atkins-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

3. Virginia QB Beau Pribula (110 yards)

Pribula waited on the bench for three seasons at Penn State before getting his chance as a starter at Missouri last year, but the dual-threat quarterback had an overall underwhelming season and hopped back in the transfer portal.

Now at Virginia, he delivered perhaps the best game of his college career Saturday, completing 9 of 11 passes for 155 yards, 2 TDs and 0 INTs while rushing 15 times for 110 yards. His previous career-high for rushing yards was 78.

The Cavaliers rolled over ACC foe NC State, 34-8.

Micah Ford rushed for 99 yards in Stanford's season-opening win over Hawaii.
Micah Ford rushed for 99 yards in Stanford's season-opening win over Hawaii. Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

4. Stanford RB Micah Ford (99 yards)

Stanford is hoping to turn the page from recent struggles in its first season under head coach Tavita Pritchard, and a season-opening 37-27 win over Hawaii was a good start.

Ford, a junior, played a big role in that with 25 carries for 99 yards and 3 TDs.

5. Memphis RB Jaylin Carter (97 yards)

Memphis scored one of the most notable wins in Week 0, besting UNLV on the road, 27-21, in the Tigers' first game under head coach Charles Huff.

Carter is one of the players who followed Huff to Memphis from Southern Miss, and he made an immediate impact with 97 rushing yards and a TD in 15 carries. His 36-yard touchdown run in the third quarter tied the game at 21-21 before the Tigers pulled away late.

Carter had just 166 yards and 2 TDs on 38 carries as a freshman last year and looks poised for a much bigger role at his new school.

6. North Dakota State RB Myles Mitchell (74 yards)

After winning 10 FCS national championships since 2011, North Dakota State made the jump to the FBS level, joining the Mountain West this season.

And in its FBS debut, the Bison were as dominant as usual in rolling to a 33-7 win over Jacksonville State.

Mitchell, a redshirt-freshman, rushed for a team-high 74 yards on just 11 carries.

7. Virginia RB Jekail Middlebrook (64 yards)

Middlebrook transferred to Virginia after three seasons at Middle Tennessee State and won the starting running back job over higher-profile Tennessee transfer Peyton Lewis.

In his Cavaliers debut, Middlebrook had 64 yards on 15 carries in UVA's 34-8 win over NC State.

USC running back King Miller is back as a major weapon for the Trojans.
USC running back King Miller, pictured here last season, is back as a major weapon for the Trojans. Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

8. USC RB King Miller (63 yards)

Miller was one of the best stories in college football last year, as the former walk-on emerged as USC's primary running back after an injury to Waymond Jordan. Miller rushed for 972 yards and 8 TDs and added 111 receiving yards as a redshirt freshman.

With Jordan back healthy in 2026, the two running backs are sharing the backfield, with Miller rushing for a team-high 63 yards and a TD in 15 carries in the Trojans' 42-26 season-opening win over San Jose State.

9. North Dakota State RB Nyeoti Punni (60 yards)

The second Bison running back on the list, Punni needed just 8 carries to rumble for 60 yards in that lopsided win over Jacksonville State on Saturday.

The senior transfer rushed for 415 yards and 3 TDs last season at Holy Cross.

10. Eastern Michigan RB Amareon Blue (55 yards)

A 5-foot-6, 195-pound sophomore, Blue led Eastern Michigan with 55 rushing yards on 12 carries along with 22 receiving yards in the team's 28-17 win over Sacramento State.

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Ryan Young
RYAN YOUNG

Ryan Young joins CFB HQ On SI after 15 years as a college football beat writer, including the last seven years in Los Angeles covering the USC Trojans for Rivals. He previously covered Florida and Coastal Carolina after four years at the Kansas City Star. He is a graduate of the University of Maryland.

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