Ethen Knox, Oil City (Pennsylvania) running back, breaks record set by NFL star Derrick Henry
Ethen Knox has been racking up yards at an unreal pace, and his season just became one that will live on in record books.
Knox, a junior at Oil City (Pa.), tallied 403 yards and scored all five of his team’s touchdowns in Friday’s win over Hollidaysburg. It's the fifth time this season Knox has rushed for at least 400 yards in a game, once more than NFL star Derrick Henry pulled off his senior year at Yulee (Fla.) in 2012.
Henry finished that season with 4,261 yards and 55 touchdowns in 13 games before going on to star for the Alabama Crimson Tide. The 2015 winner of the Heisman Trophy now plays professionally for the Tennessee Titans.
Through seven games this season, Knox is the nation's unofficial leading rusher with 2,513 yards and 29 scores. He’s averaging 10.1 yards per carry and 359 yards per game.
Knox has done this all in his second season as a running back. He played wide receiver as a freshman on junior varsity, and then he moved to the backfield last year as he made the jump to varsity.
“I didn’t really touch the ball a lot, especially playing JV,” Knox said. “So last year I did alright I think but it was a learning experience to try to get better so I can get out here and do what I am doing this season.”
With 513 more rushing yards to his name, he will set a school record for most rushing yards in a season. And since it's Knox we're talking about, he might accomplish that in one game.