Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty continued his record-setting pursuit of Heisman Trophy frontrunner status Saturday night in the No. 21 Broncos’ 62-30 win over visiting Utah State.

Jeanty surpassed 1,000 rushing yards on the season on just his 90th carry, producing 186 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 13 attempts in the first half of the win. He tied an FBS record by needing just five games to reach 1,000 rushing yards.

“First, Ashton Jeanty? Best player in the country. Next question,” Boise State coach Spencer Danielson said.

The junior running back has rushed for 1,031 yards and 16 touchdowns on 10.9 yards per carry for the 4-1 Broncos and is now averaging 206.2 rushing yards per game. According to ESPN Research, his 1,031 yards in five games rank eighth in FBS history.

Jeanty converted his first carry vs. Utah State in a 63-yard touchdown run and then broke off a 75-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter, breaking the Mountain West single-season record for 70 yards rushing TDs in a season with his fourth. Jeanty has seven rushes of 60 or more yards on the year, tied for the most in FBS in a single season in the past two decades.

Boise State did not play Jeanty in the second half after taking a 49-17 lead at halftime. He also sat out the second half of the Broncos’ 56–14 win over FCS Portland State.

“It’s all about the team, and Ashton is the same way,” Danielson said. “We’re going to protect him. We’re going to be smart with Ashton, because he’s so important to our team, and we have to make sure we get reps from other guys. At that point, I don’t know what his rush yards were either, but but we know he had enough.”

The Broncos offense was dominant regardless, rolling to a win in the Mountain West opener with the program’s first 60-plus point performance since 2018. Quarterback Maddux Madsen threw for 256 yards and three touchdowns, and Boise State finished with 599 total yards against the 1-4 Aggies.

Through five games, Jeanty is tied with Barry Sanders’ record-breaking 1988 season. Sanders had 1,002 rushing yards on 130 carries through the first five games of his Heisman-winning season at Oklahoma State, finishing with an FBS record 2,628 yards and 37 touchdowns.

Jeanty emerged as the favorite to win the Heisman and was listed at 2.5-1 by ESPN BET on Saturday night. Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe was the betting favorite on the day, but his odds were increased to 12-1 by ESPN BET after Vanderbilt upset the No. 1-ranked Crimson Tide earlier Saturday.

“I believe he will be in New York for the Heisman,” Danielson said of Jeanty. “I believe that because I see him work. Because I see the teammate that he is. This is not a flash in the pan.”