RB Respect Month Vol. 2, Day 17: Hawaii's Alex Green produces the most random 300-yard game of all-time (2010)
The greatest rushing performance no one saw coming.
For those reading on e-mail: click 'view in browser' to see the full contents of today's post
Welcome to day 17 of Running Back Respect Month™! Yesterday, we watched San Diego State's Donnel Pumphrey wreck Cal on his way to becoming college football's rushing king. Here's where we're at today, and how the rest of the month looks:
If you're not subscribed to the site already, hit the button below to get your first month for $3!
Today: Alex Green vs. New Mexico State (2010)
RB Respect Month Vol. 2, Day 17: Hawaii's Alex Green produces the most random 300-yard game of all-time (2010)
I don't think 90 percent of the people reading this sentence can name me a single running back who's ever played at Hawai'i. If you can, it's because you're either a Hawai'i fan, or you've watched an ungodly amount of Mountain West Football over the years. To be clear, that isn't meant in a derogatory way towards anyone who's ever run the rock for the Rainbow Warriors. It's just that handing the ball off has never been what comes to mind first when you think of how they play offense on the island.
Star quarterbacks like Timmy Chang, Colt Brennan, Bryant Moniz, Bryaden Schager and Cole McDonald (plus Nick Rolovich that one season) have spent the last three decades getting most of the love. Chang and Brennan each still sit in the top-15 all-time in both career passing yards and passing touchdowns, and are cult favorites among college football fans. And if somehow the guys throwing the ball don't get all the attention, it's the guys catching it.
Hawai'i has four receivers in the top-100 career yards list- tied for the most with Oklahoma State and Western Michigan. Just outside the top 100 (107) is Ashley Lelie, who had arguably the greatest three-game stretch of any receiver in college football history:
Colton Denning
LONG STORY SHORT THAT I'M TRYING TO POUND INTO YOUR HEAD: HAWAI'I THROWS THE BALL A SHIT TON. THEY LOVE QUARTERBACKS AND RECEIVERS.
The 2010 season was no different. Through 11 games, the Rainbow Warriors led the nation in passing, thanks to the connection of Moniz and receiver Greg Salas. It wasn't surprising in the least that they had the fourth fewest rushing yards per game:
The lack of pure yardage didn't necessarily mean they couldn't run. Senior running back Alex Green had strong per carry averages in those 11 games, even putting up two 100-yard efforts down the stretch:
His outputs against Utah State and Boise State couldn't have prepared anyone for what was next, however. Against 2-9 New Mexico State, Green went berserk to the tune of 327 yards and three touchdowns on just 19 carries (17.2), setting the school rushing record in Hawaii's 59-24 win:
It's by far the most out-of-the-blue performance we'll go over this month, and quite possibly the most random huge rushing game in college football history. But how did it happen in the first place? The easy answer is, "The 2010 New Mexico State defense."
