San Diego State RB Donnel Pumphrey sets FBS rushing record (Video)

The all-time rushing leader in FBS history is now Donnel Pumphrey.

With a 15-yard gain in the fourth quarter of the Las Vegas Bowl against Houston, the San Diego State senior passed Wisconsin’s Ron Dayne and jumped to first all-time in career rushing.

Pumphrey entered Saturday’s game needing 108 yards to pass Dayne’s mark of 6,397 yards. Things didn’t look good early. Pumphrey had minus-1 yards on his first seven attempts before breaking off a 30-yard gain early in the second quarter.

By the time halftime rolled around, Pumphrey was up to 58 yards as the Aztecs clawed back from an early deficit to cut Houston’s lead to 10-6. Pumphrey was bottled up early in the third until he broke through the line for a 32-yard touchdown to give the Aztecs the lead.

That score put Pumphrey 10 yards behind Dayne. And when San Diego State regained possession early in the fourth, it didn’t take long for Pumphrey to set the record. On first down, Pumphrey took a pitch and followed his blockers around the edge for a 15-yard gain and the new record.

Dayne established the high mark during his Heisman Trophy-winning season in 1999. However, the NCAA did not include bowl statistics in its record books at that time. If you add postseason numbers to his total, Dayne has 7,125 yards. On Twitter, he reacted accordingly:

Pumphrey finished the game with 115 yards on 19 carries to give him 6,405 yards for his career. San Diego State won the game, 34-10.

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Sam Cooper is a writer for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!

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