Running back Tre Mason is leaving Auburn for the NFL with his name scattered throughout the school and SEC record books. Mason took the Auburn single-season rushing record away from Bo Jackson dramatically, passing the College Football Hall of Famer's rushing mark set in 1985 on the final carry of his collegiate career - a 37-yard touchdown run that gave the Tigers the lead on Florida State with 1:19 left to play in the BCS National Championship Game on Monday night.
Bo over the top: Auburn running back Bo Jackson vaults over the Alabama defense at Legion Field in Birmingham, Ala., on Nov. 27, 1982. (Press-Register file)The touchdown run lifted Mason's final rushing figure for the 2013 season to 1,816 yards, past Jackson's Auburn single-season record of 1,786 and into third place on the SEC's all-time single-season rushing list.
That's what next season's record books will show. But in an apples-to-apples comparison, Mason didn't run for more yards this season than Jackson did during the 1985 season. That's because until the 2002 season, bowl statistics were not included in any team or individual single-game, single-season or career records. So while Mason got credit for the 195 rushing yards he gained against Florida State on Monday night, Jackson didn't get credit for his 129 rushing yards against Texas A M in the Cotton Bowl to end the 1985 season.
Let Jackson have his bowl output, and his 1985 rushing yardage is 1,915 - 99 more yards than Mason ran for this season.
These will be the top-10 single-season rushing performances in SEC history when the record book comes out for the 2014 season:
1. Herschel Walker, Georgia, 1981: 1,891 yards
2. Darren McFadden, Arkansas, 2007: 1,830 yards
3. Tre Mason, Auburn, 2013: 1,816 yards
4. Bo Jackson, Auburn, 1985: 1,786 yards
5. Herschel Walker, Georgia, 1982: 1,752 yards
6. Charles Alexander, LSU, 1977: 1,686 yards
7. Trent Richardson, Alabama, 2011: 1,679 yards
8. Mark Ingram, Alabama, 2009: 1,658 yards.
9. Darren McFadden, Arkansas, 2006: 1,647 yards.
10. Herschel Walker, Georgia, 1980: 1,616 yards.
Mason's stellar season pushed Moe Williams and his 1,600 yards for Kentucky in 1995 out of the SEC's top 10.
Now, let's add in the bowl rushing yards for the running backs who played before the 2002 season and see how the top 10 changes. With bowls included for all players, the SEC's top-10 rushing seasons become:
1. Herschel Walker, Georgia, 1981: 1,975 yards
2. Bo Jackson, Auburn, 1985: 1,915 yards
3. Charles Alexander, LSU, 1977: 1,883 yards
4. Herschel Walker, Georgia, 1982: 1,855 yards
5. Darren McFadden, Arkansas, 2007: 1,830 yards
6. Tre Mason, Auburn, 2013: 1,816 yards
7. Herschel Walker, Georgia, 1980: 1,766 yards
8. Garrison Hearst, Georgia, 1992, 1,710 yards
9. Trent Richardson, Alabama, 2011: 1,679 yards
10. Mark Ingram, Alabama, 2009: 1,658 yards
This time, Mason pushed another Auburn running back out of the top 10 - Rudi Johnson with his 1,652 rushing yards in the 2000 season.
A similar all games-to-all games comparison would make alterations throughout school and SEC records by boosting the season and career totals of pre-2002 players. For instance, Mason's final touchdown run not only broke Jackson's Auburn single-season rushing record, it also set an SEC single-season TD mark as Mason went into the end zone for the 25th time. Before that run, he was tied for the conference mark, established by Alabama running back Shaun Alexander with 24 in 1999 and tied by Alabama running back Trent Richardson in 2011. However, Alexander scored three TDs in the Orange Bowl to end the 1999 season that aren't included in his official total.