No. 2: Back-To-Back Rushing Champions

No. 2 - Back-To-Back Rushing Champs

It's not often that a team has one former NCAA rushing champion on its roster. Most NCAA Rushing Champions are juniors or seniors who either graduate or move on to the National Football League. It's virtually unheard of for a team to return two NCAA Rushing Champions, but that's exactly what North Texas had in 2005, as 2003 rushing champ Patrick Cobbs and 2004 rushing champ Jamario Thomas returned for the Mean Green, a scenario that seemingly only occurs in video games. On easy mode.

Cobbs rushed for 1,680 yards in 2003, as the Mean Green rolled through the Sun Belt with an 7-0 record. Cobbs holds the school career record with 21 100+ rushing games, and he is the Sun Belt Conference's all-time leading rusher. Cobbs averaged 5.0 yards per carry over his career. Cobbs started the 2004 season, as most returning rushing champions do, but was sidelined due to injury just two games into the season.

With Cobbs out of action in 2004, Thomas took over and rattled off five straight 200+ yard rushing games, en route to 1,801 total rushing yards, one of the greatest freshman seasons ever. Cobbs still holds the record for the earliest game reaching 1,000 yards by a freshman, 200+ rush yard games for a freshman, and consecutive 200+ rush yard games by anyone. The Mean Green won its fourth straight Sun Belt title that year, again running the table with a 7-0 league record.

100	100-yd fumble return for TD	75-	"Mean Joe" Greene	50-	Gross and Washington	25-	Conference Titles
99	Fitzgerald Goes The Distance	74-	NT Downs No. 20 SDSU	49-	Keith Chapman FGs	24-	Talking About Willis
98	Sears Woods' Stuns Knoxville	73-	Fry & the new Mean Green	48-	Cody Spencer	23-	Rev. Maher Dominates Southland
97-	NT Blows Out Decatur Baptist	72-	Yaege's Stellar Season	47-	First Homecoming	22-	Walker Passes Rice
96-	96 Years Of Football	71-	Steve Ramsey's TDs	46-	Meager Against SMU	21-	Cobbs 100-Yard Games
95-	The Jump To Division I-A	70-	Little's 1970 Season	45-	Cobb Scores 45	20-	Fouts Arrives In Denton
94-	Optimist Bowl Offense	69-	7 All-Conference in '69	44-	Not A Day To Rush	19-	Haynes Scores 19 TDs
93-	Michael High KR Yards	68-	A Consensus All-American	43-	Patrick Cobbs	18-	Miracle In the Desert
92-	Gowin 92-Yard Punt	67-	Armour Anchors NT Offense	42-	Craig Robertson	17-	The Ramsey Plan
91-	Chancellor Saves The MGRN	66-	Love Tops 1,000 Yds	41-	Erric Pegram	16-	2002 All-Conference Record
90-	Renfro/Haynes Tally 90 pts.	65-	St. Clair's Win Pct	40-	Fry Win Total	15-	Renfro All-America
89-	Redwine Bursts Onto Scene	64-	Spider's Special Season	39-	Jack Sisco and 1939	14-	Vidal Carlin
88-	Mean Green Robbed	63-	NT & Navy Light Up The Scoreboard	38-	2002 NMSU Win	13-	Shanklin's Big Year
87-	Fitzgerald Fries Competition	62-	Khoury's 62-yd FG	37-	Dunbar TDs (so far)	12-	Andrew Smith
86-	Mean Green 86 The Toads	61-	Kennedy's 61 TFL	36-	What A Rush	11-	Scott Hall
85-	Adrian Awasom	60-	Fouts Field	35-	Galbreath Seals NO Bowl Win	10-	10 Wins in 1947
84-	Brown Delivers For NT	59-	The '59 Sun Bowl Squad	34-	Ja'Quay Wilburn	9-	Dinkle's Winning TD
83-	83 All-Conference Selections	58-	Mitchell Claims COY	33-	Ray Renfro	8-	Vizza's TD Passes
82-	Corky Nelson	57-	Thomas Scampers For 57	32-	The First All-American	7-	7-OT Thriller
81-	One Of The Greats	56-	Scott Davis Completion Pct	31-	31 NT All-Americans	6-	Ramsey's Passing Attack
80-	Cedric The Sack- Getter	55-	Gill, NT's First Retired Number	30-	Former NCAA Record 30 TDs	5-	Thomas Racks Up The Yards
79-	"Blow George, Blow!"	54-	Pair's Punts	29-	29,473 Fans	4	Four Straight Titles
78-	J.T. Smith Joins the NFL	53-	OSU's 53 Passing Yards	28-	Abner Haynes	3-	Three 1st Round Picks
77-	North Texas Goes 10- 1	52-	Fouts Field Opens	27-	Maher Destroys Passing TD Mark	2-	Back-to-Back Rushing Champs
76-	Blizzard Battle With FSU	51-	Bahnsen Named All-American	26-	Consecutive SBC Wins	1-	Friday, September 9

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No. 2: Back-To-Back Rushing Champions

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