In case you missed it last night, Oregon recruit and Beaverton native Thomas Tyner yesterday had an historic performance, rushing for 643 yards and 10 touchdowns on 38 carries, an average of 16.9 yards per carry. As reported by several outlets, 26.3% of his carries ended up in the endzone, which means he scored a touchdown more than 1 in 4 times when he touched the ball.
According to the National Federation of High Schools, Tyner now sits third all time in single game rushing, behind Netcong (N.J.) High legend John Giannantonio's 754 yards in 1950 and a 661-yard performance by Matewan (W.V.) High back Paul McCoy in 2006. The national record for rushing touchdowns in a game is 12, set by two players. Tyner's 10 is tied for third.
Thomas Tyner's night was extra special as it also came on his 18th birthday. Talk about becoming a man.
After his Junior season, many experts considered Tyner to be the best running back recruit in the country. However, nagging injuries in the off-season forced him to miss summer camps and evaluations and Tyner saw his stock drop a little as other players were able to showcase their ability while he was on the sidelines. Now healthy in his Senior season, Thomas is having an historic year, leading many to see why he has drawn comparisons to former high school standouts like Adrian Peterson and Jonathan Stewart.
Tyner first committed to Oregon last November and has stated that he plans to enroll at the University in the Spring. With Kenjon Barner graduating after this season, and Oregon already thin at running back, Tyner figures to break into the rotation immediately.
Not only an impressive football player, Tyner is also an All American in the 100 meters. Like previous and current skill position players on the football team, he may also run at Hayward Field for new track coach Robert Johnson.
Tyner is one of two high-profile running back commits for Oregon in the 2013 class, along with speedster Dontre Wilson from DeSoto, Texas.