Kansas State RB Joe Jackson's record-breaking game shouldn't be overlooked

MANHATTAN — Lost in the aftermath of Kansas State football's 51-47 loss to No. 12 Utah was one of the greatest single-game performances in the program's history.

A heartbreaking loss, an emotional postgame press conference from the head coach and the continued questions surrounding the officiating from the game will do that to you.

But the breakout from Joe Jackson, amidst what has been a frustrating season in the Kansas State running back room, shouldn't be forgotten, and it won't be, as his name now sits above Darren Sproles in the record books.

"That was a pretty special thing right there," Jackson said. "I'll be able to treasure that the rest of my life."

Jackson set Kansas State's single-game rushing record by going for 293 yards against the Utes, while also breaking away for three touchdowns. He broke away for five rushes for 24 yards or more, giving the Wildcats the explosive ground attack that they had been searching for all season.

Jackson was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week, while the offensive line was recognized as the conference's best for Week 13, when facing a Utah defense that was allowing 143.2 yards per contest.

"It wasn't just Saturday, but I felt it coming more during the week with some of the stuff and preparation that we had," Jackson said. "I had to play a full, complete game, and I feel like, as an offense, we played our most complete game."

Text messages were aplenty for the running back, who broke away for touchdowns of 24, 66 and 80 yards. Jackson entered the game with one career game of over 69 yards, which came in the team's Oct. 11 win over TCU when he gained 110.

Dylan Edwards, in the Wildcats' Sept. 27 win over UCF, was the only other Wildcat to rush for more than 100 yards this season, but his injury and eventual departure from the team hurt the offense's ability to run the ball consistently. Last season, DJ Giddens rushed for 100-plus yards in eight games.

A repeat performance is going to have to come in a different way, Wildcats coach Chris Klieman said, because of how they attacked Utah's unique defense. Lucky for them, Colorado boasts the Big 12's worst run defense, allowing 224 yards per game, and it will visit Manhattan on Saturday, Nov. 29, at 11 a.m.

"I'm going to celebrate and have fun with it, but I'll move on and start a whole new week," Jackson said. "Going to get back to basics, find what didn't work so well on Saturday, and then just fix those for this upcoming Saturday."

Wyatt D. Wheeler covers Kansas State athletics for the USA TODAY Network and Topeka Capital-Journal. You can follow him on X at @WyattWheeler_, contact him at 417-371-6987 or email him at [email protected]

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Joe Jackson breaks Darren Sproles' Kansas State single-game record