Doug Martin is torching the record books just eight games into his rookie campaign.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back barreled 25 times for 251 yards and four touchdowns in Sunday's 42-32 win over the Oakland Raiders.
Martin's outburst established a franchise record for rushing yardage and touchdowns in a single game. And what a game it was.
Martin's 45-yard touchdown gallop in the third quarter was the longest of his career, but that was short-lived. The rookie burst free for a 67-yard score later in the quarter, and then -- one drive later -- went for another from 70 yards. Martin had 244 yards at that point, breaking the team's 219-yard single-game mark, set by James Wilder in November 1983.
Martin's fourth and final score -- from 1 yard out -- came in the game's closing minutes and helped snuff out a furious Oakland rally.
Martin is just the second player in NFL history to rush for 250-plus yards and four scores in a contest. Mike Anderson did it with the Denver Broncos in December 2000, also rushing for 251 yards against the New Orleans Saints. Both players are tied for 10th all time on the single-game rushing yardage leaderboard, just below Dallas Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray's 253-yard output from a season ago.
Martin also is the first player in NFL history with touchdown runs of 70-plus, 65-plus and 45-plus yards in a game.
He isn't a complete surprise, but Martin's level of production ceratinly is. Even more impressive: His work against the Raiders came with All-Pro guard Carl Nicks out of the Bucs' lineup with a season-ending toe injury.
The growth of the Bucs' young offense has something to do with quarterback Josh Freeman and everything to do with Martin. The rookie uses his 5-foot-9, 215-pound stature to smash through people, but he can turn on the jets, too. The Minnesota Vikings dealt with it last week. The Raiders had their hands full Sunday.
It didn't take long for Martin to make history, but he's just getting started.
Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @MarcSesslerNFL.
