Leonard Fournette made a thunderous return from an ankle injury against Ole Miss on Saturday, breaking LSU's single-game rushing record in the Tigers' 38-21 win.
Fournette rushed for 284 yards only 16 carries, an eye-popping average of nearly 18 yards per attempt, in his first action since Sept. 24. He needed just eight carries in barely more than two quarters to break the record. The previous mark of 250 yards was held by Alley Broussard, also set against the Rebels, in 2004.
"That means my O-line is blocking," Fournette told ESPN.
Fournette scored on touchdown runs of 78, 76 and 59 yards to serve notice that the ankle injury that kept him off the field for the last month is most definitely behind him. Fournette has missed games against Jacksonville State, Missouri and Southern Miss this year, but he made up for some lost time against a porous Ole Miss defense. Scouts from the Seattle Seahawks, Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins were on hand for Fournette's career-best performance. It was the fifth 200-yard game of the junior's career. Fournette will decide after the season whether to apply for early eligibility in the 2017 NFL Draft.
Despite the injury, which has hampered him since the preseason, Fournette hasn't been held under 100 yards in any of the four games he's played this season, and all four have come against Power Five conference opponents.
NFL players saluted Fournette for his record-breaking showing.
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