The offense reached new heights in 2017 thanks to Eddie Gran’s emphasis on the run. It took a few games to find their identity, but once they discovered the right recipe in the second half of the New Mexico State game, the record books were rewritten.
The Cats finished the season with 3,044 rushing yards, the second-most in school history, less than a hundred shy of the record set by the 1974 team. They set a record for yards per carry at 5.4, .6 yards better than the ’74 team. Their 30 rushing touchdowns tied the school record set by Bear Bryant’s squad in 1949.