It’s not easy being the guy that follows THE GUY. It’s even harder when THE GUY is the greatest athlete of all time in Bo Jackson. For most human beings, the task of trying to fill Bo’s shoes would prove too daunting.
Brent Fullwood was not one of those human beings.
After sharing the backfield with the 1985 Heisman trophy winner, Fullwood got a chance to finally show what he could do on his own. He didn’t disappoint. In 1986, Fullwood carried the ball 167 times for 1,391 yards and 10 touchdowns. That’s 8.3 yards per carry. That’s absurd.
One of his most dominating performances came on the road in Starkville, MS against the #13 ranked Bulldogs. Fullwood rushed for 179 yards and 3 touchdowns despite the fact he was recovering from a week long fight with the flu. One of those touchdowns went 88 yards.
Not sure there is a run that better displays what kind of back Fullwood was than this touchdown. He was lightning quick with breakaway speed in the open field while also still possessing enough power to break tackles. On the play above, Fullwood takes a simple toss play that should have gone for 5-6 yards, breaks two tackles, outruns two more defenders to turn the corner and speeds away from the rest of the defense.
Auburn would go on to finish 10-2 that season and claim a 16-7 victory over USC in the Citrus Bowl. Auburn lost two games that year by a combined five points. Fullwood would go on to be selected #4 overall by the Green Bay Packers though his NFL career was a disappointment. Still, his 1986 season is one of the more impressive seasons for a tailback in Auburn football history.
If you have never had the joy of watching Fullwood do his thing, I highly recommend checking out the video below. Plus it’s fun to watch Auburn beat the crap out of anyone in any era.
88 days till kickoff! War Eagle!