One of the worst games of Jonathan Taylor's career would be one of the best career games for most running backs in college football. Jonathan Taylor, however, isn't "most" college football running backs, and one of his worst-ever games came at the worst possible moment as Wisconsin fumbled their season down the toilet with a loss to Illinois in Week 8.
Wisconsin's playoff hopes are gone. Even if they win out — meaning two wins over Ohio State plus other decent wins — and watch chaos erupt across the country, the Badgers aren't making a four-team playoff with a loss to Illinois. They can still win the Big Ten West and reach 10 wins for the eighth time in the last 11 years. They can also watch Jonathan Taylor march toward the all-time FBS rushing title.
Taylor will break the record. In fact, he will destroy the record. If he returns to Wisconsin next season.
With 132 yards in Saturday's loss, Taylor has 957 yards this season and 5,128 career yards entering a Week 9 trip to Ohio State. He's 2,087 yards shy of Ron Dayne's all-time record (7,215). Five more regular-season games plus a bowl game at his current per-game average of 150.8 yards would put him at 1,862 season yards and 6,032 career yards.
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Only 1,183 yards behind Dayne. Jonathan Taylor can smash the all-time rushing records…if he wants to.
Taylor was ranked as 11th overall prospect (and No. 2 running back) for the 2020 NFL Draft by Bleacher Report's Matt Miller, who said Taylor has the best vision of any 2020 prospect at his position. Would Taylor pass on a potential first-round selection for a fourth season at Wisconsin?
History says no, but if Taylor rebuffs history, he can rewrite history by obliterating Ron Dayne's record.
