Buffalo’s junior running back, Jaret Patterson, announced on Tuesday that he will abandon his senior season and declare himself for the NFL draft.
Patterson, who tied the FBS record for hurried touchdowns in one game (eight) in November, made the announcement via Twitter.
Psalm 91 #ForeverABull 🤘🏽🤘🏽🤘🏽# Horns above pic.twitter.com/6vPbZNuqNR
– Jaret Patterson # ️⃣2️⃣6️⃣ (@__ JP26) December 29, 2020
Patterson led FBS by an average of run yards per game, with 178.6 this season. His 19 touchdowns were second in the country, losing to 24 of Najee Harris, from Alabama. His average of 7.6 yards per race was the third nationally among FBS backs with at least 100 loads.
Patterson ran for 1,072 yards in just six games, 710 of which occurred in two games in November. Against Bowling Green on November 17, Patterson ran for 301 yards and four touchdowns, then followed up with a 409-yard performance and eight touchdowns in a 70-41 victory over Kent State on November 28. The 409 yards was the second-best running performance in a single game in FBS history behind Oklahoma State’s Samaje Perine in 2016 (427 yards).
His total 710 run yards in two games is the maximum in FBS history.
MAC’s offensive player of the year, Patterson, has run for more than 1,000 yards in each of his three seasons with the Bulls. He ended his career at Buffalo with 3,884 yards and 52 touchdowns.
“We are happy for Jaret and his family,” said Buffalo coach Lance Leipold, according to The Associated Press. “His praise on the field speaks for itself, but it is his leadership and the way he represents our program that will help him succeed at the next level. We are grateful for everything he has done for our program and he will forever be a Taurus . “