On a beautiful Saturday in later-November, three Kansas football goats came together for a few brief moments at Arrowhead Stadium, adding just a little more sparkle to what was already a dazzling day for the Jayhawks.
Only one of them was playing — and, boy, did he play — but the other two were there, too. Cheering. Bragging. Ooohing and Ahhhing. Supporting.
In part because that’s all former KU greats Tony Sands and June Henley are able to do today. But also because KU running back Devin Neal has a way of bringing that out of people.
Few games in his career, however, have been a bigger catalyst for those emotions than last weekend’s dominant win over Colorado, which not only was a huge victory for the Kansas program but also a signature game for Neal, playing in front of KU’s home crowd for the final time in his career.
He carried it 37 times, touched it 41 total and racked up nearly 300 yards of offense along with 4 touchdowns.
Monster day. Incredibly fitting for it to have happened in front of two players who used to put up numbers similar to those themselves.
By now, you surely know that Neal has laid claim to every major KU football rushing record. And you also know that he’s still got at least one more game — and maybe two — to add to his legendary totals.
Although both seem like long shots, Neal still is within reach of a pair of KU records that he hasn't claimed yet but still could before season's end: single-season yardage total (needs 325 yards to pass Jon Cornish's record of 1,457 from 2006); total carries (needs 83 to pass Henley);
Before we move too far into the future, with only Neal’s numbers representing the gold standard against which all future KU running backs are measured, let’s take one more look at how he stacks up to Henley and Sands, two absolute greats in their day, remembered fondly by KU fans young and old.
DEVIN NEAL
Rushing yards – 4,210*
Career carries – 740
Rushing touchdowns – 48*
Total touchdowns – 52*
100-yard games – 19*
1,000-yard seasons – 3 (2022, 2023 & 2024)*
*All school records
JUNE HENLEY
Rushing yards – 3,841
Career carries – 823
Rushing touchdowns – 41
Total touchdowns – 42
100-yard games – 13
1,000-yard seasons – 2 (1993 & 1996)
Most notable record he still owns: Most career 200-yard games, with 5
TONY SANDS
Rushing yards – 3,788
Career carries – 778
Rushing touchdowns – 28
Total touchdowns – 28
100-yard games – 17
1,000-yard seasons – 2 (1989 & 1991)
Most notable record he still owns: Single-game rushing record of 396 yards on 58 carries in a 1991 win over Missouri
