Austin Top All-Purpose Runner
January 13, 2012 11:44 AM | General
West Virginia University wide receiver Tavon Austin finished the season as the top all-purpose runner in the country with an average of 198 yards per game.
Austin had 280 all-purpose yards and four touchdowns in West Virginia’s 70-33 victory over Clemson in the 2012 Discover Orange Bowl. It was his fifth 200 yard all-purpose game for the season, the junior also topping 200 yards against Maryland (243), LSU (287), Louisville (271), Cincinnati (249) and USF (208).
Austin finished 2012 with 101 receptions for 1,186 yards and eight touchdowns. The Baltimore resident also had 16 rushes for 182 yards and a touchdown, returned 36 kicks for 938 yards and three scores and returned 19 punts for 268 yards. He scored touchdowns three different ways and averaged 14.9 yards every time he touched the football.
Austin becomes the first Mountaineer player since safety Ricky Sherrod in 2001 to lead the nation in a statistical category. That year, Sherrod led the country with an average of 15.6 tackles per game. He also led the nation that year with 102 solo tackles.
Prior to that, only three others in school history have led the country in national categories: Aaron Beasley in interceptions per game (0.83) in 1994, Todd Sauerbrun in average punting (48.4) in 1994 and Paul Woodside in field goals per game (2.6) in 1982.
Austin had 280 all-purpose yards and four touchdowns in West Virginia’s 70-33 victory over Clemson in the 2012 Discover Orange Bowl. It was his fifth 200 yard all-purpose game for the season, the junior also topping 200 yards against Maryland (243), LSU (287), Louisville (271), Cincinnati (249) and USF (208).
Austin finished 2012 with 101 receptions for 1,186 yards and eight touchdowns. The Baltimore resident also had 16 rushes for 182 yards and a touchdown, returned 36 kicks for 938 yards and three scores and returned 19 punts for 268 yards. He scored touchdowns three different ways and averaged 14.9 yards every time he touched the football.
Austin becomes the first Mountaineer player since safety Ricky Sherrod in 2001 to lead the nation in a statistical category. That year, Sherrod led the country with an average of 15.6 tackles per game. He also led the nation that year with 102 solo tackles.
Prior to that, only three others in school history have led the country in national categories: Aaron Beasley in interceptions per game (0.83) in 1994, Todd Sauerbrun in average punting (48.4) in 1994 and Paul Woodside in field goals per game (2.6) in 1982.
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