If it wasn't for 1136 yards that Toby Gerhart had ran in the 2008 season, he would have been just another name in school league football. The fact that he did catapulted his name amongst some really leading names in football. Previously, the record was with Tommy Vardell in 1991 who sprinted more than 1000 yards.



A breakdown into this achievement of 1136 yards ? Toby crossed the 100 yard mark in 8 games during the 2008 season. That is no mean achievement for any player in NFL. In the game against San Jose, Toby achieved the feat of running 148 yards in the game. That's a whopping distance for any NFL player! In process, he made rushes to 15 touchdowns, the second highest by any school player for the game.

For his feats, Gerhart was recognized with the Frank Rehm Award and also received the Gundelach award. He received the Gundelach award on count of him being the best junior player in the team. Taking a look into each of his 100 yard runs, not to mention the 148 yard run against San Jose, you would find some similarities.

First, the element of surprise! Toby essentially played as a back and for a back to run for touchdown is not something unheard of. But then with physically overpowering defenders with most opposition teams doing this needs some guts. Doing this consistently as Toby did is full tribute to his stamina and running skills.

Second, the determination to touch down! Your run up to the touch line could do waste if you are not able to touchdown. Each of Toby's runs have either resulted in him touching down or him aiding another player to touchdown. This is testimonial to the fact that Toby was determined to make his runs count.

Third, his power! On the field, running for 20 yards uninterrupted would mean you have achieved something. That Toby was able to cross the 100 yard mark on more than a few occasions means he had great reserves of raw power. On most days, Toby was unstoppable even by the best defensemen in the business.

Fourth, his dribbling skills! Power can only come in handy in some occasions. To run distances like these, you should be like a vulture with your eyes open on who is going to tackle you from the sides. Toby had exceptional dribbling skills that allowed him to evade all what the opposition had to throw at him.

Put all these four qualities together, and you have a complete back playing on the field. The world has already seen what Toby could do on the field in the 2008 season. The initial games of the 2009 season will certify if those feats were no mere fluke.