Everything about Byron Hanspard’s 1995 season was incredible. Everything was solid. The man had multiple thrilling showings where he dominated opposing defenses and certainly gave opposing defensive coordinators a few headaches as they tried to figure out how to slow the dominant Red Raider running back down a bit.
Unfortunately for opposing defenses, Hanspard got even better by the time the 1996 season rolled around. In the process, Hanspard shattered and set some really impressive Texas Tech football records.
Like the fact that nobody else in Texas Tech history has managed to run for more than 2000 yards in a single season. We can talk at length about how Hanspard was the third Red Raider in history to run for over 1000 yards in back-to-back seasons, but we really need to address how he set a new standard for Texas Tech football in the process.
Texas Tech football history: Byron Hanspard posted a remarkable 1996 season for the Red Raiders that was full of dominant performances
In 1996, Hanspard managed to get an insane number of carries (357) which he then turned into 2148 yards for the Texas Tech football team. Again, that is more than 2000 yards. And he is the only Texas Tech football player to ever pull off that feat.
This is the only season in which a Red Raider has EVER run for more than 2000 yards.
How did he get that many? Well, Hanspard ran for 287 yards against the Baylor Bears, 272 yards against Oklahoma State, 257 yards vs. Southwestern Louisiana, 224 yards vs. Utah State, 214 yards against the Georgia Bulldogs, and then so on and so forth.
We’re talking about a season where a Texas Tech running back ran for 200 yards in a game on FIVE different occasions! He managed to run for 100 or more yards against 10 different teams in 1996.
Hanspard was incredible. He averaged just under 190 rushing yards per game and had over 30 carries per game. As good as he was in 1995, he was even better in 1996.