James Gray wasn’t the first Texas Tech football player to run for more than 1000 yards in a single season. Gray wasn’t even the first Red Raider named “James” to be a really impressive rushing threat and have a remarkable career with impressive yardage totals.
But, during the 1989 season, James Gray managed to routinely steamroll opponents and posted all sorts of crazy stats. And, unlike both James Hadnot and Doug McCutchen (the two prior Texas Tech football players who managed to run for 1000 yards in single seasons), Gray proved that he could score more than just a handful of touchdowns.
And that’s arguably the biggest difference here. It’s not just a yardage thing. It’s a “Gray made it into the endzone more than four times or five times or one time” sort of thing. In fact, Gray scored 22 touchdowns in 1989. One single season. Well over 1000 yards rushing. 22 touchdowns. Flat out incredible stuff.
Texas Tech football: Prior to 1989, the Red Raiders really didn’t have a running back anywhere near as dominant as James Gray
Gray got the 1989 season started off by getting 35 carries and gaining 234 yards against the Arizona Wildcats. Along the way, he also managed to score a couple of touchdowns. After a series of weeks in which he didn’t break through the 100 yard rushing mark, Gray managed to gash Arkansas for 138 yards and a touchdown on 32 carries.
He followed that up by running for 227 yards and four touchdowns on Rice, put up 117 rushing yards and a touchdown against Texas, ran for 209 yards and two touchdowns against TCU, gained 232 yards and scored four times against SMU, and then closed the regular season out with 100 rushing yards and two touchdowns vs. Houston.
Then in the bowl game against Duke, Gray had his most impressive outing of the season as he turned 33 carries into 280 rushing yards and four touchdowns.