Rushing TD Leaders

Penn State’s All-time Rushing TD Leaders—

The Career Rushing TD List—

All of the Rushing Touchdown totals are “Modified/Complete” stats which means that they are updated to include all Bowl game stats considered “unofficial” by NCAA prior to 2002 season—

Now outdated “official” TD numbers are in parentheses where necessary—

  • Saquon Barkey—43 TDs—1 TD in OT— (All-Purpose Career TDs: 53 with 8 receiving/2 return)

  • Nick Singleton—41 TDs (active in 2025—9 TDs this season)— (All-Purpose Career TDs: 51 with 9 receiving/1 return)

  • Lydell Mitchell—39 TDs (38)

  • Curtis Enis—39 TDs (36)

  • Ki-Jana Carter—39 TDs (34)

  • Kaytron Allen—36 TDs (active in 2025—career high 12 TDs this season)—1 TD in OT— (All-Purpose Career TDs: 40 with 4 receiving)

  • Charlie Pittman—31 TDs (30)

  • Trace McSorley—30 TDs (PSU QB career record)

  • John Cappelletti—30 TDs (29)

  • Richie Anderson—30 TDs (29)

  • Evan Royster—29 TDs

  • Curt Warner—29 TDs (24)

  • Matt Suhey—28 TDs (26)

  • DJ Dozier—27 TDs (25)

  • Larry Johnson—26 TDs (no Bowl TDs)

  • Tony Hunt—25 TDs—1 TD in OT

  • Franco Harris—24 TDs (24)

  • Lenny Moore—23 TDs (no Bowls)

  • Daryll Clark—22 TDs (2nd QB behind McSorley)

  • Blair Thomas—22 TDs (21)

  • Zach Zwinak—21 TDs

  • Booker Moore—21 TDs (20)

  • Michael Robinson—20 TDs (RB & QB)

    No others at 20 career TDs

LINK HERE TO RUSHING YARDS LEADERS

The Single Season Rushing TD Leaders—

All stats are “Modified/Complete” including all Bowls/Post-Season games—

  • Lydell Mitchell—27 TDs (26) in 1971

  • Ki-Jana Carter—26 TDs (23) in 1994

  • Larry Johnson—20 TDs in 2002

  • Curtis Enis—19 TDs in 1997 (no Bowl due to eligibility issues)

    Most Rushing TDs in Single Season by a QB—

  • Trace McSorley—12 TDs in 2018

  • Trace McSorley—11 TDs in 2017

  • Michael Robinson—11 TDs in 2005

    Most Rushing TDs in Overtime in Career—

  • Bill Belton RB-2 (2013 win vs. Michigan & 2014 loss vs. Ohio State)

  • Rashard Casey QB-1 (2000 loss vs. Iowa)—First QB & first overall to rush for OT TD at PSU

  • Austin Scott RB-1 (2006 Orange Bowl win vs. Florida State)—First to rush for OT TD in PSU win & in Bowl game

  • Tony Hunt RB-1 (2006 win at Minnesota)—First to rush for OT TD in road game

  • Saquon Barkley RB-1 (2016 win vs. Minnesota)

  • Miles Sanders RB-1 (2018 win vs. Appalachian State)

  • Kaytron Allen RB-1 (2025 loss vs. Oregon)

    Noah Cain RB is only PSU player to rush for a 2-point conversion in OT (2021 vs. Illinois in 9-OT loss)

Nittany Notes:

Most Rushing TDs in a single game—This remains one of Penn State’s oldest and longest standing records.

In 1917, halfback Harry Robb scored 6 touchdowns in an 80-0 win over Gettysburg which will always be the New Beaver Field record.

There’s a group with 5 TDs in a game: Shorty Miller vs. Carnegie Tech in 1913, Lydell Mitchell vs. Maryland in 1971 (which set the Beaver Stadium record), and Ki-Jana Carter vs. Michigan State in 1994 (which set the PSU Big Ten game record & tied the Beaver Stadium mark).

For the record, the 1913 Shorty Miller 5 TD total is a number that does not appear in “official” stats in the Media Guide. The Media Guide also offers conflicting TD stats on Fullback Carl Forkum who either scored 4 or 5 TDs in the 1903 59-0 win at Western University of Pa. (now known as Pitt)—some of those TDs could have been via “non-rushing means” such as returns, but this was an era where the forward pass was still technically not legal, so that limits defensive scoring options to a possible fumble recovery and return, in addition to kick/punt returns for scores. Pitt’s game stats suggest the correct rushing TD total for Forkum is 4 not 5 (at 5 points each); plus, Forkum kicked 9 successful goals after touchdown to account for 29 of the 59 points. Note: confusing players with each other, and consequently their stats, was also a common issue in the “pre-jersey numbers” era.

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