Dvon J-Thomas shouts out Barry Sanders after protecting rushing record by containing Ashton Jeanty

Penn State defensive lineman Dvon J-Thomas gave a shoutout to Barry Sanders for the Nittany Lions’ defense containing Ashton Jeanty and protecting the rushing record for the Hall of Famer.

Penn State defeated Boise State 31-14 in the Fiesta Bowl, a College Football Playoff quarterfinal. While Jeanty eventually got going, he was limited in terms of gamebreaking ability and the Broncos were plagued by turnovers.

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So Sanders was strapped in and ready to see if Jeanty would break his single-season rushing record, but the Boise State star fell short.

“You’re welcome OG that record staying home,” Thomas wrote on Twitter.

You’re welcome OG that record staying home🙏🏽 @BarrySanders https://t.co/SfSlPWxWJY

— Dvon J-Thomas🇦🇸 (@dfesquire) January 1, 2025

Jeanty needed 132 yards but finished the game with 30 carries for 104 yards, averaging 3.5 yards per carry, one of his lowest averages of the season.

The Heisman Trophy runner-up averaged 192 rushing yards during the regular season to lead Boise State to its first-ever College Football Playoff appearance.

Sanders has been vocal in his support of Jeanty as he put together a regular season for the ages. The Boise State standout finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting to Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter in the closest vote since 2009.

But even though he missed out on the prestigious award, Jeanty still had Sanders in his corner rooting him on as he closed in on the 2,000-yard mark. That milestone meant there was one achievement to go – the all-time rushing record, which Sanders set 36 years ago. Jeanty saw the posts from the Hall of Famer, and although he didn’t always respond, he put the meaning of those messages into perspective.

“I think the first one was before the Mountain West championship, I seen that one,” Jeanty said. “Didn’t respond. Just was focused on ball and stuff. Then he tweeted again, kind of just in support of breaking his record.

“I think it’s pretty cool to have support from the person who has the record right now and, obviously, considered the best, if not one of the best, to ever play the position. Obviously, I told him thank you for his support. It’s just great to have the support of a legend.”

Nick Schultz contributed to this report