FARMINGTON, Utah (November 22, 2021) – Wrapping up his freshman season with a dominant performance against the Cal Poly Mustangs, running back
Kevin Daniels earned his second ROOT SPORTS Player of the Week honor from the Big Sky Conference this season.
Breaking free for four runs of 20 yards or more against the Mustangs, Daniels shouldered much of the offensive load for the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks as they closed out the season with a 45-21 victory. Daniels also earned Honorable Mention for FCS National Performer of the Week from College Football Performance Awards.
Daniels' day included carries of 23, 34, 45 and a record-breaking 90 yards Saturday night in San Luis Obispo as he finished with 280 yards on the ground and five rushing touchdowns on 28 carries. The yardage total ranks sixth all-time at Northern Arizona for yards in a single game and made Daniels just the sixth running back to record at least two 200-yard rushing games in his career.
Needing 134 yards to reach 1,000 for the season, Daniels stood just 20 yards away less than two minutes before halftime when he broke free for the longest run in program history. Cutting right through Cal Poly's defense with Northern Arizona backed up to its own 10-yard line, Daniels evaded a handful of tacklers before breaking toward the Lumberjacks' sideline and outran everyone on the field into the end zone. The 90-yard touchdown was Daniels' fourth of the second quarter alone and pushed him to break Northern Arizona's freshman record for rushing yards in a season.
Ending his day at 280 yards thanks to a fifth and final rushing touchdown of 45 yards in the third quarter, Daniels finished the season with 1,146 yards in his 10 games. The 114.6 yards per game ranks fourth in the FCS while the total yards lands fifth ahead of the FCS playoffs. Daniels' final season total places him 10th all-time for a single season at Northern Arizona and he becomes one of 12 1,000-yard rushers and the first since Casey Jahn in 2015. Averaging 6.2 yards per carry during the season, Daniels also tied for third on Northern Arizona's single season list.
The 280 yards in a single game set a new FCS high in 2021 and made Daniels the only player in the nation with two of the top 10 single-game performances this year combined with his 229 yards against Southern Utah. The five touchdowns also placed him in a tie with two other running backs for the second most for a single game in the FCS this season.
Northern Arizona was tied 7-7 early in the second quarter when Daniels began his record-setting performance. A 3-yard touchdown put the Lumberjacks in front with 13:16 remaining in the second. After
Dyvine Wallace picked off Spencer Brasch's first pass of the ensuing drive, Daniels needed just two carries to return to the end zone with a 13-yard score.
With just four minutes remaining on the clock before halftime,
DJ Arnson pinned Cal Poly at its own 1-yard line leading to a quick 3-and-out. A punt of just 16 yards put Northern Arizona at the Cal Poly 23, where Daniels took the very first play of the drive into the end zone.
Just 50 seconds of game time later after Cal Poly stalled near midfield and pinned Northern Arizona deep in its own territory, Daniels broke free for his 90-yard touchdown to give the Lumberjacks a 38-7 lead and his fourth touchdown of the quarter.
