TAMPA, FL. – Leonard Fournette needs three rushing touchdowns in the Buccaneers’ final five games to become the sixth player in team history to run for at least 10 touchdowns in a season.
Fournette, whose career high for rushing touchdowns in a season is nine, established in his rookie year of 2017 with Jacksonville, did not find the end zone until Week 5 against Miami. His TD against the Dolphins was his first of four over a three-week period.
After going three games without a rushing touchdown, Fournette had a career-high three at Indianapolis on Thanksgiving weekend to tie for second-most TDs on the ground in a game in team history. (Fournette also had three rushing touchdowns in a 2018 playoff game with the Jaguars at Pittsburgh.)
Here is a look at the five players who have rushed for at least 10 TDs in a season, which has been accomplished six times.
13 – James Wilder, 1984
Wilder shattered the team mark of seven set by Ricky Bell during the memorable 1979 season. The 1984 season was far from memorable for a six-win team in John McKay’s final season as head coach, though Wilder also set a few team records that still stand. In addition to his 13 rushing touchdowns, he set the mark for rushing yards (1,544), carries (407) and receptions by a running back (85), which at the time was second-most among running backs in league history.
11 – Doug Martin, 2012
The rookie out of Boise State exploded on the scene with 1,454 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns, both figures still second all-time in team history to Wilder. Martin had only one rushing TD in his first five games before piling up six over a three-game stretch. Included was one of the most memorable single-game performances in Bucs history. In a Week 9 win at Oakland, Martin set team records with 251 yards rushing and four rushing TDs.
11 – Errict Rhett, 1995
The former Gator, who ran for seven touchdowns as a rookie the year before, had eight in as many games during the first half of 1995. He had three thereafter, including both Bucs TDs in a 17-16 win versus Jacksonville which was in its first season. Rhett had only 11 more rushing touchdowns in his final five seasons in the NFL.
10 – Mike Alstott, 2001
The A-Train’s touchdown against Detroit in Week 12 was the 38th of his career, which broke the team mark set by Wilder. Alstott is the Buccaneers’ all-time leader in career rushing touchdowns with 50 while Wilder’s 37 remain second. Alstott reached double figures in 2001 on a 32-yard run that sealed a win over the visiting Ravens on the next-to-last week of the season.
10 – Earnest Graham, 2007
In his first three seasons with the Bucs, Graham had only 52 carries. Neither of them resulted in a touchdown. In Jon Gruden’s next-to-last season at the helm of the Bucs, Graham, a UF product, became a fixture in the backfield. The result was a career year, including 10 of his 15 career rushing touchdowns.
10 – James Wilder, 1985
In consistently finding his way to the end zone, Wilder did not score more than two rushing touchdowns in a game during the two-year period he totaled 23. He scored once in each of the Bucs’ final two games in 1985 to reach double digits for a second straight year. Wilder would spend five more years in the NFL, but he ran for only three more TDs. He finished his career with 37, which was the team record until Alstott passed him.
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