BUFFALO, N.Y. — Jaret Patterson tied an FBS single-game record with eight rushing touchdowns and had the second-biggest rushing total with 409 yards to help Buffalo beat Kent State 70-41 on Saturday.
Patterson reached the TD mark set by Illinois running back Howard Griffith on Sept. 22, 1990, against Southern Illinois. He came within 18 yards of Samaje Perine's single-game rushing record of 427 yards for Oklahoma against Kansas on Nov. 22, 2014. Patterson carried it 36 times for an 11.8 yards-per-carry average against the Golden Flashes.
Patterson is the first Division-I player to rush for more than 300 yards in consecutive games since Texas star Ricky Williams did it in 1996. Patterson ran for four touchdowns and 301 yards _ a school record until Saturday _ in a 42-17 win last week against Bowling Green.
Patterson scored on runs of 3, 31, 42, 49, 1, 7, 11 and 58 yards against Kent State.
``Congratulations, big fella. Incredible performance by you today. Welcome to the eight touchdown club,'' Griffith said in a video posted on Twitter.
A 5-foot-9, 200-pound junior, Patterson set the previous Mid-American Conference record of six rushing touchdowns in a win last year against Bowling Green.
Patterson set up Buffalo (4-0, 4-0) with a 62-yard run on his first carry of the game to the Kent State 3 and scored on the next play. The Bulls never trailed.
With a school-record 70 points, the Bulls are averaging 50.8 points a game. Twice they've scored 42 points, their lowest-scoring efforts this season.
Kent State (3-1, 3-1) was led by Dustin Crum with 343 yards passing and three scores.
