Episode Description

On October 7th, 2017, under the bright lights of Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado, college football fans witnessed something that had never been done before. A sophomore quarterback, not even the starter when the night began, came off the bench and ran himself straight into the record books. Arizona’s Khalil Tate didn’t just have a good game — he authored one of the most jaw-dropping performances in college football history.

In this episode of Record Breakers: College Football Legends, we relive the incredible night when Tate rushed for 327 yards on just 14 carries, scoring four rushing touchdowns and throwing for another. His explosive runs of 58, 28, 47, and 75 yards left Colorado defenders gasping for air and set a new FBS single-game rushing record for a quarterback — a mark that still stands today.

But this story isn’t just about Tate. It’s about the duel across the field. Colorado’s hometown hero Phillip Lindsay carried the ball an astonishing 41 times for 281 yards and three touchdowns, setting his own program record for rushing attempts in a single game. Two players, two different styles, one unforgettable clash that turned an otherwise ordinary Pac-12 matchup into a legendary shootout.

Over nearly three hours of storytelling, we take you drive by drive, possession by possession, and moment by moment through this wild night. We explore the background of Arizona head coach Rich Rodriguez, the architect of the spread-option offense that gave Tate the stage to shine, and Colorado coach Mike MacIntyre, the rebuilder who had guided the Buffs to a Pac-12 South title just a season before. We look at how Tate’s emergence electrified Arizona’s season, earning him four consecutive Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week awards — something no one in the league had ever done before.

You’ll hear about Khalil Tate’s journey from Inglewood to Junípero Serra High School, where he developed the speed and instincts that made him a nightmare for defenses. We revisit RichRod’s earlier days with Pat White and Steve Slaton at West Virginia, showing how Tate became the perfect successor to that lineage of dual-threat quarterbacks. We dive into Phillip Lindsay’s underdog story, from his ACL tear in high school to his relentless rise at Colorado and later to his historic Pro Bowl rookie season with the Denver Broncos.

We don’t just talk stats — we bring you the emotion of the night. The roar of the Colorado crowd when Lindsay scored. The stunned silence after Tate’s 75-yard breakaway. The look on RichRod’s face as he realized his system had just found its perfect match. And the exhaustion, the disbelief, the raw pride on both sidelines when the game ended, Arizona victorious 45–42, and history permanently altered.

Most importantly, we step back and ask: what does this record mean? Where does it stand in the larger story of college football? We compare Tate’s night to legends like Jordan Lynch, Denard Robinson, Vince Young, Michael Vick, and Lamar Jackson. We talk about how quarterback rushing evolved from a trick play to a central weapon of modern offenses. And we reflect on why records like this matter — because they remind us of the nights when the game feels larger than life, when the impossible suddenly looks easy, and when one player’s performance becomes immortal.

Whether you’re an Arizona Wildcats fan, a Colorado Buffaloes fan, a Pac-12 diehard, or just someone who loves the drama of college football, this episode will transport you back to that unforgettable Saturday in Boulder. A night when 327 yards of destiny were written into the record book.

Listen now, relive the runs, the duel, and the legacy of Khalil Tate’s record-breaking masterpiece in Record Breakers: College Football Legends