AUBURN | Auburn hasn’t had a 1,000-yard rusher since Kerryon Johnson in 2017. Boise State had six consecutive 1,000-yard rushers under Bryan Harsin until the pandemic limited the Broncos to seven games this season.

That could mean a huge sophomore season for Tank Bigsby.

From 2014-19, Harsin’s lead tailbacks at Boise State averaged 268 carries for 1,397 yards and 18 touchdowns. The group includes three running backs that have gone on to the NFL and a fourth that was the Mountain West Freshman of the Year in 2019.

Harsin inherited a star in Jay Ajayi, who rushed for 1,823 and 28 touchdowns in 2014 before embarking on a five-year NFL career that was cut short due to knee injuries. He earned All-American and All-MWC honors averaging 5.3 yards per carry. He also caught 50 passes for 535 yards and four more touchdowns.

Harsin then turned to Jeremy McNichols for the next two seasons as he combined for 3,046 yards and 43 touchdowns in 2015-16. In 2016, he combined for 2,255 all-purpose yards with 23 rushing and four receiving touchdowns. He is currently a backup with the Tennessee Titans.

Alexander Mattison was next in line from 2017-18, combining for 2,501 yards and 29 touchdowns in his two seasons as a starter. His best season came in 2018 when he rushed for 1,415 and 17 touchdowns, and caught 27 passes for 173 yards. He is a currently a key backup for the Minnesota Vikings.

George Holani burst on the scene in 2019, rushing for 1,014 yards and seven touchdowns and being named Mountain West Freshman of the Year. Injuries limited him to just 108 yard on 19 carries this fall.

Bigsby has rushed for 834 yards and five touchdowns on 138 carries going into Friday’s Citrus Bowl. He was named the SEC co-Freshman of the Year and is the fourth highest-rated true freshman by PFF this season.

He moved ahead of Carnell Williams, Travis Tidwell and Bo Jackson to second in Auburn freshman rushing yards, needing 260 against Northwestern to surpass Michael Dyer, who set the record with 1,093 in 2010. Like Dyer, Bigsby has averaged 6.0 yards per carry.

Kickoff at Camping World Stadium is scheduled for noon CT on ABC.