ASU Football: Xazavian Valladay passes historic milestone in Boulder

(Photo: Rebecca Striffler/WCSN)

Despite ASU Football’s struggles this season, graduate running back Xazavian Valladay has been a consistent and prolific producer for the Sun Devils.

He upheld this reputation on Saturday in ASU’s 42-34 win over the Colorado Buffaloes. In addition to finishing the game with 118 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns on 23 attempts, he also reached a milestone of 4,000 career rushing yards. Valladay is the 143rd college football player to cross this threshold since 1956.

Coming into Saturday’s game, Valladay was just 77 yards shy of 4,000. With Colorado’s defense giving up an FBS-worst 253.7 rushing yards per game, Valladay’s prospects for passing the mark were favorable.

However, up until midway through the second quarter, Valladay struggled to find his way past the Buffaloes’ front seven. On multiple occasions, he was swarmed early by Colorado defenders, including on two plays that resulted in no gain or a loss of yardage.

Valladay finally broke things open on a 42-yard rushing touchdown through the heart of Colorado’s defense to put his rushing total at 66 yards. Prior to this rush, Valladay’s longest on the night was 10 yards.

With just 11 yards separating Valladay and the history books, he managed to pick up 10 more yards on three attempts to set up his career moment with a bit of help from the rest of ASU’s offense.

With over three minutes left on the clock, redshirt junior quarterback Trenton Bourguet led the Sun Devils into Buffalo territory. On the second to last play of the drive, Bourguet found redshirt sophomore tight end Jalin Conyers over the middle for 26 yards, with the tackle being made at the 1-yard line.

On the next play, Valladay took the handoff from Bourguet. When it was all said and done, Valladay had landed in the endzone for his third score of the night. His touchdown extended the Sun Devils’ lead to 28-17 and etched Valladay’s name in the history books. Despite accumulating most of his rushing yards at Wyoming, Valladay cemented himself as the only running back to reach the 4,000 rushing yards mark while representing the Maroon and Gold.

To add more drama to the accomplishment, Valladay’s first two rushing attempts after he entered the 4,000-yard club were for no gain and a 1-yard loss. However, Valladay was able to officially celebrate just two plays later when a 6-yard rush put him permanently over the 4,000-yard mark.

In addition to his individual achievement, Valladay also played a key role in ASU’s win. His three touchdowns were vital, as they gained and helped the Sun Devils maintain their lead.

He punctuated his night with a game-securing 26-yard rush inside the final 2:20 to ensure the Buffaloes wouldn’t be able to get the ball back to try and tie the game. In true veteran fashion, after passing the first-down marker, Valladay, upon recognizing he’d run out of free grass, gave himself up in bounds to keep the clock running. With the win secured, the Sun Devils set up in victory formation to take three knees before officially being crowned the victors.

Valladay’s 118 rushing yards on the night boosted his season total to 760 yards and moved his season average to 95 rushing yards per game. His performance secured his fifth game this season with 100 rushing yards or more. With four guaranteed games left on the schedule for the Sun Devils, Valladay is on pace to rush for 1,140 yards this season. That would put his career total at 4,421 yards, placing him 71st all-time among college running backs.

While the Sun Devils have experienced many ups and downs this season, Valladay’s constant impact on ASU’s offense has rarely wavered. As ASU’s quest to be bowl-eligible continues throughout the season, Valladay is likely to continue to play a key role in the Sun Devils’ offense. Seemingly fitting to his nickname, the veteran player has clearly established himself as one of ASU’s main X-factors.