46 Days Until FSU Football: Dalvin Cook Runs for 46 Career Rushing Touchdowns

Only 46 days remain until the beginning of Florida State football’s 2018 season. As part of the offseason, we’re highlighting players, games, and specific moments from FSU football history.

On Wednesday, it was the first ever FSU football season in 1947.

Today, it’s former running back Dalvin Cook holding the all-time FSU career rushing touchdowns record with 46 scores.

Recently there has been a discussion within the FSU social media groups about running backs at Florida State. Mainly, which one was the greatest of all-time.

We don’t intend to answer that question in this piece, but it’s hard to deny that Dalvin Cook’s career rushing touchdown record gives him a leg up on the competition.

Cook classifies as a “home run hitter” when it comes to running backs. There is certainly skill in short yardage work, but truly great tailbacks can make something out of nothing. How many times did Cook turn a decent gain into an incredible scoring run? That ability is why he was able to score a rushing touchdown in 26 of his 38 games played at FSU, as well as in 21 of his 28 starts.

Dalvin Cook’s two best rushing games came against South Florida in 2015 and 2016. (FSU athletics)

The touchdowns scored against rivals and ranked opponents is another reason why Cook will be remembered so fondly in the seasons to come. It’s one thing to beat up on clearly inferior competition, but having the killer instinct to do it against the best defenses puts him in another category.

While facing the Florida Gators and the Miami Hurricanes, Cook amassed seven touchdowns on the ground to go along with 948 rushing yards. That averages out to 158 yards and 1.1 touchdowns per game. Against Miami — where Cook hails from — Cook scored winning touchdowns in both 2014 and 2015.

Against all ranked opponents, Cook ran for 1,479 yards and 11 touchdowns. The average expectedly dips to 113 yards and 0.8 touchdowns per game, but they still hold up very well considering the increased difficulty. Eight of those 13 ranked match-ups witnessed Cook gain over 100 rushing yards.

Keep in mind that Cook’s record for 46 career rushing touchdowns was accomplished in just three seasons — one of which (2014) he only started three games. The next two players on the list who also played three seasons are Devonta Freeman (2011-13) and Amp Lee (1989-91). Those two are tied with 30 career touchdowns.

Is Dalvin Cook the greatest running back in FSU history? After looking at the scoring numbers and the situations they came in, it certainly seems that way.