The Greatest Zero-TD Game in NCAA History

Published on June 22nd, 2025 8:14 pm EST
Written By: Dave Manuel


On November 10, 2001, Nate Burleson did something that still doesn't make sense.

He torched San Jose State for 326 receiving yards.

He didn't score a single touchdown.

Let that sink in.

Three hundred twenty-six yards. Zero TDs.

It remains the NCAA FBS record for most receiving yards in a game without hitting paydirt.

Burleson caught 19 passes that day. That tied a Nevada school record. It was also the most receptions in his college career.

He was everywhere. Over the middle. Down the sideline. Yards after catch. He moved the chains all game long.

But he never got in the end zone.

Even now, his 326-yard outing still ranks inside the top 10 all-time for single-game receiving yards at the FBS level.

But nobody else has ever gone that high without scoring.

That makes Burleson's performance a true statistical outlier.

A freak game.

And it wasn't a one-off.

Burleson followed up that 2001 season with a monster senior year in 2002.

He racked up 1,629 receiving yards that year.

That's still the third-highest single-season total in Nevada history.

His career numbers? 248 receptions. 3,293 yards. Multiple school records.

He also had another 19-catch game in 2002, this time against UTEP.

But the game against San Jose State is the one that sticks out.

Not because he found the end zone.

But because he didn't.

It was all about yards. First downs. Volume. Production.

Nate Burleson put up one of the most jaw-dropping lines in college football history.

And somehow, never crossed the goal line.