Southern notebook: Lenard Tillery has one more record in reach, and this one has been around for a while

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- Southern senior running back Lenard Tillery already has a couple of records under his belt after setting the Southern career rushing record last year and the SWAC career rushing record earlier this season.

He’s on track to break one more, and this one has stood for nearly seven decades.

Odie Posey set the Southern single-season rushing record in 1949, when he ran for 1,399 yards to lead the nation. Posey initially came to Southern on a tennis scholarship but went on to have a decorated football career that included four All-SWAC honors.

Eight games into this season, Tillery has rushed for 1,085 yards, putting him 315 yards shy of breaking Posey’s long-standing record.

At his current pace, Tillery would finish the season with 1,491 yards. If Southern wins the SWAC and plays in the conference title game, that projection bumps to 1,627 yards.

Tulane has been the only opponent to hold Tillery under 100 yards, limiting him to 39 yards on 13 carries in Week 2. Since then, he has averaged 147.5 yards per game, all against SWAC opponents.

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