COLUMBIA, Mo. – Ahmad Hardy eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards on the season with a 45-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter against Texas A&M Saturday. 

It took Hardy just 172 carries on the season to reach the mark, making quite the debut in his first season with the Tigers. 

He broke loose for a 40-yard run on the first offensive play of the day for Mizzou, setting the tone quick. He'd run twice more, before mysteriously exiting the game early in the second quarter and not returning until the start of the second half. 

Hardy has been an unstoppable force in the backfield for much of the season, eclipsing 100 yards in his first five games of the season, including a 250-yard performance in three quarters against Louisiana. 

“(He’s) the best running back that I’ve ever been on a team with,” Mizzou right tackle Keagen Trost said earlier this season. “Any running back can hit the hole, but really, when sometimes you might not get it blocked perfectly, and a running back can break a tackle and still get a lot of yards. It just shows that you have a great back that can make plays even when it’s not perfect.”

Even his "down games" were still solid outings, rushing for 97 yards against Vanderbilt, 58 yards against Auburn and 52 yards against Alabama.  

Heading into the matchup against Texas A&M, Hardy ranked second in the nation in with 722 yards after contact, and third in the nation with 61 missed tackles forced. 

Hardy hit the milestone in just his ninth game of the season, quicker than recent previous Mizzou 1,000-yard rusher Cody Schrader, who took 10 games to eclipse 1,000 yards. Even amongst other Missouri greats like Schrader, Tyler Badie and Larry Rountree III, Hardy sticks out as a unique offensive force. 

Should Hardy continue his average of 117.5 yards per game, he'd be on pace to break the 1,400 yard threshold – less than Schrader's peak, but more than Badie and Rountree. A few additional yardage games aren't out of the question, however, as the remaining run defenses he'll face don't stack up to the front sevens of Alabama and Auburn which limited him. 

He's made examples out of trying defenders week in and week out, plowing through and around linebackers, lineman and safeties alike. 

He'll look to continue to do so, which Missouri will need to keep its playoff hopes alive by closing out the season with four straight Southeastern Conference Victories against Texas A&M, Mississippi State, Oklahoma and Arkansas.