Lukas Maynard, along with Danny Sims, Jhonnyel Ramirez, Conner Coutinho and Noah Coppinger, started on the offensive line for Curry on Saturday. Curry athletics file photo

By Brian Lester
D3sports.com

Jhonnyel Ramirez doesn’t want to say he thought an NCAA rushing record was a guarantee for Curry’s Montie Quinn on Saturday afternoon.

But at the same time, the junior offensive lineman isn’t surprised by what Quinn did on the field in a 71-21 victory over Nichols.

For those who don’t know — and that number has to be minimal considering the national attention — Quinn rushed for 522 yards and seven touchdowns, breaking the NCAA record across all divisions while crushing the old mark of 465 yards set by Heidelberg’s Cartel Brooks in 2013.

“Not to say we expected that to happen, but we just feel like as a unit that Montie has been doing this type of thing, having games like this, for so long now,” Ramirez said.

Quinn is one of the nation’s top running backs, an All-American who was the D3football.com Region 1 Offensive Player of the Year, and led D-III in rushing a year ago with 1,652 yards.

So playing at a high level is nothing new for Quinn. But even he is honored to have the kind of day he did, although he won’t take all the credit.

“I’m just humbled and grateful,” Quinn said after the game. “Breaking the record is something I never imagined coming into today. “The O-line was dominating all game. Receivers were blocking like crazy and coaches put us in a position to make plays. This belongs to all of us. I just happened to be the one carrying the ball.”

His head coach, Todd Parsons, is impressed by what Quinn did.

“What Montie did today was nothing short of amazing,” Parsons said. “Breaking the NCAA record is a monumental achievement.”

And like Quinn, Parsons pointed to what the rest of the offense did to play a part in Quinn’s impressive day.

“Our offensive line played lights out. Our receivers blocked downfield, and our quarterback made great decisions,” Parsons said.

There was a feeling that what was unfolding as the game played out that Quinn was on track for a special day.

He carried the ball only 20 times, but eight of those went for 25 or more yards, including his final one that led to an 85-yard touchdown run and a spot in college football history.

“In my head, I was just thinking I don’t want to get caught (on that last run),” Quinn said.

Senior offensive lineman Conner Coutinho stood back and watched as Quinn ran for the end zone. He knew Quinn was having a big day but had no idea a record was being broken.

“We knew he had a bunch of yards, but the expectation on every drive is to play like we need seven (points),” Coutinho said. “At the end of the game, when we realized what had happened, it was just very crazy.”

Ramirez said Quinn was constantly thanking the line for its effort throughout the game.

“We were celebrating every moment. It was awesome to watch it happen and be a part of history,” Ramirez said.

Quinn said the moment still feels like a dream. And he plans to reward his line when the season is over.

“The plan is, at the end of the season, I’ve got to take them to a fancy steakhouse,” Quinn said.

In six games this season Quinn has rushed for 1,450 yards and 17 touchdowns. He told D3football.com before the season began that his goal was 2,000 yards in a season. He is back on track for that now that he had a record-breaking day.

The fact that he is poised for his best season yet as a running back is hardly a surprise. Quinn put in a lot of work in the offseason to be ready for the 2025 campaign.

“I worked on campus this summer and did a lot of footwork, conditioning and was in the weight room,” Quinn said. “Every day after work, even if I was tired, I just went to the lab and worked out.”

Coutinho said he and his teammates on the line have every intention of helping Quinn get there.

“We embrace getting him over 2,000 yards,” Coutinho said. “We know the expectations are high and he’s going to get over 2,000 yards.”

Considering the way the line plays, and that Quinn is pretty good at doing his job, 2,000 yards doesn’t seem so far out of reach.

“Our goal is to be physical and dominate the line of scrimmage every chance we get,” Ramirez said. “We stay composed and not get too high or too low, and we try to dominate from the very first snap.”

Ramirez said it’s easy to work hard for someone like Quinn, who he notes is a great person on and off the field.

“He’s a great team leader and is always congratulating us for the job we do,” Ramirez said. “He’s someone you can talk with off the field, too. He’s humble. As good as he is, he’s one of the most humble people I’ve met.”

And when Quinn is on the field, he’s fun to watch.

“You make a block and then you watch him run past you, and you realize how fast he is. It’s crazy,” Coutinho said. “He does so much when he’s on the field.”

Here’s the thing about the offensive line, though. They know they can be better. That’s good news for Quinn and bad news for opponents. 

“We have mistakes we want to fix. We weren’t perfect (last) Saturday. We look at where Montie didn’t have a long run and know that we can do better. Our expectations are high. We’re not close to where we want to be as a line.”

And the team as a whole knows there is more work to be done. Curry is 5-1 overall and 3-0 in the CNE with big games ahead.

“We take everything step by step, focusing on the next opponent,” Quinn said. “We just have to prepare for that, execute in practice like we’ve been doing and try to dominate on the field.

“We feel good as a team and won’t back down to anybody,” Quinn added. “We are going to show up and show out like we’ve been doing.”

Coutinho agrees.

“We have all bought in and have a one game at a time mentality,” Coutinho said. “It starts in practice. We have to go out and be ready to work and execute.”