re: Most dominant single game performance by LSU football player

I think Cannon definitely ranks higher as an overall player than just a RB. He played Offense, Defense, and Special Teams. The part that's probably overlooked most is his role on Defense. He didn't put up extraordinary numbers on O by current standards, partly because touches were divvied up between different players. There were some really good players in those backfields too.

It's interesting no one has mentioned any of Cannon's games in this thread. The second and third games of that 1957 year were the most productive for All-Purpose Yards (numbers came from LSU Football Statistics):

vs. Alabama - 208 APY, 2 TDs; 3 Punts, 99 Yards
vs. Texas Tech - 225 APY, 2 TDs; 31 Pass Yards; 5 Punts, 203 Yards


You can't really judge Cannon's performances in full without taking his role on Defense into account, though.

I'm sure there were a lot of dominating performances in the Past that are unfortunately kind of lost to History.
More recent players and O skill players are favored. There have definitely been some dominant performances by offensive linemen and cornerbacks, but that type of dominant play is more about taking your opponent out of the game, so it often goes unnoticed. I remember La'el Collins and Dillon Gordon having some dominant games blocking, but that doesn't have the same impact as when skill players dominate and put up big numbers.