The Commercial Appeal

TD record could be in sight for Trask

- Eric Olson

Joe Burrow set the Football Bowl Subdivisio­n record with 60 touchdown passes last year, an incredible feat accomplish­ed in a 15-game national championsh­ip season for LSU.

The way Florida’s Kyle Trask is going, 60 would be very possible for him if not for the COVID-19 pandemic shortening schedules.

Trask, after throwing for six TDS for a second time this season in sixthranke­d Florida’s 63-35 win over Arkansas, has 28 in six games.

If he continues his pace of 4.67 per game, he would throw 56 if the Gators play all 10 of their regular-season games, go to the SEC championsh­ip game and play in a bowl. If he carried it through one or two College Football Playoff games, the record would be in sight.

Only four FBS quarterbac­ks have thrown for more than 50 TDS in a season.

Trask had five of his six TDS against Arkansas in the first half, and his 28 TDS are the most through six games in SEC history.

The fifth-year senior goes on the road this week to face a Vanderbilt defense that’s allowed opponents to throw for 15 touchdowns, third-most in the SEC, and complete better than 72% of their passes.

Trask’s body of work has overshadow­ed North Carolina’s Sam Howell and Central Florida’s Dillon Gabriel. Howell threw six TD passes in a 59-53 win over Wake Forest and has 23 in eight games. Gabriel has had five TD passes in a game twice this season and has 23 in seven games.

Bearcat ‘D’ is a Bear: Cincinnati limited East Carolina’s Horton Ahlers to 87 passing yards in a 55-17 win. A year ago, Ahlers threw for 535 yards on the Bearcats.

The Bearcats intercepte­d three passes for the second time this season and recorded four sacks while holding the Pirates to their second-fewest passing yards since 2007.

The 200 club: South Carolina’s Kevin Harris rushed for a national seasonhigh 243 yards and a school-record five touchdowns on 25 carries in a 59-42 loss to Mississipp­i.

Harris was the 10th player this season to run for 200 yards and joined Alabama’s Najee Harris as the only players to rush for five TDS.

Piling up yards: No. 11 Oregon’s 581 total yards in its 43-29 come-from-behind win at Washington State were the Ducks’ most in a Pac-12 game since 2017 and most in a conference road game since 2014. The Ducks passed for 300 yards and ran for 200 in a conference game for the first time since a 2016 win at Utah.

It’s not all about yards: Penn State is the second team this season, and sixth since 2015, to have 500 yards of offense and hold its opponent to under 300 – and lose.

The Nittany Lions out-yarded Nebraska 502-298 and lost 30-23 Saturday. Oklahoma State lost 41-34 in overtime to Texas on Oct. 31 despite outgaining the Longhorns 530-287.

 ?? PHELAN M. EBENHACK/AP ?? Florida quarterbac­k Kyle Trask warms up before Saturday’s game against Arkansas.
PHELAN M. EBENHACK/AP Florida quarterbac­k Kyle Trask warms up before Saturday’s game against Arkansas.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United States