Prescott, Allen put on amazing QB duel in shootout
As poor as the reputation has been this season for Southeastern Conference quarterbacks, Mississippi State's Dak Prescott and Arkansas' Brandon Allen put on arguably the best head-to-head show in a game this season on Saturday night.
The two quarterbacks combined to throw 12 touchdown passes in the 51-50 victory for the Bulldogs, with Allen throwing a school-record seven and Prescott adding a mere five - though he did have a pair of rushing touchdowns as well in the wild back-and-forth affair.
The combined touchdown throws were the most in a major college football game this season, according to STATS.
The previous best of nine had happened four times, the last of which Allen was also involved in. That was in the Razorbacks' overtime win at Mississippi two weeks ago, when Allen matched the school record of six touchdown passes.
The much-maligned senior earned the solo record on Saturday, and his seventh touchdown pass also lifted him past former Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett for the most touchdown passes (63) in school history.
Prescott's 508 yards passing was the most in the country this week, and the senior has now thrown for 23 touchdowns and only three interceptions this season.
Allen wasn't far behind with 406 yards passing of his own, fifth most in the country on the week, and he's now thrown 29 touchdowns and only six interceptions this season - 49 touchdowns and 11 interceptions over the last two years.
"Wow. What a football game that that was," Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen said. "That was big-time ball. As impressive a quarterbacking performance as I think you're going to see in college football on both sidelines."
Some other notable statistics from college football this week:
EFFICIENT SENIOR: Somewhat surprisingly, given the struggles early in his career and the balanced offensive approach by Arkansas coach Bret Bielema, Allen is fifth in the country this season in passing efficiency. The Razorbacks' quarterback is second nationally among Power 5 conference quarterbacks behind Oklahoma's Baker Mayfield, and he's thrown for 16 touchdowns and only one interception in his last four games.
BEAMER'S REIGN: Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer didn't come away a winner in his final game in Lane Stadium, but the overtime loss to North Carolina didn't stop the celebration of the 29-year Hokies coach. Beamer finishes his home career with a record of 136-43-1 as a coach and 8-2-1 as a player - moving ahead of Bear Bryant for fifth in all-time games coached on Saturday with 426.
AMAZING ADAMS: It took some time for graduate-transfer quarterback Vernon Adams Jr., to settle in during his first season at Oregon this year, but the senior has appeared right at home lately. Adams threw for 407 yards and six touchdowns in the Ducks 48-28 win over USC on Saturday, and the senior has now completed 30 of 37 passes (81.1 percent) for 612 yards and eight touchdowns in his last two games.
TIGER PRIDE: Clemson offensive lineman Eric Mac Lain became the school's all-time winningest player in Saturday's 33-13 win over Wake Forest, playing in the 43rd win over his career. He is the only Tigers senior to play in every game over the last four years, and he tops a group of three players who had played in 42 wins from 2011-14.
EXTRA POINTS: Maryland running back Brandon Moss had the top rushing performance of the week, a 19-carry, 250-yard, three-touchdown effort in a 47-28 loss to Indiana ... Baylor sophomore KD Cannon was seemingly unstoppable in the Bears 45-35 win over previously unbeaten Oklahoma State, catching five passes for 210 yards and two touchdowns ... Penn State's Carl Nassib continues to lead the country with 15.5 sacks this season, and the senior defensive end has had at least one sack in every game.