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Daniel Wilco | krikya18.com | June 10, 2020

Highest scoring college football games across FBS, FCS, DII, and DIII

John Glaser | USA Today Sports Images Kellen Mond of Texas A&M Texas A&M QB Kellen Mond led the Aggies to a 74-72 win against LSU in the highest-scoring game in FBS history.

When Georgia Tech coach John Heisman ran up a 222-0 score against Cumberland on October 7, 1916, college football records were still 21 years from being first recorded. As a result, that game — the most lopsided in college football history — isn’t officially recognized in them.

But there are still plenty of absurdly high-scoring games in the pages of the official college football records.

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Here, we look at the top scoring game from every level of NCAA football, :

FBS

146: Texas A&M (74) vs. LSU (72), Nov. 24, 2018

Not only did this game tie the FBS record by lasting seven overtimes, but it broke the previous record for most points scored in an FBS game. That was held by the 2016 Pitt-Syracuse game, when the two combined for 137 points in a 76-61 Panthers win.

But this game was crazy, too. It was 31-31 after four quarters. Here's how the quarterbacks finished after the seventh overtime:

  • LSU QB Joe Burrow: 25-for-38 passing, 270 yards, 3 touchdowns, 1 interception; 100 rushing yards, 3 touchdowns
  • Texas A&M QB Kellen Mond: 23-for-49 passing, 287 yards, 6 touchdowns; 42 rushing yards, 1 touchdown

Even LSU running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire added to the 6-point tally with his own passing touchdown. 

Here are some of the team stats from the game:

  First downs Pass yards Pass TDs Rush yds Rush TDs Total yds
LSU 31 281 4 215 4 496
Texas A&M 33 287 6 234 3 521
Total 64 568 10 449 7 1017

Note: FBS/Division I-A didn’t begin until 1978, but statistics go back to 1937.

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FCS

141: Weber State (73) vs. Portland State (68), Oct 27, 2007

Portland State quarterback Drew Hubel was expected to redshirt his freshman year, but was forced into the lineup after injuries thinned the Vikings’ roster. It sort of worked out.

Hubel completed 35 of 56 for 485 yards with no interceptions and nine touchdowns, which might go down as the best performance in a losing effort ever. His nine touchdowns ties him with Mississippi Valley's Willie Totten (1984) for the most touchdown passes thrown in a game in FCS history.

But Portland State only managed 17 rushing yards to Weber State’s 353, 225 of which came from Trevyn Smith. The Vikings' 64-point effort ranks as the most points scored by a losing team in FCS history.

Before this game, the most points by two teams at any level of NCAA football was from 1968, when North Park beat North Central 104-32 to combine for 136 points. Weber State and Portland State’s record would only stand for two weeks, thanks to another game lower on this list.

In the weird world of sports, the two teams would play each other in basketball that season. The score? Weber State 73, Portland State 68,

Note: FCS/Division I-AA didn’t begin until 1978.

DII

161: Abilene Christian (93) vs. West Texas A&M (68), Nov. 22, 2008

The first drive of this game, by West Texas A&M, ended in a punt. Abilene Christian scored in three plays on the next drive. After another punt and a missed field goal, 11 straight drives to conclude the half ended with a touchdown or field goal.

MAD FACTS: These are the craziest numbers from the highest scoring DII football game in history

Of the 31 total drives in the game, 22 were touchdowns and two were field goals. That’s 77 percent of the drives ending with a score. There were only four punts in the game.

The two teams combined for 64 first downs and 1,531 yards of offense.

Note: DII statistics began in 1946.

DIII

142: Hartwick (72) vs. Utica (70), Nov. 10, 2007 (4OT); Rose-Hulman (74) vs. Illinois College (68), Sept. 13, 2014, (3OT)

Two weeks after Weber State and Portland State set the new NCAA record for combined points in a game, Hartwick and Utica faced off in a game that would go to four overtimes, and just barely edge out the record for most points in a NCAA game at any level.

After the two teams combined for 12 touchdowns through three quarters, Hartwick held a 49-42 lead with 3:14 left on the clock, and punted the ball back to Utica. The punt went just nine yards, and gave the Pioneers the ball on the 40-yard line. Two pass interference calls later and Utica had first and goal on the two. A touchdown with 17 seconds left would send the game to overtime, where the teams would trade six touchdowns before Utica failed a two-point conversion tie and lost the game.

In 2014, Rose-Hulman and Illinois College needed just three overtimes to reach the same score. That game saw Austin Swenson of Rose-Hulman (603) and Michael Bates of Illinois Col. (535) gain the most yards by two opposing players in any DIII game, completing a combined 79 of 132 passes. The two teams also broke the combined first down record with 77. A combined 13 touchdown passes also set a new record.

Sophomore quarterback Austin Swenson went 37-for-60 with 603 yards and seven touchdowns to lead the Fightin’ Engineers to the win.

Note: DIII statistics began in 1946.

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