Scoring and other offensive numbers continue to rise through seven weeks of the college football season, and the weekend showed why.
Clemson scored 73 points against Georgia Tech, North Texas hung 52 on Middle Tennessee, Memphis had 50 against Central Florida, and the week began with Arkansas State outscoring Georgia State 59-52.
Seven teams have scored at least 63 points in a game this season. Over the entire 2019 season, a team hit 63 points 18 times. And remember, only 77 of 130 FBS teams have played so far because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Big Ten and Mountain West Conference open their seasons this week and the Pac-12 and Mid-American Conference start the first week of November.
The FBS scoring average of 30.3 points is up more than a point from last season and slightly ahead of the record of 30 points per game in 2016. The average of 3.89 touchdowns per team is slightly ahead of the record 3.82 in 2016.
The total offense average of 412 yards is on pace to be the second-highest since the NCAA started keeping records in 1937, behind the record 417 yards per game in 2016.
Five teams have gone over 700 yards in a game; North Texas has done it twice.
The combined 1,501 yards between UCF (798) and Memphis (703) was an American Athletic Conference record. Other offensive outbursts Saturday saw North Texas pile up a program-record 768 yards against Middle Tennessee and Clemson go for 671 against Georgia Tech.
Passing yards are at 243 per game, on track to break the record of 238 set in 2012. There have been 10 games in which a team threw for at least 470 yards.
Six teams had 400-plus yards passing over the weekend. Central Florida led the way with 601 against Memphis, which had 486 itself.
RUNNING WILD
Liberty rushed for 338 yards in its 38-21 win at Syracuse, the second-highest total in its 30-game FBS history. Last year, the Flames had a program record-low minus-4 yards rushing in a 24-0 loss to the Orange.
The Flames (5-0) average 268 yards per game on the ground, ranking fourth among teams that have played at least four games.
EASY AS 1-2-3
Arkansas cornerback Hudson Clark intercepted three passes against Mississippi, making him the first SEC freshman since 2003 with three picks in a game.
SACK SENSATIONS
BYU has recorded 16 sacks in five games. In 2019, the Cougars had 17 sacks in 13 games.
Freshman defensive lineman Tyler Batty leads the Cougars with four sacks. Senior linebacker Isaiah Kaufusi, who entered the season with one sack in 35 career games, has three in the first five games.
TD PASSES GALORE
Arkansas State had a Sun Belt Conference record-tying eight touchdown passes against Georgia State. That’s the national season high and most since Washington State threw for nine scores in a loss to UCLA in September 2019.
Arkansas State starter Logan Bonner threw for three TDs, Layne Hatcher for four and wide receiver Roshauud Paul for one.
The Red Wolves have 14 TD passes and no interceptions in their last two games.
NATIONAL LEADERS
Team offense: Scoring, Texas, 49.5 ppg; rushing, Virginia Tech, 312 ypg; passing, UCF, 439 ypg; total, UCF, 636.3 ypg.
Team defense: Scoring, Oklahoma State, 9 ppg; rushing, Pittsburgh, 61.5 ypg; passing, Temple, 114.5 ypg; total, West Virginia, 240.3.
Individual: Rushing, Khalil Herbert, Virginia Tech, 148 ypg; passing, Dillon Gabriel, UCF, 439 ypg; receiving, Marlon Williams, UCF, 144.8 ypg.
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