The NCAA Division I FBS total offense leaders are career, single-season, and single-game leaders in total offense yards and touchdown responsibility. [1] Both of these statistics are defined as the sum of passing and rushing yards or touchdowns, and do not include any receiving or returns stats. These lists are dominated by more recent players for several reasons:
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The career leader in total offense yards is Houston's Case Keenum. Keenum was granted a fifth year of eligibility after being injured in Houston's third game in 2010 but he would still top the list by nearly 2,500 yards if 2010 were not included. The second player on the list, Hawaii's Timmy Chang, also had a fifth season after being granted a medical redshirt after being injured in 2001. Chang broke the record previously held by BYU's Ty Detmer, who is the only player in the top 30 whose entire college career was in the 20th century. Two other players in the top 30, Chang and Philip Rivers of NC State, played their first college seasons in 2000, which depending on definitions is part of either the 20th or 21st century.
The single-season leader in passing yards is Joe Burrow, who is the only player to ever top 6,000 yards of total offense in a single season. Burrow's yards came in 15 games, while second place Bailey Zappe's yards came in 14 games, and third place B. J. Symons's yards came in just 13 games. Symons held the single-season record for 16 years after breaking the record previously set by Houston's David Klingler in 1990.
The single-game record belongs to Patrick Mahomes, whose 819 yards came in a 2016 loss.
While these lists have many of the same players as the passing leaders list, the player with the most career yards without appearing on the passing yards list is Nevada's Colin Kaepernick, whose 4,112 rushing yards gets him on the list, even as his 10,098 career passing yards ranks outside the top 100. Similarly, Louisville's Lamar Jackson's 2017 season ranks outside the top 100 in passing yards, but his 1,601 rushing yards bring him into the list. Although players of any position are eligible for inclusion, all players on all three lists are quarterbacks, as the rushing leaders on the career, single-season, and single-game lists of 6,405, 2,628, and 427 yards respectively, are significantly below the 30th ranked players on the lists below.
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In the 2024 season, Dillon Gabriel broke Keenum's total touchdowns record. The single-season record is shared by Burrow and Zappe, and Klingler holds the single game record with 11.
Similar to the yards list, every player in the career and single-season list is a quarterback. However, the single-game list does include two running backs, Howard Griffith and Jaret Patterson, who each had games with 8 rushing touchdowns.
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# | Player | TDs | P | R | Date | School |
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1 | David Klingler | 11 | 11 | - | Nov. 17, 1990 | Houston |
2 | Tanner Mordecai | 10 | 9 | 1 | Nov. 5, 2022 | SMU |
3 | Dennis Shaw | 9 | 9 | - | Nov. 15, 1969 | San Diego State |
David Klingler | 9 | 9 | - | Aug. 31, 1991 | Houston | |
Case Keenum | 9 | 9 | - | Oct. 27, 2011 | Houston | |
Anthony Gordon | 9 | 9 | - | Sep. 21, 2019 | Washington State | |
7 | Jason Martin | 8 | 8 | - | Oct. 19, 1996 | Louisiana Tech |
Pat Barnes | 8 | 8 | - | Nov. 2, 1996 | California | |
Howard Griffith | 8 | - | 8 | Sep. 22, 1990 | Illinois | |
Nick Rolovich | 8 | 8 | - | Dec. 8, 2001 | Hawaii | |
B. J. Symons | 8 | 8 | - | Oct. 4, 2003 | Texas Tech | |
Chase Clement | 8 | 6 | 2 | Nov. 3, 2007 | Rice | |
Giovanni Vizza | 8 | 8 | - | Nov. 10, 2007 | North Texas | |
Alex Carder | 8 | 7 | 1 | Nov. 8, 2011 | Western Michigan | |
Geno Smith | 8 | 8 | - | Sep. 29, 2012 | West Virginia | |
Tajh Boyd | 8 | 5 | 3 | Nov. 17, 2012 | Clemson | |
Keenan Reynolds | 8 | 1 | 7 | Nov. 22, 2013 | Navy | |
Brett Smith | 8 | 7 | 1 | Nov. 23, 2013 | Wyoming | |
Brandon Doughty | 8 | 8 | - | Nov. 28, 2014 | Western Kentucky | |
Lamar Jackson | 8 | 6 | 2 | Sep. 1, 2016 | Louisville | |
Jake Browning | 8 | 6 | 2 | Oct. 8, 2016 | Washington | |
Drew Anderson | 8 | 7 | 1 | Oct. 7, 2017 | Buffalo | |
Joe Burrow | 8 | 7 | 1 | Dec. 28, 2019 | LSU | |
Jaret Patterson | 8 | - | 8 | Nov. 28, 2020 | Buffalo | |
Clayton Tune | 8 | 7 | 1 | Nov. 5, 2022 | Houston | |
Dillon Gabriel | 8 | 5 | 3 | Nov. 11, 2023 | Oklahoma | |
Jayden Daniels | 8 | 6 | 2 | Nov. 18, 2023 | LSU | |
28 | 7 – many times |
Ty Hubert Detmer is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL). He won the Heisman Trophy in 1990 while playing college football for the BYU Cougars. Detmer broke numerous NCAA records with BYU, and was twice recognized as a consensus All-American. A late-round pick in the 1992 NFL draft, Detmer played for six NFL teams over 14 seasons, mostly in a backup role. He is currently the Athletic Director at American Leadership Academy – Gilbert North High School in Gilbert, Arizona.
Timothy Kealii'okaaina Awa Chang is an American football coach and former quarterback who is currently the head coach of the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors. During his playing career at Hawaii, he set several major college football passing records, including the NCAA record for most all-time passing yards; this record was later eclipsed by Case Keenum in 2011, and Dillon Gabriel in 2024, although Chang still remains in third place.
Brian Jeffrey Symons is an American former professional football quarterback. Symons played for the Houston Texans and Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL), the Frankfurt Galaxy and Berlin Thunder in NFL Europe, and the Tampa Bay Storm of the Arena Football League (AFL). He was selected by the Texans in the seventh round of the 2004 NFL draft. He played college football for Texas Tech where he was a record setting passer. Symons never played in a regular season NFL game.
David Ryan Klingler is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback for six years in the National Football League (NFL) and current Associate Professor of Bible Exposition at Dallas Theological Seminary. He played college football for the Houston Cougars, earning third-team All-American honors in 1990. Klingler was selected in the first round of the 1992 NFL draft by the Cincinnati Bengals, but his career was cut short by an elbow injury.
The NCAA Division I FBS passing leaders are career, single-season, and single-game passing leaders in yards, touchdowns, efficiency, completions, and completion percentage. These lists are dominated by more recent players for several reasons:
Casey Austin Keenum is an American professional football quarterback for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Houston Cougars, where he became the NCAA's all-time leader in total passing yards, touchdowns, and completions. In the 2008 college football season, Keenum ranked first nationally in total offense and second in total passing yards.
Total offense, also called total yards, is a gridiron football statistic representing the total number of yards rushing and yards passing by a player or team. Total offense differs from yards from scrimmage, which gives credit for passing yardage to the person receiving the football rather than the person throwing the football. In football, progress is measured by advancing the football towards the opposing team's goal line. The team on offense can make progress during the play by advancing the ball from the line of scrimmage.
The East Carolina Pirates football statistical leaders are individual statistical leaders of the East Carolina Pirates football program in various categories, including passing, rushing, receiving, total offense, defensive stats, and kicking. Within those areas, the lists identify single-game, single-season, and career leaders. The Pirates represent East Carolina University in the NCAA Division I FBS American Athletic Conference.
The Buffalo Bulls football statistical leaders are individual statistical leaders of the Buffalo Bulls football program in various categories, including passing, rushing, receiving, total offense, defensive stats, and kicking. Within those areas, the lists identify single-game, single-season, and career leaders. The Bulls represent the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York (UB) in the Mid-American Conference of NCAA Division I FBS.
The Kentucky Wildcats football statistical leaders are individual statistical leaders of the Kentucky Wildcats football program in various categories, including passing, rushing, receiving, total offense, all-purpose yardage, defensive stats, kicking, and scoring. Within those areas, the lists identify single-game, single-season, and career leaders. The Wildcats represent the University of Kentucky (UK) in the NCAA Division I FBS Southeastern Conference.
The Houston Cougars football statistical leaders are individual statistical leaders of the Houston Cougars football program in various categories, including passing, rushing, receiving, total offense, defensive stats, and kicking. Within those areas, the lists identify single-game, single-season, and career leaders. The Cougars represent the University of Houston in the NCAA Division I FBS Big 12 Conference.
The Cincinnati Bearcats football statistical leaders are individual statistical leaders of the Cincinnati Bearcats football program in various categories, including passing, rushing, receiving, total offense, all-purpose yardage, defensive stats, and kicking. Within those areas, the lists identify single-game, single-season, and career leaders. As of the upcoming 2023 season, the Bearcats represent the University of Cincinnati in the NCAA Division I FBS Big 12 Conference.
The Oklahoma State Cowboys football statistical leaders are individual statistical leaders of the Oklahoma State Cowboys football program in various categories, including passing, rushing, receiving, total offense, defensive stats, kicking, and scoring. Within those areas, the lists identify single-game, single-season, and career leaders. The Cowboys represent Oklahoma State University–Stillwater in the NCAA Division I FBS Big 12 Conference.
The BYU Cougars football statistical leaders are individual statistical leaders of the BYU Cougars football program in various categories, including passing, rushing, receiving, total offense, all-purpose yardage, defensive stats, and kicking. Within those areas, the lists identify single-game, single-season, and career leaders. The Cougars represent Brigham Young University as a member of the NCAA Division I FBS Big 12 Conference.
The SMU Mustangs football statistical leaders are individual statistical leaders of the SMU Mustangs football program in various categories, including passing, rushing, receiving, total offense, defensive stats, kicking, and scoring. Within those areas, the lists identify single-game, single-season, and career leaders. As of the upcoming 2024 season, the Mustangs represent Southern Methodist University in the NCAA Division I FBS Atlantic Coast Conference.
The Wyoming Cowboys football statistical leaders are individual statistical leaders of the Wyoming Cowboys football program in various categories, including passing, rushing, receiving, total offense, defensive stats, and kicking. Within those areas, the lists identify single-game, single-season, and career leaders. The Cowboys represent the University of Wyoming in the NCAA Division I FBS Mountain West Conference (MW).
The Appalachian State Mountaineers football statistical leaders are individual statistical leaders of the Appalachian State Mountaineers football program in various categories, including passing, rushing, receiving, total offense, defensive stats, kicking, and scoring. Within those areas, the lists identify single-game, single-season, and career leaders. The Mountaineers represent Appalachian State University in the NCAA Division I FBS Sun Belt Conference.
The New Mexico State Aggies football statistical leaders are individual statistical leaders of the New Mexico State Aggies football program in various categories, including passing, rushing, receiving, total offense, defensive stats, and kicking. Within those areas, the lists identify single-game, single-season, and career leaders. The Aggies represent New Mexico State University in the NCAA Division I FBS Conference USA (CUSA).
The Liberty Flames football statistical leaders are individual statistical leaders of the Liberty Flames football program in various categories, including passing, rushing, receiving, total offense, all-purpose yardage, defensive stats, and kicking. Within those areas, the lists identify single-game, single-season, and career leaders. The Flames represent Liberty University as members of Conference USA (CUSA) in NCAA Division I FBS.