FAYETTEVILLE -- Brandon Allen set Arkansas game and career records for touchdown passes Saturday night at Reynolds Razorback Stadium with seven and 63.
Unfortunately for Allen and the Razorbacks, he needed eight and 64.
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New leader
Arkansas quarterback Brandon Allen, with a career-high seven touchdown passes against Mississippi State on Saturday, is now the Razorbacks’ career touchdown pass leader with 63, one more than Ryan Mallett had in 2009-2010. He broke his own single-game record of 6 set Nov. 7 against Mississippi and is third on the season list behind Mallett, who had 32 in 2010 and 30 in 2009. Allen has 29 this season.
GAME
2015 Brandon Allen vs. Miss. St. ....7
2015 Brandon Allen vs. Ole Miss .....6
2012 Tyler Wilson vs. Kentucky ...........5
2010 Ryan Mallett vs. UTEP .................5
2009 Ryan Mallett vs. Miss. St. ...........5
2009 Ryan Mallett vs. Troy ...................5
2009 Ryan Mallett vs. Georgia .............5
SEASON
2010 Ryan Mallett ...............................32
2009 Ryan Mallett ...............................30
2015 Brandon Allen ................... 29
1998 Clint Stoerner .............................26
2011 Tyler Wilson ..............................24
2012 Tyler Wilson ..............................21
2014 Brandon Allen ...........................20
1999 Clint Stoerner ............................19
2007 Casey Dick ................................18
2003 Matt Jones .................................18
1990 Quinn Grovey ............................18
CAREER
2012-2015 Brandon Allen ............ 63
2009-2010 Ryan Mallett .....................62
1996-1999 Clint Stoerner ...................57
2001-2004 Matt Jones .......................53
2008-2012 Tyler Wilson .....................52
Mississippi State beat Arkansas 51-50 despite Allen completing 30 of 43 passes for 406 yards and 7 touchdowns without an interception or a sack.
Allen, a fifth-year senior, broke his own school record for touchdown passes in a game -- six in the Razorbacks' 53-52 overtime victory at Ole Miss two weeks ago -- and broke Ryan Mallett's career record of 62.
Allen's seven touchdown passes also tied an SEC record.
"For me, it really doesn't matter," Allen said of the records. "It comes down to wins and loses.
"Whatever it takes to win, you've got to score more points than the other team and we just weren't able to do that."
Allen drove Arkansas into position for a potential game-winning field goal, but Cole Hedlund's 29-yard attempt was blocked with 39 seconds left.
The Razorbacks had three consecutive running plays to move to the Mississippi State 12.
Before Arkansas ran the ball, Allen began the drive by hitting 5 of 5 passes for 70 yards, but he said he understood and supported Coach Bret Bielema's decision to play for a field goal rather than go for a touchdown.
"That's the kind of football situation you work on all the time in practice," Allen said. "The smart thing to do right there is kill as much time as you can and take the field goal.
"We were in field goal range. I probably would have done the same thing."
Arkansas took 42-31 lead in the third quarter when Allen threw touchdown passes to tight ends Jeremy Sprinkle and Hunter Hunter -- the first to Sprinkle and second and third to Hunter -- after Mississippi State committed three consecutive turnovers.
"The defense really came up big for us, getting us back in the game," Allen said. "We just weren't able to close it out late."
One touchdown opportunity Allen missed on was when he couldn't connect with Hunter on a fourth-and-one play from the Mississippi State 27 with 1:15 left in the third quarter and Arkansas leading 42-31.
Hunter had a step on his defender in the end zone, but couldn't catch up to Allen's pass.
"I was trying to give Hunter a chance and I overthrew him a little bit," Allen said. "It wasn't a great pass on my part."
Allen didn't have many misfires.
"Brandon just continues to be very impressive," Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema said. "He threw some money throws again today with some pressure in his face. Stepped up in the pocket.
"He's throwing the ball in places where no one else can get them as well as being very, very accurate and very crisp."
Henry, who had 7 catches for 129 yards and 2 touchdowns, said Allen did a good job of extending plays with his scrambling.
"Brandon's a tremendous, tremendous player," Henry said. "The way that he maneuvers in the pocket, he makes plays most guys usually wouldn't make."
Allen was locked in a quarterback duel with Mississippi State senior Dak Prescott, who completed 38 of 50 passes for 508 yards and 5 touchdowns with 1 interception. Prescott, the All-SEC quarterback last season, also rushed 15 times for 46 yards and 2 touchdowns.
"Dak's a great player," Allen said. "Throwing the ball and running the ball, he does so much for them.
"He's a heck of a quarterback. Hat's off to him the way he played and what he got done."
Allen said Mississippi State's defense dictated a pass-heavy game for the Razorbacks, who rushed 29 times for 73 yards.
"They brought a lot of pressure throughout the game," Allen said. "When you bring so much pressure, there's going to be gaps in the defense.
"We were able to do a great job of picking up the blitzes and guys got open down the field."
Allen said he didn't know anything about the records he set until being informed after the game.
"It'll be something that probably will be cool to look back on later in life, but right now it's not any my focus or this team's focus," he said. "All our focus is about to turn to Missouri."
Allen and Arkansas' other seniors will play their final home game when the Razorbacks play the Tigers Friday.
"We just had a tough loss, but we have one more game left this season," Allen said. "It's going to be senior day with a lot of emotion.
"We're going to learn from this one and move on to that one."
Sports on 11/22/2015