Texas Tech football: Team records that may never be broken

819 total yards in a game by one player

Another single-game record that Texas Tech football fans aren’t going to see fall anytime soon is the 819 yards of total offense Patrick Mahomes had against Oklahoma in 2016’s epic 66-59 shootout loss in Lubbock.  Not only is that a school record, but it is the NCAA FBS record for total yards by one player in a game.

That total is 138 yards more than second-place B.J. Symons’ 681 yards against Ole Miss in 2003.  What’s more, Mahomes and Symons have between them eight of the program’s top 11 single-game total yardage performances.

The game in which Mahomes set the record will forever remain a college football classic.  Amazingly, both teams racked up 854 yards of offense and in just the final quarter, they combined for 400 total yards of offense and 36 points.

Texas Tech had 734 yards passing and 120 yards rushing.  What’s more, the 854 team yards set the FBS record for most yards in a game by the losing team.

Mahomes’ 819 total yards came on 100 plays and his 734 passing yards tied the record for most passing yards in a game.  His 52 completions established a new Big 12 record for most completions in a game, a record previously held by his then-head coach Kliff Kingsbury.

We already know we aren’t likely to see another player the likes of Mahomes again in Lubbock.  But hopefully, we don’t have to see another defense as bad as the 2016 Red Raider defense as well.  That year, Tech finished last in the nation by allowing 554.3 yards per game.

Therefore, it is easy to see why Mahomes had to go to such heroics just to keep Tech in the game with the Sooners.  While his gunslinging was exciting to watch, the defense was equally as excruciating and the hope is that the defense this program builds moving forward will ensure that never again will the Red Raiders have to rely on nearly a thousand yards of offense from one player in a game.