Records are set to be broken.
With each passing year, new standards are set. Some are more impressive than others. Earlier this week, I took a look at six LSU football records that will never be broken.
It’s time to flip it and look at some that could. Some of these are single-game records, others are single-season, and even some are career ones.
The single-season and single-game records are always the toughest to predict. There’s no statistical pace to base a projection on.
Career records are different. You can look at a player’s first couple of years and see what it would take to reach that career mark.
Here’s a look at eight LSU football records that could soon fall.
540 total yards in a game
Jamie Squire/ALLSPORT
[autotag]Rohan Davey[/autotag] set this record against Alabama in 2001. He threw for 528 yards and ran for 12. It’s the only 500-passing-yard performance in LSU history.
[autotag]Joe Burrow[/autotag] posted 521 total yards in LSU’s national title win over Clemson, and that’s the closest anyone has gotten to Davey’s record. I’m putting this here because I think [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] has a shot. It would take a career performance, but Daniels rushing ability gives him a chance.
Daniels would probably have to throw for about 415 yards and run for 125. It’d require some big plays. One of those runs would need to be a 50 or 60-yard touchdown. He’d have to take consistent shots through the air, too.
Six consecutive 100-yard receiving games
Scott Halleran /Allsport
[autotag]Josh Reed[/autotag] set this record in 2001. Reed, LSU’s all-time leading receiver, had 100 yards in six-straight games.
Six isn’t a whopping number, but it’s more impressive than it sounds on the surface. [autotag]Ja’Marr Chase[/autotag] came close in 2019, doing it in five straight games before only putting up 41 yards in the SEC title.
Chase had to split touches with several big-time targets. That’s just one of the factors that make this streak so tough.
[autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] will be a true No. 1 in 2023. LSU has plenty of talent at that position, but Nabers isn’t sharing with [autotag]Justin Jefferson[/autotag] and [autotag]Terrace Marshall[/autotag]. If LSU commits to the passing game, Nabers has a shot. He’s a big play threat and doesn’t need to be force-fed targets to put up big yards.
It’s a challenge, but not out of the question.
47 receptions by a tight end
Staff Photo/Gary Cosby Jr.
LSU’s had several star receivers, but never had a prolific tight end. [autotag]Thaddeus Moss[/autotag] caught 47 passes in 2019 — the most ever by a Tiger tight end.
[autotag]Mason Taylor[/autotag] caught 38 as a freshmen in 2022. He’ll get more targets and playing time in 2023, and 50 isn’t an unreasonable goal. It might even be more likely than not.
Taylor’s 38 are the second most by a tight end in school history, surpassing what [autotag]Arik Gilbert[/autotag] did in just eight games in 2020. Look for Taylor to have a big year and have one of the most productive years an LSU tight end has ever had.
26 career receiving touchdowns
Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports Copyright © 2007 Marvin Gentry
[autotag]Dwayne Bowe[/autotag] is the current holder here. He caught 26 touchdowns from 2003-06. Jefferson almost got him, catching 24 in his career. Chase and Marshall both finished with 23.
Nabers only has seven in two years. He’s a good candidate to declare early next year, so I don’t think he’s catching Bowe’s 26. [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag] is the guy to watch. Like Nabers, he also has seven, but there’s a better chance he’s a four-year player.
Thomas can get to 14 or 15 next year, then be LSU’s top guy in 2024. He’d need just 11 or 12 to reach Bowe. He’s a big target that can go up and pinpoint passes, making him a force in the red zone.
His performance this year could put him on the right pace, then it just comes down if he sticks around or not.
17 consecutive completions
: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
Burrow set this record against Ole Miss in 2019. He broke the previous record of 14, which was shared by [autotag]JaMarcus Russell[/autotag], [autotag]Matt Mauck[/autotag] and [autotag]Chad Loup[/autotag].
Eighteen consecutive completions is no easy task. I’m putting this on here because it doesn’t take sustained greatness — it just needs a player to get hot for a quarter or two.
Not impossible.
35 completions in a game
Harry How/Getty Images
We’ll stick with completions here. This record belongs to Davey, also set in that 2001 Alabama game.
A ton of plays must be run to complete 35 passes. This would take a shootout against an up-tempo offense, and LSU would need to move fast itself. Throw in some screens, some short passes and above-average luck on the deep shots, and reaching 35 is possible.
23 tackles for loss in a season
Rick Stewart /Allsport
This record was set by [autotag]Gabe Northern[/autotag] in 1994. Nobody has even come within less than five of the mark since then. [autotag]Booger McFarland[/autotag] notched 18 in 1998. [autotag]Marcus Spears[/autotag] racked up 17 in 2004.
I think [autotag]Harold Perkins[/autotag] has a chance to break this over the next couple of years.
He recorded 13 TFLs as a true freshman. He’s the type of guy who can be a TFL machine — chasing down scramblers, blowing up options and making plays on screens.
It’s bold, but Perkins will make a run at Northern’s mark.
25 career sacks
This record is held by [autotag]Rydell Melancon[/autotag], who played at LSU from 1980-83. I’m going to mention Perkins again here because he’s already at 7.5.
If Perkins averages nine sacks over his final two years at LSU, he’ll be the new record holder. Considering where he’s at now, it would take some things to go right, but it doesn’t seem like a long shot.
