Don’t know who Lamar Jackson is? Well, the opening night of college football season is as good a time as any to learn. You could read our post about the hypertalented Louisville quarterback, or you could watch this video of Jackson accounting for eight touchdowns — six passing, two running — in a single half against overwhelmed Charlotte.
Watch all 8 -- EIGHT! -- first half touchdowns by Louisville’s Lamar Jackson
Louisville’s awesome QB set a school record for total touchdowns before halftime against Charlotte.
Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images
The breadth of his talents is obvious. His twisting, winding 36-yard run to start the game made a FOX announcer sing Outkast live on the air, and that seventh touchdown, a 32-yard dime to James Quick, was perfectly thrown into a teensy window. (Also, I just wrote the words “that seventh touchdown,” which should give you an idea how good the guy is.)
Now, obviously, this game is a mismatch, one of the top 25 teams in college football against one of the bottom 10 teams in the FBS. But those matchups happen all the time, and we rarely see a dude explode for eight TDs in a half. Jackson actually set the record for total touchdowns by a Louisville player in a game before the game even went to the break — nobody else had ever combined for more than six. The FBS record for most passing touchdowns in a half is seven.
Some other stats: Jackson had more passing yards (286) and rushing yards (119) than Charlotte had total yards (105.) The Cardinals scored on eight of their nine first half drives; the 49ers had seven punts, a fumble and a turnover on downs. And the Cardinals had eight touchdowns ... while Charlotte had just four first downs.
Luckily for the hapless Niners, Jackson’s night is now over -- Kyle Bolin took over after halftime. Maybe Louisville will gun for 100, but more likely we’ll see these teams agree to a running clock in the fourth quarter.
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