Getty Image
The B1G announced a new all-time passing leader on Monday after the final week of the 2023 regular season. Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa was crowned the passing champ this week after a 361-yard performance in his finale.
But is Tagovailoa really the record holder? The official conference media guide suggests otherwise, and Purdue’s social media team made sure to let the league know!
Taulia Tagovailoa, younger brother of Tua, has been playing in College Park since 2020 after transferring from Alabama as a freshman. The signal caller has since tallied three straight 3,000-yard seasons to move up the Big Ten leaderboard.
Prior to his final start of the regular season, Tagovailoa was positioned in fourth place all-time with 10,895 passing yards. His 361-yard day on Saturday versus Rutgers moved him up the list even further.
Taulia Tagovailoa put his name down in the history books on Saturday! 😤
He is now the @bigten and @TerpsFootball all-time passing leader! ✨ pic.twitter.com/xcfuOFNXK5
— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) November 27, 2023
But how much further is still up for debate.
If you look at a site like Sports-Reference, you’d see Tagovailoa’s name at No. 1 all-time for B1G passers. That shows him leapfrogging Drew Brees, Adam Weber, and Curtis Painter after his most recent outing.
But the official league media guide sings a different tune.
Released on the B1G website during the preseason, the record book indicates that Drew Brees is the passing leader at 11,792 yards, which would mean Tagovailoa now ranks second at 11,256.
Purdue made sure to point that out.
*Compares stats, checks official @B1Gfootball Record Book
11,792 > 11,256 https://t.co/UxWXBMSB93 pic.twitter.com/uc5oOQeyKW
— Purdue Football (@BoilerFootball) November 27, 2023
Why the discrepancy?
The Big Ten records seem to use Brees’ bowl game performances, which give him an additional 883 yards, while other sites do not. The Boilermakers went to the postseason in each of Brees’ three seasons as a starter.
With the bowl games added in, Brees holds a 44-41 advantage in games played, though Tagovailoa will have a chance to add to his total in Maryland’s upcoming bowl game this December.
Still, he’s got a long way to go if we’re going by the official media guide statistics. It would take a 537-yard postseason performance to land sole possession of first place with no asterisks attached.