Bryce Young shatters 52-year old Alabama passing record

Chandler Vesselsby:Chandler Vessels•11/20/21•

ChandlerVessels

Alabama quarterback Bryce Young added to his Heisman resume Saturday, setting the single-game school record for passing yards. Young broke the record on a 27-yard pass to Slade Bolden early in the fourth quarter against Arkansas.

He surpassed Scott Hunter, who previously held the record after throwing for 484 yards in the 1969 Iron Bowl. Young finished the contest with 561 yards and five touchdowns as Alabama won 42-35.

The victory marked the 15th straight for the Crimson Tide against Arkansas. It also guaranteed the Crimson Tide a spot in the SEC Championship Game, as they clinched the SEC West division.

After Arkansas turned a fake field goal into a touchdown to make the game 34-28, the Crimson Tide responded. A couple of drives later, Young connected with Jameson Williams on a controversial 40-yard touchdown pass. Alabama converted the two-point conversion to go up by two touchdowns.

That was their largest lead, as the game stayed close from start to finish.

Arkansas dropped to 7-4 with the loss and 3-4 in SEC play. Still, the turnaround from this program in two seasons has been nothing short of remarkable. Sam Pittman took over a Hogs team in the midst of the worst conference losing streak in school history, but has led them to bowl invitations in both 2020 and 2021.

Young entered Saturday with 3,025 yards passing and 33 touchdowns, the latter leading the SEC. Alabama currently sits at No. 2 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings. The Crimson Tide are in search of their seventh Playoff appearance, which would lead all schools.

The passing record from Bryce Young certainly boosts his chance to bring the Heisman Trophy home to Tuscaloosa. Other candidates include Michigan State’s Kenneth Walker III, Ole Miss’ Matt Corral and Ohio State’s CJ Stroud.

Alabama closes out the season with the annual Iron Bowl matchup with Auburn. After that, the Crimson Tide will get ready to face top-ranked Georgia in a highly anticipated conference championship game.