Fifty-six and counting
One thing Totten no longer has is the record of 56 touchdowns all to himself. He now shares the mark with Linfield’s Brett Elliott and is likely to lose the record this weekend when Linfield plays Rowan in the NCAA semifinals.
Totten, head coach at his alma mater, was out recruiting when this story was written and unavailable for comment.
In 1984, he led one of the most prolific scoring offenses in college football history. The Delta Devils’ offense put up 57.1 points per game beating teams by scores such as 77-15, 71-6 and 83-11. His main target was a skinny and not especially fast receiver named Jerry Rice who hauled in 112 passes for 1,845 yards and 28 touchdowns on his way to being named an All-American. Totten spread 28 more touchdown passes out amongst the “other guys” and finished with the highest single season total in college football history.
Totten had his name next to many more records by the end of the 1984 season as he was also named an All-American along with Rice.
Their status as icons in Delta Devil football lore was solidified 15 years following that historic 1984 season when in 1999, Mississippi Valley State’s Magnolia Stadium was renamed Rice-Totten Stadium in honor of the prolific duo.
Fast forward to 2004 and Totten is about to lose sole possession on one of his many records.
Linfield quarterback Brett Elliott knew a big performance was needed against the tenacious Occidental Tigers to carry Linfield into the NCAA playoff semifinals for the first time since 1992.
“They came out real aggressive,” Elliott said following the game. “We felt our receivers were better than their defensive backs and we felt we could beat them deep.”
After slicing and dicing the Occidental secondary for six first half touchdowns, Elliott added one more to open the second half setting the Linfield school record for single game touchdown passes at seven. (Totten holds the NCAA record of nine in an 86-0 blanking of Kentucky State to open the 1984 season.) Add those seven to his previous 49 touchdowns and his performance not only moved Linfield into the semifinals but etched his name next to Totten in the NCAA all-divisions record book.
Elliott’s “Jerry Rice” receiver on Saturday, and all season, has been Casey Allen. The junior speedster hauled in 13 balls for 221 yards and four first half touchdowns. He has 82 catches for 1,335 yards and 23 touchdowns on the season.
Elliott to Allen should be a potent weapon against Rowan as the Profs defensive backs average 5 feet 10 inches and 165 pounds. It won’t be a matter of if Elliott breaks Totten’s record but rather when? It took Elliott a mere 19 seconds to find George Carter for a 64-yard touchdown to open the Occidental game.
If Linfield can continue their momentum towards the Stagg Bowl and win their first NCAA championship (they won NAIA championships in ’82, ’84, and ’86) the effects could be felt for years to come.
While Elliott-Allen Stadium has a nice ring to it Elliott wants more than just their names on the building.
“It would have to be Elliott-Allen-Carter-Hazenberg-McKechnie Stadium,” Elliott said with a chuckle in reference to his fleet of capable receivers. “I don’t think they would do that.”
Stadium name changes seem to be the last thing on Elliott’s mind while Stagg Bowl championships appear to be front and center.
“Every day we break on the national championship,” Elliott said referring to post practice huddles. “It’s our last goal and our only focus.”
It appears Linfield’s Memorial Stadium is safe for the time being.
Totten’s record, on the other hand, clearly is not.
GET to the GAME
NCAA semifinal: No. 9 Rowan at No. 2 Linfield, 12:00 p.m. PST, McMinnville, Ore.
The Game: Linfield and Rowan meet for the first time on Saturday, Dec. 11, in the semifinals of the NCAA Division III playoffs. ... Rowan advanced to the semifinals with playoff victories over Hobart (45-14) and Delaware Valley (56-7). ... Linfield received a first-round bye in the playoffs as the top seed in the West Region...Saturday's winner advances to the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl, the Division III championship game, against the winner of Saturday's semifinal between Mount Union/Mary Hardin-Baylor.
The Records: Linfield is 11-0 and is appearing in the Division III semifinals for the first time since joining the NCAA in 1998. ... The Wildcats captured their third consecutive Northwest Conference championship with a victory over Willamette in the regular-season finalé. ... Linfield has won 11 straight games and 38 of the last 40 contests...the 'Cats have prevailed in 19 of their last 20 home games, including 13 straight. The lone blemish in that span was a 21-14 loss to St. John's in the 2002 NCAA quarterfinals. ... Rowan, 10-2 overall, captured the New Jersey Athletic Conference title with a 6-0 record. ... Rowan's two losses came at the hands of Division II programs Southern Connecticut (51-27) and Virginia State (27-7). ... The Profs are 6-1 on the road this season and bring a seven-game winning streak into Saturday's contest. ... Rowan captured its second NJAC title in three years and 14th overall with a 42-14 victory over Montclair State Nov. 13.
The Streak: The Wildcats clinched their 49th consecutive winning season Oct. 16 with a 56-34 defeat of Southern Oregon. The streak is the longest continuous stretch in the history of college football. ... Linfield's last losing season was in 1955. The streak spans six decades and the terms of 10 U.S. presidents. ... Rowan is in the midst of its 16th consecutive winning season. The Profs' last losing campaign came in 1984 when they ended 4-5.
The Polls: Linfield concluded the regular season ranked No. 2 in the American Football Coaches Association and the D3football.com polls. ... Rowan is ranked No. 9 by D3football.com, and 13th by AFCA.
The Series: First meeting. The 2,929 miles separating the two schools is the greatest geographic distance between the Wildcats and their opponent in program history.
The Playoffs: No stranger to the postseason, Linfield qualified for the playoffs for the 19th time in school history...the Wildcats are making their fourth appearance in the NCAA Division III playoffs since changing affiliation from the NAIA to NCAA seven years ago. ... Linfield won three NAIA Division II national championships (1982, 1984 and 1986) and played for the NAIA crown two more times (1961 and 1992)...the Wildcats take a 20-15 postseason record into Saturday's game. ... Rowan is making its 11th playoff appearance and third in the last four years...the Profs are 24-10 all-time in the NCAA playoffs. ... Rowan is in the semifinals for the ninth time in program history. ... The Profs have played in the championship game five times but have yet to win a national championship.
The Coaches: Ninth-year Linfield coach Jay Locey (Oregon State '78) has a career record of 72-17. Locey ranks third on Linfield's all-time list for most victories (72) behind Ad Rutschman (183) and Paul Durham (120). He ranks first in school history in winning percentage (.815). ... Rowan coach Jay Accorsi (Nichols '85) is in his third season as Profs coach, guiding the Profs to the NJAC championship for the second time in three seasons...he enters the game with a career record of 27-6.
Special thanks to Kelly Bird, Linfield Sports Information Director, for this informative game preview.
For more on Rowan, check out Tom Wilson’s game preview on Rowanfootball.com.