College Player w/ Most Touchdown Passes this Season is in Iowa

Ankeny, Iowa, native Blaine Hawkins has thrown 61 touchdown passes this season for the 8th ranked and undefeated Central Dutch (12-0).

His 61 TDs in Division III are more than any other level in the college ranks. In Division II this season, Tyson Bagent of Shepherd University has tossed 51 Touchdowns. In FCS play, Cole Kelley of Southeastern Louisiana and Cameron Ward have each thrown 42 TDs, and at that FBS level, Bailey Zappe of Western Kentucky has 52 touchdowns.

His 61 TDs so far this season have tied the 5'11 fifth-year player for the all-time single-season record with Brett Elliot of Linfield University in 2004. (Hawkins has also amassed a total of 4,189 yards through the air this season)

Earlier this season against Simpson College, he threw 7 touchdown passes --- in the first half.

...and the Dutch have at least one more game to play.

Hawkins is one of only 11 players in NCAA history with 55 or more TD passes in a season and one of only four who reached that total in 12 games or less. He currently has one more TD pass this season than Joe Burrow of LSU in 2019. He holds the FBS record of 60 TDs, (who did it in 15 games) Burrow, an Iowa native who was born in Ames, currently is the starting quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals.

The current FCS single-season TD pass record is 57 set by Jeremiah Briscoe of Sam Houston St. in 2016.

The Division II record is 54, set by Zach Zulli of Shippensburg in 2012 and Dusty Bonner of Valdosta St. in 2000.

Blaine Hawkins already owns 21 school records at Central. The Ankeny High standout got an extra year of playing time due to the pandemic. The team only played two games last spring, after the fall season was canceled.

The 8^th ranked Dutch will play #3 University of Wisconsin-Whitewater (12-0) in the quarterfinal round of the Division III football playoffs on Saturday, 12/4, at 12 PM in Whitewater, Wisconsin...which is a tough place to grab a road victory --- The Warhawks are 118-4 at home since 2005.

The winner of Saturday's game advances to meet the winner of a quarterfinal-round contest between Linfield University (Ore.) (11-0) and the No. 2-rated University of Mary Hardin-Baylor (Texas) (12-0).

Last weekend, Central defeated Wheaton College, 30-28, on the final play of the game when Hawkins found Tanner Schminke in the endzone as time expired.

In the first round of the D3 playoffs, he threw 7 touchdowns in a 61-35 win over #17 Bethel:

The economics and business management double-major also excels in the classroom. He has a 3.58 cumulative grade point average and was recently named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District Team and is a three-time academic all-conference honoree.

Hawkins has also been named as one of the 15 semifinalists for the Gagliardi Trophy; an award is given to the most outstanding NCAA Division III football player. Finalists will be announced on December 9.

FTD

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