PINEVILLE, La. – The stage couldn't be better set for Louisiana College quarterback Ben McLaughlin. The Dierks, Ark., native and senior enters LC's Saturday afternoon, 4 p.m., Homecoming showdown with Howard Payne University just 77 yards short of the American Southwest Conference career passing yards record, a record currently held by a former member of the Howard Payne football program.

McLaughlin, who's averaged 299 yards passing per game in his career, on that was broken into two segments (2006-07 and 2009-10), currently has 10,169 total passing yards to his name.

“It's just another in a long line of accomplishments for a quality student-athlete and quality young man,” Louisiana College coach Dennis Dunn said. “In my opinion, it couldn't happen to a better person. He's so humble and such a team player that he'll make every individual accomplishment a team accomplishment.”

True to his coach's words, McLaughlin said he wanted very little of the credit for the record he's almost certain to break this Saturday.

“Well, the one thing about us quarterbacks is that we can only do half of the work,” McLaughlin said. “Someone has to catch it and run with it. I've been fortunate in both of my stints here to have very talented people to handle that job.

“When I came in as a red-shirt freshman, 19 years old, we had some great veteran receivers who really carried the load for me, guys like Justin Joseph, Dexter Falgoust and Henry Hunter. When I came back last year, we were running a slightly different offense, but we still had some of the most talented receivers I've ever been around. Certainly, this year we have some of the most talented players I've ever played with, both at receiver and on the offensive line. That makes my job a lot easier and makes me look a lot better.”

While McLaughlin will get the lion's share of the attention for setting the record, don't look for any jealousy from his teammates.

“Ben is very deserving of this,” junior wide receiver Dayne Reeves said. “He's probably the smartest person I've ever played with. He can tell you what everyone is going to do on every play, backs, receivers and linemen. He seldom makes a mistake on his own. When he gets intercepted, it's almost always either our fault or the line.

“I'm happy that he's going to get this career passing yards record. That's something special. The ASC is ranked as one of the toughest conferences in all of Division III, so for Ben to get this will say a lot not only about him but for how far we've come, and how far we can go in the future, as a program.”

The man McLaughlin is chasing, all too appropriately, hails from the Howard Payne football family.
Adam King, a Yellow Jacket from 2001-04, passed for 10,246 yards over his 39-game career completing 786-of-1,306 passes, a completion percentage of 60.2 percent.

McLaughlin, who is preparing to start his 35th game, has completed 788-of-1,290 passes for 10,169 yards and a completion percentage of 61.1 percent.

The fact is not lost on the 6-foot-2, 205-pound four-year starter that his new record could be set at the expense of the team that the soon-to-be former record holder once called home or that the historic moment will likely take place in front of not just a home audience, but a Homecoming audience.

“It means a lot to me that we might do this at Homecoming,” McLaughlin said. “What I look forward to the most each Homecoming is getting to see the former players again. I might even get to see some of those veterans who helped me in 2006.

“If it works out that we set that new record at Homecoming, it will be a tremendous moment for me. Records are just things you sit up on a shelf, but they are program accomplishments. It won't just my accomplishment or even the 2010 Louisiana College Wildcats. It will be a program achievement. It goes back to the guys who came before me. They laid the foundation for guys like me to get their names in the conference record book.”

McLaughlin entered the 2010 season with 8,285 career passing yards, 1,961 yards away from King.
Through the first five games of the Wildcats' 2010 campaign, McLaughlin has amassed 1,884 yards and 21 touchdowns on 141-of-237 passing.

Those gaudy numbers, however, are small potatoes for the small-town signal caller compared to what he sees as the most meaningful statistic for himself and all the Wildcats.

“Honestly, if I throw for 76 yards and we get the victory, I'll be as happy as anything,” McLaughlin said. “A record is a wonderful thing, but the real joy of being a part of this team is working collectively with my teammates to be successful.”