Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino didn’t intend to call so many pass plays throughout the 48-10 win against Missouri State.

But for whatever reason, he said the Bears kept packing players in the box to stop the run. So Arkansas quarterbacks Ryan Mallett and Tyler Wilson kept throwing the ball. Jarius Wright and the receivers kept catching it. And the result is now a school record.

Not only did Arkansas set a school record for passing yards in a game (447) in the season opener, it can call itself No. 1 in the nation in passing – at least for now. The Razorbacks and Houston sit tied atop the NCAA statistical leader board in passing yards after the first week of the season, which ended with Miami’s 38-34 win against Florida State last night. (What a way to end the week, by the way).

It’s a strange place for Arkansas to be, considering the Razorbacks were a run-oriented offense for years. But it’s clear Petrino has plenty of firepower in the passing game at his fingertips. Consider this: It’s the fifth time Arkansas has thrown for more than 300 yards in the 13 games he has coached. Arkansas had only 16, 300-yard passing games prior to Petrino’s arrival last season.

Let that soak in.

Anyway, in addition to Arkansas sitting atop the NCAA in passing yards, here’s a few more statistical rankings to consider:

TEAM STATISTICS

Total Offense: 591 yards (No. 7 in nation)

Rushing Offense: 144 yards (No. 62)

Scoring Offense: 48 points (No. 16)

Rushing Defense: 82 yards (No. 37)

Passing Defense: 123 yards (No. 23)

Total Defense: 205 yards (No. 21)

Scoring Defense: 10 points (No. 33)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Passing Efficiency: Ryan Mallett – 210.25 rating (No. 5)

Passing Efficiency: Tyler Wilson -153.64 (No. 32)

Total Offense: Ryan Mallett – 311 yards/game (No. 19)

Receiving Yards: Jarius Wright – 139 yards/game (No. 12-T)

Kickoff Returns: Dennis Johnson – 57.5 yards/return (No. 2)