Dak Prescott and Brock Purdy – the quarterbacks in Sunday's NFC divisional playoff matchup between the Cowboys and 49ers – combined for 52 victories in college.
That's only two more wins than Dallas offensive coordinator Kellen Moore had at the FBS level as a starting quarterback.
Moore, 34, remains on the fast track to be an NFL head coach. Yet his claim to fame still might be a brilliant four-year run with Boise State from 2008-11. Moore was a highly decorated quarterback in college for the Broncos during the Bowl Championship Series era.
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Here's what to know about Moore's record-setting college career:
Where did Kellen Moore go to college?
Moore was a three-star, left-handed quarterback from Prosser High School (Prosser, Wash.) before signing with Boise State. He had offers from Washington State and Oregon State in the Pac-12. Moore earned the starting job as a freshman with the Broncos, who were coached by Chris Petersen.
Most wins by a FBS starter
Moore was 50-3 as a starting quarterback in college – which is the record for most wins by a FBS starter. In the modern era, only five college football quarterbacks have won 40 or more starts. Cincinnati's Desmond Ridder was the last one to break the 40-win mark with the Bearcats.
Here is a look at that exclusive 40-win club:
FBS QBs with 40 or more wins as a starter
| PLAYER | TEAM | W-L |
| Kellen Moore | Boise State | 50-3 |
| Colt McCoy | Texas | 45-8 |
| Desmond Ridder | Cincinnati | 44-6 |
| Andy Dalton | TCU | 42-7 |
| David Greene | Georgia | 42-10 |
The next guy on the list? Peyton Manning had a 39-6 record at Tennessee.
Moore had 16 games with at least 300 yards passing for the Broncos, and Boise State was 14-2 in those games.
For perspective, Prescott was 23-10 at Mississippi State, and Purdy was 23-17 with Iowa State.
Kellen Moore at Boise State
The Broncos were a known BCS buster when Moore took over. In the 2006 season, Boise State beat Oklahoma 43-42 in the Fiesta Bowl on the iconic "Statue of Liberty" play to complete a perfect 13-0 season.
With Moore, however, the Broncos took the next step and nearly played for the BCS championship.
In 2008, Moore's freshman year, Boise State finished 12-0 in the regular season before a 17-16 loss to TCU in the Poinsettia Bowl.
The 2009 team opened the season with a 19-8 victory against No. 16 Oregon and again finished 13-0 in the regular season. The Broncos beat TCU 17-10 in the Fiesta Bowl.
In 2010 and 2011, Boise State finished 12-1. The 2010 team was ranked as high as No. 3 in the BCS standings, but their national championship dreams were cut short after a 41-38 loss to Colin Kaepernick-led Nevada on Oct. 26, 2010.
The 2011 team beat No. 19 Georgia 35-21 in the opener, but a 36-35 loss to TCU in the regular season was the spoiler.
In that four-year stretch, Moore was 7-2 as a starter against top-25 teams.
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Kellen Moore's career stats and awards
Moore finished in the top 10 in the Heisman voting three times. He was seventh in 2009, fourth in 2010 and eighth in 2011. He was renowned for being efficient. He ranks second all-time with 142 TD passes and sixth with 14,667 passing yards. He did all that with just 28 interceptions.
Moore earned All-America honors in 2009 and 2010, and the Kellen Moore Award is now given to the top quarterback in the FBS by the Touchdown Club of Columbus every year.
Kellen Moore's NFL playing career
Despite that banner college career, Moore went undrafted in 2012. He was signed by the Detroit Lions, but he was buried on the depth chart and never played in a game.
The Cowboys signed Moore in 2015, and he spent three seasons there. Moore played in three games in the 2015 season; a year in which Tony Romo missed eight games with a broken collarbone. Moore lost both starts and finished with 779 yards, four TDs and six interceptions.
Kellen Moore's NFL coaching career
Moore started as a quarterbacks coach under Jason Garrett in 2018, but he was elevated to offensive coordinator after the season. It's been a successful four-year run, with the lone down year coming in 2020 in Mike McCarthy's first season.
The Cowboys have ranked in the top 10 in scoring three of the last four years, and they led the NFL in total offense in 2019 and 2021.
Now, Dallas has the chance to advance to the NFC Championship Game for the first time since 1995. That would further enhance Moore's stock as a potential NFL head coach.
