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Oh Marcus: Mariota ties NFL record with 4 TD passes

(AP) — Marcus Mariota must have thought he was back at Oregon again.The Tennessee Titans rookie quarterback Marcus Mariota looked like he was playing Madden football in his rookie debut, taking aim at the NFL record book against Tampa Bay.The No. 2 overall pick in the NFL draft threw for four touchdowns in his first half of the Titans’ game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. In so doing, Mariota became the first player in NFL history to throw four or more TD passes in the first half of his debut, according to STATS.The NFL record for most TD passes (in an entire game) in his debut is Frank Tarkenton, who had four on Sept. 17, 1961 vs. Chicago. Marioti won't get that record as he was removed in the fourth quarter with the Titans leading 42-7.The most passing yards by a player in his first NFL game is 422 was Carolina’s Cam Newton in 2011.Mariota had a perfect QB rating of 158.3, the only player to accomplish that in his NFL debut. The previous high was 148.6 by Tarkenton.