|
This report was researched
and written by College Football Hall of Fame Curator and Historian Kent
Stephens.
Published by Bonesville.net on
Oct. 27, 2012
FEATURED MOMENT
November 2, 1935:
In the original �Game of the Century� and the first meeting ever between
Ohio State and Notre Dame, the undefeated Fighting Irish scored 18
unanswered points in the fourth quarter to stun unbeaten Ohio State
18-13 in front of 80,000 fans in Columbus, ending the Buckeyes� ten game
winning streak. Trailing 13-6 with 90 seconds left, Irish QB Andy Pilney
threw a TD pass to Mike Layden, but the extra point failed. After a
failed onside kick, Ohio State began to run out the clock, but Pilney
forced a fumble. The Irish recovered at their own 45 yard line, and on
the next play, Pilney scrambled to the Ohio State 19. He injured his
knee, and reserve QB and future Hall of Famer Bill Shakespeare stepped
in. After an incompletion, he hit future Hall of Famer Wayne Milner with
the game winning TD pass with 32 seconds left to secure the miraculous
comeback. The Buckeyes would end the season as Big Ten Champions with a
7-1 record. The Irish were stunned the next week by Northwestern and
finished 7-1-1. Irish head coach Elmer Layden and Buckeye head coach
Francis Schmidt would both end their careers as members of the College
Football Hall of Fame, Layden as a player and Schmidt as a coach.
OTHER NOTABLE DATES
October 29, 1966:
Before he became a national championship winning coach, Hall of Famer
Steve Spurrier won the Heisman Trophy largely on the strength of his
passing arm. But in a contest against Auburn, the Florida quarterback
beat the Tigers with his leg as he booted a 40-yard game winning field
goal with two minutes remaining as the No.7 Gators beat Auburn in
Gainesville 30-27. Hall of Fame Coach Ray Graves and the Gators would go
onto to win the Orange Bowl and finish 9-2.
October 30, 1954:
With NFF co-founder General Douglas MacArthur watching from the
sidelines, visiting Virginia fans tore down the goal posts and carried
their coach Ned McDonald off the field after losing 21-20 to Army at
West Point. The moral victory against the No. 5 ranked Cadets was a near
win as the last play of the game, a pass into the end zone, was knocked
down by an Army defender. The Cadets would end the season ranked No. 7.
October 31, 1959:
In the game of the year, top ranked LSU defeated third ranked
Mississippi 7-3 in Baton Rouge. Ole Miss took an early 3-0 lead on a Bob
Khayat field goal. But with ten minutes to play, Tiger HB Billy Cannon
made his legendary Halloween Night 89-yard punt return for the game
winning score. LSU stuffed Ole Miss at the one-yard line with 48 seconds
left to seal the win. The No. 2 Rebels and the No. 3 Tigers met again in
the Sugar Bowl with Ole Miss dominating with a 21-0 victory. Cannon
would go on to win the Heisman Trophy and be inducted into the Hall of
Fame while Khayat would go on to become his alma mater's chancellor and
win the NFF�s 2003 Distinguished American Award.
November 1, 2008:
In a matchup of undefeated cross state rivals, No. 1 Texas battled No. 5
Texas Tech in Lubbock. The Longhorns twice rallied from 16-point
deficits, and QB Colt McCoy led Texas to a 33-32 lead with a minute and
a half to play. A dropped interception kept the final Tech drive alive
as Red Raider QB Graham Harrell hit Michael Crabtree along the sideline
for the game winner with a second left on the clock in the 39-33 Tech
victory. Both quarterbacks would earn NFF National Scholar-Athlete
Awards, Harrell in 2008 and McCoy in 2009. The Longhorns ended the
season ranked No. 3, while the Red Raiders finished No. 12.
Nov. 3, 1979: In
its' 107th season, Yale becomes the first school to ever reach 700
victories with a 23-20 win over Cornell in Ithaca, NY. QB John Rogan's
12-yard touchdown pass to TE Bob Rostomily with 47 seconds left clinches
the comeback win for the eventual Ivy League champions.
November 4, 1972:
UCLA quarterback Mark Harmon, who would claim a 1973 NFF National
Scholar-Athlete Award, led the No. 8 Bruins on a late 75-yard scoring
drive, capped by an 11-yard touchdown run by the signal caller that
proved to be the game winner in a 28-23 victory over Stanford in Los
Angeles. The drive came after Stanford scored twice in the fourth
quarter to take a 23-21 lead.
10/27/2012 02:16 AM |
