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Featured Moment: September 2, 1995
College Football Hall of
Fame linebacker Pat Fitzgerald led unheralded Northwestern to a
monumental upset win over Notre Dame on Sept. 2, 1995.
(Image courtesy of the
NFF)
This report courtesy of
the
National Football Foundation.
Published by Bonesville on
Aug. 31, 2013
"This Week in College
Football History" continues below advertisement...
FEATURED MOMENT
Sept. 2, 1995:
On Sept. 2, 1995, The Associated Press called it “one of the biggest
upsets in college football history” as unranked Northwestern stunned
future Hall of Famer Lou Holtz and No. 9 Notre Dame in their first game
of the year. A midfield fumble recovery by Hall of Fame linebacker Pat
Fitzgerald was a key play as the 28-point underdog Wildcats built a
lead, shocking the crowd at Notre Dame Stadium. The Irish battled back,
scoring a touchdown with minutes left in the game, but the two-point
conversion failed, giving Northwestern a 17-15 victory. The Wildcats
proved the game was not a fluke, winning the Big Ten and earning a trip
to the 1996 Rose Bowl.
OTHER NOTABLE DATES
Sept. 3, 2005:
Turnovers were the theme of the game for No. 7 Oklahoma as it was taken
down by Texas Christian in Norman, ending the Sooners’ 19-game home win
streak. The 17-10 victory over the Sooners was TCU’s biggest upset
victory in 45 years. The defensive game plan rested on stopping Heisman
Trophy finalist Adrian Peterson and forcing Oklahoma to throw. TCU held
Peterson to 63 yards on 22 carries and managed to take advantage of four
fumbles, including the game-saving turnover with a minute to play.
Sept. 4, 2005:
In the 12th contest for the Governor’s Cup and the 18th overall between
Louisville and Kentucky, senior defensive end Elvis Dumervil would shine
for the Cardinals. Dumervil led the No. 12 Cardinals to a 31-24 win,
setting an NCAA single-game record with six sacks. Dumervil’s day
included 12 total tackles, seven for-loss and two forced fumbles. His
record-setting six sacks would help him achieve another NCAA record for
most sacks in consecutive games when he added three more against Oregon
State two weeks later.
Sept. 5, 1906:
Although the origin of the forward pass is occasionally disputed, the
1906 matchup between St. Louis University and Carroll College
(Wisconsin) was the first recorded instance during collegiate game play.
The game was a scoreless tie, and after futile efforts to run the ball
against the Carroll defense, head coach Eddie Cochems told quarterback
Bradbury Johnson to execute the recently practiced “projectile pass.”
Because the rules were still in their earliest stages, incomplete passes
were recognized as turnovers and St. Louis gave up the ball. After
regaining possession, Cochems and his team attempted the pass again,
resulting in the first ever touchdown reception in college football
history. St. Louis won the game, 22-0.
Sept. 6, 1997:
The No. 2 Florida Gators, led by coach Steve Spurrier, unleashed their
offense and the arm of quarterback Doug Johnson on Central Michigan. The
Chippewas could only watch as Johnson threw an unbelievable seven
touchdowns in the first half alone, tying the NCAA record. The Gators
would go on to pass for nine touchdowns on the day, setting an SEC
record to go with the 82-6 victory.
Sept. 7, 1991:
No. 4 Washington and Hall of Fame coach Don James opened the 1991 season
on the road with a 42-7 drilling of Pac-10 rival Stanford. Sophomore
quarterback Billy Joe Hobert shined in his first collegiate start, going
21-31 passing with two touchdowns. The stout Husky defense held Stanford
to only 28 yards on the ground and forced five turnovers, including an
interception by future Hall of Fame defensive tackle Steve Emtman. The
game was the first win in a perfect 12-0 season for Washington. The
Huskies would go on to win the Pac-10 title and the National
Championship in a 34-14 defeat of No. 4 Michigan in the Rose Bowl.
Sept. 8, 1990:
No. 14 Virginia snapped a 29-game losing streak to No. 9 Clemson,
earning the first win over the Tigers in program history. The milestone
victory came 35 years after the schools’ initial meeting. An
all-out-effort, the Cavaliers combined strong defensive play, a 79-yard
punt return that set up a score and solid offensive output to capture
the triumph. Clemson only managed to put together one scoring drive.
Virginia, under future Hall of Fame coach George Welsh (Navy, Virginia),
won 20-7.
The Bonesville staff
contributed to this report.
09/07/2013 04:15 AM |
