College Football Old School Game of the Week: Manning & Vols Overcome Mistakes to Win SEC Title

 

Tennessee quarterback Peyton Manning completed 25 of 43 passes for 373 yards and threw four touchdowns in the 1997 SEC Championship Game.

No one would have blamed Peyton Manning if he had left the University of Tennessee to go the NFL after his junior season in 1996.

Manning was projected to be the #1 overall pick in the 1997 NFL Draft, with the New York Jets holding the rights to the top pick and Bill Parcells set to become their head coach, but more importantly was set to graduate with a degree in speech communication in May after just three years of school.

But in a press conference that was broadcast throughout the Volunteer state, Manning announced he would return for his senior season in which Tennessee fans hoped that Manning could lead the Vols to not only a SEC championship but a national championship.

Tennessee's championship dreams seemed to evaporate in "The Swamp" in the third game of the season as the Vols lost to the Florida Gators 33-20, marking their fifth straight defeat in the series against the Gators and third with Manning as the starting quarterback.

However, two losses by the Gators to the LSU Tigers and the Georgia Bulldogs in the middle of the season opened the door for Tennessee to claim the SEC East division title which they did as Manning led the Vols to a 10-1 regular season as the senior quarterback threw for 3,446 yards and 33 touchdown passes making him a prime candidate for the Heisman Trophy.

For winning the SEC East division title for the first time since the SEC adopted division play in 1992, the Vols earned a trip to Atlanta where they would face the winners of the SEC West division, the Auburn Tigers, in the SEC Championship Game at the Georgia Dome.

Manning directed an offense that averaged 34.6 points per game with a supporting cast that featured freshman running back Jamal Lewis who ran for 1,237 yards in the regular season and two stellar wide receivers in Marcus Nash and Peerless Price.

Led by head coach Phillip Fulmer, who was in his fifth full season as the Tennessee head coach, a win in the SEC Championship Game would not only give Tennessee its first SEC championship since 1990 but would earn them a spot in the Orange Bowl where they would play the Nebraska Cornhuskers that if the Vols won plus a Michigan loss in the Rose Bowl, would earn the Volunteers their first national title since 1951.

Standing  in Tennessee's way were the Auburn Tigers, who were also making their first trip to the SEC Championship Game as they won the SEC West title with a dramatic 18-17 win against Alabama in the Iron Bowl as the Tigers finished the 1997 regular season with a 9-2 record.

It was remarkable that the Tigers made it all the way to Atlanta despite the lack of a running game as no Auburn player rushed for more than 300 yards during the 1997 season as quarterback Dameyune Craig threw for 3,015 yards and 16 touchdown passes.

But with a defense that gave up just under 17 points per game, the Tigers had a chance to win their first outright SEC title since 1987 and end the Vols' chances of a national championship.

The Vols came out firing to start the game as Manning completed a 25-yard screen pass to Lewis on the first play of the game which would lead to Manning connecting with Price for a 40-yard touchdown to give Tennessee a 7-0 lead just five plays into the game.

Auburn would get the ball at their 20-yard-line for their first possession of the game as the Tigers lost two yards on two plays to set up 3rd & 12 when Craig scrambled around before completing a 69-yard pass to wide receiver Hicks Poor to help set up a 30-yard field goal by Jaret Holmes to cut the Tennessee lead to 7-3 with 10:25 to go in the first quarter.

Following an exchange of punts, the Vols had the ball at their 13-yard-line when Manning found Nash for an 11-yard gain, only for Nash to lose the football after a hit by Auburn linebacker Takeo Spikes as free safety Brad Ware would scoop up the fumble and return it for a 24-yard touchdown to give the Tigers a 10-7 lead with 5:36 left in the first quarter.

After another Tennessee punt, the Tigers would drive 25 yards in six plays to set up another field goal from Holmes, this one from 48 yards out to extend the Auburn lead to 13-7 as the Vols would go three-and-out on their ensuing possession to punt the ball back to the Tigers who had the ball at their 42-yard-line as the first quarter came to a close.

On the second play of the second quarter, Craig would fire his second touchdown of the game, a 51-yard bomb to wide receiver Tyrone Goodson to push the Tigers' lead to double digits at 20-7 just 48 seconds into the second quarter.

Auburn quarterback Dameyune Craig threw for 262 yards and two touchdowns despite completing only 14 of 34 passes.

The Tennessee offense would get back on track on their next drive as Manning would complete two passes to Price for 38 yards to move Tennessee to the Auburn 10-yard-line when on back-to-back plays Price and Nash dropped potential touchdown catches, forcing the Vols to settle for a 27-yard field goal by Jeff Hall to cut the Tigers' lead to 20-10 midway through the second quarter.

Auburn would pick up one 1st down before punting the ball back to the Vols, who looked like were going to begin their next possession in Tigers territory as Terry Fair returned the punt 44 yards until he fumbled the football as Auburn free safety Larry Melton would fall on the ball to give the Tigers the ball back at their 31-yard-line.

The Vols defense would hold the Tigers offense to a three-and-out to force another punt when Fair fumbled the football again, this time with Auburn fullback Kevin McLeod recovering the loose ball to give the Tigers the ball at the Tennessee 28-yard-line.

However, the Tigers could not convert the turnover into points as Craig fired three straight incomplete passes which was followed by Holmes missing his 45-yard field goal kick to give the ball back to the Vols at their 28-yard-line with 1:51 left in the first half.

Manning would complete three passes for 12 yards before firing a deep pass intended for Nash that was picked off by Auburn cornerback Larry Casher to force the fourth turnover by the Vols in the first half as the Tigers would take over at their 18-yard-line with 79 seconds left before halftime.

Auburn would go three-and-out to punt the ball back to the Vols who took a knee to run out the clock in the first half as Tennessee would go to the halftime break trailing 20-10.

After holding the Tigers to a three-and-out to start the first half, Fair would redeem himself for his two earlier fumbles to return the Auburn punt 45 yards to the Tigers' 22-yard-line where Manning and the Tennessee offense would take over.

Manning would hit Nash for 13 yards to begin the drive then connected with wide receiver Jermaine Copeland on back-to-back passes with the second pass being a five-yard touchdown to cut the Tennessee deficit to 20-17 with 11:56 to go in the third quarter.

Following an Auburn punt, the Vols got the ball at their 37-yard-line as Lewis would carry the ball four straight times to gain 18 yards until an illegal procedure pushed Tennessee five yards back to the 50-yard-line when Manning completed a 14-yars pass to Copeland then found Lewis for 21 yards to move the Vols to the Tigers' 15-yard-line and poised to give the lead back to Tennessee.

But Manning would throw a pass intended for Copeland, who juggled the ball until it was caught by Auburn cornerback Jason Bray for the interception, who would then run it back 77 yards to give Craig and the Tigers' offense the ball at the Tennessee 19-yard-line.

After an illegal procedure pushed the Tigers back five yards, Craig would fire a 24-yard touchdown pass to running back Fred Beasley to extend the Auburn lead back to 10 points at 27-17 with 6:14 left in the third quarter.

Tennessee would answer with a 10-play, 80-yard drive which saw Manning complete a 23-yard pass to Price on a 3rd & 17 which was followed by the Vols going for it on 4th & 3 in Auburn territory where Auburn would jump offsides to give Tennessee a 1st down when Manning hit Nash on a slant route that resulted in a 46-yard touchdown to trim the Vols' deficit to 27-23.

However, the ensuing extra point would be blocked by Tigers defensive tackle Charles Dorsey that was scooped up by linebacker Quinton Reese, who ran it back 78 yards to the end zone, giving Auburn two points to extend their lead to 29-23 with 1:06 remaining in the third quarter.

After an Auburn three-and-out, the Vols advanced to the Tigers' 41-yard-line until they committed their sixth turnover of the game as Lewis fumbled the handoff from Manning as Tigers defensive end Jeff Dunlap would make the recovery at the Auburn 42-yard-line.

The Tennessee defense would hold the Tigers to another three-and-out to give their offense the ball back at their 27-yard-line when after an incomplete pass on 1st down, Manning would throw a short pass to Nash, who made the catch at the Tennessee 30-yard-line, then broke two Auburn tackles as he raced down the sideline for a 73-yard touchdown that with the extra point gave the Vols a 30-29 lead with 11:14 left in the fourth quarter.

Tennessee wide receiver Marcus Nash caught nine passes for 126 yards, including the game-winning 73-yard touchdown pass.

Markeith Cooper would return the ensuing kickoff 46 yards to give the Tigers' offense the ball in Tennessee territory only for the Vol defense force their first turnover of the game when Fair stripped Auburn wide receiver Karsten Bailey of the ball at the end of a nine-yard reception as defensive back Fred White would recover the fumble at the Tennessee 40-yard-line.

The two teams would trade punts until there was 3:43 remaining in the game when the Vols took over at the Auburn 39-yard-line with a chance to run out the clock as two runs by Lewis for three yards and a six-yard pass from Manning to Nash set up a 4th & 1 where the Vols went for the 1st down where Manning kept it himself to gain the necessary yard to move the sticks.

From there, Lewis would run the ball on back-to-back plays, gaining five yards to bring up a 3rd & 5 when the freshman running back ran for 18 yards to give Tennessee a 1st down at the Auburn six-yard-line where Manning took a knee to run out the clock as the Vols would come away with the 30-29 victory to secure their first SEC championship since 1990.

The Tigers would return to the Georgia Dome one month later to play Clemson in the Peach Bowl where Auburn would win the battle of the Tigers as Craig led Auburn to 15 straight points to overcome a 17-6 fourth quarter deficit to win the game 21-17 as Auburn would finish the season with a 10-3 record and #11 ranking in both the final AP & Coaches polls.

As for the Volunteers, their slim chances of a national championship would disappear with Michigan's 21-16 victory over Washington State in the Rose Bowl one day before Tennessee's encounter with Nebraska in the Orange Bowl where the Vols would be blown out by the Cornhuskers 42-17 as Michigan and Nebraska would split the national championship while Tennessee finished the season ranked #7 in the AP poll and #8 in the coaches poll.

Manning, who would finish second in the Heisman Trophy voting behind Michigan defensive back Charles Woodson, would finish his Tennessee career with 11,201 yards and 89 touchdown passes as he would go on to an 18-year Hall-of-Fame career in the NFL.

Ironically one year later, the Vols would finally defeat Florida and win the national championship without Manning at quarterback as Tee Martin, who took over the starting quarterback job and led Tennessee to its first national title since 1951.

College Football Old School Game of the Week: Dawgs Knock off Sooners in Rose Bowl Classic

 

Georgia running back Sony Michel scores the game-winning touchdown in the Bulldogs' double overtime win over Oklahoma in the 2018 Rose Bowl.

In the early years of the College Football Playoff, close games were very rare as most of the games were blowouts.

That was not the case on New Year's Day 2018 when the Georgia Bulldogs and Oklahoma Sooners faced off in the "Grandaddy of Them All" the Rose Bowl where the winner would face the winner of the Sugar Bowl later that night between the Clemson Tigers and the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Oklahoma came into the Rose Bowl as the favorite behind first-year head coach Lincoln Riley, who had been promoted to head coach on June 7, 2017 after Bob Stoops stepped down as the Sooners' head coach after a 18-year tenure in which he led Oklahoma to 191 wins, 10 Big 12 conference championships and the 2000 national title.

Riley, who had been the Sooners' offensive coordinator for the previous two seasons, directed a Sooners team that went 12-1 as Oklahoma won the Big 12 conference title for third straight season and a second appearance in the CFP since its inception in 2014, thanks in large part to their high-powered offense which averaged almost 45 points per game.

At the controls of the offense was quarterback Baker Mayfield, who threw for 4,347 yards and 41 touchdown passes which propelled the former walk-on to be named as recipient of the Heisman Trophy award for 2017.

Mayfield's supporting cast featured running back Rodney Anderson, freshman wide receiver Cee Dee Lamb and all-American tight end Mark Andrews as the Sooners traveled to Pasadena to play in the Rose Bowl game for the second time in school history with their previous trip coming at the end of the 2002 season as they defeated the Washington State Cougars 34-14.

The Sooners' opponent  were the Georgia Bulldogs, who were making their first appearance in the CFP as the Dawgs hoping to win their first national title since 1980 when freshman running back Herschel Walker led the way.

Georgia was led by head coach Kirby Smart, a former Bulldogs defensive back, who was in his second season as the Dawgs' head coach after serving as defensive coordinator for Alabama for eight seasons under Nick Saban to help the Tide win four national titles.

While the Sooners featured one of the most explosive offenses in the country, the Bulldogs had one of the stingiest defenses as the Dawgs gave up an average of 13.2 points per game led by Butkus Award winner Roquan Smith as the nation's best linebacker.

On offense, the Dawgs were led by the best backfield in the country in running backs Nick Chubb, Sony Michel, and Deandre Swift who combined to run for 2,720 yards and scored 29 touchdowns as Georgia also went 12-1 during the season as the Bulldogs won the SEC title for the first time since 2005 and a trip to Pasadena to play in the Rose Bowl for the first time in 75 years when the Dawgs defeated UCLA 9-0 behind 1942 Heisman Trophy Winner Frank Sinkwich and running back Charley Trippi.

The biggest wild card for the game would be Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm, a true freshman who had taken for starter Jacob Eason who was injured in the Dawgs' first game of the 2017 season, who had thrown for 2,173 yards and 21 touchdown passes up to this point in the season.

 After the Dawgs punted on their opening possession of the game, the Sooners would quickly drive down the field as Mayfield completed two straight passes to fullback Dimirtri Flowers that totaled 42 yards which was followed by an eight-yard pass to tight end Mark Andrews that got 15 yards added to the play as Georgia defensive tackle Tyler Clark was called for a late hit.

The six-play, 80-yard drive would end with a 13-yard touchdown pass from Mayfield to wide receiver Marquise Brown to give Oklahoma a 7-0 lead just 3:29 into the game.

Georgia would respond with a six-play, 75-yard drive that began with a 25-yard run by Chubb and later a 23-yard run by Michel would move the Dawgs to the Sooners' 27-yard-line where Fromm completed a 14-yard pass to wide receiver Javon Wims, then hit Michel for a 13-yard touchdown to tie the game at seven.

It would take the Sooners only 91 seconds to get back into the end zone as a 48-yard run by running back Rodney Anderson would set up his nine-yard touchdown run to put Oklahoma back on top 14-7 with 6:56 to go in the first quarter.

The track meet seemed to be on as Georgia would drive from its 25-yard-line to the Sooners' 31-yard-line until they brought on Rodrigo Blankenship to attempt a 48-yard field goal, which sailed wide left as the score remained at 14-7 in favor of Oklahoma.

The Sooners would make three touchdowns in three possessions as Anderson would burst loose for a 41-yard touchdown on the second play of the second quarter to extend Oklahoma's lead to 21-7.

Oklahoma Baker Mayfield completed 23 of 35 passes for 287 yards and threw two touchdown passes while catching another TD.

But the Sooners' two-touchdown lead lasted just 12 seconds as Michel would run untouched for a 75-yard touchdown, the longest scoring play of the year for the Dawgs, to trim the Georgia deficit to 21-14.

Oklahoma would come back down the field as a 29-yard pass from Mayfield to Andrews and a 14-yard pass to Lamb would help the Sooners move to the Georgia 12-yard-line when Clark would sack Mayfield for a nine-yard loss on a 3rd & 7 to force Oklahoma to settle for a 38-yard field goal by Austin Seibert to push the Sooners' advantage back to double digits at 24-14 with 9:12 to go in the second quarter.

The two teams would exchange punts until 3:28 was left in the second quarter when a 31-yard run by running back Troy Sermon plus a 45-yard pass from Mayfield to Brown help the Sooners advance all the way to the Georgia two-yard-line with 13 seconds to go before halftime.

That is when the Sooners pulled out their version of the "Philly Special" as Mayfield handed the ball off to Flowers who tossed the ball to Lamb on a reverse, who then stopped and fired a pass for a wide open Mayfield, who made the catch for the two-yard touchdown that with the extra point gave Oklahoma a 31-14 lead with just six seconds left in the first half.

Oklahoma seemed poised to go the locker room ahead by 17 points with a chance to put the game out of range as they would get the ball to start the second half when a squib kick went awry on the ensuing kickoff as Seibert's kick bounced off Georgia linebacker Tae Crowder, who then landed on the ball to give the Dawgs possession at the Oklahoma 47-yard-line with five seconds to go.

That was enough time for Fromm to complete a nine-yard pass to wide receiver Terry Godwin then call timeout with one second left as Smart would send in Blankenship to attempt a 55-yard field goal who would make the longest field goal in Rose Bowl history as time expired in the first half with Georgia trailing 31-17.

The sequence of events at the end of the first half changed the momentum of the game as the Georgia defense would hold the Sooners to a three-and-out on their first possession of the second half as the Dawgs would get the ball at the 50-yard-line following a 21-yard punt return by Mecole Hardeman.

It would take the Dawgs just one snap to get into the end zone as Chubb would run it in for the 50-yard touchdown to cut the Sooners' lead to 31-24 early in the third quarter where the Oklahoma offense would be held to 29 yards after a first half where they complied 360 yards.

Late in the third quarter, Georgia would drive 71 yards in six plays as Fromm completed passes of 11 yards to Godwin and 20 yards to Wims to set up Michel's 38-yard touchdown run that with the extra point tied the game at 31 with 41 seconds to go in the third quarter.

Then on the first play of the fourth quarter, Mayfield would be picked off by Georgia strong safety Dominick Sanders, whose 39-yard return set the Dawgs up with a 1st & goal at the Oklahoma four-yard-line.

After a Chubb run went for no gain on 1st down, Fromm would hit Wims for the four-yard touchdown to give Georgia their first lead of the game at 38-31 with 13:57 left in the fourth quarter.

Georgia running back Nick Chubb ran for 145 yards and scored two touchdowns on just 14 carries.

Following an exchange of punts, the Sooners got the ball at their 12-yard-line when they rediscover the magic of the first half as Anderson would run for 15 yards to start the drive which was followed by a 36-yard pass from Mayfield to Lamb and then a 22-yard run by Mayfield to put Oklahoma at the Georgia 15-yard-line.

After Anderson would run for four yards on 1st down, Mayfield would find Flowers in the back of the end zone for the 11-yard touchdown that with the extra point tied the game at 38 with 8:47 to go in regulation.

The Dawgs would begin their ensuing possession at their 25-yard-line as they moved to their 46-yard-line when Michel was met by Oklahoma linebacker Caleb Kelly who was able to force a fumble that was scooped up by strong safety Stephen Parker and returned for a 46-yard touchdown to give Oklahoma a 45-38 lead with 6:52 to go in the fourth quarter.

After both teams went three-and-out on their next possessions, the Dawgs got the ball at their 41-yard-line with 3:22 left in regulation for them to drive down the field and score the game-tying touchdown.

The drive began with a four-yard run by Michel followed by a 15-yard pass from Fromm to Godwin to give Georgia a 1st down at the Sooners' 40-yard-line when Fromm was barely avoided a sack from Oklahoma defensive end D.J. Ward to complete a 17-yard pass to Michel to give the Dawgs a fresh set of downs at the Oklahoma 23-yard-line.

Two incomplete passes would force a 3rd & 10 when Fromm found Godwin again, this time for 16 yards, to give Georgia a 1st & goal at the Oklahoma seven-yard-line when Fromm threw a pass intended for Wims in the end zone, who drew a pass interference penalty on Sooners cornerback Tre Norwood to move five yards closer to the end zone at the Sooners' two-yard-line.

That is when Chubb lined up as the quarterback in the "Wild Dawg" formation as he took the direct snap from center and punched in in for the two-yard touchdown that with Blankenship's extra point tied the game at 45 with 55 seconds left in regulation.

Oklahoma would get a chance to drive down for a potential game-winning field goal but could go no further than their own 45-yard-line before punting the ball back to Georgia who took one knee to run out the clock and send the game to overtime, the first time in Rose Bowl history that the game had gone into overtime, tied at 45.

Georgia would get the ball to start the overtime period as two runs combined for four yards to set up 3rd & 6 when Fromm fired a pass intended for tight end Isaac Nauta that fell incomplete to bring up 4th down where Blankenship would come on to kick a 38-yard field goal to give the Dawgs a 48-45 lead but the Sooners the chance to win the game if they could put into the end zone.

Two plays gained eight yards to set up a 3rd & 2 when Riley called for an end around reverse to wide receiver Jordan Smallwood, who ended up tackled one yard short of the first down by Smith and fellow linebacker Reggie Carter to force a 4th & 1 at the 16-yard-line.

Riley ended up sending in the field goal unit as Seibert would make a 34-yard field goal that tied the game at 48 and send the game to a second overtime period where the Sooners would start on offense.

The Dawgs appeared to have force a turnover when cornerback Deandre Baker intercepted a Mayfield pass in the end zone only for it to be nullified by an offsides penalty on defensive end Jonathan Ledbetter gave Oklahoma a 1st down at the 15-yard-line.

The Georgia defense would hold as the Sooners picked up five yards on the next three plays to bring up a 4th & 5 when Seibert would come on to attempt a 27-yard field goal that would give Oklahoma the lead once again.

Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm completed 20 of 29 passes for 210 yards and threw two touchdown passes.

However, Seibert's kick was blocked by Georgia linebacker Lorenzo Carter to keep the game tied at 48 but more importantly gave the Dawgs a chance to win the game with any score on their ensuing possession.

On 1st down, Fromm tossed the ball to Swift who would be dropped for a two-yard-loss to bring up 2nd & 12 from the 27-yard-line when it was Michel's time to line up in the "Wild Dawg" formation.

Michel took the direct snap and ran around the left side untouched for the game-winning 27-yard touchdown to give Georgia the 54-48 double overtime victory and clinch a spot in the National Championship game.

The heartbreaking loss to the Dawgs would be the first of three straight CFP semifinal losses for Riley and the Sooners as Oklahoma would win the Big 12 the next two seasons only to be defeated by Alabama 45-34 in the 2019 Orange Bowl followed by a humiliating 63-28 loss to LSU in the Peach Bowl the following season.

As for Georgia, their dreams of winning a national championship in their backyard would come to a heartbreaking end as they fell to Alabama 26-23 in overtime as Tua Tagovailoa, who had replaced starter Jalen Hurts to begin the second half, hit Devonta Smith for a 41-yard touchdown pass on 2nd & 26 to give the Crimson Tide its fifth national title in nine yards.

Georgia fans would have to four more years before ending their national championship drought when they defeated Alabama 33-18 in the 2022 National Championship Game the first of their back-to-back national titles.

College Football Old School Game of the Week: Mizzou Wins Border War Shootout over Kansas

 

Missouri kicker Grant Ressel(95)kicks the game-winning field goal in the 2009 edition of the "Border War".

One of the longest and most-played rivalries in all of college football is the one between the Kansas Jayhawks and the Missouri Tigers also known as the "Border War".

Every year from 1907 through 2011, the two neighboring schools would play each other, most if not all the time, at the end of the regular season, often unbeknownst to the rest of the country as the two schools were not national powers.

The peak of the rivalry came in a three year span starting in 2007 when the two teams both ranked in the top 5, met at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City with a spot in the Big 12 conference championship game on the line as well as potential national championship implications.

Missouri would win that game 36-28 behind a 40-of-49 for 361 yards and three touchdown pass performance by Tigers quarterback Chase Daniel as Missouri would move to the #1 ranking in the AP poll for the first time since 1960 as the Tigers needed to beat Oklahoma in the Big 12 title game to earn a spot in the BCS national championship game(Missouri would lose 38-17 to Oklahoma).

One year later, the Jayhawks and Tigers would met once again at Arrowhead, thought this time there were no Big 12 or national title implications, as Kansas would prevail with a 40-37 win thanks to quarterback Todd Reesing's 26-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Kerry Maier on a 4th & 7 with 27 seconds remaining.

The two teams would play each other for the third straight season at Arrowhead in the final game of the 2009 regular season as the 7-4 Tigers would face the 5-6 Jayhawks in the 103rd consecutive meeting between the two schools.

Missouri was led by head coach Gary Pinkel, who was in his ninth season as the Tigers' head coach, having led Mizzou to the school's only second and third 10-win seasons in the previous two seasons prior to 2009.

The 2009 season started out well with Missouri winning their first four games before losing four of their next five to drop to a 5-4 record until they defeated Kansas State and Iowa State to secure the Tigers' fifth straight winning season and sixth in the last seven years.

On the field, the Tigers were led by quarterback Blaine Gabbert, who had taken over for Daniel who left Missouri as its all-time leader in passing yards and touchdown passes, and wide receiver Danario Alexander, who up to this point in the 2009 season had caught 92 passes for 1,311 yards and scored 12 touchdowns.

On the other side were the Jayhawks, who came into the Missouri game under a cloud of controversy as head coach Mark Mangino was being investigated by the school for allegations of verbal and physical abuse against some of his players during his tenure as the Kansas head coach which began in 2002.

The allegations overshadowed what had been the most successful run in Kansas football history as Mangino had complied a record of 50-47 while leading Kansas to four bowl games including a trip to the Orange Bowl following the 2007 regular season where the Jayhawks defeated the Virginia Tech Hokies 24-21 to finish the season with a 12-1 record and #7 ranking, the most wins and highest ranking ever in a Kansas football season.

But with the investigation into his conduct as well as a six-game losing streak after starting the 2009 season with a 5-0 record, Mangino was on the hot seat as he prepared the Jayhawks to face the Tigers in another edition of the "Border War".

The Jayhawks got the ball to start the game as they would drive 18 yards in five plays before punting the ball to Missouri, who took over at their 20-yard-line as they would advance to the Kansas 34-yard-line until they punted the ball back to Kansas, who would begin its ensuing possession at their one-yard-line.

It looked like the Tigers were going to get the ball back in Kansas territory as Reesing threw two incomplete passes to force a 3rd & 10 situation when he completed a 17-yard pass to running back Jake Sharp to give the Jayhawks a 1st down at their 18-yard-line.

From there, Reesing would complete five straight passes, with three of those completions going to wide receiver Dezmon Briscoe for a total of 29 yards, including one for a seven-yard touchdown to give Kansas a 7-0 lead with 6:40 left in the first quarter.

Kansas wide receiver Dezmon Briscoe caught 14 passes for 242 yards and scored two touchdowns but also had two costly fumbles.

Missouri would respond with a seven-play, 51-yard drive with the big play being a 30-yard scramble by Gabbert, to help set up a 43-yard field goal by Grant Ressel to cut the Kansas lead to 7-3 with 3:52 to go in the first quarter.

Kansas would start their next drive at their 30-yard-line as back-to-back passes to Sharp totaled 39 yards to move Kansas to the Missouri 31-yard-line when a chop black penalty pushed the Jayhawks back 15 yards with a 1st & 25 situation at the Tigers' 46-yard-line.

Two plays later on 3rd & 18, Reesing would hit tight end Tim Biere for a 33-yard completion to give Kansas a 1st & goal at the Missouri one-yard-line when Reesing snuck it in for the touchdown to increase the Jayhawks' lead to 14-3 with 64 seconds remaining in the opening quarter.

The Tigers seemed poised to cut into the Kansas lead on their ensuing possession as they drove 64 yards in 11 plays to the Jayhawks' 26-yard-line until Gabbert fumbled the football after he was tackled by Kansas defensive end Maxwell Onyegbule with linebacker Drew Dudley recovering the fumble to give the Jayhawks the ball at their 26-yard-line.

Following an exchange of punts, the Jayhawks had the ball at their 17-yard-line when Reesing completed an eight-yard pass to Briscoe, who would fumble the football which was recovered by Missouri defensive back Carl Gettis, whose 20-yard return gave the Tigers a 1st & goal at the Kansas five-yard-line.

It would take the Tigers three plays to get into the end zone as running back Derrick Washington punched it in for the one-yard touchdown to trim the Jayhawks' lead to 14-10 with 5:49 left in the second quarter.

The Jayhawks would move down the field on their ensuing possession on the right arm of Reesing who would complete six of seven passes for 68 yards on a drive that culminated with an eight-yard touchdown pass from Reesing to Maier to push the Kansas lead back to 11 points at 21-10 with 3:03 to go before halftime.

A 40-yard run by Gabbert on the Tigers' following drive would lead to a 28-yard field goal by Ressel to trim the Jayhawks' lead to 21-13 with 61 seconds to go in the first half as Missouri would get a chance to put more points on the board before halftime as Tigers cornerback Kip Edwards intercepted a Reesing pass to give the Missouri offense the ball at their 48-yard-line.

However, the Tigers would go three-and-out as the Jayhawks would take a knee to run out the clock on the first half with Kansas ahead 21-13.

Missouri would get the ball at their 35-yard-line to start the second half as Gabbert completed two passes to Alexander for 39 yards which was followed by two runs by Washington for 26 yards with the second run being a 14-yard touchdown to cut the Jayhawks' lead to 21-19 when the Tigers decided to go for two following the touchdown which was unsuccessful as Gabbert was tackled behind the line of scrimmage by Kansas safety Darnell Stuckey.

The Jayhawks would respond with a 13-play, 78-yard drive that was capped off with a two-yard touchdown pass from Reesing to Maier to increase the Kansas lead to 28-19 with 5:45 left in the third quarter.

Kansas quarterback Todd Reesing threw for a school record 498 yards and four touchdown passes on 37-of-55 passing.

It would only take the Tigers one minute and 45 seconds to get back into the end zone as wide receiver Jerrel Jackson would take an end around for a 37-yard touchdown to bring Missouri to within a field goal of taking the lead at 28-26.

On the Jayhawks' ensuing possession, Reesing would complete a 22-yard pass to Briscoe, who would end up fumbling the football for the second time in the game as Gettis, who recovered Briscoe's earlier fumble in the game, would make the recovery to give Missouri the ball back at their 27-yard-line.

After an incomplete pass and a five-yard run by Washington set up a 3rd & 5 situation, Gabbert would connect with Alexander for a 67-yard touchdown to give the Tigers their first lead of the game at 33-28 with 4:03 to go in the third quarter.

The Missouri defense would force the Jayhawks to punt on their next possession to give their offense the ball back at the Tigers' 13-yard-line where after a false start penalty pushed them back five yards to the eight-yard-line, Gabbert found Alexander again, this time for 59 yards to put the Tigers at the Kansas 33-yard-line.

From there, the Tigers would advance to the Jayhawks' 10-yard-line until  Onyegbule sacked Gabbert for a nine-yard loss to kill the Missouri drive and force the Tigers to settle for a 37-yard field goal by Ressel which increased Missouri's lead to 36-28 with 13:29 to go in the fourth quarter.

Kansas would get the ball back at their 28-yard-line as a holding penalty would lead to a 3rd & 12 situation when Reesing hit Briscoe for a 74-yard touchdown which was followed by Reesing hitting Maier on the ensuing two-point conversion to tie the game at 36 with 12:01 remaining in regulation.

The Kansas defense would force the Tigers to go three-and-out on their next drive but the offense would get the ball back at their one-yard-line after another coffin-corner punt by Missouri's Jake Harry IV.

However, the Jayhawks would drive down to the Tigers' five-yard-line thanks to completions of 26 yards to Briscoe and 42 yards to running back Reli Lewis until an intentional grounding penalty on Reesing on 3rd & goal would force Kansas to settle for a 39-yard field goal by Jacob Bransetter to give the Jayhawks a 39-36 lead with 5:10 left in regulation.

The Jayhawks would force another three-and-out but another excellent punt by Harry would pin the Kansas offense back at their three-yard-line with 2:59 left in the game and Missouri with only one timeout remaining.

But Reesing would throw two straight incomplete passes to help stop the clock and set up a 3rd & 10 situation when Missouri defensive ends Aldon Smith and Brian Coulter combined to sack Reesing in the end zone for a safety to cut the Jayhawks' lead to 39-38 with 2:45 to go as Missouri was set to get the ball back with a chance to drive for the game-winning field goal.

An 18-yard return by Gettis on the ensuing kickoff would give the Tigers' offense the ball at their 48-yard-line as a three-yard run by Gabbert followed by a nine-yard run by Washington gave Missouri a 1st down at the Kansas 40-yard-line.

After an incomplete pass on 1st down, Gabbert would complete an eight-yard pass to Alexander to set up a 3rd & 2 situation when Washington broke loose for a 27-yard run to put Missouri at the Kansas five-yard-line with a 1st & goal with 51 seconds to go.

Missouri wide receiver Danario Alexander caught 15 passes for 233 yards in the game with 10 catches for 202 yards coming in the second half.

Gabbert would then take two knees to drain the remaining time on the clock to four seconds before Pinkel would send Ressel and the field goal unit in to win the game with a 27-yard field goal.

Ressel would easily make the kick as time expired to give Missouri the 41-39 victory to improve the Tigers' record to 8-4 while handing the Jayhawks their seventh straight loss to end the season with a 5-7 record.

The loss to Missouri would be the final game for Mangino as the Kansas head coach as he and the university agreed to a contract buyout which resulted in Mangino resigning from his position.

The Jayhawks would return to being a football doormat as they would win only 22 games through the 2010s and would not appear in a bowl game until 2022.

Missouri would go to play Navy in the Texas Bowl which the Tigers would lose 35-13 to finish the season with a 8-5 record and unranked in either the final AP or coaches poll.

As for the Missouri-Kansas rivalry, the two teams would play each other the following two seasons before the Tigers left the Big 12 conference for the SEC, which resulted in bringing an end to the rivalry after 105 straight years after playing each other.

The two programs agreed to a home-and-home in 2025 + 26 and then again in 2031 + 32 but there are currently no plays to resume the rivalry on an annual basis.

College Football Old School Game of the Week: USC Holds off Fresno State Thanks to Bush's Spectacular Performance

USC running back Reggie Bush would put together a performance for the ages in the Trojans' win over the Fresno State Bulldogs in 2005.

The USC Trojans of the early 2000s were the top program in all of college football as they won back-to-back national championships in 2003 + 2004 and produce three Heisman Trophy winners in span of four years starting with quarterback Carson Palmer in 2002 followed by quarterback Matt Leinart in 2004 and then running back Reggie Bush in 2005.

When it comes to the 2005 Heisman race, the college football world believed that Bush sewed up the award with his performance in the Trojans' penultimate game of the regular season where they would take on the Fresno State Bulldogs.

USC was ranked #1 with a 10-0 record having won their previous 32 games under head coach Pete Carroll who had the Trojans in the hunt for an unprecedented third straight national championship.

The 2005 season had some bumps in the road including a 38-28 win over Arizona State where the Trojans overcame a 21-3 halftime deficit to defeat the Sun Devils(To read about that game click on the link which is highlighted here:https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2022/09/college-football-old-school-game-of_28.html) and a 34-31 win over Notre Dame in one of the greatest games ever played.

In both victories, Bush would come up large as he ran for 158 yards and two touchdowns in the vicotry over Arizona State, then ran for 160 yards and three touchdowns to go along with pushing Leinart into the end zone on the Trojans' game-winning touchdown in the final seconds of the Notre Dame game.

Up to this point in the season, Bush had run for 1,104 yards and scored 13 touchdowns while catching 28 passes for 315 yards and returning kickoffs and occasionally punts.

The Trojans hoped for a big night from Bush as they prepared to host the #16 ranked Fresno State Bulldogs from the Western Athletic Conference who had upset on their minds.

The Bulldogs came into the USC game with a 8-1 record with their only loss being a 37-34 nailbiter to Oregon in the second game of the season.

The Bulldogs were led by head coach Pat Hill, who was in his ninth season at Fresno having led the Bulldogs to six bowl appearances as he had complied a 72-39 record during his time in the Valley.

If the 23-point underdog Bulldogs were going to pull off the giant upset in front of a crowd of nearly 90,000 fans at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, they somehow would have to contain Bush.

 Bush would get his hands on the football as the game began as he returned the opening kickoff 28 yards to the USC 28-yard-line.

However, Bush would not touch the ball on the Trojans' first drive of the game as USC would travel 26 yards in seven plays before punting the ball to the Bulldogs who would take over at their 19-yard-line.

After an one-yard run by Wendell Mathis to start the drive, quarterback Paul Pinegar would complete four of six passes for 63 yards to help drive the Bulldogs to the USC 13-yard-line when Pinegar completed a 12-yard pass to tight end Devyn McDonald who had the football popped out of his hands after a hit by USC defensive back Josh Pinkard, only for wide receiver Jermaine Jamison catch the fumble in midair and dive into the end zone for the touchdown to give Fresno State a 7-0 lead.

Bush would make his presence felt on the Trojans' ensuing possession when he broke loose for a 65-yard run to give USC a 1st & goal at the Fresno State five-yard-line when Bush's partner in crime, running back Lendale White, ran it for the game-tying touchdown midway through the first quarter.

Following an exchange of punts, the Bulldogs took over at their 35-yard-line as three plays gained nine yards to set up a 4th & 1 where it appeared Fresno State would punt the ball back to the Trojans, only to run a fake as the ball was snapped to strong safety Josh Sherley, who would run for two yards to give Fresno State a fresh set of downs at their 46-yard line as the first quarter came to an end.

Eight plays later, the Bulldogs were back in the end zone as running back Roshon Vercher would punch it in for an one-yard touchdown to give Fresno State a 14-7 lead with 12:07 left in the second quarter.

Bush would return the ensuing kickoff 30 yards to the USC 34-yard-line as Reggie would catch a 12-yard pass from Leinart then ran for 12 yards that with a face mask penalty on Fresno State gave the Trojans a 1st & goal at the Bulldogs' nine-yard-line

But the Trojans could not get it into the end zone as they would settle for a 25-yard field goal by Mario Danelo to cut the Fresno State lead to 14-10 lead midway through the second quarter.

The Bulldogs would start their next possession at their 45-yard-line after a 42-yard return by Adam Jennings on the kickoff as Pinegar would complete all five of his passes for 52 yards on the eight-play, 55-yard drive that culminated with a 14-yard touchdown pass from Pinegar to wide receiver Joe Fernandez to extend the Fresno State lead to 21-10 with 4:08 left before halftime.

Fresno State quarterback Paul Pinegar would complete 27 of 45 passes for 317 yards and throw four touchdown passes but would also throw four interceptions.

Facing their largest deficit since their comeback win over Arizona State, the Trojans would begin their ensuing drive at their 11-yard-line with a 21-yard run by Bush, which was followed by Leinart completing five of his next six passes for 39 yards to help set up a 31-yard field goal by Danielo to trim the deficit to eight points at 21-13 as the first half came to a close.

The Bulldogs would get the ball to start the second half but would end up punting the ball back to the Trojans who would take over at the Fresno State 43-yard-line after a 16-yard return by Bush on the punt.

Following a seven-yard pass from Leinart to fullback Brandon Hancock, Bush would reel off a 35-yard run to put USC at the Fresno State one-yard-line where Leinart would sneak into the end zone to make it an one-point game at 21-20.

The Bulldogs would begin their next drive at their 14-yard-line as a holding penalty would push them back to their six-yard-line where on 3rd & 18, Pinegar would throw it deep only to have Trojans free safety Brandon Ting intercept the pass to give USC the ball at the Fresno State 45-yard-line.

On the very next snap, Bush would run untouched for a 45-yard touchdown to give USC a 27-21 lead with 10:03 to go in the third quarter.

Things would go from bad to worse for the Bulldogs on the first play of their ensuing possession as Pinegar would be picked off by USC strong safety Darnell Bing to give the Trojans the ball at the Fresno State 32-yard-line.

Five plays later, the Trojans were back in the end zone as Leinart completed a six-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Steve Smith to extend USC's lead to 34-21 following the Trojans' third touchdown in a span of three minutes and eight seconds.

After the ensuing kickoff went out of bounds, the Bulldogs took over at their 35-yard-line as four straight runs by Mathis gained 34 yards to move Fresno State to the USC 31-yard-line as Pinegar would complete an 11-yard pass to running back Matt Rivera, which was followed by a 20-yard touchdown pass from Pinegar to wide receiver Paul Williams to cut the Trojans' lead to 34-28 with 5:39 left in the third quarter.

The Fresno State defense would then hold the Trojans to a three-and-out as the Bulldogs would get the ball back at the USC 30-yard-line after a 57-yard punt return by Jennings.

Three runs by Mathis for a total of 22 yards would put Fresno State at the USC eight-yard-line with a chance to regain the lead when Pinegar would throw his third interception of the quarter as free safety Scott Ware would pick off the pass at the goal line and run it back 30 yards to the Fresno State 30-yard-line where Leinart and the USC offense would take over.

A 13-yard pass to Bush followed by a pass interference penalty on Fresno State put the Trojans at the Bulldogs' 42-yard-line when Leinart was sacked for an eight-yard loss by Bulldogs defensive end Garrett McIntyre to set up 2nd & 18 from the 50-yard-line.

That is when Bush produced his Heisman moment as he took a handoff from Leinart and run to the left side untouched for 25 yards until he made a juke move at the 25-yard-line and cut back across the field as he would run it in for an amazing 50-yard touchdown which increased the Trojans' lead to 41-28 with 75 seconds left in the third quarter.

The Bulldogs would drive to inside USC territory on their next possession before punting the ball back to the Trojans who would go three-and-out as a 15-yard return by Jennings on the ensuing punt plus a 15-yard personal foul put Fresno State at the USC 15-yard-line.

It would take the Bulldogs six plays to get into the end zone as Pinegar completed a six-yard touchdown pass to Fernandez to bring Fresno State back to within a touchdown at 41-35 with 9:59 left in the fourth quarter.

Bush would get his hands on the football again on the ensuing kickoff only to fumble the football when he was hit by Bulldogs cornerback Marcus McCauley as defensive back Jason Huss would recover the fumble to give Fresno State the ball at the USC 18-yard-line.

That is when Pinegar handed the ball off to Mathis, who ran untouched into the end zone for the 18-yard touchdown that with the extra point gave Fresno State a 42-41 lead with 9:47 left in the fourth quarter.

Bush would atone for his fumble on the Trojans' ensuing possession which began at their 11-yard-line as Bush would start the drive with two runs totaling 25 yards which was followed by a 43-yard reception to give USC a 1st down at the Fresno State 21-yard-line.

Four plays later, White would punch it in for a two-yard touchdown to give USC a 47-42 lead as the Trojans would go for two after the touchdown, which was unsuccessful as Leinart would throw an incomplete pass to keep the score where at 47-42 with 6:22 left in regulation.

Fresno State would begin its next drive at their 21-yard-line as two plays gained only one yard to set up 3rd & 9 when Pinegar lost the football after a sack by USC defensive end Lawrence Jackson as linebacker Brian Cushing would recover the fumble at the Bulldogs' 15-yard-line to give the Trojans an opportunity to put the game away with a touchdown.

After a seven-yard run by Bush on 1st down, the Fresno State defense would clamper down as they held to Bush to zero yards on his next two carries to force a 26-yard field goal by Danielo which extended the Trojans' lead to 50-42 with 3:06 left in regulation as the Bulldogs would have a chance to drive for a touchdown and convert on a two-point conversion that would tie the game.

Starting at their 28-yard-line, the Bulldogs came out throwing as Pinegar completed a  four-yard pass to Fernandez which was followed by two straight incompletions to set up a do-or-die 4th & 6 when Pinegar threw a screen pass to Rivera that would go for eight yards to give Fresno State a 1st down at their 40-yard-line.

Pinegar would then complete a five-yard pass to Fernandez which was followed by a 30-yard pass to Rivera to put Fresno State at the USC 25-yard-line when Pinegar throw a pass intended for Williams that would be intercepted by Bing at the goal line as the senior defensive back would run the interception back 40 yards to the Fresno State 40-yard-line with 1:20 left in the game.

As Fresno State had no timeouts, Leinart could take two knees to run out the clock as the Trojans would come away with the 50-42 victory, the 33rd straight win for USC as they improved their 2005 record to 11-0 on a night where Bush accounted for 513 yards as he carried the ball 23 times for 294 yards while catching three passes for 68 yards, returning a punt for 16 yards and seven kickoffs for 136 yards.

While the Bulldogs maintained their #16 ranking despite the loss, they never recovered from the heartbreaking loss as they would lose three final games of the season including a 34-21 loss to Tulsa in the Liberty Bowl to finish the season with a 8-5 record and unranked.

As for Bush and the Trojans, they would destroy crosstown rival UCLA 66-19 to clinch a spot in the BCS National Championship Game while Bush would go on to win the Heisman Trophy one week later.

The Trojans would face the Texas Longhorns in the Rose Bowl where their dreams of a third straight national title would be crushed by Heisman runner-up Vince Young's performance as he threw for 267 yards and ran for 200 yards and scored four touchdowns including the game-winner with 19 seconds left in the game to give Texas a 41-38 win for the Longhorns' first national title since 1970(To read about that game, click on the link which is highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2017/09/college-football-old-school-game-of_13.html).

Four years later, the Trojans would be forced to vacate all their wins from the 2005 season after a NCAA investigation found that Bush received improper benefits, including a limousine ride to the 2005 Heisman Trophy ceremony as Bush would also vacate the Heisman Trophy.

However, the NCAA's decision to allow players to make money on their name, image, and likeness or NIL, would lead to Bush being reinstated as the 2005 Heisman Trophy winner in 2024.

College Football Old School Game of the Week: The Catch(Clemson Version)

Jerry Butler makes "The Catch" for Clemson in their 1977 win over South Carolina.

When sports fans think of "The Catch" most of them either point to Dwight Clark's famous game-winning touchdown reception for the San Francisco 49ers as they defeated the Dallas Cowboys in the 1981 NFC Championship Game or Willie Mays' over the shoulder catch in Game 1 of the 1954 World Series to help the New York Giants defeat the Cleveland Indians.

But when someone mentions "The Catch" in the state of South Carolina, fans of both of the two major college football teams in the Palmetto state will think of Clemson Tigers wide receiver Jerry Butler's game-winning touchdown catch in the final minutes of the Tigers' 1977 win over the South Carolina Gamecocks.

Clemson came into the game needed to defeat the Gamecocks to earn an invitation to play the Pittsburgh Panthers in the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville on December 30th of that year which would be the first bowl game for the Tigers since 1959.

The Tigers were led by first-year head coach Charley Pell, whose offense was led by junior quarterback Steve Fuller and ironically Dwight Clark, who would only catch 32 passes during his career at Clemson as Butler, a junior, was the Tigers' leading receiver as he had caught 40 passes for 694 yards and three touchdowns.

While the Tigers were playing for a bowl game, South Carolina was looking to secure its third straight winning season under head coach Joe Corlen as the Gamecocks came into the "Palmetto Bowl" with a 5-5 record after starting out the season 3-0.

The South Carolina offense was led by senior quarterback Ron Bass or more famously known as "Sunshine" for the 1971 T.C. Williams Titans of Alexandria, Virginia that inspired the 2000 movie Remember The Titans and a plethron of running backs that featured 1980 Heisman Trophy winner George Rogers, who was the team's second leading rusher as a freshman in 1977.

 After both teams punted on their opening possessions of the game, the Tigers took over at their 10-yard-line as it took them eight plays just get to their 45-yard-line until Fuller ran for five yards on a quarterback option to the left side then lateraled the ball to running back Warren Ratchford who ran for 27 yards to complete the 32-yard play and give Clemson a 1st down at the South Carolina 23-yard-line.

Running back Marvin Sims would then get a carry as he ran for 19 yards to give Clemson a 1st & goal where Rutherford would cap off the 11-play, 90-yard drive with a four-yard touchdown run to give the Tigers a 7-0 lead with 6:36 left in the first quarter.

Clemson would get a golden opportunity to extend their lead when on the second play of the Gamecocks' ensuing possession, cornerback Roy Eppes would pick off a pass from Bass and return the interception 30 yards to the South Carolina 10-yard-line.

The Tigers would run the ball three straight times for a total of nine yards as Pell would take the points instead of going for it on 4th down as kicker Obed Ariri would make the 18-yard field goal to increase Clemson's lead to 10-0 with 3:59 remaining in the first quarter.

The Gamecocks would then drive from their 31-yard-line to the Tigers' 39-yard-line thanks in large part to a pair of 12-yard completions by Bass, first to Rogers and the latter to tight end Willie Scott, until running back Johnnie Wright fumbled the football as Clemson free safety Steve Ryan would make the recovery to give the Tigers the ball at their 33-yard-line.

From there, the Tigers would travel 67 yards in 14 plays, converting on four straight 3rd down conversions as Lester Brown would dive into the end zone for a one-yard touchdown to extend the Clemson lead to 17-0 with 9:39 to go in the second quarter.

Clemson quarterback Steve Fuller would complete 14 of 20 passes for 178 yards while running for 31 yards on 17 carries. 

South Carolina would get the ball back at their 20-yard-line as the Gamecocks ran the ball on 14 consecutive plays for 63 yards until Bass threw a pass that was batted down by Tigers defensive tackle Jim Stuckey on a 3rd & 5 as Carlen would send in the field goal unit to get South Carolina on the scoreboard.

But Britt Parish's 34-yard field goal attempt would side right of the uprights as the Gamecocks came away with zero points after a drive which lasted for seven minutes as the Tigers would get begin their next drive at their 20-yard-line.

The Tigers seemed poised to add on to their lead especially after a 41-yard pass from Fuller to Butler put Clemson in South Carolina territory at the Gamecocks' 33-yard-line with over a minute to go before halftime.

However, the Tigers would turn it over on the next play from scrimmage as Ratchford would cough up the football thanks to a hit by Gamecocks linebacker David Prezioso as defensive lineman Bill Janus would recover the fumble at the South Carolina 44-yard-line.

Carolina would try to get into field goal range before the end of the half but Bass would throw his second interception of the game as cornerback Rex Varn picked off a pass intended for wide receiver Phillip Logan to allow the Tigers to run out the clock on the first half and go into the locker room still ahead 17-0.

Midway through the third quarter, it appeared that the Tigers had put up the knockout punch as running back Ken Calicutt busted through a hole provided by guard Jon Bostic and ran for a 52-yard touchdown to push the Clemson lead to 24-0.

After an exchange of three-and-outs, the Gamecocks had the ball at their 14-yard-line when Bass completed a nine-yard pass to Rogers which was followed by an incomplete pass to set up 3rd & 1 when Bass ran a quarterback option to the right side and tossed the ball to running back Spencer Clark who outran the Clemson defense for a 77-yard touchdown to give South Carolina their first points of the game and trim the deficit to 24-7 with 3:58 to go in the third quarter.

The Tigers would begin their next possession at their 35-yard-line as Fuller completed passes of 17 yards to wide receiver Rick Waddington and 10 yards to Dwight Clark to help Clemson drive to the South Carolina 27-yard-line until Fuller pitched the ball behind Brown, leading to a recovery by defensive lineman Fred Sinclair to give the Gamecocks the ball at their 33-yard-line.

Three plays later, Bass would complete a 40-yard pass to Logan to put South Carolina at the Clemson 11-yard-line when running back Steve Dorsey took a handoff from Bass and ran up the middle for the touchdown to cut Tigers' lead to 24-14 just 37 seconds into the fourth quarter.

The Gamecocks kept the momentum on their side as they forced a three-and-out from the Clemson offense then got the ball at the Tigers' 39-yard-line after Dave Sims' punt only went 10 yards.

South Carolina would keep the ball on the ground as they ran the ball on 10 out of the 11 plays of their drive which ended with another touchdown run by Dorsey, this one from one yard out to make it a 24-20 game as the Gamecocks would go for two after the touchdown.

Bass would complete a pass to Scott but the tight end was out of bounds making the pass incomplete and keeping the score at 24-20 in favor of the Tigers with 7:02 to play in the game.

Clemson would pick up one 1st down before punting the ball back to the Gamecocks as Sims shanked another punt, this one going for 18 yards as South Carolina would take over at their 48-yard-line with a little over four minutes to play and a chance to take the lead with a touchdown.

Three straight running plays picked up 12 yards and a fresh set of downs at the Clemson 40-yard-line when Bass threw three straight incomplete passes to force a do-or-die 4th & 10 with 2:01 remaining when Bass threw a pass over the middle that was caught by Logan some 20 yards downfield, who then was able to break a couple of Clemson tackles to run into the end zone for the 40-yard touchdown.

It was the fourth touchdown for the Gamecocks in a span of 16 minutes and 10 seconds as they had wiped away a 24-point deficit to take their first lead of the game at 27-24 with 1:48 left to play in the game.

With their Gator Bowl hopes on the line, the Tigers would begin their next drive at their 33-yard-line after a 26-yard return by wide receiver Willie Jordan on the ensuing kickoff as Clemson had all three timeouts and 99 seconds to drive down the field for the go-ahead touchdown.

The drive would begin with an one-yard run by Fuller followed by a two-yard pass to Ratchford to bring up 3rd & 7 when Fuller connected with Waddington for a 26-yard completion to give Clemson a 1st down at the South Carolina 38-yard-line.

After throwing a pass out of bounds to stop the clock, Fuller would find Dwight Clark over the middle for 18 yards to move the chains as Clemson would have a 1st down at the Gamecocks' 20-yard-line with less than a minute to play.

That is when Fuller took the snap and drifted to his left side when he threw a pass toward the end zone for Butler that was too high and behind the wide receiver.

But Butler would contort his body to make the catch for the 20-yard touchdown to culminate the five-play, 67-yard drive and give Clemson a 31-27 lead with 49 seconds to go in the game.

The Gamecocks would get one last chance to pull out the win as an excessive celebration penalty and a 26-yard kickoff return by Rogers gave South Carolina the ball at their 49-yard-line.

However, Bass would throw four straight incomplete passes to force a turnover on downs as Fuller would take a knee to run out the clock as the Tigers had secured their first bowl game in 18 years with their 31-27 victory over the Gamecocks.

South Carolina would play one more game in 1977 as they traveled to Hawaii to take on the Rainbow Warriors where the Gamecocks would fall 24-7 to finish the '77 season with a 5-7 record while Clemson would be routed by Pitt 34-3 in the Gator Bowl to finish the season with a 8-3-1 record and #19 ranking in the final AP poll.

As for Butler, he would return to Clemson for his senior season where he led the Tigers with 58 catches for 908 yards to help Clemson win its first ACC championship in 11 years as the Clemson went 11-1 and finished #6 in the AP poll after a 17-15 win over Ohio State in the Gator Bowl, the infamous game where a Clemson player was punched by Ohio State head coach Woody Hayes.

Butler would then be chosen by the Buffalo Bills with the #5 pick in the 1979 NFL Draft where Butler would spend his entire eight-year NFL career as he caught 278 passes for 4,301 yards and scored 29 touchdowns.

College Football Old School Game of the Week: Wilhoit's Long FG Gives Vols Win over Gators

James Wilhoit(25) would make a 50-yard field goal with six seconds to go to give the Vols the win over Florida in 2004.

 The field goal kicker is perhaps the most stressful position in all of football as one can forever remembered a hero with if he is able to make the game-winning field goal or as it a goat if he misses it or has a series of misses that ends costing his team the game.

In 2004, Tennessee Volunteers kicker James Wilhoit was able to feel both extremes in the same game as he would go from rock bottom to top of the world in the Vols' annual September showdown with the Florida Gators.

The Volunteers came into the game ranked #13 in the country under head coach Philip Fulmer who was beginning his 12th season as the Tennessee head coach but still looking for a new starting quarterback to replace Casey Clausen who had graduated after the 2003 season.

True freshmen Erik Ainge, nephew of former NBA player Danny Ainge, and Brett Schaeffer would both get reps with the first team offense during the Vols' season opener with the UNLV Runnin Rebels thirteen days prior to the Florida game.

Schaeffer, who was a dual threat quarterback got the start as he completed seven of 10 passes for 123 yards and a touchdown while running for 29 yards and another touchdown on seven carries while Ainge, who was a traditional drop back passer, completed 10 of 17 passes for 118 yards and throwing two touchdowns as the Volunteers easily defeated the Rebels 42-17.

Fulmer would not name a starting quarterback for the Florida game as he would once again go with the two-quarterback system as the Vols prepared to host the Gators, who came into the game ranked #11 in the country but intense pressure to perform for their embattled head coach, Ron Zook.

Zook had became the Gators' head coach after Steve Spurrier left to become the coach of the Washington Redskins in 2002 after a 12-year tenure where the "ol Ball coach" complied a record of 122-27-1 while leading the Gators to five SEC championships and the 1996 national championship.

But after back-to-back 8-5 seasons, Zook was on the hot seat entering the 2004 season as he had lost five home games in his first two seasons in Gainesville compared to the five that Spurrier had lost during his entire 12-year run.

With sophomore Chris Leak returning as the Gators' starting quarterback, Florida would defeat Eastern Michigan 49-10 in their season opener before traveling up to Knoxville to take on the Vols in a primetime showdown.

The Vols would start the game on offense as Schaeffer would get the start at quarterback for Tennessee's opening possession which ended in a turnover when running back Derrick Tinsley dropped a handoff on an end-around that was recovered by Florida defensive back Dematrice Webb at the Volunteers' 32-yard-line.

Five plays later, Leak would find wide receiver O.J. Small for a five-yard touchdown to give the Gators a 7-0 lead with 11:15 left in the first quarter.

Florida quarterback Chris Leak would throw for 286 yards and three touchdowns.

The Vols would get the ball back at their 20-yard-line for their next possession where they relied on their stable of running backs to drive down the field as Tennessee would attempt a single pass during the drive.

Cedric Houston would carry the ball on the first four plays of the drive, gaining 34 yards, before Gerald Riggs Jr got four carries which went for 28 yards, while Schaeffer ran for 16 yards on two carries to move the Vols to the Gators' two-yard-line.

From there, Jabari Davis would carry the ball on the last two plays of the drive with the second carry being an one-yard touchdown to end the 12-play, 80-yard drive and tie the game at seven.

Florida would begin its next possession at their 32-yard-line as the Gators would advance to the Tennessee 47-yard-line until Leak was picked off by Volunteers safety Jason Allen on a deep pass intended for Andre Caldwell in the end zone as the Vols would begin their next drive at their 20-yard-line.

Now it was Ainge's turn at quarterback as he started the drive with a 13-yard pass to wide receiver Chris Hannon then ended it with a 16-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Justin  Reed to give Tennessee a 14-7 lead just 44 seconds into the second quarter.

The Gators would get horrible field position for their next drive as Caldwell caught the kickoff while going out of bounds at the Florida three-yard-line.

However, the Gators would drive 97 yards in 16 plays as they converted on four straight 3rd down situations, the first being a shovel pass from Leak to running back Ciatrick Faison that went for 21 yards, followed by a 11-yard pass to wide receiver Dallas Baker on a 3rd & 5 and then a seven-yard pass to wide receiver O.J. Small on a 3rd & 4 and wrapped with a 13-yard pass to Baker on a 3rd & 9.

The drive culminated with a nine-yard touchdown pass from Leak to wide receiver Jemalle Cornelius to tie the game at 14 with 7:32 to go in the second quarter.

The Volunteers' ensuing possession would end in a turnover as Ainge was intercepted by Florida safety Terrence Holmes who returned the pick 20 yards to the Tennessee 30-yard-line as Leak would complete a 29-yard pass to Caldwell on the next play from scrimmage to set up an one-yard touchdown run by running back Deshawn Wynn to give Florida a 21-14 lead with 5:29 remaining before halftime.

Both teams would trade punts to end the first half with the Gators on top and set to get the ball to start the second half as Florida would pick up one 1st down before punting the ball back to the Vols who would take over at their 28-yard-line with Schaeffer at quarterback.

The drive was going smoothly for the Vols as Schaeffer completed passes of 18 yards to Hannon and 11 yards to Jayson Swain which was followed by a 22-yard run by the freshman quarterback to move Tennessee to the Florida 17-yard-line until Schaeffer lost the football after a quarterback sack by linebacker Earl Everett.

Florida defensive tackle Ray McDonald would recover the fumble to give the Gators the ball at their 23-yard-line as a 32-yard run by Fason along with a 18-yard pass from Leak to Small help Florida advance all the way to the Tennessee one-yard-line where they had a 1st & goal.

But the Gators could not punch into the end zone as Leak lost three yards on a quarterback run on 1st down then threw back-to-back incomplete passes to force a 21-yard field goal attempt by Matt Leach, which sailed wide right to keep the score at 21-14 as Tennessee would get the ball back at their 20-yard-line.

From here on out, Ainge would be the Tennessee quarterback as he would complete seven of nine passes for 62 yards on a 14-play, 80-yard drive that ended with the freshman quarterback firing a 23-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Bret Smith that with the extra point tied the game at 21 with 13:02 left in the fourth quarter.

Erik Ainge(10) would complete 16 of 24 passes for 192 yards and throw three touchdown passes.

Following an exchange of punts, Florida got the ball back at their six-yard-line as two runs by Wynn for seven yards and a six-yard pass from Leak to Small gave the Gators a 1st down at their 19-yard-line when Leak threw a pass that was tipped by Tennessee safety Brandon Johnson but landed in the hands of Gators wide receiver Chad Jackson at his 45-yard-line as Jackson would run the remaining 55 yards untouched to complete the stunning 81-yard touchdown and give Florida a 28-21 lead with 7:43 left in regulation.

Tennessee would begin its next possession at their 20-yard-line as a pass interference penalty on Florida free safety Jarvis Herring on a 3rd & 9 followed by a 15-yard pass from Ainge to Hannon helped the Vols move to the Gators' 47-yard-line where they faced a 4th & 6 situation with 5:22 to go in the game.

Instead of punting the ball back to the Gators, the Vols would gamble and go for the 1st down which they got when Ainge hit wide receiver Tony Brown for a 32-yard completion to give Tennessee a 1st down at the Florida 15-yard-line.

After two running plays gained two yards, Ainge would fire a 13-yard touchdown pass to Swain as the Vols were on the verge of tying up the game once again when disaster struck as Wilhoit's kick sailed wide right to keep the score at 28-27 in favor of the Gators with 3:25 to go in the game.

The Gators would begin their ensuing possession at their 20-yard-line with a chance to run out the clock if they could pick up a couple of 1st downs.

A nine-yard pass from Leak to Fason followed by a two-yard run by Fason gave the Gators a 1st down at their 31-yard-line with 2:02 to go as Wynn carried the ball on the next two plays, gaining seven yards to set up a crucial 3rd & 3 that if Florida converted, would win them the game.

Wynn would be stopped for no gain but that was not the worst of it as Baker was called for a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after slapping the helmet of Tennessee cornerback Jonathan Wade in response of Wade slapping Baker's helmet.

The officials stopped the clock to assess the penalty but forget it to restart it until the Gators snapped the ball as they punted the ball back to the Volunteers who would take over at their 39-yard-line with 43 seconds to go.

After throwing an incomplete pass to begin the drive, Ainge would hit Hannon for 21 yards to move Tennessee to the Florida 40-yard-line where Ainge would spike the ball to stop the clock with 29 seconds left.

Ainge would then complete a seven-yard pass to Hannon which was followed by another spike to stop the clock with 13 seconds remaining as Fulmer would send Wilhoit on to the field to attempt a 50-yard field goal, one yard shy of his career long of 51 yards that ironically came against Florida in 2003.

Wilhoit would get his redemption as his kick sailed through the uprights with six seconds remaining to give the Vols a 30-28 lead as Florida could not pull off a miracle on the ensuing kickoff on the final play of the game as Tennessee came away with its fourth win in seven years over the Gators.

The loss to Tennessee was the beginning of the end for Zook as one month later after a 38-31 loss to 1-5 Mississippi State, it was announced that Zook would be fired at season's end, though he was allowed to coach the team for the rest of the regular season which ended with a 20-13 win over Florida State.

Defensive coordinator Charlie Strong would be the Gators' interim head coach for the Peach Bowl where Florida would lose 27-10 to the Miami Hurricanes to finish the 2004 season with a 7-5 record.

The Gators would hire Utah head coach Urban Meyer to become their next head coach as Meyer would comply a record of 65-15 over six seasons as Florida won two national championships during Meyer's tenure.

Meanwhile, Tennessee would use its win over Florida as a springboard to the SEC East title as they finished the regular season with a 9-2 record and earn a trip to the SEC Championship Game where the Vols would fall to the Auburn Tigers 38-28.

Tennessee would wrap up its 2004 season with a 38-7 win over Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl as the Vols would finish ranked #13 in the final AP poll and #15 in the final coaches poll as Schaeffer would transfer to Ole Miss following the season as Ainge would be benched during his sophomore season before winning back the starting quarterback job for his final two seasons in Knoxville.

As for Wilhoit, he would remain the Vols' kicker through 2006 as he finished his career with 59 successful field goals, third most in Tennessee history and 325 points, which is also third most in school history.

College Football Old School Game of the Week: Oklahoma Survives Alabama's Upset Bid

Oklahoma's Eric Bassey would score the game-sealing touchdown with a 45-yard fumble return for a touchdown in the Sooners' 2002 win over Alabama.

On September 7,2002 the Alabama Crimson Tide traveled to Norman, Oklahoma to take on the Oklahoma Sooners in the first regular season matchup between the two historic programs.

The two teams had met before in the 1962 Orange Bowl won by the Crimson Tide 17-0 and again in the 1970 Bluebonnet Bowl which finished in a 24-24 tie.

The Sooners would came into the game as the favorite as they were ranked #2 in the country as they were seen as a national title contended under head coach Bob Stoops, who had led Oklahoma back to national promience after years of medicority as the Sooners won the 2000 national championship in Stoops' second season as head coach.

Going into the 2002 season, the biggest question amongst Oklahoma fans was who was going to be the starting quarterback between redshirt sophomore Jason White and senior Nate Hybl.

Despite coming off a torn ACL in his left knee that he suffered on a quarterback rollout the previous season, White won the starting quarterback job as he would get the start in the Sooners' season opener with the Tulsa Golden Hurricane which Oklahoma won 37-0.

The Sooners looked to White and senior running back Quentin Griffin, who had rushed for 237 yards in the win over Tulsa, to lead the Sooners to a win over the Crimson Tide, who came into the game having barely escaped with a 39-34 win over Middle Tennessee in their season opener.

Seven months earlier, the Tide were put on probation for illegal benefits to players that had occurred during the tenure of head coach Mike Dubose from 1997 through 2000 as the NCAA hit Alabama with a two-year bowl ban and loss of 21 scholarships.

The Tide were led by head coach Dennis Franchione, who was in his second season as the Alabama head coach who now had to coach a football program that could not go to a bowl game in 2002, meaning the Tide had very little to lose as a win over Oklahoma could be one of the highlights of the season.

Oklahoma was set to get the ball to start the game but the Crimson Tide would pull a fast one on the Sooners as they executed a surprise onside kick to perfection as kicker Lane Bearden recovered his own kick to give Alabama the ball at their 47-yard-line.

From there, the Tide would drive to the Sooners' 28-yard-line until Michael Ziifie kicked a 45-yard field goal to give Alabama an early 3-0 lead.

The Tide would get the ball back in Oklahoma territory for their second possession after wide receiver Lance Taylor partially blocked Blake Ferguson's punt to give Alabama the ball at the Sooners' 40-yard-line.

However, the Tide could only move four yards on three plays as they settled for a 52-yard field goal attempt by Ziifie which was blocked by Oklahoma linebacker Pasha Jackson to keep the score at 3-0 in favor of the Tide.

The Sooners would go three-and-out on their ensuing possession to give the ball back to the Tide who would also go three-and-out as they were set to punt the ball back to Oklahoma when the snap from center Nick Ridings went over the head over Bearden and into the end zone.

Bearden would then kick the ball out of the end zone resulting in a safety to cut the Alabama lead to 3-2 as Oklahoma would get the ball back at the 50-yard-line following the free kick.

Following an one-yard run by Griffin to start the drive, White would complete passes of six yards to Griffin and 11 yards to Curtis Fagan to give Oklahoma a 1st down at the Alabama 32-yard-line when White found Mark Clayton for the first touchdown of the game to give the Sooners a 9-3 lead with 6:09 to go in the first quarter.

Oklahoma wide receiver Mark Clayton would catch four passes for 129 yards and score two touchdowns.

Alabama would start its next drive at their 29-yard-line when on the second play of the drive, quarterback Tyler Watts was intercepted by Oklahoma cornerback Derrick Strait, whose 15-yard runback gave the Sooners a 1st & goal at the Crimson Tide six-yard-line.

But the Sooners could not cash in on the turnover as three plays would pick up just one yard as Trey Dicarlo was called upon to attempt a 22-yard field goal which was blocked by strong safety Waine Bacon that was scooped up by free safety Charles Jones who ran it back 30 yards to the Alabama 38-yard-line when the Tide offense would begin its next possession.

The Oklahoma defense would force a three-and-out to give their offense the ball back at their 47-yard-line as an offsides penalty and an incomplete pass would bring up 2nd & 5 when disaster struck for White as he tore the ACL in his right knee during a rollout to the right, similiar to the play where he tore the ACL in his left knee one year earlier.

Hybl would come on to take over as starting quarterback as he completed a four-yard pass to Fagan on his first play from scrimmage on a 3rd & 4 to give Oklahoma a 1st down at the Alabama 43-yard-line as the first quarter came to an end.

Oklahoma would end up punting the ball back to Alabama on that possession as the two teams traded punts until late in the second quarter when Strait stripped tailback Santonio Beard of the ball as linebacker Teddy Lehman would make the recovery to give the Sooners the ball at the Crimson Tide 49-yard-line.

It would take Oklahoma one play to get into the end zone as Hybl threw deep and connected with wide receiver Mark Clayton for a 49-yard touchdown to increase Oklahoma's lead to 16-3 with 2:25 left in the second quarter.

After an Alabama three-and-out, the Sooners got the ball back at their 46-yard-line as Hybl would complete three straight passes for 16 yards to move Oklahoma to the Alabama 38-yard-line where on a 3rd & 5, Hybl connected with Clayton on a curl route that would go for 37 yards and give the Sooners a 1st & goal at the Alabama one-yard-line with 16 seconds to go in the half.

Following an incomplete pass and a Kejuan Jones that went for no gain, the Sooners were faced with a 3rd & goal with three seconds to go before halftime, meaning Oklahoma had just one play before the halftime break.

Instead of taking the chip shot field goal, Stoops opted to go for the touchdown which he got when Hybl was able to sneak into the end zone as time expired in the first half with Oklahoma ahead 23-3.

Alabama would get the ball to start the second half as the Tide would put together their best drive of the game thus far as they travled 66 yards in 12 plays with 10 of those plays being runs as running back Ahmaad Galloway would punch it in for a four-yard touchdown that cut the Sooners' lead to 23-10 with 9:14 to go in the third quarter.

On the ensuing kickoff, Bearden would attempt a pooch kick that Lehman tried to catch but was unable to secure the kick after a collison with a teammate as Chris James would make the recovery to give the ball to the Crimson Tide at the Oklahoma 43-yard-line.

Watts would complete a 37-yard pass to wide receiver Sam Collins to help the Tide drive to the Sooners' four-yard-line where Ziifie would attempt a 22-yard field goal, only for the kick to sail wide left to keep the score at 23-10 in favor of the Sooners.

After an Oklahoma three-and-out, the Tide got the ball back at their 43-yard-line as a 22-yad pass from Watts to tight end Donald Clarke would move the Sooners to the Alabama 26-yard-line where on 4th & 10, Franchoine would go for the 1st down instead of attempting a field goal.

The gamble would not pay off as Watts would threw an incomplete pass resulting in a turnover on downs and giving the ball back to the Sooners at their 26-yard-line.

The Alabama defense would force another three-and-out as Oklahoma was set to punt the ball back to the Tide when the Alabama special teams unit struck again as defensive end Leslie Williams would block the punt as Taylor, who had partially blocked a punt earlier in the game, recoverd the ball and ran it in for a nine-yard touchdown that cut the Sooners' lead to 23-17 with 1:53 left in the third quarter.

Alabama's defense would keep up the pressure on the Sooners as back-to-back quarterback sacks would lead to another Oklahoma three-and-out as the Tide would get the ball back at the Oklahoma 39-yard-line with a chance to take the lead.

The Tide would drive all the way to the Oklahoma three-yard-line as they lined up to attempt a 20-yard field goal only for Bearden, who was the holder, to keep the ball and run it himself for a three-yard touchdown that with the extra point gave Alabama a 24-23 lead with 10:16 remaining in the fourth quarter.

The Sooners would pick up their first 1st down of the second half before punting the ball back to the Tide who once again got the ball in Oklahoma territory as they began their next possession at the Sooners' 46-yard-line.

The Tide would run off nearly five minutes off the clock as they drove to the Oklahoma 28-yard-line before settling for a 45-yard field goal by Ziifie to extend Alabama's lead to 27-23 with 3:37 left in the game.

The Sooners would start their next drives at their 20-yard-line needing a touchdown to take the lead which seemed unlikely at this point as Oklahoma's total offense in the second half was -5 yards on five possessions.

Coming off the bench, Oklahoma quarterback Nate Hybl would complete 16 of 30 passes for 251 yards and throw one touchdown pass.

Following an incomplete pass to begin the drive, Hybl would throw a shovel pass to running back Renaldo Works that would go for a 23-yard gain to give the Sooners a 1st down at their 43-yard-line.

After a pair of incomplete passes would force Oklahoma into a 3rd & 10 situation, Hybl would connect with wide receiver Antwone Savage for the 10 yards the Sooners needed as Oklahoma moved into Alabama territory with a fresh set of downs at the Tide 47-yard-line.

That is when Hybl throw another shovel pass to Works, which this time went for 39 yards to give Oklahoma a 1st & goal at the Alabama eight-yard-line when Hybl handed the ball off to Jones, who would run it in for the touchdown to give Oklahoma a 30-27 lead with 2:11 left to play in regulation.

The Tide would get the ball back at their 21-yard-line needing at least a field goal to send the game into overtime or a go-ahead touchdown as following an one-yard loss to start the drive, Watts would complete three passes for 37 yards to move Alabama to the Oklahoma 43-yard-line twith less than a minute to play.

Needing at least one more 1st down, Watts would drop back to pass when the ball slipped out of his hand before it went forward, resulting a fumble that was picked up by Oklahoma defensive back Eric Bassey who ran it back for a 45-yard touchdown to put the game away as the Sooners would escape with the 37-27 win.

Alabama would go on to have a solid season as they would go to finish with a 10-3 record to finish ranked #11 in the AP poll only for the Tide to lose their head coach as Franchione left Tuscaloosa to became the head coach of the Texas A&M Aggies.

Franchione would be temporary replaced by Washington State head coach Mike Price until Price was fired before coaching a single game because of an off the field sex scandal as former Bama quarterback Mike Shula would eventually become the Tide head coach for the 2003 season.

As for the Sooners, they would ride with Hybl as their starting quarterback to a 8-0 start until a pair of losses to Texas A&M and Oklahoma State in the final month of the regular season would derail Oklahoma's national championship hopes.

But the Sooners would recover to win the Big 12 Championship with a 29-7 win over the Colorado Buffaloes as Oklahoma would be invited to play in the Rose Bowl for the first time in school history as the Sooners would dispatch of the Washington State Cougars 34-14 as Oklahoma would finish the season with a 12-2 record and #5 ranking in both the final AP and coaches polls.