Time to start preparing

twinkie13 · Jul 28, 2013

Ron Dayne

WTF

Judge Smails · Jul 29, 2013

31 days to go ...

New coaches: There will be 31 FBS coaches entering their first seasons at new schools. Notable transfers include Bret Bielema (Arkansas), Butch Jones (Tennessee) and Mark Stoops (Kentucky).

[TABLE="class: coaches, width: 456, align: left"]
<tbody>[TR]
[TH="class: header, bgcolor: #AE2103, colspan: 3, align: center"]Coaching Changes For 2013 Season[/TH]
[/TR]
[TR="class: subheader, bgcolor: #353535"]
[TD]Team[/TD]
[TD="width: 160"]Out[/TD]
[TD="width: 160"]In[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: alt"]
[TD="class: team, bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Arkansas[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]John L. Smith[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Brett Bielema[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: alt"]
[TD="class: team, bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Arkansas State[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Gus Malzahn
(b) John Thompson[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Bryan Harsin[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: alt"]
[TD="class: team, bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Auburn[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Gene Chizik[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Gus Malzahn[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: alt"]
[TD="class: team, bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Boston College[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Frank Spaziani[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Steve Addazio[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: alt"]
[TD="class: team, bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]California[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Jeff Tedford[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Sonny Dykes[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: alt"]
[TD="class: team, bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Cincinnati[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Butch Jones
(b) Steve Stripling[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Tommy Tuberville[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: alt"]
[TD="class: team, bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Colorado[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Jon Embree[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Mike MacIntyre[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: alt"]
[TD="class: team, bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]FIU[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Mario Cristobal[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Ron Turner[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: alt"]
[TD="class: team, bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Georgia State[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #DEDEDE"](r) Bill Curry[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Trent Miles[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: alt"]
[TD="class: team, bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Idaho[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Robb Akey
(i) Jason Gesser[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Paul Petrino[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: alt"]
[TD="class: team, bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Kent State[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #DEDEDE"](b) Darrell Hazell[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Paul Haynes[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: alt"]
[TD="class: team, bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Kentucky[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Joker Phillips[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Mark Stoops[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: alt"]
[TD="class: team, bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Louisiana Tech[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Sonny Dykes[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Skip Holtz[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: alt"]
[TD="class: team, bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]N.C. State[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Tom O'Brien
(b) Dana Bible[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Dave Doeren[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: alt"]
[TD="class: team, bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Nevada[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Chris Ault[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Brian Polian[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: alt"]
[TD="class: team, bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]New Mexico State[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]DeWayne Walker[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Doug Martin[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: alt"]
[TD="class: team, bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Northern Illinois[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Dave Doeren[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Rod Carey[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: alt"]
[TD="class: team, bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Oregon[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Chip Kelly[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Mark Helfrich[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: alt"]
[TD="class: team, bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Purdue[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Danny Hope
(b) Patrick Higgins[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Darrell Hazell[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: alt"]
[TD="class: team, bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]San Jose State[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Mike MacIntyre
(b) Kent Baer[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Ron Caragher[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: alt"]
[TD="class: team, bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Southern Miss[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Ellis Johnson[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Todd Monken[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: alt"]
[TD="class: team, bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Syracuse[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Doug Marrone[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Scott Shafer[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: alt"]
[TD="class: team, bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Temple[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Steve Addazio[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Matt Rhule[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: alt"]
[TD="class: team, bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Tennessee[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Derek Dooley
(i) Jim Chaney[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Butch Jones[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: alt"]
[TD="class: team, bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Texas Tech[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Tommy Tuberville
(b) Chris Thomsen[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Kliff Kingsbury[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: alt"]
[TD="class: team, bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]USF[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Skip Holtz[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Willie Taggart[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: alt"]
[TD="class: team, bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Utah State[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Gary Andersen[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Matt Wells[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: alt"]
[TD="class: team, bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]UTEP[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #DEDEDE"](r) Mike Price[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Sean Kugler[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: alt"]
[TD="class: team, bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Western Kentucky[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Willie Taggart
(b) Lance Guidry[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Bobby Petrino[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: alt"]
[TD="class: team, bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Western Michigan[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Bill Cubit[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]P.J. Fleck[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: alt"]
[TD="class: team, bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Wisconsin[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Brett Bielema
(b) Barry Alvarez[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #DEDEDE"]Gary Andersen[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: alt"]
[TD="bgcolor: #DEDEDE, colspan: 4"](b) - bowl game interim coach
(i) - Interim head coach regular season
(r) - Retired from coaching[/TD]
[/TR]
</tbody>[/TABLE]

1931 COLLEGE FOOTBALL HIGHLIGHTS

The 1931 college football season saw the USC Trojans win the Knute Rockne Memorial Trophy as national champion under the Dickinson system. Rockne, who had coached Notre Dame to a championship in 1930, had been killed in a plane crash on March 31, 1931.

For the first time, the champion under the Dickinson system also played in a postseason game. The Rose Bowl, promoted as an unofficial championship match-up between the best teams of East and West, matched USC and Tulane, #1 and #2 in the Dickinson ratings. USC won, 21-12.

Also for 1931, historian Parke Davis, through research, selected Pittsburgh and Purdue as National Champions and these selections, along with USC, are all recognized by the official NCAA records book. Both USC and Pitt claim national championships for 1931, and both are recognized by College Football Data Warehouse.

Major conferences that existed in 1931 were the Western Conference (today's Big Ten), the Pacific Coast Conference (now the Pac-10), the Big Six (forerunner of the Big 12), the Southwest Conference, and the Southern Conference (whose members later formed the SEC and the ACC).

At season's end, the Rissman Trophy was awarded to the team that finished first in the "Dickinson ratings", which considered strength of schedule, in that a win, loss or tie against a "strong" opponent was worth more than one against a lesser team, and the results were averaged.

The 1931 GAME OF THE YEAR: USC at Notre Dame: Notre Dame had not lost in 26 games, and they carried a 14-0 lead into the 4th quarter. But USC came roaring all the way back, kicking a 33 yard field goal with a minute left for a monumental 16-14 victory.

September 26
The season started with an upset. St. Mary's College, a relatively small school in San Francisco, defeated USC 13-7. Tulane beat Ole Miss, 31-0 and Tennessee beat Maryville 33-0, while Pittsburgh beat Miami University, 61-0.

October 10
In Chicago, a crowd of 75,000 turned out at Soldier Field to watch Northwestern and Notre Dame played to a 0-0 tie in a driving rain. Tennessee defeated Ole Miss 38-0. USC beat Washington State 38-6. Harvard beat New Hampshire, 39-0. In New Haven, the Georgia Bulldogs handed the Yale Bulldogs their first defeat, 26-7. Purdue beat Illinois 7-0 Pittsburgh beat West Virginia 34-0. Tulane defeated Spring Hill College 40-0 and St. Mary's beat the West Coast Army team, 21-7

Tennessee visits North Carolina as the Vols squeak by with a 7-0 win to keep the shutout streak alive

October 24
Notre Dame (3-0-0) and Pittsburgh (4-0-0) met at South Bend, with Notre Dame winning 25-12. Tulane beat Georgia Tech 33-0; Tulane had outscored its five opponents 130-0. Tennessee won at North Carolina, 7-0; it had outscored its five foes 147-0. Georgia beat Vanderbilt 9-0. Harvard beat visiting Texas, 35-7 and Yale and Army played to a 6-6 tie, while in Pittsburgh, Purdue defeated Carnegie Tech 13-6. Northwestern defeated Ohio State in Columbus, 10-0. St. Mary's beat visiting Gonzaga University, 13-7. USC won at California 6-0

Considered by many as the finest player in Tulane football history, Jerry Dalrymple earned first-unit All-America status in 1930 and became the only unanimous All-American in school history the next year. He led Tulane to its most successful three-season stretch ever in football, as the Green Wave posted a 28-1 regular-season mark in that span and earned its first bowl berth ever ... the 1932 Rose Bowl. Dalrymple became Tulane's first inductee into the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame in 1954. Dalrymple also was a charter member of the Louisiana, Greater New Orleans and Tulane sports halls of fame. He died in 1962.

November 7
USC (4-1-0) and Stanford (5-0-1) met at Los Angeles, and USC won 19-0. In Montgomery, Alabama, Tulane shut out Auburn 27-0. Tennessee beat visiting Carson-Newman, 31-0. Northwestern beat Minnesota, 32-14. Purdue beat Centenary College 49-6. Before a crowd of 65,000 at Yankee Stadium, Georgia stayed unbeaten as it defeated New York University 7-6, with the aid of a 97 yard kickoff return by Buster Mott in the third quarter. Harvard beat Dartmouth 7-6 and Yale beat St. John's College of Maryland, 52-0. Pittsburgh beat Carnegie Tech 14-6. Notre Dame beat Pennsylvania 49-0. St. Mary's suffered its first defeat, to the visiting Olympic Club, 10-0

November 14
Tulane (7-0-0) and Georgia (6-0-0) faced off in Athens before a crowd of 36,000 for the rights to best in the South. The Green Wave rolled over Georgia's Bulldogs 20-7. Tennessee defeated Vanderbilt 21-7. USC beat visiting Montana 69-0. Harvard defeated Holy Cross 7-0. Purdue defeated Iowa 22-0 and Northwestern edged Indiana 7-6. Pittsburgh beat visiting Army 26-0. In Baltimore, Notre Dame beat Navy 20-0

The annual Cocktail Party game at Gainesville was a 33-6 win for the visiting Bulldogs

November 21
Notre Dame (6-0-1) had not lost a football game in almost three years, its last defeat having been to the USC Trojans on 27-14 on December 1, 1928. A crowd of 52,000 turned out as (5-1-0) USC came to the Notre Dame campus in South Bend for the first time ever. The Trojans trailed 14-0 going into the fourth quarter, and was trailing 14-13 in the final minutes after Johnny Baker's extra point attempt had been blocked. In the final minute, Baker kicked a 34 yard field goal for a 16-14 win, Notre Dame's first loss in 27 starts. Tulane beat Sewanee 40-0. Northwestern won at Iowa 9-0, and Purdue won at Indiana, 19-0. In Columbus, Ga., Georgia beat Auburn 12-6. Yale (3-1-2) hosted Harvard (7-0-0) and won 3-0

[video=youtube_share;d9Z58KffzZI]http://youtu.be/d9Z58KffzZI[/video]
The Trojans scored all 16 points in the fourth quarter, which put an end to the Fighting Irish's 26-game unbeaten streak and propelled Troy to the national championship. Upon returning home to Los Angeles, USC's team was greeted by more than 300,000 fans at the train station. The game was so good that Baker was asked to reenact the ending for this film reel...

December 5
Tulane beat Washington State 28-14 to close at 11-0-0, unbeaten and untied, while Tennessee played NYU at Yankee Stadium, winning 13-0 to finish at 8-0-1. USC defeated Washington 44-7. St. Mary's closed its season with a 7-2 win over Southern Methodist (SMU).

December 12
USC and Georgia, both 8-1-0, met in Los Angeles, and the visiting Bulldogs were crushed 60-0

1932 ROSE BOWL
For the first time, the East-West matchup in college football's unofficial championship included the #1 ranked team under the Dickinson ratings. That team, U.S.C., was matched against #2 ranked Tulane. A crowd of 83,000 turned out in Pasadena, a Rose Bowl record.

Tulane had gone 9-0 in 1929 and 8-1 in 1930, and this season they won their 3rd straight Southern Conference championship. Hall of Fame coach Bernie Bierman was 36-10-2 at Tulane, but after this season he was hired away by Minnesota, where he would go 63-12-5 over the next 10 years, winning 7 Big 10 titles and 5 consensus MNCs. Bierman was Tulane's 2nd straight Hall of Fame coach, as Clark Shaughnessy had previously won Southern Conference titles in 1920 and 1925.

This season, Tulane had one close game, 7-0 over 7-3 Texas A&M, and they won the rest of their games by more than a touchdown each. 7 of their opponents had winning records. In December, 6-4 Washington State came to New Orleans, and Tulane beat them 28-14 (USC had beaten them 38-6). The team featured consensus AA and Hall of Fame end Jerry Dalrymple and nonconsensus AA halfback Don Zimmerman.

Southern Cal was a big favorite, especially since they had done much better against common opponents Georgia and Washington State, but 11-0 Tulane had high hopes for this game because the South was 3-0-1 in Rose Bowls since Alabama broke the ice with a win following the 1925 season. However, Southern Cal was 2-0, and that would stretch to 8-0 before they finally lost a Rose Bowl. Tulane, meanwhile, ended up taking the first of 6 straight Rose Bowl losses for the South. 75,000-83,000 attended what was essentially a national championship game.

Tulane had little trouble moving the ball, but they had a lot of trouble scoring. They outgained USC 351 yards to 216 and 18 first downs to 11, and USC even turned the ball over 2 more times than Tulane did, but the Trojans won by maximizing their scoring chances. Their only completed pass of the game, for 27 yards, fueled a touchdown drive in the 2nd quarter. Gus Shaver followed it up with a 22 yard run, and end Ray Sparling scored the touchdown on a reverse, making it 7-0 at halftime. USC added 2 more touchdowns in the 3rd quarter, both scored on reverses by blocking back Erny Pinckert. It was the only play USC had that featured him as a ball carrier, and Tulane AA end Jerry Dalrymple was fooled both times. The first touchdown went for 30 yards, and not long after Tulane fumbled the ensuing kickoff at their 28, Pinckert scored again from 23 yards out. He was untouched on both runs.

That was pretty much game over at 21-0, but Tulane refused to quit. They answered USC's 3rd touchdown on their next drive with an 11 yard touchdown pass. Johnny Baker, who was 3 for 3 on extra points for USC, blocked Tulane's extra point attempt. Reserve halfback Harry Glover had a 49 yard run in the drive, and he led all rushers in the game with 139 total. In the 4th quarter, Dalrymple recovered a fumble at the USC 35, and Glover scored a touchdown to cap a slow, tough drive from there. Glover threw a pass into the end zone for the extra point, but Pinckert knocked the attempt down, and the final score was thus 21-12.

Tulane was greatly praised by writers from across the nation after the game, and many felt that, despite the score, Tulane was at least as strong a team as USC.

1931 ALL-AMERICA SELECTIONS

The following players make up the consensus All-American team recognized in the NCAA All-American guide.
[TABLE="class: wikitable sortable jquery-tablesorter"]
<tbody>[TR]
[TH="class: headerSort, bgcolor: #DDDDFF"]Position[/TH]
[TH="class: headerSort, align: center"]Name[/TH]
[TH="class: headerSort, align: center"]School[/TH]
[TH="class: headerSort, width: 10%, bgcolor: #F2F2F2, align: center"]Unanimous[/TH]
[TH="class: headerSort, width: 25%, bgcolor: #F2F2F2, align: center"]College Hall of Fame[/TH]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Ends[/TD]
[TD]Jerry Dalrymple
Vernon “Catfish” Smith[/TD]
[TD]Tulane
Georgia[/TD]
[TD]Yes
No[/TD]
[TD]Dalrymple HOF Profile
Smith HOF Profile[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Tackles[/TD]
[TD]Dallas “Dal” Marvil
Jess Quatse
Jack Riley[/TD]
[TD]Northwestern
Pittsburgh
Northwestern[/TD]
[TD]No
No
No[/TD]
[TD]No
No
Riley HOF Profile[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Guards[/TD]
[TD]Clarence “Biggie” Munn
John “Johnny” Baker[/TD]
[TD]Minnesota
Southern California[/TD]
[TD]No
No[/TD]
[TD]Munn HOF Profile
Baker HOF Profile[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Center[/TD]
[TD]Thomas Yarr[/TD]
[TD]Notre Dame[/TD]
[TD]No[/TD]
[TD]Yarr HOF Profile[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Quarterback[/TD]
[TD]Barry Wood[/TD]
[TD]Harvard[/TD]
[TD]No[/TD]
[TD]Wood HOF Profile[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Halfbacks[/TD]
[TD]Marchmont "Marchy" Schwartz
Ernest “Pug” Rentner[/TD]
[TD]Notre Dame
Northwestern[/TD]
[TD]No
No[/TD]
[TD]Schwartz HOF Profile
Rentner HOF Profile[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Fullback[/TD]
[TD]Gaius Shaver[/TD]
[TD]Southern California[/TD]
[TD]No[/TD]
[TD]No[/TD]
[/TR]
</tbody>[/TABLE]

Judge Smails · Jul 30, 2013

30 days to go ...

30th anniversary of last scoreless tie in Division 1/FBS: 2013 marks the 30th anniversary of the last scoreless tie in major college football. The 1983 "Civil War" game between Oregon and Oregon State ended 0-0 in Eugene. The game featured no scoring, but did have 11 turnovers.

The day was Nov. 19, 1983. The match-up was Oregon versus Oregon State, two of the era's most hapless and hopeless programs. And it was raining—a cold, sideways downpour.

By the time the game ended there had been four missed field goals, including two rare failures from less than 30 yards. There were five interceptions and six fumbles, plus five other fumbles that were recovered by the team that fumbled the ball.

Fans chanted "BOR-ING!" and sarcastically applauded nonevents, such as first downs.

The final score, a perfectly futile 0-0, has maintained its dubious place in history. It was the last scoreless tie ever in major college football. Since 1996, with the introduction of overtime play, there are no tie games anymore.

The game's nickname, which took hold immediately, was self-explanatory. "It felt like you were sitting in a toilet bowl," says former Oregon quarterback Mike Jorgensen.

"I'll never forget that game," says Gary Campbell, Oregon's running-backs coach then and now, of the 1983 tie.

When Oregon took the field at Autzen Stadium in Eugene that day, the Ducks had a record of four wins and six losses. They hadn't played in a postseason bowl game since 1963, and with scant resources and a small recruiting base, the program had fallen far behind the glamour teams of the time in the Pacific-10 Conference—Southern California, UCLA and Washington.

Oregon State, the Ducks' longtime rival, was in even worse shape with a record of 2-8. Still, the lure of the annual meeting of these teams, which is known across the state as the Civil War, was strong enough to attract a crowd of 33,176.

Up in the stadium press box, Oregon's coaches had an unusual problem: They couldn't see the field. Because of the rain, the press-box windows fogged up. With the rain blowing sideways, the coaches had a choice: Open the windows and get drenched along with all their notes or keep the windows closed and struggle to see. "We just decided to let the rain in," says Steve Greatwood, Oregon's offensive-line coach.

On the field, the conditions were so poor that players fumbled the ball even when they weren't touched by an opposing player, and that turned the game into one long comical pigskin pursuit.

"The ball would squirt out, and you'd dive on it and think you've got it, and it squirts out again and somebody on the other team gets it," says Rich Brooks, Oregon's head coach at the time. "There were so many strange plays. You'd almost have to script it to believe it."

On one of Oregon's two interceptions, Oregon freshman quarterback Chris Miller—a future NFL player—heaved the ball into an area of the field where there weren't any Oregon players. (Asked for his memories of the game, Mr. Miller, now the quarterbacks coach for the NFL's Arizona Cardinals, joked, "I can't remember a thing.")

On the game's final play, the Ducks—who were a two-touchdown favorite—nearly avoided all the ignominy. On a play that started deep in Oregon territory, fullback Ladaria Johnson took a lateral pass and nearly reached the end zone as time expired. But officials ruled he stepped out of bounds near midfield.

"By the last 10 minutes, people were starting to catch on that nothing was going to happen out there," says Oregon's archivist emeritus Keith Richard. "It all became more of a joke."

Mr. Jorgensen, the former Ducks quarterback, didn't even play in the game—he got hurt a couple of weeks before—but when it comes up in conversation, people still assume that he was part of the inaction.

"I attribute it to the fact that I was a crappy quarterback," he says. "You play enough pathetic football, you tend to get associated with some of the worst games ever played at Oregon."

Over the next several years, Mr. Brooks steadily brought Oregon to respectability, winning the Pac-10 in 1994. The team has now been catapulted into the sport's elite, fueled by millions in donations from Nike co-founder and alumnus Phil Knight, innovative offensive strategy, broader recruiting and snazzy uniforms.

But for those who remember it, the memory of the Toilet Bowl remains strong, making the team's current circumstances all the more pleasurable. "The national championship?" says Mr. Jorgensen. "To be honest with you, I just didn't think it would ever happen in my lifetime."

[video=youtube_share;tI5h14cM1gA]http://youtu.be/tI5h14cM1gA[/video]

1930 COLLEGE FOOTBALL HIGHLIGHTS

The 1930 college football season saw Notre Dame repeat as national champion under the Dickinson system, and a post-season Rose Bowl matchup between two unbeaten (9-0-0) teams, Washington State and Alabama, ranked #2 and #3, respectively. Alabama won the Pasadena contest, 24-0.

Notre Dame Stadium on October 11th, 1930, when it was officially dedicated for the Navy game.

September 27
Nearly all the big schools scheduled tune-up games against weaker visitors, and all but one shut out the opposition. Michigan opened its season with a doubleheader, beating Denison 33-0 and Eastern Michigan 7-0. Other schools rolled up high scores, as Stanford beat the Olympic Club, 18-0; Army beat Boston University 39-0; Alabama beat Samford, 43-0; USC rolled over UCLA 52-0; Tennessee beat Maryville College 54-0; Dartmouth beat Norwich College 79-0; and Tulane defeated Lafayette College of Louisiana, 84-0. Only Washington State was scored upon, getting a surprise from the Coyotes of College of Idaho, which unleashed a surprise passing attack for two touchdowns (and 12 of 19 completions) in the fourth quarter. WSU won 47-12.

October 18
Alabama and Tennessee, both 3-0-0, and both unscored upon, met at Tuscaloosa in a game that would ultimately determine the fictional championship of the South. Alabama won 18-6. Notre Dame beat Carnegie Tech 21-6. Northwestern won at Illinois 32-0 and Michigan won at Ohio State, 13-0 USC won at Utah State 65-0, Washington State won in Spokane at Gonzaga University, 24-0, and Stanford beat Oregon State 13-7. Dartmouth beat Columbia 52-0 and Army defeated Harvard, 6-0. Tulane defeated Birmingham Southern College 21-0

November 8
Notre Dame beat Pennsylvania 60-20. Washington State won at Idaho 33-7. Northwestern won at Indiana 25-0 and Michigan won at Harvard 6-3. Army defeated Illinois at Yankee Stadium, 13-0. USC beat California 74-0 and Stanford beat Washington 25-7 Alabama won at Florida, 20-0, Tulane beat Auburn 21-0, and Allegheny College did what no other team had done that season, scoring two touchdowns against Dartmouth; the Big Green won 43-14 to stay unbeaten. Tennessee shut out Carson-Newman College 34-0

November 27, Thanksgiving Day
Alabama (8-0-0) met Georgia (6-1-1) in Birmingham. The Crimson Tide extended its unbeaten streak, 13-0, to close the regular season unbeaten. The champion of the South also earned a Rose Bowl invitation to face Washington State. USC beat Washington 32-0. Tennessee defeated Kentucky 8-0 and Tulane won over LSU, 12-7.

Although the Rose Bowl was the lone postseason game, and other bowl games were still four years in the future, several big contests were played after most colleges had completed their seasons.

December 6
In Los Angeles, a crowd of 90,000 turned out at the Coliseum as Notre Dame (9-0-0) visited USC (8-1-0). While some predicted a Trojans win, or at least a close game, "Rockne's Ramblers" scored six minutes into the game and never looked back. Paul O'Connor, a third string player earlier in the season, had 11 carries for 142 yards, and one touchdown. The Irish closed their season with a decisive 27-0 victory and with another victory over a tough opponent, finished first in the Dickinson ratings. Nobody realized at the time that Knute Rockne had coached his final game. Rockne was killed in a plane crash on March 31, 1931. At Jacksonville, Tennessee defeated Florida 13-6.

December 13
In the Army–Navy Game, played in New York, Army won 6-0 to close its season at 9-1-1.

NOTRE DAME 1930
They had gone 9-0 in 1929, and their 10-0 finish this season made it 19 straight wins. The streak would end with 20 wins in 1931, thanks to a tie with Northwestern, and their unbeaten streak would end at 26 games with a loss to Southern Cal 6 weeks later.

The big losses from the 1929 team were consensus All American guard Jack Cannon, guard and captain John Law, and game-breaking halfback Jack Elder. But the bulk of the regulars returned, and Notre Dame added a very impressive array of significant new 1st-stringers this season.

Chief among the returnees was Hall of Fame quarterback Frank Carideo, who repeated as a consensus AA, and if there had been a Heisman Trophy this season, he would have run away with it. Tackle Frank Leahy also returned, but he injured his leg and played very little this season.

Three members of the 1929 "shock troops" moved up to 1st string this season: Hall of Fame guard Bert Metzger, Hall of Fame halfback Marchy Schwartz, and fullback Jumping Joe Savoldi. Metzger and Schwartz joined Carideo as consensus AA, giving Notre Dame a nation-leading 3. Schwartz had 3 consecutive 100-yard rushing games this season, against Pitt, Indiana, and Penn. He would repeat as consensus AA in 1931, and finished with a career 1945 yards rushing and 5.8 yards per carry.

Jumping Joe Savoldi was quite the character. He was born in Italy and raised in Michigan, and he was a high-impact fullback at Notre Dame. He scored Notre Dame's first-ever touchdown in their new stadium, against Southern Methodist, then he scored 3 touchdowns at the stadium's dedication game against Navy the next week. Unfortunately, in mid-November he was served divorce papers, revealing his secret marriage to the public, and Notre Dame, which like many colleges at the time did not allow its students to marry, had to expel him right before their 3 biggest games, against 7-1-1 Northwestern, 9-1-1 Army, and 8-2 Southern Cal. But that was far from the end of the Joe Savoldi story.

10 days after leaving school, he was starting at halfback alongside Red Grange for the Chicago Bears, and he scored the only touchdown in a 6-0 win over the Cardinals. After that, he played for Notre Dame's all-stars in a game against Southern and Western all-stars in Los Angeles, scoring 3 touchdowns in a 20-7 win. He was named MVP of the game. But as fate would have it, wrestling scouts were at the game, and they approached him afterward and convinced him that wrestling paid far more than pro football (which was generally true). He thus spurned the NFL and became famous as a pro wrestler in the 1930s, even holding a "World Championship" for a time.

New center Tommy Yarr would be the captain and a consensus AA in 1931. He grabbed a pair of 4th-quarter interceptions in a 20-14 win over pass-happy Southern Methodist in this year's opener. Sophomore tackle Joe Kurth would be consensus AA in 1932. "Shock troop" (2nd string) guard Frank "Nordy" Hoffman would be nonconsensus AA in 1931, and many years later he became sergeant-at-arms of the U.S. Senate. Yarr and Hoffman are in the Hall of Fame.

Notre Dame played a very strong schedule this season, even for them. 9 of their 10 opponents finished with winning records, 4 or 5 of them would have finished ranked in an AP top 25, and 2 or 3 of them would have been top 10. Their 3 biggest games came in consecutive weeks at the end of the season.

Notre Dame Stadium debuted this season, and Southern Methodist's nationally famous "aerial circus" came to town to open the season and stadium. 25,000 fans were treated to quite the show. Southern Methodist scored first, throwing passes downfield to set up a 2 yard touchdown plunge, but Jumping Joe Savoldi returned the ensuing kickoff for a 98 yard touchdown to tie the game. In the 2nd quarter, Frank Carideo returned a punt to the SMU 16, and soon afterward Marchy Schwartz scored from 7 yards out. SMU came back late in the half with some long passes to score a touchdown and knot the game up at 14 going into halftime.

The score remained 14-14 until late in the game. Notre Dame controlled the 2nd half, but 2 scoring threats were halted before they finally went to the air with about 4 minutes left in the game. Schwartz hit end Tom Conley for a long pass to the SMU 4 yard line and then barreled over goal for his 2nd touchdown, and the 20-14 win, on the next play.

Navy came to town the next week for the stadium's dedication game, but they were down this year (finishing 6-5), and Notre Dame handled them easily, 26-2. Pesky Carnegie was next, and Notre Dame beat them 21-6.

Notre Dame's 1st road trip was game 4 at Pittsburgh, a team that had emerged in recent years as the beast of the East. 73,000 attended. Rockne did something unusual for this game: he actually started his starters. But they weren't in for long. Marchy Schwartz ran for a 60 yard touchdown on Notre Dame's first play of the game, and Jumping Joe Savoldi scored twice on a plunge and a 40 yard interception return. It was 28-0 early in the 2nd quarter, Frank Carideo perfect on extra points. The substitutes came in, and they scored again to make it 35-0 at the half. Pitt came back for 3 touchdowns on the subs in the last quarter, making the final score 35-19.

After the Pitt rout, the media hype for Notre Dame went into overdrive, where it remained for the rest of the season. From the Associated Press the next day: "Another great Notre Dame eleven, flying high along the road to the national championship, shattered the Pittsburgh Panthers with five touchdowns in the first half... Notre Dame served final warning on the football world that one of the greatest of all Knute Rockne's elevens is on the way to lasting fame."

Notre Dame's next 3 opponents were their easiest, resulting in wins by 27-0 over 2-5-1 Indiana, 60-20 at 5-4 Penn, and 28-7 over 5-4 Drake. Next up was the season-ending gauntlet: at Northwestern (7-1-1), Army (9-1-1) at Soldier Field, and at Southern Cal (8-2), all considered to be top 10 caliber teams. And of course fullback Jumping Joe Savoldi was discovered to be both married and divorcing-- expelling him from the school for the former and from the Church for the latter.

NOTRE DAME - NORTHWESTERN: Northwestern came into this game, their finale, 7-0 and champions of the Big 10. No one had come within a touchdown of them, and they had beaten 8-1 Tulane 14-0, 5-2-1 Ohio State 19-2, and 6-2-1 Wisconsin 20-7. Visions of a national championship danced in their heads. As he did at Pitt, Rockne left his shock troops on the bench and started his 1st string. With the Army and Southern Cal games looming, he no doubt hoped that Notre Dame would again erupt for a big early lead and give his regulars half a game's rest, but if so, his plan backfired. The game was a fierce and scoreless battle until midway through the 4th quarter, and 6 of his 11 starters ended up playing all 60 minutes, exceedingly rare under Rockne since the early 1920s. Notre Dame controlled the 2nd half, but they couldn't score until 7 minutes were left in the game. Frank Carideo punted to the Northwestern 1, which was good, but the play was negated by a holding penalty on Northwestern, giving Notre Dame a 1st down, which was even better. Marchy Schwartz scored on a 28 yard run 2 plays later. Very late in the game, Notre Dame intercepted a Northwestern lateral pass at their 25. After Notre Dame picked up a quick 1st down, Schwartz threw a pass to Carideo that carried to the 1, substitute Dan Hanley plunged over for the touchdown, and Carideo kicked his 2nd extra point to make the final score 14-0. Northwestern had just 1 drive inside the ND 30 in the 2nd half, while ND took 5 trips inside the NW 30. Notre Dame finished with 150 yards and 8 first downs, Northwestern with 114 and 6. The big difference there was the passing game, as Notre Dame hit 4 of 12 for 60 yards, and NW was 0 for 9 and threw 3 interceptions.

NOTRE DAME - ARMY: Notre Dame and Army had already staged a number of classic games by this point, including Notre Dame's 12-6 "win one for the Gipper" rally in 1928 and Jack Elder's 96 yard interception return for a 7-0 Notre Dame win in 1929. Notre Dame was 11-4-1 in the series, but 7 of their wins had been close games. Army came into this one at 8-0-1 on the season, but their schedule was incredibly weak, as 6 of those opponents were minor teams. The only good team they had played was 5-2-2 Yale, and that was their tie. But while they were not as strong as Northwestern, they were very good, they always played Notre Dame tough, and they had another couple of advantages that Northwestern had not had the week prior. First of all, Notre Dame was coming off a very draining game against Northwestern, while Army was coming off a pair of breather games against Kentucky Wesleyan and Ursinus. Secondly, a steady, icy rain fell on gameday, rendering Soldier Field a slippery mess, and that always favors the underdog. Despite the weather, attendance estimates ran as high as 110,000 (103,000 paid).

The teams staged yet another classic for the crowd, and like the Northwestern game, all the scoring in this game took place in the deep end of the final quarter. Knute Rockne went back to starting his shock troops for this one. They recovered a punt that hit an Army player at the Army 27, but got driven back to the 40. Then they recovered a muffed punt at the Army 17, but were stopped at the 12. Army soon got their own breaks in the kicking game. A quick kick from their 25 rolled all the way to the Notre Dame 6, and the ensuing punt-out only traveled to the 22. Army then drove to the Notre Dame 10, but a penalty killed the drive thereafter. Notre Dame's regulars entered for the 2nd quarter, and they controlled the rest of the game. They drove to the Army 40, but threw an interception there. Late in the quarter, Marchy Schwartz returned a punt 14 yards to the Army 26, and they drove to the Army 12 when the half ended. In the 3rd quarter, Notre Dame partially blocked a punt to gain possession of the ball at the Army 29, but that drive was stopped at the 11. On Notre Dame's next drive, Marchy Schwartz broke away for a long run, but he was hit and fumbled the ball away at the Army 3. In the 4th quarter, Notre Dame end and captain Tom Conley recovered an Army fumble at their 12. Notre Dame drove to the 4, but Frank Carideo uncharacteristically missed a field goal try there. Finally, with about 5 minutes left, Schwartz broke loose on a 54 yard touchdown run off tackle, and Carideo hit the critical extra point for a 7-0 lead. Army could not move the ball much at all in this game, but they almost spoiled Notre Dame's season through another break in the kicking game. Substitute end Dick King blocked a Frank Carideo punt and fell on the ball in the end zone for a touchdown. But Notre Dame blocked the all-important extra point try, and by that margin they held on for the 7-6 win. Notre Dame outgained Army 191 yards to 63, and they had 5 first downs to 3 for Army.

NOTRE DAME - SOUTHERN CAL: No rest for the weary; Notre Dame was off to Southern Cal the next week, their third straight road trip to face a top 10 caliber team. Southern Cal came in at 8-1, the loss by a mere 7-6 at Washington State, who was 9-0 and heading to the Rose Bowl. USC had outscored their other 8 opponents 376-32 (average 47-4), including a 41-12 win at 9-1-1 Stanford. Notre Dame had won 3 of 4 games against USC thus far in the series, but all 3 wins were by just 1 point, so USC had actually outscored Notre Dame by a total of 10 points over the 4 games. Making matters more difficult, Notre Dame fullback Larry "Moon" Mullins was injured and could not play, and with Jumping Joe Savoldi already gone, that left a big hole at the position. But substitute halfback Paul "Bucky" O'Connor was moved to 1st string fullback, and wouldn't you know it, Bucky ended up being the game's top rusher and high scorer. Southern Cal was a 5-4 favorite to win, and an estimated 90,000 fans showed up at the Coliseum to cheer them on. But it would be a sad day for them. Knute Rockne went all in, starting his regulars again, and they rewarded him by jumping all over USC in the opening quarter. Notre Dame drove deep into Southern Cal territory after the opening kickoff, and though they were stopped, USC gave the ball right back with a bad snap on their first play from scrimmage. Halfback Marchy Schwartz then hit quarterback Frank Carideo with a 19 yard touchdown pass. Not long after that, halfback Marty Brill ran a reverse, then lateraled to Bucky O'Connor, who took the ball 80 yards for a touchdown. A Carideo touchdown pass was negated by a holding penalty in the 2nd quarter. In the 3rd, Schwartz got loose for a 50 yard run, then capped the drive by lateraling to Bucky O'Connor, who took it in from 7 yards out for his 2nd touchdown. The reserves added a touchdown in the 4th, and the final score was a rather shocking 27-0.

O'Connor and Schwartz both rushed for over 100 yards, and Notre Dame totaled an amazing 433 yards of offense to USC's 140. After the game, Notre Dame returned to the Ambassador Hotel to dress for a victory dinner at the Los Angeles Athletic Club, and then 2 buses took them to fullback Moon Mullins' parents' house in South Pasadena, where the party continued until 5 a.m. Notre Dame was hailed far and wide as the national champion. The Veteran Athletes of Philadelphia club named Notre Dame the national champion and Frank Carideo the nation's outstanding player. The Erskine Award, a national championship cup that was based on a vote of 275 writers representing every region, went to Notre Dame, just as the inaugural Erskine cup had the year before. At a ceremony in Mount Vernon in January, they presented Carideo with $1000 and Rockne with a car. The Dickinson system's Rissman Trophy also went to Notre Dame, and since they had won it 3 times in less than a decade, the trophy was permanently retired to Notre Dame's possession. The Dickinson system's trophy would be named for Knute Rockne in subsequent seasons. Robert Kelley wrote in the New York Times, "Not in a great many years has a team so clearly and convincingly demonstrated its right to be called the best in the country." But then he added this interesting caveat: "Casting about for any possibility of a flaw in the title, there remains only Alabama to be considered."

1931 ROSE BOWL --- Washington State v. Alabama

After Notre Dame's surprisingly easy 27-0 win at Southern Cal, the only way Alabama could hope to be considered in the same class as Notre Dame was to rout 9-0 Washington State, who beat USC 7-6 at home, by a similarly impressive score. Mission accomplished.

This was Alabama's 3rd trip to the Rose Bowl, as they beat Washington and tied Stanford following the 1925 and 1926 seasons. Alabama claims an MNC for both of those seasons, and for this one as well, so the Rose Bowl was quite good to Alabama. Washington State's victory over Southern Cal had given them the PCC title, and they also won 14-7 over 7-3 Oregon State in Portland, 3-0 at 5-4 Washington, and 13-0 at 5-5 Villanova in their regular season finale. They featured 3 linemen who would all appear on the same NFL all-pro team in 1933.

The Rose Bowl put up enough temporary seating to hold 81,000 fans, and they still claim that as the game's attendance, but there was a drizzling rain on gameday, and most crowd estimates ran from 60,000 to 70,000. Washington State showed up in red-- not just their jerseys and pants, but also their helmets, socks, and shoes. Wallace Wade once again started Alabama's 2nd string as "shock troops," the lone exception being tackle and captain Charles Clement. As usual, nothing happened in the 1st quarter, but the regulars came in and washed over WSU like a crimson tsunami in the 2nd quarter.

End Jimmy Moore came around for a reverse, then pulled and up and hit halfback John "Flash" Suther with a 61 yard touchdown. Washington State threw an interception, and Moore went to work again, hitting end Ben Smith with a pass to the WSU 1. Quarterback John "Monk" Campbell scored from there. On Alabama's next series, Campbell took the ball 43 yards for another touchdown, then he kicked his 3rd extra point, and just like that it was 21-0 at the half. The subs came in and kicked a 30 yard field goal to make the final score 24-0. WSU had just 1 threat, driving to the Alabama 1 yard line in the 4th quarter. 33 players took the field for Alabama.

Campbell was the game's MVP, leading all backs with 114 yards rushing in 1 quarter of work. Alabama totaled 359 yards to WSU's 216, and they had 1 turnover to WSU's 5. WSU's one bright spot was 11 first downs to 9 for Alabama, which shows how much that statistic is worth.

In a 1990 interview with the Spokane, Washington Spokesman-Review, Washington State tailback Tuffy Ellingsen recalled the team's encounter with Irene Dunne. "Before the game she came out and met in our huddle," he said. "Irene had a little speech. She said, 'We want good sportsmanship. We want good relations between the teams.' One of our guys said, 'We'd rather have good relations with you, Irene.'" Washington State lost to the Crimson Tide 24-0. Dunne's performance in Cimarron later that year earned her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best actress (she would go on to earn a total of five nominations but never won). She would go on to become a very popular screen heroine during the 1930s and 1940s starring in films such as Back Street (1932), Theodora Goes Wild (1936) and The Awful Truth (1937).

1930: The Winged Helmet Debuts

For decades, many believed the winged helmet was invented by Princeton Coach Fritz Crisler in 1935, who then took the helmets to Michigan in 1938. However, there is more to this history than what was previously thought.

Four other teams wore the winged helmets before Fritz Crisler's Princeton team, including University of Michigan's rivals Ohio State and Michigan State. History proves that no coach or team invented the design of the winged helmet, it was simply a Spalding stock item that several colleges used starting in 1930.

On September 11, 1930, Ohio State Head Coach Sam Willaman had his Buckeyes debut new uniforms along with winged helmets at Northwestern. This was the first time any team, either college or professional, wore a winged helmet.

The first winged helmet was a dark leather helmet with a lighter contrasting color wing on the front. The wing was put in place as extra padding to help sustain collisions.

Willaman had his teams wear the winged helmet for three seasons and in 1934, new Head Coach Francis Schmidt kept the winged helmets for his first season, but opted to return to the traditional leather helmets during his second season in 1935.

In 1938, Crisler arrived as the new head coach of the University of Michigan. Just like he had done for Princeton, he ordered the FH5 winged helmets from the 1938 Spalding Official Intercollegiate Football Guide for his new team.

The University of Michigan helmet consisted of a blue leather helmet with a maize colored wing and three stripes running from front to back.

The first game in which University of Michigan football players wore the Michigan helmet was against arch rival Michigan State College on September 1, 1938. In this game, both opponents wore winged helmets.

Even though University of Michigan was not the first to debut the winged helmet, it did make it famous. During the switch from leather helmets to plastic suspension helmets, most teams changed their helmet designs as well. However, University of Michigan retained the winged design by painting the wings and stripes on the new, plastic suspension helmets and have worn the wings ever since.

It's ironic that University of Michigan's history with the winged helmet is the most limited, though through consistency they have turned the design into arguably the most recognizable helmets in college football.

Schrute · Jul 30, 2013

keep doin yo thang Smailsy

I love these

Judge Smails · Jul 30, 2013

Thanks Dee-white!! Will do.

Judge Smails · Jul 31, 2013

29 days to go ...

Harvard beats Yale 29-29 -- 45th anniversary: The 1968 Harvard-Yale game would decide the Ivy League title as both teams entered 8-0. Trailing by 16 points late in the fourth quarter, Harvard rallied to score twice and convert both 2-point conversions, the last of which came with no time on the clock as the game ended 29-29. The Harvard school paper, The Harvard Crimson, had one of the most famous headlines in college football history: "Harvard Beats Yale 29-29."

November 23, 1968
Cambridge, Massachusetts

"Never in my lifetime will I ever see another ending like that one. It just doesn't happen." - John Yovicsin

The Yale Elis (8-0) entered the finale of the 1968 season with a 16-game winning streak, hoping to capture their second straight Ivy League Championship with a win over arch-rival and undefeated Harvard (8-0). The Crimson, seeking their first ever outright Ivy title, boasted the nation's best scoring defense, allowing just 7.6 points per game.

But led by future NFL star running back Calvin Hill and record setting quarterback Brian Dowling, who hadn't lost a game he finished since 6th grade, Yale shocked Harvard in the first half. Dowling ran for one TD, threw to Hill for another (making Hill the all-time leading scorer at Yale), then threw to Del Marting for a third score. The Elis led 22-0 in the second quarter.
The highly anticipated 85th meeting between the two schools had turned into a rout even before halftime.

Harvard's Pete Varney (80) hauls in the 2-point conversion with 0:00 on the clock to force the 29-29 tie

Harvard coach John Yovicsin, desperate to stir up his team's offense, benched quarterback George Lalich in favor of junior Frank Champi midway through the second quarter. Champi, a javelin thrower who started the season as a fourth string QB, had just five completions the entire season.

"He looked scared to death," recalled his offensive lineman and future Academy Award winning actor Tommy Lee Jones. "It all looked overwhelming to him." But the wide-eyed Champi quickly overcame his butterflies, drove the team 64 yards in 12 plays, and capped it off with a 15-yard touchdown pass to Bruce Freeman with 44 seconds remaining in the half. The Crimson botched the extra point. Yale took a 22-6 lead into the locker room.

Not a bad job by the nervous Champi. But not good enough to keep him in the game.

Yovicsin sent Lalich back on the field to start the second half, but the senior QB could muster nothing in three plays. Harvard punted back to Yale, but the Elis fumbled on the Yale 25. Harvard's Freeman recovered. Champi then re-entered for good. When Crimson fullback Gus Crim scored on a 1-yard TD run to cut the margin to 22-13, Harvard had hope.

But not for long.

Intent on placing an exclamation mark on his illustrious Yale career, Dowling marched the Elis down field on eight plays early in the fourth quarter. He scorched the Harvard defense with his fourth TD of the game, a 5-yard run off the right side to make the score 28-13 with 10:44 to play in the game.

Feeling no need to go for a two-point conversion, Yale coach Carmen Cozza elected to kick the extra point and the Elis had a nearly insurmountable 29-13 lead. "I just didn't figure it was possible for Harvard to come back. There was just no way it could have happened."

Indeed, the Yale defense held, and as Dowling marched the Elis toward another score, the Yale fans waved white handkerchiefs in Harvard Stadium screaming, "We're No.1, You're No.2".
With under four minutes to play, Yale wanted more. Dowling threw a screen pass to fullback Bob Levin who took it to the Harvard 14-yard line, but then fumbled. The Eli's sixth fumble of the game. Harvard's Steve Ranere recovered with 3:34 remaining, giving the Crimson the ball but hardly a chance, down by 16 points.

Champi did move Harvard to the Yale 38, where he faced third-and-18. Stepping up in the pocket, Champi was buried by two Yale linemen. But as he fell to the ground, the ball squirted out to his left where tackle Fritz Reed picked it up and rambled diagonally down field 25 yards to the Yale 15-yard line. "I think he was trying to lateral," recalled Reed, "and the ball came out on the ground. It was just lying there."

The ball started to take on a crimson color. Champi's arm suddenly appeared golden.

From the 15, Champi rolled right and zipped a completion to Freeman at the Yale 5. The sophomore split end turned and bulled his way into the end zone for the score. Yale 29, Harvard 19.

0:42 on the clock. Champi looked for Peter Varney on the 2-point conversion. The ball fell incomplete. But a flag flew. Yale was called for pass interference, giving the Crimson another chance. This time Crim barreled over for the two points and the score was 29-21.

Harvard Stadium shook. The Crimson tried the onside kick. Ken Thomas squibbed it across the 50-yard line where Yale's Brad Lee, an offensive guard, tried to pounce on it. But as he fell to the ground, another Yale defender tripped over Lee's helmet and the ball popped free at the Yale 49. Harvard's Bill Kelly recovered it.

Suddenly the impossible seemed plausible, if still improbable.

Harvard had the ball again. Dowling got anxious on the Yale sidelines and asked to play defense. "On the last series, I asked Carm if I could go in," remembered Dowling."As a quarterback, you should have a good idea of defenses. I had defensive experience in high school and had 32 interceptions."

Cozza kept Dowling on the sidelines. They watched as Champi ran around left end for 14 yards to the 35, before being tackled by Mike Bouscaren. Then another flag on Yale. Bouscaren was called for a face-mask penalty. The ball was moved to the Yale 20.

0:32 left. Champi tried Freeman in the end zone. Incomplete. Then he threw for running back Jimmy Reynolds. Incomplete again. 20 seconds remained.

Third down and ten. Champi and the Crimson surprised the Elis with a draw play to Crim who burst through a gaping hole to the Yale 6-yard line. Harvard quickly called timeout with 0:14 on the clock.

It was too ridiculous for the Harvard fans to hope for another Crimson touchdown and 2-point conversion to tie the game. Wasn't it? 16 points in 42 seconds? C'mon.

Champi looked to throw, but was sacked at the 8-yard line by Yale's Jim Gallagher. The Crimson called their final timeout with three seconds left.

The Harvard substitute quarterback had one final chance.

A play that lives forever in Ivy League folklore.

Champi took the snap, dropped back to the 15, pump faked twice, ran up to the 10, faked a throw to the left, then to the right, shook off a tackle, ran back to the 16, looked right, turned left, then just as he was pounded by a Yale defender, launched a toss to the left side of the end zone where running back Vic Gatto had sneaked open.

Champi described it his way. "I got hit. I thought someone was breathing down my neck. I scrambled. I threw off my wrong foot. Gatto was open for a moment. After that, I remember feeling a sense of inevitability. I thought, 'We've come this far.' I was very confident. It was inevitable."

"I just threw it in his general direction," he said.

Those fans who hadn't hyperventilated watching Champi dance around for almost ten seconds, saw Gatto, the first 2,000 yard rusher in Harvard history, playing with a bad left knee, gather in the touchdown pass as he fell backward in the end zone with no time remaining. Astoundingly, Harvard trailed 29-27.

Gatto was picked up by his teammates. Crimson fans stormed the field. Harvard had miraculously scored two touchdowns in the final 42 seconds. After a long delay to clear the field of fans, the Crimson would now go for the two-point conversion, a 29-29 tie, and a share of the Ivy League Title.

Could there be any doubt what would happen next? Yale was playing against fate.

It was almost anti-climactic. Champi rolled right, stopped, looked left, then threw to Pete Varney who ran a slant pattern from the left over the middle into the end zone. He had inside position. He had the ball. Harvard had the 29-29 tie. It certainly felt like a Crimson victory.

Hordes of Harvard faithful re-flooded the field, celebrating perhaps the most thrilling tie in the history of college football.

The two teams shared the Ivy League Title with identical 8-0-1 records, but it seemed that Harvard's piece of the pie was a little bigger. The headline of the student newspaper, the Harvard Crimson, read "Harvard beats Yale 29-29".

"I don't know who said 'A tie is like kissing your sister' but I'll take this game just the way it ended," said Yovicsin.

"It was almost like a nightmare, really," said Cozza." I don't know how else to explain it. We feel like we lost it, even though we didn't. Something like that won't happen again in 1,000 years."

Dowling was bitter. "I don't want to take anything away from Champi, but he fumbled once and his tackle ran 23 yards, and that facemask penalty wasn't any of his doing either. He didn't pull it out, his team did."

Champi was king for a day. The next year, two games into his senior season at Harvard, he quit football to concentrate on track.

Dowling, who passed up offers to play at Ohio State and Michigan and instead enrolled at Yale, finished his senior year holding both season and career records for most touchdowns, yards passing and total offense in his four years at Yale. After graduation, he spent a decade bouncing around numerous NFL teams as a backup quarterback in Minnesota, New England, Green Bay, Washington, and Los Angeles.

Carmen Cozza retired in 1996 after 10 Ivy League Championships and 32 years as head coach of the Elis.

[video=youtube_share;sveyK5xFHzU]http://youtu.be/sveyK5xFHzU[/video]

1929 COLLEGE FOOTBALL HIGHLIGHTS

Notre Dame halfback Jack Elder's 96 yard interception return that beat Army 7-0 in the season finale for both teams (Army did not play Navy this year). Notre Dame finished 9-0, and they are a nearly unanimous choice for 1929 mythical national champion.

Notre Dame had won their first MNC in 1924 behind the famed "Four Horsemen," and from that time forward, they were the media's one true love. They won a lot, they traveled a lot (so everyone could see them), they played in high-profile intersectional games against various regions' top teams, and their coach was highly charismatic. Many of the nation's other football-playing schools were smitten as well, and Knute Rockne's players were hired as coaches left and right.

Notre Dame had come close to MNCs in 1926 and 1927, but in 1928 they fell back to 5-4, the worst straight record in Rockne's coaching career, and Notre Dame's worst in 23 years. However, those 4 losses came to 7-1-1 Wisconsin, 10-0 Georgia Tech, 7-1 Carnegie, and 9-0-1 Southern Cal, so the 5-4 record was a bit of an illusion. They defeated 5-3-1 Navy, 7-1 Drake, and 8-2 Army (the game they famously won for the Gipper). Notre Dame only played 1 opponent in 1929 who was as good as any of the 4 teams they'd lost to in 1928.

A couple of factors made Notre Dame's 9-0 run in 1929 rather remarkable. The first is that they did not play any home games, as their new stadium was under construction this season. They played Wisconsin, Drake, and Southern Cal in Chicago, Navy in Baltimore, Army in the Bronx, and 4 teams on their home fields. On top of that, Rockne was stricken with phlebitis, and was told by doctors not to coach this season. He was able to attend few of their games, and did his coaching from wheelchairs, cots, and hospital beds. Assistant coach Tom Lieb, who had played for Rockne 1919-1922, was in charge of the team on game days. He had been the line coach at Wisconsin 1926-1928, but was called home to get Notre Dame through this season. The next season, he was the head coach at Loyola-California (1930-1938), and later at Florida (1940-1945).

THE SEASON
Game 1 --- Notre Dame opened with a 14-0 win at Indiana (2-6-1) for the Hoosiers' homecoming, 20,000 in the stands. Halfback Jack Elder supplied the bulk of the offense, throwing a 45 yard pass, then scoring from 24 yards out in the 2nd quarter, and reeling off a 59 yard touchdown run in the 3rd quarter. Frank Carideo kicked the extra points, and he also had a 55 yard interception return, but he fumbled the ball away at the Indiana 7 at the end of the return.

Game 2 --- The next week they went to Baltimore to play Navy in front of 80,000 spectators. Rockne was laid up back in South Bend with phlebitis, but a phone line was installed in the locker room so that he could give each player a pregame pep talk. This game followed a familiar pattern for Rockne's Notre Dame teams-- the shock troops played the first quarter and gave up an early lead, and the 1st string players came into the game in the 2nd quarter and rallied for the win. But this time they didn't take the lead until the 4th quarter. Navy recovered a fumble at the Notre Dame 32 to set up their opening quarter touchdown. They hit a couple of passes for 25 yards, then ran it over goal in 2 plays for the 7-0 lead. The 2nd quarter was all Notre Dame, but they only got one touchdown out of it. Halfback Marty Brill, a transfer from Penn, had some good runs in the 55 yard touchdown drive, and Carideo hit Elder with an 11 yard pass to tie the game 7-7. But in other drives, Notre Dame was stopped at the Navy 12, and an Elder to Carideo pass that put the ball inside the Navy 2 came up empty as well. Late in the 3rd quarter, Brill ran for 25 yards to the Navy 8, and early in the final period, the drive ended with fullback Larry "Moon" Mullins going over goal. Carideo kicked his 2nd extra point, and Notre Dame won 14-7. Notre Dame had 20 first downs to Navy's 7.

Game 3 --- Next up was a 19-0 win over Wisconsin (4-5) in Chicago, revenge for a 22-6 loss in Madison the previous season. Notre Dame next went to Pittsburgh to take on Carnegie, who had also beaten them the previous season.

Game 4 --- Carnegie had cost Notre Dame a MNC in 1926 with a shocking 19-0 upset in Pittsburgh, and they had beaten Notre Dame 27-7 in South Bend in 1928 to make it 2 wins in a row (the teams didn't play in 1927). 70,000 fans, then a record for any sport in the city of Pittsburgh, showed up to watch the home team go for the hat trick. Knute Rockne made this trip, coaching in a wheelchair on the sideline. Carnegie's defense was terrific in this game, holding Notre Dame to just 8 first downs, but the offense did not do its part, managing only 3 first downs. Notre Dame drove for the game's only score in the 3rd quarter. Jack Elder ran for 33 yards to the Carnegie 17 (he also had runs of 15 and 17 yards in this game), and 6 more runs put the ball over goal, Jumping Joe Savoldi earning his nickname over the pile on 4th down. Carideo added the extra point, and it was 7-0. Carnegie hit a couple of long passes to the Notre Dame 20 on their answering drive, but they were then stopped on downs.

Game 5 --- The next week Notre Dame traveled to Georgia Tech (3-6), their 3rd straight game against a team that had beaten them the previous season. The shock troops again gave up an early lead, but the regulars came storming back quickly in the 2nd quarter and won the game 26-6. Jack Elder had a 53 yard touchdown run and Frank Carideo returned a punt 75 yards for another touchdown.

Game 6 --- Notre Dame then beat Drake (5-3-1) 19-7 in Chicago, and that brought them to their biggest game of the year.

Game 7 --- Attendance for this game at Soldier Field was estimated at 112,000 to 123,000, similar to other big games that had been held at Soldier Field in each of the previous 3 seasons: Army-Navy in 1926, USC-Notre Dame in 1927, and Navy-Notre Dame in 1928. Notre Dame had beaten Southern Cal 13-12 in 1926 and 7-6 in 1927, but USC had prevailed 27-14 in 1928. Southern Cal came into this game 6-1, losing 15-7 to California (7-1-1), winning at Stanford (9-2) 7-0, and whipping their other 5 opponents by an average score of 55-1. The 1st string line started this game for Notre Dame, but the backfield regulars went the usual route of entering in the 2nd quarter. Southern Cal thus went to the air, attacking the "shock troop" defensive backs, and they scored the game's opening touchdown on a 49 yard pass not long after the game had started. Notre Dame went to the air themselves late in the quarter, hitting a couple of passes for 53 yards to the USC 7, but regular halfback Marty Brill then fumbled on 1st down, and the Trojans recovered the ball at their 2 yard line. Notre Dame kept at it, and they tied the game 6-6 on a 53 yard pass from Jack Elder to end Tom Conley. Carideo set up another opportunity by punting for 65 yards, then returning USC's next punt to their 30 yard line. Jack Elder threw another pass to Tom Conley, but it bounced off of his hands and was caught by Carideo in the end zone. Unfortunately, however, this was not a legal catch by the rules of 1929, and the score remained 6-6 at the half. Knute Rockne was supposed to have been left behind in South Bend, but he made a surprise appearance in the Notre Dame locker room at halftime, delivering a speech from a wheelchair. He coached the 2nd half from a cot behind the bench. Frank Carideo continued to control field position with his punting and punt returns in the 3rd quarter, eventually returning a punt 30 yards to the USC 12. Jack Elder ran for 9 yards, and Jumping Joe Savoldi took the ball over the goal line on 2 runs into the line. Carideo kicked the ultimately decisive extra point, making it 13-6. Southern Cal responded on the ensuing kickoff, returning it 95 yards for a touchdown, but the extra point try was wide of the goalposts, giving Notre Dame a 13-12 win. It was their 3rd 1-point win over USC in 4 years, and USC was 0 for 5 on extra point attempts in those games. The New York Times reported that "the Rockne men were the better team by considerably more than one point." They made 12 first downs to 7 for USC. Notre Dame had now successfully beaten all 4 teams that had beaten them the previous season.

Game 8 --- Notre Dame next went to Northwestern and won 26-6. That was Northwestern's finale, finishing them at 6-3.

Game 9 --- Notre Dame finished the season facing Army at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. Their Hall of Fame coach, Biff Jones, had already announced his retirement, effective at the end of the season, and Army was determined to send him off with a win (he would return to coaching 1932-1941 at LSU, Oklahoma, and Nebraska). Knute Rockne did not make the trip with his team. It was 8 degrees and windy on gameday, and the field was slippery and frozen hard as concrete, hampering both offenses. The stadium was nevertheless filled with over 80,000 fans (300,000 had requested tickets).

Neither team mounted an extended drive, and neither team completed a pass. As in the USC game, Notre Dame started its 1st string line, the 1st string backs entering in the 2nd quarter. Army had one opportunity in the opening quarter when a quick kick hit a Notre Dame back and Army recovered the ball at the Notre Dame 27. Army lost 7 yards in 3 plays, and then consensus All American halfback Red Cagle overthrew an open receiver on a bomb to the end zone. Notre Dame's regular backfield didn't provide the usual boost to the offense when they entered the game, as they gained no first downs and totaled just 1 yard in the 2nd quarter. They would make their mark on defense.

The 1st string backs entered the game just after Notre Dame halfback Marchy Schwartz punted for a meager 19 yards to the Notre Dame 47. Army repeatedly ran into the line, making a couple of first downs before they were stopped at the 19. But they blocked Notre Dame's next punt and recovered the ball at the 13, a golden opportunity.

For Notre Dame, as it turned out. After another couple of runs into the line netted 2 yards, Red Cagle rolled right along with most of his team, then threw back across the field to his left, where Notre Dame halfback Jack Elder had stayed home. Elder leapt into the air from about the goal line, caught the ball in the air, landed at the 4, and proceeded to run straight down the right sideline for the game's only score. Carideo added the extra point, and Notre Dame went on to win 7-0.

Neither team moved the ball much the rest of the game, but Army blew another opportunity in the 4th quarter. Cagle returned a punt 40 yards to the Notre Dame 35, but on 4th and 4, he just missed on a pass to a wide open receiver at the Notre Dame 15, and that was that. Army had no substitutions in this game. Army outgained Notre Dame 142 yards to 102, but they only made 6 first downs to Notre Dame's 7 (5 gained by Jumping Joe Savoldi).

The 1929 college football season saw a number of unbeaten and untied teams. Purdue, Tulane, Notre Dame and Pittsburgh all finished the regular season with wins over all their opponents.

A major change in the rules for 1929 was that a fumbled ball was dead as soon as it struck the ground. Previously, a defending player could run with a recovered fumble, as in the case of Roy Riegels in the 1929 Rose Bowl.

October 26
During the weekend between October 24 and October 29, 1929 (right before the Wall Street Crash), SMU beat visiting Ole Miss, 52-0 and TCU, with a 131-7 aggregate lead over its opponents, won its fifth straight, a 22-0 win over Texas Tech. In Pittsburgh, the Pitt Panthers beat Allegheny 40-0 and Notre Dame defeated Carnegie Tech 7-0. Illinois beat visiting Michigan 14-0, and Purdue won at Chicago 26-0 The USC offense was held to single digits at Stanford, winning 7-0. California defeated the non-college Olympic Club, 21-19. Pennsylvania beat Lehigh 10-7 and in New Orleans, Tulane beat Georgia Tech, 20-14. Nebraska and Missouri played to a 7-7 tie.

November 16
In Chicago, a record crowd of 123,000 turned out at Soldier Field to watch Notre Dame (6-0-0) and USC (6-1-0). Knute Rockne, who had been hospitalized with an infected leg, guided his team from a cot set behind the Notre Dame bench. In the third quarter, the Irish took a 13-6 lead, on—Savoldi's plunge and Frank Carideo's extra point. On the ensuing kickoff, -- Saunders ran the ball back 95 yards for a touchdown, but the point after failed, and Notre Dame held on to win 13-12.

Nebraska and visiting Oklahoma played to a 13-13 draw; at (2-1-3), the Cornhuskers had tied more games than they had won or lost. SMU beat Baylor, 25-6. TCU was (7-0-0) and had outscored its opposition 193-7; Texas (5-0-2) had an aggregate 120-0 lead on its opponents, though its last two games had been scoreless ties. When they met at Austin, Texas scored first, but Cy Leland returned the kickoff 90 yards for a TCU score. At halftime, TCU led 13-12 on the only extra point scored that day, and finished 15-12 Illinois defeated Chicago 20-6 and Purdue beat Iowa 7-0 Pittsburgh beat Carnegie Tech, 34-13 Pennsylvania visited Columbia and won 20-0 California beat Washington 7-0. Tulane defeated Sewanee 18-0

November 30
In a season-ending matchup of the Southwest Conference's two best teams at Fort Worth, Texas Christian (9-0-0) hosted Southern Methodist (6-0-3). Although SMU took a 7-0 lead in the third quarter, and held the Frogs once at the goal line, TCU reached the one on its next possession, and scored on third down. Hawks Green's kick staved off an upset, tied the Mustangs 7-7, and gave TCU the conference title. Notre Dame (8-0-0) closed its season at Yankee Stadium in New York, where it faced Army (6-2-1). The Fighting Irish won 7-0. USC beat Washington State, 27-7 Tulane closed its season with a 21-0 win at LSU, to finish unbeaten at 9-0-0

In 1929, the top five teams in the post-season Dickinson ratings were represented by the following first-team All-Americans:
[TABLE="class: wikitable"]
<tbody>[TR]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2, align: center"][/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2, align: center"]TEAM[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2, align: center"]Record[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2, align: center"]All-Americans[/TH]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]1[/TD]
[TD]Notre Dame Fighting Irish[/TD]
[TD]9-0-0[/TD]
[TD]Frank Carideo (QB), Jack Cannon (G)[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]2[/TD]
[TD]Purdue Boilermakers[/TD]
[TD]8-0-0[/TD]
[TD]Elmer Sleight (T), Ralph Welch (FB)[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]3[/TD]
[TD]Pittsburgh Panthers[/TD]
[TD]9-0-0[/TD]
[TD]Joe Donchess (E), Ray Montgomery (G), Toby Uansa (HB), Pug Parkinson (FB)[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]4[/TD]
[TD]California Golden Bears[/TD]
[TD]7-1-1[/TD]
[TD]Bear Schwartz (E), Roy Riegels (C)[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]5[/TD]
[TD]Illinois Fighting Illini[/TD]
[TD]6-1-1[/TD]
[TD]Lou Gordon (T), Russ Crane (G)[/TD]
[/TR]
</tbody>[/TABLE]
Following the death of Walter Camp in 1925, there was a proliferation of All-American teams in the late 1920s. In 1929, there were at least a dozen published All-American teams that received extensive coverage in the press. Only one player, Notre Dame quarterback Frank Carideo was selected as a first-team All-American on all 12 teams. Pittsburgh end Joe Donchess was selected on 11 of the teams. The following chart identifies the players who were listed as first-team All-Americans on at least four of the 12 listed teams.

[TABLE="class: wikitable sortable jquery-tablesorter"]
<tbody>[TR]
[TH="class: headerSort, bgcolor: #DDDDFF"]Name[/TH]
[TH="class: headerSort, align: center"]Position[/TH]
[TH="class: headerSort, align: center"]School[/TH]
[TH="class: headerSort, width: 7%, bgcolor: #F2F2F2, align: center"]Number[/TH]
[TH="class: headerSort, width: 45%, bgcolor: #F2F2F2, align: center"]SelectorsFirst-team selections[/TH]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Frank Carideo[/TD]
[TD]Quarterback[/TD]
[TD]Notre Dame[/TD]
[TD]12[/TD]
[TD]AP, UP, COL, NEA, INS, NANA, CP, NYS, NYP, AAB, WA, LP[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Joe Donchess[/TD]
[TD]End[/TD]
[TD]Pittsburgh[/TD]
[TD]11[/TD]
[TD]AP, UP, COL, NEA, INS, NANA, NYS, NYP, AAB, WA, LP[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Bronko Nagurski[/TD]
[TD]Tackle/Fullback[/TD]
[TD]Minnesota[/TD]
[TD]10[/TD]
[TD]AP, UP, COL, NEA, INS, NANA, CP [fb], NYS, NYP [fb], LP[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Jack Cannon[/TD]
[TD]Guard[/TD]
[TD]Notre Dame[/TD]
[TD]10[/TD]
[TD]AP, UP, COL, NEA, INS, NYS, NYP, AAB, WA, LP[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Ben Ticknor[/TD]
[TD]Center[/TD]
[TD]Harvard[/TD]
[TD]10[/TD]
[TD]AP, UP, COL, INS, NANA, NYS, NY [g], AAB, WA, LP[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Elmer Sleight[/TD]
[TD]Tackle[/TD]
[TD]Purdue[/TD]
[TD]9[/TD]
[TD]AP, COL, INS, CP, NYS, NYP, AAB, WA, LP[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Ray Montgomery[/TD]
[TD]Guard[/TD]
[TD]Pittsburgh[/TD]
[TD]6[/TD]
[TD]UP, COL, NEA, INS, AAB, WA[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Ralph Welch[/TD]
[TD]Fullback[/TD]
[TD]Purdue[/TD]
[TD]6[/TD]
[TD]UP, COL, NEA, INS [hb], NANA, AAB[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Francis Tappaan[/TD]
[TD]End[/TD]
[TD]Southern Calif.[/TD]
[TD]5[/TD]
[TD]UP, NEA, NANA, NYP, AAB[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Red Cagle[/TD]
[TD]Halfback[/TD]
[TD]Army[/TD]
[TD]4[/TD]
[TD]AP, COL, AAB, WA[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Gene McEver[/TD]
[TD]Halfback[/TD]
[TD]Tennessee[/TD]
[TD]4[/TD]
[TD]UP, NEA, NANA, CP[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Willis Glassgow[/TD]
[TD]Halfback[/TD]
[TD]Iowa[/TD]
[TD]4[/TD]
[TD]COL, NEA, NYS, LP[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Bill Banker[/TD]
[TD]Halfback[/TD]
[TD]Tulane[/TD]
[TD]4[/TD]
[TD]NYP, AAB, WA, LP[/TD]
[/TR]
</tbody>[/TABLE]

1930 ROSE BOWL

USC had been beaten earlier in the year, at Chicago, by Notre Dame. The Trojans and the Fighting Irish were not able to agree on a rematch, and USC was given the right to invite another eastern powerhouse—the unbeaten (9-0-0) Pittsburgh Panthers.

Pitt's bid for a claim to the national championship started on the first play of the game, as Toby Uansa ran 68 yards before being tackled at the 11, but the Panthers failed to reach the end zone. Six minutes into the game, Russ Saunders and --- Edelson connected on a 56 yard pass play for USC's first touchdown.

Saunders, pictured above, was Player of the Game in the 1930 Rose Bowl. He passed for a then unheard of 297 yards, completing his first three passes for touchdowns, and ran for another as USC demolished favored Pittsburgh.Saunders played one year of pro football, helping Green Bay win the 1931 championship, then became an executive with Warner Brothers. Russ was the model for USC’s “Tommy Trojan” statue.

By halftime, USC led 26-0. Pitt finally scored in the third quarter to trail 33-7. After seven USC touchdowns, the final score was USC 47, Pitt 14.

This Rose Bowl marked the first of legendary Trojan coach Howard Jones' five consecutive Pasadena postseason victories.

This aerial view of the 1930 Rose Bowl game shows the new bowl shape, the Goodyear Blimp , the water channel in a semi-natural state (no concrete), many cars, but none on the golf course.

Judge Smails · Aug 1, 2013

28 days to go ... (aka 4 weeks)

Ole Miss recruits: Players signed by Ole Miss in its 2013 class = 28. The Rebels landed two of the top five players in the ESPN 150 rankings, including the No. 1 overall recruit, DE Robert Nkemdiche.

David Kamara, Robert Nkemdiche and his brother Denzel look on after Kamara and Robert committed to Ole Miss in February at Grayson (GA) High School

After months of speculation, the nation's No. 1 player, Robert Nkemdiche, provided a rather drama-free resolution to his year-long recruitment by choosing the school everyone expected him to pick: Ole Miss.

In a press conference at Grayson High School outside of Atlanta on Wednesday morning, Nkemdiche chose the Rebels over LSU, setting in motion what could be a seismic shift for the Ole Miss program.

At 6-foot-5 and 260 pounds with terrific strength and speed, Nkemdiche has the potential to change the Rebels' defense from the moment he steps on the field.

Numerous factors led to Nkemdiche selecting the Rebels: his brother Denzel Nkemdiche being lightly recruited before landing with the school earlier this year; his mother's preference for the brothers to play together in college; and his desire to please one or both of them.

"It was important for me to make a family decision," Robert Nkemdiche said. "Those are the people who raised me and have always cared about me and always have my back.

"That was my parents' dream, to see us play together. Who wouldn't want to see their two sons playing together at the same school? I feel like it's going to give them a chance to see us do some special things together."

Denzel was thrilled with his younger brother's choice.

"Since the day I signed at Ole Miss, I said he was going to come play with me," Denzel Nkemdiche said. "I told myself that over and over and over again. I've had questions for over a year and a half about where Robert is going to play, and I've said he's going to come play with me. That's what I believed the whole time, and I knew everything was going to fall into place. My mom, she made it clear where she wanted him to go."

While there's no question about Nkemdiche's prowess as a prospect or the impact he'll have as a player, Wednesday's pledge will have an impact beyond X's and O's. Nkemdiche's move speaks to the progress the Rebels have made on the recruiting trail.

"Coach [Hugh] Freeze is just a great person," Nkemdiche said. "He's really energetic also. He's going to offer me the opportunity to be myself. We're going to do great things together at Ole Miss. I feel like we're just little bit away from making special things happen. When I was on my official visit a couple of weeks ago, I said to myself, 'Man, this is it. This is my school.'"

The news boils down to this: Ole Miss reached into Georgia and plucked the nation's No. 1 player from Mark Richt's backyard, and the aftershocks will be felt for years to come.

"This is obviously major news for Ole Miss and I want to stress that it makes no difference how it happened, all that matters is that it happened and it happened now," Rivals.com national recruiting analyst Mike Farrell said. "Whether he chose the Rebels because of his brother or his mother or whomever, Ole Miss is getting the nation's No. 1 prospect and a kid from Georgia who is followed by every other recruit in the nation."

Nkemdiche's influence on the Ole Miss class was felt long before he made his commitment official. Over the past month the Rebels have added seven players rated as four-stars or higher, including his Under Armour teammate and fellow five-star, wide receiver Laquon Treadwell.

Laremi Tunsil, a top prospect on the offensive line from Lake City, FL, is all smiles after faxing over his NLI to Ole Miss

"Landing the No. 1 player in the country will always help recruiting and legitimize a program and the fact that everyone knew Nkemdiche was going to Ole Miss since his de-commitment from Clemson helped build the excitement around this class," Farrell said. "They are getting a college-ready kid who can play any position along the line and a guy that other players in Georgia and the Southeast will look up to for the next few years."

Nkemdiche's commitment also gives Ole Miss a sense of relevance that it hasn't boasted in recent years.

Schools such as Alabama, LSU and Florida are always the first to come up when the SEC is mentioned, but now the nation will want to know if Nkemdiche is worth the hype. And as the saying goes, there is no such thing as bad publicity.

"There is a feeling that the signing of Robert Nkemdiche finally gives the program a respect on the national level, that it changes the proverbial game in Oxford," RebelGrove.com publisher Neal McCready said. "Nkemdiche's interest and ultimate signature gives Ole Miss credibility with some future recruits that might otherwise not have paid any attention to the Rebels."

Players from the class of 2014 are already naming Ole Miss among their early favorites, signaling that the Nkemdiche impact will continue beyond 2013.

"This will bring the most attention to Ole Miss since Eli Manning was a Heisman candidate," Farrell said.

Of course for Nkemdiche to live up to the hype, he'll have to back up his No. 1 status with his play on the field.

But for the fans in Oxford and for the Ole Miss program, there's no doubting that National Signing Day is a win -- even if it doesn't count in the standings.

1928 COLLEGE FOOTBALL HIGHLIGHTS

One of the most famous plays in college football history, California center Roy "Wrong Way" Riegels returning a fumble 65 yards in the wrong direction in the 1929 Rose Bowl.

Look how happy he is, how blissfully unaware he sails down the field. He thought he was running into everlasting fame, and indeed he was: his entire life would be defined by this misplay. A teammate finally stopped him at the Cal 3 yard line, and he was tackled back to the 1. Georgia Tech blocked the ensuing punt-out for a safety, and those were ultimately the winning points in an 8-7 victory that left Georgia Tech 10-0 and a virtually unanimous choice as 1928 mythical national champion.

Georgia Tech had previously won a national championship in 1917 under Hall of Fame coach John Heisman. Another Hall of Fame coach, William Alexander, succeeded him in 1920, and he went 134-95-15 through 1944, winning 5 Southern Conference titles and 3 SEC titles. Alexander had played for Heisman at Georgia Tech, and he was the valedictorian of the Class of 1912. Georgia Tech's basketball arena is named for him. Alexander was succeeded by Hall of Fame coach Bobby Dodd, giving Georgia Tech 3 straight coaches who brought home a national championship. The 3 coaches, Heisman, Alexander, and Dodd, spanned 63 years of Georgia Tech football, 1904-1966. In sharp contrast, the school has had 11 head coaches in the 46 years since Dodd's retirement.

A pair of assistant coaches for the 1928 team had been notable players. Backfield coach Don Miller had been a Hall of Fame halfback for Notre Dame's 1924 team, one of the "Four Horsemen," and line coach Bill Fincher had been a Hall of Fame tackle for Georgia Tech's 1917 team.

Georgia Tech fielded a consensus All American in 1928, captain and center Pete Pund, and he is also in the Hall of Fame. Tackle Frank Speer was a nonconsensus AA, and 6 Tech players were All-Southern. Halfback Warner Mizell was the team's star rusher, passer, and punter. Fullback Roy "Father" Lumpkin was a big sophomore who worked his way up from substitute to starter over the course of the season. He was a tremendous blocker, a strong line plunger, and a good defensive back, but he wasn't much of a student. After this season he left school and moved on to the pros, where he was an immediate star and played for 9 years.

Georgia Tech had gone 8-1-1 in 1927, finishing with a bang by beating 9-1 Georgia 12-0 to win the Southern Conference, so expectations were high this season. Tech exceeded them. The 1917 team had been called the "Golden Tornado" by the press, and that nickname returned in 1928 as Georgia Tech blew all their regular season opponents off the field.

Georgia Tech opened with a 13-0 win over Virginia Military Institute (5-3-2), a mid-level team that tied 6-3-1 Maryland and defeated 7-2 Virginia Tech. Georgia Tech's running game was stymied the next week at Tulane (6-3-1), but they went to the air for both touchdowns in a 12-0 win. Tulane was another mid-level team, their only notable result a tie with 6-2-1 Louisiana State in their finale.

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Coach Knute Rockne talks things over with his 1928 Fighting Irish, who would lose for the first time to Georgia Tech, 13-0

Notre Dame came to Atlanta the next week to provide Georgia Tech with a landmark win. The 2 teams had been playing annually since 1922, and Notre Dame was 6-0 in the series, winning every game by more than a touchdown, including a 26-7 beatdown to give Tech their only loss the previous season. This time, Georgia Tech drove to a touchdown in the game's opening minutes, Warner Mizell catching a 14 yard pass, throwing an 11 yarder, and running for the score. Soon afterward, Georgia Tech fullback Bob Randolph got loose for a long run that carried inside the Notre Dame 5 yard line, but then Tech was stopped on downs. In the 2nd quarter, Notre Dame got moving for 66 yards, but the drive died at the Georgia Tech 6. In the 3rd quarter, a bad Warner Mizell punt from his own end zone gave Notre Dame the ball at the GT 10, but 4 plays netted just 1 yard. In the 4th quarter, substitute fullback Father Lumpkin intercepted Notre Dame's Johnny Niemiec and returned the ball 28 yards to the Notre Dame 3, setting up the clinching touchdown that made the final score 13-0.

Georgia Tech traveled to North Carolina (5-3-2) the next week, and Bill Alexander rested his starters for the first half, as the Notre Dame game had been tough, and a big game against Vanderbilt loomed the next week. Tech's substitutes tore UNC up for a 20-0 halftime lead, but the starters did not fare so well in the 2nd half, and the game ended 20-7.

Vanderbilt was the big conference game this year. They came to Atlanta at 6-0, including wins over 6-3 Colgate, 7-2 Texas in Dallas, 6-3-1 Tulane, and 4-3-1 Kentucky (the team that ended up tying 9-0-1 Tennessee). Vanderbilt had tied Georgia Tech the previous season to give GT their only blemish in conference play. This year the game was scoreless until late in the first half, when Georgia Tech went to their basketball playbook for a "quadruple pass." Halfback Warner Mizell tossed the ball to halfback Jack "Stumpy" Thomason, who flipped it to end Tom Jones, who threw it back to Warner Mizell, and Mizell scored a touchdown on a long gain.

Georgia Tech continued rolling in the 2nd half. They scored another touchdown and were driving for a 3rd, when Vanderbilt recovered a Stumpy Thomason fumble and returned it the length of the field for a touchdown. Undaunted, Georgia Tech responded on their next drive with their 3rd touchdown, and that made the final score 19-7. Warner Mizell had over 200 yards rushing and receiving. Vanderbilt mounted no offensive scoring threats in the game.

Alabama came to Atlanta the next week, and the game was tied up at 13 going into the final quarter, but Georgia Tech scored 3 touchdowns down the stretch to win 33-13. Warner Mizell again gained over 200 yards.

Georgia Tech stomped 1-8 Auburn 51-0 on Thanksgiving Day, then wrapped the season up with rival Georgia (4-5), who threw a touchdown pass to take an early lead, but fell to the Golden Tornado 20-6. Georgia Tech had already accepted an invitation to the Rose Bowl by the time the December 8th game with Georgia was played.

1929 ROSE BOWL: Cal vs. Georgia Tech
California was coming in at 6-1-2, but they were definitely a top 10 caliber team. They were also a slight favorite over 9-0 Georgia Tech, and most of the estimated 70,000 fans in the stands were there to root for Cal.

Cal's star halfback Benny Lom had a great game rushing, passing, and punting (though 2 punts were blocked). In the 1st quarter, he ripped a 37 yard run on a fake punt that put the ball on the Georgia Tech 27, but they could only push 3 yards further before a fake field goal was blown up for a 10 yard loss. Georgia Tech halfback Warner Mizell, who also had a great game, scampered for 33 yards in a drive that carried to the Cal 32 before a fumble shut it down. Early in the 2nd quarter, a Cal toss drew a pass interference penalty to put the ball on the Georgia Tech 30, and they advanced 5 more yards before giving it up on a 4th down incompletion. The next play was the one everyone remembers. Warner Mizell fumbled at the end of a 6 yard run, and Cal center Roy "Wrong Way" Riegels scooped up the ball and set off on the jaunt that earned his nickname.

Practically every account of this play says that he was hit and spun around, which caused his confusion, and that was always his story. But if you watch the flim clip, you'll see that he picked the ball up at about the 33, and initially took off in the right direction, then suddenly pulled a u-turn at about the 28-- untouched-- and took off straight down the field for his own goal line. Teammate Benny Lom gave chase, shouting at him the whole way that he was heading for the wrong goal. But as you can see, Riegels was too exultant, too wrapped up in his shining moment to pay heed. Lom caught up with him once and was shaken off, then he caught him at the 3 and finally got through to him. Riegels turned around there, but a wave of Georgia Tech tacklers downed him at his own 1. Lom's ensuing punt-out was blocked by Georgia Tech tackle Vance Maree, and Cal's Stan Barr fell on the ball for a safety.

Riegels, who in December had been elected captain for the 1929 season, came out of the game and spent the rest of the half crying on the bench. He did not want to return to the game, but his coach, Nibs Price, exhorted him to return for the 2nd half, which he did, and he played very well, blocking a Georgia Tech punt. His ability to put his mistake behind him and play well in the next half, and the next season, is a common motivational example, but the fact is that for the rest of his life he was known as "Wrong Way" Riegels.

[video=youtube_share;dA8ShsySc48]http://youtu.be/dA8ShsySc48[/video]

Georgia Tech moved the ball well in Riegels' absence in the 2nd quarter. A 22 yard pass from fullback Father Lumpkin to end Tom Jones put the ball on the Cal 14, but a penalty and a sack killed the drive. Late in the half, a 30 yard punt return brought GT to the Cal 40, and a few plays later Benny Lom scooped up a loose ball and ran it 68 yards to the correct goal, but unfortunately for Cal, the play had been blown dead before the ball came out. The half ended 2 plays later, Georgia Tech still leading 2-0.

In the 3rd quarter, Benny Lom had another punt blocked, and Warner Mizell recovered the ball at the Cal 10 yard line. 3 runs put it at the 1, then Cal stopped Father Lumpkin short of the goal line. But it was a brief respite. After Cal punted out to midfield, Georgia Tech scored in just 2 plays. Mizell ran for 30-35 yards, and Stumpy Thomason went off tackle, then cut back for a 15 yard touchdown to make it a 2-score game, 8-0. Cal went to the air, and they hit a couple of passes, one for 20 yards, but the passes started falling incomplete at the Georgia Tech 37. Roy Riegels then blocked Warner Mizell's next punt and recovered the ball at the GT 26, but Tech pushed them back to the 33, where another pass fell incomplete on 4th down.

G-Tech's Stumpy Thomason cuts back against the grain for a 15-yard score in the Rose Bowl

The passing game wasn't working, so in the 4th quarter, Lom faked a pass and took off on a 26 yard run to the Tech 43. Then he went back to the air and threw an interception to GT center Pete Pund. Late in the game, Mizell put a punt in the "coffin corner," and a Cal player fielded it and went out of bounds at his own 2 yard line. At that point, the game was basically over, but Cal launched a 98 yard touchdown drive to save some face and make the wrong-way run a better story. Benny Lom ran 4 times for 31 yards to start the drive, then connected on 3 straight passes for 67 yards, the last a 10 yard touchdown, and that made the final score 8-7. Georgia Tech fell into the line 3 times to run out the clock.

Cal outgained Georgia Tech 271 yards to 189, and they had 11 first downs to 5 for GT. But Tech mounted 3 serious scoring threats (on top of the safety), while Cal had just the 1 at the end of the game. The Associated Press had Benny Lom with 121 yards rushing and 99 yards passing, and Warner Mizell with 136 yards rushing.

November 10
Army (6-0-0) hosted Notre Dame(4-2-0). A crowd of 90,000 packed the stands while 5,000 others in the Bronx watched from roofs and fire escapes within view of Yankee Stadium.

Though the Fighting Irish weren't having a good year, the score was 0-0 when Knute Rockne inspired his team at halftime by relating George Gipp's deathbed wish ("When the team's up against it, when things are wrong and the breaks are beating the boys—tell them to go in there with all they've got and win just one for the Gipper").

Though Army scored a touchdown in the third quarter, touchdowns by Jack Chevigny and Johnny O'Brien gave the Irish a 12-6 lead. In the final minute, Army drove to within one foot of the goal line, but the whistle sounded before the Cadets could snap the ball.

In the New York Daily News the following Monday, reporter Francis Wallace first related the story in an article entitled, "Gipp's Ghost Beat Army."

The big game in the South was in Atlanta, where Vanderbilt (6-0-0) visited Georgia Tech (5-0-0), and the home team won 19-7. Texas won at Baylor, 6-0. Wisconsin defeated Chicago, 25-0, and Iowa won at Ohio State, 14-7. In Indianapolis, Illinois beat Butler, 14-0. Pennsylvania won at Harvard, 7-0 NYU beat Alfred University, 71-0. USC beat Arizona, 78-7, Stanford beat Santa Clara 31-0, and California won at Washington, 6-0. Carnegie Tech won at Georgetown, 13-7. Nebraska, which had not played Oklahoma during the last two seasons, renewed a rivalry that became one of the most notable in college football. Playing at Oklahoma, the Cornhuskers won 44-6.

November 29
On Thanksgiving Day, Pennsylvania beat Cornell 49-0. Overall, the Penn Quakers had outscored their opponents 271 to 26, and finished 8-1-0. NYU closed its season with a 25-13 loss to visiting Oregon State, and finished 8-2-0. Wisconsin hosted Minnesota, and suffered its first loss, a 6-0 defeat, to close at 7-1-1. After starting the season 6-0, Iowa closed with a second loss, at Michigan, 10-7, to finish 6-2-0. Illinois closed at 7-1-0 after beating visiting Ohio State, 8-0. Nebraska closed its season with an 8-0 win over Kansas State, and Texas wrapped with a 19-0 win over Texas A&M.

'Dynamite' Don Williams carries the ball for Southern Cal in the Trojans 10-0 win over Stanford

December 8
Georgia Tech hosted Georgia and won 20–6, closing regular play at 9–0, before the Yellow Jackets' trip to the Rose Bowl. The Jackets finished 7–0 in Southern Conference play, assuring themselves of at least a share of the conference title. In one of the final games of the 1928 season, once-tied Tennessee hosted unbeaten Florida in Knoxville. For coach Charlie Bachman's Florida Gators, a share of the Southern Conference title stake was at stake; coach Robert Neyland's Tennessee Volunteers were playing for pride. Tennessee edged Florida, 13–12. Florida finished 8–1, Tennessee 9–0–1, and unbeaten and untied Georgia Tech won the conference championship outright.

This is the first Cuban football team to ever make an aerial junket to a game. Picture was taken in 1928, when the team flew one of Pan American World Airways' early tri-motored Clippers to Miami.

Judge Smails · Aug 2, 2013

27 days to go ...

Frank Beamer's tenure: This will be Frank Beamer's 27th season roaming the sidelines at Virginia Tech. He's the longest active tenured coach in FBS.

So, Frank Beamer, do you remember what your salary was during your first season as Virginia Tech's head coach?

"You'd have to ask my wife," says Beamer, speaking by phone from his office on the Blacksburg, Va., campus. "Back then I'd turn my check over to her and didn't know what I made. Today I turn it over to her and don't know what I made."

Now you know what Cheryl Beamer knows: $80,000 in 1987 … about $2.28 million, plus bonuses, in 2012.

"A lot of places, they wouldn't have hung in there with me," says Beamer. "I went 2-8-1 in my sixth year. Most places you wouldn't survive. … In today's college football, I don't think you'd be around."

Billy Hite, who has spent the past 34 seasons at Tech as an assistant coach or football administrator, puts it: "Frank Beamer is the front porch of this university, no ifs, ands or buts about it."

Beamer is as much a part of Virginia Tech as the signature HokieStone used throughout the campus. He has spoiled the place, leading Tech to 19 consecutive bowl appearances, including a BCS Championship Game appearance in the 1999 season. His teams have won 10 or more games in each of the past eight seasons, and he has four top-10 finishes in the past eight years and six in the past 13 years.

Not bad for a guy who was Tech's second choice.

The job was originally offered to then-Maryland coach Bobby Ross. Other candidates included Mack Brown of Tulane and a USFL coach named Steve Spurrier.

Of the 23 coaching changes made after the 1986 season (Spurrier to Duke, Bill Curry to Alabama, Larry Smith to USC, Dennis Erickson to Washington State, Ross to Georgia Tech, among others), Beamer's move from Murray State to Virginia Tech was a national afterthought. An 885-word Associated Press story detailing the Division I coaching turnover didn't mention Beamer until word 869. A brief Washington Post story quoted Beamer as saying, "It feels pretty doggone good to be home."

Nobody, including Beamer, thought he'd still be in Blacksburg 26 seasons later. "When Frank first got here, more people knew who I was than who he was," says Hite, the only coach Beamer retained from the previous staff. "Now he's stopped 25 times in an airport -- and he never turns down an autograph."

Hite once asked Beamer why he insisted on signing every autograph.

"Billy, you remember what it was like our first five, six years here?" said Beamer.

Beamer went 24-40-2 during those first six seasons. Virginia Tech's administration stood by him in the early years and now Beamer stands by Tech in the later years, turning down offers from Boston College and North Carolina in the past, and ignoring who knows how many feelers about other jobs.

STATS

15th on the all-time NCAA list for victories (258)
6th among Division 1-A coaches (258)
9th on the active list for all NCAA levels (258)
18th on the active NCAA winning percentage list (.674)
1st in active NCAA victories at the Division 1-A level (258, 22 ahead of Mack Brown)
Recorded win #200 on 9-15-2007
9th on Division 1-A list of games coached all-time (389)
1999 AFCA and FWAA Coach of the Year

1927 COLLEGE FOOTBALL HIGHLIGHTS

Yale QB Johnny Hoben completes a pass in a 14-6 win over Princeton

The 1927 college football season ended with the Illini of the University of Illinois (7-0-1) being recognized as champion under the Dickinson system (with Prof. Dickinson being at Illinois and creating his system on the Champagne-Urbana campus, too). Yale also lays claim to a national title after going 7-1 and had two big wins after a major controversy over their starting running back.

The story of the year was the suspension of Yale's star halfback, Bruce Caldwell. He had led them to a 5-1 start, including huge wins over Army (finished 9-1) and Dartmouth (7-1), but 4 days before Yale's game with 6-0 Princeton, a Providence newspaper reported that he had played in 2 games for Brown's freshman team in 1923, and according to Yale's eligibility rules, that meant that he was not eligible to play in 1927. After a brief investigation, Yale withdrew him from the team, despite protests from across the nation. Even Princeton and Harvard, Yale's last 2 opponents, requested that he be allowed to play out the season, but Yale was a stickler for rules. Despite the loss of Caldwell, Yale rallied in the 4th quarter to beat Princeton 14-6, then they beat Harvard 14-0 to finish the season.

[video=youtube_share;r1FHZF8XFDs]http://youtu.be/r1FHZF8XFDs[/video]
Awesome footage of THE GAME, 1927 between Harvard and Yale on 11-19-27

In the Rose Bowl, the Pittsburgh Panthers (8-0-1) were invited to play against the Pacific Coast Conference champion. Though USC and Stanford had identical records in conference play, Stanford was given a chance to "avenge" its 7-7 tie against Alabama in the last Rose Bowl. Although an Illinois vs. USC matchup would have been equally plausible for the 1928 Rose Bowl, their Pasadena meeting would have to wait 80 years-- until 2008.

Aerial view of the Pitt-Stanford Rose Bowl game, January 2, 1928 ... Though the stadium appears to be filled to capacity, people are still trickling in, and row upon row of automobiles can be seen neatly parked in the lots. View also shows the residential homes surrounding the stadium, as well as the mountains in the background.

The major rules change in 1927 was the moving of the goal posts from the goal line, to the end of the end zone, where they have been ever since. The move was for both safety reasons and to de-emphasize the kicking game.

October 1
USC beat Santa Clara 52-12. Notre Dame beat Iowa's Coe College 28-7; Army beat Detroit Mercy 6-0. Yale beat Bowdoin 41-0; The Western Conference (later the Big Ten) teams opened their seasons. Minnesota beat North Dakota, 57-10, Michigan beat Ohio Wesleyan, 33-0, and Illinois beat Bradley, 19-0. Pittsburgh beat Grove City College, 33-0; Nebraska beat Iowa State, 6-0; Georgia beat Virginia, 32-0; and Texas A&M beat Southwest Texas 31-0.

Formal opening of Michigan Stadium, October 22, 1927

November 19
USC defeated Washington State, 27-0, while Stanford beat visiting California, 13-6 to close their season at 8-2-1. Though USC, at 8-1-1, had the better overall record, Stanford's two losses at been outside the conference, to St. Mary's and to Santa Clara, and they had tied USC. In PCC play, Stanford and USC both finished 4-0-1, and either could have been invited to play in the 1928 Rose Bowl. The Rose Bowl committee went with Stanford, which had been tied by Alabama in the 1927 New Year's Day game.

Notre Dame beat Drake University in Des Moines, 32-0. Drake, which played against Navy, Pitt, Minnesota, Notre Dame and UCLA, would finish at 3-6-0 Army beat Ursinus College 13-0; Yale closed its season hosting Harvard, and won 14-0; Illinois defeated Ohio State, 13-0 At Ann Arbor, (5-0-2) Minnesota visited (6-1-0) Michigan. The Gophers beat the Wolverines 13-7 to close their seasons. Nebraska won at Kansas State, 33-0 Georgia beat Mercer, 26-7

November 24
On Thanksgiving Day, Pittsburgh beat Penn State, 30-0. Pitt, with a record of 8-0-1, had outscored its opponents 283 to 20, with seven shutouts, and was selected to meet Stanford in the Rose Bowl. Nebraska beat visiting New York University, 27-18; Texas A&M closed its season with a 28-7 win over Texas.

November 26
Notre Dame (6-1-1) and USC (7-0-1) played before an estimated record crowd of 123,000 (Reported as 117,000 in the Chicago Tribune) at Soldier Field in Chicago, with Notre Dame winning 7-6 (on the strength of a blocked extra point attempt) to hand the Trojans their first loss.

Notre Dame and Southern Cal played before more than 100,000 at Soldier Field in Chicago ... Southern California's Morley Drury carries the ball against Notre Dame ... Notre Dame won 7-6 after a controversial call when an official ruled an apparent safety for Southern California was an incomplete pass.

In the Army–Navy Game, played before a crowd of 70,000 at the Polo Grounds in New York, Army came back from 9-0 at halftime to win 14-9.

The annual Army-Navy game at the Polo Grounds, New York

In Birmingham, Georgia beat Alabama, 20-6.

December 3
USC closed its season with a 33-13 win over Washington. (9-0-0) Georgia faced off against (7-1-1) Georgia Tech in Atlanta to close the season. The Yellow Jackets undid the Bulldogs' hopes for a perfect season, winning 12-0

January 2, 1928
As the only post-season college football game, the Rose Bowl sought an East-West matchup between the best available eastern team and the PCC champion. In 1927, the Pitt Panthers had finished the season at 8-0-1, with seven shutouts against various levels of opposition, while the Stanford Indians had won the Pacific Coast Conference going 8-2-1. Since January 1, 1928, fell on a Sunday, the game was played on Monday, January 2. Stanford Punter Frankie Wilton had been the "goat" of the 1927 Rose Bowl, after an Alabama defender broke through the line, blocked his kick, and set up the Tide's tying touchdown. Wilton lost the ball after being hit on his own 20 yard line, and Pitt's Jimmy Hagan ran the fumble in for a touchdown. Walter Heinecke of Stanford blocked the point attempt, holding Pitt's lead to 6-0. Wilton's chance at redemption came later, when his teammate Spud Lewis fumbled a yard from goal. Wilton scooped up the ball and crashed through for the tying touchdown. The Stanford kick was good, and the Indians held on for a 7-6 win.

Final Dickinson rankings

[TABLE="class: wikitable"]
<tbody>[TR]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2, align: center"]Rank[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2, align: center"]Team[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2, align: center"]Record[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2, align: center"]Rating[/TH]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]1[/TD]
[TD]Illinois Illini[/TD]
[TD]7-0-1[/TD]
[TD]21.50[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]2[/TD]
[TD]Pittsburgh Panthers[/TD]
[TD]8-0-1[/TD]
[TD]21.42[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]3[/TD]
[TD]Minnesota Gophers[/TD]
[TD]6-0-2[/TD]
[TD]20.88[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]4[/TD]
[TD]Notre Dame Fighting Irish[/TD]
[TD]7-1-1[/TD]
[TD]20.83[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]5[/TD]
[TD]Yale Bulldogs[/TD]
[TD]7-1-0[/TD]
[TD]20.00[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]6[/TD]
[TD]Army Cadets[/TD]
[TD]9-1-0[/TD]
[TD]18.75[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]7[/TD]
[TD]Michigan Wolverines[/TD]
[TD]6-2-0[/TD]
[TD]18.33[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]8[/TD]
[TD]Georgia Bulldogs[/TD]
[TD]9-1-0[/TD]
[TD]17.50[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]9[/TD]
[TD]Nebraska Cornhuskers[/TD]
[TD]6-2-0[/TD]
[TD]17.42[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]10[/TD]
[TD]USC Trojans[/TD]
[TD]8-1-1[/TD]
[TD]16.35[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]11[/TD]
[TD]Texas A&M Aggies[/TD]
[TD]8-0-1[/TD]
[TD]15.00[/TD]
[/TR]
</tbody>[/TABLE]

YALE, 1927
After going 8-0 in 1923, they were 6-0-2 and 5-2-1 the next 2 seasons, but then they fell back to a mediocre 4-4 in 1926, and Yale alumni started to agitate for a coaching change. Tad Jones was uncharacteristically undiplomatic in his response: "Those yellow-bellies are not going to crucify me... This criticism is coming from shyster lawyers, poor doctors and dentists, and eighteen-dollar-a-week clerks who think they know more football." Jones nevertheless got sick of it, and resigned effective the end of the 1927 season. But it was a Pyrrhic victory for the shysters, quacks, and clerks, because 1927 was the last season of greatness for Yale.

Yale had 2 consensus All Americans, guard and captain Bill Webster and center John Charlesworth, and they might have had a third in star halfback Bruce Caldwell (pictured) had he not been suspended from the team for the last 2 games. He was still a nonconsensus AA, making first team on 2 lists. In just 6 games, he led the team in rushing with 674 yards (5.3 per carry) and in passing with 372. He scored 7 touchdowns, passed for another 3, and drop-kicked a 46 yard field goal.

End Dwight Fishwick and tackle Sidney Quarrier were also nonconsensus AA, and guard Waldo "Wade" Greene would be nonconsensus AA in 1929. None of Yale's players are in the Hall of Fame, which is a first for a Yale MNC contender (the 1923 team had 3), and in fact 1927 is highly unusual in that 4 of our 5 MNC contenders had no Hall of Fame players (only Texas A&M had one).

Yale beat Brown (3-6-1) 19-0, and then powerful Army paid a visit to the Yale Bowl. Led by Hall of Fame backs Red Cagle and Light Horse Harry Wilson, Army was one of the best teams in the country 1926-1927. Had there been an AP poll in 1927, they would have probably been #2 behind Notre Dame coming into this game, while Yale likely wouldn't have been rated at all. It need hardly be said that Army was favored, but the odds were a surprisingly close 10-7. 77,000 showed up for this one.

Yale drove 65 yards for a touchdown in the opening quarter. They had been stopped on 4th down at the Army 35, but Army was offside, giving Yale's drive renewed life. Bruce Caldwell then threw a 30 yard touchdown pass to tackle Sidney Quarrier. An Army back was there in coverage, but the big, tall Quarrier was able to grab the ball over his head. In the 2nd quarter, Army recovered a fumble at the Yale 18 yard line. They drove to the 1, but 2 runs were snuffed out there. Army then returned the punt-out to the Yale 26, and proceeded to drive down to the 7, where a 4th down pass was knocked down by Bruce Caldwell in the end zone. The score thus remained 7-0 at the half.

Army's Harry 'Light Horse' Wilson carries the ball into the Yale defense during the Cadets' 10-6 loss in the Yale Bowl

In the 3rd quarter, Yale launched a march that reached the Army 10 yard line before it was stopped. Later, Quarrier blocked an Army punt and recovered it at their 38 yard line to set up an eventual 46 yard drop-kick field goal by Bruce Caldwell, bumping the lead to 10-0. Army responded with their only extended drive of the game, and as the final quarter opened, they hit a 22 yard pass that carried to the Yale 3. This time, they successfully pushed the ball over the goal, but a bad snap foiled the extra point, and it was 10-6. That drive appeared to have expended Army's energies, though, as Yale controlled the rest of the game. Yale capped the contest with a long, slow march that reached the Army 15 when time was called.

Yale has never since won a game as big as this one.

ILLINOIS, 1927
This Illinois team did not have much in the way of great players. They were known nationally as the "Starless Team," and their most famous former player, Red Grange, called them "the team of nobodies from nowhere," but they were incredibly deep, and substituted constantly throughout games so as to always have fresh players on the field.

Center and captain Robert Reisch was a nonconsensus All American, making first team on half a dozen lists. Another 2 players made first team on 1 list each: tackle Albert "Butch" Nowak and guard Russ Crane. Nowak would be the captain in 1928 and a nonconsensus AA again, making first team on 8 lists. Crane would continue as a nonconsensus AA in 1928 (2 lists) and 1929 (1 list). Notice that these were all linemen. Another pair of substitute linemen would become nonconsensus AA in future seasons: guard Leroy Wietz in 1928 and tackle Lou Gordon in 1929. Gordon went on to a 9 year career in the NFL, winning a title with Green Bay. It was after the graduation of the last of these linemen, Lou Gordon and Russ Crane following the 1929 season, that Illinois' football program fell off a cliff.

Like Yale, Illinois had no Hall of Famers on the team.

Illinois started the season with 3 cupcakes, but the third went off-script and bit back. After beating Bradley 19-0 and Butler 58-0, Illinois was tied by Iowa State 12-12. ISU had a big day running straight into, over, and through the Illinois line, while Illinois was unable to do the same, and they had to go to the air to manage a tie. They could have won had they hit either extra point try, but then the same could be said of ISU. Illinois connected on just 9 of 21 extra point attempts the entire season, so kicking wasn't exactly their forte.

Illinois followed that poor showing with another at Northwestern the next week, but at least they were able to kick an extra point, thereby winning 7-6. This was the first game in an annual series between these 2 teams that has continued unbroken to this day. Due to Illinois' tie with ISU and Northwestern's 7-1 finish and Big 10 title in 1926 and 3-0 start in 1927, including a 19-13 win at Ohio State, Northwestern was actually favored in this game, and 50,000 fans showed up to cheer them on.

Northwestern started well behind star fullback Leland "Tiny" Lewis, who plunged into the line for good gains and outpunted Illinois. In the 2nd quarter, Lewis uncorked a 65 yard punt that went to the Illinois 1. Northwestern returned the ensuing punt-out to the Illinois 15, and they were in business. A pass took the ball to the 3, and Tiny Lewis plunged over goal from there. But Lewis missed the ultimately critical extra point, and so the lead was but 6-0. Illinois answered on their next drive. Quarterback Dwight Stuessy went into the game to throw the ball, and he connected on 3 passes, the last caught by another substitute, end Walter Jolley, for a touchdown. Tackle Butch Nowak kicked the extra point that made the difference.

Tiny Lewis was lost to an ankle injury on the 2nd play of the 3rd quarter, and with him went all hope for Northwestern. Their punts were now poor, and Illinois now gained in that department. No one else could break through the Illinois line on the ground, so Northwestern had to go to the air, hitting just 4 of 19 passes and losing the ball on frequent interceptions. But Illinois went nowhere on offense, hitting just 2 of 20 passes in the 2nd half themselves, and gaining no first downs. Their best threat came from recovering a fumble at the Northwestern 20 in the 3rd quarter, but no points came out of it. Northwestern was able to hit one bomb for 40 yards to the Illinois 20 in the 4th quarter, but they threw an interception on the next play.

Next up was Illinois' game of the year, Homecoming against Michigan. Michigan was coming in at 4-0 by a total score of 89-0, and they had won the Big 10 title the previous 2 seasons (sharing the last with Northwestern), so they were favored, but 67,000 fans cheered their team on to its 2nd straight upset win over a defending Big 10 champion. Illinois won 14-0 despite producing very little offense in this game.

The first touchdown was set up by a muffed punt at the Michigan 7 yard line in the opening quarter. Substitute end Garland Grange, infinitely less famous than his older brother Red, recovered the muff, and fullback Jud Timm carried the ball over goal to cap the short touchdown drive. In the 3rd quarter, Russ Crane blocked a punt, and Ernest Schultz fell on the ball for a touchdown. Neither team was able to mount a scoring threat in this game aside from those 2 breaks.

Michigan halfback Louis Gilbert was injured and missed this game, the only one he missed on the season. He was their passer, kicker, and punter, and Fielding Yost, ever the supreme braggart where his players were concerned (or even himself), called Gilbert the greatest punter of all time. Yost seemed to think that all the best all-time players at any position had played for him. In any case, certainly Gilbert's absence made a difference, taking some of the value off of this win for Illinois.

Illinois spent November beating a trio of 4-4 teams: 14-0 at Iowa, 15-6 over Chicago, and 13-0 at Ohio State (the last won by a pair of 25 yard touchdown passes).

Photo from the first Navy - Notre Dame game in 1927 ... the two teams have played continuously without interruption for 83 years

COLLEGE FOOTBALL STADIUMS BUILT IN 1927
Legion Field in Birmingham
Kenan Memorial in Chapel Hill
Jones Stadium in Lubbock
Kyle Field in College Station
Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor

Judge Smails · Aug 2, 2013

Original Masked Rider Passes Away, Legacy Lives On

When he rode onto the field at the Gator Bowl in 1954, Joe Kirk Fulton had no idea that Texas Tech’s Masked Rider would eventually be recognized by
The Associated Press as one of the top ten coolest college mascots.

Fulton, 81, died Aug. 1 at his home on the Fulton Quien Sabe Ranch in Stonewall. He was a 1954 graduate of Texas Tech with a degree in
Agricultural Science, Animal Production.

“Joe Kirk Fulton was known far and wide as being the first official Masked Rider, and that was indeed an honor,” said Texas Tech University System
Chancellor Kent Hance. “But it was his love for Texas Tech that was truly outstanding. Today we lost a great Red Raider.”

Nobody was ready for what happened just before the 1954 Gator Bowl between Texas Tech and Auburn.

Nobody ever forgot, either. As a result, a tradition was born for the Red Raiders, on the banks of the St. Johns River and nearly 1,000 miles from Lubbock, Texas. A crowd of 28,641 at the old Gator Bowl stadium had just settled in to watch favored Auburn and quarterback Vince Dooley take on Tech, the first team from Texas to appear in the game.

Bursting from one end zone was the blur of a black horse (named, aptly, Blackie) galloping onto the field, straight down the middle. In Blackie's saddle was Tech student Joe Kirk Fulton, wearing a black outfit, a black bolero hat, a black mask and the startling contrast of a red cape.

Trailing behind, doing its best to keep up, was the Tech football team. The sight sent not only their emotions soaring, but that of Jacksonville football fans, who didn't have a dog in this fight, but marveled at the daring way the Red Raiders took the field.

To date, 51 other student riders on 14 horses have followed him. Texas Tech is recognized around the world by the mascot he originated.

“The Masked Rider is certainly one of the world’s most recognizable mascots, and Texas Tech University ow es a great deal of gratitude to Joe
Kirk Fulton for that,” said M. Duane Nellis, Texas Tech’s president. “It is amazing to think that his love for the university inspired him to begin a
tradition that is now more than 50 years old and one of the most beloved of our university. The entire Red Raider family mourns his loss.”

"For Fulton to do something that has become so iconic to the university was certainly not his intention," said Stephanie Rhode, spirit program director and chair of the university’s Masked Rider Advisory Committee. “He took a risk, he dreamed a big dream. Now people all across the country and the world know Texas Tech by what he started.”

The Masked Rider was the brainchild of DeWitt Weaver, Texas Tech’s fifth head football coach, who led the team from 1951-1960. Weaver noticed early in his tenure that Texas Tech was the only Southwest Conference school without a mascot. Just before the 1954 Gator Bowl, in which Texas Tech played Auburn in Florida, he decided to bring the Red Raider moniker to life.

Aerial view of the 1954 Gator Bowl, a big win for underdog Texas Tech and the first-ever ride of the Masked Rider

“DeWitt Weaver knew my mother and dad and knew that I was an ag major, so he came to me,” Fulton said in a 2011 interview. “The first game was going to be the Gator Bowl, so I agreed to do it. That’s how it all started.”

Little did Fulton know the favor would change Texas Tech forever. His ride had an immediate impact; with the Masked Rider leading the team onto the field for the first time ever, the underdog Red Raiders defeated Auburn 35-13. The next morning, Atlanta Journal sportswriter Ed Danforth wrote, “No team in any bowl game ever made a more sensational entrance.”

Fulton was Masked Rider for two more years before handing off the reins to Jim Cloyd. And thus, the tradition was born. “It means a lot to me, the fact that I was honored to be the first,” Fulton said. “I feel very honored that it became the tradition that it did.”

[video=youtube_share;4_PIpQrFcRI]http://youtu.be/4_PIpQrFcRI[/video]

Judge Smails · Aug 3, 2013

26 days to go ...

Akron's road losing streak: The Zips have lost their past 26 road games, the longest current road losing streak in the FBS. Akron will have a shot to snap that streak when it opens the season at UCF on Aug. 29.

The last road victory for the Zips was in 2008, 42-35 over Eastern Michigan, in a season where they won 3 road games (at Army and at Syracuse as well).

2012 Season
[TABLE="class: wikitable"]
<tbody>[TR]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2, align: center"]Date[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2, align: center"]Time[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2, align: center"]Opponent[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2, align: center"]Site[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2, align: center"]TV[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2, align: center"]Result[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2, align: center"]Attendance[/TH]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #FFDDDD"]
[TD]August 30[/TD]
[TD]7:00 PM[/TD]
[TD]UCF*[/TD]
[TD]InfoCision Stadium • Akron, OH[/TD]
[TD]ESPN3[/TD]
[TD]L 14–56[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]12,616[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #FFDDDD"]
[TD]September 8[/TD]
[TD]6:00 PM[/TD]
[TD]at FIU*[/TD]
[TD]FIU Stadium • Miami, FL[/TD]
[TD]ESPN3[/TD]
[TD]L 38–41 [SUP]OT[/SUP][/TD]
[TD="align: center"]15,685[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #DDFFDD"]
[TD]September 15[/TD]
[TD]3:30 PM[/TD]
[TD]Morgan State*[/TD]
[TD]InfoCision Stadium • Akron, OH[/TD]
[TD]ESPN3[/TD]
[TD]W 66–6[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]9,933[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #FFDDDD"]
[TD]September 22[/TD]
[TD]7:30 PM[/TD]
[TD]at Tennessee*[/TD]
[TD]Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, TN[/TD]
[TD]CSS[/TD]
[TD]L 26–47[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]81,719[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #FFDDDD"]
[TD]September 29[/TD]
[TD]2:00 PM[/TD]
[TD]Miami (OH)[/TD]
[TD]InfoCision Stadium • Akron, OH[/TD]
[TD]ESPN3[/TD]
[TD]L 49–56[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]8,211[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #FFDDDD"]
[TD]October 6[/TD]
[TD]2:00 PM[/TD]
[TD]Bowling Green

[/TD]
[TD]InfoCision Stadium • Akron, OH[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]L 10–24[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]10,102[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #FFDDDD"]
[TD]October 13[/TD]
[TD]2:00 PM[/TD]
[TD]at Ohio[/TD]
[TD]Peden Stadium • Athens, OH[/TD]
[TD]ESPN3[/TD]
[TD]L 28–34[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]25,542[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #FFDDDD"]
[TD]October 20[/TD]
[TD]12:00 PM[/TD]
[TD]Northern Illinois[/TD]
[TD]InfoCision Stadium • Akron, OH[/TD]
[TD]ESPN+[/TD]
[TD]L 7–37[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]7,074[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #FFDDDD"]
[TD]October 27[/TD]
[TD]3:30 PM[/TD]
[TD]at Central Michigan[/TD]
[TD]Kelly/Shorts Stadium • Mount Pleasant, MI[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]L 14–35[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]10,172[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #FFDDDD"]
[TD]November 3[/TD]
[TD]2:00 PM[/TD]
[TD]at Kent State[/TD]
[TD]Dix Stadium • Kent, OH (Battle for the Wagon Wheel)[/TD]
[TD]STO[/TD]
[TD]L 24–35[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]18,265[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #FFDDDD"]
[TD]November 10[/TD]
[TD]2:00 PM[/TD]
[TD]Massachusetts[/TD]
[TD]InfoCision Stadium • Akron, OH[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]L 14–22[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]7,716[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #FFDDDD"]
[TD]November 20[/TD]
[TD]7:00 PM[/TD]
[TD]at Toledo[/TD]
[TD]Glass Bowl • Toledo, OH[/TD]
[TD]ESPN2[/TD]
[TD]L 23–35[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]14,589[/TD]
[/TR]
</tbody>[/TABLE]

2011 Season
[TABLE="class: wikitable"]
<tbody>[TR]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2, align: center"]Date[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2, align: center"]Time[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2, align: center"]Opponent[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2, align: center"]Site[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2, align: center"]TV[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2, align: center"]Result[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2, align: center"]Attendance[/TH]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #FFDDDD"]
[TD]September 3[/TD]
[TD]12:00 PM[/TD]
[TD]at #16 Ohio State*[/TD]
[TD]Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH[/TD]
[TD]ESPN[/TD]
[TD]L 0–42[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]105,001[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #FFDDDD"]
[TD]September 10[/TD]
[TD]6:00 PM[/TD]
[TD]Temple[/TD]
[TD]InfoCision Stadium • Akron, OH[/TD]
[TD]ESPN3[/TD]
[TD]L 3–41[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]15,156[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #FFDDDD"]
[TD]September 17[/TD]
[TD]3:30 PM[/TD]
[TD]at Cincinnati*[/TD]
[TD]Nippert Stadium • Cincinnati, OH[/TD]
[TD]ESPN3[/TD]
[TD]L 14–59[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]24,991[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #DDFFDD"]
[TD]September 24[/TD]
[TD]2:00 PM[/TD]
[TD]VMI*[/TD]
[TD]InfoCision Stadium • Akron, OH[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]W 36–13[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]14,257[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #FFDDDD"]
[TD]October 1[/TD]
[TD]1:00 PM[/TD]
[TD]at Eastern Michigan[/TD]
[TD]Rynearson Stadium • Ypsilanti, MI[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]L 23–31[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]3,375[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #FFDDDD"]
[TD]October 8[/TD]
[TD]2:00 PM[/TD]
[TD]Florida International*

[/TD]
[TD]InfoCision Stadium • Akron, OH[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]L 17–27[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]16,016[SUP][1][/SUP][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #FFDDDD"]
[TD]October 22[/TD]
[TD]3:30 PM[/TD]
[TD]Ohio[/TD]
[TD]InfoCision Stadium • Akron, OH[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]L 20–37[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]14,760[SUP][2][/SUP][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #FFDDDD"]
[TD]October 29[/TD]
[TD]12:00 PM[/TD]
[TD]at Central Michigan[/TD]
[TD]InfoCision Stadium • Akron, OH[/TD]
[TD]ESPN3[/TD]
[TD]L 22–23[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]14,327[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #FFDDDD"]
[TD]November 3[/TD]
[TD]7:30 PM[/TD]
[TD]at Miami (OH)[/TD]
[TD]Yager Stadium • Oxford, OH[/TD]
[TD]ESPNU[/TD]
[TD]L 3–35[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]12,968[SUP][3][/SUP][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #FFDDDD"]
[TD]November 12[/TD]
[TD]2:00 PM[/TD]
[TD]Kent State[/TD]
[TD]InfoCision Stadium • Akron, OH (Battle for the Wagon Wheel)[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]L 3–35[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]19,889[SUP][4][/SUP][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #FFDDDD"]
[TD]November 19[/TD]
[TD]12:00 PM[/TD]
[TD]at Buffalo[/TD]
[TD]University at Buffalo Stadium • Amherst, NY[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]L 10–51[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]14,509[SUP][5][/SUP][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #FFDDDD"]
[TD]November 25[/TD]
[TD]1:00 PM[/TD]
[TD]at Western Michigan[/TD]
[TD]Waldo Stadium • Kalamazoo, MI[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]L 19–68[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]16,582[SUP][6][/SUP][/TD]
[/TR]
</tbody>[/TABLE]

2010 Season
[TABLE="class: wikitable"]
<tbody>[TR]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2, align: center"]Date[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2, align: center"]Time[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2, align: center"]Opponent[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2, align: center"]Site[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2, align: center"]TV[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2, align: center"]Result[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2, align: center"]Attendance[/TH]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #FFDDDD"]
[TD]September 4[/TD]
[TD]6:00 PM[/TD]
[TD]Syracuse*[/TD]
[TD]InfoCision Stadium • Akron, OH[/TD]
[TD]ESPN3[/TD]
[TD]L 3–29[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]15,969[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #FFDDDD"]
[TD]September 11[/TD]
[TD]12:00 PM[/TD]
[TD]Gardner-Webb*[/TD]
[TD]InfoCision Stadium • Akron, OH[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]L 37–38 [SUP]OT[/SUP][/TD]
[TD="align: center"]10,046[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #FFDDDD"]
[TD]September 18[/TD]
[TD]7:00 PM[/TD]
[TD]at Kentucky*[/TD]
[TD]Commonwealth Stadium • Lexington, KY[/TD]
[TD]FS South[/TD]
[TD]L 10–47[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]64,014[SUP][1][/SUP][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #FFDDDD"]
[TD]September 25[/TD]
[TD]7:00 PM[/TD]
[TD]at Indiana*[/TD]
[TD]Memorial Stadium • Bloomington, IN[/TD]
[TD]BTN[/TD]
[TD]L 20–35[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]42,258[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #FFDDDD"]
[TD]October 2[/TD]
[TD]6:00 PM[/TD]
[TD]Northern Illinois

[/TD]
[TD]InfoCision Stadium • Akron, OH[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]L 14–50[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]12,133[SUP][2][/SUP][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #FFDDDD"]
[TD]October 9[/TD]
[TD]3:30 PM[/TD]
[TD]at Kent State[/TD]
[TD]Dix Stadium • Kent, OH (Battle for the Wagon Wheel)[/TD]
[TD]STO[/TD]
[TD]L 17–28[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]24,221[SUP][3][/SUP][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #FFDDDD"]
[TD]October 16[/TD]
[TD]2:00 PM[/TD]
[TD]at Ohio[/TD]
[TD]Peden Stadium • Athens, OH[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]L 10–38[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]21,645[SUP][4][/SUP][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #FFDDDD"]
[TD]October 23[/TD]
[TD]3:30 PM[/TD]
[TD]Western Michigan[/TD]
[TD]InfoCision Stadium • Akron, OH[/TD]
[TD]STO[/TD]
[TD]L 10–56[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]10,073[SUP][5][/SUP][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #FFDDDD"]
[TD]October 30[/TD]
[TD]1:00 PM[/TD]
[TD]at Temple[/TD]
[TD]Lincoln Financial Field • Philadelphia, PA[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]L 0–30[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]17,563[SUP][6][/SUP][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #FFDDDD"]
[TD]November 6[/TD]
[TD]1:00 PM[/TD]
[TD]at Ball State[/TD]
[TD]Scheumann Stadium • Muncie, IN[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]L 30–37 [SUP]2OT[/SUP][/TD]
[TD="align: center"]5,377[SUP][7][/SUP][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #FFDDDD"]
[TD]November 17[/TD]
[TD]6:00 PM[/TD]
[TD]Miami (OH)[/TD]
[TD]InfoCision Stadium • Akron, OH[/TD]
[TD]ESPNU[/TD]
[TD]L 14–19[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]7,671[SUP][8][/SUP][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #DDFFDD"]
[TD]November 26[/TD]
[TD]2:00 PM[/TD]
[TD]Buffalo[/TD]
[TD]InfoCision Stadium • Akron, OH[/TD]
[TD]STO[/TD]
[TD]W 22–14[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]5,216[SUP][9][/SUP][/TD]
[/TR]
</tbody>[/TABLE]

2009 Season
[TABLE="class: wikitable"]
<tbody>[TR]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2, align: center"]Date[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2, align: center"]Time[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2, align: center"]Opponent[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2, align: center"]Site[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2, align: center"]TV[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2, align: center"]Result[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2, align: center"]Attendance[/TH]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #FFDDDD"]
[TD]September 5[/TD]
[TD]12:00 p.m.[/TD]
[TD]at #8 Penn State*[/TD]
[TD]Beaver Stadium • University Park, Pennsylvania[/TD]
[TD]BTN[/TD]
[TD]L 7–31[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]104,968[SUP][6][/SUP][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #DDFFDD"]
[TD]September 12[/TD]
[TD]2:00 p.m.[/TD]
[TD]Morgan State*[/TD]
[TD]InfoCision Stadium • Akron, Ohio[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]W 41–0[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]27,881[SUP][7][/SUP][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #FFDDDD"]
[TD]September 19[/TD]
[TD]3:30 p.m.[/TD]
[TD]Indiana*[/TD]
[TD]InfoCision Stadium • Akron, Ohio[/TD]
[TD]ESPNU[/TD]
[TD]L 21–38[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]18,340[SUP][8][/SUP][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #FFDDDD"]
[TD]September 26[/TD]
[TD]4:00 p.m.[/TD]
[TD]at Central Michigan[/TD]
[TD]Kelly/Shorts Stadium • Mt. Pleasant, Michigan[/TD]
[TD]Fox Sports Ohio[/TD]
[TD]L 21–48[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]20,032[SUP][9][/SUP][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #FFDDDD"]
[TD]October 10[/TD]
[TD]6:00 p.m.[/TD]
[TD]Ohio

[/TD]
[TD]InfoCision Stadium • Akron, Ohio[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]L 7–19[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]16,381[SUP][10][/SUP][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #FFDDDD"]
[TD]October 17[/TD]
[TD]3:30 p.m.[/TD]
[TD]at Buffalo[/TD]
[TD]UB Stadium • Buffalo, New York[/TD]
[TD]Fox Sports Ohio[/TD]
[TD]L 17–21[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]13,750[SUP][11][/SUP][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #FFDDDD"]
[TD]October 24[/TD]
[TD]3:30 p.m.[/TD]
[TD]at Syracuse*[/TD]
[TD]Carrier Dome • Syracuse, New York[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]L 14–28[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]36,991[SUP][12][/SUP][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #FFDDDD"]
[TD]October 31[/TD]
[TD]12:00 p.m.[/TD]
[TD]at Northern Illinois[/TD]
[TD]Huskie Stadium • DeKalb, Illinois[/TD]
[TD]ESPN GamePlan[/TD]
[TD]L 10-27[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]10,148[SUP][13][/SUP][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #DDFFDD"]
[TD]November 7[/TD]
[TD]3:30 p.m.[/TD]
[TD]Kent State[/TD]
[TD]InfoCision Stadium • Akron, Ohio (Battle for the Wagon Wheel)[/TD]
[TD]Fox Sports Ohio[/TD]
[TD]W 28–20[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]20,802[SUP][14][/SUP][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #FFDDDD"]
[TD]November 13[/TD]
[TD]8:30 p.m.[/TD]
[TD]Temple[/TD]
[TD]InfoCision Stadium • Akron, Ohio[/TD]
[TD]ESPNU[/TD]
[TD]L 17-56[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]10,927[SUP][15][/SUP][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #FFDDDD"]
[TD]November 20[/TD]
[TD]5:30 p.m.[/TD]
[TD]at Bowling Green[/TD]
[TD]Doyt Perry Stadium • Bowling Green, Ohio[/TD]
[TD]ESPNU[/TD]
[TD]L 20–36[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]9,163[SUP][16][/SUP][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #DDFFDD"]
[TD]November 27[/TD]
[TD]TBA[/TD]
[TD]Eastern Michigan[/TD]
[TD]InfoCision Stadium • Akron, Ohio[/TD]
[TD]ESPNU/ESPN360[/TD]
[TD]W 28–21[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]9,962[SUP][17][/SUP][/TD]
[/TR]
</tbody>[/TABLE]

2008 Season
[TABLE="class: wikitable"]
<tbody>[TR]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2, align: center"]Date[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2, align: center"]Time[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2, align: center"]Opponent[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2, align: center"]Site[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2, align: center"]TV[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2, align: center"]Result[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2, align: center"]Attendance[/TH]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #FFDDDD"]
[TD]August 30[/TD]
[TD]12:00 PM[/TD]
[TD]at #13 Wisconsin*[/TD]
[TD]Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI[/TD]
[TD]BTN[/TD]
[TD]L 38–17[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]80,910[SUP][5][/SUP][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #DDFFDD"]
[TD]September 6[/TD]
[TD]3:30 PM[/TD]
[TD]at Syracuse*[/TD]
[TD]Carrier Dome • Syracuse, NY[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]W 42–28[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]31,808[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #FFDDDD"]
[TD]September 13[/TD]
[TD]1:00 PM[/TD]
[TD]Ball State[/TD]
[TD]Rubber Bowl • Akron, OH[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]L 41–24[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]9,013[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #DDFFDD"]
[TD]September 20[/TD]
[TD]1:00 PM[/TD]
[TD]at Army*[/TD]
[TD]Michie Stadium • West Point, NY[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]W 22–3[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]27,040[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #FFDDDD"]
[TD]September 27[/TD]
[TD]7:30 PM[/TD]
[TD]Cincinnati*[/TD]
[TD]Rubber Bowl • Akron, OH[/TD]
[TD]FSN Ohio[/TD]
[TD]L 17–15[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]16,927[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #DDFFDD"]
[TD]October 4[/TD]
[TD]12:00 PM[/TD]
[TD]at Kent State[/TD]
[TD]Dix Stadium • Kent, OH (Battle for the Wagon Wheel)[/TD]
[TD]ESPN+[/TD]
[TD]W 30–27 [SUP]2OT[/SUP][/TD]
[TD="align: center"]18,536[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #FFDDDD"]
[TD]October 11[/TD]
[TD]6:00 PM[/TD]
[TD]Bowling Green[/TD]
[TD]Rubber Bowl • Akron, OH[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]L 37–33[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]17,119[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #DDFFDD"]
[TD]October 18[/TD]
[TD]1:00 PM[/TD]
[TD]at Eastern Michigan[/TD]
[TD]Rynearson Stadium • Ypsilanti, MI[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]W 42–35[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]17,055[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #DDFFDD"]
[TD]November 5[/TD]
[TD]7:00 PM[/TD]
[TD]Toledo[/TD]
[TD]Rubber Bowl • Akron, OH[/TD]
[TD]ESPNU[/TD]
[TD]W 47–30[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]10,134[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #FFDDDD"]
[TD]November 13[/TD]
[TD]7:00 PM[/TD]
[TD]Buffalo[/TD]
[TD]Rubber Bowl • Akron, OH[/TD]
[TD]ESPNU[/TD]
[TD]L 43–40 [SUP]4OT[/SUP][/TD]
[TD="align: center"]18,516[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #FFDDDD"]
[TD]November 22[/TD]
[TD]3:30 PM[/TD]
[TD]at Ohio[/TD]
[TD]Peden Stadium • Athens, OH[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]L 49–42[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]13,114[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #FFDDDD"]
[TD]November 28[/TD]
[TD]1:00 PM[/TD]
[TD]at Temple[/TD]
[TD]Lincoln Financial Field • Philadelphia, PA[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]L 27–6[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]11,234[/TD]
[/TR]
</tbody>[/TABLE]

Terry Bowden said he's taken some calls from potential transfers simply out of necessity; too many players from Akron's 2009-11 recruiting classes are gone from the program. His family name and roots in the football business in the South have helped Akron at least get on the radar for some of those players; what happens from there often comes down to individual circumstances.

The best way to get better players going forward -- from the high school ranks, the junior-college ranks and those looking to transfer -- is simply to win.

"A good ball player wants to come to a winning program," Bowden said. "We have to find a way to be that. The great thing is that we can win here. I would have never taken this job if I didn't truly believe that.

"Man, 1-11 (last season) was brutal. But where we are, that gives us a unique opportunity going forward. Every victory from here on out will be special. Every one is a milestone. You'd probably rather be that program that only gets milestones from conference titles and big bowl games, but we're not that. Right now, we're trying to win one game then win two. When we win two, that will be incredible. Think about that."

Bowden came in willing to shake every hand, kiss every baby and sell Akron football to every potential ticket buyer as a potential winner. He said the players have bought in to his staff's scheme and philosophies, and that eventually the university's commitment to facilities and to the program will pay off. He said the Zips were in too many close games last year not to have at least a couple turn in their favor, and he said he's gone along with the new start by shedding as many as 55 pounds from that 5'5 frame he still has.

The secret to Bowden's weight loss?

"Not eating as much," he said. "I figured if I was going to help this program get to winning, I had to get my weight down. It's good for my heart. I had high blood pressure and lots of bad stuff that comes when you let yourself get overweight."

Some wins would help, too, but Bowden remains convinced they'll come, eventually, and that they'll come from hard work and hard lessons learned during these tough times.

He's certainly not calling what he has a pile of crap.

"The players are the most important thing," Bowden said. "We all have to remember as coaches that it's about the players. When I was young I'm not sure I always lived by that. I was 26, 27 and coaching and wanted nothing but to make a name for myself. A reputation.

"The easy way for us at Akron would have been to just get rid of everybody and start over. But the older you get you see these players as the most important thing, especially if we're going to say we're going to treat them like our own children. If we're going to say we have to live it, right?

"Those guys, the upperclassmen still around who have won nothing, one thing they have done is stayed the course. They've upheld their commitment to the school. We had seniors stand up at the banquet (after last season) and say they were so grateful, that (2012) was the best year they ever had. We didn't win but one game, so I was a little confused at first. But then I thought about it and I realized what they meant. And it meant a ton to me and to our staff.

"They left with their heads held high, like they had started the ball rolling. That's why you stay with the guys and you're supposed to stay with them."

1926 COLLEGE FOOTBALL HIGHLIGHTS

The 1926 college football season was the first to attempt recognition of a national champion.

Stanford University, coached by Glenn "Pop" Warner, was the #1 team in the nation under the Dickinson System, and awarded the Rissman Trophy. Unbeaten Stanford (10-0-0) faced unbeaten Alabama (9-0-0) in the Rose Bowl at Pasadena and the two teams played to a 7-7 tie.

Meanwhile, Parke H. Davis, a renowned football historian and football rules committee member, declared Lafayette College (9-0-0) national champions in Spalding's Football Guide. Subsequently, the Leopards are recognized as a co-national champion in the 1926 season.

On November 27th, Navy was slated to face Army in Chicago for the dedication game of Soldier Field. It was the most highly anticipated game of the year, and of any year, attracting 600,000 ticket requests and an unprecedented 110,000 attendees. Stories about the game's planning, logistics, and ticket dispersal ran non-stop in newspapers across the nation throughout the Fall.

Navy came into the game 9-0, Army 7-1 with a loss to Notre Dame, which was 8-0 and universally considered the nation's mythical national champion to be. But it was not to be.

While Notre Dame coach Knute Rockne was in Chicago for what the New York Times called football's "greatest pageant," his team was in Pittsburgh losing a shocking 19-0 upset at Carnegie. That left the door open for Navy, though as doors go, Army was not the most accessible. In what would widely become known as the greatest game played prior to World War 2, Navy jumped out to a 14-0 start, Army came roaring back to lead 21-14 in the 3rd quarter, Navy tied it up in the 4th, and then Army drove to an easy, short field goal attempt, which they missed. That left Navy 9-0-1, but with Notre Dame finishing 9-1, many writers proclaimed Navy to be the mythical national champion.

So, you get four national champions: Navy 9-0-1, Stanford, 10-0-1, Alabama 9-0-1 and Lafayette, 9-0-0.

Here's their stories ...

1926 LAFAYETTE

The Leopards opened up their new stadium in 1926 and promptly went undefeated, earning Hall of Fame honors for their coach

Lafayette had faded away in the 1910s, but they rose back up after the Great War, and went 9-0 and were a strong contender for an MNC in 1921 under Hall of Fame coach Jock Sutherland. He left to take over as head coach at his alma mater, Pittsburgh, in 1924, so Lafayette merely hired another Pitt graduate who had played for Pop Warner, Herb McCracken. McCracken beat Sutherland and Pitt 10-0 in 1924, 20-9 in 1925, costing them an MNC, and 17-7 this season, after which Sutherland refused to ever play Lafayette again.

It didn't matter, because this season was the end of the line for Lafayette. They only once fielded a top 25 caliber team again, finishing #19 in the AP poll in 1940. McCracken helmed top 25 teams his first 3 seasons (7-2 in '24, 7-1-1 in '25, and 9-0 this season), but he ended up a mere 59-40-6 at Lafayette 1924-1935. Add in 3 years at Allegheny, and he was 75-48-7 overall. Not impressive, but like Navy's Bill Ingram, this one season got him in the Hall of Fame.

Lafayette had one nonconsensus All American (making 1 list), halfback George "Mike" Wilson, who is in the Hall of Fame thanks to scoring a nation-leading 20 touchdowns this season. However, Lafayette effectively played a 2-game schedule, and Wilson racked up those touchdowns against the 7 bad teams they played. And after his supporting cast graduated, Wilson totaled just 8 touchdowns over the next 2 seasons. Still, his career 28 touchdowns remained a school record for 56 years. The other halfback, Frank Kirkleski, was the captain, and played pro football for 5 years. End Frank Grube holds the never-to-be-broken school record for longest drop-kick field goal at 48 yards. He went on to a 7-year career as a major league baseball catcher.

This season they essentially played a 2-game schedule, Pittsburgh and Washington & Jefferson. They played 2 other "mid major" type teams, 3-6 Rutgers and 1-8 Lehigh, and they played 5 minor teams, Muhlenberg, Schuykill, Dickinson, Albright, and Susquehanna. Many people today consider Lafayette 1926 to have been a minor team, so most computer rankings for that season do not even rank them. However, college football did not have official divisions in 1926, and as weak as their schedule was, Lafayette still accomplished about as much as Stanford, and more than Alabama.

Their first real game was the 17-7 win at Pittsburgh, their 3rd in a row over Pitt and former Lafayette coach Jock Sutherland. Herb McCracken was tough on his alma mater, and Pitt had finally had enough, ending the series after this game. Lafayette won the all-time series 5-3. Pitt's only other game against Lafayette since 1926 was against Louisiana-Lafayette in 1997.

Lafayette jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the 2nd quarter of the 1926 game, thanks largely to halfback Frank Kirkleski's 37 yard punt return to the Pitt 26. Kirkleski then threw a pass to end Frank Grube to the Pitt 8, and halfback Mike Wilson threw a touchdown pass from there. Tackle Bill Cothran kicked the extra point. Pitt answered with a touchdown pass of their own on their next drive, and it was 7-7 at the half. The score remained tied until the 4th quarter, when Lafayette drove to the Pitt 19, and Cothran kicked a field goal for a 10-7 lead. Pitt fumbled at their own 23 on their next drive, and Lafayette drove from there to a clinching touchdown by fullback Tuffy Guest, making the 17-7 final score. The key play on that drive was a 30 yard run by Mike Wilson to make up for a 15 yard penalty on Lafayette.

Lafayette stomped on the 7 patsies they played by an average score of 42-3. Their only close game came in Philadelphia against their toughest opponent, Washington & Jefferson, in front of 20,000 spectators. Which, by the way, was not the attendance figure one would expect for a "premiere college football program."

Washington & Jefferson jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the opening quarter, and the score remained that way at the half. Lafayette owned the 2nd half, but they needed every minute of the clock to come all the way back. They scored 9 in the 3rd quarter to close the gap to 1 point, and then the game became a stalemate until the final minutes. Lafayette took over at their own 12 yard line with 2 minutes left. On 3rd down, they hit a long pass to the Washington & Jefferson 35 yard line. On the next play, they ran a reverse and lateral, and then Frank Kirkleski threw a short pass to substitute halfback Joe McGarvey, who had just come into the game with 3 minutes remaining, and McGarvey ran the ball all the way to the W&J 4 yard line. Fullback Tuffy Guest punched it into the end zone on 4th down in the game's final seconds for a dramatic 16-10 win.

1926 STANFORD
Hall of Fame coach Pop Warner had already won national championships at Carlisle and Pittsburgh, and this season is the only one for which Stanford claims a MNC. He arrived at Stanford in 1924, and in year one he led them to the Rose Bowl for the first time since the 1901 season, when they had played in the first Tournament of Roses game. He went 71-17-8 at Stanford 1924-1932, winning 3 Pacific Coast Conference titles and going 1-1-1 in Rose Bowls. For his career, Pop Warner was 319-106-32 at 6 schools, setting a record for coaching wins that was later broken by Paul "Bear" Bryant and is now held by Joe Paterno.

The players were little-heralded. End Ted Shipkey was a nonconsensus All American, and had been in 1925 as well. Sophomore guard Don Robesky would be a consensus AA in 1928. Tackle/fullback Leo Harris would later become Oregon's first athletic director, serving 1947-1967. He got Autzen Stadium built, and struck a "handshake deal" with Walt Disney in 1947 for the use of Donald Duck as Oregon mascot. Oregon's stadium sits on Leo Harris Parkway today, and Harris is in the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame.

Most of Stanford's opponents, including its first 6, were weak or minor teams, and Stanford did away with them easily enough outside of one home game against San Francisco's Olympic Athletic Club. Olympic had gone 11-0 in 1925, 5-0 against college teams, including a 9-0 win over Stanford. However, those players did not return this season, and they fell to 0-5-1. Therefore, it was a very weak performance on Stanford's part to only beat them 7-3. Those were the only points Olympic scored in 1926. Santa Clara, whom Stanford beat 33-14, defeated Olympic 14-0. Stanford did not play a major college opponent until game 6, when they traveled to 2-4-1 Oregon and won 29-12. Their next game was at then-unbeaten Southern Cal for the PCC championship before 75,000 fans.

Just as they would in their finale against Notre Dame, Southern Cal lost to Stanford 13-12 for want of an extra point. USC Hall of Famer Morley Drury, a good kicker, was out of this game with an injured knee, and that may have been the difference. USC opened the scoring with a 60 yard drive, Mort Kaer throwing a 30 yard pass to set up his own touchdown. Stanford end Dick Hyland blocked the extra point, so it was 6-0. Later, Stanford fullback Clifford "Biff" Hoffman fumbled, and USC's Lloyd Thomas caught the ball in the air and returned it 50 yards for another touchdown. But halfback Manuel Laraneta missed the fateful extra point, leaving the score 12-0. Stanford answered with a touchdown drive built on Biff Hoffman and George Bogue runs, capped by a Hoffman touchdown just before halftime. Stanford missed the extra point, so it was 12-6 at half. In the 3rd quarter, Bogue missed a 38 yard field goal, but minutes later Biff Hoffman hit Dick Hyland for a 50 yard touchdown pass. Bogue kicked the extra point, and Stanford won by that margin. USC had a golden opportunity when they recovered a fumble at the Stanford 25 in the 4th quarter, but the Trojans threw an interception on the next play. USC outgained Stanford 237-179 and they had 14 first downs to 7 for Stanford, but they were unable to translate their advantage to points.

Stanford's only other notable opponent in the regular season was 8-2 Washington, whom they beat 29-10 at home. Stanford wrapped up their regular season the next week with a 41-6 win at 3-6 California, leaving 6 weeks until their Rose Bowl bout with Alabama.

1926 NAVY

Although no organization listed in the NCAA Records Book selected 9-0-1 Navy as MNC of 1926 (aside from a couple of computer rankings), the school claims a national championship for this season. Navy had been a strong team throughout the early 20th century-- had there been an AP poll 1901-1925, they would have finished in the top 25 about 16 times and in the top 10 about 6 times. But this is the only season for which the school claims an MNC. Navy grad Bill Ingram was in his first season as head coach in 1926, and it was a terrific start for him, but Navy faded in subsequent seasons. He went 32-13-4 at Navy 1926-1930, and 75-42-9 at 4 schools over 13 seasons. Those overall numbers are rather mediocre, but he is in the Hall of Fame, presumably because of this one season. Line coach Rip Miller is also in the Hall of Fame, but as a player-- he had played for Notre Dame's 1924 national championship team. Navy also fielded a pair of Hall of Famers amongst the players, tackle Frank Wickhorst and halfback Tom Hamilton. Wickhorst was Navy's captain and a unanimous All American (AA). He was also Navy's only AA player. Hamilton was a runner, passer, and punter, but his greatest contribution to the team was his drop-kicking. He hit 6 field goals this season, and in an age when extra points often decided games, he missed just one extra point attempt all season. His field goal was the difference in a 10-7 win over Georgetown, and Navy would not have tied Army had he not hit all 3 of his extra point attempts in that game. Hamilton was elected class president, and eventually became the commissioner of the PAC 8 1959-1971.

Navy found themselves in a mighty struggle in their opener against Purdue at home. Tom Hamilton missed a field goal, then hit one from 30 yards out for a 3-0 lead. In the 2nd quarter, Purdue tossed a touchdown pass, but Navy halfback Ned Hannegan responded with a 25 yard touchdown for a 10-7 halftime lead. Purdue threw another touchdown pass in the 3rd quarter, but Navy again responded, this time on two passes from Hamilton to end Russell "Whitey" Lloyd, the second going into the end zone. Purdue advanced 2 more scoring threats in the 4th quarter, but they got no points, and Navy held on for the 17-13 win.

After feasting on a pair of cupcakes, Navy traveled to Princeton, who had already been tied by a mediocre Washington & Lee team. Princeton led 13-10 at the half, but Navy's line dominated the second half, opening gaping holes that turned simple line plunges into big gains, and Navy won 27-13.

Navy played their first legitimate top 25 opponent, Colgate, at home the next week, and they needed a miracle to pull out a win. Navy dominated the 1st quarter and scored a touchdown for a 6-0 lead. Colgate dominated the 2nd quarter and also scored a touchdown, adding the extra point for a 7-6 halftime lead. It was Navy's turn to dominate the 3rd quarter, making 6 first downs to none for Colgate, but they were unable to score, losing the ball once on downs at the Colgate 6. Colgate then seized control of the game in the 4th quarter, making 8 first downs to none for Navy. With 2 minutes to play, Colgate had the ball 4th down and inches away from the Navy goal line. The game appeared to be all but over as Colgate fullback Clark Shaughnessy slammed into the line, because Navy had not been able to stop him all quarter, and even if they did, it was unlikely that they would be able to drive the length of the field in the time remaining in the game. But they did stop Shaughnessy in a huge pile-up at the goal line. And then suddenly, Navy end Russell Lloyd came out of the pile with the ball. Colgate didn't notice or pursue him until too late, and it probably wouldn't have mattered if they had noticed, because Lloyd was the fastest man on Navy's team, and he had been a 4th-quarter substitute, so he had fresh legs. Colgate had only substituted once all game. Lloyd took it 99 yards for a touchdown, delivering a miraculous 13-7 win. Colgate outgained Navy and had 16 first downs to Navy's 13, but that 14-point swing at the end was a killer.

Next up was seemingly unbeatable Michigan, who had stomped on Navy 54-0 the previous season with basically the same lineup. Michigan had outscored their 1925 opponents 227-3, but the 3 points were crucial, as they were upset by Northwestern 3-2 in a Chicago rainstorm to derail their mythical national championship hopes. This season, they were coming into the Navy game 4-0 by a total score of 130-6, including a pair of easy shutout wins over top 25 caliber opponents (6-2 Illinois and 5-3 Minnesota). But Navy shocked Michigan 10-0, easily their biggest win of the year, and in fact I would go so far as to call it the biggest win in Navy football history. The game was held at Baltimore's Municipal Stadium, where temporary stands were put up in the open end of the horseshoe to fit in 80,000 spectators. Navy smothered Michigan's running game, and they used a new pass defense that held Michigan's powerful air attack to just 6 completions in 27 attempts. Michigan's only signs of offensive life came in the 2nd quarter, but they were unable to score when they had the chances. First, Michigan quarterback Benny Friedman attempted a field goal that was blocked by Navy tackle Tom Eddy. Later, Michigan drove to the Navy 10, where a 3rd down pass from Benny Friedman to Bennie Oosterbaan was knocked down by Navy halfback Tom Hamilton. On 4th down, Friedman hit Oosterbaan with a short pass, but Oosterbaan was tackled at the Navy 2 yard line, snuffing out Michigan's last threat of the game. In the 3rd quarter, Tom Hamilton threw a 25 yard pass to halfback Maurice Goudge, then Goudge ripped an 18 yard run to set up a Hamilton field goal from the 28 yard line, finally breaking the scoreless tie. In the 4th quarter, Hamilton hit a pass on a 4th down fake field goal to set up fullback Henry Caldwell's clinching touchdown plunge, the first given up by Michigan in 2 years. As the game ended, Navy partisans stormed the field, tore down the goalposts, and snakedanced until darkness fell.

Navy got a much needed break the next week, pounding West Virginia Wesleyan 53-7, before hosting a strong Georgetown team. Georgetown had lost 13-10 to 6-4 West Virginia, but they tied 5-2-2 Pittsburgh and defeated 7-2-1 Syracuse. Georgetown's line dominated Navy badly in the first half, but they didn't get quite enough points out of it. They missed a long field goal in the opening quarter, then blocked a punt at the Navy 18 to set up a touchdown and a 7-0 halftime lead. But Navy was far better in the 2nd half, thanks to the insertion of fullback Alan Shapley into the game. He had been injured early in the season, but his return came just in time for Navy. In the 3rd quarter, Shapley returned an interception 23 yards to the Georgetown 40 yard line, and from there he caught a touchdown pass from Tom Hamilton to tie the game up 7-7. In the 4th quarter, Georgetown mounted a drive, but they lost the ball on downs at the Navy 25. With time running out and still on their own end of the field, Navy went for it on 4th down, Tom Hamilton throwing to Ned Hannegan for just enough to get the first down. Then Hamilton hit Russell Lloyd for 40 yards to the Georgetown 18. Shapley carried for 8 yards, and then Hamilton kicked the field goal that gave Navy a 10-7 win in the closing seconds.

Navy got to relax again the next week in a 35-13 win over Loyola-Baltimore, and then it was time to get on the train to Chicago for the football event of the season.

Most crowd estimates for this game were 110,000, but thousands of people got in with counterfeit tickets and by crashing the gates, and some estimates ran over 120,000. There wasn't enough space left to sit, and people were climbing up on any structure they could perch on to get a view of the game. Thousands more were on nearby water towers and rooftops, or milling about on the streets outside Soldier Field. What those in the stadium saw was a great game with an unusual amount of offense for that time. Writer Walter Eckersall called it "one of the greatest football games ever played," and a 1943 Esquire poll of readers and coaches chose this as the greatest game ever seen. Grantland Rice, whose crowd estimate was 120-140,000, called it "the most tremendous spectacle in the history of American sport."

Army came in at 7-1, having lost 7-0 to 9-1 Notre Dame in New York City, and Navy was 9-0, but Army was a slight favorite to win. Their first-string team was considered to be among the best in the nation, featuring 4 players who made first team All American lists 1925-1926, the stars being Hall of Fame halfbacks "Lighthorse" Harry Wilson and Red Cagle. But their depth was poor, as evidenced by the weak performance of the substitutes in an ugly 21-15 win over 1-8 Ursinus the week before the Navy game. Navy was the opposite. Other than their Hall of Famers, tackle Frank Wickhorst and halfback/punter/drop-kicker Tom Hamilton, both 60-minute men, Navy's starting team was relatively unimpressive. But Navy's 2nd string players were no drop-off from the starters, and that enabled them to substitute liberally. That's why they were generally stronger and faster than their opponents in the second half, rallying to beat Purdue, Princeton, Colgate, Michigan, and Georgetown.

Army's Hall of Fame head coach Biff Jones was in his first season at the helm, much like Navy's Bill Ingram. Navy's depth and 2nd half strength were Biff Jones' chief worries, so he used Notre Dame's "shock troops" strategy, starting his 2nd string in the opening quarter so that his superior first unit could stay strong the rest of the way. If the Ursinus game was any indication, that would mean weathering a storm early, then hopefully coming from behind to win over the last 3 quarters, and that is almost exactly how the game played out.

Almost.

In the opening quarter, Navy halfback Jim Schuber threw a 37 yard pass to the Army 1, and fullback Henry Caldwell plunged over goal on the next play for a 7-0 lead. Later, Tom Hamilton hit Schuber for 23 yards, then Navy drove to the Army 28 yard line, when Biff Jones sent Army's first string in. This was the crucial drive of the game, when Army was supposed to stop the bleeding and take over, but Navy surprisingly put away their finesse and passing game, and bashed into the line play after play all the way to the end zone. It took 4 downs to pick up the initial first down, Caldwell carrying for 2 to get the fresh set of downs, and after another first down, it took another 4 downs for Schuber to go over goal for the 14-0 lead. But Navy had expended their energy on that slow march, and Army came roaring back.

Lighthorse Harry Wilson ran for 25 to the Navy 40, Red Cagle carried for 3 and 21, and then Wilson ran it in from 16 yards out and kicked the extra point. Navy's defense stiffened, but later in the quarter, they fumbled a punt at their own 25, and Army scooped it up and returned it for a touchdown, tying the score at 14-14. Navy drove to the Army 45 when the half ended. In the 3rd quarter, Army's Hall of Fame backs got rolling on a long drive again, capped by a 17 yard Wilson ramble and a 43 yard Red Cagle touchdown run, putting Army up 21-14.

Late in the quarter, 3 penalties on Army gave Navy the ball on their own 46, from where they launched the tying drive. They mixed runs and short passes to push it to the Army 31 when the 4th quarter began, then continued to run and pass to the Army 8, and on 4th and 3, Alan Shapley, substitute hero of the Georgetown game, scored a touchdown on a hidden ball play. Tom Hamilton kicked his 3rd extra point, and it was 21-21. On the ensuing drive, Army blew a chance to win. Lighthorse Harry Wilson returned the kickoff to the 27, and after Red Cagle was dropped for a loss, Wilson ran for 28 yards to the Navy 46. 3 runs picked up a first down, then a 6 yard pass on 4th down picked up another. 3 more runs took the ball to the Navy 16, then Lighthorse Harry Wilson, an excellent kicker who was 3 for 3 on extra points, missed a straight-ahead 25 yard field goal. Navy was off the hook, and the game ended 21-21.

Army outrushed Navy 235 yards to 155, but Navy made up the difference through the air, hitting 9 of 15 passes for 117 yards, Army 2 of 2 for 15. Navy had 12 first downs to Army's 10.

AN UPSET OF HUGE PROPORTIONS

Lost in all this was Notre Dame, unbeaten at 8-0-0, traveling to Pittsburgh to face Carnegie at the same time as the Army-Navy game in Chicago.

Earlier in the season, Notre Dame did away with Georgia Tech 12-0 and Indiana 26-0, and that brought them to their biggest game of the year, against Army in New York City. 72,000 showed up at Yankee Stadium to watch a defensive struggle in which both teams could move the ball, but neither could penetrate the opposing team's 30 yard line outside of one Notre Dame drive that died at the Army 21. Fullback Harry O'Boyle had a great game plunging into the line, giving his team a 207-127 yard rushing advantage over Army. Notre Dame gained 9 first downs to 7 for Army. The game was won 7-0 on one play, halfback Christie Flanagan's 63 yard off-tackle touchdown run in the 3rd quarter. Notre Dame fans waited politely for the cadets to parade out, then descended to the field and tore down the goalposts.

After a 21-0 win over Drake, Notre Dame headed East to Pittsburgh for the date with Carnegie. Knute Rockne, however, headed West to Chicago for the Army-Navy game, ostensibly because Navy had just been put on Notre Dame's 1927 schedule (for the first time ever), and he wanted to scout them. But he also just couldn't miss the football event of the year.

Unfortunately, while he was enjoying one of the greatest games played before WWII, his team was getting crushed 19-0 by Carnegie. In his season summary for the New York Times, Charles Crawley wrote, "This setback of a team regarded as invincible will go down in football history as one of the most inexplicable and costliest defeats in the fifty years' history of the game." ESPN has ranked it the 4th biggest upset of all time.

Carnegie coach Walter Steffen was a Chicago judge who commuted to Pittsburgh to coach the team for 18 years. Carnegie 1926 featured a pair of Hall of Famers, quarterback Howard Harpster and tackle Lloyd Yoder. Carnegie had beaten West Virginia 20-0 and Pittsburgh 14-0, but they had lost 17-6 to Washington & Jefferson and 6-0 at New York University, so they were coming into the game at 6-2. 8-0 Notre Dame had beaten them the previous 4 seasons by an aggregate score of 111-19, and they were a 5-1 favorite to win this game.

45,000 attended. Notre Dame's 2nd-string "shock troops," as usual, started and played through the opening quarter, and they actually had a better showing in this game than the 1st string unit. Carnegie did march to the Notre Dame 19, but they were stopped there. Usually when Notre Dame's regulars came in, the roof caved in on their opponents, but this time Carnegie came crashing down on them with a backfield that played like All Americans. Quarterback Howard Harpster threw a long pass to halfback Bill Donohoe that carried to the Notre Dame 18, fullback C. J. Letzelter plunged into the line for 5, and Donohoe carried it in from there. Notre Dame's next punt was blocked at their own 12, setting up another touchdown. Donohoe threw a pass, and Letzelter barreled into the line twice for the score, and it was 13-0. Notre Dame turnovers set up 2 long Harpster drop-kick field goals in the 2nd half, from 42 and 34 yards out, and that made the 19-0 final score. Notre Dame drove to within a yard of the Carnegie end zone in the 4th quarter, but 4 runs into the line were halted, keeping them off the scoreboard. A final Harpster field goal try was blocked, and that was that. Carnegie thoroughly outplayed Notre Dame, gaining 11 first downs to 6. Donohoe was the offensive star, Letzelter had a great day plunging into the line, and Harpster vastly outpunted his Notre Dame counterparts.

The Rose Bowl: Stanford v. Alabama

Stanford was 10-0, Alabama 9-0 coming into this game. Alabama had gone 10-0 and shared an MNC in 1925, capping the season with a 20-19 win over 10-1-1 Washington in the Rose Bowl, and they had won 20 straight games going back to 1924. Pop Warner attended Alabama's 33-6 win over Georgia November 25th in Birmingham to scout his bowl opponent, as Stanford's season had ended 5 days prior.

On Jan. 1, 1927, a record Rose Bowl crowd of 57,417 showed up on a sunny and hot afternoon to see the showdown of the last undefeated and untied teams in the country. The United Press called it "the football championship of America" and demand for tickets was so great organizers had added extra stands to boost the stadium’s capacity by 4,000 seats.

The game also boasted a national audience as NBC made it the first coast-to-coast radio broadcast with famed sports broadcaster Graham McNamee calling the play-by-play.

Stanford wasted no time trying to get the upper hand. On the Card’s first play from scrimmage the teams fullback and primary passer, Clifford Hoffman, threw a 40-yard pass to end Ted Shipkey. First down on the Alabama 27-yard line.

The Crimson Tide defense stepped up and forced Stanford’s George Bogue to try an 18-yard field goal. The kick went wide and Alabama took over on downs. Yet, three unsuccessful running plays later the Crimson Tide was forced to punt.

Then things got a little crazy. Stanford’s William Hyland caught the ball but before he could return it he was hit b Alabama’s Fred Pickhard. Hyland fumbled the ball and Alabama’s Herschel Caldwell scooped it up… only to fumble it himself. Shipkey finally fell on it giving the Card’s possession and starting their drive again.

It wasn't until late in the quarter that Stanford completed a 63-yard drive with a five-yard-pass from Bogue to Ed Walker who scrambled the remaining yard into the end zone. A successful extra point kick by Bogue made it 7-0 Stanford.

The second and third quarters produced a scoreless defensive struggle. It wasn't until well into the final period that either team had a real chance to score.

Late in the fourth quarter Stanford was forced to punt from their own 42-yard-line and Alabama’s Baba Pearce blocked the kick. The Crimson Tide recovered the ball at the Card’s 14.

Knowing he'd need fresh legs to run the ball, Wade sent in running back Jimmy Johnson who had not played all afternoon due to a dislocated shoulder.

On the first play of the drive, Hoyt "Wu" Winslett carried the ball three yards. Johnson then got the ball and ground out four more. Two more carries by Winslett got the ball to the Stanford one-yard-line and Johnson made the final carry into the end zone for the score.

Wade was taking no chances on getting the extra point and relied on a bit of deception to make sure the kick went good.

As Alabama got set for the play, running back and signal caller Emile Barnes stood up and yelled "Signals off!" Stanford’s players took this to mean Alabama was going to reset for the play and relaxed for a moment. Instead, Crimson Tide center Gordon "Sherlock" Holmes snapped the ball, Winslett placed it on the ground and kicker Herschel Caldwell put it through the uprights to tie the game at 7-7.

On the following possession, Stanford started at their own 22-yard-line but only had time to get off two plays. With no overtime the final score stood 7-7. The game would be the final Rose Bowl to conclude with a tie and the outcome resulted in Alabama and Stanford sharing the National Champion title.

Perhaps the most important impact of the 1927 Rose Bowl for Alabama’s football program went completely unnoticed at the time. In rural Arkansas, a 13-year-old boy listened to the historic broadcast of the game on the radio and heard the siren call of his destiny.

"I never imagined anything could be that exciting," recalled Paul W. Bryant years later. "I still didn't have much of an idea what football was, but after listening to that game, I had it in my mind I wanted to go Alabama and play in the Rose Bowl."

TheGarfather · Aug 3, 2013

Bear Bryant as a young kid? Now that was a long time ago.

Judge Smails · Aug 5, 2013

25 days to go ... (sunday)

Barry Sanders' Heisman Trophy season: Twenty-five years ago, Barry Sanders of Oklahoma State claimed the Heisman Trophy. In his Heisman-winning campaign of 1988, Sanders rushed for an FBS record 2,628 yards.

[video=youtube_share;q7S8wN_tL5Y]http://youtu.be/q7S8wN_tL5Y[/video]

Judge Smails · Aug 5, 2013

24 days to go ... (monday)

Big Ten's January bowl win percentage: The Big Ten has won fewer than 24 percent of its January bowl games over the past three seasons. The conference is 4-13 in those games.

OCT. 14, 2012:
The Big Ten has grabbed a BCS at-large bid in each of the past seven seasons. Get ready for that streak to end.

Of course, a lot can change over the final seven weeks of the season. But in the first 2012 BCS standings that were released Sunday night, the Big Ten suffered a major embarrassment. Not a single team from the league made the Top 25 of those standings.

Almost all of that is self-inflicted. Ohio State, ranked No. 7 in The Associated Press poll, would be prominent in the BCS standings if the Buckeyes weren't ineligible because of NCAA probation. And the league's crummy nonconference performance leaves it little to complain about in this exclusion.

JAN., 1, 2013:
Northwestern beat Mississippi State in the Gator Bowl to snap a nine-game bowl losing streak, which was really, really nice – really nice for the Wildcats and really nice for the Big Ten, which could use a January bowl win against the SEC.

Such wins are rare since 2010, when the SEC and Big Ten finalized bowl tie-in agreements that pit the two leagues in three games every New Year's Day. Over the last three seasons, the SEC is 7-2 against the Big Ten.

The ugly recent history (for the Big Ten; it's prettier in SEC country):

Jan. 1, 2011
Alabama 49, Michigan State 7
Florida 37, Penn State 24
Mississippi State 52, Michigan 14

Tyler+Murphy+Outback+Bowl+Florida+v+Penn+State+uJEvkEOLgVZl.jpg

Jan. 1, 2012
Michigan State 33, Georgia 30
South Carolina 30, Nebraska 13
Florida 24, Ohio State 17

Jan. 1, 2013
Northwestern 34, Mississippi State 20
Georgia 45, Nebraska 31
South Carolina 33, Michigan 28

This is a fairly recent trend, however. While the SEC has ruled the roost since 2006 (and the Big Ten has struggled regaining its footing nationally), the two leagues have played nearly to a draw since the beginning of the BCS era in 1998.

Judge Smails · Aug 6, 2013

23 days to go ...

Longest active losing streak in any NCAA division: Division III Tufts University enters the 2013 football season with the longest current losing streak across all NCAA divisions. The Jumbos have lost 23 straight games. Southern Miss has the longest current FBS losing streak at 12.

Tufts last win was Sept. 25, 2010 at home against Hamilton College, 21-10, in the season-opener. The Jumbos lost their last 7 games of 2010, went 0-8 in 2011 and went 0-8 last season.

DIVISION I-A LOSING STREAKS

The Northwestern Wildcats own one record that they probably would like stricken from the record books: The longest losing streak in Division I-A college football history.

Between 1979 and 1982, the Wildcats lost 34 straight games. That’s six more than their nearest competitors, the Virginia Cavaliers, who lost 28 between 1958 and 1961, and the Kansas State Wildcats, who also lost that many between 1945 and 1948.

Below is a list of the other program that have suffered through lengthy losing streaks. Only streaks of at least 20 games are included.
Northwestern: 34 games (1979-1982)
Virginia: 28 (1958-1961)
Kansas State: 28 (1945-1948)
New Mexico State: 27 (1988-1990)
Eastern Michigan: 27 (1980-1982)
Colorado State: 26 (1960-1963)
Duke: 23 (1999-2002)
Northern Illinois: 23 (1996-1998)
Duke: 22 (2005-2007)
Ball State: 21 (1999-2000)
South Carolina: (1998-2000)
Kent State: 21 (1981-1983)
New Mexico: 21 (1967-1969)
Temple: 20 (2004-2006)
TCU: 20 (1974-1975)
Florida State: 20 (1972-1974)

Also ...

Prairie View (1989-98)

Once-mighty Prairie View -- the Panthers won five national black college titles between 1953 and 1964 -- took quite a fall. During the 1990s, Prairie View set a record that might stand forever, losing 80 straight games, a losing streak that nearly doubles the second-longest Division I-AA streak -- Columbia's 44-game skein. Their worst year might have been 1991 -- they scored only 48 points all season, while giving up an 'average' of 56 a game. After the Panthers ended their streak by beating Langston State 14-12, running back Kevin Ball said, "One isn't good enough for me. I don't want people to think it's a fluke." It wasn't -- the Panthers went 2-9 in 1999.

Macalester College (1974-80)
Between 1974 and 1980, the St. Paul, Minn., school lost 50 games in a row. The Scots' worst season probably came in 1977, when MIAC rivals Concordia Moorhead -- yes, the Concordia Moorhead Cobbers -- beat them 97-6, scoring 14 touchdowns to set an NAIA record that still stands (Cobbers kicker Kurt Christenson scored 13 points on extra point kicks alone). Also in 1977, Macalester set a Division III record by allowing 59.1 points per game. The losing streak ended in dramatic fashion: Kicker Bob Kaye put a 23-yarder through the uprights with 11 seconds remaining in an early September 1980 contest as the Scots beat Mount Senario College.

Columbia (1983-88)
Columbia lost 44 games in a row during these years, the second-longest in major college football history. Things got so bad that the band played the "Mickey Mouse Club" theme when the team took the field. During one 1985 game against Harvard, Columbia actually looked like it might win -- it was leading 17-0 with five minutes left in the third quarter. But the Crimson came back, and scored 49 unanswered points in the time remaining. When the Lions lost their 35th straight, to set a Division 1-AA record, their coach, Larry McElreavy, told The New York Times, "I'm realistic; there's not a lot of talent here."

1923 COLLEGE FOOTBALL HIGHLIGHTS

The Iowa State College marching band performs during the team’s homecoming game against Nebraska on Nov. 17, 1923, at the Iowa State College Athletic Field, which later became the home of Clyde Williams Stadium. Iowa State lost to the Cornhuskers, 26-14. Permanent bleachers on the east side weren’t completed until October 1925. Helser Hall would later replace the two houses seen toward the right. The photo was taken by a fan sitting in the west bleachers of the athletic field. The 1923 football season was the one in which Jack Trice — Iowa State’s first black athlete — died following the team’s Oct. 6 game at Minnesota

The 1923 college football season saw several teams finish their seasons unbeaten and untied. Illinois (coached by Bob Zuppke) and Michigan (coached by "Hurry-Up" Yost), both members of what is now the Big Ten Conference, finished with records of 8-0-0 as did future Ivy League teams Yale and Cornell. Southern Methodist University (SMU) had a record of 9-0-0. Teams that had no defeats, but had been tied, were California (9-0-1), Texas (8-0-1), and Kansas (5-0-3).

Consensus national champion, 8-0 Illinois, lining up against 7-1 Chicago in the first game played at Illinois' Memorial Stadium. Despite a steady rain, 60,000 fans showed up to watch Illinois win its biggest game of the year 7-0, the legendary Red Grange scoring the touchdown.

November 3
Yale beat Army 31-10 Notre Dame beat Purdue 34-7 Dartmouth (5-0-0) hosted Cornell (4-0-0) and in a triumph of Big Red over Big Green, Cornell won won 32-7. Illinois and Chicago, both unbeaten (4-0-0) met at Champaign, with the Illini winning 7-0. Michigan won at Iowa 9-3. Kansas won at Oklahoma 7-3. California held visiting Nevada scoreless for its seventh straight shutout, but could not score either, suffering a 0-0 tie. Washington stayed unbeaten and untied with a 14-0 win at Oregon State.

November 24
In Pittsburgh, Notre Dame defeated Carnegie Tech 26-0. Dartmouth beat Colby College 62-0, and Cornell defeated Johns Hopkins 52-0. Yale closed a perfect season with a 13-0 win over Harvard. Illinois closed its season at 8-0-0 with a 9-0 win at Ohio State, while Michigan closed a perfect season with a 10-0 win over Minnesota. California closed its season with a 9-0 win over Stanford.Washington beat Washington State 24-7, and though it was second to Cal in the Pacific Coast Conference, received the invitation to the Rose Bowl to face (5-1-2) Navy.

A 1923 game between Georgetown and the Marines Corp in DC's Griffith Stadium, home to the Hoya football team from 1921 to 1950

On Thanksgiving Day, which was held on November 29 in 1923, Furman, which had won its first ten games, lost its final game to visiting Clemson, 7-6. In Philadelphia, Cornell closed a perfect season with a 14-7 win over Pennsylvania. Dartmouth finished with a 31-6 win over Columbia at New York. Kansas and Missouri played to a 3-3 tie, giving the Jayhawks an unbeaten, if not untied (5-0-3) finish. Notre Dame won at St. Louis 13-0.

Boulder%20Game%20on%20Thanksgiving%2C%201923.jpg

Annual Thanksgiving Day football game between Colorado Agricultural College (now Colorado State) and University of Colorado. Unfortunately, CAC lost the title conference game to CU 6-3.

ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI
Illinois had previously won national championships in 1914 and 1919, and it looks like they stuck to about a 4 year cycle, because they are the consensus choice for 1923 and will be again for 1927. The head coach for all of these MNC titles was Hall of Famer Robert Zuppke.

Illinois had posted losing records for 2 years prior to this season, 3-4 in 1921 and 2-5 in 1922, but the future looked bright, because their 1922 freshman team simply had to be the best freshman team in the country. They scrimmaged against the varsity team twice a week, and handily won most of the scrimmages. Zuppke started spending more time with the freshmen than with the varsity, preferring the rosy 8-0 future to the dreary 2-5 present. Unfortunately for Zuppke, most of the best players from the 1922 freshman team transferred elsewhere. Quarterback Ralph "Moon" Baker went to Northwestern and tackle Frank Wickhorst went to Navy, and both became consensus All Americans. Halfback Paul Cook became a starter at Michigan. On the bright side, the best of the lot, the now-legendary halfback Red Grange, remained at Illinois, and that rosy 8-0 future was thus secured.

Harold "Red" Grange was just 5' 11" and 166 pounds, but he had scored 75 touchdowns and 532 points at Wheaton High School in Illinois, and he could reportedly run the 100 yard dash in 9.8 seconds, so there was great anticipation among Illinois fans for his sophomore debut with the Illini. He did not disappoint, scoring 3 touchdowns against Nebraska in his first game and totaling 723 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns for the 1923 season, including at least one touchdown in every game he played. He also added 178 yards receiving, 212 returning punts, and 140 returning interceptions. But he did not become a legend until the 1924 game with Michigan, who at that point had not lost in 3 years.

On that day, October 18, 1924, Grange returned the opening kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown, then scored 3 more times on runs of 67, 56, and 44 yards, all in the first 12 minutes of the game, after which he took a seat on the bench. He returned briefly in the 3rd quarter, long enough to add an 11 yard touchdown run and a 20 yard touchdown pass, and then his day was done. In less than one half of a game, he accounted for 6 touchdowns, rushed for 212 yards, passed for 64, and returned a couple of kicks for 126.

That one game made him the biggest celebrity college football has ever known, and thereafter he was nationally known as "The Galloping Ghost." For his 3 year, 20 game career, he totaled 2071 rushing yards, 253 receiving, 575 passing, 939 in punt and kickoff returns, 247 in interception returns, and he scored 31 touchdowns. He was a consensus All American all 3 years, then signed a lucrative contract with the Chicago Bears the day after his last game at Illinois. He is often credited with getting the NFL off the ground financially, as well as "legitimizing" the league in terms of publicity. He also went out to Hollywood and starred in a couple of movies about himself, as well as a 12-part serial. He is in both the college and pro football halls of fame, and he makes the short list for practically any discussion of the greatest college football player of all time.

Why one player catches the public's fancy and another doesn't, when the answer isn't in the actual accomplishments. It may come down to one simple factor-- whether or not Grantland Rice writes a nationally published poem about you.

"There are shapes now moving,
Two Ghosts that drift and glide,
And which of them to tackle
Each rival must decide.
They shift with spectral swiftness
Across the swarded range,
And one of them’s a shadow,
And one of them is Grange."

[video=youtube_share;BGlve8jDPBo]http://youtu.be/BGlve8jDPBo[/video]
Chris Berman said this on ESPN: "I was interviewing George Halas and I asked him who is the greatest running back you ever saw. And he said, 'That would be Red Grange.' And I asked him if Grange was playing today, how many yards do you think he'd gain. And he said, 'About 750, maybe 800 yards.' And I said, 'Well, 800 yards is just okay.' He sat up in his chair and he said, 'Son, you must remember one thing. Red Grange is 75 years old.' "

Foregoing the usual opening day patsy, Illinois started with Missouri Valley power Nebraska, and Red Grange introduced himself to the college football world by scoring 3 touchdowns on a 35 yard run, 20 yard leaping catch, and 60 yard punt return. Illinois won 24-7. Zuppke wanted to keep his prize player healthy for the crucial Big 10 contests to come, so he sat Grange for Illinois' next game against Butler. Or at least he tried to. Butler was not quite the patsy they were supposed to be when originally placed on the schedule, and in fact they had beaten Illinois 10-7 the previous season. This time, Zuppke sent Grange in to break open a tight game in the 2nd half, and Grange ran for 142 yards and 2 touchdowns, leading Illinois to a 21-7 win.

IOWA GAME
That brought Illinois to their first big game, at Iowa. The 2-time defending Big 10 champ had not lost in 3 years. Fullback Earl Britton did not show up to the team meeting before the game, and Zuppke sent Jim McMillen to find him. In telling this story to Sports Illustrated many years later, McMillen explained that Britton "was a hard man to get serious about a game." He found the big fullback on the roof of the team's hotel, overlooking Iowa's homecoming parade. Britton was writing "To Hell with Iowa" on sheets of hotel stationery, folding the sheets into paper airplanes, and floating them out over the crowd. This ended up being Illinois' toughest game by far. Iowa had successfully diagnosed the key to beating Illinois, and they knocked Grange out on the opening kickoff. Grange came right back, but he wasn't the same, and Iowa held Illinois to just 58 yards rushing in this game. Britton kicked his 50 yard field goal for an early 3-0 lead, but there would be no more scoring by either team until the 4th quarter. Grange had his head packed in ice at halftime. Iowa finally pushed over a touchdown to take a 6-3 lead early in the 4th quarter. These were the last points Illinois gave up in 1923. In the latter half of the quarter, Illinois, unable to move the ball on the ground, took to the air. Quarterback Harry Hall completed 3 long passes to Red Grange, setting up Grange's short touchdown run for the 9-6 win.

CHICAGO GAME
Illinois next trounced 2-6 Northwestern 29-0 on the road, Grange scoring 3 touchdowns, including a 90 yard interception return. Then they came home to face Chicago in their biggest game of the year. Chicago had lost just 1 game in each of the previous 2 seasons, and this would be the only loss they would take this season. It was the first game played in Illinois' new stadium, and 60,000 fans filled it despite a steady rain. The rain reduced both offenses to conservative straight-ahead football. Chicago drove to the Illinois 6 yard line in the first quarter before running out of downs, but it was an even game for the rest of the half, both teams occasionally edging into enemy territory, but neither producing a serious scoring threat. In the 3rd quarter, Illinois finally drove 63 yards to pay dirt, Grange supplying 51 of it, including the 5 yard touchdown to cap it. Britton kicked the extra point to make it 7-0. Grange had a number of big plays in this game, including a 60 yard interception return, but none of them resulted in points beyond the one touchdown. Chicago finally went to their air game in the 4th quarter, but that went nowhere, and so 7-0 held up as the final score.

Next up was Wisconsin, coming in at 3-0-1, their tie with Minnesota (who finished 5-1-1). Illinois mounted an early 80 yard touchdown drive, Grange breaking free for runs of 14, 13, 25, and 26 yards, the last for the touchdown. He then led a drive to a 33 yard Earl Britton field goal, and just like that, Illinois led 10-0. The game ended that way too, mostly because Grange was injured in a 2nd quarter pile-up, and did not play in the 2nd half. He finished with 121 yards rushing.

Grange remained out for the next game against Mississippi State (5-2-2), whom Illinois nevertheless dispatched with ease, 27-0.

Illinois then hit the road for their traditional finale against rival Ohio State. It was OSU's homecoming, and they were 3-3-1 coming in. Ohio State took the proper course, arranging their entire defense around stopping Red Grange, which successfully kept the game scoreless through 3 quarters. OSU had 3 shots from inside the Illinois 1 yard line in the 3rd quarter, but they were unable to punch it in. Actually, the Buckeyes felt that they did punch it in, but unfortunately for them the referee did not see it that way. It didn't matter, because Illinois scored twice in the 4th quarter anyway, winning 9-0. The game was essentially won on a 10 play, 82 yard touchdown drive, Grange galloping over from 31 yards out. That completed his streak of scoring a touchdown in every game he played this season. Earl Britton later added a 32 yard field goal to put the game out of reach.

1924 ROSE BOWL
A crowd of 48,000 turned out to watch Navy and Washington play an exciting game. Ira McKee's passing put Navy ahead 14-7 at halftime, after Washington's George Wilson had tied the game at 7-7. In the fourth quarter, Washington's Roy Petrie picked off a pass at Navy's 10 yard line, setting up the Huskies' tying touchdown for a 14 to 14 finish.[2] Later, it turned out that Washington halfback Les Sherman, whose two extra point attempts had tied the game, had played with a broken toe, while fullback Elmer Tesreau had played with a fractured leg.

The team photo at the 1924 ROSE BOWL

Judge Smails · Aug 7, 2013

22 days to go ...

John Cappelletti's number at Penn State: Jersey number of John Cappelletti at Penn State, #22. In 1973, Cappelletti won the Heisman Trophy and remains the only Nittany Lion to earn that honor.

John Cappelletti played defensive halfback as a sophmore when the Lions had Franco Harris and Lydell Mitchell – Tailback during junior and senior years.

Cappelletti put together three straight 200-yard rushing games in the final month of the season, including a high of 220 against North Carolina State. In 1973, Cappelletti recieved the Maxwell Trophy, which is presented annually to the outstanding player in collegiate football. Cappelletti was also selected as Player-of-the-Year by ABC-TV, United Press International, the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association, the Walter Camp Foundation, and the Washington Touchdown Club. He also played in the Hula and Senior bowl games.

Cappelletti’s career yardage total of 2,639 still ranks him No. 9 on the Lions’ all-time rushing list. Cappelletti still holds a number of Penn State ground-gaining records.

The 1973 Heisman Trophy winner, John Cappelletti helped the Nittany Lions to a perfect 12-0 season and No.5 national ranking in both of the major polls. A consensus All-American, Cappelletti rushed for 1,522 yards and 17 touchdowns in 1973. Cappelletti Majored in law enforcement and corrections.

A first-round draft choice of the National Football Leauge Los Angeles Rams, Cappelletti played 10 seasons in the professional ranks, six in Los Angeles and four with the San Diego Chargers.

In his 8 professional seasons, Cappelletti rushed 824 times for 2,751 yards, a 3.3 average, and 24 touchdowns. He caught 135 passes for 1,233 yards and 4 touchdowns.

[video=youtube_share;oWnmvH9s2LM]http://youtu.be/oWnmvH9s2LM[/video]

Judge Smails · Aug 8, 2013

21 days to go ...

Desmond Howard: The Michigan star wore #21 while in Ann Arbor and was the Heisman Trophy winner 21 seasons ago in 1991

Winner of the 1991 Heisman Trophy, Howard’s acrobatic catches made him one of the most electrifying players ever to play the college game. He became the first receiver in Big Ten history to lead the conference in scoring (138 points) as he set or tied 5 NCAA records and 12 single-season Michigan records. Add the 12 scores as a sophomore and two as a freshman, and Howard amassed an amazing 37 touchdowns in his UM career. The All-American won the Heisman by the second largest margin of victory in the trophy’s history. He was also awarded the Walter Camp Trophy and the Maxwell Award that year before graduating from the University of Michigan with a Bachelors degree in Mass Communications.

The 5-foot 10-inch, 170-pound junior sensation from Cleveland was the second Heisman recipient from the University of Michigan. It was in the Notre Dame game that Howard showed a spellbound national television audience just why he is the heart and soul of the 1991 Maize and Blue. With Michigan desperate to end a string of four consecutive defeats at Notre Dame's hands, an early Wolverine surge had run out of steam and the Irish were poised to take the lead. Then, quickly, Michigan moved into Notre Dame territory. On the crucial fourth-down-and-inches play that decided the outcome, Howard's old high school classmate, Wolverine quarterback Elvis Grbac, launched a high, floating spiral that seemed too distant to be caught. But the mercurial Howard raced under it, leaped as far as he could, and cradled the ball in his outstretched hands for the touchdown that gave Michigan one of its most cherished victories. The play is already enshrined in Ann Arbor lore as "the catch." In game after game, Howard has made dazzling receptions, run kickoffs back with reckless abandon and a wondrous facility for using his blockers to full open-field advantage, and carried the ball brilliantly on wide-sweeping reverses. Howard's 1991 season was amazing by any standards catching 61 passes for 950 yards and 19 touchdowns (23 total TDs.)

Howard won all six sections in recording the third highest margin of victory in Heisman Trophy history. Howard became the fourth consecutive junior and the second Michigan player to win the Heisman, 51 years after Hall of Famer Tom Harmon won his. Ty Detmer, the Brigham Young quarterback who was the Heisman winner in 1990, managed only a third place finish.

Howard, was inducted in the College Football Hall of Fame on July 16, 2011 in South Bend, Indiana. “I’m tremendously honored and humbled by this honor. “Football is the ultimate team sport, and everyone who was involved in my career at Michigan, I bring them along with me into the Hall of Fame because I couldn’t accomplish anything I did at the University of Michigan by myself. I’m honored to represent Michigan in the 2010 class.” The 2010 class included former Wisconsin head football coach and athletic director, Barry Alvarez. Howard, is also a member of the the Gator Bowl Hall of Fame, the University of Michigan Hall of Honor and the State of Michigan Sports Hall of Fame.

Desmond played professional football in the NFL for the Washington Redskins (1992–1994), Jacksonville Jaguars (1995), Green Bay Packers (1996, 1999), Oakland Raiders (1997–1998) and Detroit Lions (1999–2002). Howard was voted the Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl XXXI and is the first and only special teams player to win the award. He is one of only four players to win both the Heisman Trophy and Super Bowl MVP; Roger Staubach, Jim Plunkett, and Marcus Allen are the others.

Howard earned his place in Super Bowl lore on Jan. 26, 1997, when he returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown (still a Super Bowl record). It was an electrifying play, so deflating to the Patriots that they just couldn't muster another rally. The Packers went on to win the Super Bowl 35-21 in the New Orleans Superdome.

1921 COLLEGE FOOTBALL HIGHLIGHTS

The 1921 college football season had no clear-cut champion, with the Official NCAA Division I Football Records Book listing California Golden Bears, Cornell Big Red, Iowa Hawkeyes, Lafayette Leopards, and Washington & Jefferson Presidents as champions. Only California, Cornell, and Lafayette claim national championships for the 1921 season.

Cornell was the country's most impressive team performance-wise, outscoring opponents 392-21. Iowa only outscored their opposition 185-36, and their schedule was unimpressive overall, but they notched the win of the season 10-7 over 10-1 Notre Dame, and that one win was worth far more than all of Cornell's combined. Another factor working in Iowa's favor was a series of victories by the Midwest over the East this season, causing even Eastern writers to proclaim that the East was no longer the king region of college football. Defending national champion California's 18 game winning streak came to an end on the rain-swamped field of the Rose Bowl, as they were shocked and outplayed by Washington & Jefferson in a 0-0 tie. That outcome leaves the 1921 mythical national championship (MNC) rather murky. As for 9-0 Lafayette, they were relatively ignored by the press this season.

Still the oldest rivalry in college football, Lafayette and Lehigh played in 1921 with Lafayette claiming a national championship after its 28-6 win

Lafayette had once been a fairly powerful football school, the highlight being 1896, when they went 11-0-1 and tied 10-0-1 Princeton, the 2 teams sharing a mythical national championship that season. If there had been an AP poll in the early 20th century, they would have been ranked in the final top 25 ten times from 1901-1911, though rarely in the top 10. But the wheels came off in 1912, and 1912-1918 they went 29-31-5, and would not have been ranked once. Thusly might they have remained forever had they not hired Hall of Fame coach Jock Sutherland in 1919.

Sutherland had been an All American guard for Pop Warner's Pitt teams, who went unbeaten all 3 of his years 1915-1917. He went 33-8-2 at Lafayette 1919-1923, and they would have been ranked in a final AP top 25 the last 3 years. This was their first ever perfect season. In 1924 Sutherland replaced Warner at Pitt and went 111-20-12 there through 1938. Pitt claims 5 national championships during his years, and Lafayette claims one for this season, giving him up to 6 for his career, though most of those are questionable claims. In all, he was 144-28-14, also posting a 28-16-1 record as an NFL coach.

Lafayette's roster was as impressive as Cornell's, and like Big Red, they featured a pair of Hall of Famers. Guard Frank "Dutch" Schwab was their one consensus AA, and he repeated in 1922. He had graduated high school in 1912, then went to work in the coal mines. He later went to war, where he played for a service team. Sutherland saw him there, and recruited him to Lafayette after the war. Dutch didn't just play like a man among boys-- he actually was a man among boys. Chief boy for Lafayette was freshman end Charlie Berry, who went on to become nonconsensus AA in 1922 and 1924, and is Lafayette 1921's 2nd Hall of Famer. He led the NFL in scoring in 1925 (74 points) and played pro baseball 1925-1938. He became an NFL ref for 24 years, working 12 championship games, and a baseball umpire for 21, working 5 World Series. Halfback Leonard "Bots" Brunner had been a star for Penn in 1919, before transferring to Lafayette. He would be named a nonconsensus AA in 1922. Halfback Mike Gazella was never AA-honored, but was an elusive runner and sure receiver, and played baseball with the Yankees for 4 years, during which time they won 3 championships.

Lafayette's Season
Lafayette's season was similar to Cornell's, except that they did not strive to run their scores up quite so high. But like Cornell, they played 1 top 25 caliber opponent, stomped on 4-3-2 Penn, and routed a bunch of nobodies.

Lafayette's one big game was a rare home date with Pitt, a gift from Sutherland's mentor Pop Warner in return for 3 trips to Pitt. Sutherland repaid the gesture by beating his mentor 6-0, Pitt's first loss in 2 years. A capacity crowd of 11,000 were on hand. Late in the first quarter, Lafayette recovered a fumble at the Pitt 24, and from there they drove to the game's only touchdown, Bots Brunner scoring on a triple pass play. Pitt's star and captain, Tom Davies, had not started, but he was sent into the game in the 4th quarter to try and save it. He could not get loose, and though Pitt did mount a drive to the Lafayette 5 yard line late in the game, Lafayette held on for the 6-0 win. Contributing to Lafayette's win was the fact that the quarters were only 12 minutes long, as was often the case in early games that were supposed to be "warm-ups" for a major team against a "mid-major" or minor team.

Lafayette was supposed to be challenged by a game at Penn later in the season, but Penn was down this year (finishing 4-3-2), and Lafayette routed them 38-6. Like Cornell, it was Lafayette's first win over Penn since 1915, and moreover it was the first time they had scored on Penn since then. Mike Gazella had 3 touchdowns, and Bots Brunner had but 1, but it was Brunner who starred in this game. In addition to his 34 yard touchdown run, he set up 2 more with long runs and passed for another 2, both to Gazella. It was over in the first quarter, when Lafayette went up 14-0. Penn scored their one touchdown late, against Lafayette's subs. Lafayette totaled 527 yards to Penn's 115, and 17 first downs to Penn's 4 (none in the first half). Poor as Penn was, this game confirmed that Lafayette was for real. Unfortunately, however, writers held curiously little regard for Lafayette this season.

CORNELL and EDDIE KAW
Their 1921 head coach, Hall of Famer Gil Dobie was 65-0-3 in his first 11 seasons of coaching. He then went 18-3 at Navy 1917-1919, losing 1 game each year, before arriving at Cornell in 1920. Cornell went 6-2 that year, but Dobie followed it up with 3 straight 8-0 seasons 1921-1923, a 26 game winning streak that ended in 1924. After the 1923 season, Dobie's career mark stood at a stupefying 112-5-3 over 18 years and 4 schools. Things devolved for him after that, but he still went 82-36-7 at Cornell 1920-1935. Overall he was 180-45-15, good for #16 on the all-time FBS coaching win percentage chart. But the highlight of his career, as well as Cornell's football history, was 1921-1923, when his teams went 24-0 and outscored their opponents by a total of 1051-81. Cornell claims national championships for all 3 seasons.

Cornell's lineup paled compared to Iowa's overall, but like the Hawkeyes their backfield featured a pair of Hall of Famers. The first was halfback Eddie Kaw, a consensus All American in 1921 and 1922. He was a good runner and defensive back, handled what little passing his team did, and was also the punter. His reputation rested largely on an extraordinary game he had in the rain and mud at Penn in Cornell's finale this year, scoring 5 touchdowns in a 41-0 rout. He scored 15 touchdowns on the season, leading the nation. The other Hall of Famer was quarterback George Pfann, a nonconsensus AA in 1922 and consensus AA in 1923, when he was the team captain and scored 15 touchdowns himself. Cornell was 24-0 his 3 years. He was a Rhodes scholar, and later became a lawyer. The only other notable player on the team was guard and placekicker Leonard "Swede" Hanson, a nonconsensus AA in 1921 and 1922.

Cornell's Season
Cornell's opponents were so weak, and Big Red stomped them so mercilessly, that there isn't much to say beyond that. They scored 110 points on patsy Western Reserve, raising eyebrows throughout the East. It wasn't that scoring 100 was all that unusual-- many teams accomplished the feat every year. But it was unusual in the East, where a sense of sportsmanship and decorum made the practice nonexistent amongst the old guard teams. Gil Dobie had also scored 127 and 121 points on patsies while coaching at Navy in 1918 and 1919, and this habit of running up scores did not endear him to his coaching peers. But he had never been a well-liked coach, going back to his days at Washington, where at one point all the other major teams in the Northwest refused to play him because he would not play anyone on their home field.

Cornell's first real game was a home bout with Dartmouth in game 5, a school record 20,000 fans in attendance. Dartmouth came in 5-0, and gamblers had the game at even money, and the game was close for a while-- 7-7 in the second quarter, Cornell up 14-7 at the half. But the 2nd half was all Cornell, and their foot got stuck on the gas pedal, storming to a 59-7 final tally. Eddie Kaw and George Pfann were running for 30 yards a pop, and Cornell totaled 28 first downs to Dartmouth's 7. Swede Hanson kicked 6 extra points. Unlike Georgia Tech's high-scoring teams of the previous decade, Cornell did not have a complex or new offense-- quite the opposite. Gil Dobie was a "straight football" man, with few tricks and laterals, and just enough passing to keep defenses honest. His playbooks had always been smaller than opposing coaches', often just 5-6 plays that he drilled his teams endlessly on, until they ran those plays to utter perfection. So Cornell's 59 points on Dartmouth came from a simple offense, run perfectly.

Cornell's one unimpressive game was a 14-0 win over Springfield in a blinding snowstorm and driving wind, the field reduced to slush and mud. Both teams fumbled often, and 2 fumbles at Springfield's goal line cost Cornell a couple more touchdowns. Eddie Kaw was held out of the game due to the field conditions, and to ensure his health for the finale at Penn, and Cornell just plunged into the line all game, with an occasional big gain on an end run. Springfield didn't have much of a team, but they did have a big line that held up well to the plunging. Cornell's second touchdown was scored on 4th down in the 4th quarter.

That brought Cornell to their annual Thanksgiving Day game at Penn, where they had not won since their national championship season in 1915, and against whom they were just 4-22-1 all-time. 25,000 showed up at Franklin Field despite a steady rain. Mud and standing water hampered everyone but Eddie Kaw, who ran wild all day, including touchdowns of 45, 39, 16, 8, and 6 yards, leading Cornell to a 41-0 win.

After Iowa declined a Rose Bowl invite, Cornell was invited, but they too declined.

THE HAWKEYES
This was Iowa's first perfect season, and their first Big 10 title in 21 years, but they didn't come out of nowhere-- they had been building their way up to this moment for years, going 6-2-1 in 1918 and 5-2 in both 1919 and 1920. They followed this year's 7-0 with another 7-0 in 1922, the only perfect seasons in Iowa history, as well as their only consecutive Big 10 titles. The head coach responsible for all this success was Hall of Famer Howard Jones. A Yale grad, he had played for MNC teams in 1905, 1906, and 1907, and then he coached Yale to another MNC in 1909. He coached at Iowa 1916-1923, going 42-17-1. His greatest fame, though, would be won at Southern Cal 1925-1940, during which time he went 121-36-13, 5-0 in Rose Bowls, and won 7 Pacific Coast titles and 4 school-claimed MNCs (though only 2 of them are legitimate). Overall he was 194-64-21 for his career, and won as many as 6 MNCs-- 4 of them legitimate. Iowa won a school-record 20-straight games 1920-1923, but it wasn't all Howard Jones' doing. Iowa 1921 featured the most talented group of players the school ever collected on one team: 7 of the 11 starters were named All Big 10 this season, 6 made first team All American lists during their careers here, and 3 are in the Hall of Fame.

The Hall of Famers
Iowa's one consensus All American this season was quarterback and captain Aubrey Devine. A Hall of Famer, he also handled the team's punting, placekicking, and returns, and he led the team in rushing, passing, and scoring all 3 years he played for Iowa. He kicked a field goal to beat Minnesota 9-6 in 1919, and scored all of his team's points in wins over Northwestern and Iowa State the same season. He ran for one touchdown and threw for the other in a 14-7 win over Indiana in 1920, and led the Big 10 in scoring that season. This season he accounted for all of Iowa's points in a critical 13-6 win over Purdue, and his game-winning punt return touchdown was later listed in an article by Hall of Fame coach Clark Shaughnessy as one of the 12 greatest individual plays in college football history.

Against Minnesota he accounted for 484 yards and 6 touchdowns, rushing for 162 yards and 4 touchdowns, passing for 122 and 2 touchdowns, returning kicks for 200 yards, and adding 5 extra points. Minnesota's Hall of Fame coach Henry Williams called him "the greatest player who ever stepped on our field" and "the greatest backfield player the country has ever known." In his next game against Indiana, Devine rushed for 183 yards and 4 touchdowns, and passed for 102, though he left the game in the 3rd quarter. Devine rushed for 895 yards this season, still an Iowa record for a quarterback, and he once again led the Big 10 in scoring. According to Tex Noel's collection of statistics from the ancient days, Devine produced a national record 2211 yards of total offense this season. He was a tremendous passer, and was allegedly never intercepted in his 3 years. Devine went on to get a law degree, one of 5 starters on this team who became lawyers.

Fullback Gordon Locke is Iowa's 2nd Hall of Famer. A nonconsensus AA this season, he would be consensus AA in 1922, replacing Devine as captain and leading Iowa to another 7-0 finish despite the loss of 3 of their best players from the 1921 team. This season, Locke provided the inside power running to counterpoint Devine's outside running. He scored the touchdown, and Devine added the field goal, to beat 10-1 Notre Dame 10-7 in Iowa's biggest win of the season, and Notre Dame coach Knute Rockne later said, "We had heard so much about Devine, but the guy who hurt us the most that day was Locke." In his next game, Locke carried the ball 37 times for 202 yards, scoring both touchdowns to beat Illinois 14-2, but he was hospitalized after the game with stomach problems that hampered him the rest of the season. He still finished with over 700 yards and was 3rd in the conference in scoring. In 1922, when he carried the team offensively, he scored a touchdown in an 8-7 win over Illinois, 3 touchdowns in one half against Minnesota, 2 touchdowns in a 12-9 win over Ohio State, and 4 touchdowns in his collegiate finale against Northwestern. His 72 points in Big 10 play that season were the most by a conference back until 1943. He totaled 32 touchdowns in his career, 4 times scoring 4 in a single game. Like Devine, he became a lawyer after graduation.

Iowa's 3rd Hall of Famer, and likely the best of the 3, was 210 pound tackle Fred "Duke" Slater, who never wore a helmet. In high school, his team, Clinton High, met West Des Moines, led by Aubrey Devine, for the state title, and the game ended in a 13-13 tie. He was a nonconsensus AA this season, making first team on 3 lists, and he was unanimous All Big 10 all 3 years that he played. Newspaper game summaries of the time repeatedly described him as unblockable on defense, and as mowing down 2-3 players by himself as a blocker. The Midwest's foremost writer of the time, Walter Eckersall: "Slater is so powerful that one man cannot handle him and opposing elevens have found it necessary to send 2 men against him every time a play was sent off his side of the line."

Fritz Crisler, an All American player for Chicago and later a Hall of Fame coach for Michigan, had this to say: "Duke Slater was the best tackle I ever played against. I tried to block him throughout my college career but never once did I impede his progress to the ball carrier." If you're wondering how such a dominant player never made consensus AA, while 3 other players on this team did, perhaps another glance at his picture will give you a clue as to the possible reason for that. Duke Slater went on to play pro football for 10 years, finding time to get a law degree in 1928. He became an assistant district attorney, then was elected a municipal court judge in Illinois.

End Lester Belding had been a consensus AA in 1919, Iowa's first, and he was all conference all 3 years he played. He was 4th in the conference in scoring this season, his teammates of course being 1st and 3rd. He snagged 3 interceptions in Iowa's big win over Notre Dame this season. Belding went on to become a long-time track and field coach, primarily at North Central College in Illinois, and he is in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame. Guard Paul Minnick and center John Heldt were both nonconsensus AA in 1922, and both played pro ball for 4 years.

Iowa's Season
Iowa never trailed this season, but their schedule was highly unimpressive except for one huge home game against Notre Dame. It was Iowa's second game, following a 52-14 warm-up win over Knox. Locke scored 4 touchdowns in that romp, and Devine added a touchdown, field goal, and 5 extra points. Knox did not register a first down in the game, but they did throw a pair of touchdowns against Iowa's 3rd string players. Notre Dame, however, would be another matter entirely. They had won 20 straight games, the longest such streak of Knute Rockne's career, and they were a big favorite to beat Iowa.

Because the 2 teams' colors were so similar, Notre Dame used green jerseys for the first time in this game. They wouldn't use green jerseys again until the 1977 Southern Cal game. Dame's star and captain, Eddie Anderson, would eventually coach Iowa 1939-1949. All of Iowa's scoring came in the opening quarter. The initial score came on 4th down: Notre Dame's Hall of Fame guard Hunk Andersonwas able to get by Duke Slater's block and hit ball carrier Gordon Locke at the 2 yard line, but Locke powered right over Anderson for the crucial touchdown. Devine added the extra point, then kicked a 33 yard field goal late in the quarter for the eventual deciding points. Notre Dame scored on a 30 yard touchdown pass in the 2nd quarter, and it was 10-7 at half. Both teams drove to their opponent's 5 yard line in the 3rd quarter, but came up empty. Notre Dame missed a 40 yard field goal attempt in the 4th quarter, then drove to the Iowa 7 yard line, but Iowa held on for the 10-7 win. Notre Dame ended up gaining twice as much yardage as Iowa, largely because Iowa went into a conservative defense and field position mode after the 1st quarter, while Notre Dame was throwing the ball all over the place trying to come back. Iowa end Lester Belding intercepted 3 of those passes. This was Notre Dame's first loss since 1918, and their next wouldn't come until their finale in 1922. Notre Dame finished this season 10-1, outscoring their opponents 375-34 in their 10 wins.

Big 10 Games
Iowa's next game was homecoming against Illinois, and the New York Times declared it the "game of the week" beforehand, as Illinois had been a conference power for years, and Iowa was fresh off their big win over Notre Dame. Locke rushed 37 times for 202 yards, including a pair of touchdowns from 40 and 3 yards out, and Iowa won 14-2, their first victory over Illinois since 1907. Illinois had no scoring threats other than a safety, and their vaunted passing game was only 4 of 14. Gordon Locke came out of the Illinois game with a stomach injury that hampered him the rest of the season, and Iowa followed their 2 biggest wins of the year with their weakest effort, a 13-6 win at Purdue, who finished 1-6 (Notre Dame beat Purdue 33-0). It was Iowa's first road game, and the field was submerged under a couple inches of water. Accounting for all his team's points, Aubrey Devine threw a touchdown pass to Lester Belding, then returned a punt 38 yards for a touchdown and kicked the extra point. Purdue scored a touchdown in the 4th quarter to get on the scoreboard. Next up was a road trip to Minnesota, once Iowa's greatest nemesis. But Iowa broke through for their first win over Minnesota in 1918, became the first team to ever beat Minnesota 3 straight years in 1920, and this year they scored the most points ever given up by Minnesota in a 41-7 win. Their winning streak over the Gophers would extend to 5 straight games in 1922. This year's game is the one in which Aubrey Devine accounted for 484 yards and 6 touchdowns. Like Illinois, Minnesota finished 3-4 this season. After a similar 41-0 beating of Indiana, Iowa finished their season in the rain and mud at Northwestern, winning 14-0 on a pair of first-half touchdowns. Aubrey Devine threw a 35 yard touchdown pass to his brother, halfback Glenn Devine, and Locke scored the other touchdown. Devine kicked both extra points. Duke Slater, as usual, was singled out in newspaper accounts for his blocking and defense. On this same day, Illinois upset Ohio State, so Iowa did not have to share the 1921 Big 10 title with anyone. Iowa was invited to the Rose Bowl to play Cal, but the Big 10 would not relent on their recent rule against post-season play, so the Hawkeyes could not accept.

The press gallery at the first ever live broadcast of college football on the radio ... Forbes Field, Pitt v. West Virginia, Oct. 8, 1921 ... The reporter using the telephone is "Sandy" Hunt, former Cornell guard, reporting the first intercollegiate contest that was ever described by radio, play by play, for KDKA in Pittsburgh. The story was sent from the field to the operating room of station WJZ at Newark over a private wire, whence it was broadcasted. Several intercollegiate games were similarly reported later that season.

CAL GOLDEN BEARS
California returned most of the players from their 1920 national championship team, but the 2 notable departures were guard Cort Majors and halfback Pesky Sprott, whose positions were ably filled by Webster "Fat" Clark and Don Nichols. Clark would be named a nonconsensus AA in 1922, Nichols in 1922 and 1923. Nichols, another of the many San Diego High School grads on this team, was the backfield star this season, scoring 11 touchdowns.

Cal routed their 9 opponents by a total of 312-33 heading into their Rose Bowl match with Washington & Jefferson. They gave 5-1-3 Oregon their only loss 39-0. Much like 1920, their least impressive game was a trip to the Northwest, a 14-0 win over 4-2-1 Washington State in Portland. They beat 10-1 Southern Cal 38-7, but USC was just emerging, and was not yet generally viewed as a major team. Cal's regular season finale was played before a massive 60,000 fans in the inaugural game at 4-2-2 Stanford's new stadium. Cal won 42-7.

Harvard invited Cal to come play them in 1922, but Cal declined, as it would have meant 2 weeks out of classes for their athletes -- the same reason Harvard had no interest in coming out West for a game.

WASHINGTON & JEFFERSON
Like Lafayette, Washington & Jefferson was a small Pennsylvania school with a history of some success as a 2nd tier Eastern team. They emerged much later than Lafayette, in 1906, finishing 9-2 that year and losing only to 8-1-1 Lafayette and co-MNC Princeton. Their best year had been 1914, when they went 10-1, losing only to 7-0-2 Harvard and beating 7-2 Yale and 8-1 Pittsburgh. Like all 5 of 1921's contenders, W&J was coached by a Hall of Famer, Greasy Neale. He was only here 2 seasons, going 16-3-2 1921-'22, but it was long enough to lead the Presidents to their greatest season. Neale had gone to school at West Virginia Wesleyan, where he caught 14 passes against West Virginia in 1912 to lead his school to their first ever victory over WV. He played baseball for the Reds 1916-1924, coaching college football in the Fall. Overall he was 82-54-11 as a college coach, then 66-44-5 as a pro coach, winning a pair of titles with the Eagles in 1948 and 1949. He is in both the college and pro football halls of fame.

Unlike the other 1921 contenders, W&J had no Hall of Famers or consensus All Americans on their roster, but they ran deeper in talent than Cornell and Lafayette, and most of their starters went on to play pro football. Tackle Russ Stein, whose brother Herb was a consensus AA at Pitt, was a nonconsensus AA and MVP of the Rose Bowl. He was the captain, and called the signals from the line. He and Herb were the first brothers to be named to a first team AA list for the same season. Halfback Hal Erickson, "The Minnesota Flash," had played for the Great Lakes Navy team in the 1919 Rose Bowl, and after graduation he played pro football for 8 years, winning a title with the Chicago Cardinals in 1925. Tackle Chet Widerquist played in the NFL for 6 years. End Herb Kopf passed up the pros for law school, but he ended up going into coaching, spending many years at the college and pro levels.

Backup back Charlie "Pruner" West also passed up the pros, but for medical school, and he spent the rest of his life as a practicing doctor. He took over as starter at quarterback late in the season, and became the first African American quarterback to start in the Rose Bowl. He faced much racism when his team was playing West Virginia and Washington & Lee (a Virginia school). At W&J, West is best known for his involvement in a legendary 1923 match between the Presidents and the Washington & Lee Generals. It was the tradition of the Southern school, at the time, to request that Northern teams bench their African-American players. When W&J refused to bench West, the Presidents were required to pay the Generals a portion of the proceeds that would have come from ticket sales and drop out of the game. The W&J team made the decision knowing that West had a sprained ankle and would not have been able to play. “W&J’s refusal to bench Charles West in the game against Washington & Lee reflects the principles of uncommon integrity that we teach our graduates to emulate,” Tori Haring-Smith, president of W&J, said. “We are extremely proud of Dr. West’s achievements as a student-athlete and physician, and we are honored to call him a distinguished alumnus of W&J.” After graduating from W&J in 1924, West earned a doctor of medicine degree from Howard University and practiced medicine in Alexandria, Va. He was recognized by W&J with its Distinguished Service Award in 1973 and inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame.

Washington & Jefferson was not at all the scoring machine that Cornell, Lafayette, and California were, and so their performance does not look as impressive, but they showed how much that matters when they dominated Cal in the Rose Bowl. They opened with a 14-0 win at Bethany (West Virginia), quarterback Ray McLaughlin scoring on a 16 yard run in the first quarter, and Pruner West scoring in the 3rd on a 70 yard run as a substitute fullback. Russ Stein kicked both extra points. A month later they traveled to Lehigh, where Lafayette would later win 28-6, and won just 14-7. Lehigh scored their touchdown on a 78 yard touchdown pass late in the game, but they had advanced a couple of scoring threats earlier that were stifled by penalties. Both teams fumbled a lot.

A week later they traveled to Syracuse, their first strong opponent, and they were fortunate to escape with a 17-10 win in a great game. Russ Stein kicked a field goal in the 2nd quarter for a 3-0 halftime lead, and Syracuse tied it with a 42 yard effort in the 3rd. Super-sub Pruner West then took the ensuing kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown. Undaunted, Syracuse marched to a 60 yard touchdown drive in the 4th quarter to tie the game up again at 10-10. Finally, with about a minute to play, Syracuse threw a desperation pass from their own 20, and Russ Stein batted it down from the line-- down into the waiting arms of Chet Widerquist, who rumbled into the end zone for the 17-10 miracle win.

W&J and Pitt had a pretty good rivalry going 1906-1914, but Pitt then won the next 6 straight under Pop Warner. Their games were always played at Pittsburgh. This year it was a face-off of All American brothers, Pitt's Herb Stein vs. W&J's Russ. W&J's 7-0 win here was considered a big upset, and it wasn't until after this game that the Presidents were taken seriously. 25,000 were in attendance. The game was played in deep mud that hampered play, so most of it was a constant exchange of punts. Pitt had some early scoring chances, but they were unable to cash them in. W&J hit a 10 yard touchdown pass early in the 4th quarter for the win. W&J played the entire game without substitutions. The school canceled classes on Monday to celebrate.

On Thanksgiving Day, W&J went to West Virginia (5-4-1) for a game in the rain. Halfback Hal Erickson got off a 37 yard run to the WV 3 yard line in the first quarter, but the opportunity was wasted by a fumble on the next play. Erickson remedied that with a 58 yard run all the way into the end zone later in the quarter. The rest of the game was a defensive punting exhibition until the 4th quarter, when a poor punt gave W&J the ball at the WV 29. From there the Presidents marched to a clinching touchdown and 13-0 win.

Washington & Jefferson then played the first of 2 postseason games, traveling to Detroit on December 3rd. Detroit was a minor team on the rise; they were 8-0 and had outscored their minor opponents 243-10. End Herb Kopf blocked a punt, and Russ Stein recovered at the Detroit 1 yard line to set up the first touchdown, and halfback Hal Erickson added a 64 yarder for the second, giving the Presidents a 14-2 win. This was Pruner West's first game starting at quarterback. 9-0 Lafayette challenged 10-0 Washington & Jefferson to a game, to be played the next season in New York City. W&J would win that grudge match 14-13, but Pittsburgh, Detroit, and West Virginia would all get their revenge on W&J in their last 3 games. But W&J had one challenge yet this season, as a Rose Bowl invitation was extended after Iowa, Cornell, Penn State, Princeton, Yale, Harvard, and Centre all declined (9-0 Centre had already made other postseason plans, and lost to Texas A&M in the Dixie Classic the same day as the Rose Bowl).

1922 ROSE BOWL GAME
It holds several distinctions including being the only scoreless Rose Bowl game, the first tie in a Rose Bowl, the first African-American quarterback to play in the Rose Bowl (Charlie West from Washington & Jefferson), the first freshman to play in a Rose Bowl (Herb Kopf of Washington and Jefferson), and Hal Erickson (W&J) became the only man ever to play in two different Rose Bowls, with two different teams, without losing. It was also the last to be played at Tournament Park and to be officially known as the Tournament East-West Football Game, and with only 450 students at the time, Washington & Jefferson College was the smallest school to ever play in a Rose Bowl.

The Cal team was highly favored in this game, causing one sportswriter to say "All I know about Washington and Jefferson is that they're both dead."

The Red and Black could only afford to send 11 men on the cross-country trip and Robert "Mother" Murphy had to mortgage his home to pay his way. Thus, W&J would be the last Rose Bowl team to play the same 11 men the entire game. During the train ride to Pasadena, in which Greasy Neale continued to prepare his men, one player caught pneumonia and could not finish the journey. Luckily, another player had secretly stowed away on the train and was given the ill player's ticket and roster spot.

1922 ROSE BOWL: Washington & Jefferson v. Cal, 0-0 tie in the slop of Tournament Park

Washington & Jefferson was expected to have no chance at all against California's "Wonder Team," the defending national champion. Cal's roster was filled to the brim with All Americans and future Hall of Famers, and they had not only won 18 straight games over the last 2 years, but they had won all of those games by more than a touchdown, outscoring their 18 opponents by a total of 822-47. Cal was thus a 14 to 21 point favorite, but 24 hours of rain before the game turned the field into a swamp, miring both offenses and enabling W&J to shock the football world with a 0-0 tie. Ball carriers had trouble staying on their feet on the slippery field, and both teams fumbled a lot. But all writers who covered this game agreed that W&J thoroughly dominated Cal in this game, so perhaps it was Cal whom the field conditions saved.

40,000 fans showed up to watch on Monday, January 2. The play of the game came in the 1st quarter, a 35 yard touchdown run by Washington & Jefferson halfback Hal Brenkert out of a punt formation. The most crucial play of the game would take place, as Brenkert was the deep man in a short punt formation -- an offensive set that didn't necessarily mean a kick was to follow. With help from Vince and other linemen, the rangy halfback "dodged through the entire California team for thirty-five yards, going over the goal line standing up." However, umpire Tom Thorp -- one of the crew of four officials of whom it was noted that they had traveled 17,320 miles to officiate the game -- threw a flag. Washington and Jefferson had been offside. Specifically, Captain Stein was the one called for offside and neither team was able to get inside the other's 10 yard line the rest of the game. Cal had 2 scoring chances thanks to a turnover and a bad punt. The first chance saw them reach the W&J 11 late in the first half, but they passed up a field goal try for a pass attempt on 4th down, and came up empty. Their next chance came at the W&J 22 following a bad punt late in the game, but they threw an interception on the next play.

Washington & Jefferson drove deep enough into California territory to attempt a couple of long field goals in the 4th quarter, but one was missed and the other blocked. W&J rushed for 130 yards in the game, while Cal's offense managed a total of just 49 yards, and W&J had 7 first downs to Cal's 2. Russ Stein was the game's MVP, and halfback Hal Erickson was considered to be the game's offensive star. Washington & Jefferson had no substitutions in this game.

The game eventually ended in a scoreless tie -- Washington & Jefferson 0 California 0. However, few except Cal diehards would say anything other than the better team that day was the Presidents from the little Pennsylvania college. It's probably safe to assume that after the game writer Jack James of the San Francisco Examiner certainly knew that this Washington & Jefferson was very much alive.

You may have noticed that all 7 W&J games summarized above were road games-- they played 8, including their last 7 games. And over their last 4 games, their defense allowed no points (though Detroit scored a safety) against 4 winning opponents.

Here's the Rose Bowl, under construction during the 1921 football season

Judge Smails · Aug 9, 2013

20 days to go ...

Aaron Murray touchdown passes needed: Aaron Murray needs 20 more touchdown passes to surpass Danny Wuerffel's SEC career record.

2013: Went 12-of-18 for 200 yards and two touchdowns for the Red team in the G-Day Game ... Named the overall male winner of the Peach of an Athlete Award ... Recognized as one of 10 UGA student-athletes with a 4.0 cumulative grade point average ... Named to preseason watch lists for the Maxwell Award, Davey O'Brien Award and Walter Camp Player of the Year Award ... Named to Preseason Media Days All-SEC Third Team, Lindy's Preseason All-SEC Third Team, Athlon Preseason All-SEC Third Team and Phil Steele's Preseason All-SEC Third Team.

2012: Appeared in 14 games making 14 starts and finished with 3,893 yards passing, 36 TD passes, completing 249-of-388, and finished second in the country with a 174.82 rating, which is the highest single season rating in school history ... Set the single-season passing yardage record with 3,893 yards, single-season total offense record with 3,825 yards, single season TD passing record with 36, and the single season school touchdown responsibility record with 39 ... Recipient of the Vince Dooley Most Valuable Player of the Year Award, the Leon Farmer Award for dedication to the strength and conditioning program, named team's Most Valuable Offensive Player, and recipient of Coaches' Leadership Award ... Elected as one of the team's offensive captains ... Named to Phil Steele All-SEC Third Team ... Finished 18-for-33 for 427 yards and a school record-tying 5 TD passes vs. No. 16 Nebraska in the Capital One Bowl. The 5 TDs and 427 yards plus 87-yard TD pass were all Georgia bowl records.The 427 yards was the fourth most in a game in school history. Also threw an 87-yard touchdown pass to Chris Conley, which is the longest in UGA bowl history ... Went 18-for-33 for 265 yards and a touchdown vs. No. 2 Alabama ... Completed 14-of-17 passes for 215 yards and two touchdowns vs. Georgia Tech, becoming the first QB in SEC history to have 3,000 passing yards in three straight seasons ... Completed 18-of-28 passes for 330 yards and four touchdowns vs. Georgia Southern ... Went 18-for-24 for 208 yards and three touchdowns, including going 10 for his first 10 ... Went 21-for-28 with 384 yards and four TDs vs. Ole Miss and was named the SEC Co-Offensive Player of the Week, CFPA National QB of the Week, the CFPA National Performer of the Week, and a Manning Award Star of the Week ... Set a school record for best completion percentage in a game with at least 30 completions at Kentucky. He had a 78.95 mark (30-for-38), a career-high 427 yards (6th best in school history) and four TDs, which set the school record for career TD passes, and was named the SEC Offensive Player of the Week, Manning Award Star of the Week and the CFPA Honorable Mention QB of the Week ... Went 19-for-25 for 278 yards and two touchdowns vs. Tennessee. .. Connected on first 12 passes and finished 18-for-24 with 250 yards and two touchdowns in only three quarters of play vs. Vanderbilt, and was named Honorable Mention Davey O'Brien Quarterback of the Week for the second time in 2012 ... Went 14-for-19 for a career-high 342 yards and two touchdowns, and also rushed for two touchdowns vs. Florida Atlantic ... Tied career-high with 22 completions and passed for 242 yards and three touchdowns at Missouri, and was named Honorable Mention Davey O'Brien Quarterback of the Week ... Was 15-for-26 with 258 yards and three TDs vs. Buffalo ... Named CoSIDA Capital One Academic All-District ... Named one of 10 finalists for the 2012 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award ... Named one of 16 semifinalists for Davey O'Brien Award ... Named to Davey O'Brien Watch List, Allstate Sugar Bowl's Manning Award Watch List, Preseason Maxwell Award Watch List and CFPA Offensive Awards Watch List ... Named to Preseason Media Days All-SEC Second Team ... Named to 2012 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team ... Named to SEC Coaches' Preseason All-SEC First Team ... Named to the Phil Steele Preseason All-SEC Second Team ... Named Offensive Co-MVP at the conclusion of spring practice ... Earned degree in psychology in May, and is currently enrolled in UGA's industrial-organizational psychology doctorate program ... Recipient of the Dr. & Mrs. Howard Williams III Football Scholarship.

2011: All-SEC First Team by ESPN.com and Phil Steele and Second Team All-SEC by Associated Press and SEC Coaches ... Recipient of the team's Most Valuable Offensive Player Award and named one of team's Coaches Leadership Award winners for offense ... Named to SEC Academic Honor Roll for fall semester ... Started all 14 games completing 223-of-403 passes for 3,149 yards and a single-season school record 35 TDs ... Also rushed 87 times for 111 yards and two TDs to set single-season school record for TD responsibility at 37 ... In SEC, ranked second in passing (224.9 yards per game), second total offense (232.9) and fifth in passing efficiency (146.4) ... Named to CoSIDA Academic All-District Team ... Completed 19-of-29 passes for 252 yards and four TDs at No. 21 Georgia Tech while also rushing four times for 22 yards ... Completed 14-of-18 passes for 224 yards and four TDs vs. No. 24 Auburn earning Manning Award "Star of the Week" honors ... Against New Mexico State, tied school record with five passing TDs (all in 2nd quarter) and threw for 238 yards on 18-of-23 passing earning him National QB of the Week honors from CFPA ... Completed 15-of-34 passes for 169 yards and two fourth-down TD passes while also rushing for 42 yards vs. Florida ... At Vanderbilt, completed a career-best 22 passes on 38 attempts for a career-best 326 yards and three TDs including a career-long 75-yard TD pass to M. Brown ... Named to Phil Steele's mid-season All-SEC Second Team ... Threw for two TDs and 268 yards on 17-of-26 passes at Ole Miss; Also rushed for a TD ... Completed 18-of-26 passes for 188 yards and three TDs and had a 1-yard rushing TD vs. Coastal Carolina ... Threw for 248 yards and four TDs on 19-of-29 passes and added two-point conversion pass vs. No. 12 S. Carolina ... Completed 16-of-29 for 236 yards and two TDs vs. No. 5 Boise State ... Selected to watch lists for Walter Camp Player of the Year Award, Maxwell Award, Davey O'Brien Award and Manning Award ... Named preseason All-SEC First Team by Athlon Sports, Birmingham News, Blue Ribbon, Lindy's, Phil Steele, SEC Coaches, SEC Media and SouthernPigskin.com ... Tabbed Birmingham News' best quarterback in the SEC in preseason ... Named one of team's offensive MVPs at the conclusion of spring practice ... Recipient of the Dr. & Mrs. Howard Williams III Football Scholarship.

2010: Freshman All-America by Sporting News, CollegeFootballNews.com and Rivals.com and selected to Phil Steele's All-Freshman First Team ... Selected to SEC Coaches All-SEC Freshman Team ... Named to SEC Academic Honor Roll ... Earned team awards as Most Valuable Offensive Player and Newcomer of the Year Award for offense ... Started all 13 games completing 209-of-342 passes for a UGA freshman record 3,049 yards (second in SEC history by a freshman) and 24 TDs with eight INTs; Also rushed 87 times for 167 yards and four TDs ... Ranked 1st in UGA history for a freshman with 3,216 total offensive yards, which also ranked second in SEC history ... Ranked tied 1st in UGA history for TD responsibility (D.J. Shockley, 2005) in a season with 28 (24 passing, 4 rushing); 24 TD passes ranked tied 2nd in UGA history for a single season ... Passing efficiency of 154.48 ranked 14th nationally and fourth in the SEC; also held SEC rankings of third in passing avg. per game (234.5), and fourth in total offense (247.4) ... Completed 15-of-19 passes for 271 yards and three TDs vs. Georgia Tech ... At No. 2 Auburn, went 15-for-28 passing for 273 yards and three TDs ... Completed 19-of-27 passes for 228 yards and three TDs vs. ISU ... Threw for 313 yards and three TDs on 18-of-37 passing with three interceptions and rushed for 16 yards on eight carries vs. Florida ... Named SEC Freshman of the Week following game vs. Vanderbilt, where he completed 15-of-24 passes for 287 yards and two TDs and rushed six times for 36 yards ... Named SEC Freshman of the Week and earned CFPA Honorable Mention QB of the Week recognition following game against Tenn., where he tallied four TDs with two passing TDs on 17-of-25 passing attempts for 266 yards and two rushing TDs on seven carries for 41 yards ... Completed 16-of-27 passes for 221 yards and three TDs at Colorado ... At Mississippi State, completed 18-of-31 passes for 274 yards and a TD and rushed seven times for 32 yards ... Completed 15-of-27 passes for 253 yards and a TD while also rushing for a TD vs. No. 12 Arkansas ... Completed 17-of-26 passes for 160 yards and three TDs with one interception vs. Louisiana-Lafayette while also rushing four times four 42 yards and a TD ... Recipient of the Dr. & Mrs. Howard Williams III Football Scholarship ... Earned Athletic Director's Honor Roll distinction for summer semester ... Completed 10-of-22 passes for 96 yards in G-Day game.

2009: Member of the scout team as redshirt freshman ... Named to SEC Academic Honor Roll and fall 2009 Athletic Director's Honor Roll ... Completed 3-of-5 passes for 62 yards in G-Day game ... Named to Athletic Director's Honor Roll for summer semester ... Enrolled at UGA in January after graduating high school early ... Recipient of Dr. & Mrs. Howard Williams, III, Football Scholarship.

Aaron+Murray+Capital+One+Bowl+Georgia+v+Nebraska+w AvhEFQp9F7l.jpg

High School: Plant, coached by Robert Weiner ... Parade Magazine All-America ... U.S. Army All-American ... SuperPrep All-America and All-Dixie teams ... PrepStar Top 100 Dream Team ... MVP at EA Sports Elite 11 Camp ... ESPN.com No. 13 ESPNU 150 list ... Scout.com No. 3 quarterback in the nation, #4 prospect in Florida, #8 in the South, #21 in the nation ... Rivals #3 QB in the nation, #7 overall prospect in Florida, #46 overall nationally, #6 Florida Preseason Top 100 ... Atlanta Journal-Constitution Super Southern 100 ... Suffered a broken fibula early in the 2008 season, but finished with 1,927 yards passing with 33 touchdowns and four interceptions and rushed for 257 yards and two touchdowns ... Returned to record 344 yards passing and three touchdowns while leading his team to the 2008 Class AAAA state championship (Plant's second state title in three years) ... passed for 4,013 yards and 51 touchdowns with seven interceptions as a junior while also rushing for 932 yards and 12 touchdowns ... Mr. Football Award winner as a junior and First Team All-State ... Set a Hillsborough County record for most passing touchdowns in a career (84).

Personal: AARON MURRAY ... Brother of former Bulldog safety Josh Murray ... Born Nov. 10, 1990 ... Graduate School: Industrial-Organizational Psychology.

[TABLE="class: gridtable, width: 100%"]
<tbody>[TR]
[TH="bgcolor: #DEDEDE, colspan: 10"]Passing[/TH]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Year[/TD]
[TD]G/GS[/TD]
[TD]Cmp.[/TD]
[TD]Att.[/TD]
[TD]Pct.[/TD]
[TD]Yds.[/TD]
[TD]INT[/TD]
[TD]TD[/TD]
[TD]Eff.[/TD]
[TD]LG[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]2010[/TD]
[TD]13/13[/TD]
[TD]209[/TD]
[TD]342[/TD]
[TD]61.1[/TD]
[TD]3,049[/TD]
[TD]8[/TD]
[TD]24[/TD]
[TD]154.48[/TD]
[TD]66 GT[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]2011[/TD]
[TD]14/14[/TD]
[TD]238[/TD]
[TD]403[/TD]
[TD]59.1[/TD]
[TD]3,149[/TD]
[TD]14[/TD]
[TD]35[/TD]
[TD]146.41[/TD]
[TD]80 MIST[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]2012[/TD]
[TD]14/14[/TD]
[TD]249[/TD]
[TD]386[/TD]
[TD]64.5[/TD]
[TD]3,893[/TD]
[TD]10[/TD]
[TD]36[/TD]
[TD]174.82[/TD]
[TD]87 NEB[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Total[/TD]
[TD]41/41[/TD]
[TD]696[/TD]
[TD]1,131[/TD]
[TD]61.5[/TD]
[TD]10,091[/TD]
[TD]32[/TD]
[TD]95[/TD]
[TD]158.55[/TD]
[TD]87 NEB[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TH="bgcolor: #DEDEDE, colspan: 8"]Rushing[/TH]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Year[/TD]
[TD]G/GS[/TD]
[TD]Att.[/TD]
[TD]Yards[/TD]
[TD]Per/Att.[/TD]
[TD]Per/Gm.[/TD]
[TD]TD[/TD]
[TD]LG[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]2010[/TD]
[TD]13/13[/TD]
[TD]87[/TD]
[TD]167[/TD]
[TD]1.9[/TD]
[TD]12.8[/TD]
[TD]4[/TD]
[TD]35 UT[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]2011[/TD]
[TD]14/14[/TD]
[TD]87[/TD]
[TD]111[/TD]
[TD]1.3[/TD]
[TD]7.9[/TD]
[TD]2[/TD]
[TD]23 SC[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]2012[/TD]
[TD]14/14[/TD]
[TD]59[/TD]
[TD]-68[/TD]
[TD]-1.2[/TD]
[TD]-4.9[/TD]
[TD]3[/TD]
[TD]18 FAU[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Total[/TD]
[TD]41/41[/TD]
[TD]233[/TD]
[TD]210[/TD]
[TD]0.9[/TD]
[/TR]
</tbody>[/TABLE]

Aaron Murray didn’t spend spring break in Cabo; he spent it working with QB guru George Whitfield in Oklahoma, getting better as a passer. And he didn’t return to Athens to cement his legacy with individual awards; he returned to win a championship.

The debate about who’s the better quarterback between AJ McCarron and Aaron Murray will wage on, but Murray’s career numbers are fascinating and altogether striking. There’s no other quarterback in the SEC who has the fraction of the career numbers as the three-year starter entering 2013.
Murray has thrown for 10,901 yards and 95 touchdowns in three seasons, and he will own nearly every SEC and UGA passing record by next December, assuming he stays healthy.

Already Owns

Murray is the only QB in SEC history to throw for 3,000 yards in three seasons.
Murray owns the career passing touchdown record at Georgia with 95. David Greene is second with 72.
Murray broke Zeier’s record of 3,525 passing yards in a season with last year’s effort of 3,893 yards.
Murray owns the UGA career record for most passing yards by a freshman, sophomore and a junior, and he’ll need to surpass 3,396 yards as a senior to own that one, too.
His 36 touchdowns in ‘12 broke his own UGA record for the most passing scores in one season.

Looking To Break

Murray trails only former Florida QB Danny Wuerffel in SEC career touchdown passes by just 19.
Murray trails Tim Tebow (12,232) for total yards gained by only 1,939 yards. He has totalled 10,293 yards gained and currently sits 8th all time in the SEC.
Murray is third in UGA history with 1,131 career passing attempts. He trails David Greene by 309 and Kentucky’s Jared Lorenzen for SEC career attempts by 382.
He’s third all time in UGA history with 696 completions, and he trails leader David Greene by 153.
Murray trails Florida’s Chris Leak by 199 to own the SEC’s career completion record.
Murray trails Greene for career passing yards by only 627, and Greene currently holds the SEC record with 11,528 career passing yards.

But Murray would be the first to tell you that individual stats don’t matter anymore. He’s still chasing his first elusive SEC Championship and national championship.

There is no other coach in the conference with a better feeling about his offense than Mark Richt this spring. And just returning Aaron Murray puts Georgia in title talks for 2013.

[video]http://www.spike.com/video-clips/ya9i4x/leatherheads-trailer[/video]

Trailer for LEATHERHEADS ... pretty funny stuff about football in the 20s

1920 COLLEGE FOOTBALL SEASON
9-0 Cal outscored opponents 510-14, and they shocked the nation by trouncing previously unbeaten and untied Ohio State in the Rose Bowl 28-0, leaving them the consensus choice as 1920 mythical national champion even though the Official NCAA Division I Football Records Book lists the Bears, Notre Dame, and Princeton as national champions. Only California and Princeton claim national championships for the 1920 season.

Other Notable Teams of 1920
Penn State started 7-0 and looked to be the nation's best team, but in their last 2 games they took an upset tie at 5-2-2 Lehigh, then took another tie at equally powerful 6-0-2 Pittsburgh.

Four other notable teams went unbeaten and untied, and they deserve recognition: 8-0 Boston College, 9-0 Virginia Military Institute, 9-0 Texas, and 6-0 Southern Cal.

BC won every game by more than a touchdown, the big one 21-13 at 5-3 Yale. They would have been ranked about #11 had there been an AP poll in 1920.
VMI also beat every opponent by more than a touchdown, and in fact they were completely unthreatened, outscoring opponents 431-20. They rolled up 136 points against one patsy, then drew the attention of the Eastern press with a 27-7 win at 6-4 Penn. They also won 22-6 at 5-2-2 Virginia, significant because Virginia tied 8-0-1 Georgia. VMI appears to have been at least as good as BC, but they were not as highly regarded, at least by the Eastern press. Hard to say where an AP poll would have rated them-- anywhere between #12 and 18.
This was the 7th straight season a Southwestern team went unbeaten and untied, 9-0 Texas taking its turn this time. They romped every opponent until a 7-3 win over 6-1-1 Texas A&M that ended A&M coach Dana X. Bible's streak of 25 straight shut-outs. They would have been ranked about #16-20, as the nation paid little attention to the Southwest, and indeed the nation had been given no reason to over the years. Texas Christian also went 9-0 during the regular season, but they were then annihilated 63-7 in a post-season game against 8-2 Centre.
As for 6-0 Southern Cal, they beat Stanford 10-0, Oregon 21-0, and a very good 6-1 Pomona team 7-0 on the road. They were likely one of the best 25 teams in the country, but it is unlikely that they would have made an AP poll's top 25 this season.

PRINCETON 1920
Princeton had previously won mythical national championships in 1903 and 1906, and they are the consensus choice for 1911. The coach for the 1906 and 1911 seasons was Hall of Famer Bill Roper, and he was still the coach this season as well. He is the winningest coach in Princeton history, going 89-28-16 in 3 stints, 1906-'08, 1910-'11, and 1919-'30.

Princeton was not as deep in notable players as were Cal and Harvard, or even Ohio State, but they were led by a pair of consensus All Americans and Hall of Famers, quarterback Donold Lourie and tackle Stan Keck. Keck was also the kicker and team captain, and he repeated as consensus AA in 1921. End Armant Legendre and fullback Hank Garrity were nonconsensus AA.

Princeton's Season
Princeton opened with a 17-6 win over patsy Swarthmore, and their next opponent, Maryland, was coming off a loss to Rutgers (2-7), and was not expected to pose much more of a challenge, and they didn't. Princeton beat them 35-0, Donold Lourie scoring on a pair of 62 yarders, one a punt return and the other a run from scrimmage. Stan Keck was 5 of 5 on extra points. But Maryland proceeded to win their last 7 games, including an upset at 6-2-1 Syracuse, and 7-2 Maryland might have been able to sneak into a final top 25 had there been an AP poll in 1920.

Princeton's first "real" game was a home date against Navy in late October, but this was also not expected to be much of a challenge, as Navy was 2-1, losing their opener to North Carolina State (7-3) and barely getting by Lafayette and Bucknell. This was Princeton's first game against Navy since the two teams tied each other and both went unbeaten in 1911. Princeton won this time 14-0. The initial touchdown came in the second quarter, Lourie throwing a pair of passes that totaled 50 yards, then running it in from 15 yards out. The last was scored by Frank Murrey, who replaced Lourie at quarterback in the 4th quarter. His touchdown was a brilliant 77 yard run in which he was said to have stiff-armed and evaded the entire Navy team along the way. Like Maryland, Navy won the rest of their games, including a huge 7-0 victory over 7-2 Army in their finale, and 6-2 Navy would have been ranked about #14-20 in an AP poll.

Princeton's worst performance came the next week, a 10-3 win over West Virginia (5-4-1), who had beaten Princeton in 1919. West Virginia scored an early 32 yard field goal set up by a Princeton fumble, and they carried that 3-0 lead into the 3rd quarter. Princeton kicked the tying field goal in the 3rd quarter, and Hank Garrity pulled out the win with a 50 yard interception returned for a touchdown in the 4th quarter.This was the week before Princeton's game at Harvard, so star player Donold Lourie was held out of the game, and in fact he and head coach Bill Roper were scouting Harvard's game against Virginia this day. Harvard and Yale scouts were at this Princeton-West Virginia game as well.

Princeton head coach Bill Roper

The next week was Princeton's game of the year at Harvard, a 14-14 tie. With both teams coming in at 6-0. Harvard was able to put up enough extra seating to squeeze 44,000 into the stadium. Princeton had tied Harvard in 1919, leaving the Crimson just short of perfect at 9-0-1, and though Harvard was favored to get their revenge in this game, it again ended in a tie, and Harvard had to rally late in the game for that much.

Harvard took a 7-0 lead on an Arnold Horween touchdown to cap the game's opening drive, greatly aided by a poor Princeton kick-off to start the game and a pair of 15 yard penalties on Princeton. The penalties were the result of Princeton twice roughing up Harvard star George Owen after the whistle, clearly their strategy coming into the game. However, after this drive they ceased those shenanigans and simply played ball. Late in the 1st quarter, Princeton's Hall of Fame tackle Stan Keck had his 42 yard field goal attempt partially blocked, but a Harvard player tried to pick up the ball and return it, muffed it, and Princeton recovered the ball again at the Harvard 32. From there they drove to the 10, but on the first play of the 2nd quarter, a 4th down pass fell incomplete. Both teams went on to miss long field goal attempts, and it remained 7-0 at the half.

Princeton took control in the 2nd half. In the 3rd quarter, Hall of Fame quarterback Donold Lourie caught a short pass and evaded a trio of Harvard tacklers for a 40 yard tying touchdown. Late in the quarter, Stan Keck blocked a Harvard punt, and Princeton end Armant Legendre recovered at the Harvard 3 yard line. From there, Princeton pushed it over early in the 4th quarter to take a 14-7 lead. The New York Times described the ensuing scene as follows: "The Princeton stand, which had blossomed when the score was tied into an array of howling, waving bliss, now developed acute insanity. There isn't an alienist in the world that would have allowed an instant's freedom to any one of the adherents of Captain Callahan's team. They seemed to shake the massive concrete walls with their outburst."

Harvard countered with player substitutions that would end up salvaging a tie. End C. C. Macomber, their best receiver, had already been sent into the game in the 3rd quarter. Now he was joined by linemen Bob Sedgwick and John Brown, halfback R. W. Fitts, and quarterback Charles Buell, their best passer. After an exchange of punts, Harvard finally went to the air midway through the 4th quarter, and the results left many wondering why they had not done so much earlier. First George Owen hit Fitts with a pass, and Fitts broke several tackles for about a 40 yard gain to the Princeton 38 yard line. On 3rd down, Owen again hit Fitts, netting 15 yards and another 1st down at the 17. Fitts carried twice into the line to little effect, and on 3rd down, Buell tossed a high pass into the left corner of the end zone, where Harvard's tall end C. C. Macomber leapt high over a Princeton player to snag the ball, coming down just in front of the boundary line at the back of the end zone.

The New York Times again: "For description of the ensuing scene please refer to words telling of the riot in the Princeton sections just after the fourth period began. Then multiply this by 100, and if your imagination survives the strain, there you have it."

After an exchange of punts, Harvard again went to the air, Buell completing a couple of passes to the Princeton 37, but as one more pass was being completed, the final whistle blew, and the game ended 14-14. The final statistics: Harvard rushed for 127 yards, Princeton 113. Harvard 8 first downs, Princeton 5. Harvard 6 of 10 passing for 81 yards, Princeton 6 of 9 for 83 and an interception. Each team lost a fumble and each had a kick blocked.

That brought 5-0-1 Princeton to their finale against 5-1 Yale at home. Princeton kicked a 25 yard field goal in the second quarter, then Lourie ran for a 42 yard touchdown on a fake kick, and it was 10-0 at half. They added a fumble recovery for a touchdown and a 37 yard field goal, putting the final score at 20-0.

NOTRE DAME 1920
Notre Dame went 9-0 in 1919, and they went 9-0 again this season. Four key starters were lost from the 1919 team, but only 2 were lost to graduation, as quarterback Pete Bahan transferred to Detroit, and end Bernie Kirk transferred to Michigan. George Gipp, expelled for academic ineptitude in the Spring, was recruited by both those schools, and he almost transferred, but Notre Dame re-enrolled and re-recruited him, and good thing, because he was as close to being the whole team as any one player could be.

Legendary halfback George Gipp carrying the ball against Army

The best new starters this season were end Roger Kiley (nonconsensus All American 1920 and 1921), halfback John Mohardt (nonconsensus AA 1921), and tackle Buck Shaw (nonconsensus AA 1921). Shaw's 38 of 39 on career extra point tries remained the best at Notre Dame until 1976, and after graduation he went on to become a Hall of Fame coach, going 72-49-12. Most of his college coaching career was rather poor, but he had a golden 7 seasons at Santa Clara, going 47-10-4 1936-1942, including a pair of Sugar Bowl upsets of LSU following the 1936 and 1937 seasons. He also went 91-55-5 as a pro coach, winning the NFL title with the Eagles in 1960.

Notre Dame's 9-0 season boiled down to 3 tough road games. The first was a 16-7 win at annual rival Nebraska (5-3-1), who was good, but not top 25 good (and probably not top 35). Nebraska was favored to win, and led 7-2 after 1 quarter. In the 2nd, Notre Dame sprung a trick play. After they lined up, their center fell down, feigning injury. But then he snapped the ball to Gipp while still lying down, and Gipp ran 55 yards for a touchdown. Unfortunately, John Mohardt was called for clipping, and the touchdown was negated. Undaunted, Gipp threw a series of passes to end Eddie Anderson, setting up a touchdown run to lead 9-7 at half. In the 4th quarter, Gipp put the game away with a pass to the Nebraska 20 and a touchdown run from there.

The big game, as usual, was at Army, who was coming in at 5-0 by big scores over 5 patsies. Notre Dame drove into Army's side of the field early, but fumbled it away. Army responded with a 40 yard run, setting up a 23 yard touchdown run and 7-0 lead. Notre Dame answered that with a 75 yard touchdown drive behind the running of John Mohardt and George Gipp. Gipp had a great day both running and passing from start to finish, and his 30 yard touchdown pass to end Roger Kiley gave Dame a 14-7 lead early in the 2nd quarter. Army, however, was not quite done. They returned a 60 yard Gipp punt for a touchdown, then kicked a 20 yard field goal to lead 17-14 at the half, despite being vastly outgained by Notre Dame.

But the second half was all Notre Dame, as Gipp started running wild, and they won 27-17. Mohardt had 2 touchdowns on the day, Gipp 3 extra points. Notre Dame tallied 20 first downs to Army's 4.

Notre Dame's only poor performance came 2 weeks later against Indiana in Indianapolis. Indiana led 3-0 at half and 10-0 after 3 quarters, but George Gipp led Notre Dame to a pair of 4th quarter touchdowns and a 13-10 win.

CALIFORNIA 1920
California had only been playing football for 5 years prior to this season. Like most of the schools in their state, they gave up football after the 1905 season and played rugby instead 1906-1914. Their rugby coach, James Schaeffer, traveled the country talking to football coaches and learning the game prior to the Fall of 1915, then coached his old rugby team to an 8-5 record in the school's first season playing football again. He then convinced one of the coaches he had talked to prior to the season, Andy Smith, to come out West and take over.

Andy Smith had been a consensus All American fullback on Penn's 1904 mythical national championship team. He started his Hall of Fame coaching career at his alma mater, going 30-10-3 1909-1912, and followed that up with a 12-6-3 record at Purdue 1913-1915. His first 2 teams at Cal were mediocre, 11-9-2 1916-1917, but they improved to 13-4-1 1918-1919. This season they broke all the way through for a dominating 9-0, and they would not lose again until 1925, a 50 game unbeaten streak that included 4 ties. That is the 3rd longest unbeaten streak in major/FBS college football history, and the longest since WWI. The 5 straight unbeaten teams 1920-1924 were known as the "Wonder Teams."

Former award-winning Cal fullback and 1920 coach of the Bears Andy Smith

Unfortunately, Andy Smith died of pneumonia after the 1925 season, ending his life and career all too early. He went 74-16-7 in 10 years at Cal, winning 5 conference titles and as many as 4 mythical national championships (at least 1 organization selects them as a champion in each season 1920-1923). Overall he was 116-32-13, #28 in all-time FBS coaching win percentage. Andy Smith's most prudent hire at Cal was assistant coach Nibs Price, who had been the coach of an unusually talented team at San Diego High School. Price's best San Diego players followed him to Cal, and they formed the backbone of the Wonder Teams. Price succeeded Smith as head coach at Cal, going 27-17-3 1926-1930, and he was also Cal's basketball coach 1924-1954, going 449-294.

The key San Diego High School players who followed Nibs Price to Cal were Brick Muller, Stan Barnes, Pesky Sprott, and Cort Majors.

Hall of Fame end Harold "Brick" Muller was the star. He won a silver medal in the high jump at the 1920 Olympics, and was a nonconsensus All American this season despite few selectors seeing him play until the Rose Bowl. Once they did see him, they never forgot him again. He was the MVP of the Rose Bowl, and was named a consensus AA in 1921 and 1922. After college he became an orthopedic surgeon.

Olympian and end for the 1920 Cal team, Brick Muller

Tackle and center Stan Barnes is also in the Hall of Fame, but if you look at just his playing career, you'd be hard pressed to see why. He never made an AA list, nor does any press coverage from the time that singled him out as a particularly valuable player. However, after graduation, he got a law degree, then became a superior court judge, president of the Federal Bar Association, and Assistant Attorney General of the United States. Halfback Pesky Sprott was the team's leading rusher, and guard Cort Majors was the team captain, so this team owed a lot to the city of San Diego. Tackle Dan McMillan makes a 3rd Hall of Famer on this team, and a 2nd legitimate one. He transferred from Southern Cal this season, and made Walter Camp's 2nd team AA list. Like Brick Muller, he benefited from the exposure to nationwide press he got in the Rose Bowl, and was named a consensus AA in 1921. End Brodie Stephens would be a nonconsensus AA in 1921, and fullback Duke Morrison would be nonconsensus AA in 1922. Halfback Irving "Crip" Toomey would transfer to Cal-Davis, graduating from there in 1923. He coached their football team 1928-1936, and he was the school's athletic director 1929-1961. The football field was named for him until the 2007 season, when the team moved to a new venue, but Toomey Field is still the home of the Cal-Davis track team.

California's Season
In 1960, the Helms Athletic Foundation named this team the greatest of all time. But although they won every game by more than a touchdown, they did have one close call-- a 17-7 win at Oregon State (2-2-2) that was not decided until the closing minutes. This was their only road game in the regular season. It was tied 7-7 until midway through the 4th quarter, when Cal drove to the OSU 10 and kicked a 15 yard field goal to go up 10-7. With 2 minutes left, OSU fumbled a punt at their own 5 yard line, and Cal scored the insurance touchdown on 4th down to make the 17-7 final score. But while this game was close until the end, Cal dominated throughout, outgaining OSU 191 yards to 47, and most of the 47 came on one trick play that earned Oregon State their touchdown.

Cal's toughest game was supposed to be a home date against unbeaten Washington State the next week, but it was a laugher, WSU fumbling early and often, and Cal romping 49-0.

The rest of Cal's season was as uncompetitive as the WSU game, highlighted by a 127-0 win over St. Mary's.

The Tournament of Roses Game

The 1921 Tournament of Roses game drew tremendous interest, especially on the part of Cal grads, and ticket requests more than doubled the capacity crowd of 42,000 that attended the game. As such, this game was the impetus for the subsequent construction of the actual Rose Bowl stadium we know today. 7-0 Ohio State was a heavy favorite in newspapers East of the Rockies, but they were only 8-5 favorites with bookies, thanks to massive betting on 8-0 Cal by seemingly everyone who saw them play, from San Diego to Spokane. So while Cal's 28-0 whipping of Ohio State shocked most of the country, it was little surprise to the Left Coasters who doubled their money that day.

Cal outgained Ohio State in rushing and passing yards, and earned 18 first downs to OSU's 10. OSU's one bright spot was that they were penalized but once, while Cal was penalized often.

Pesky Sprott scored a touchdown to cap Cal's opening drive, and Ohio State's answering drive ended with a lost fumble at the Cal 8 yard line. In the 2nd quarter, Brick Muller surprised Ohio State with a long touchdown pass to Brodie Stephens that traveled 53 yards in the air. OSU's consensus All American quarterback, Pete Stinchcomb, had let Stephens go by after 30 yards, and when asked why after the game, he said, "Frankly, I didn't think anybody could throw the ball that far."

Cal's 9-0 'Wonder Team' of 1920 prior to the start of the Rose Bowl at Tournament Park

Pesky Sprott added his 2nd touchdown the same quarter, making it 21-0 and all but over at halftime. Sprott finished with 20 carries for 90 yards and 2 touchdowns, outperforming OSU star Stinchcomb.

Utterly embarrassed, the Big Ten subsequently banned its teams from playing in bowl games. That ban would be lifted 26 years later for an annual slot in the Rose Bowl, but it would not be until 1975 that a Big 10 team could play in any bowl game other than the Rose Bowl.

Auburn's team from 1920

A 1920 game for the Tennessee Volunteers, pre-Neyland Stadium

Idaho and Washington State College battle here in their 1920 game

George Gipp and Notre Dame

Win one for THE ZIPPER
[video=youtube_share;AHciXv3BVXQ]http://youtu.be/AHciXv3BVXQ[/video]

Judge Smails · Aug 10, 2013

19 days to go ...

Larry Kelley's jersey number: The number worn by Yale end Larry Kelley, the second player to win the Heisman Trophy.

In the history of the Heisman, awarded by the Downtown Athletic Club in New York to college football's top player, only three schools have produced back-to-back winners of the trophy. Doc Blanchard and Glenn Davis of Army won the award in 1945 and 1946 respectively, and Archie Griffin of Ohio State won it in 1974 and 1975. The school that first had consecutive winners was Yale -- Kelley and then running back Clint Frank.

William Proxmire, the former United States Senator from Wisconsin who played football at Yale in the 1930's, would recall: ''The focus of university attention was not on the best drama school in the country or the relatively small but tremendously impressive law school. To many -- probably most -- Yale meant Kelley and Frank and football.''

Kelley was the first player to win the Heisman Memorial Trophy under that name. The award was first presented in 1935, as the Downtown Athletic Club Trophy, to Jay Berwanger, a University of Chicago running back. When John Heisman, the former player and longtime coach, died in October 1936, the award was named for him.

Kelley found himself back in the public eye six months ago (December, 1999) when he sold the statuette at auction for $328,100.

Kelley's Heisman was sold at auction to the owners of a sports bar and restaurant in Garrison, N.Y. ''I wanted to right my affairs and my estate and take care of my 18 nieces and nephews,'' said Kelley, who had suffered a stroke seven months earlier.

It was the second Heisman to be sold. O. J. Simpson's 1968 Heisman was auctioned for $230,000 in February 1999 to help pay a wrongful-death civil verdict against him won by the families of his former wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and Ronald Goldman, after he had been acquitted in their murders.

The hype that would come to surround the Heisman was hardly envisioned when Kelley received the award. ''I got the telegram telling me that I had won it, and I didn't even know there was such a thing,'' he recalled.

A two-way player in a time of limited substitutions, Kelley sparkled on offense, coming up with many a timely catch and touchdown play. As a sophomore, in 1934, he scored on a spectacular 43-yard reception off a fake-punt play to give Yale a 7-0 victory over Princeton that broke the Tigers' 15-game winning streak. In his Heisman season, as a senior, Kelley caught 17 passes for 372 yards -- in an era dominated by the running game -- to lead Yale to a 7-1 record. And he had been the only player for Yale, Harvard or Princeton -- the Big Three -- to score a touchdown in each of his six games in the Ivy rivalry.

He was voted into the National Football Hall of Fame in 1969.

Kelley, a native of Ohio, played high school football in Williamsport, Pa., then attended the Peddie School in Hightstown. The Princeton campus was nearby, but Kelley's football coach at Peddie was a Yale alumnus and steered him to New Haven. Kelley also starred in baseball and basketball at Yale and graduated as an honor student.

1919 COLLEGE FOOTBALL HIGHLIGHTS

Pictured below is the Harvard touchdown that beat Oregon 7-6 in the Rose Bowl. That put Harvard's record at 9-0-1, a half game better than Penn State's 7-1 in the loss column. Penn State was nevertheless very clearly the consensus choice as Eastern champion amongst Eastern writers in 1919, and in fact Harvard was not considered to be among the top five teams of the East.

Decades later, however, when people were selecting national champions for years past, Harvard's 9-0-1 record and Rose Bowl win were presumably all they looked at, and today Harvard is the consensus mythical national champion (MNC) of 1919, while Penn State is not among the 4 teams listed in the NCAA Records Book at all.

The Official NCAA Division I Football Records Book listing Centre, Harvard, Illinois, Notre Dame, and Texas A&M as having been deemed national champions by major selectors. Only Harvard, Illinois, and Texas A&M claim national championships for the 1919 season.

1919-1930 is commonly regarded as America's "Golden Age of Sports," and college football and baseball were by far the most popular sports. In 1919 college football was celebrating its 50th anniversary. With WWI over, veteran talent flooded college campuses, and in addition, 1918 was not counted against players' eligibility, giving many players an extra year to play. Writers of the time, such as Walter Camp in his postseason football guide, often remarked on the unusually deep field of quality players nationwide.

A 'Base Football Game' played at Quantico, VA

Radio and expanded newspaper coverage of college football in the 1920s fueled a national mania for the sport, and the Golden Age was certainly the peak of its national popularity. Grantland Rice rose to everlasting fame writing about legends such as the Four Horsemen of Notre Dame and Red Grange. And there was a big stadium-building boom. Alabama, Nebraska, Michigan, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Southern Cal, Tennessee, Texas, Georgia, Louisiana State, UCLA, Texas A&M, Washington, Florida, and more than a dozen other major FBS teams first built the stadiums they currently use in the 1920s. Notre Dame completed theirs in 1930, just before Knute Rockne died in a plane crash the following Spring, bringing an end to the Golden Age of Sports.

HARVARD 1919

This was the debut season for head coach Bob Fisher, a Hall of Fame tackle who played for Harvard's 1910 MNC team. He had a great start as head coach of Harvard, 9-0-1 this season and 8-0-1 in 1920, but the next 2 years he declined to 7-2-1 and 7-2, and in his last 3 seasons he went a mediocre 12-10-2, giving him an overall record of 43-14-5 in his brief coaching career.

Harvard's star player, and their only consensus All American this season, was Hall of Fame halfback Eddie Casey, who weighed in at just 150 pounds. He was the MVP of the Rose Bowl. Casey was joined in the backfield by the Horween brothers, Ralph and Arnold. Ralph was the fullback, punter, and placekicker. He had played for Harvard in 1915 and 1916, beating Princeton 3-0 on a field goal in '16, and was returning this season after 2 years in the Navy. Arnold played fullback, halfback, and even center this season, and he also shared some of the kicking duties with his brother. He was a much-used substitute for most of the season, then started against Yale and Oregon. Arnold would be named a nonconsensus AA in 1920, and after college he became a player and coach for the Chicago Cardinals of the NFL. His bother Ralph played for him there. After that, Arnold Horween succeeded Bob Fisher as Harvard's coach 1926-1930. Backfield mate Eddie Casey would follow him as Harvard coach 1931-1934. Arnold Horween allegedly never lost a pregame coin toss while a player at Harvard. Tackle Bob Sedgwick was a nonconsensus AA in 1919 and 1920. Guard Tom Woods would be a consensus AA in 1920. Guard Charles Hubbard would be consensus AA in 1922, but his only start was in the Rose Bowl, where he replaced the injured Arthur Clark (who was 3rd team Camp AA).

Harvard had designed quite the soft schedule for 1919, with a patsy placed the week before each of their 4 opponents expected to provide a challenge. But only 1 of those 4 opponents ended up being top 25 caliber this season. Harvard warmed up with a 53-0 romp over Bates, then welcomed Boston College, a team that had become pretty decent over the previous 3 years (17-6). Ralph Horween dominated this game, scoring two touchdowns and kicking 2 extra points and a field goal, all of Harvard's points in a 17-0 win. BC penetrated the Harvard side of the field but once, and fumbled often. The turnovers were the key to the game, as Harvard only outgained BC 185 yards to 117.

Brown v. Harvard
Colby was the patsy placed before Harvard's next real game against Brown, and Harvard dispatched them 35-0. Brown had become a strong team before WWI, and they had beaten Harvard the last 2 times the teams played, so a challenge was expected, and a challenge Harvard got, at least on the scoreboard. Harvard marched to a touchdown in 12 plays on the game's opening drive, Eddie Casey doing most of the work and Ralph Horween getting the touchdown, but that was all the scoring in this game. Brown continually muffed punts, but Harvard continually missed field goals (34, 28, 30, and 18 yards), and they were stopped on downs twice inside the Brown 15. But Brown mounted little offense, and their 1 good drive ended in a missed 30 yard field goal.

Princeton v. Harvard
Harvard won 20-0 over Springfield the week before their next big game at Princeton, their only road contest of the season. Princeton had just lost 7-0 to Colgate and 25-0 to West Virginia, but 35,000 fans showed up to watch Princeton salvage their season with a tie against 6-0 Harvard. Harvard opened the proceedings with a promising drive, but they came up empty on a missed 24 yard field goal. Princeton answered with a touchdown drive built on forward passes, but neither team threatened the rest of the half, and the score remained 7-0. Harvard recovered a fumble at the Princeton 20 in the 3rd quarter, setting up a 27 yard Ralph Horween field goal, and late in the quarter they drove to the Princeton 4, where they were stopped on downs. Princeton blocked a punt in the 4th quarter to set up an 18 yard field goal, and things looked dim for Harvard, down 10-3. But in the closing minutes, Eddie Casey came to the rescue as Harvard went to the air. Casey started things with a good punt return to the Harvard 40, then he caught passes of 40, 10, and 11 yards, the last for a touchdown to secure a 10-10 tie.

Here's the highlights of the game: [video=youtube_share;gHld-u-vQ64]http://youtu.be/gHld-u-vQ64[/video]
Yale v. Harvard --- 'The Game'
Harvard disposed of their last patsy, Tufts, 23-0 the week before "The Game." Yale was not a top 25 caliber team this season, but they were good (coming in at 5-2), and this was of course Harvard's big rivalry game, so the 50,000 in attendance had to suffer through numerous scares before the clock finally brought the curtain down on a jittery 10-3 win for the home team. This game was marked by a contrast of styles, the old football against the new. Yale represented the old, plunging into the line play after play much as they had done 10, 20, and 30 years prior. Harvard countered with the misdirection, multiple laterals, and forward passing that most teams employed by 1919. Yale outrushed Harvard 155-82, and they gained 7 first downs to Harvard's 4, but Harvard's passing game led to all of their points, and most importantly, it gave them the one big play that won the game. A Yale fumble in the opening quarter set Harvard up for a missed 30 yard field goal, but minutes later the Crimson hit a pass to set up another opportunity, and this time they cashed it in for a 3-0 lead. Late in the second quarter, Eddie Casey conquered mortality, not to mention Yale.

From the Yale 40 yard line, Ralph Horween dropped back to punt, but it was a trick. He tossed a short pass to Eddie Casey instead, who zig-zagged his way down the field, evading tacklers, then stiff-arming one who got too close, then dodging others back and forth all the way to the end zone. The New York Times: "In Harvard song and story, the name of Casey and his nerve-tingling run will live for all time. It will linger long in the memory of every man, woman and child that saw it."

Harvard led 10-0 at half, but the second half was all Yale. In the 3rd quarter, Harvard stopped Yale on downs right at the Harvard goal line. Early in the 4th quarter, Yale resorted to a rare forward pass, taking Harvard by surprise, and the receiver caught the ball behind everyone for a sure touchdown. But though he was untouched, the receiver dropped the ball on the way to the end zone, and Ralph Horween, trailing the play, recovered the fumble at the Harvard 15. Yale later hit a magnificent 55 yard field goal to draw within 10-3, and they would get one more opportunity to waste. In the closing minutes, Eddie Casey fumbled on a punt return, and the ball landed near 3 Yale players, with no one between them and the goal line, but the 3 fell on the ball at the Harvard 32 rather than pick it up and score. It was the mistake the team most rued after the game. They were unable to score from there, and Harvard held on for the 10-3 win.

PENN STATE 1919 (JoePa's 14th season .... kidding)
Penn State fielded a pair of strong contenders in 1911 and 1912, but came up just short of mythical national championships in both seasons. Their coach in 1919 was Hall of Famer Hugo Bezdek and also the guy in white in the middle of Penn State's practice. Bezdek had coached Oregon's unbeaten Rose Bowl team in 1916, and he had also coached the Mare Island Marines in the Rose Bowl during the war. He would get the hat trick at Penn State, taking them to the Rose Bowl following the 1922 season. Bezdek went 65-30-11 at Penn State 1918-1929, and 127-58-16 overall. Later, he became the only man to both coach an NFL team and manage a major league baseball team. This season, Penn State finished 7-1, but the loss they suffered in game 3 would be their last until 1922, a 30 game unbeaten streak (though they took 4 ties, 2 each in 1920 and 1921).

Assistant Dick Harlow gave Penn State a second Hall of Fame coach. He played tackle on the 1911 team, was the head coach 1915-1917 (20-8), assistant coach to Bezdek 1919-1921, and went on to head up Colgate, McDaniel, and Harvard, accumulating an overall head coaching record of 149-69-17. End Bob Higgins was the captain and PSU's only consensus AA this season. He had a 92 yard receiving touchdown against Pitt, he was the defensive player of the game in a 10-0 win at Penn, and he was the team's best punter too. He is also this team's 3rd Hall of Fame coach. He was Penn State's head coach 1930-1948, going 91-57-11, but he was handicapped for his first 9 seasons with a school ban on scholarships, and started 29-40-4. Once Penn State dropped their puritanical stance, the program reblossomed under Higgins, going 62-17-7. He was 123-83-16 overall at 3 schools. His sister was birth control activist Margaret Sanger. Penn State had a couple of linemen who had notable pro careers, guard Dick Rauch, who performed the scouting duties for PSU, and center Larry Conover, who had been PSU's captain in 1917.

Too Many Backs, Not Enough Positions
Penn State fielded a parade of great backs in the postwar years, and this season they had 6 All America-quality backs with which to fill the 4 backfield positions. They were so deep that the best of them, sophomore Glenn Killinger, was the least used. An eventual consensus AA and the only Hall of Famer among the group, Killinger would be starting at quarterback next season, but this year he was a substitute that PSU had trouble finding time for. In 1920 Killinger would be replacing this year's senior quarterback, Harry Robb, the only one of the 6 never to receive All America mention, though he was all-AEF for his military play during the war. He had played for PSU in 1916, and still holds the school record for most points in a game, 36 against Gettysburg that season. He left for the war, then played end for Columbia in 1918, and transferred back to Penn State for this, his final season. He went on to a successful 8 year pro career, playing for 2 title winning teams. Fullback Harold "Bill" Hess split punting duties with Bob Higgins. He was not nearly as good a punter as Higgins, but PSU wanted him to punt for a couple of reasons. Firstly, Higgins was also PSU's best man at getting to and downing kick returners from his end position. Secondly, fake kicks were common back then, since teams frequently punted on early downs, and Hess was a good passer and runner for fakes, and Higgins a terrific receiver, and in fact Hess-to-Higgins out of the kick formation would prove deadly. Bill Hess would be moved to guard as a senior in 1920 to make room for everyone in the backfield, and he would be named a nonconsensus AA at that position. He was also the team captain in 1920. He would become an assistant coach for Southern Cal after graduation, and faced his old team in the 1923 Rose Bowl, a 14-3 USC win. Halfback Charles "Pie" Way would be named consensus AA in 1920, and an all-pro in the NFL in 1924. He also put some time in at quarterback this season. Henry "Hinkey" Haynes would make Walter Camp's 3rd team AA list in 1920, and he had a pair of 90 yard touchdown runs against Penn that season. He was small and fast, and in fact several pro coaches and players of the 1920s said he was the fastest player they ever saw-- and he played in the pros when Thorpe and Grange did. Haynes was a 2-time All American in baseball, and went on to play for the 1923 Yankees in the World Series. But that was his only year in the majors, while he played 7 years in the NFL, becoming most famous as the star player of the New York Giants and leading them to the NFL title in 1927. He is the only man to ever play for both a World Series champion and an NFL title winner. He became a referee in the NFL 1934-1954. And yet Hinkey Haynes was just a part-time starter for Penn State in 1919. Why? Because what they really needed was a blocker, and Joe Lightner was their best blocking back. He and Haynes thus rotated at halfback, but after the Dartmouth loss, Lightner saw much more playing time. When Bill Hess moved to guard the next season, Lightner was able to move to his natural position of fullback. In 1921, he was the leading interferer for Hall of Famers Glenn Killinger and "Lighthorse" Harry Wilson, and was named a nonconsensus AA for his efforts. 1921 was Lighthorse Harry Wilson's first season, replacing consensus AA halfback Charley Way. So you see, 50 years before Penn State became known as "Linebacker U," they were "Backfield U."

Penn State's Season
Penn State opened with a 33-0 win over their favorite patsy, Gettysburg, then won 9-0 over Bucknell (5-4-1) in a steady downpour and mud. That brought them to their first real game, at Dartmouth. 4,500 fans attended, which may not sound like much, but it was then a record in Hanover. Dartmouth vastly outplayed Penn State in this game, but Charley Way kept PSU close with 2 big-play touchdowns. The first was a return of the opening kickoff for a 6-0 lead. But Bill Hess struggled with his punting in this game, while Dartmouth's star halfback Joe Robertson was a great punter. Dartmouth thus made frequent gains in the exchanges of punts, eventually taking over at the PSU 35. From there, Dartmouth steadily plunged into the line toward the goal line, where Joe Robertson took the ball over and kicked the extra point for a 7-6 Dartmouth lead. Just 3 plays after the ensuing kickoff, Charley Way struck again, picking up a fumble and running it 85 yards for a touchdown and PSU's last lead, 13-7. The rest of the game was all Dartmouth. A big Joe Robertson pass set up his second touchdown just before half, and it was 13-13 at the break. Penn State stopped a Dartmouth drive at their goal line in the 3rd quarter, but their following punt gave Dartmouth good field position again, and they scored on a long run for the 19-13 win. Penn State was unable to move the ball, while Dartmouth was stopped twice more deep in PSU territory in the 4th quarter.

When healthy, Dartmouth may well have been the best team in the country, but they lost their star player, halfback Joe Robertson, to injury, and that opened the door for Brown's huge upset of them in their season finale. Here we can see the advantage of Penn State's tremendous backfield depth. Dartmouth finished 6-1-1, their tie coming to equally strong 5-1-1 Colgate, who was upset at Syracuse in their finale. After the Dartmouth loss, Joe Lightner was used more often in Penn State's backfield as a blocker for Harry Robb and Charley Way, and Bob Higgins took over the punting duties-- and he was an excellent punter. This put all the pieces in place, and Penn State would not be threatened the rest of the season.

Penn State's next big game was at Penn, who was 5-0 and had routed every opponent, including 23-0 over Lafayette (6-2). Penn was a big favorite, but their offense depended on an open game that was negated by rain and mud, leaving both teams to plunge into the line all game for 6 first downs each, waiting for a break. Those breaks went to Penn State, as center Larry Conover recovered fumbles that set up Penn State's touchdown and field goal in a 10-0 win. Bob Higgins was singled out by the New York Times as both the offensive and defensive star of the game, and his punts averaged 10 more yards than Penn's did. Penn fumbled one of those kicks away at their own 2 yard line, and Harry Robb converted that break into a touchdown run on 4th down. That made it 7-0 at half, but the game was as good as over. After PSU recovered a 4th quarter Penn fumble, Harry Robb hit Bob Higgins for 20 yards to set up the field goal. According to the New York Times, the field goal alone "fairly represented the winner's actual margin of superiority."

Penn State next beat Lehigh (6-3) 20-7, center Larry Conover kicking 2 field goals, and Lehigh scoring their touchdown on a blocked kick late in the game. Cornell (3-5) was not so lucky, and fell to visiting PSU 20-0 the following week. It could have been worse, as PSU was stopped twice at the Cornell 1 yard line and once at the 2. Harry Robb opened the scoring with a 15 yard touchdown run, Hess added another, and Higgins caught a 40 yard pass to set up Robb's second touchdown.

The Finale at Pittsburgh
After a strategically-placed week off, Penn State traveled to Pittsburgh for their Thanksgiving Day finale. Penn State was 6-1 coming in, Pitt 6-1-1, but Pitt was the favorite, as they had beaten PSU 6 games in a row, mostly in routs. Moreover, Pop Warner's Pittsburgh teams had been ruling over college football the previous 3 seasons. But Penn State ruled over this game, winning 20-0. Bill Hess punted poorly early in the game, but after Bob Higgins took over the punting, Penn State dominated in every phase of the game. Of course, the only reason Hess was punting at all was to set up the game's big play in the first quarter. During their week off, Penn State had scouted Pitt's game against Carnegie, and noticed that Pitt rushed 10 men on every punt, leaving just 1 man back to receive the kick. So Penn State suckered Pitt by having Hess punt on early downs, until the moment was ripe, at which point Hess did not punt, but instead threw a pass to Higgins, who had just 1 man to beat and did so for a 92 yard touchdown catch and run. Penn State perpetrated similar shenanigans in the 2nd quarter, throwing for a first down on a fake field goal to set up a Hess touchdown run. Charley Way closed the scoring with a 47 yard touchdown run in the 3rd quarter. Pitt's only threat of the game came later, when PSU gave them the ball on a muffed punt, but Pitt was held at the PSU 5 yard line.

ILLINOIS 1919
llinois previously won a mythical national championship in 1914 with Hall of Fame coach, Robert Zuppke. He went 131-81-12 at Illinois 1913-1941, a not-so-impressive winning percentage of .612, but that is because Zuppke was one of those coaches who did not know how to retire, and he had been so great in his prime that Illinois could not fire him. Over his last 12 seasons, he was just .443 and won no titles. But over his first 17 seasons, he was .740, winning 7 conference titles and a potential 4 mythical national championships (MNC). Through 1919, he was even better, 30-8-5 (.756) with 4 conference titles and 2 MNC selections. He also had a winning record against every other Big 10 team, which he maintained through 1924, after which Michigan caught and got by him. Illinois was coming off a strong 5-2 showing in 1918, with both losses coming 7-0 to unbeaten military teams. But they whipped their Big Ten opponents by more than a touchdown each. This season, college campuses nationwide were flooded with war veterans who had played for military teams, and this was particularly true at Illinois, where 225 men showed up at football tryouts in the Fall. Illinois thus fielded an incredibly deep football team, which enabled them to claw out a 6-1 record against the nation's most brutal schedule, despite losing a constant stream of starters to injury.

Halfback Ed "Dutch" Sternaman, the shorter fellow in the picture to the left, went on to play pro football for 8 years, and was co-owner of the Chicago Bears with George Halas. Standing next to him was 6' 1" end Chuck Carney, a consensus All American in 1920 and a Hall of Famer. Carney was a great receiver, which proved vital in the big win at Ohio State, and he was versatile enough that Illinois was able to use him at center when the need arose. He was also an All American basketball player. The team's other end was Dick Reichle, Illinois' only player to make a first-team AA list this season (nonconsensus). He had played for the 1918 Great Lakes Navy team that won the Rose Bowl and was widely presumed to be the best football team in the country. They had also beaten Illinois 7-0. He went on to play pro baseball. Two players made Walter Camp's 2nd team AA list: center Jack Depler and tackle Burt Ingwersen. Depler had been a consensus AA the previous season, and would be nonconsensus AA and team captain in 1920. Ingwersen was singled out by newspapers as having a great game against Ohio State in the line. He coached Iowa 1924-1931, going 33-27-4. Halfback/quarterback Lawrence "Laurie" Walquist never made any AA list, but he became team captain in 1921, and went on to an unusually long 10 year pro career with the Chicago Bears.

Illinois' Season
Illinois' 1919 schedule was unique in that it consisted entirely of conference opponents. The Big 10 featured no less than 6 top 25 caliber teams this season, and Illinois played all 5 of the other teams. Illinois outscored their 7 opponents by only 91-48, a paltry average score of 13-7, not at all the numbers you expect to see from an MNC contender.

Illinois opened their season in mid-October, struggling in the rain to win 14-7 at Purdue (2-4-1). The next game was a home date with Iowa, a team on the rise under Hall of Fame coach Howard Jones. They had gone 6-2-1 in 1918, and would go 7-0 in 1921 and 1922. Not long after that, Jones would move on to greater fame at Southern Cal. Illinois won this game 9-7 on an onside kick recovered by Laurie Walquist and returned for a touchdown. Now, this was not the onside kick we know today. At this time (and still in Canadian football today), any kick (including a punt or field goal attempt) could be recovered by the kicker or an "onside" player (a player level with or behind the kicker). Most successful onside kicks at this time came from punts, as did the winning play for Illinois over Iowa.

The Iowa win was costly, and Illinois had 2 starting backs and a lineman out for the next week's game against visiting Wisconsin, which they lost 14-10. Wisconsin head coach John Richards went a terrific 29-9-4 in 6 years at the school, and 58-21-8 for his career at 3 schools. The Badgers followed this huge win up with home losses to Minnesota (19-7) and Ohio State (3-0) to choke away the Big 10 title and MNC contention.

Amos Alonzo Stagg's Chicago Maroons came to town next. They were 3-0 by a total score of 180-0, and were thus favored to win. It was Illinois' homecoming game, and 18,000 came home to watch the Illini win 10-0.

The next week was another homecoming game for Illinois, this time at Minnesota, their 4th straight top 25 caliber opponent. Minnesota was coached by Henry Williams, one of 5 Hall of Fame coaches Illinois faced this season. Minnesota was the better team for 3 quarters, but all they had to show for it was a 6-0 lead going into the 4th, which was dominated by Illinois. Quarterback Bob Fletcher scored a touchdown, and his brother, Ralph, the team's kicking specialist, came in as a sub to kick a 34 yard field goal for the 10-6 final score.

It was not a good season for defending Big Ten champ (and defending mythical national champion) Michigan, and Illinois added to the Wolverines' woes with a 29-7 win, Illinois' only easy win on the season. That brought Illinois to their finale, 1919's game of the year at 6-0 Ohio State.

The Ohio State Game
This was supposed to be the crowning moment for Ohio State and their superstar halfback Chic Harley, a 3rd-time consensus AA this season who had never lost a college game. OSU had gone 3-3 in 1918, but with their players back from the war, they resumed the conference domination they had enjoyed before the war. In 1916 they had gone 7-0, albeit against a weak schedule, and in 1917 they whipped every team of a much tougher schedule until a shocking 0-0 tie at 6-2-1 Auburn left them 8-0-1. Chic Harley was thus 21-0-1 coming into the 1919 Illinois game.

Ohio State star Chic Harley looks for daylight

But Harley was also coming into the game with a banged up knee, and that proved critical, as he was unable to run the ball much in this game, and he threw poorly. Of course, Illinois had it worse-- 4 starters out with injury for this game, and a 5th, fullback Jack Crangle, was told by doctors to sit out, though he played anyway.

20,000 filled the stands in Columbus to watch what proved to be the most dramatic game of the year. It was Ohio State's homecoming, so Illinois was playing their 3rd homecoming game of the season. Illinois drew first blood, halfback Dutch Sternaman running for a touchdown out of a kick formation. He broke 3 tackles on his way to the goal line and a 6-0 lead. That lead held up until the 3rd quarter, when Chic Harley completed a 4th down pass from the Illinois 20 that went to the 1 yard line. Harley carried the ball over from there, and OSU led 7-6. It would remain 7-6 until the dying moments of the game. Ohio State did their best to put away the game in the 4th quarter. One promising opportunity ended when Illinois blocked a 34 yard field goal try. Then OSU almost ran out the clock on a good drive late in the 4th quarter, moving from their own 20 to the Illinois 35, but they were stopped there, perhaps 1 more first down away from sealing the game. Their punt was a touchback, and when Illinois took over at their own 20, the referee announced that there were 2 minutes left in the game. Halfback Laurie Walquist threw a pass to end Chuck Carney for a 15 yard gain, then hit him again for 30 more. After 2 incompletions, Walquist again connected with Carney, who took it to the OSU 20. Illinois was now in field goal range, and with the final seconds ticking away, there was a frantic consultation in the Illinois backfield. Their kicking specialist, Ralph Fletcher, had been knocked out of the game with a bad ankle, and end Dick Reichle had badly missed a 35 yard try earlier in the game. The meeting ended with quarterback Bob Fletcher, Ralph's brother, making the attempt, though he had never kicked a field goal before. According to the newspaper accounts, Fletcher kicked a perfect field goal, but in an interview 60 years later, Chuck Carney remembered the kick hitting the crossbar and bouncing over. Ohio State had time for just one play after kickoff, and Chic Harley was crying bitterly as his team lined up for it. It was his first defeat. This game was a rather evenly played war, each team gaining 11 first downs, but Illinois emerged the victor 9-7. There was a lot of newspaper chatter proclaiming Illinois to be the nation's best team, and the "West" (Great Lakes region) to be superior to the East, and after the season, Harvard invited Illinois to come play them in 1920 to prove it. Illinois, however, declined, citing a full schedule.

CENTRE COLLEGE 1919
Centre was the most celebrated "little big team" of their time, and though Notre Dame and their coach Knute Rockne are the much better-known names today, there is no doubt that 9-0 Centre would have ranked higher than 9-0 Notre Dame in a 1919 AP poll, probably in the top 5. This sudden rise may seem rather improbable for a little school in Kentucky with an enrollment of just 203 students, but in the days of single-platoon football, all you needed to field a nationally powerful team was a few great players and one great coach-- and Centre had both.

The story of Centre's glory years 1917-1924 is a terrific one, and for that I recommend Rob Robertson's book The Wonder Team. The story began with Robert "Chief" Myers, a Centre grad who taught and coached at Northside High School in Fort Worth, Texas. He found himself with an unusually talented group of kids (including a pair of future consensus All Americans) and got it into his head to take them back to Danfield, Kentucky, to form the backbone of a powerhouse football team at his alma mater. And amazingly, he made it happen. He enrolled one batch of Texas kids at Centre in 1916, and he installed another batch at Somerset High School in Kentucky, so that they could earn enough credits to enroll at Centre. There they met a 3rd future All American who would follow the rest to Centre in 1917. All they needed now was a big-time coach.

Enter Charles Moran (far right in picture). "Uncle Charlie," as he was known, had started out as an assistant coach to Pop Warner at Carlisle. He played pro baseball, mostly in the minors, 1903-1913, and in the Fall he coached football, going a sparkling 37-8-3 at Texas A&M 1909-1914. The eligibility rules there merely required that a player attend at least one class in the week before the game, so Moran would bring ringers in on the Thursday train, have them attend a class on Friday, then play them on Saturday. He went 3-1 against Texas and 2-0 against Oklahoma, but after 1911, Texas had had enough of his shenanigans, and refused to play A&M again until Moran was replaced.

Sidelines of the 1919 Centre College v. Georgetown game

Chief Myers was Centre's coach for the first games of 1917, but he knew that his dream of a powerhouse football team required a greater coach than he, and it just so happened that Charlie Moran's son, Tom, played for Centre, so when Moran came to town to watch his son play, Myers convinced him to take over as coach for the rest of the 1917 season. Moran's first big game as coach was against Kentucky, who had given Centre their only loss 68-0 the previous season. Moran suggested that the team pray together before the game, which they did, and continued to do before every game thereafter. Centre thus became known as the "Prayin' Colonels." They beat Kentucky 3-0, then won the rest of their games to finish 7-1. Moran then went 5-0 in 1918 and 9-0 this season, for a 20-0 start in his first 3 years at Centre.

That streak reached 23 wins before it was snapped by Harvard in 1920. But in 1921, Moran and Centre earned their revenge with a famous 6-0 "upset" at Harvard. Centre's only loss that season, in the Dixie Classic in Dallas in January, against 6-1-2 Texas A&M, was a far bigger upset than was their victory at Harvard. That Dixie Classic game is most famous now as the day Texas A&M's 12th man tradition was born. Charlie Moran went an amazing 53-6-1 at Centre 1917-1923, and 131-35-11 at 4 schools for his career, which places him #20 in all-time FBS coaching win percentage. Yet shockingly, he is not in the Hall of Fame, while more than a hundred coaches with weaker records are. Simply ridiculous. "Uncle Charlie" spent his summers as a major league umpire 1918-1939, working 4 World Series.

Centre would have gotten some 1st place votes in a 1919 AP poll-- they were certainly the most impressive unbeaten and untied team. Walter Camp felt that they might be the best team in the country, and as mentioned, they had more consensus All Americans than any other team. But needless to say, Centre didn't play much of a schedule, as West Virginia was the only top 25 caliber team they played (WV would have ranked about #15 in a 1919 AP poll), and only 1 other opponent they played was at all close (3-4 Indiana might have been a #40-50 team-- they did upset 8-3 Syracuse). The majority of their opponents were minor teams, and so their schedule paled considerably next to the schedules played by Penn State and especially by Illinois.

NOTRE DAME 1919
Today, Notre Dame is seen as the be-all, end-all program of college football 1919-1930, and in fact this has been true ever since their legendary Hall of Fame coach, Knute Rockne, died in a plane crash in 1931. Knute Rockne and George Gipp are certainly much better known today than any other coach and player of 1919. But in 1919, Notre Dame was seen a lot more like Boise State is seen today.Their 7-0 finish in 1913, featuring a famous breakthrough win against Army, is akin to Boise State's 13-0 finish in 2006, featuring a famous breakthrough win against Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl. And Notre Dame's 9-0 finish in 1919 is remindful of Boise State's 14-0 finish in 2009. Notre Dame did not become NOTRE DAME until 1924.

With no top 25 caliber opponents, and an unimpressive performance against that weak schedule, obviously Notre Dame 1919 has no real case for sharing an MNC. You probably figured that out at the start, when I compared Notre Dame 1919 to Boise State 2009, but actually, Boise State 2009 at least defeated the #6 and #11 teams, so they accomplished far more than Notre Dame 1919 did. And Boise State finished #4 in the 2009 AP poll, whereas Notre Dame, if there had been an AP poll in 1919, would have finished #7-9 at the highest.

So why would Parke Davis and the National Championship Foundation each retroactively select Notre Dame to share in a 3-way MNC? That's pretty obvious: they were 9-0, and it was NOTRE DAME, it was ROCKNE, it was GIPP. None of those things mattered at all to people in 1919, but after 1931, it became hard for some people to look past anything else through the golden glare of those names.

TEXAS A&M 1919
This was the 6th of 7 straight years that a Southwest team went unbeaten and untied. Texas A&M had previously taken their turn in 1917, going 8-0, and they were 10-0 in 1919, but in both seasons, the Aggies did something a little extra: they shut out every opponent. The coach for both seasons was Hall of Famer Dana Xenophon Bible. He had departed for the war in 1918, so Dana X. Bible had a personal streak of 18 straight shut-outs in his first 2 years of coaching at A&M in 1917 and 1919. And that streak continued all the way to the last game of the 1920 season, when Texas beat the Aggies 7-3: that ended a string of 25 straight shut-outs. Bible went 72-19-9 at Texas A&M 1917 and 1919-1928, 50-15-7 at Nebraska 1929-1936, and 63-31-3 at Texas 1937-1946. Overall he was 198-72-23 at 5 schools, posting a winning record in 30 of 33 seasons, and winning 8 SWC titles and 6 Big 6 titles.

Texas A&M was led by a pair of All-SWC backs, and though the rest of the nation took no notice, at least the two are enshrined in the Texas A&M Athletics Hall of Fame:fullback and captain Jack Mahan and halfback Roswell Grady "Little Hig" Higginbotham. Little Hig scored the touchdown that beat Texas 7-0 in their finale, then he pitched a no-hitter against the Longhorns the following Spring.

Texas A&M played a schedule that was far weaker than even Notre Dame's, as they faced no opponent who would merit even a top 50 ranking, and they struggled to win 2 of those games, beating 3-5 Southwestern (Texas) and 6-3 Texas by the same 7-0 score. Texas wasn't a bad team, but they lost to 5-2-3 Oklahoma and to Phillips, a minor Oklahoma school. The Southwest region as a whole had yet to record a nationally significant intersectional win. But Dana Bible would win the first on January 2nd, 1922, when 6-1-2 Texas A&M pulled off a huge 22-14 upset of Charlie Moran's 10-1 Centre team in the Dixie Classic in Dallas.

Obviously, Texas A&M is by far the worst selection of the 6 teams covered for a 1919 MNC, and it's no surprise that it's the National Championship Foundation and Billingsley's computer making the pick. But the school itself does not claim a national championship for this season, so no harm done.

2012 UPDATE: well, as of 2012, Texas A&M now claims themselves national champions of 1919, and they put it up in big letters on their stadium to let everyone know that it must be true. How very--is there any other way to put it?--aggy of them. Sad, really. I suppose that 90 years from now, Marshall will claim themselves national champions of 1999. They were 13-0 that season, and finished ranked #10 in the AP poll.

Of course, Marshall 1999 actually has a better case than Texas A&M, because they at least played a couple of top 50 caliber opponents, and Texas A&M would not have come close to #10 had there been an AP poll in 1919. More like #16-20. Well, at least Notre Dame still has the dignity not to claim an MNC for 1919.

But national championship or not, it was still a great year for the Aggies, so let's end on a positive note-- a picture of Little Hig tumbling over the goal line for the winning touchdown in the finale against Texas.

1920 Rose Bowl at Tournament Park: Harvard 7, Oregon 6

The 1920 Tournament of Roses (Rose Bowl) game was the only major bowl appearance in Harvard history, and in fact it was the only bowl game that ever featured any of the "Big Three" (Harvard, Princeton, Yale). Harvard accepted the invitation to generate interest in a major endowment fundraising campaign that had been going on throughout 1919, and the move proved to be very successful in that regard. This was the first time the Rose Bowl's first choice from the East actually accepted the invitation, and it was the first time an Eastern team won the Rose Bowl. Previously, Washington State had beaten Brown following the 1915 season, and Oregon had beaten Penn the next season (military teams played in the game during WWI).

Oregon was the Western representative again this season, coming in at 5-1. They won the slot 24-13 at 5-1 Washington, making up for a 7-0 home loss to 5-2 Washington State. WSU lost to Washington and 4-4-1 Oregon State. Though the Northwest had proven itself an able football region against mid-level Eastern opponents prior to WWI, Harvard was a heavy favorite to win. But Oregon gave Harvard all they could want and then some, and it seemed a miracle to most observers that Harvard came out the other end with the 7-6 win.

Oregon's star player, quarterback "Bad Bill" Steers, missed a 35 yard field goal in the opening quarter, and Oregon blocked a 45 yard Harvard attempt. All the scoring took place in the 2nd quarter. Steers hit a 25 yard field goal for a 3-0 lead, but he was knocked out of the game not long after that. Harvard hit a couple of passes to Eddie Casey for 40 yards, setting up a 15 yard touchdown run by substitute Freddy Church, who followed great blocks by Casey and Arnold Horween. Freddy Church had replaced Ralph Horween, who was knocked out of the game with a shoulder injury, and Church had a great game, especially punting. With Ralph out, it was also up to his brother Arnold to kick the goals, and his extra point after the touchdown provided the eventual winning margin.

Bill Steers' replacement, 125 pound quarterback Skeets Manerud, kicked a 32 yard field goal to close the gap to 7-6 at half, but in the second half, Oregon missed shot after shot from point black range. Manerud missed a field goal in the 3rd quarter, and Steers returned in the 4th to miss one field goal and have another blocked from just 13 yards out. Manerud came back in and missed another easy one, a 20 yarder. Harvard then summoned the last of their strength and launched a long, time-eating drive that did not end until the ball was half a yard from the Oregon goal line, where the last second ticked off the game clock.

Arnold Horween had a great game on defense, continually tackling Oregon backs behind the line. He and Casey were singled out in articles as Harvard's best players on both offense and defense, but Casey was named the player of the game for his big catches that set up the winning touchdown. Harvard's appearance this year lifted the Tournament of Roses game from an interesting post-season novelty to an annual major event, and the next year Pasadena would entice an even better opponent to come play.

Chic Harley (right) and Gaylord Roscoe "Pete" Stinchcomb pause at practice ... the Buckeye duo would lead Ohio State to its first-ever win over Michigan, 13-3 in Ann Arbor

Virginia hosts Vanderbilt in a 1919 game

Maryland battles intrastate rival Johns Hopkin in 1919

College Station, Texas and the 1919 Texas A&M Aggies

Oregon State (then known as Oregon Agriculture College) team photo from 1919

Judge Smails · Aug 11, 2013

18 days to go ...

Devin Gardner touchdowns: The total number of touchdowns scored by Devin Gardner after Nov. 3, when he was named the starting quarterback at Michigan. That was tied for the third most scored in the FBS.

Michigan quarterback Devin Gardner is going to turn a lot of heads this year.

Gardner has failed to see much playing time over the last few seasons, mainly due to the emergence of Denard Robinson as a dual-threat, big-play star. Gardner was only on the field in the latter part of the 2012 season after Robinson got injured. In five games, he led the Wolverines to three wins and a pair of losses.

Entering last season, Gardner had only attempted 33 passes in a Michigan jersey. In 2012, the quarterback completed 75-of-126 attempts (59.5 percent) for 1,219 yards and 11 touchdowns. He was picked off five times throughout the year but was still good more often than not.

Now that Robinson is gone—currently on the roster for the Jacksonville Jaguars—the team is Gardner’s to lead. Michigan is lucky that he’s still with the program, as he told Mark Snyder of the Detroit Free Press that he considered transferring elsewhere when he wasn’t getting the playing time he thought he deserved.

In Chicago at the Big Ten preseason meetings — where he was hailed as the unquestioned starting quarterback for the upcoming season — Gardner explained his frustration from earlier in his career. He admitted to looking at other offenses and other quarterbacks, certain he was more talented. He leaned on those he trusted for advice. And, instead of making a rash decision, he listened. “There’s always doubt,” said Gardner, who was Rivals’ No. 1 dual-threat quarterback in the nation out of high school. “But Denard and my brothers and my mom, they all reassured me that my time will come ... just be ready when you get that opportunity. “Sometimes that’s the biggest thing for young guys, they’re just so bitter at not getting an opportunity to play when you’re highly recruited that they don’t work on their game, and when the opportunity comes, they let it slip away. That was Denard’s message, not to let it slip away when I get the opportunity.”

Gardner decided to stay, and he’s bound to show Michigan and the country what he’s capable of in the upcoming season. Aside from a Week 2 showdown against Notre Dame, the Wolverines don’t have a difficult schedule for the first chunk of the season. That means Gardner should be able to build up a bunch of confidence.

Even though the new full-time quarterback for the Wolverines doesn’t have a lot of experience under his belt, he’s still being considered one of the top players in the nation. NCAA.com released the watch lists for each of college football’s award for 2013, and Gardner’s name is on a two of them.

Gardner made the watch list for the Davey O’Brien Award, given to the top quarterback in the country, and the Maxwell Award, which is given to the college football player of the year. Some people must think this kid is going to be a stud this season, and they aren’t wrong to think so.

Michigan may have won just eight games last season, but this year should be a big one for the program. The Wolverines recently came in at No. 17 in the USA Today Coaches Poll. That’s pretty good, and the team is probably that high because of what Gardner could potentially do under center this season.

Don’t be surprised when the Wolverines soar into the top 10 of the poll after the first few weeks of the year. Gardner is going to make the most of his opportunity as the starting quarterback and will make a fool out of a bunch of the defenses that will try to stop him. He’s bound to take Michigan to a BCS bowl game this season.

Gardner might not have been in the spotlight the last few years, but he’ll shine bright when the media is constantly covering what’s sure to be an impressive season for the Detroit native. By the end of the season, expect him to be considered a serious contender for both of the aforementioned national honors.

1918 COLLEGE FOOTBALL HIGHLIGHTS

The 1918 college football season had no clear-cut champion, with the Official NCAA Division I Football Records Book listing Michigan and Pittsburgh as national champions.
The Spanish flu pandemic of 1918 saw the implementation of quarantines that eliminated much of that year's college football season.

Flu patients being quarantined at Iowa State

Perhaps the highest profile game was a highly publicized War Charities benefit staged at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh in front of many of the nation's top sports writers, including Walter Camp. The game pitted John Heisman's undefeated, unscored upon, and defending national champion Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets against "Pop" Warner's Pittsburgh Panthers who were sitting on a 30 game win streak. Pitt defeated Georgia Tech 32-0.

Pittsburgh hall of fame halfback Tom Davies running wild on Georgia Tech.

Due to the shortened season, a plethora of 1918 teams went unbeaten, at least against other colleges. Chief among these was 4-1 Navy, coached by our old friend Gilmore Dobie, who had gone unbeaten for 9 straight seasons at Washington 1908-1916. Had there been an AP poll in 1918, and if it ranked only college teams, Navy would almost certainly have ended up #2 behind Pitt. Their 4 wins came by an average score of 69-2, including a 127-0 demolition of an undermanned Ursinus squad. Their loss came 7-6 to Great Lakes Navy in the most talked about game of the season. Navy had outplayed Great Lakes, and led 6-0 in the closing minutes, running a play from the Great Lakes 1 yard line. However, the ball was stripped from the runner right at the goal line, and a Great Lakes player got hold of it and started running the other way. A Navy player came off the bench and tackled the player with the ball, but the referee ruled it a touchdown. Great Lakes then kicked the extra point for the win.

Navy is very close to being an MNC contender for 1918, because loss or not, that performance against 8-0-2 Great Lakes Navy marks them as one of the most powerful teams of the season. The problem for Navy is that, unlike Pitt and Michigan, they did not defeat a single strong opponent, and that's a crucial missing ingredient.

Another potential MNC contender for 1918 is 5-2 Illinois. Their losses were both 7-0 decisions to 8-0-2 Great Lakes Navy and 8-0 Chicago Naval Reserves, but they romped the colleges they played, including 19-0 at 6-2-1 Iowa, 22-0 at 3-3 Wisconsin, and 13-0 over 3-3 Ohio State. Those outcomes compare well to 5-0 Michigan's, and in fact Walter Eckersall, the preeminent Western writer of the time, declared Illinois and Michigan to be co-champions of the West. Unlike Illinois, Michigan did not play military teams (that was perhaps smart, because nothing could be gained from it aside from raising money for charities, and the military all-star teams did not make for fair matchups), so Illinois' losses are irrelevant when comparing Illinois and Michigan. The two teams attempted to schedule a "postseason" game against each other for the Western championship, but sadly, Illinois' faculty voted it down.

Unlike Navy, Illinois did beat a strong opponent-- 3 of them, in fact. 6-2-1 Iowa was particularly strong, losing their other game to Great Lakes Navy, tying Camp Dodge, and beating 5-2-1 Minnesota and 2-3-1 Nebraska (who was better than their record shows). Iowa was coached by hall of famer Howard Jones, who would take Iowa to the top of the Big Ten before moving on to even bigger things at Southern Cal in the 1920s. However, Iowa was no Syracuse or Georgia Tech, and that is Illinois' problem in contending for an MNC. They are very close, and may well have been the best college team in 1918-- they will be a top contender for the 1919 MNC-- but they did not have the kind of big win Pitt and Michigan did in 1918. Furthermore, the Great Lakes Navy team Illinois lost to was before GL Navy's coaching and lineup change-- it was the same GL Navy team tied by Northwestern and Notre Dame, and that is a big blow to Illinois' case. Navy played GL Navy when GL Navy was at their strongest, yet still gave them a far better game than did Illinois, so Navy's case to be stronger than that of Illinois.

Other notable college teams in 1918:

9-0 Texas: defeated 6-1 Texas A&M 7-0 for the state championship. Won by more than a touchdown in each of their other 8 games, though A&M was the only good team they played. Texas A&M beat no one themselves, and struggled to win 3 of their games, including a 7-0 win over Southwestern (Texas).
6-0 Oklahoma: opened up with a 103-0 win over Arkansas, then romped the rest of their opponents except for a 13-7 win over Phillips.
4-0 Colorado Mines: demolished their opponents by an average score of 46-6.
6-0 Washington-Missouri: won all of their games by more than a touchdown, including 20-7 over Nebraska.
7-0 Virginia Tech: won all of their games by more than a touchdown except for their 6-0 finale over 1-3 Virginia Military Institute.
6-0 Bucknell: stomped every team on their incredibly weak schedule. Their coach was Edgar Wingard, who had coached Louisiana State to 10-0 in 1908.
5-0 Centre: gave Camp Zachary Taylor their only loss of the season by a 10-6 score, and routed the rest of their schedule, though no one outside Kentucky noticed. But they soon would, as little Centre college was on the verge of becoming nationally famous. They would continue their winning streak with a 9-0 finish in 1919, beat Harvard in 1921 (long considered the biggest upset of all time), and conclude their 7-year window of big-time football success in 1924 by winning the championship of the South over 8-1 Alabama.

PITT 1918
Pitt lost 3 All Americans from their line heading into the 1918 season, but they returned more veterans with which to build a team than did the vast majority of college football teams, including 3 of their starting 4 backs: hall of fame fullback George "Tank" McLaren, halfback Katy Easterday, and quarterback Skip Gougler. McLaren, the captain, made consensus All American this season, and Easterday was a nonconsensus AA. But it was the new starter in the backfield that took this team to a higher level this season.

Freshman halfback Tom Davies, at just 142 pounds, gave Pitt everything they'd been missing in 1917 and then some. He led the team in rushing, passing, and receiving, and he was a good kicker and a dangerous kick returner. He was consensus AA and is in the hall of fame. His presence elevated the play of the backs around him too, because opponents could no longer mass the line waiting for McLaren, and Easterday found more room to run with everyone looking for the other 2 backs, and he was the favorite passing target for Davies as well. In 1920, Davies scored 4 touchdowns on Penn via an 80 yard run, 90 yard kickoff return, 60 yard interception return, and a forward pass. Against Syracuse the same season he rushed for 255 yards. Davies finished his 31 game career with 3931 all purpose yards and 181 points.

Another key freshman was hall of fame center Herb Stein, who would make consensus AA in 1920 and 1921. He was equally great on offense and defense, and later played pro football for 6 years. So it was 1916 all over again, with Davies in the role of halfback/kicker Andy Hastings and Stein filling the big shoes of hall of fame center Bob Peck. It's a wonder that Pitt was able to manage a 10-0 season in 1917 between the 2 pairs of players.

Tackle Leonard Hilty, a substitute for the 1916 team, returned to Pitt after a one-year stint in the Navy, and he was Pitt's 3rd consensus AA this season.

Like most teams in 1918, 4-1 Pitt played a shortened season, opening on November 9th and finishing just 3 weeks later. 6 games were canceled due to the Spanish flu pandemic, the big ones being against Great Lakes Navy and Syracuse, either of which could have had a big impact on the mythical national championship race of 1918. Syracuse had been rescheduled for November 23rd, but Pittsburgh dropped them once they convinced Georgia Tech to come up North that day.

Pitt opened with a 34-0 win over 2-2 Washington & Jefferson, then beat a decent 5-3 Penn team 37-0. A Georgia Tech scout was at the Penn game, so Pitt showed nothing but straight football. Fullback Tank McLaren was unavailable that week, but Penn could not stop Davies and Easterday running outside. Davies started the scoring with a field goal, something that had been missing from the Pitt arsenal in 1917, and then it was all touchdowns. Pitt gained 25 first downs to Penn's 1.

Then came the presumed game of the year against Georgia Tech, and all the important football men and writers came to Pittsburgh to witness it, joining a crowd of 30,000 fans in attendance. The proceeds went to the United War Work Fund. Neither team had lost since 1914, and though most writers had declared 9-0 Georgia Tech the mythical national champion over 10-0 Pittsburgh in 1917, the debate had not been settled on the field of play.

Georgia Tech returned only 2 starters from their 1917 team, hall of famers Joe Guyon and Bill Fincher, but John Heisman's "jump shift" offense was putting up even bigger numbers in 1918 than it had in 1917, beating 3 teams by over 100 points (118-0, 123-0, and 128-0), and drubbing 5-2 Clemson 28-0. They also won 28-0 over Camp Gordon, a military team that featured GT's 1917 star Everett Strupper. Georgia Tech had 3 consensus All Americans this season, as many as Pitt and 2 more than GT had in 1917. The press treated this bout as a national championship game before and after it was played.

But the game did not meet expectations, as Pitt ran away with it 32-0. The "jump shift," used by Georgia Tech on virtually every offensive play, was completely stifled by Pitt, so in that battle of the legendary coaches, Pop Warner won out over John Heisman. As he would in 1919, and then 3 more times 1920-1922, when Heisman was coaching Penn, and then yet again in 1923, when Heisman was at Washington & Jefferson. So 1918 was the first of 6 straight years Warner would frustrate Heisman.

For their part, Georgia Tech stopped fullback Tank McLaren's line plunges cold, which bodes well for their chances had the teams played in 1917, as that was all the offense Pitt had that season. But Georgia Tech had no answer for freshman halfback Tom Davies, who was similar to GT's great 1917 halfback Everett Strupper. Davies returned 2 punts for touchdowns, threw 2 touchdowns to Katy Easterday, and set up a short McLaren touchdown with a big pass reception from Easterday. All the scoring was dependent on big plays, and in fact Pitt only had 10 first downs on the day. But Georgia Tech had no big plays, and only 4 first downs, one of them gained via penalty.

The unstoppable Tom Davies, who accounted for 4 touchdowns in Pitt's 32-0 win over Georgia Tech to clinch the title for the Panthers

Pitt played their annual Thanksgiving Day game against Penn State 5 days later, and found themselves trailing for the first time, 6-0 early. But the lead didn't last long, and Pitt won 28-6, McLaren scoring 3 touchdowns. That was the end of the shortened season, and Pitt was celebrated far and wide as the best team in the nation, but Cleveland Naval Reserves challenged Pitt to come play them in Cleveland, with the proceeds again going to charity. Pitt had refused such a challenge after the 1917 season, but patriotism got the better of them this year. So only 2 days after playing Penn State, Pitt took the train to Cleveland to play an all star team of former college players.
The Cleveland Naval Reserves Game
Cleveland NR's star was quarterback Gaylord "Pete" Stinchcomb, a hall of fame player for Ohio State 1917 and 1919-1920. Stinchcomb's 1917 Ohio State team had come a game away from laying claim to a share of the MNC, but suffered a shocking upset tie to Auburn to end the season 8-0-1. Auburn's star player that day was halfback Richard "Moon" Ducote, whom game reports claimed to be nearly as strong a player as OSU superstar Chic Harley, and Moon Ducote was reunited with Stinchcomb in Cleveland NR's backfield. Ducote was a terrific kicker, and booted a mud-caked ball for a 3-0 win over Georgia in 1916. Together, Stinchcomb and Ducote made for a formidable backfield duo, and they were also joined in the backfield by Georgia Tech's 1917 fullback, Judy Harlan, a tremendous blocker and pass defender. Harlan would thus have a chance to exact revenge for his former team's beating at the hands of Pitt the previous week.

Elmer "Bird" Carroll, who had earned All American mention at Washington & Jefferson in 1917, played tackle. He would later play pro football for 2 NFL championship teams. Lesser known prior to this season was end Bruce Bierce, who had played for Akron. But he would also play for 2 title-winning NFL teams, though not the same teams for which Carroll played. A couple of other notable linemen, Charles McGuire and Bill Gorgas, came from the University of Chicago.

This ended up being the real game of the year, but far fewer football writers and dignitaries were present to see it. Pitt scored a touchdown early, driving behind line plunges by McLaren and Davies, but Davies missed the extra point, which would prove to be the difference by game's end. Cleveland NR's Judy Harlan returned an interception 35 yards in the 2nd quarter, setting up a 40 yard Moon Ducote field goal. Pitt then drove again, pushing the ball inside the Cleveland NR 1 yard line. They lined up for what would have no doubt been a Tank McLaren touchdown (he was allegedly never tackled for a loss in his 4 years of play), but as Pitt was calling the signals, the referee blew the whistle for the end of the quarter-- 5 minutes early. Pitt protested, but to no avail. The score thus stood 6-3, and would stay that way into the 4th quarter.

Moon Ducote lined up for a short tying field goal in the final period, but he just missed, hitting an upright on the goalpost. Pittsburgh drove to a 22 yard Skip Gougler field goal to up Pitt's lead to 9-3. As the quarter wound down, the Pete Stinchcomb show got under way. Stinchcomb launched Cleveland NR's winning touchdown drive with a 20 yard punt return, and then he hit Ducote with a pass for 30 yards, ran for 5 yards, caught a 15 yard pass from Ducote for the touchdown, then kicked the extra point for the win.

Due to the crucial 5 minutes that was shaved off the 2nd quarter, just as Pitt was about to score, Pitt refused to acknowledge this loss, and for many years did not list the game in their school record books, showing their 1918 team as 4-0. But eventually they accepted reality, and they now list the loss in their media guide. Every school has been "robbed" by officials' errors. The fact is that Pitt still would have won if they could have stopped Pete Stinchcomb in the end. In any case, the loss is no harm to Pitt's case for a 1918 MNC, because Cleveland NR lost to only Chicago NR, who finished 8-0. Cleveland NR finished 5-1, and in addition to Pitt, they beat Detroit NR 83-0, Cornell 83-0, and a strong Camp Grant team 14-6.

Georgia Tech team photo from 1918 with Coach John Heisman

University of Colorado team photo from 1918

1918 Michigan Wolverines, considered to be co-national champs by historical publications

Cut-outs from the Michigan football team, 1918

Penn State 1918 team photo

Fall classes did not open until October 1, when the Student Army Training Corps program went into effect on campuses across the country. Almost 1,500 “citizen soldiers” swarmed onto the campus in Iowa City, including Duke Slater and many other young men who dreamed of getting a college education paid for by the U.S. government.
What many got instead was the flu. As the war waned in Europe, a deadly plague swept the world in the form of Spanish influenza. Starting in the spring of 1918, it raged for months, ultimately killing 22 million people, more than twice as many as had died in the war. Shortly after the SATC recruits arrived at Iowa, the campus was quarantined. According to John Gerber’s A Pictorial History of The University of Iowa, “even faculty members were halted at bayonet point and not allowed on campus without proper credentials. On October 12, Iowa confronted Coe College for a game of football, but it was played behind the padlocked doors of Iowa Field. Intent on reducing the spread of the epidemic, Iowa authorities allowed no spectators in the stands, though some diehard fans collected on the Iowa River bridges and on the cliffs along the west side of the river, attempting to watch the game through powerful field glasses. Iowa won the game, without applause or cheering, 27-0. By the time the epidemic had run its course at the university, 31 men and seven women had died.

The 1919 Rose Bowl, known at the time as the Tournament East-West Football Game, was a bowl game played on Jan 1, 1919. It was the 5th Rose Bowl Game. With college football teams depleted due to World War I, the Pasadena Tournament of Roses decided to stage the game with military personnel. With approval from President Woodrow Wilson, they invited the team from the Marine detachment at the Mare Island Naval Base for the second consecutive year, while it was thet first appearance by a Navy team from the Naval Station Great Lakes.

Judge Smails · Aug 12, 2013

17 days to go ...

Consecutive conference wins for Northern Illinois: NIU enters 2013 with the longest conference win streak in FBS. The Huskies have won their past 17 MAC games.

DeKALB, Ill. -- Some kept mum. Others were more willing to express their feelings. When the Northern Illinois football team hosted a media gathering Wednesday, there were plenty of questions about Iowa. Most of the Huskies spun the discussion forward, to a season-opening matchup Aug. 31 at Kinnick Stadium.

For senior safety Jimmie Ward, however, it’s difficult to let go of last year’s 18-17 loss to the Hawkeyes. “I’m looking forward to another opportunity,” Ward said. “I’ve been thinking about it ever since we lost.”

The Huskies recovered from that setback at Soldier Field in Chicago, finishing 12-2 and earning a spot in the Orange Bowl. Along the way, quarterback Jordan Lynch turned in one of the most prolific seasons in NCAA history, passing for 3,138 yards and running for 1,815.

“They beat us last year in the final seconds,” Lynch said of the Hawkeyes. “It’s not a revenge game. It’s a whole new, different team.

“We’re still trying to find the identity of our team, but we’re excited because it’s the first game.”

Damon Bullock actually scored Iowa’s winning touchdown on a 23-yard run with 2:15 left in the fourth quarter. It came with the Hawkeyes facing a third-and-9 situation, and played out like a nightmare for the Huskies.

“I think I was at linebacker,” Ward recalled. “It was a check down. The safety was supposed to read (the play), but he didn't get there quick enough.”

Bullock finished with 150 yards on 30 carries, while Hawkeyes kicker Mike Meyer made four field goals, including a 50-yarder with 9:33 left.

“I wish I can get that back,” Ward said. “But hey, we can prove it again this year.”

The national pundits are wondering if Northern Illinois can prove itself as a perennial BCS buster. First-year coach Rod Carey tried to temper expectations.

“This isn’t the same team,” he said. “I think the mood (this summer) is eerily similar (to last year).

“We’ve got a lot of work to do before we’re ready to go to Iowa City and play that football game.”

Nobody will be shocked if Northern Illinois beats Iowa, which finished 4-8 last fall. The Hawkeyes are in the middle of a three-way quarterback competition, while Lynch is being touted as a potential Heisman Trophy candidate. Northern Illinois launched a promotional campaign, sending “Lunch With Lynch” foam sandwich bags to potential Heisman voters.

A coffee mug also honors the 6-foot, 216-pound senior, who will host a weekly Internet program.

“How to win the Heisman is to win games, first,” Lynch said. “We’re excited to be back out here.”

Lynch is one of eight returning starters for the Huskies offense. The defense, meanwhile, will have six new starters. All of them will try to maintain the same chip on their shoulders.

“The only way we go back into the past is to help us in the future,” tailback Akeem Daniels said. “We’re letting go all of last season and seasons before that.

“We’re just preparing for what’s upcoming.”

Last MAC loss: Oct. 1, 2011 at Central Michigan, 48-41

2010 MAC Record: 8-0, lost to Miami, OH in championship game
2011 MAC Record: 7-1, defeated Ohio 23-20 in championship game
2012 MAC Record: 8-0, defeated Kent State 44-37 in championship game

Judge Smails · Aug 13, 2013

16 days to go ...

Conference realignment: There will be 16 teams with new conference/independent homes entering the 2013 season.

ACC
2013
In: Pittsburgh and Syracuse from the Big East.

AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE (formerly Big East)
2013
In: Houston, Memphis, SMU and UCF from CUSA.
Out: Pittsburgh and Syracuse to the ACC.
Note: The Big East adopts a new name in 2013 after the league's multiple catholic schools split. The conference retains its automatic entry into the BCS bowls this year.

CUSA
2013
In: FAU, FIU, Middle Tennessee and North Texas from the Sun Belt; WAC orphans Louisiana Tech and UTSA.
Out: Houston, Memphis, SMU and UCF to the American Athletic Conference.
Note: CUSA will have two 7-team divisions. The West will contain Louisiana Tech, North Texas, Rice, Tulsa, UTEP, UTSA and Tulane. The East will contain FAU, FIU East Carolina, Marshall, Middle Tennessee, Southern Miss and UAB. Each team will play eight conference games, including two teams from the opposite division.

INDEPENDENTS
2013
In: WAC orphans Idaho and New Mexico State

MOUNTAIN WEST
2013
In: WAC orphans San Jose State and Utah State
Note: The Mountain West will have two six-team divisions and will stage a championship contest between the two division winners beginning in 2013. The new football alignments will feature Air Force, Boise State, Colorado State, New Mexico, Utah State and Wyoming in the Mountain Division and Fresno State, Hawaii, Nevada, San Diego State, San Jose State and UNLV in the West Division. The inaugural football championship will be played December 7 at the home stadium of the school with the highest BCS ranking.

SUN BELT
2013
In: Georgia State from FCS; Texas State from WAC
Out: FAU, FIU, Middle Tennessee and North Texas to CUSA

1916 COLLEGE FOOTBALL HIGHLIGHTS

Pittsburgh center and captain Robert Peck alongside head coach Pop Warner. 8-0 Pittsburgh would have been #1 in a 1916 AP poll by a landslide.

Almost all of the key players from the 1915 team returned this season for Pitt. Hall of Fame center Bob Peck was the captain, and he repeated this season as consensus All American at his position. Other returning starters included end James "Pat" Herron (Pitt's other consensus AA this season), guard Jock Sutherland (consensus AA 1917, and later a Hall of Fame coach), halfback James DeHart (nonconsensus AA), and halfback/kicker Andy Hastings (nonconsensus AA). Hastings led the team in scoring for the third straight year, and finished his career with a total of 1527 rushing yards.

But this team saw a big upgrade with its array of new starters this season, headlined by Hall of Fame fullback George "Tank" McLaren, who had started the last 2 games of 1915, and would be consensus AA in 1918. An unstoppable line plunger, he was allegedly never tackled for a loss in 4 years of play. For his career, he totaled 183 points and 1920 rushing yards.

Tackle Claude "Tiny" Thornhill was a nonconsensus AA, guard Dale Sies would be consensus AA in 1917, and end Clifford Carlson would be nonconsensus AA in 1917. Like Jock Sutherland, Carlson would go on to become a Hall of Fame coach at his alma mater, albeit in basketball. He coached Pitt 1922-1953, going 367-247 and winning 2 national championships.

This season's 8-0 Pitt team outscored their opponents 255-25, which is rather similar to the 247-26 total posted by the 8-0 Pitt team of 1915. However, this year Pitt played twice as many top 25 caliber opponents as they had played the previous season, and even 5-4 Syracuse was a stronger opponent than all but 2 they had played in 1915.

Pittsburgh's only challenge this season came in their second game at Navy, and they were fortunate to win the game at all. They vastly outgained Navy, pulling off many runs of 30 to 60 yards, but they also fumbled often and had trouble fielding punts, and that gave Navy short fields to work with. Both teams scored 3 touchdowns, but Pitt's Andy Hastings was 2 of 3 on extra points, Navy 1 of 3, and that handed Pitt a 20-19 decision.

Most of Pitt's games after that were huge routs. They won 30-0 at Syracuse (5-4), McLaren scoring 2 touchdowns and Hastings kicking 3 extra points and a field goal. Syracuse was held to 4 first downs. Walter Camp was in attendance, and later proclaimed Pitt to be "the greatest eleven in America." They won 20-0 over rival Penn (7-3-1, would have ranked #16-20), Hastings scoring a touchdown, 2 extra points, and 2 field goals. Hastings was out for the next game against Washington & Jefferson (8-2, #21-25), but it made no difference as Pitt romped 37-0 behind a ramped-up passing attack and a big game by halfback James DeHart.

For the third year in a row, Pitt played their next-door neighbor, Carnegie, as a warm-up game before their finale against rival Penn State. Carnegie had visions of becoming a big-time football school, and this season they scheduled Yale and Cornell in addition to Pitt. They lost to all 3, but stomped on their minor-school opponents to finish 4-3. Hastings was still out, and this time Pitt struggled mightily on offense. They scored early on an 82 yard fumble return touchdown, and Tank McLaren scored a 2nd quarter touchdown that was set up by a 26 yard pass, but Pitt managed no scoring threats after that, and in fact the game was played on Pitt's side of the field the rest of the way. But Bob Peck had a great game on defense, and the only score Carnegie could muster was a 30 yard touchdown pass on a fake field goal early in the 4th quarter, leaving Pitt the 14-6 winner.

Andy Hastings returned to the line-up for the Thanksgiving Day game against Penn State, the last game of his career, and he made it a fitting finale. He had a 75 yard touchdown run, 2 long touchdown passes, 2 field goals, and hit all 4 extra point tries, leading Pitt to an easy 31-0 win. Penn State had no scoring threats. They finished 8-2, their other loss coming 15-0 at Penn, and would have ranked around #25 in an AP poll had there been one.

COLGATE
For years Colgate had been the little team that could, and was already a bit of a darling in the Eastern press, all thanks to head coach Laurence Bankart, a Dartmouth grad who went 28-7-3 in his short career at Colgate in 1910 and 1913-1916. In his first year, Colgate beat Syracuse and tied 7-2-1 Brown. After 2 years off, Bankart returned in 1913, and his team tied Cornell and beat Yale, finishing 6-1-1. By this point, everyone was aware of them, but they beat 8-2 Cornell in 1914, and they beat Army and Yale in 1915, finishing 5-1. Colgate would continue to field strong teams through 1932, when they went 9-0, earning a national championship selection for that season from Parke Davis.

Colgate's 1916 team featured 3 consensus All Americans, 1 more than Pitt: quarterback Oscar Anderson and tackles Clarence Horning and Belford West. Anderson, who had been a nonconsensus AA selection at halfback the previous season, was a good passer, rusher, and kick returner, and later played pro football. Horning was the captain, and also played in the pros. West (pictured) would repeat as consensus AA in 1919, and is in the Hall of Fame. He was also a good passer, and a very strong kicker, booting a 52 yard field goal against Syracuse in 1919.

Colgate finished 8-1, losing to 8-1 Yale, who lost to 8-1 Brown, whom Colgate defeated. But these may well have been the 3 best teams in the country, and Colgate is easily separated from the other two because they played both on the road, stomped on Brown, and they dominated Yale despite taking a close loss.

Colgate's first big game was a trip to Illinois, who had not lost in 3 years. This was a highly anticipated intersectional matchup, though Illinois would end up down this year, finishing 3-3-1. Illinois had injury problems, and could not cash in on scoring opportunities, while Colgate had success both running and passing, and led at half 9-0. Colgate added an 18 yard touchdown pass after a blocked punt, and Illinois kicked a 4th quarter field goal to save face, but Colgate won 15-3.

Colgate cruised to 5-0 heading into a much bigger game at Yale, whom they had beaten twice in the previous 3 years, and Yale was thus ready for war in this one. Yale was also 5-0, beating 4-3 Carnegie 25-0 (Pitt beat them 14-6), Virginia 61-3, 6-2-1 Lehigh 12-0, 7-2 Virginia Tech 19-0, and 8-2 Washington & Jefferson 36-14. Colgate dominated the game, earning 18 first downs to Yale's 11, but they were hindered by penalties, totaling 95 yards to Yale's 30, and Colgate fans who had made the trip taunted the referees throughout the game.

In a crucial stand early in the game, Yale stopped Colgate on downs right at the goal line, and Colgate led just 3-0 on a Belford West field goal going into the 4th quarter. Yale's punting (44 yard average) helped them keep it close, and while Colgate also punted well (37 yard average), they had 2 disastrously poor punts that went off the side of halfback Charles Hubbell's foot in the 4th quarter. The first led to no score, but the second, which went out of bounds at the Colgate 20, led to a Yale touchdown pass and subsequent 7-3 final score. Yale dominated play in the 4th quarter, missing 2 field goals, one hitting the uprights, the other hitting the crossbar.

Colgate's next real test was at Syracuse, whom head coach Bankart was 2-1-1 against in their 4 previous meetings. Syracuse only finished 5-4 in 1916, but they were a rival, and had won 38-0 the previous season, dealing Colgate their only loss, as well as scoring the only points Colgate gave up that year. Colgate already had an eye on their next game at unbeaten Brown in 2 weeks, and so they put their passing and finesse game away and showed nothing but line plunges at Syracuse, despite the fact that Syracuse sported a much bigger line. Colgate made no substitutions in this game, but their defense was impregnable, they greatly outpunted Syracuse, and Oscar Anderson had a good day returning punts, so the game was played almost entirely on Syracuse's side. Colgate led 8-0 on a safety and 2 Belford West field goals, one from 48 yards out, and they added a touchdown on the last play of the game for the 15-0 final score.

Brown v. Colgate

Brown was 8-0 coming into the Thanksgiving Day finale against 7-1 Colgate, and they were already practically conceded the Eastern championship over Pitt and Army by the press, as no one had come close to them, or even scored a touchdown on them, and they had won at Yale 21-6 and at Harvard (7-3) 21-0. Indeed, had they beaten Colgate by any score, they would be the mythical national champion of 1916, and it would be hard to see a reason for Pitt or Army to share the imaginary title. Brown was led by Hall of Fame (college and pro) halfback Fritz Pollard, who would go on to become one of the first black players in the NFL, and whom Walter Camp called "one of the greatest runners these eyes have ever seen."

But after their loss to Yale, Colgate had dedicated the rest of their season to beating Brown, and they took up residence outside Providence for a week before the game to practice. Gameday delivered a cold, heavy rain that turned the field into mud, and as such they merely repeated their gameplan against Syracuse: all line plunges. So although they had played Syracuse that way so as not to tip the offense they were practicing to scouts, it ended up being the best possible preparation they could have had for the Brown game, and they ironically ended up showing scouts exactly what they were going to do against Brown.

Colgate completely dominated the game, winning 28-0 and shocking followers of the sport nationwide. Fritz Pollard was stopped cold on offense, though he starred for Brown on defense. Colgate scored a touchdown in each quarter, Anderson the offensive star. Tackle Belford West scored on a 30 yard fumble return, and kicked 4 extra points. Halfback Charles Hubbell had a great day punting, and also chipped in a touchdown.

ARMY

Army went 9-0, just as they had in 1914, but this was an almost completely different team from the 1914 edition, while Hall of Fame center John McEwan still manned the middle. He had been a consensus All American in 1914, but was relegated to the second team by Pitt's Hall of Fame center Bob Peck in 1915 and 1916. McEwan later coached successfully at Army, Oregon, and Holy Cross.

Army had another Hall of Famer at halfback, Elmer Oliphant (pictured), as he led the team in scoring with 112 points, and was Army's only consensus AA (he would repeat as consensus AA in 1917). He was a multi-sport star, and set a world record in the 220 yard low hurdles on grass.

Tackle Biff Jones gives Army a third player who made the Hall of Fame, but he was inducted as a coach, going 87-33-15 at Army, LSU, Oklahoma, and Nebraska. He and McEwan both won at least 70% of their games as coaches.

Fullback Gene Vidal provided Army a line-hitting counterpoint to Oliphant, and he also handled the punting and split kicking duties with Oliphant. Vidal had been the star player for South Dakota 1913-1915, and is best known now as the father of writer Gore Vidal.

Army opened with a highly unimpressive 3-0 victory over Lebanon Valley. Vidal hit the field goal late in the first half, after just missing a 30 yard try in the first quarter. There were many penalties on both teams, but Army was the worst offender. Oliphant was Army's leading rusher, Vidal had some big gains, and McEwan was the defensive star at roving center.

In their next game, Army hosted Washington & Lee, a team that had been on the rise for years. Army scored early to lead 7-0, and it looked like that would be all they needed, because Army tackled W&L runners behind the line all game long. Oliphant and McEwan had great defensive games. But W&L hit 2 long passes in the 2nd quarter to reach the Army 4, and were then able to push the ball over for the tying touchdown on 4th down. The score stayed 7-7 until Army finally put over another touchdown in the 4th quarter to win 14-7.

Although Washington & Lee was considered a strong opponent, Army's lack of offense and propensity for errors in their first 2 games lowered the expectations for their season considerably. A 17-0 win over 4-5 Holy Cross did little to temper concerns with the offense, but then they scored 53 on Trinity (Connecticut) and 69 on Villanova, and while those teams were quite bad, the offense kept rolling in their biggest game of the year against 4-0 Notre Dame.

Notre Dame had beaten them in 1913 and 1915, and was on the verge of passing Army up as a football power. But not this year. Notre Dame scored first on a 45 yard field goal, but Army answered with 2 of their own in the second quarter, giving them a 6-3 halftime lead. Notre Dame retook the lead 10-6 in the third quarter, then Oliphant hit Vidal on a long pass that went to the Dame 1, and after an Army penalty, Vidal caught a touchdown pass to finish the aerial drive. Army continued to throw the ball all over the field in the 4th quarter, and the game became a rout, a mirror image of Notre Dame's pass-happy upset of Army in 1913. McEwan once again had a great game on defense, and Biff Jones was cited as a standout as well. Vidal scored 3 touchdowns and a field goal, while Oliphant kicked 2 field goals and 3 extra points, the duo providing all the points in Army's 30-10 win.

Over the next 2 games, Army returned to the weak offense and sloppy play that had marked their early games, beating Maine 17-3 and Springfield 17-2, but their substitutes played at least half of each game. The subs started against Maine, but the regulars had to come in to secure the win. The regulars started against Springfield (a decent 5-2-1 team), but went out at halftime with a 17-0 lead. After that, poor tackling and much fumbling were exhibited by the subs.

Which brings us to the big finale against Navy, played this year before 45,000 fans at the Polo Grounds in New York. Oliphant returned the opening kickoff 83 yards, setting up his own touchdown run. He added a field goal, and Vidal caught a touchdown pass, and Army led 15-0 at half, after which they packed it in, focusing on defense and punting the rest of the way. But they didn't focus enough, as Navy blocked a punt for a touchdown to close the scoring at 15-7.

Ohio State v. Wisconsin and the Buckeyes v. Northwestern (for the Big Ten title)

Ohio State had 2 weeks to prepare for Wisconsin (the game pictured above), who had beaten them 3 years in a row, giving them their only loss in 1915 by a score of 21-0. 12,500 fans attended, a record for the state of Ohio, and the game was as dramatic as the previous against Illinois. Wisconsin scored first on a touchdown pass in the 2nd quarter, but Chic Harley answered with a 27 yard touchdown run and extra point to tie the game 7-7. It remained that way until the 4th quarter, when Harley returned a punt 80 yards for a touchdown and added the extra point. Wisconsin then drove to a touchdown, scoring on 4th and 1, but they missed the extra point, and OSU won 14-13. Fans came down and carried Chic Harley off the field in celebration.

Ohio State routed a couple of lightweights, Indiana and Case, bringing them to their finale with Northwestern. Both teams were 6-0, so this game was for the conference championship, something no one could have expected before the season. Northwestern had not had a winning season in 11 years, and had gone 2-5 in 1915 and 1-6 in each of the 2 seasons prior to that. However, their 6-0 record this season had been built on a very weak schedule, as they did not play Minnesota, Wisconsin, or Illinois. The only winning opponent they had played was 4-3 Iowa, whom they only beat by 7, and they also struggled to beat 2-4-1 Indiana by 7, so Ohio State was a big favorite to win. Still, Northwestern put up quite the fight before the floodgates opened on them in the 4th quarter.

Ohio State led 3-0 at half on a 34 yard Harley field goal, but Northwestern tied the game up 3-3 early in the 4th quarter, and that's when Chic Harley opened up a Costco-sized can of maximum strength whoop-ass (that's him with the ball and a can opener in the picture above). He ran for 63 and 15 yard touchdowns, then threw a 28 yard pass to set up another touchdown, and Ohio State won the game and conference championship 23-3.

October 7, 1916 --- Georgia Tech Engineers v. Cumberland College Bulldogs

Cumberland College, a school in Lebanon, Tennessee, had discontinued its football program before the season but was not allowed to cancel its game against the Engineers. The fact that Cumberland's baseball team had crushed Georgia Tech earlier that year 22–0 (amidst allegations that Cumberland used professionals as ringers) probably accounted for Georgia Tech coach John Heisman's running up the score on the Bulldogs, Heisman also being the Engineers' baseball coach.

He insisted on the schools' scheduling agreement, which required Cumberland to pay $3,000 ($63,294 in inflation-adjusted terms) to Tech if its football team failed to show.So, George E. Allen (who was elected to serve as Cumberland's football team student manager after first serving as the baseball team student manager) put together a team of 14 men to travel to Atlanta as Cumberland's football team.

Another reason for Heisman's plan to run up the score was that collegiate rules at the time ranked teams based on how many points they scored. Heisman did not consider that statistic a true mark of a team's success, and may have unleashed his players on Cumberland to make his point.

When the game began, Georgia Tech scored on its first play. Cumberland fumbled on the next play, and Tech returned it for a touchdown. Cumberland fumbled again on its first play, and Tech scored two plays later. And on and on.

After one quarter, Tech led, 63-0. At halftime, the score was 126-0. In a 1998 Georgia Tech alumni publication, Frank Burns, the Cumberland historian, quoted from Heisman’s halftime pep talk: “We’re ahead, but you just can’t tell what those Cumberland players have up their sleeves. They may spring a surprise. Be alert, men.”

There was no surprise. As The Atlanta Journal wrote, “As a general rule, the only thing necessary for a touchdown was to give a Tech back the ball and holler, ‘Here he comes’ and ‘There he goes.’ ”

Heisman finally showed mercy, agreeing to cut the second half to 15 minutes, but it mattered little. The game ended with no first downs for either team. Georgia Tech scored every time on its first, second or third play. Cumberland’s only play of note was a 10-yard pass, little help since it came on fourth-and-22.

Among the game statistics:

Rushing: Georgia Tech 978 yards, Cumberland minus-42.
Passing: Georgia Tech 0 for 0. Cumberland 2 for 18 for 14 yards and 6 interceptions.
Turnovers: Georgia Tech 0, Cumberland 15.

TOURNAMENT OF ROSES, January 1, 1917

This year's Eastern representative at the Tournament of Roses game was Pennsylvania, coming in at 7-2-1. In mid-October, Penn's faculty had already approved a trip West to play Cal over the Christmas holidays, but that game was supplanted by this one. 26,000 fans attended, a huge jump from the number at the previous year's rainy game. Penn was a heavy favorite to win, even amongst Western newspapers and coaches. Penn coach Bob Folwell was so confident that he invited Oregon coach Hugo Bezdek to a Penn practice, and showed him a reverse double pass play. Oregon then used that very play to score the game's opening (and ultimately deciding) touchdown.

Penn drove 3 times inside the Oregon 10 with no points to show for it, and the game was largely a punting contest, scoreless until late in the 3rd quarter, when Shy Huntington threw a 15 yard touchdown pass using Penn's gimmick play. Oregon added a touchdown in the 4th for the 14-0 final score. In addition to the touchdown pass, Shy Huntington kicked the extra points and picked off 3 Penn passes.

That left Penn at 7-3-1, an improvement over the previous year's Eastern invitee, Brown, as Penn was at least top 25 caliber. However, Penn was at most the 8th best team in the East (where the New York Times ranked them in December), and a post-bowl national AP poll would have found Penn outside the top 15, so they provide little boost to Oregon's case for sharing the 1916 MNC. To gain that share, Oregon really needed to beat Washington, which they came a point away from doing. Although Washington had not lost in 9 years, they were a drag on Oregon because they played nobody else of value this season, and only won 14-7 at home over a mediocre Cal team.

7-0-1 Oregon may have been as strong a team as Pittsburgh, Colgate, or Army, but a 14-0 win over a #16-20 team and a tie with another unbeaten team that did nothing else of value do not add up to an MNC. And although the final scores may not seem so far apart, Oregon's 14-0 win over Penn was not as impressive as Pitt's 20-0 win over Penn. Oregon outgained Penn 242 yards to 230, giving up 198 yards on the ground. Pitt outgained Penn 290 yards to 114, giving up just 48 rushing.

Judge Smails · Aug 14, 2013

15 days to go ...

Oregon road win streak: In addition to starting 2013 with a new coach, Oregon enters the season with 15-game road win streak, the longest in FBS. The Ducks' last road loss was in November of 2009 at Stanford

OCT. 18, 2012, TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Kenjon Barner ran for 143 yards and three touchdowns, Marcus Mariota added 135 yards, and No. 2 Oregon manhandled Arizona State in a 43-21 victory Thursday night.

Facing its first true road test, Oregon (7-0, 4-0 Pac-12) turned what was supposed to be a duel in the desert into another "we’ve-seen-this-before" rout by running over the Sun Devils in the first half. The Ducks had their way against what had been the Pac-12′s best defense, racing to a 36-point halftime lead and rushing for 406 yards to win their nation-leading 12th straight road game.

Arizona State (5-2, 3-1) got the start it wanted, forcing a fumble on Oregon’s second play and scoring a touchdown on its first. The Sun Devils wilted after that, unable to make up for the early loss of star defensive tackle Will Sutton or find a way to slow down the Ducks as they raced past.

The Ducks ended the 2012 season (5 wins) with 3 more road wins (at Southern Cal, at Cal and the Civil War game at Oregon State) to go along with their earlier road win at Washington State. In 2011 (4 wins), the Ducks won at Arizona, Colorado, Washington and Stanford. In 2010 (6 wins), Oregon went out and won at Tennessee, at Arizona State, at Washington State, at Southern Cal, at Cal and another Civil War win in Reser Stadium over Oregon State.

Oregon had 6 road games again in 2009 (4-2 record) and won the road finale at Arizona on Nov. 21 in a double OT thriller. Two weeks earlier, the Ducks lost 51-42 at Stanford: STANFORD, Calif. -- Toby Gerhart and Stanford did to the Oregon defense what the Ducks did a week ago to Southern California, opening up the Pac-10 race with a program-defining victory. Gerhart ran for a school-record 223 yards and three scores, Andrew Luck threw for two touchdowns and Stanford held on to beat Oregon (No. 8 BCS, No. 7 AP) 51-42 Saturday to become bowl eligible for the first time in eight years. "This was definitely my biggest win since I've been here at Stanford," Gerhart said, ranking it ahead of the victory over No. 2 USC two years ago. "I think it's definitely bigger than the USC win because it gets us to that bowl game. All our seniors, the goal coming in was to be a bowl team. This was by far the biggest win. The students storming the field, that was an awesome feeling." Stanford had lost in its past five games with a chance to become eligible for a bowl and now are in position to play a postseason game for the first time since Tyrone Willingham's final year in 2001 after snapping a seven-game losing streak to the Ducks. The loss by Oregon (7-2, 5-1 Pac-10) just a week after gaining 613 yards in a 47-20 win over USC cost the Ducks any shot at a berth in the Bowl Championship Series title game and took away any margin for error if they want to win the conference outright. Oregon rallied with two late touchdowns to cut a 20-point lead down to six, but Stanford (6-3, 5-2) recovered an onside kick with 2:38 to go and tacked on Nate Whitaker's third field goal with 11 seconds left to seal the win. "We got beat by a better team," coach Chip Kelly said. "If you say we got caught looking behind or looking ahead, it takes away from Stanford. Stanford is a heck of a football team."

2012 BEST SEASON SINCE 1915 FOR VANDERBILT

James Franklin is trying to make sure his Vanderbilt Commodores stay as hungry to compete as they have been the past two seasons. Turns out, taking part in Vandy's best year since 1915 has only whet their appetites for more.

Much more.

Still, the Commodores say nothing counts except the season opener Aug. 29 when they host Mississippi and that no game exists after that. They have bought into Franklin's single-minded approach very well since going 6-7 in the coach's first season with a 9-4 record in 2012 that was the Commodores' most wins ever in the Southeastern Conference.

''We've had a little bit of success, but this isn't the success that we want,'' senior quarterback Austyn Carta-Samuels said.

''We want to win 10, 12 games every single year. It's not about the little success that we've had in the six and the nine. We'll focus on games at a time and right now it's focusing on Vanderbilt. And then we'll play Ole Miss, and that's the only game on our schedule at the current moment. But we're looking to win championships here consistently.''

COLLEGE FOOTBALL HIGHLIGHTS, 1915

Vanderbilt was a scoring machine in 1915, pounding opponents 514 to 38 on the season, but it was Cornell and Pitt that lay claim to the season's mythical national championship.

Cornell's first national championship was carried home by superstar quarterback Charley Barrett (carrying the ball in the picture below). Cornell finished 9-0, and in a season full of contenders, the Big Red are the consensus choice for the 1915 mythical national championship, and would have run away with #1 had there been an AP poll that season.

Pittsburgh, who had just hired Pop Warner away from Carlisle this season, went 8-0, and many newspapers referred to them as the Eastern "co-champion" at the time. Unfortunately, Pitt's schedule was rather light, and they struggled to beat Penn 14-7, so two unbeaten and untied Western teams actually make better contenders to Cornell's mythical crown than Pitt does.

The first Western contender is 8-0 Nebraska, who beat 7-1 Notre Dame 20-19 and routed every other team they played.

The second is 7-0 Washington State, who defeated 5-4-1 Brown 14-0 in the second Rose Bowl game ever played (and first in 14 years).

College football truly went national in 1915, because in addition to the Rose Bowl, there were 4 other games played between teams in the far West and teams East of the Mississippi. That makes it much more possible to gauge the power of Northwestern teams this season-- and they looked to have been pretty good, splitting those five intersectional games 2-2-1 (and major Northwestern teams were 2-1).

Harvard's three-time All-American fullback Eddie Mahan was rated by Jim Thorpe as the best player he ever faced.

CORNELL
Cornell had long been fielding strong football teams, but they had never come reasonably close to a national championship season before. They were generally a #11-20 type team, but fielded top 10 caliber teams in 1901 and for 3 straight years 1906-1908. 1909-1913 they were mediocre, going 23-20-3, and were top 25 caliber just twice. In 1914, they went 8-2, and would have ranked about #13. 1915 was their first season going unbeaten and untied (9-0), and the first time they ever beat Harvard. Yale grad Albert Sharpe was the head coach, going 34-21-1 1912-1917, and 50-42-5 for his career at 3 schools. He never had a season even close to as good as this one though, and his overall mediocrity as a coach has me thinking that Cornell can thank their players for their 1915 showing.

Cornell captain Charley Barrett was generally considered the best quarterback of this decade. He was consensus All American in 1914 and 1915, and is in the Hall of Fame. Despite playing only one half in most of Cornell's games, Barrett scored an amazing 22 touchdowns, and he was the kicker too, totaling 161 points. That is better than Michigan halfback Willie Heston's best scoring season 1901-1904, and only Carlisle halfback Jim Thorpe 1911-1912 surpasses Barrett's numbers. Barrett also handled the punting, and was Cornell's best defensive player as well, but he wasn't much of a student, and he had trouble staying eligible to play. After the season, his football eligibility expired, the school cut him loose as a student as well.

End Murray Shelton was Cornell's other consensus AA, and he is also in the Hall of Fame. He was a great blocker, a good receiver (though little used in that regard this season), and he was also an All American basketball player. Center William "Gib" Cool was a nonconsensus AA who was great on defense, and unusually strong on kick coverage for a center. He was quarterback Barrett's roommate and close friend, and in a 45-0 win over Virginia Tech, the two switched places so that Cool could score his only career touchdown behind Barrett's blocking. Tackle Fred Gillies and halfback Fritz Shiverick would be nonconsensus AA in 1916. Shiverick had a great game against Harvard after Barrett was knocked out, sealing Cornell's biggest win with his punting and kicking. The other halfback, Carlton Collins, is in the Lacrosse Hall of Fame. Collins fumbled often, but he and Shiverick were strong runners, which kept opponents from keying on Barrett, enabling the tremendous season he had.

Cornell's Season
This team was called the Big Red Machine, and they defeated every opponent by more than a touchdown. Their schedule, however, was rather weak, and they really played a one game season-- Harvard. They were less than sharp in their opener, a 13-0 win over Gettysburg (3-6). Gettysburg actually outplayed them a bit in the first quarter, gaining 3 first downs to Cornell's 1, but the game ended 12-5 for Cornell in that regard. Barrett scored both Cornell touchdowns, in the 2nd and 4th quarters, but he missed on 2 field goal attempts, and halfback Collins fumbled twice at the Gettysburg goal line. Barrett's kick returns kept Cornell in Gettysburg territory the last 3 quarters. Cornell mowed through their next 3 warm-up opponents by an average of 40-3, Barrett scoring 8 touchdowns and 10 extra points. He returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown against Bucknell, and retired from the game at half with 4 touchdowns.

Harvard v. Cornell
Cornell's real season began (and perhaps ended) with a trip to Harvard October 23rd. Harvard was 4-0, and had not lost a game in 4 years, but Cornell won 10-0, their first ever victory over Harvard, and easily the biggest win in school history to that point. Harvard star Eddie Mahan fumbled the opening kickoff, and Murray Shelton recovered for Cornell at the 25 yard line. Cornell then drove straight down for a Barrett touchdown, and as quickly as that, the game was as good as over. Barrett was knocked out of the game in the first quarter, but Cornell's defense, and Fritz Shiverick's punting in Barrett's absence, ensured the finality of the initial touchdown. Harvard only had 3 threats in the game. In the first quarter, they were stopped on 4th and a half yard to go at the Cornell 33, and they were stopped again at the Cornell 35 in the 2nd. In the 3rd, they drove to the Cornell 25, but Mahan threw an interception at the 10. Mahan also lost 3 fumbles in the game, and Cornell's ends kept him from getting away for his usual big kick returns. Cornell had a lot of fumble problems themselves, but only one was recovered by Harvard. Shiverick had a great day punting, and in one key play, he punted an 86 yarder into the wind from his own goal line. He missed 2 field goal attempts, and had another blocked, but kicked a 38 yarder in the 4th quarter to make the 10-0 final score. Harvard finished the season 8-1, and with wins over 8-1 Virginia, 6-2 Princeton, and 7-2 Penn State, Harvard might have been the 2nd best team this season.

The Rest of the Season
Cornell's next "big" game was a trip to Ann Arbor, but Michigan was weak this season (finishing 4-3-1), and Cornell dismayed 23,000 Michigan fans with a 34-7 romp, Barrett and Collins each scoring 2 touchdowns, and Shiverick adding another. The "best team in the country" talk, which had started after the Harvard game, reached a fever pitch after Michigan. Believing the hype that they were unbeatable, Cornell got a bit sloppy over their final 2 games, falling behind at the half of each before pulling away for big wins. First up was Washington & Lee, who was coming in at 6-0-1, and had not lost a game in 2 years. Washington & Lee jumped out to a 21-13 halftime lead over Cornell, scoring 2 touchdowns that were set up by Collins fumbles, but Charley Barrett was too much for them. He scored 5 touchdowns, one of them from 90 yards out, and kicked 4 extra points. Collins also chipped in a touchdown to make up for one of his fumbles, and Cornell won 40-21.

Cornell's finale had been played at Penn on Thanksgiving Day every year since 1895, and that tradition would last until 1939, when the game was played on a Saturday. The game continued to be held on Penn's home field until 1964, when it became a normal home-and-home series. The two teams still meet in their finales every year, but have not played on Thanksgiving Day since 1989. Heading into the 1915 game, Penn had a commanding 18-3-1 record in the series, but they were poor this year (finishing 3-5-2), and Cornell was expected to run away with the game. But they didn't do so until the 4th quarter. Barrett opened the scoring with a touchdown in the 2nd quarter, but Penn answered with their own, set up by a 40 yard pass to the Cornell 1. Penn then added a 28 yard field goal and led at halftime 9-7. The rest of the game was all Cornell, but it stayed 9-7 until the 4th because Barrett missed 2 3rd quarter field goals. He took the lead in the 4th on a 24 yard touchdown, then kicked a field goal, and Shiverick chipped in a touchdown for the 24-9 final score. In addition to scoring 18 points, Barrett was also singled out by newspapers as the defensive player of the game, breaking up many plays and passes.

College ('62) and NFL ('65) Hall of Famer Guy Chamberlain of Nebraska, who played HB before moving to End and winning numerous awards for the Huskers

PITT
Pittsburgh had long been working their way up the college football ladder, going 78-25-3 1904-1914, and posting perfect records in 1904 and 1910. They had been a strong 8-1 team in 1914, and Pop Warner's arrival as coach in 1915 put them over the top. They would not lose again until the finale of the 1918 season, 32 straight wins, and they are credited with as many as 3 national championships during that time. Pop Warner was a Cornell grad who had also coached there for 5 seasons. Prior to 1915, he had been the coach at Carlisle, winning a MNC in 1911, but he did even better at Pitt, going 60-12-4 1915-1923. After that he moved on to Stanford, where he is credited with another MNC in 1926, and after a stint at Temple he finished his career at 319-106-32, setting a record for major football coaching wins that stood for more than 40 years.

Pitt's players were relatively lightly regarded in 1915, and the team had only one consensus All American, and no other nonconsensus selections, but the roster was full of players who would become All Americans in later seasons, and several would become Hall of Famers. The one consensus All American was center Robert Peck, who would repeat in 1916 and is in the Hall of Fame. End James Herron would be consensus AA in 1916. Guard Jock Sutherland, who emerged as a starter midseason, would be consensus AA in 1917, and is in the Hall of Fame as a coach. He went 33-8-2 in 5 years at Lafayette, including 9-0 in 1921, and 111-20-12 at Pitt 1924-1938. That gives him a total of 144-28-14, good for 11th place all time in FBS coaching win percentage, and his teams won as many as 5 national championships.
Though lightly decorated compared to many players on the roster, halfback Andy Hastings was the star. He was the team's leading rusher in 1914 and 1915, and also handled field goal kicking. His 255 career points (1914-1916 and 1919) are still 3rd best in school history. But all he has to show for it is one nonconsensus AA selection in 1916. The other halfback, James DeHart, would also be a nonconsensus AA in 1916. Not decorated at all were quarterback Guy Williamson and fullback Ted Fry, who also punted and generally kicked extra points. Both were seniors, so would not be around to get nationally noticed over the next few years like the underclassmen would. Another fullback, George "Tank" McLaren, would be consensus AA in 1918, and is in the Hall of Fame. He played little this season, emerging as a starter and future star in the next-to-last game against Carnegie. He also started against Penn State in the finale, but he was substituted out early.

Pittsburgh's Season

8-0 Pittsburgh arranged their schedule quite nicely this season, playing each of their 4 patsies the week before each of their 4 tough opponents. And 2 of their tough opponents turned out to be weak this year, 3-5-1 Navy and 3-5-2 Penn, so Pitt was little challenged. Still, a trip to one of those weak teams, 3-5-2 Penn, gave Pitt their only trouble, little though it was. Pitt dominated the game start to finish, but only won 14-7. Pitt was stopped early at the Penn 2 yard line, and later missed a field goal. Hastings and Hart scored the touchdowns in the 2nd and 4th quarters, Fry kicking the extra points. Penn's touchdown came in the 4th, and was set up by a Pitt fumble.

Washington & Jefferson came in at 5-0-1, following 10-0-1 and 10-1 finishes the 2 previous seasons, but Pitt handled them easily, 19-0. W&J's powerful passing offense was stymied, and they advanced no real scoring threat in the first half, managing only a missed 55 yard field goal attempt. Still, the game was scoreless at halftime. Hastings changed that in the 3rd quarter with a 59 yard touchdown run, and James Herron returned a fumble 70 yards for another touchdown soon after. A Jock Sutherland interception returned to the W&J 13 set up a Ted Fry touchdown that closed the scoring at 19-0 in the same quarter. Hastings was the bulk of the offense, and he was singled out by newspapers for his great pass defense as well. Robert Peck was also lauded: as a blocker he was frequently able to take out both the opposing center and a defensive back.

Carnegie was supposed to be the patsy between the Washington & Jefferson and Penn State games, but they came into this game at 6-0, having beaten their opponents 198-26, their closest game a 21 point win. However, all of their opponents but Pitt were minor schools, so it was not much of a surprise when Pitt belted them 28-0. Carnegie was held to just 2 first downs, both in the 4th quarter. Future Hall of Fame fullback Tank McLaren got the start here and had a great game, but halfback Andy Hastings was, as usual, the star, scoring 3 touchdowns and 4 extra points. Carnegie finished 7-1, outscoring opponents 228-32 in the 7 wins.

Pitt's final opponent, Penn State, was 12-5 all-time against Pitt before this season. They came into the game 7-1, their loss 13-0 at Harvard, and though they were barely top 25 caliber, they were Pitt's toughest opponent this season, and a rival to boot. But State College was as little trouble as Washington & Jefferson had been, and Pitt beat them by a similar score, 20-0. PSU had the ball inside the Pitt 10 yard line twice thanks to Pitt fumbles, but failed to score or advance any other threats. Andy Hastings scored 17 of his team's 20 points, netting a touchdown, extra point, and field goal in the first quarter, and adding a 27 yard touchdown and extra point in the 3rd. A sub kicked a field goal in the 4th to get the 20.

CORNELL v. PITT?
Amidst much speculation and debate as to who was the better team, Pittsburgh tried to schedule a game with Cornell to settle the matter after their regular seasons were complete, proposing that the proceeds go to charity. Unfortunately, after some discussion between the two on details such as where to play the game, Cornell ultimately declined, claiming that they had a policy against "postseason" games.

Pittsburgh had a powerful team, and may well have been able to beat Cornell had the two teams played, but there are 2 reasons Pittsburgh does not merit sharing a mythical national championship (MNC) with Cornell.

First of all, Pitt did not beat anyone of much value, defeating just 2 teams that might have made the bottom of a top 25 at best. Cornell's schedule was also light, but they did win 10-0 at 8-1 Harvard, easily the biggest win by any team this season. It was Harvard's first loss in 4 years, and they had been ruling college football 1908-1914. Harvard beat 8-1 Virginia, who beat 9-1 Vanderbilt 35-10, and Vanderbilt outscored their other 9 opponents 503-3. So Cornell sat atop the strongest totem pole of power in college football in 1915.

Secondly, Cornell won all of their games by more than a touchdown. Pitt did not, winning only 14-7 at Penn, where Cornell won 24-9. Now, Pitt was not really threatened in that game, and one could argue that Cornell struggled more at Penn than Pitt did, as they trailed going into the 4th quarter, but the fact is that Cornell won by 15 points, more than Pitt even scored against Penn. Interestingly, this was not the last time Penn proved to be a thorn in Pitt's paw. Pittsburgh posted a perfect record in 1917 also, but Georgia Tech is a unanimous selection as national champion that season primarily because they beat Penn by significantly more than Pitt did.

Michigan State (then known as Michigan Agricultural College) playing rival Michigan

Penn State student body and townsfolk see off the football team leaving to play Harvard, 1915 ... vignette is the train conductor George Ross Parker

November 28, 1915 NEW YORK TIMES front page ... Army beats Navy 14-0 in front of 40,000

Inside page featuring photos of President Woodrow Wilson, and his game patrons from the Army-Navy game at the Polo Grounds

The Tournament of Roses Game, January 1, 1916

At the end of the regular season, 6-0 Washington State was invited to play in the first Tournament of Roses game since January 1902. This relaunch was really the beginning of the Rose Bowl, as the game was played every year afterward. Unfortunately, Pittsburgh was busy trying to negotiate an extra game against Cornell, and Nebraska, Syracuse, and Michigan declined invitations to play, so the best team the Rose Bowl could get to play WSU was 5-3-1 Brown. WSU beat them 14-0, but Brown had been tied by Trinity (Connecticut), and had lost to Amherst, Syracuse, and Harvard, and they were not at all a top 25 caliber team.

It rained for days beforehand, and continued to rain throughout the game, resulting in a disappointing turnout of 7,000-8,000 spectators. The rain melted the field into mud, so the game was all line plunging. Washington State was stopped twice at the Brown goal line, and Brown was stopped at the WSU 19, leaving the teams scoreless at halftime. Fresh substitutes for WSU drove to a touchdown through a tired Brown line in the 3rd quarter, and that was pretty much the game, though they added a 4 yard Carl Dietz touchdown in the 4th quarter.

WSU drove to at least the Brown 15 yard line 5 times in the second half, outgained Brown 313 yards to 86, and they earned 19 first downs to Brown's 6. Carl Dietz carried 33 times for 105 yards and a touchdown, and referee Walter Eckersall said afterward that he was WSU's best player on both offense and defense. More significantly, Eckersall, who had also worked as an official for Cornell's game at Michigan, declared that Washington State was "the equal of Cornell. There is not a better football team in the country."

The Northwest
While Brown was not a strong opponent, the fact that a team from the Northwest so thoroughly dominated any major winning Eastern team was itself noteworthy. Oregon State had made an even bigger national impression in October with their 20-0 win at Michigan State, who finished 5-1 and romped the rest of their opponents by an average of 52-4, but the Rose Bowl result cemented national respect for Northwest football that had not existed prior to this season.

But these were not the only intersectional games played by Far West teams this season, because 9-1-2 Syracuse traveled out West for a series of 3 games at Montana, Oregon State, and Occidental in late November and early December. The game at 2-2-2 Montana was a bit of a fiasco, not because it was played in a snowstorm, but because a crowd of drunk miners were in attendance armed with guns, and they intimidated the referee to a degree that made the 6-6 outcome something of a joke. Still, however it occurred, this was another positive result for the Northwest. Washington State had beaten Montana 27-7.

Far less positive for the region was Syracuse's 28-0 win at 5-3 Oregon State. That largely undid the national reputation Oregon State had earned with their win at Michigan State. Syracuse's road trip ended with a 35-0 win at Occidental, who came into the game as champions of California with a 7-0 record.

Prior to this season, there had been no games between the Northwest and the rest of the nation, so it was impossible to gauge the power level of the region's teams. All in all, this season made for a very positive intersectional debut for the region, certainly better than anyone outside the Northwest had expected.

College Sports Have Been Corrupt Since 1915

Taylor Branch's Atlantic magazine expose on the commercialization of college sports has sparked all sorts of debates this week (Sept. 23, 2011). But "the shame of college sports" is actually nothing new. [article: http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2011/10/the-shame-of-college-sports/8643/ ]

Byliner dug up a 1915 Atlantic piece by William Truant Foster called "An Indictment of Intercollegiate Athletics." [article: http://books.google.com/books?id=FZ...&resnum=2&ved=0CCAQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q&f=false ]

Some choice excerpts:

The old distinction between amateur and professional athletics is of little use.
The real problems of college athletics loom large beside the considerations that define our use of the terms 'professional' and 'amateur.'
The aims of athletics reveal the fact that the important distinctions are between athletics conducted for educational purposes and athletics conducted for business purposes.
When athletics are conducted for business, the aims are (1) to win games — to defeat another person or group being the chief end; (2) to make money — as it is impossible otherwise to carry on athletics as business; (3) to attain individual or group fame and notoriety. These three — which are the controlling aims of intercollegiate athletics — are also the aims of horse-racing, prize-fighting, and professional baseball.

The takeaway: college sports has been dealing with the same issue for 100 years.

Cleveland Stadium, Oct. 3, 1915

Philadelphia, bleacher view on Oct. 8, 1915 for Game 1 of the World Series between the Red Sox and Phillies ... it's for a baseball game at Baker Bowl, which was also known as The Cigar Box and The Band Box. The Phillies won this game and would not win another post-season game until 1977.

A Pennsylvania Historical marker stands on Broad Street just north of West Huntingdon Street, Philadelphia. The marker is titled, "Baker Bowl National League Park" and the text reads:

The Phillies' baseball park from its opening in 1887 until 1938. Rebuilt 1895; hailed as nation's finest stadium. Site of first World Series attended by U.S. President, 1915; ***** League World Series, 1924-26; Babe Ruth's last major league game, 1935. Razed 1950.

Judge Smails · Aug 15, 2013

14 days to go ...

Ty Detmer, QB, BYU: In 1990, the BYU quarterback had a year most college football players dream of. By the end of his senior year in 1991, he had numbers big enough to do even his home state of Texas proud.

As a junior in 1990, the 6-foot, 175-pound San Marcos, Texas, native finished the season with 5,188 yards passing and 41 touchdowns. This offensive onslaught earned Detmer the coveted Heisman Trophy, given to the top collegiate football player in the country. He was the first and only BYU player to win the award and was also the first recipient from the Intermountain West.

By the end of his collegiate career, Detmer had broken 59 NCAA records and tied three others. He finished his career with an NCAA-record 15,031 yards passing. He also had 14,665 career yards in total offense, another NCAA best. The Cougars were invited to four bowl games and compiled a record of 37-13-2 during the Detmer years, including a 28-21 victory over top-ranked Miami(Florida) on September 8, 1990 in Provo, one of the biggest wins in BYU history. During the nationally televised victory over the Hurricanes, Detmer threw for 406 yards and earned National Player-of-the-Week honors.

As a freshman, Ty came off the bench to lead the Cougars to a 20-17 Freedom Bowl victory against the Colorado Buffaloes, and a star was born.

He was the first BYU football player to be voted a captian as a sophomore. Detmer set the NCAA record for passing by a sophomore with 4,560 yards and nearly broke the NCAA record for pass efficiency in a season.

Detmer has seen more action in a Cougar uniform than any other player. He still holds the school record for most plays (1,795), most pass attempts (1,530), and most pass completions (958) in his career.

After finishing his record-setting career at BYU and earning a bachelor's degree in recreation administration, Detmer was selected in the 1992 NFL draft by the Green Bay Packers. He was the top backup behind All-Pro quarterback Brett Favre before signing with the Philadelphia Eagles. He finished the 1996 season with 2,911 yards passing and 15 touchdowns. His quarterback rating was 80.8, fourth best in the NFC that season.

In 1998 he signed with the San Francisco 49ers, joining fellow Cougar quarterback Steve Young. Detmer started one game and completed the season with 312 yards passing, four touchdowns, and a 63.2 completion percentage.

In 1999 he was acquired by the expansion Cleveland Browns, where he started two games and saw action in three others for the new team. He finished the season with 548 yards passing. He missed the entire 2000 season because of an Achilles tendon tear. Ty is married to the former Kim Herbert.

Personal

Born in San Marcos, Texas
Recruited by Miami, UCLA, Michigan, Texas A & M and BYU
Married to the former Kim Herbert in July, 1991
Earned a bachelor's degree in recreation administration from BYU

Career Highlights

Selected in the 1992 NFL draft by the Green Bay Packers
1990 Heisman Trophy winner (finished ninth in voting 1989 and third in 1991)
Two-time Davey O'Brien Award winner ('90,'91)
Broke 59 NCAA records and tied three others
Third in NCAA with 15,031 career passing-yards
Had 14,665 career yards in total offense
The Cougars were invited to four bowl games with him and compiled a record of 37-13-2 during the Detmer years, including a 28-21 victory over top-ranked Miami(Florida) on September 8, 1990 in Provo, one of the biggest wins in BYU history
During the nationally-televised victory over the Hurricanes, Detmer threw for 406 yards and earned National Player-of-the-Week honors

Before BYU

Texas Player of the Year and prep All-America at Southwest High
Committed to BYU in the fall of senior year
Coached by his father
Lettered three times in football,basketball, baseball and golf, plus once in track
All-state in baseball and all-district in basketball

After BYU

Selected in the 1992 NFL draft by the Green Bay Packers
Signed with the Philadelphia Eagles
Signed with the San Francisco 49ers in 1998, joining fellow Cougar quarterback Steve Young
Acquired by the expansion Cleveland Browns in 1999

Post BYU Honors and Societies

Was the top backup behind All-Pro quarterback Brett Favre
Finished the 1996 season with 2,911 yards passing and 15 touchdowns
His quarterback rating was 80.8, fourth best in the NFC that season (1996)
Started on game for the 49ers and completed the season with 312 yards passing, four touchdowns and a 63.2 completion percentage
Started two games and saw action in three others for the Browns
Finished the sason with 548 yards passing
Inducted into the BYU Hall of Fame in 2000

Stats

YR GM ATT-CMP-INT PCT YDS TD LNG AVG/G
1988 10 153-83-1 54.2 1252 13 71t 125.2
1989 12 412-265-15 64.3 4560 32 76t 380.0
1990 12 562-361-28 64.2 5188 41 69t 432.3
1991 12 403-249-12 61.8 4031 35 97t 335.9

*statistics do not include bowl games

1989 | Sophomore Year

First team All-Western Athletic Conference (Coaches) and first team All-WAC (writers)
Honorable mention All-America by UPI and The Sporting News
CNN Player of the Week vs. San Diego State
WAC Offensive Player of the Week vs. UTEP
Chevrolet Player of the Game vs. Air Force
Voted a team captain
His 594 yards total offense in the Holiday Bowl against Penn State established new records for all-time bowl performances in the NCAA
Was co-MVP of the Holiday Bowl
Broke 11 NCAA records
Selected as team MVP

His Heisman campaign kicked off with real traction at the end of his sophomore year with a record-setting performance against Penn State in the 1989 Holiday Bowl. The late Joe Paterno had a very good defense, but Detmer amassed a bowl record 576 yards passing on 42-of-59 passes, a completion percentage of .712 with two touchdowns.

It was Paterno's liberal praise for Detmer that night in San Diego that propelled BYU with enough ammunition to create a Heisman Trophy campaign to get Detmer momentum and publicity.

Said Paterno at the time, "Dan Marino never had that kind of night against us. Detmer is a great one. He smells of confidence. He has a great feel for the field and was not confused at anything we threw at him. We threw a lot of things at Detmer that a lot of good quarterbacks have not handled well over the years and were confused with; he wasn't."

Paterno's All-American linebacker Andre Collins told reporters that night in San Diego, "He had me running around like a chicken with my head cut off. We didn't play that bad, Detmer was just that good. He knows all the options, all the outs. I used up everything I had but we did not stop him."

1990 | Junior Year

Heisman Trophy Winner
Winner of the Maxwell Trophy and the Davey O'Brien Award
First team All-America, Associated Press, UPI, Football Writers, Walter Camp, Football News, Scripps Howard and The Sporting News
Named Player of the Year by UPI, CBS, Scripps Howard and Football News
Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year
First team unanimous All-WAC
Deseret News Athlete of the Year
Player of the Week against Miami by CNN, Football News, Athlon and WAC
WAC Offensive Player of the Week against San Diego State when he was also named Chevrolet Player of the Game and selected for the CBS Toyota Leadership Award
WAC Offensive Player of the Week against the Air Force Academy
Selected as the Amateur Athlete of September by the U.S. Sports Academy
Broke 31 NCAA records
Threw five TD's in a game against Washington State and New Mexico
Selected as team co-captain and voted MVP
Had his throwing hand in a removable cast before and after the Oregon game
Suffered a slight shoulder injury against Utah
Suffered two separated shoulders in the Holiday Bowl against Texas A & M

1991 | Senior Year

Davey O'Brien Trophy winner
Third in the Heisman Trophy voting
First team All-America by Kodak (Coaches), Football Writers, Associated Press, United Press International, The Sporting News and College & Pro Football Newsweekly
Third team All-America by Football News
UPI Back of the Year
Western Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year
First team All-WAC
WAC Offensive Player of the week against Colorado State
Co-WAC Offensive Player of the Week vs. San Diego State
Sports Illustrated Offensive Player of the Week against San Diego State
Toyota Leadership Award vs. SDSU
AT&T Long Distance Player of the Year
MVP of the Thrifty Car Rental Holiday Bowl
Played in the Japan Bowl
Had surgery on his right shoulder in January and did not play in spring practice

No. 1 ranked Miami, FL traveled to BYU for the season opener in 1990 ...

[video=youtube_share;qd3zscg7q3s]http://youtu.be/qd3zscg7q3s[/video]

... The 'Canes left with a loss and Detmer may have sealed his Heisman fate that early in the season.

Judge Smails · Aug 16, 2013

13 days to go ...

13 seasons back, the Miami Hurricanes were still pretty good: The 'U' won the 2001 BCS championship with a brand, spankin' new head coach ... Larry Coker.

The 2001 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with the University of Miami winning the national title for the fifth time. The Hurricanes were led by Larry Coker, who was in his first year as head coach after five years as Miami's offensive coordinator under Butch Davis. Coker had the benefit of inheriting a star-studded program that Davis had rebuilt in the aftermath of NCAA sanctions in the mid-to-late 90s. Miami completed a perfect 12-0 season, which culminated in a 37-14 win over Nebraska in the Rose Bowl BCS National Championship Game.

In yet another controversial season for the BCS, #4 Nebraska was chosen as the national title opponent despite not having even played in the Big 12 championship game. The Huskers went into their last regularly scheduled game at Colorado undefeated, but left Boulder having lost the game by a score of 62-36. The Buffaloes went on to win the Big 12 championship game. However, the BCS computers didn't take into account time of loss, so one-loss Nebraska came out ahead of two-loss #3 Colorado and one-loss, #2 Oregon. Some fans chanted "number 4" at the title game held at the Rose Bowl.

The final 3 weeks of the regular season saw an incredible amount of drama as several teams were in prime position to earn their way to the Rose Bowl to play Miami. On November 23, the day after Thanksgiving, Nebraska was one the number one team in the BCS heading to Boulder to play the Colorado Buffaloes. After a devastating 62-36 loss, they were unable to win their division and their season seemed to fall by the wayside, allowing the Florida Gators the inside track to meet Miami if they were able to win out.

This also gave the Oklahoma Sooners the opportunity to earn their way to the National Championship if Florida was to stumble against either Tennessee or in the SEC Championship game. Those hopes would soon dissolve the day after Nebraska's loss as the Sooners were upset at home by Oklahoma State 16-13, ending their title hopes and knocking them out of the Big 12 Championship game as well.

Florida had an inside track to the National Championship game until the following week in their matchup with Tennessee, losing that game 34-32 in Gainesville. The loss not only ended their dreams of a trip to the Rose Bowl, but also ended their shot at going to Atlanta for the SEC title game. Tennessee then stepped into the number 2 spot the following week going into the SEC Championship against LSU, but was upset by the Tigers 31-20, and their hopes of National Championship appearance were gone as quickly as they had come.

Later that evening, Texas entered the Big 12 Championship game against Colorado in prime time television knowing that a win would seal their spot in the Rose Bowl as the number 2 team in the BCS. Unfortunately they, too, were upset by the Buffaloes, feeling the same sting that Florida, Tennessee, Oklahoma, and Nebraska had felt the previous few weeks.

[TABLE="class: wikitable"]
<tbody>[TR]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2, align: center"]WEEK[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2, align: center"]#1[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2, align: center"]#2[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2, align: center"]EVENT[/TH]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]OCT 22[/TD]
[TD]Oklahoma[/TD]
[TD]Nebraska[/TD]
[TD]Nebraska 20, Oklahoma 10[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]OCT 29[/TD]
[TD]Nebraska[/TD]
[TD]Oklahoma[/TD]
[TD]Miami 38, Temple 0[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]NOV 5[/TD]
[TD]Nebraska[/TD]
[TD]Miami[/TD]
[TD]Nebraska 31, Kansas St. 21[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]NOV 12[/TD]
[TD]Nebraska[/TD]
[TD]Miami[/TD]
[TD]Miami 59, Syracuse 0[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]NOV 19[/TD]
[TD]Nebraska[/TD]
[TD]Miami[/TD]
[TD]Colorado 62, Nebraska 36[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]NOV 26[/TD]
[TD]Miami[/TD]
[TD]Florida[/TD]
[TD]Tennessee 34, Florida 32[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]DEC 3[/TD]
[TD]Miami[/TD]
[TD]Tennessee[/TD]
[TD]LSU 31, Tennessee 20[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]FINAL[/TD]
[TD]Miami[/TD]
[TD]Nebraska[/TD]
[/TR]
</tbody>[/TABLE]

Miami was left at the top of all the polls, and the debate began about who deserved to play in the Rose Bowl. Many felt Colorado was the hottest team in the country after dismantling Nebraska and then beating the Longhorns in the Big 12 title game, but their 2 losses at the beginning of the year were tough to ignore. Others felt Oregon deserved the honor, being ranked in some polls as the number 2 team in the country. Ultimately, after all of the upsets, Nebraska ended up as the number 2 team in the BCS, despite being the team to start all of the drama 3 weeks earlier.

Florida State did not win the ACC championship for the first time since joining the conference in 1991, losing out to Maryland. Steve Spurrier left the Florida Gators at the end of the season to coach the Washington Redskins, accepting what was then the largest salary for an NFL head coach.

The season had one of the more competitive Heisman Trophy races with Eric Crouch of Nebraska winning by only a small margin over Rex Grossman of Florida. All of the five finalists played the quarterback position. Two of the finalists were coached at some point by Oregon offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford.

Indiana quarterback Antwaan Randle El earned first-team All-America honors from the FWAA after becoming the first NCAA Division I-A quarterback to throw for 40 touchdowns and rush for 40 touchdowns in a career. He also became the first player in NCAA I-A history to record 2,500 total yards from scrimmage in four consecutive seasons.

The Big West Conference stopped sponsoring football after the 2000 season, concluding a pattern that had been started by many of its previous members of the past decade. Its remaining football playing members left to join other conferences for the 2001 season: Boise State joined the WAC, Arkansas State, New Mexico State and North Texas joined the Sun Belt Conference, which sponsored football for the first time in 2001. Idaho also joined the Sun Belt, but as a football-only member. Utah State would stay in the Big West, playing football as an Independent.

The newly formed Boise State/Fresno State rivalry would be a major factor in the race to be the "BCS buster" for several seasons.

Troy State joined Division 1-A football this season.

The Aloha Bowl and Oahu Bowl lost funding after Chrysler Corporation, which owned the former bowl's sponsor of Jeep, was acquired by Daimler-Benz and became DaimlerChrysler. The Aloha Bowl moved to Seattle and became the Seattle Bowl.

The New Orleans Bowl began play, the host team being the Sun Belt champion.

BCS bowls

Rose Bowl: #1 Miami (FL) (BCS #1) 37, #4 Nebraska (BCS #2) 14
Fiesta Bowl: #2 Oregon (Pac-10 champ) 38, #3 Colorado (Big 12 champ) 16
Sugar Bowl: #12 LSU (SEC champ) 47, #7 Illinois (Big 10 champ) 34
Orange Bowl: #5 Florida (At Large) 56, #6 Maryland (ACC champ) 23

Other New Years Day Bowls

Cotton Bowl Classic: #10 Oklahoma 10, Arkansas 3
Florida Citrus Bowl: #8 Tennessee 45, #17 Michigan 17
Gator Bowl: #24 Florida State 30, #15 Virginia Tech 17
Outback Bowl: #14 South Carolina 31, #22 Ohio State 28

December Bowl Games

Holiday Bowl: #9 Texas 47, #21 Washington 43
Peach Bowl: North Carolina 16, Auburn 10
Tangerine Bowl: Pittsburgh 34, NC State 19
Sun Bowl: #13 Washington State 33, Purdue 27
Independence Bowl: Alabama 14, Iowa State 13
Alamo Bowl: Iowa 19, Texas Tech 16
Insight.com Bowl: #18 Syracuse 26, Kansas State 3
Liberty Bowl: #23 Louisville (C-USA champ) 28, #19 BYU (MWC champ) 10
Humanitarian Bowl: Clemson 49, Louisiana Tech (WAC Champ) 24
Motor City Bowl: #25 Toledo (MAC Champ) 23, Cincinnati 16
Seattle Bowl: Georgia Tech 24, #11 Stanford 14
Music City Bowl: Boston College 20, #16 Georgia 16
Las Vegas Bowl: Utah 10, Southern California 6
GMAC Bowl: Marshall 64, East Carolina 61 (2 OT)
Silicon Valley Classic: Michigan State 44, #20 Fresno State 35
Galleryfurniture.com bowl: Texas A&M 28, TCU 9
New Orleans Bowl: Colorado State 45, North Texas (Sun Belt Champ) 20

2001 GMAC Bowl:

This game featured what was then the biggest comeback in NCAA Division I-A (now Division I FBS) bowl history, as Marshall came back from a 38-8 halftime deficit to force overtime and eventually win 64-61 in double overtime. It was also the highest-scoring bowl game in history, breaking the previous record set when Texas Tech defeated Air Force 55-41 in the 1995 Copper Bowl. Although the record for greatest bowl comeback was broken by Texas Tech when it returned to the Copper Bowl, by then renamed the Insight Bowl, in 2006, the 2001 GMAC Bowl remains the highest-scoring bowl game ever.

The game, with an official attendance of 40,139, was telecast on ESPN2. It was a rematch of one of Marshall's most historically significant games. On November 14, 1970, the two teams met at East Carolina, with the Pirates winning 17-14. That night, the plane carrying the Herd back to Huntington, West Virginia crashed just before landing, killing all 75 on board. The two teams had only met one time since the crash, a 45-0 East Carolina win in 1978.

Today, they meet every season, as Marshall joined C-USA in 2005 (the 35th anniversary of the crash) and is grouped with ECU in the conference's East Division.

There were 125 points. More than 1,100 yards of offense. A 30-point comeback. Yes, bowl season is in high gear. Byron Leftwich passed for 576 yards as Marshall rallied from a 38-8 halftime hole to stun East Carolina 64-61 in double OT in the GMAC Bowl, the highest-scoring bowl game ever.

"Lord, have mercy," East Carolina head coach Steve Logan exclaimed. "I hope everyone got their money's worth."

Leftwich capped his night with an 8-yard touchdown toss to Josh Davis to end it, capping Marshall's comeback from a 30-point halftime deficit. "I can't give up," Leftwich said. "That's stupid to give up. It doesn't make no sense.

"We knew we could come out here, move the ball and score some points on these guys. It was just a matter of time when we were going to do it."

The Thundering Herd (11-2) stormed back from a 38-8 halftime deficit, tying it at 51 in the final seconds of the fourth quarter. Marshall wasted a chance to win in regulation when it missed the extra point.

"I guess we had to make it a little dramatic and miss that extra point, then give the fans and TV a little bit more thrill," Marshall head coach Bob Pruett said. "It's bad that a team had to lose."

Leftwich finished 41-of-70 with four scoring passes and a TD run.

[video=youtube_share;ETWR_20IxxE]http://youtu.be/ETWR_20IxxE[/video]

The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award is given to the Most Outstanding Player of the year
Winner: Eric Crouch, Nebraska, Quarterback (770 points)

2. Rex Grossman, Florida (708 points)
3. Ken Dorsey, Miami-FL (638 points)
4. Joey Harrington, Oregon (364 points)
5. David Carr, Fresno St. (101 points)

Maxwell Award (College Player of the Year) - Ken Dorsey, Miami
Walter Camp Award (Back) - Eric Crouch, Nebraska
Davey O'Brien Award (Quarterback) - Eric Crouch, Nebraska
Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award (Senior Quarterback) - David Carr, Fresno State
Doak Walker Award (Running Back) - Luke Staley, BYU
Fred Biletnikoff Award (Wide Receiver) - Josh Reed, Louisiana State
John Mackey Award (Tight End) - Daniel Graham, Colorado
Dave Rimington Trophy (Center) - LeCharles Bentley, Ohio State
Bronko Nagurski Trophy (Defensive Player) - Roy Williams, Oklahoma
Chuck Bednarik Award - Julius Peppers, North Carolina
Dick Butkus Award (Linebacker) - Rocky Calmus, Oklahoma
Lombardi Award (Lineman or Linebacker) - Julius Peppers, North Carolina
Outland Trophy (Interior Lineman) - Bryant McKinnie, Miami, 0T
Jim Thorpe Award (Defensive Back) - Roy Williams, Oklahoma
Lou Groza Award (Placekicker) - Seth Marler, Tulane
Ray Guy Award (Punter) - Travis Dorsch, Purdue
Paul "Bear" Bryant Award - Larry Coker, Miami
The Home Depot Coach of the Year Award: Ralph Friedgen, Maryland

TheGarfather · Aug 16, 2013

Cumberland teased to +221.5 was a losing ticket. LOL

JumpOnBoard · Aug 16, 2013

Judge Smails · Aug 17, 2013

12 days to go ...

12 seasons ago it was Ohio State ending a dominant Miami, FL run of 34-straight wins in the BCS Championship Game in double OT

The 2002 NCAA Division I-A football season ended the season with what most consider an exciting double overtime national championship game. Ohio State and Miami both came into the Fiesta Bowl undefeated. The underdog Buckeyes defeated the Hurricanes 31–24, ending Miami's 34-game winning streak. Jim Tressel won the national championship in only his second year as head coach.

The Hurricanes and Oklahoma were the pre-season No. 1 and No. 2 teams, and the AP poll had Ohio State at No. 13. The poll would pretty much stay the same until late October, when havoc was unleashed on the top-10:

Auburn 31, #10 LSU 7 ... #13 Iowa 34, #8 Michigan 9

... the next week, the carnage continued ...

Boston College 14, #4 Notre Dame 7 ... Florida 20, #5 Georgia 14 ... Pitt 28, #3 Virginia Tech 21.

Then, No. 1 went down as the Sooners fell 30-26 to Texas A&M and #4 Texas would lose a week later to Texas Tech, 42-38. In late November, the #3 team lost in back-to-back weeks as Washington State lost the Apple Cup, 29-26 on Nov. 23 and Oklahoma would drop a heart-breaker to rival Oklahoma State in the Bedlam Series, 38-28.

Meanwhile, the Hurricanes were crushing everything in their path and Ohio State was creeping up the polls, avoiding pot holes and Big 10 teams while narrowly escaping 14-9 over Michigan on Nov. 23 to finish up 11-0. Now, the wait would begin. The Hurricanes played their final 2 games of the regular season in early December, putting up 49 and 56 points.

The Rose Bowl normally features the champions of the Big Ten and the Pac-10. However, Big Ten-champion Ohio State, finishing #2 in the BCS, had qualified to play in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl for the national championship against Miami (Fla.). Earlier in the season, Ohio State had defeated Washington State 25-7.

After the national championship was set, the Orange Bowl had the next pick, and invited #3 (#5 BCS) Iowa from the Big Ten. When it was the Rose Bowl's turn to select, the best available team was #8 (#7 BCS) Oklahoma, who won the Big 12 Championship Game. When it came time for the Orange Bowl and Sugar Bowl to make a second pick, both wanted Pac-10 co-champion USC. However, a BCS rule stated that if two bowls wanted the same team, the bowl with the higher payoff had priority. The Orange Bowl immediately extended an at-large bid to the #5 Trojans and paired them with at-large #3 Iowa in a Big Ten/Pac-10 "Rose Bowl East" matchup in the 2003 Orange Bowl.

The Rose Bowl was left to pair Oklahoma with Pac-10 co-champion Washington State. Rose Bowl committee executive director Mitch Dorger was not pleased with the results. As such, the BCS instituted a new rule, whereby a bowl losing its conference champion to the BCS championship could "protect" the second-place team from that conference from going to another bowl.

This left the Sugar Bowl with #14 BCS Florida State, the winner of the Atlantic Coast Conference, against SEC champ Georgia. Notre Dame at 10-2 and #9 in the BCS standings was invited to the 2003 Gator Bowl. Kansas State at #8 also was left out and went to the Holiday Bowl.

BCS Bowls

Fiesta Bowl: Ohio State (BCS #2 Big Ten Champ) 31, Miami (BCS #1 Big East Champ) 24 (2 OT)
Sugar Bowl: Georgia (SEC Champ) 26, Florida State (ACC Champ) 13
Orange Bowl: USC (BCS #4) 38, Iowa (At-Large) 17
Rose Bowl: Oklahoma (Big 12 Champ) 34, Washington State (Pac-10 Champ) 14

Other New Years Day Bowls

Cotton Bowl Classic: Texas 35, LSU 20
Capital One Bowl: Auburn 13, Penn State 9
Gator Bowl: NC State 28, Notre Dame 6
Outback Bowl: Michigan 38, Florida 30

December Bowl Games

Holiday Bowl: Kansas State 34, Arizona State 27
Peach Bowl: Maryland 30, Tennessee 3
Tangerine Bowl: Texas Tech 55, Clemson 15
Sun Bowl: Purdue 34, Washington 24
Independence Bowl: Mississippi 27, Nebraska 23
Alamo Bowl: Wisconsin 31, Colorado 28
Insight Bowl: Pittsburgh 38, Oregon State 13
Liberty Bowl: TCU (C-USA Champ) 25, Colorado State (MWC Champ) 3
Humanitarian Bowl: Boise State (WAC Champ) 34, Iowa State 16
Motor City Bowl: Boston College 51, Toledo (MAC Champ) 25
Hawai'i Bowl: Tulane 36, Hawai'i 28
Seattle Bowl: Wake Forest 38, Oregon 17
San Francisco Bowl: Virginia Tech 20, Air Force 13
Music City Bowl: Minnesota 29, Arkansas 14
Las Vegas Bowl: UCLA 27, New Mexico 13
GMAC Bowl: Marshall 38, Louisville 15
Silicon Valley Classic: Fresno State 30, Georgia Tech 21
Houston Bowl: Oklahoma State 33, Southern Miss 23
Continental Tire Bowl: Virginia 48, West Virginia 22
New Orleans Bowl: North Texas (Sun Belt Champ) 25, Cincinnati 19

Orange Bowl MVP Carson Palmer wrapped up the Heisman campaign with coach Pete Carroll in the Orange Bowl

The 6-foot 5-inch Palmer is the fifth Trojan to capture this award, following Mike Garret, OJ Simpson, Charles White and Marcus Allen. As a 4-year starter, the experienced, strong-armed Palmer was the Pac-10's career passing and total offense leader. Carson owns 7 Pac-10 career records and such USC career records as: total offense (a Pac-10 record 11,621), plays (a Pac-10 record 1,824), passing yardage (a Pac-10 record 11,818), passing touchdowns (72, third on the Pac-10 ladder), completions (a Pac-10 record 927), and attempts (1 Pac-10 record 1,569). Palmer finished his USC season with a win at the 2003 Orange Bowl where he was selected bowl MVP. He went on to be the number one pick in the 2003 NFL Draft.

The Voting


Place	Name	School	Class	Position	1	2	3	Total
1st	Carson Palmer	Southern California	Sr.	QB	242	224	154	1,328
2nd	Brad Banks	Iowa	Sr.	QB	199	173	152	1,095
3rd	Larry Johnson	Penn State	Sr.	RB	108	130	142	726
4th	Willis McGahee	Miami (Fl.)	Jr.	RB	101	118	121	660
5th	Ken Dorsey	Miami (Fl.)	Sr.	QB	122	89	99	643
6th	Byron Leftwich	Marshall	Sr.	QB	22	26	34	152
7th	Jason Gessar	Washington State	Sr.	QB	5	22	15	74
8th	Chris Brown	Colorado	Sr.	RB	5	11	11	48
9th	Kliff Kingsbury	Texas Tech	Sr.	QB	6	2	11	33
10th	Quentin Griffin	Oklahoma	Sr.	RB	1	8	9	28

<tbody>
[TD="colspan: 5"][/TD]
[TD="colspan: 3"] Points
[/TD]

</tbody>

Carson owns seven Pac-10 career records and such USC player records as: total offense (a Pac 10 record 11,621), plays (a Pac-10 record 1,824), passing yardage (a Pac-10 record 11, 818), passing touchdowns (72, third on the Pac-10 ladder), completions (a Pac-10 record 927), attempts (a Pac-10 record 1,569). Palmer finished his USC season with a win at the 2003 Orange Bowl where he was selected bowl MVP. He went on to be the number one pick in the 2003 NFL Draft.

Former New England Patriots coach Pete Carroll returned the USC Trojans to a BCS bid in only his second season as head coach. Notre Dame also returned to prominence, as Tyrone Willingham became the first coach in Notre Dame history to win 10 games in his first season.

The only conference move during this season saw the University of Central Florida leave the Independent ranks to join the Mid-American Conference as its 14th member.

Beginning with the 2002 season, teams were allowed to schedule twelve regular season games instead of eleven leading to additional revenues for all teams and allowing players the enhanced opportunity to break various statistical records.

Other Major Awards

Maxwell Award (College player of the Year): Larry Johnson, Penn State
Walter Camp Award (top back): Larry Johnson, Penn State
Associated Press Player Of the Year: Brad Banks, Iowa
Davey O'Brien Award (quarterback): Brad Banks, Iowa
Johnny Unitas Award (Sr. quarterback): Carson Palmer, USC
Doak Walker Award (running back): Larry Johnson, Penn State
Fred Biletnikoff Award (wide receiver): Charles Rogers, Michigan State
John Mackey Award (tight end): Dallas Clark, Iowa
Dave Rimington Trophy (center): Brett Romberg, Miami
Chuck Bednarik Award (defensive player): E. J. Henderson, Maryland
Lombardi Award (top lineman): Terrell Suggs, Arizona State
Outland Trophy (interior lineman): Rien Long, Washington State
Dick Butkus (linebacker): E. J. Henderson, Maryland
Jim Thorpe Award (defensive back): Terence Newman, Kansas State
Lou Groza Award (placekicker): Nate Kaeding, Iowa
Ray Guy Award (punter): Mark Mariscal, Colorado
The Home Depot Coach of the Year Award: Ty Willingham, Notre Dame
Paul "Bear" Bryant Award: Jim Tressel, Ohio St.

Iowa's Brad Banks runs through the Northwestern line en route to another touchdown

The 2002 Coach of the year was fired 2 seasons later ... In firing Willingham, the Notre Dame athletic department cited a relatively poor record of 21–15, a weak recruiting class, and three losses, each by 31 points, to rival USC.

However, the Irish also hoped to entice Urban Meyer, the head coach of the Utah Utes, to lead Notre Dame. Meyer had just led the Utes to an undefeated season and he had a clause in his contract that stated he could leave Utah without a penalty to coach for the Irish. When Meyer instead took the head coaching position at Florida, the Irish were ridiculed in the media with claims that the Notre Dame coaching position was no longer as prestigious as it was in the past.

After over a week without a coach, the Irish hired New England Patriots' offensive coordinator Charlie Weis as head coach. Weis was an alumnus of Notre Dame, and he became the first alumnus to coach the team since 1963. At least one sports writer stated that Weis was a choice that made sense for the program. Willingham, meanwhile, accepted a position as head coach of the University of Washington Huskies football team.

If you're into that kind of thing, I managed to find the entire 2003 Sugar Bowl with Georgia and Florida State. Here it is, minus the onversleeping Chris Rix and all:

[video=youtube_share;LcZlC26bn6g]http://youtu.be/LcZlC26bn6g[/video]

JumpOnBoard · Aug 17, 2013

[video=youtube_share;htWnfYBEE_c]http://youtu.be/htWnfYBEE_c[/video]

crawdads · Aug 17, 2013

Lol at UGA receiving a first place vote.

Judge Smails · Aug 17, 2013

The Associated Press Top 25 Poll

Updated: Saturday August 17, 2013 12:13 PM

<tbody>
[TD="class: cnnCol0"]<form style="margin: 0px;"><select name="names" size="1"> <option value="">More Polls</option><option value="/football/ncaa/polls/ap/">AP Top 25</option><option value="/football/ncaa/polls/coaches/">Coaches Top 25</option><option value="/football/ncaa/polls/si/">Comparison Poll</option><option value="/football/ncaa/polls/bcs/">BCS Rankings</option><option value="/football/ncaa/polls/harris/">Harris Poll</option> </select></form>[/TD]

</tbody>

[TABLE="width: 1"]
<tbody>[TR="class: cnnRow1"]
[TD="class: cnnCol0, align: center"]Rank[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol1, align: center"]Team[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol2, align: center"]Record[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol3, align: center"]Votes[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol4, align: center"]Previous[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: cnnRow2"]
[TD="class: cnnCol0, align: center"]1[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol1"]Alabama (58)[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol2, align: center"]0-0[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol3, align: center"]1,498[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol4, align: center"]NR[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: cnnRow2"]
[TD="class: cnnCol0, align: center"]2[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol1"]Ohio State(1)[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol2, align: center"]0-0[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol3, align: center"]1,365[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol4, align: center"]NR[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: cnnRow2"]
[TD="class: cnnCol0, align: center"]3[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol1"]Oregon[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol2, align: center"]0-0[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol3, align: center"]1,335[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol4, align: center"]NR[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: cnnRow2"]
[TD="class: cnnCol0, align: center"]4[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol1"]Stanford[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol2, align: center"]0-0[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol3, align: center"]1,294[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol4, align: center"]NR[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: cnnRow2"]
[TD="class: cnnCol0, align: center"]5[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol1"]Georgia (1)[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol2, align: center"]0-0[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol3, align: center"]1,249[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol4, align: center"]NR[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: cnnRow2"]
[TD="class: cnnCol0, align: center"]6[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol1"]South Carolina[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol2, align: center"]0-0[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol3, align: center"]1,154[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol4, align: center"]NR[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: cnnRow2"]
[TD="class: cnnCol0, align: center"]7[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol1"]Texas A&M[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol2, align: center"]0-0[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol3, align: center"]1,104[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol4, align: center"]NR[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: cnnRow2"]
[TD="class: cnnCol0, align: center"]8[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol1"]Clemson[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol2, align: center"]0-0[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol3, align: center"]1,083[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol4, align: center"]NR[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: cnnRow2"]
[TD="class: cnnCol0, align: center"]9[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol1"]Louisville[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol2, align: center"]0-0[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol3, align: center"]1,042[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol4, align: center"]NR[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: cnnRow2"]
[TD="class: cnnCol0, align: center"]10[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol1"]Florida[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol2, align: center"]0-0[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol3, align: center"]894[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol4, align: center"]NR[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: cnnRow2"]
[TD="class: cnnCol0, align: center"]11[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol1"]Florida State[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol2, align: center"]0-0[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol3, align: center"]845[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol4, align: center"]NR[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: cnnRow2"]
[TD="class: cnnCol0, align: center"]12[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol1"]LSU[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol2, align: center"]0-0[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol3, align: center"]802[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol4, align: center"]NR[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: cnnRow2"]
[TD="class: cnnCol0, align: center"]13[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol1"]Oklahoma State[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol2, align: center"]0-0[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol3, align: center"]755[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol4, align: center"]NR[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: cnnRow2"]
[TD="class: cnnCol0, align: center"]14[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol1"]Notre Dame[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol2, align: center"]0-0[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol3, align: center"]748[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol4, align: center"]NR[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: cnnRow2"]
[TD="class: cnnCol0, align: center"]15[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol1"]Texas[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol2, align: center"]0-0[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol3, align: center"]677[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol4, align: center"]NR[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: cnnRow2"]
[TD="class: cnnCol0, align: center"]16[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol1"]Oklahoma[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol2, align: center"]0-0[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol3, align: center"]579[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol4, align: center"]NR[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: cnnRow2"]
[TD="class: cnnCol0, align: center"]17[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol1"]Michigan[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol2, align: center"]0-0[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol3, align: center"]531[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol4, align: center"]NR[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: cnnRow2"]
[TD="class: cnnCol0, align: center"]18[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol1"]Nebraska[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol2, align: center"]0-0[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol3, align: center"]382[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol4, align: center"]NR[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: cnnRow2"]
[TD="class: cnnCol0, align: center"]19[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol1"]Boise State[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol2, align: center"]0-0[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol3, align: center"]328[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol4, align: center"]NR[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: cnnRow2"]
[TD="class: cnnCol0, align: center"]20[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol1"]TCU[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol2, align: center"]0-0[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol3, align: center"]323[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol4, align: center"]NR[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: cnnRow2"]
[TD="class: cnnCol0, align: center"]21[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol1"]UCLA[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol2, align: center"]0-0[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol3, align: center"]286[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol4, align: center"]NR[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: cnnRow2"]
[TD="class: cnnCol0, align: center"]22[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol1"]Northwestern[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol2, align: center"]0-0[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol3, align: center"]199[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol4, align: center"]NR[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: cnnRow2"]
[TD="class: cnnCol0, align: center"]23[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol1"]Wisconsin[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol2, align: center"]0-0[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol3, align: center"]185[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol4, align: center"]NR[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: cnnRow2"]
[TD="class: cnnCol0, align: center"]24[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol1"]USC[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol2, align: center"]0-0[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol3, align: center"]134[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol4, align: center"]NR[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: cnnRow2"]
[TD="class: cnnCol0, align: center"]25[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol1"]Oregon State[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol2, align: center"]0-0[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol3, align: center"]129[/TD]
[TD="class: cnnCol4, align: center"]NR[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: cnnRow4"]
[TD="colspan: 5, align: center"]Others Receiving Votes: Michigan State95, Baylor92, Virginia Tech86, Miami (FL)85, Arizona State53, Kansas State43, Fresno State36, Vanderbilt19, Washington17, Northern Illinois16, Mississippi11, Utah State8, Georgia Tech6, North Carolina3, Arizona3, Cincinnati3, Penn State2, Brigham Young1[/TD]
[/TR]
</tbody>[/TABLE]

B.A.R. · Aug 17, 2013

Grabbed my glasses, still not working

tru · Aug 26, 2013

less than 3 more days

Judge Smails · Aug 27, 2013

Vacation in Beaver Creek, CO ... back for the last couple

2 days to go ...

The 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season began on Thursday, September 1, 2011. The season progressed through the regular season and bowl season, and concluded with the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) National Championship Game on January 9, 2012 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans in which the #2 Alabama Crimson Tide defeated the #1 LSU Tigers 21-0.

For the first time since 2007 (and for only the third time in the BCS era), no major team finished the season with an undefeated record.

Tons of records were set as well, beginning in October. Several significant records were tied or broken on October 22:

East Carolina quarterback Dominique Davis set two FBS records for consecutive pass completions in the Pirates' 38–35 win over Navy. Davis completed his first 26 pass attempts, breaking the single-game record of 23 first set in 1998 by Tee Martin of Tennessee against South Carolina and tied in 2004 by Aaron Rodgers of California against USC.
Since Davis had also completed his final 10 passes in the Pirates' game the previous week against Memphis, his streak against Navy gave him a total of 36 consecutive completions over two games, breaking the record of 26 set by Rodgers in 2004.
Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore led the Broncos to a 37–26 win over Air Force, giving him 45 career wins as a starter. This tied the FBS record of Texas' Colt McCoy (2006–2009); after a bye week, Moore could (and ultimately did) take sole possession of the record at UNLV on November 5. He finished his career 50-3.
In Houston's 63–28 win over Marshall, Cougars quarterback Case Keenum set a new FBS record for career total offense, surpassing the 16,910 yards amassed by Timmy Chang of Hawaiʻi from 2000 to 2004. He also brought his career total of touchdowns accounted for (combined passing, rushing, receiving, and returns) to 150, tying the record set by Central Michigan's Dan LeFevour from 2006 to 2009.
Penn State head coach Joe Paterno, already the holder of the record for most career wins in FBS, tied Eddie Robinson of Grambling for the most wins in Division I history, with 408, when the Nittany Lions defeated Northwestern 34–24. Paterno, in what would prove to be his final game coached, would claim the record outright the following week, when Penn State defeated Illinois in a defensive struggle, 10-7.

On October 27, Keenum's nine touchdown passes in Houston's 73–34 win over crosstown rival Rice gave him 139 for his college career, surpassing the previous record of 134 by Texas Tech's Graham Harrell from 2005 to 2008.[28] He also took sole possession of the record for most touchdowns accounted for, with 159 (and counting).

On October 29, Paterno took sole possession of the record for most career wins by a Division I head coach when Penn State defeated Illinois 10–7. This would prove to be Paterno's final game, as he would be fired less than two weeks later in the midst of a sexual abuse scandal.

On November 5:

In Houston's 56–13 pasting of UAB, Keenum broke Chang's record for career passing yards, ending the game with 17,212.
Boise State defeated UNLV 48–21, giving Moore his 46th career win as a starter and sole possession of that record.

On November 19, Keenum added another major FBS record to his collection, surpassing Harrell's previous record of 1,403 career completions in the first quarter of Houston's 37–7 win over SMU. Keenum ended with 1,427 completions.

On November 26, Kentucky defeated Tennessee for the first time since 1984. The Wildcats' 10–7 win ended the longest current losing streak against an annual opponent in FBS at 26.

Championship games

[TABLE="class: wikitable"]
<tbody>[TR]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2"]Conference[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2"]Champion[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2"]Runner-up[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2"]Score[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2"]<small>Offensive Player of the Year</small>[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2"]<small>Defensive Player of the Year</small>[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2"]<small>Coach of the Year</small>[/TH]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]ACC[/TD]
[TD]Clemson[SUP]BCS[/SUP][/TD]
[TD]Virginia Tech[SUP]BCS[/SUP][/TD]
[TD]38–10[/TD]
[TD]David Wilson, Virginia Tech[SUP][47][/SUP][/TD]
[TD]Luke Kuechly, Boston College[SUP][48][/SUP][/TD]
[TD]Mike London, Virginia[SUP][49][/SUP][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Big Ten[/TD]
[TD]Wisconsin[SUP]BCS[/SUP][/TD]
[TD]Michigan State[/TD]
[TD]42–39[/TD]
[TD]Montee Ball, Wisconsin[SUP][50][/SUP][/TD]
[TD]Devon Still, Penn State[SUP][50][/SUP][/TD]
[TD]Brady Hoke, Michigan[SUP][50][/SUP][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]C-USA[/TD]
[TD]Southern Miss[/TD]
[TD]Houston[/TD]
[TD]49–28[/TD]
[TD]Case Keenum, Houston (MVP)[SUP][51][/SUP]
Patrick Edwards, Houston[SUP][51][/SUP][/TD]
[TD]Vinny Curry, Marshall[SUP][51][/SUP][/TD]
[TD]Kevin Sumlin, Houston[SUP][51][/SUP][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]MAC[/TD]
[TD]Northern Illinois[/TD]
[TD]Ohio[/TD]
[TD]23–20[/TD]
[TD]Chandler Harnish, Northern Illinois[SUP][52][/SUP][/TD]
[TD]Drew Nowak, Western Michigan[SUP][52][/SUP][/TD]
[TD]Ron English, Eastern Michigan[SUP][52][/SUP][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Pac-12[/TD]
[TD]Oregon[SUP]BCS[/SUP][/TD]
[TD]UCLA[/TD]
[TD]49–31[/TD]
[TD]Andrew Luck, Stanford[SUP][53][/SUP][/TD]
[TD]Mychal Kendricks, California[SUP][53][/SUP][/TD]
[TD]David Shaw, Stanford[SUP][53][/SUP][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]SEC[/TD]
[TD]LSU[SUP]BCS[/SUP][/TD]
[TD]Georgia[/TD]
[TD]42–10[/TD]
[TD]Trent Richardson, Alabama[SUP][54][/SUP][/TD]
[TD]Tyrann Mathieu, LSU[SUP][54][/SUP][/TD]
[TD]Les Miles, LSU[SUP][54][/SUP][/TD]
[/TR]
</tbody>[/TABLE]

Other conference winners

[TABLE="class: wikitable"]
<tbody>[TR]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2"]Conference[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2"]Champion[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2"]Record[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2"]<small>Offensive Player of the Year</small>[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2"]<small>Defensive Player of the Year</small>[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2"]<small>Coach of the Year</small>[/TH]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Big 12[/TD]
[TD]Oklahoma State[SUP]BCS[/SUP][/TD]
[TD]11–1 (8–1)[/TD]
[TD]Robert Griffin III, Baylor[SUP][55][/SUP][/TD]
[TD]A.J. Klein, Iowa State and Frank Alexander, Oklahoma[SUP][55][/SUP][/TD]
[TD]Bill Snyder, Kansas State[SUP][55][/SUP][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Big East[/TD]
[TD]West Virginia[SUP]BCS[/SUP]
Cincinnati
Louisville[/TD]
[TD]9–3 (5–2)
9–3 (5–2)
7–5 (5–2)[/TD]
[TD]Isaiah Pead, Cincinnati[SUP][56][/SUP][/TD]
[TD]Khaseem Greene, Rutgers and
Derrick Wolfe, Cincinnati[SUP][56][/SUP][/TD]
[TD]Butch Jones, Cincinnati[SUP][56][/SUP][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]MWC[/TD]
[TD]TCU[/TD]
[TD]10–2 (7–0)[/TD]
[TD]Kellen Moore, Boise State[SUP][57][/SUP][/TD]
[TD]Tank Carder, TCU[SUP][57][/SUP][/TD]
[TD]Dave Christensen, Wyoming[SUP][57][/SUP][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Sun Belt[/TD]
[TD]Arkansas State[/TD]
[TD]10–2 (8–0)[/TD]
[TD]Ryan Aplin, Arkansas State[SUP][58][/SUP][/TD]
[TD]Brandon Joiner, Arkansas State[SUP][58][/SUP][/TD]
[TD]Hugh Freeze, Arkansas State[SUP][58][/SUP][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]WAC[/TD]
[TD]Louisiana Tech[/TD]
[TD]8–4 (5–1)[/TD]
[TD]Robert Turbin, Utah State[SUP][59][/SUP][/TD]
[TD]Adrien Cole, Louisiana Tech[SUP][59][/SUP][/TD]
[TD]Sonny Dykes, Louisiana Tech[SUP][59]

[/SUP][/TD]
[/TR]
</tbody>[/TABLE]

Non-BCS games

[TABLE="class: wikitable"]
<tbody>[TR]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2, align: center"]Date[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2, align: center"]Game[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2, align: center"]Site[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2, align: center"]Television[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2, align: center"]Teams[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2, align: center"]Affiliations[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2, align: center"]Results[/TH]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Dec. 17[/TD]
[TD]Gildan New Mexico Bowl[/TD]
[TD]University Stadium
University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM
2:00 pm[/TD]
[TD]ESPN[/TD]
[TD]Wyoming Cowboys (8–4)
Temple Owls (8–4)[/TD]
[TD]MWC
MAC[/TD]
[TD]Wyoming 15
Temple 37[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Famous Idaho Potato Bowl[/TD]
[TD]Bronco Stadium
Boise State University
Boise, ID
5:30 pm[/TD]
[TD]Ohio Bobcats (9–4)
Utah State Aggies (7–5)[/TD]
[TD]MAC
WAC[/TD]
[TD]Ohio 24
Utah State 23[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl[/TD]
[TD]Mercedes-Benz Superdome
New Orleans, LA
9:00 pm[/TD]
[TD]San Diego State Aztecs (8–4)
Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns (8–4)[/TD]
[TD]MWC
Sun Belt[/TD]
[TD]San Diego State 30
Louisiana–Lafayette 32[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Dec. 20[/TD]
[TD]Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl St. Petersburg[/TD]
[TD]Tropicana Field
St. Petersburg, FL
8:00 pm[/TD]
[TD]FIU Golden Panthers (8–4)
Marshall Thundering Herd (6–6)[/TD]
[TD]Sun Belt
C-USA[/TD]
[TD]FIU 10
Marshall 20[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Dec. 21[/TD]
[TD]San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl[/TD]
[TD]Snapdragon Stadium
San Diego, CA
8:00 pm[/TD]
[TD]#18 TCU Horned Frogs (10–2)
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (8–4)[/TD]
[TD]MWC
WAC[/TD]
[TD]TCU 31
Louisiana Tech 24[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Dec. 22[/TD]
[TD]Maaco Bowl Las Vegas[/TD]
[TD]Sam Boyd Stadium
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Whitney, NV
8:00 pm[/TD]
[TD]#7 Boise State Broncos (11–1)
Arizona State Sun Devils (6–6)[/TD]
[TD]MWC
Pac-12[/TD]
[TD]Boise State 56
Arizona State 24[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Dec. 24[/TD]
[TD]Sheraton Hawaiʻi Bowl[/TD]
[TD]Aloha Stadium
Honolulu, HI
8:00 pm[/TD]
[TD]Nevada Wolf Pack (7–5)
#21 Southern Miss Golden Eagles (11–2)[/TD]
[TD]WAC
C-USA[/TD]
[TD]Nevada 17
Southern Miss 24[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Dec. 26[/TD]
[TD]Advocare Independence Bowl[/TD]
[TD]Independence Stadium
Shreveport, LA
5:00 pm[/TD]
[TD]ESPN2[/TD]
[TD]Missouri Tigers (7–5)
North Carolina Tar Heels (7–5)[/TD]
[TD]Big 12
ACC[/TD]
[TD]Missouri 41
North Carolina 24[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Dec. 27[/TD]
[TD]Little Caesars Pizza Bowl[/TD]
[TD]Ford Field
Detroit, MI
4:30 pm[/TD]
[TD]ESPN[/TD]
[TD]Purdue Boilermakers (6–6)
Western Michigan Broncos (7–5)[/TD]
[TD]Big Ten
MAC[/TD]
[TD]Purdue 37
Western Michigan 32[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Belk Bowl[/TD]
[TD]Bank of America Stadium
Charlotte, NC
8:00 pm[/TD]
[TD]North Carolina State Wolfpack (7–5)
Louisville Cardinals (7–5)[/TD]
[TD]ACC
Big East[/TD]
[TD]North Carolina State 31
Louisville 24[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Dec. 28[/TD]
[TD]Military Bowl presented by Northrop Grumman[/TD]
[TD]RFK Stadium
Washington, DC
4:30 pm[/TD]
[TD]Air Force Falcons (7–5)
Toledo Rockets (8–4)[SUP][n 1][/SUP][/TD]
[TD]MWC
MAC[/TD]
[TD]Air Force 41
Toledo 42[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl[/TD]
[TD]Snapdragon Stadium
San Diego, CA
8:00 pm[/TD]
[TD]#24 Texas Longhorns (7–5)
California Golden Bears (7–5)[/TD]
[TD]Big 12
Pac-12[/TD]
[TD]Texas 21
California 10[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Dec. 29[/TD]
[TD]Champs Sports Bowl[/TD]
[TD]Citrus Bowl
Orlando, FL
5:30 pm[/TD]
[TD]Florida State Seminoles (8–4)
Notre Dame Fighting Irish (8–4)[/TD]
[TD]ACC
Independent[/TD]
[TD]Florida State 18
Notre Dame 14[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Valero Alamo Bowl[/TD]
[TD]Alamodome
San Antonio, TX
9:00 pm[/TD]
[TD]#12 Baylor Bears (9–3)
Washington Huskies (7–5)[/TD]
[TD]Big 12
Pac-12[/TD]
[TD]Baylor 67
Washington 56[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Dec. 30[/TD]
[TD]Bell Helicopters Armed Forces Bowl[/TD]
[TD]Gerald J. Ford Stadium
University Park, TX
12:00 pm[/TD]
[TD]BYU Cougars (9–3)
Tulsa Golden Hurricane (8–4)[/TD]
[TD]Independent
C-USA[/TD]
[TD]BYU 24
Tulsa 21[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]New Era Pinstripe Bowl[/TD]
[TD]Yankee Stadium
Bronx, NY
3:20 pm[/TD]
[TD]Iowa State Cyclones (6–6)
Rutgers Scarlet Knights (8–4)[/TD]
[TD]Big 12
Big East[/TD]
[TD]Iowa State 13
Rutgers 27[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl[/TD]
[TD]LP Field
Nashville, TN
6:40 pm[/TD]
[TD]Wake Forest Demon Deacons (6–6)
Mississippi State Bulldogs (6–6)[/TD]
[TD]ACC
SEC[/TD]
[TD]Wake Forest 17
Mississippi State 23[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Insight Bowl[/TD]
[TD]Sun Devil Stadium
Tempe, AZ
10:00 pm[/TD]
[TD]Iowa Hawkeyes (7–5)
#14 Oklahoma Sooners (9–3)[/TD]
[TD]Big Ten
Big 12[/TD]
[TD]Iowa 14
Oklahoma 31[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Dec. 31[/TD]
[TD]Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas[/TD]
[TD]Reliant Stadium
Houston, TX
12:00 pm[/TD]
[TD]Texas A&M Aggies (6–6)
Northwestern Wildcats (6–6)[/TD]
[TD]Big 12
Big Ten[/TD]
[TD]Texas A&M 33
Northwestern 22[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Hyundai Sun Bowl[/TD]
[TD]Sun Bowl Stadium
University of Texas El Paso
El Paso, TX
2:00 pm[/TD]
[TD]CBS[/TD]
[TD]Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (8–4)
Utah Utes (7–5)[/TD]
[TD]ACC
Pac-12[/TD]
[TD]Georgia Tech 27
Utah 30 (OT)[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]AutoZone Liberty Bowl[/TD]
[TD]Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium
Memphis, TN
3:30 pm[/TD]
[TD]ABC[/TD]
[TD]Cincinnati Bearcats (9–3)
Vanderbilt Commodores (6–6)[/TD]
[TD]Big East
SEC[/TD]
[TD]Cincinnati 31
Vanderbilt 24[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl[/TD]
[TD]AT&T Park
San Francisco, CA
3:30 pm[/TD]
[TD]ESPN[/TD]
[TD]Illinois Fighting Illini (6–6)[SUP][n 2][/SUP]
UCLA Bruins (6–7)[/TD]
[TD]Big Ten
Pac-12[/TD]
[TD]Illinois 20
UCLA 14[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Chick-fil-A Bowl[/TD]
[TD]Georgia Dome
Atlanta, GA
7:30 pm[/TD]
[TD]#25 Auburn Tigers (7–5)
Virginia Cavaliers (8–4)[/TD]
[TD]SEC
ACC[/TD]
[TD]Auburn 43
Virginia 24[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Jan. 2[/TD]
[TD]TicketCity Bowl[/TD]
[TD]Cotton Bowl
Dallas, TX
12:00 pm[/TD]
[TD]ESPNU[/TD]
[TD]#22 Penn State Nittany Lions (9–3)
#19 Houston Cougars (12–1)[/TD]
[TD]Big Ten
C-USA[/TD]
[TD]Penn State 14
Houston 30[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Outback Bowl[/TD]
[TD]Raymond James Stadium
Tampa, FL
1:00 pm[/TD]
[TD]ABC[/TD]
[TD]#17 Michigan State Spartans (10–3)
#16 Georgia Bulldogs (10–3)[/TD]
[TD]Big Ten
SEC[/TD]
[TD]Michigan State 33 (3OT)
Georgia 30[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Capital One Bowl[/TD]
[TD]Citrus Bowl
Orlando, FL
1:00 pm[/TD]
[TD]ESPN[/TD]
[TD]#20 Nebraska Cornhuskers (9–3)
#9 South Carolina Gamecocks (10–2)[/TD]
[TD]Big Ten
SEC[/TD]
[TD]Nebraska 13
South Carolina 30[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl[/TD]
[TD]EverBank Field
Jacksonville, FL
1:00 pm[/TD]
[TD]ESPN2[/TD]
[TD]Ohio State Buckeyes (6–6)
Florida Gators (6–6)[/TD]
[TD]Big Ten
SEC[/TD]
[TD]Ohio State 17
Florida 24[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Jan. 6[/TD]
[TD]AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic[/TD]
[TD]Cowboys Stadium
Arlington, TX
8:00 pm[/TD]
[TD]FOX[/TD]
[TD]#8 Kansas State Wildcats (10–2)
#6 Arkansas Razorbacks (10–2)[/TD]
[TD]Big 12
SEC[/TD]
[TD]Kansas State 16
Arkansas 29[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Jan. 7[/TD]
[TD]BBVA Compass Bowl[/TD]
[TD]Legion Field
Birmingham, AL
1:00 pm[/TD]
[TD]ESPN[/TD]
[TD]SMU Mustangs (7–5)
Pittsburgh Panthers (6–6)[/TD]
[TD]C-USA
Big East[/TD]
[TD]SMU 28
Pittsburgh 6[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Jan. 8[/TD]
[TD]GoDaddy.com Bowl[/TD]
[TD]Ladd Peebles Stadium
Mobile, AL
9:00 pm[/TD]
[TD]Northern Illinois Huskies (10–3)
Arkansas State Red Wolves (10–2)[/TD]
[TD]MAC
Sun Belt[/TD]
[TD]Northern Illinois 38
Arkansas State 20[/TD]
[/TR]
</tbody>[/TABLE]

^ Navy, which had the primary contract for this slot, was not bowl-eligible. For the 2011 season, the TicketCity Bowl and Military Bowl have contingency contracts with the Big 12 if those games' primary partners are not available. Since the TicketCity Bowl's primary partners (the Big Ten and C-USA) both filled their slots, Navy's Military Bowl slot was passed to the Big 12; however the Big 12 did not have enough teams to fulfill their contract, so Toledo from the MAC was invited.
^ Army, which had the primary contract for this slot, was not bowl-eligible. The ACC had a contingency contract for the slot, but could only fill it if it produced nine bowl-eligible teams. Miami's self-imposed bowl ban made it impossible for the conference to fill that slot.

2012 Bowl Championship Series schedule

[TABLE="class: wikitable"]
<tbody>[TR]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2, align: center"]Date[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2, align: center"]Game[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2, align: center"]Site[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2, align: center"]Television[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2, align: center"]Teams[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2, align: center"]Affiliations[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #F2F2F2, align: center"]Results[/TH]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Jan. 2[/TD]
[TD]Rose Bowl presented by Vizio[/TD]
[TD]Rose Bowl
Pasadena, CA
5:00 pm[/TD]
[TD]ESPN[/TD]
[TD]#10 Wisconsin Badgers (11–2)
#5 Oregon Ducks (11–2)[/TD]
[TD]Big Ten
Pac-12[/TD]
[TD]Wisconsin 38
Oregon 45[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Tostitos Fiesta Bowl[/TD]
[TD]University of Phoenix Stadium
Glendale, AZ
8:30 pm[/TD]
[TD]#3 Oklahoma State Cowboys (11–1)
#4 Stanford Cardinal (11–1)[/TD]
[TD]Big 12
Pac-12[/TD]
[TD]Oklahoma State 41 (OT)
Stanford 38[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Jan. 3[/TD]
[TD]Allstate Sugar Bowl[/TD]
[TD]Mercedes-Benz Superdome
New Orleans, LA
8:30 pm[/TD]
[TD]#13 Michigan Wolverines (10–2)
#11 Virginia Tech Hokies (11–2)[/TD]
[TD]Big Ten
ACC[/TD]
[TD]Michigan 23 (OT)
Virginia Tech 20[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Jan. 4[/TD]
[TD]Discover Orange Bowl[/TD]
[TD]Sun Life Stadium
Miami Gardens, FL
8:30 pm[/TD]
[TD]#15 Clemson Tigers (10–3)
#23 West Virginia Mountaineers (9–3)[/TD]
[TD]ACC
Big East[/TD]
[TD]Clemson 33
West Virginia 70[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Jan. 9[/TD]
[TD]Allstate BCS National Championship Game[/TD]
[TD]Mercedes-Benz Superdome
New Orleans, LA
8:30 pm[/TD]
[TD]#1 LSU Tigers (13–0)
#2 Alabama Crimson Tide (11–1)[/TD]
[TD]SEC
SEC[/TD]
[TD]LSU 0
Alabama 21

[/TD]
[/TR]
</tbody>[/TABLE]

Heisman Trophy

The Heisman Trophy is given to the year's most outstanding player.

Player	School	Position	1st	2nd	3rd	Total
Robert Griffin III	Baylor	QB	405	168	136	1,687
Andrew Luck	Stanford	QB	247	250	166	1,407
Trent Richardson	Alabama	RB	138	207	150	978
Montee Ball	Wisconsin	RB	22	83	116	348
Tyrann Mathieu	LSU	CB	34	63	99	327

Other overall

AP Player of the Year: Robert Griffin III, Baylor
Maxwell Award (top player): Andrew Luck, Stanford
Walter Camp Award (top player): Andrew Luck, Stanford
Campbell Trophy ("academic Heisman", formerly the Draddy Trophy): Andrew Rodriguez, Army
Wuerffel Trophy (humanitarian-athlete): Barrett Jones, Alabama
Paul Hornung Award (most versatile player): Brandon Boykin, Georgia
Burlsworth Trophy (top player who began as walk-on): Austin Davis, Southern Miss

Offense

Quarterback

Davey O'Brien Award (quarterback): Robert Griffin III, Baylor
Johnny Unitas Award (senior/4th year quarterback): Andrew Luck, Stanford
Manning Award (quarterback): Robert Griffin III, Baylor
Sammy Baugh Trophy (quarterback, specifically passer): Case Keenum, Houston

Running Back

Doak Walker Award (running back): Trent Richardson, Alabama

Wide Receiver

Fred Biletnikoff Award (wide receiver): Justin Blackmon, Oklahoma State

Tight End

John Mackey Award (tight end): Dwayne Allen, Clemson

Lineman

Dave Rimington Trophy (center): David Molk, Michigan
Outland Trophy (interior lineman): Barrett Jones, Alabama

Defense

Bronko Nagurski Trophy (defensive player): Luke Kuechly, Boston College
Chuck Bednarik Award (defensive player): Tyrann Mathieu, LSU
Lott Trophy (defensive impact): Luke Kuechly, Boston College

Defensive Line

Ted Hendricks Award (defensive end): Whitney Mercilus, Illinois
Rotary Lombardi Award (defensive lineman): Luke Kuechly, Boston College

Linebacker

Dick Butkus Award (linebacker): Luke Kuechly, Boston College

Defensive Back

Jim Thorpe Award (defensive back): Morris Claiborne, LSU

Special teams

Lou Groza Award (placekicker): Randy Bullock, Texas A&M
Ray Guy Award (punter): Ryan Allen, Louisiana Tech

Coaches

AP Coach of the Year: Les Miles, LSU
Paul "Bear" Bryant Award: Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State
The Home Depot Coach of the Year Award: Les Miles, LSU
Walter Camp Coach of the Year: Les Miles, LSU
Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year: Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State
Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award: Dabo Swinney, Clemson
Bobby Bowden National Collegiate Coach of the Year Award: Nick Saban, Alabama

Assistant

Broyles Award (assistant coach): John Chavis, LSU

Time to start preparing

In transit, arriving late.

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