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| | Monday, December 27 | |||||
| 1935: SMU 20, TCU 14 When the two teams met in Fort Worth, both were 10-0 with the national championship on the line. Southern Methodist jumped out 14-0 behind All-American halfback Bobby Wilson. But legendary Sammy Baugh sparked a Horned Frogs' comeback, tying the game in the fourth quarter on a TD pass. On the next possession, SMU had the ball on the TCU 36, facing fourth-and-7. But Wilson caught a long bomb for the victory. 1946: Army 0, Notre Dame 0 No. 1 Army entered at 7-0, averaging 30 points per game. No. 2 Notre Dame was 5-0, averaging 35 points per game. Army featured Doc Blanchard and Glenn Davis in the backfield while the Irish were led by quarterback Johnny Lujack. Played before 74,000 at Yankee Stadium, Army crossed midfield 10 times but failed to score, as Lujack made a game-saving tackle on a Blanchard breakaway. Army topped the polls following the game, but later lost the national title to Notre Dame when it barely beat a 1-8 Navy squad. 1966: Michigan State 10, Notre Dame 10 No. 1 Notre Dame (8-0) traveled to East Lansing to face the No. 2 Spartans (9-0). The Irish had outscored their opponents 301-28. Michigan State had outscored its opponents 283-89. Notre Dame fell behind 10-0 in the second quarter, but tied it up in the second half. The Irish, who held the Spartans to zero yards rushing in the second half, returned a fourth-quarter interception to the 18-yard line, but missed a 41-yard field goal. The Irish had one last chance with 1:24 left at its own 30, but Ara Parseghian made the controversial decision to sit on the ball rather than try to win the game. 1971: Nebraska 35, Oklahoma 31 On Thanksgiving Day in Norman, Okla., the nation's top-ranked teams met in a thriller. No. 1 Nebraska had the top-ranked defense. No. 2 Oklahoma featured a wishbone attack and led the nation in scoring offense. The Cornhuskers opened the scoring with Johnny Rodgers' scintallating punt return four minutes into the game. While the Sooners concentrated on stopping Rodgers, I-back Jeff Kinney ran for 174 yards. But the Cornhuskers needed a late drive and Rodgers made a key reception on a third-and-7 play. Kinney scored the go-ahead TD with 1:38 remaining. Oklahoma had one final chance, but QB Jack Mildren overthrew a wide-open receiver on a deep route. The Huskers beat Alabama 38-6 in the Orange Bowl to lay claim as one of the greatest teams ever. 1973 Sugar Bowl: Notre Dame 24, Alabama 23 The two powerhouses met for the first time on New Years' Eve, both undefeated, with Notre Dame ranked No. 3 and Alabama No. 1. Both had crushed opponents during the season, Notre Dame by an average score of 33-4, 'Bama by an average of 41-8. The game went back and forth, the lead exchanging hands six times. The Tide grabbed a 23-21 lead with 9:33 left when quarterback Richard Todd scored on a 25-yard pass from halfback Mike Stock. But they missed the extra point. The Irish took a 24-23 lead on Bob Thomas' 19-yard field with 4:25 remaining. With three minutes left, 'Bama punted 69 yards, pinning the Irish at the one -- but a roughing call gave the Tide a fourth-and-five play. Bear Bryant declined the penalty anyway, but the Irish ran out the clock to win the national championship. 1979 Sugar Bowl: Alabama 14, Penn State 7 Joe Paterno's Nittany Lions were 11-0 and ranked No. 1 while Alabama was 10-1 and ranked No. 2. Late in the first half, game tied 0-0, 'Bama was running out the clock but Penn State called two timeouts, hoping to get the ball. Instead, Tony Nathan spun a 30-yard run and Crimson Tide quarterback Jeff Rutledge connected on a 30-yard TD pass with eight seconds left. A 62-yard punt return led to Alabama's go-ahead score in the third quarter, setting the stage for a memorable goal-line stand. Penn State had a third-and-goal at the one with six minutes left, but 'Bama linebacker Barry Krauss stuffed Mike Guman at the line of scrimmage on fourth down. The Tide split the national title with USC. 1984 Orange Bowl: Miami 31, Nebraska 30 The top-ranked Cornhuskers were 12-point favorites to beat No. 4 Miami. It's easy to understand why -- Nebraska had scored 624 points while going 12-0, the highest-scoring team in college football history (Heisman winner Mike Rozier scored 29 TDs). But Nebraska had played only one ranked team all season and it showed as the 'Huskers fell behind 17-0 as Bernie Koser picked apart the secondary. Guard Dean Steinkuhler scored on a "fumblerooski" play, but Miami still led 31-17 entering the fourth quarter. Rozier was injured in the third quarter, but backup Jeff Smith scored with 6:55 left to make it 31-24. Later, on a fourth-and-8 from the Miami 24, Smith took an option and scored with 48 seconds left. Tom Osborne went for two. It failed and Miami won the national championship. 1987 Fiesta Bowl: Penn State 14, Miami 10 Jimmy Johnson's Hurricanes so loved their outlaw image they wore combat fatigues on their plane flight and later stormed out of a breakfast being hosted for the two teams. Miami was ranked No. 1 and Penn State No. 2, but the 'Canes were big favorites. Statistically, Miami dominated the game, outgaining Penn State 445 yards to 162. But Vinny Testaverde threw five interceptions, including the final one to Pete Giftopoulos at the five-yard line in the closing seconds. |  ALSO SEE Greatest Games  | |||||