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On Sept. 19, 1998, College Football
Hall of Fame inductee and then-Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer
(right, finger pointing up) guided the Volunteers to a win over No. 2
Florida en route to the 1998 BCS title.
(Photo courtesy of the National Football
Foundation)
This report researched
and written by NFF Assistant Director of Communications Zach Barnett.
Published by Bonesville.net on Sept.
15, 2012
September 17, 1955:
In the first-ever color telecast of a football game by NBC, College
Football Hall of Fame coach Bobby Dodd led No. 10 Georgia Tech to a 14-6
win over No. 9 Miami (FL) in Atlanta. The key play of the game came when
Georgia Tech fullback Ken Owen was hit after signaling for a fair catch
on a Miami punt. Ignoring a wave of penalty flags, Georgia Tech halfback
Paul Rotenberry scooped up the fumbled punt and raced 48 yards for a
touchdown. The Hurricanes later posted a touchdown of their own, but
they were later halted at the Georgia Tech three-yard line while
trailing 7-6. The Ramblin' Wreck's clinching score didn't come until the
game's final minute when linebacker Jimmy Morris returned an
interception 25 yards for a touchdown.
September 18, 1982:
In a rare father-son matchup, coach Jack Elway led San Jose State to its
second consecutive upset of quarterback College Football Hall of Fame
quarterback John Elway and Stanford 35-31 in Palo Alto, California. John
Elway completed 24-of-36 passes for 382 yards and three touchdowns, but
he was bested by Spartans quarterback Steve Clarkson, who threw for 285
yards, three scoring strikes and converted the game-winning three-yard
keeper after a Cardinal fumble. Stanford mounted a responding drive,
reaching the Spartans' 26-yard line, but Elway was sacked on four
consecutive plays to end the game.
September 20, 2008:
N.C. State quarterback and future NFF Hampshire Honor Society member
Russell Wilson began an NCAA-record streak of 379 consecutive passes
without an interception. Wilson led the Wolfpack to a 30-24 upset of No.
15 East Carolina in Raleigh, North Carolina, as Wilson connected on
21-of-31 attempts for 210 yards and three touchdowns. Wilson would not
again be intercepted until Oct. 3, 2009 against Wake Forest, a span of
14 consecutive interception-free games.
September 21, 1946:
Texas A&M set an NCAA record for total punt return yardage when it
returned 10 North Texas State punts for 319 yards. The Aggies won the
game 47-0 in College Station, Texas.
September 22, 1962:
College Football Hall of Fame quarterback Terry Baker led Oregon State
to a 39-35 shootout win over Iowa State in Portland, Oregon. The game
was billed as a showdown between Cyclones tailback Dave Hoppmann, the
NCAA's returning total offense champion, and the challenger, Baker.
Hoppmann and Baker opened the scoring for both squads when Iowa State,
threatening to take a 14-7 lead, fumbled on fourth-and-goal from the
one-yard line. The Cyclones rebounded to build a 21-7 edge before Baker
found Vern Burke for a 31-yard touchdown pass with two seconds left to
pull Oregon State within eight. Hoppmann gave Iowa State a 28-13 lead
with a 12-yard scoring strike early in the third, but the Beavers
rallied behind three Baker touchdowns to take a 33-28 lead. Hoppmann
again responded with his third touchdown to retake the lead at 35-33.
Baker drove Oregon State 64 yards in 38 seconds, capped by a 43-yard
touchdown pass to Jerry Neil, to notch the winning score with just 29
seconds to play. Baker's 317-yard, four-touchdown day proved to be the
springboard to win the 1962 NCAA total offense crown and the school's
first Heisman Trophy that fall.
September 23, 1972:
Tulane upset College Football Hall of Fame coach Vince Dooley and No. 16
Georgia 24-13 in New Orleans. The win vaulted the Green Wave into the AP
top 20 in the regular season for the first time since 1956. Tulane
mounted two 80-yard drives to build a 17-7 lead, but defense and special
teams allowed the underdogs to keep the lead. Safety George Ewing
returned a punt 57 yards for a touchdown, and the Tulane defense forced
three interceptions while limiting Georgia to 2.8 yards per carry on 46
attempts.
FEATURED MOMENT
September 19, 1998:
2012 College Football Hall of Fame inductee Phillip Fulmer and No. 6
Tennessee defeated Coach Steve Spurrier, a 1986 Hall of Fame inductee as
a player, and No. 2 Florida 20-17 in overtime in Knoxville, Tennessee.
The Gators achieved a 213-99 yardage advantage in the first half, but
settled for a 10-10 deadlock due to three lost fumbles, including one at
the Tennessee goal line. A pair of touchdown passes sent the game to an
extra session, and Florida kicker Collins Cooper was unable to match
Tennessee's field goal, hooking a 32-yard try to give the Volunteers the
win. The victory was Tennessee's first over Florida in six years and
propelled Fulmer's club to the first national championship under the
newly established Bowl Championship Series.
09/16/2012 12:20 AM |
