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Featured Moment: Dec. 20, 1976
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On Dec. 20, 1976, a
pair of College Football Hall of Fame coaches, Terry Donahue
of UCLA (left frame) and Bear Bryant of Alabama, squared off in the
Liberty Bowl in Memphis. The Bear prevailed as the Crimson
Tide dominated the Bruins 36-6. |
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(Image courtesy of the
National Football Foundation) |
This report courtesy of
the
National Football Foundation.
Published by Bonesville on
Dec. 15, 2013
FEATURED MOMENT
DEC. 20, 1976:
In Memphis, No. 7 UCLA, under first-year Hall of Fame coach Terry
Donahue, was looking to take its frustrations out on Hall of Fame coach
Bear Bryant and No. 16 Alabama after coming off an upset loss to rival
Southern California in the final week of the regular season. Alabama
blew open the game early, scoring 17 points in the first quarter. UCLA
outgained Alabama on offense, but the Bruins could not find the end
zone, turning the ball over four times to help seal the win for the
Tide. The turnovers resulted in a 36-6 Alabama win, the largest margin
in the Liberty Bowl’s 18-year history.
OTHER NOTABLE DATES
DEC. 16, 1961:
In Philadelphia, an ice cold Liberty Bowl featured a matchup of Hall of
Fame coaches, as Ben Schwartzwalder’s No. 14 Syracuse, led by Hall of
Fame and Heisman-winning running back Ernie Davis, faced off against
Andy Gustafson and Miami. A 60-yard punt return by Nick Spinelli and a
George Mira touchdown pass gave the Hurricanes an early 14-0 lead. Miami
would not score in the second half, and Syracuse pounded away
relentlessly with its running game. Davis would amass 140 yards on the
day, including a third-quarter touchdown and four carries for 24 yards
on Syracuse’s winning drive. Davis would become the first
African-American to win the Heisman Trophy.
DEC. 17, 1993:
In Whitney, NV, Utah State earned its first bowl victory in school
history with a 42-33 triumph over Ball State in the Las Vegas Bowl.
Quarterback Anthony Calvillo led the Aggies by connecting on 25-of-29
passes for 286 yards and three touchdowns while adding eight carries for
50 yards. The Aggies built a 35-10 third-quarter lead before Ball State
mounted a late rally, but Donald Toomer's 32-yard interception return
for a touchdown sealed the win.
DEC. 18, 1982:
In Orlando, an early matchup between future Heisman winners created a
thriller as Hall of Famer Bo Jackson’s No. 18 Auburn Tigers outlasted
Hall of Famer Doug Flutie and the Boston College Eagles 33-26 in the
Tangerine Bowl. Jackson and Lionel James were part of a Tiger rushing
attack that gained 313 yards. Flutie threw for 299 yards and two scores
while rushing for a five-yard touchdown on the Eagles’ opening drive.
Auburn’s defense deployed five- and even some six-man defensive
backfields to keep Flutie from tossing any touchdown passes until the
end of the fourth quarter when it was already too late. Auburn finished
the season 9-3 and ranked No. 14 in the AP Poll. Boston College ended
unranked at 8-3-1.
DEC. 19, 1980:
In San Diego, No. 14 Brigham Young mounted an enormous comeback to stun
No. 19 Southern Methodist 46-45 in the Holiday Bowl. Prolific tailbacks
Craig James and Eric Dickerson combined to rush for 335 yards and four
touchdowns to build a 45-25 Mustangs lead with 4:07 to play. College
Football Hall of Fame coach LaVell Edwards' Cougars then sprung to life
with the help of an onside-kick recovery and a blocked punt, which put
BYU within six points with three seconds left. College Football Hall of
Fame quarterback Jim McMahon (446 passing yards and four touchdowns)
found Clay Brown on a 41-yard “Hail Mary” as time expired to complete
the rally.
DEC. 21, 1985:
In Tacoma, WA, in only the program’s fifth year of existence, Georgia
Southern defeated Furman 44-42 in the NCAA I-AA (now known as the FCS)
championship game. Hall of Fame quarterback Tracy Ham led Georgia
Southern back from a 28-6 third-quarter deficit. With four consecutive
scores GSU led 35-28. Furman then tied the score at 35, and they then
regained a 42-38 lead with a minute and a half to play. On the final
drive of the game, Ham completed a 53-yard pass, and he converted a
fourth-down pass with 25 seconds left to play to keep the Eagles’ hopes
alive. Frankie Johnson found room in the end zone between two defenders,
and Ham delivered a 13-yard game winning bullet with ten seconds left on
the clock.
DEC. 22, 1975:
In Memphis, the brilliant collegiate career of Hall of Fame coach John
McKay came to an end with Southern California’s 20-0 win over No. 2
Texas A&M in the Liberty Bowl. The trip to Memphis was the only non-Rose
Bowl postseason game in McKay’s USC tenure. Hall of Famer Ricky Bell led
the way for the Trojans, running for 82 yards and scoring on a 76-yard
screen pass. The Aggies committed two turnovers on key drives early in
the first half, and neither team scored in the second half. McKay closed
his USC career with a 127-40-8 record and four national championships.
The final AP Poll had the Aggies (10-2) at No. 11 and the Trojans (8-4)
at No. 17.
The Bonesville staff
contributed to this report.
12/21/2013 08:28 AM |
