Featured Moment: Jan. 4, 2000

This report courtesy of the National Football Foundation.

Published by Bonesville on Dec. 28, 2013

FEATURED MOMENT

Jan. 4, 2000: In New Orleans, Hall of Fame coach Bobby Bowden guided Florida State to its second national title in the second BCS Championship Game. The Seminoles were led by Heisman Trophy winner and 2000 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Chris Weinke, who threw for 329 yards and four touchdowns. Florida State wide receiver Peter Warrick caught six passes for 163 yards and two scores while adding a 59-yard punt return for a touchdown. Florida State led 28-7 late in the second quarter, but quarterback Michael Vick and the Hokies responded, taking a 29-28 lead into the third quarter. However, Weinke led the Seminoles 85 yards down the field and connected with wide receiver Ron Dugans for what would be the winning touchdown. The 46-29 victory made Florida State the first team in college football history to spend an entire season ranked No. 1 by both major polls.

OTHER NOTABLE DATES

DEC. 30, 1970: In Atlanta, Hall of Fame tailback Don McCauley and North Carolina ended up short against Hall of Fame coach Frank Kush and undefeated Arizona State in the Peach Bowl. The Tar Heels scored all 26 of their points in the second quarter, including three touchdown runs by McCauley, providing them a 26-21 lead at the half. However, the Sun Devils came out firing after the break, scoring four more touchdowns, including two by tailback Monroe Eley, to prevail 48-26. Arizona State finished with 306 rushing yards and 451 yards of total offense. The Sun Devils ended the season ranked No. 6 in the final AP Poll.

DEC. 31, 1966: In Jacksonville, FL, Hall of Famer Floyd Little rushed for 216 yards to set a Gator Bowl record, but Syracuse was unable to overcome Hall of Fame coach Doug Dickey and Tennessee’s strong start in the first half. Vols quarterback Dewey Warren threw for 189 yards in the first half, setting up two field goals by Gary Wright. Warren’s two touchdown passes in the second quarter gave Tennessee an 18-0 lead. The Orange offense came alive in the second half behind Hall of Famer Larry Csonka who rushed for 81 of his total 114 yards and found the end zone to cut the lead to 18-6. Syracuse failed to score on fourth down from Tennessee’s four-yard line early in the fourth quarter, making Little’s touchdown in the final minute inconsequential. The Vols held on to beat Hall of Fame coach Ben Schwartzwalder’s Orange 18-12.

JAN. 1, 1996: In Tempe, AZ, 2013 Hall of Fame inductees Tommie Frazier (Nebraska) and Danny Wuerffel (Florida) met in the first Bowl Alliance national championship game in the Fiesta Bowl as Hall of Fame coach Tom Osborne and Nebraska sought to become the second team in history to post perfect back-to-back national championship seasons. Both teams scored on their opening drives. Frazier tossed a 16-yard touchdown pass for the Cornhuskers while the Gators had to settle for a field goal. Florida took a 10-6 lead late in the first quarter with a quarterback sneak by Wuerffel, but then the Husker onslaught began as they took the lead and never looked back in rolling to a 62-24 victory. Frazier threw for a touchdown and ran for two others, including one of the most exciting runs in college football history, breaking seven tacklers for a 75-yard score. Frazier ran for 199 yards on the day, the most by a quarterback in bowl game history, and Nebraska rushed for an NCAA bowl record 524 yards. Wuerffel threw for 255 passing yards and two touchdowns, but the Gators were no match for the tough Husker defense, which kept Florida to -28 yards rushing. Frazier finished second in the voting for the Heisman in 1995 to Hall of Famer Eddie George while Wuerffel would take home the trophy the following season.

JAN. 2, 1961: With no AP post-bowl poll, No. 1 Minnesota had already clinched the national title behind Hall of Fame quarterback Sandy Stephens. But in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Washington toppled the Golden Gophers 17-7. The Huskies dominated the first half, outgaining the Golden Gophers 158 yards to 61 and scoring all 17 of their points. Washington kicker George Fleming opened the scoring with a Rose Bowl-record 44-yard field goal while Hall of Fame quarterback Bob Schloredt was responsible for the Huskies’ two touchdowns, finding halfback Brent Wooten for a four-yard touchdown pass and rushing for the other one. The Gophers controlled the second half, only allowing the Huskies to gain one first down and outgaining them 192 to 35 yards. However, Minnesota was only able to manage one touchdown on an 18-yard run by halfback Bill Munsey. Washington registered its second consecutive Rose Bowl upset following a 44-8 defeat of No. 6 Wisconsin the previous year. Although Minnesota was already named national champion by most outlets, the Gophers’ loss allowed the Huskies and No. 2 Mississippi to lay claims to the 1960 title.

JAN. 3, 2004: The 2004 Humanitarian Bowl between Georgia Tech and Tulsa in Boise, ID, set five records for the postseason game, including margin of victory as the Yellow Jackets routed the Golden Hurricane 52-10. Georgia Tech running back P.J. Daniels, the game's MVP, started the scoring on a 9-yard touchdown run. In the second quarter Tulsa's Brad DeVault kicked a 22-yard field goal, cutting the Yellow Jackets’ lead to 7-3. Tulsa would set a bowl game record of six fumbles lost, and Daniels capitalized, scoring on touchdown runs of 1, 33 and 38 yards, giving the Yellow Jackets 38 unanswered points and a 45-3 lead. Tulsa quarterback Paul Smith found 2005 National Scholar-Athlete Garrett Mills for a 13-yard touchdown pass, which cut the lead to 45-10, but it was too late for the Golden Hurricane. Daniels finished the day with 31 carries for 307 yards, an NCAA bowl game record and the second-highest total in school history. Georgia Tech held Tulsa to -56 rushing yards, the lowest ever in Golden Hurricane history and the second fewest yards in bowl game annals.

JAN. 5, 2009: In Glendale, AZ, 2009 National Scholar-Athlete Colt McCoy and Texas needed a last-minute touchdown to beat Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl. The Buckeyes took a 6-3 lead into halftime, but the Longhorns, in pursuit of a share of the national championship, took over in the third quarter as McCoy rushed for a touchdown and then found wide receiver Quan Cosby in the end zone for a 17-6 Texas lead. Ohio State’s offense was rejuvenated by the quarterback tandem of Terrelle Pryor and Todd Boeckman who led the Buckeyes to two touchdowns and a 21-17 advantage. With 16 seconds left in the game, McCoy connected with Cosby on 26-yard, game-winning touchdown to cap a 78-yard, do-or-die drive. McCoy threw for 414 yards and two touchdowns while wide receiver Brian Robiskie, a 2008 National Scholar-Athlete, led Ohio State with five catches for 116 yards. Despite the 24-21 win, Texas fell to No. 4 in the final AP Poll.

The Bonesville staff contributed to this report.

01/03/2014 05:22 PM