This Week In College Football History, Aug. 30-Sept. 5
Courtesy of The National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame, Inc.
FEATURED MOMENT:
Sept. 5, 1906: Saint Louis QB Bradbury Robinson throws the first legal forward pass in football history to Jack Schneider as the Billikens down Carroll College 22-0 in Waukesha, Wis. Bradbury gets instructions to throw the ball from head coach Eddie Cochems, and the initial try in the first quarter falls incomplete.
OTHER NOTABLE DATES:
Aug. 30, 2003: Southern California uses its "Wild Bunch II" defense to blank Auburn 23-0 in Auburn, Ala., after the Tigers were selected by three preseason publications as the no. 1 team nationally. It is a complete domination for the Trojans as the Wild Bunch limits the Tigers’ top two tailbacks, "Cadillac" Williams and Ronnie Brown, to a net of 68 yards on 20 rushing attempts.
Aug. 31, 2002: Duke ends a 23-game losing streak by sprinting to a 20-0 advantage in the opening 30 minutes and then staving off East Carolina 23-20. Duke FB Alex Wade leads the way with 24 carries for 109 yards.
Sept. 1, 1984: BYU upsets No. 3 Pittsburgh 20-14 behind a bend-not-break defense and possession passing by QB Robbie Bosco (25-for-43 for 325 yards). Bosco hits WR Adam Haysbert with a 50-yard winning TD toss with 1:37 left in the game, and the Cougars stop a final Panthers’ surge on the BYU 29-yard line in the final seconds.
Sept. 1, 2007: FCS member Appalachian State pulls off a historical shocker by delivering a 34-32 upset over Michigan in Ann Arbor.
Sept. 2, 1995: Called "one of the biggest upsets in college football history," Northwestern outlasts Notre Dame 17-15 as the Wildcats begin their trek to the 1996 Rose Bowl. Northwestern scores early after a Fighting Irish turnover, and TB Darnell Autry (33 carries, 160 yards) was a one-man "ball control" machine as the Wildcats maintained ample possession time. Notre Dame missed on a two-point conversion after cutting the margin to the final 17-15 tally with 6:15 left in the final period.
Sept. 3, 1994: Tennessee has to resort to three reserve quarterbacks after starter Jerry Colquitt injured his knee in the first quarter of a 25-23 loss at UCLA. One of the reserves making his college debut is freshman Peyton Manning, a future consensus All-America and NFF Draddy Award winner. Future Major League Baseball star Todd Helton emerges in the fourth quarter to lead an exciting run by the Vols at an 18-0 deficit, but Bruins TB Daron Washington (30-yard clinching TD run) and UCLA prevail by two points.
Sept. 4, 1982: Georgia edges Clemson 13-7 in a tussle between the two most recent national champions –Georgia in ’80 and Clemson in ’81. DE Stan Dooley runs back a blocked punt for the Bulldogs’ lone TD of the contest while NFF College Hall of Fame PK Kevin Butler adds the decisive six points on a pair of field goals. |