Greatest College Football Finishes TM (updated 4-13-01) compiled with help from rec.sport.football.college and many many emails from fans. These are based on one play that wins the game (for the most part). Italicized descriptions are in the words of the fans who sent them in. To add to the list or get the facts straight on a game, email Ted Mandell, or stop by the homepage. Thanks to all who've added entries! Check out the review in the October '98 issue of YAHOO! magazine. One of the Top 40 Sports websites as reviewed by SPORT magazine (March '99 issue).


Check out HEART STOPPERS AND HAIL MARYS for the complete stories
of 100 of the greatest finishes from Div.I-A to Div. III...
and LISTEN to the thrilling radio play-by-play calls of the greatest finishes since 1970

 

 

HEART STOPPERS AND HAIL MARYS
100 of the Greatest College Football Finishes
(1970-1999)

by Ted Mandell

336-page text and accompanying audio CD
published by Diamond Communications, Inc.

 

 

Celebrate the victory by listening to the winning team's fight song.

Winning Team Losing Team Year The Play that Won the Game
Alabama Mississippi 69 In the first ever prime-time televised college football game, Archie Manning drives Ole Miss in the final minutes but is stuffed on a 4th down QB sneak and Alabama defeats Ole Miss 33-32.
 Alabama Penn State 79  How about the the game when Alabama held Penn State for four consecutive downs on the goalline & kept them from scoring I think in the 79 Sugar Bowl for the national title. Now that is a One of the Greatest Finishes of all time!!!
Alabama Auburn 85 Van Tiffin hits the 52 yd FG as time expires. Bama 25, Auburn 23.
Alabama Tennessee 90 Bama blocks Tenn FG then hits own 55 yder to beat Vols.
Alabama Florida 92 Florida rallies from a 21-7, 4th quarter deficit to tie the game at 21-21. But with 3:15 left, Gator QB Shane Matthews' pass is intercepted by cornerback Antonio Langham who takes it in 27 yards for the game winning touchdown as Bama wins.
Alabama Auburn 96 Kitchens pass to Riddle to beat Auburn 24-23 in Birmingham.
 Arizona Arizona State 87 ASU fumbles punt snap with :13 left leading to Coston FG for 24-24 tie.
 Arkansas Alabama 95 JJ Meadors last second TD catch beats the Tide, 20-19.
Arkansas State Louisiana Tech 85 Fred Barnett TD catch in final seconds wins it for ASU.
Arkansas State Nevada 93 ASU hits hail mary pass, Covington to Murphy, to win 23-21.
Army Navy 95 Army stops Navy at the 1yd yardline on 4th down, then drives 99 yards for winning TD.
Auburn Alabama 72 Auburn blocks 2 punts for TD in 4th qtr and wins 17-16.
Auburn Alabama 82 "Bo over the top". Auburn's 1st win in the series since the 17-16 blocked punt game of '72.
Auburn Alabama 86 Tillmann scores on reverse to beat Bama
Auburn Florida 89 Reggie Slack 4th and 17 TD pass wins it for Auburn.
Auburn Indiana 91 Stan White scores on 4th and goal to win the Peach Bowl over IU.
Auburn Alabama  93  In 1993, Auburn was losing to Bama in the third quarter when Auburn's Stan White received a game ending injury. Back-up QB Patrick Nix came into the game and immediately threw a unbelieveable touchdown pass to Frank Sanders, putting Auburn in the lead, firing up the home crowd, and Auburn later ended the season PERFECT 11-0.
Auburn Florida 94 Nix to Sanders with :30 left to beat #1 Gators
Auburn LSU 94 Three LSU passes intercepted for TDs in 4th qtr for 30-26 Auburn comeback.
 Bloomsburg West Chester 84 Curtis Still catches a 50 yd TD pass from Jay Dedea as time runs out and the Div.II Huskies beat West Chester 34-31.
 Brown Pennsylvania 98 A game I was at this fall: 
In a wild second half, the last 11 possesions end in touchdowns. James Perry throws a 35-yard pass to Stephen Campbell with :04 left, and Brown wins 58-51. The highest scoring game in Ivy League history.
Boston College Miami 84 Flutie to Phelen.
Boston College ND 93 Gordon hits FG at buzzer
Bowling Green Nevada 92 BG wins Vegas Bowl 35-34 on 4th down play.
BYU SMU 80 BYU trails by 20 points, 45-25 with 2:55 to go in the game and scores three TDs in the last 2:55 to win 46-45. The last one, a 45-yard Hail Mary from Jim McMahon as time expires.
BYU Missouri 83 Steve Young catches halfback pass for TD to win Holiday Bowl.
Cal Stanford 82 "The play".
Cal Arizona 96 The Bears beat Arizona 56-55 in 4 OT's after Cal foils Arizona's 2-point conversion attempt.
 Carthage Millikin  97 Eric Corbett's 45-yd TD pass to Kris Norton as time runs out gives Carthage the 22-17 Division III victory.
 Central Michigan Southwestern Louisiana 91 Jeff Bender's pass to Bob Kench falls incomplete in the end zone as time expires and the Chippewas trailing 24-20. But Southwestern La. is called for pass interference on the play and Central is given one last play from the 2-yard line. This time, Bender dumps a pass in the flat to L.J. Muddy, who is hit at the 1 and falls into the end zone, clinching the Chippewas' 27-24 victory. CMU goes on to finish with a 6-1-4 record, tying (appropriately enough) the NCAA record for most ties in a season.
 Clemson Virginia  92  The loss to Clemson 29-28 in Charlottesville early in the 1992 season...after Virginia led 28-0.... Clemson has a plaque commemorating this one in Death Valley. I sat on the hill and watched the complete, disgusting disintegration, much the same as my perspective in Ann Arbor 97 at the UM-UVA game. 
Nelson Welch's 30-yd FG with :55 left, capped the comeback. 
Colorado Missouri 90 Back-up QB Charles Johnson, replacing the injured Darian Hagan, scores on the infamous "fifth down" as time expires and the Buffaloes win 33-31.
Colorado Notre Dame 90 Colorado punts to "Rocket" Ismail with under a minute to go. The "Rocket" returns the kick 89 yds. for a TD giving ND the lead, but the TD is called back for clipping, and Colorado wins the Orange Bowl and National Championship.
Colorado Michigan 94 Stewart to Westbrook:The Catch 
(audio link censored by ABC Sports Online)
 Colorado Wyoming 97 "We were down by nine with 4 min in the game after they scored a touchdown. Ben Kelly (#1) took the kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown, they fumbled the ball, Hessler (Qb) completed a pass to Chiaverini (Wr) and I kicked a field goal to win the game 20-19. " -Jeremy Aldrich #9, Colorado Buffaloes
 DePauw Anderson (Ind.) 91 Steve Broderick catches a 65 yd pass from Brian Goodman on the last play and DePauw (Div. III) wins 12-7.
 Duke  North Carolina  69  At the end of the 3rd quarter, with the score tied, Duke's Coach Harp called for the quarterback Leo Hart to run to the Duke sideline, placing the ball on the right hash mark for the next play. This was on second and 10 at the Duke 46. Now 3rd and 9 on the 47, without a huddle, Hart feigned tying his shoelace while split end Marcel Courtillet went up to the ball, and the entire rest of the team lined up to the left of the ball, apparently waiting for Hart. Courtillet suddenly hiked the ball and flipped it to wideout Wes Chesson, who ran left behind a wave of Duke players. The UNC players, still in defensive huddle, were taken by surprise and Chesson went untouched into the endzone. Duke then later stopped Carolina on 4th and goal from the 4 to seal the game. Duke 17, UNC 13.
 East Carolina Northern Illinois  90  Quarterbacks Jeff Blake-ECU and Stacy Robinson NIU Battle for 4 Quarters and NIU leads 17-13 with 2 minutes to go. Blake drives ECU the length of the field to take the lead 20-17 with 40 seconds left. NIU stalls out in the insuing drive and on the last play of the game throws incomplete on the right sideline. But wait! ECU has 12 men on the field and NIU gets one more play with no time on the clock. At the NIU 35 Robinson completes an 18 yd.crossing route to Larry Wynn. Wynn runs to the ECU 35 and latterals to Kurt Cassity. Cassity runs the ball to the ECU 1 yd.line and gets driven out of bounds at the 1 to preserve the 3 pt. win for ECU.
East Carolina N.C. State 92 In the Peach Bowl, ECU trails by 17 with 9:00 to play when QB Jeff Blake engineers a miraculous comeback., capped off by a touchdown pass to Luke Fisher with a little over a minute to play. With the score 37-34, State engineers a comeback of their own getting into field goal range, but the kick goes wide right and ECU wins.
 East Carolina  Southern Mississippi  95 "Consider East Carolina over Southern Mississippi in 1995. ECU leads most of the game. USM comes back to take a 34-33 lead with about a minute or so to go in the game. ECU's Marcus Crandell leads a drive that gets ECU close enough to try a FG with about 12 seconds left. It's a fake, placeholder takes the snap and passes in the end zone where pass interference is called. Next play is a real FG, and ECU wins on the last play of the game 36-34."
 Eastern Kentucky Northeast Louisiana 92 Sean Little recovers a fumble in the endzone on the last play of the game. EKU wins 26-21.
 Ferris State St. Joseph's (Ind.) 80 Greg Washington catches a 17-yard TD pass from holder John Gibson after a botched 34 yard field goal attempt on the last play of the game. The Bulldogs (Div.II) win 20-15.
Florida Auburn 86 Injured QB Kerwin Bell brings Gators back from 17-0 4th quarter deficit and scores 2pter to win 18-17.
 Florida  Florida State  97  Florida beats Florida State 32-29 in a back and forth game in which the final score was set up by a 60yd completion from Doug Johnson to Jaquez Green and a Fred Taylor run.
Florida State Clemson 88 Bowden pulls the puntrooskie to beat Clemson.
Florida State Nebraska 94 After field is cleared, Huskers miss FG at buzzer, FSU wins Orange Bowl.
Florida State Florida 94 Trailing 31-3 in the 4th quarter, FSU rallies behind Danny Kannel to forge a remarkable 31-31 tie.
Georgia Alabama 65 UGA runs hook & lateral play in last minute for 60 yd TD then gets 2pter for win.
Georgia Florida 80 Lindsay Scott 92 yd TD reception from Buck Belue with 1:35 left wins it for eventual national champion Dawgs.
Georgia Clemson 84 Kevin Butler hits 60yd. FG to beat Clemson.
Georgia Auburn 96 Auburn leads 28-7 in the second qtr., but UGA throws a 30 yard TD on the last play of the game to force OT. Four OT periods later, the Bulldogs win 56-49.
Georgia Southern Furman 85 Georgia Southern rallies from a 22 point half time deficit to beat Furman 44-42 in the 1985 1-AA National championship game with 10 seconds to go on a pass from Tracy Ham to Frankie Johnson.
 Georgia Tech  Virginia  90  Scott Sisson kicks a FG in the waning moments to upset #1 UVA on the road 41-38.
Georgia Tech Clemson 2000 "Clemson was undefeated going into the game and Tech had a nice winning streak of its own. with a little over a minute left, Clemson scored a go ahead touchdown to make the score 28-24. after the kickoff, tech drove the length of the field to set up the winning touchdown. with 8 seconds remaining, quarterback George Godsey found receiver Kerry Watkins in the back of the end zone. Watkins made a spectacular one-handed diving catch to seal the victory and put an end of Clemson's undefeated season."
Harvard Yale 68 Harvard scores TD and 2pter with no time left (16 pts in last :42) for 29-29 tie.
Harvard Yale 74 Eion Hu scores with :29 left as Crimson beats Yale.
Holy Cross Princeton 88 70 yd kickoff return by Tim Donovan who then laterals to Darin Cromwell who takes it into the endzone on the last play of the game gives HC the 30-26 victory.
Iowa Michigan 85 Houghtlin hits FG at buzzer for #1 Iowa over #2 UM
Iowa Ohio St. 87 Marv Cook TD catch on 4th &27 gets Earle Bruce fired.
Kentucky Vanderbilt 71 Darryl Bishop 43 yd. interception return on last play wins it for UK, 14- 7.
LSU Mississippi 59 Billy Cannon 89 yd punt return beats the Rebels, 7-3. Cannon also stops Ole Miss on 4th & goal at the 2 with time running out to save the game.
LSU Mississippi 72 Bert Jones to Brad Davis TD pass with no time left, LSU 17, Ole Miss 16.
LSU Auburn 88 Hodson to Fuller TD gives LSU 7-6 win. 
"For the LSU-Auburn game of 88 you need to mention that the crowds reaction to the score registered on the seismograph across campus thus earning the name "The night the Tigers moved the Earth" and "The Earthquake Game"."
LSU Auburn 95 LSU CB picks off Auburn pass in endzone as time expires.
 LSU Auburn  96  "The 1996 LSU-AU game ended with an LSU cornerback intercepting a 2pt. conversion try(that would have tied the game) and returned it for a Defensive PAT(2pts). LSU won 17-13 the night Auburn's Field House burned down."
 Louisiana Tech Alabama 99 Brian Stallworth to Sean Cangelosi desperatiuon pass beats the clock and the Tide.
Marshall Youngstown St. 92 Brother of suspended kicker hits FG with :10 left to win I-AA title for MU
Maryland Miami 84 Down by over 30 points, Maryland rallies to beat UM.
Miami East Carolina 83 Wide open ECU receiver is run into by his own player and drops winning TD pass.
Miami Florida 84 Kosar to Eddie Brown bomb with :10 left beats Gators.
Miami Nebraska 84 Canes knock down conversion to win the national championship
Miami Fla.St. 87 Canes knock down Noles 2pt conversion to win 26-25.
Miami Mich 88 Canes rally from 18pts down in 4th quarter to win at Ann Arbor 31-30.
 Miami Florida State 91 "Wide Right"- FSU backup kicker Gerry Thomas misses a short field goal wide right on the last play as Miami holds on to win 17-16.
 Miami Florida State 92 "Wide Right II"- Gino Toretta to Lamar Thomas pass gives Miami the lead. Charlie Ward drives the Seminoles into 'Canes territory with under a minute left, but Dan Mowrey misses a field goal wide right on the last play. Miami wins 19-16.
Miami Syracuse 93 Graves long pass completed 2yds short of goal line as time runs out.
Miami West Virginia 96 Tremain Mack blocks a Mountaineer punt and Jack Hallmon recovers it and laterals to Nate Brooks who runs it in 20 yards for a TD that gives Miami the win with 0:26 on the clock.
Miami(OH) Northwestern 95 Bad snap on punt with seconds left gives Mami the easy FG and NU's only regualr season loss.
Miami(Oh) Cincinnati 95 82 yd. kickoff return by Ty King with :19 left wins it for the Redskins 23-16.
Michigan Indiana 79 Anthony Carter 45 yd TD catch from John Wangler on last play wins it for UM.
Michigan Virginia 95 This was the most heartbreaking loss I've ever witnessed as a Virginia fan, and obviously, there have been many. Trailing by 17-0 in the 4th quarter, the Wolverines rally on opening day with Scott Dreisbach hitting Mercury Hayes who leaped , caught the ball, and came down with one foot in the extreme back corner of the endzone to complete the Michigan comeback, UM 18, UVA 17.
Michigan State Ohio State 74 Levi Jackson runs 88 yds in final minute to give MSU 16-13 lead over #1 Buckeyes. But OSU drives down the field, is held on two goalline stands then scores a TD just after time expires. After an hour delay the Big 10 commissioner rules that MSU wins.
 Michigan State Ohio State 98 Ok, here's one on the MSU/OSU 1998 game: Michigan State holds the great Ohio State offense scorless in the second half to overcome a 24-9 deficit. The Spartans win the game with a minute remaining as Joe Germaine's pass is intercepted by Renaldo Hill in his own endzone. The final score - Ohio State (the #1 team in the nation playing at home) 24, unranked MSU 28!
Minnesota Northwestern 92 NU just misses FG as time runs out
Minnesota Penn State 99 Freshman kicker boots FG with no time left after miracle deflected pass puts the Gophers in a position to win it.
Mississippi Miss.State 83 Wind stops Bulldog FG try short from 20 yds. Ole Miss wins 24- 23.
Mississippi Arkansas 90 The unranked Rebs lead the 13th ranked Hogs 21-17 at War Memorial. Arkansas is driving and RB Ron Dickerson carries the final time, as Rebel announcer David Kellum calls it..."Dickerson gets to the three, he's hit at the two..hit at the one....he didn't get in! he didn't get in! Rebs win! Rebs win!" Chris Mitchell put what has become known simply as "The Hit" on Dickerson at the one.
Mississippi Miss.State 92 Ole Miss, leading 17-10, stops Mississippi State on 11 different plays from scrimmage inside the four yard line with less than two minutes to go in the game to preserve the victory.
 Mississippi Miss.State  97  With time winding down, Ole Miss scores to pull within one, 14-13. The Mississippi Riverboat Gambler Tommy Tubberville goes for the two point conversion. Stewart Patridge completes the pass to Cory Peterson . The Rebels win 15-14.
 Mississippi  LSU 98   "Ole Miss carried a 31-10 lead into the fourth quarter. We were already celebrating back-to-wins over LSU. I guess we celebrated too early as LSU came raging back to tie the ballgame at 31 with :02 left on the clock. In OT, the Rebs got the ball first and scored on the second play from 25 yards out. Usually, you would have a seven point lead. Not Ole Miss. They had the PAT blocked. 37-31. A touchdown and a PAT were all that were needed. I stood and watched as the Tigers got inside the five. Rebels held. Fourth and goal from the four. As QB Herb Tyler rolled right, I saw the receiver with outstretched hands running to the sideline. In all of a second, I experienced extreme pain as the ball drifted towards the receiver, but then, extreme exhilleration as Syniker Taylor deflected the pass in the end zone to preserve one of the greatest games I have ever seen. Ole Miss wins 37-31."
Mississippi St. Alabama 80 Down 6-3 in the final seconds, #1 Bama fumbles near the goal line and loses to MSU.
Missouri Nebraska 73 Mizzou intercepts David Humm 2pt try for the upset win 13-12.
Montana Marshall 95 last second FG wins I-AA nat.Championship for Montana
Nebraska Oklahoma  71  Referred to as 'The Game of the Century' (as are about ten other games). Less than two minutes to play, Jeff Kinney bowls in from one yard out to score his fourth TD of the game. Neb 35 , Okl 31.
 Nebraska Missouri 97 Cornhuskers' 4th down desperation pass by Scott Frost appears to be deflected and incomplete, but then kicks off the receiver Shevin Wiggins' leg and is caught by Matt Davison in the endzone to tie the game at the buzzer. Nebraska wins it in OT.
Nevada Arkansas State 85 Nevada blocks two consecutive FG tries (one on 3rd down) in closing seconds to hang on for win in I-AA playoffs.
New Mexico State Texas-El Paso 84 With 2:14 left, trailing 20-16, and the ball on the New Mexico State 10 yard line, UTEP quarterback Sammy Garza is intercepted by freshman cornerback Dennis Owens who returns it 100 yards for a New Mexico State touchdown that preserves a 27-16 victory for the Aggies.
North Carolina NC State 72 Terry Taylor breaks up 2 pt conversion. UNC beats Lou Holtz's Wolfpack 34-33.
North Carolina Duke 76 Mike Voight's 2 pt conversion beats Duke 39-38.
North Carolina Duke 78 Amos Lawrence run on last play beats Blue Devils.
North Carolina St. South Carolina 86 Erik Kramer to Danny Peebles, 33yds on last play, 23-22 NCSU.
NE Louisiana Northwestern State 87 Stan Humphries hits Jackie Harris with 50 yd hail mary.
 Northern Illinois SW Louisiana 89  Game featured two of the all time great option quarterbacks: Brian Mitchell- SWLA and Stacy Robinson-NIU Down by 3, NIU gets the ball on their own 23. In 12 plays and 2 fourth down conversions during the drive NIU has the ball on the 7 yd. line with 3 seconds to go. Robinson goes left on the option play and scores on the last play of the game.
Northwestern Mich.St. 82 NU runs flea flicker with :27 left to get first road win in 8 yrs.
Northwestern Mich. St 93 NU makes FG but after time runs out and MSU wins
 Northwestern Wisconsin 96 Running out the clock, the Badgers fumble on their own 41 yd line with :49 remaining. Steve Schnur hits D'Wayne Bates with :37 seconds left to give Northwestern the 34-30 victory.
Northwestern Michigan 2000 Zac Kustok's 11-yard TD toss to Sam Simmons wins an unbelievable game for the Wildacats 54-51.
Notre Dame Ohio State 35 Bill Shakespeare hits Wayne Milner in the endzone as ND rallies from a 13-0 deficit to win 18-13.
Notre Dame Houston 79 Joe Montana hits Kris Haines with TD at buzzer capping 23 pt. comeback
Notre Dame Syracuse 61 Syracuse and Heisman trophy winner Ernie Davis lead Notre Dame 15-14.  The Irish line up for a 46 yard field goal with three seconds left. Kicker Joe Perkowski misses. Game over...but wait. Roughing the kicker on Syracuse defensive end Walt Sweeney. 15 yard penalty. Perkowski makes a 31 yard  FG after the game is over, and the Irish win 17-15.  Fans tear down the goalposts.  But wait. Rules say the game CAN end on a defensive foul.. Game was over despite the roughing. At the White House the next week, President Kennedy asks ND president Ted Hesburgh if the Irish will forfeit the win. Hesbergh says, " No. We won."
Notre Dame Michigan 80 Harry Oliver hits 50 yd FG with no time left to beat Wolverines
Notre Dame Michigan 88 Wolverines' Mike Gillette narrowly misses FG as time runs out.
Notre Dame Miami 88 Pat Terrell knocks down Steve Walsh 2pt pass for upset over #1 Canes.
Notre Dame Michigan St. 90 Tipped pass falls into hands of ND receiver inside the 5-yd line to set up winning TD.
Notre Dame Penn State 92 Mirer to Brooks 2pter in the snow, ND wins 17-16.
Notre Dame Florida St. 93 Shawn Wooden knocks down Ward pass for Irish win over #1 Noles.
Notre Dame Army 95 Irish CB Ivory Covington makes tackle at goal line on 2pt try. 
 Notre Dame Boston College 98 Trailing 31-20 late in the 4th quarter, the Eagles rally and have first and goal on the Irish 4-yd line, down just five points, with one minute to play. On third down, Mike Cloud is met at the goalline by Jimmy Friday leaving fourth and inches with :11 to play. Deke Cooper stuffs Cloud on fourth down and the Irish escape 31-26.
Ohio St. Iowa 57 Bob White carries every yard of 80 yd drive in 4th qtr to beat Hawkeyes
Ohio St. Michigan 74 For the second consecutive year, Mike Lantry misses a FG attempt to the left to send the Buckeyes to the Rose Bowl 12-10.
Ohio St. LSU 88 Greg Frey to Bobby Olive with 47 seconds remaining. Buckeyes score 16 points in final 5:00 for 36-33 win.
Ohio St. Minnesota 89 Greg Frey to Jeff Graham with 55 seconds remaining rallies Buckeyes from 31-0 deficit to win 43-37 (at the time, the largest comeback in college football history)
Ohio St. Iowa 90 Greg Frey to Bobby Olive with 1 second left. Buckeyes down the PAT to avoid blocked kick and return for 2 Iowa points and win 27-26.
Ohio St. Arizona St. 97 After Jake the Snake Plummer skampers into the endzone on 3rd and goal with 1:46 left to play to go up 17-14, OSU quarterback Joe Germaine drives the Buckeyes from their own 35-yard line to score a touchdown with 20 seconds left. After a Josh Jackson extra point miss, Arizona State tries to get a field goal but time runs out, OSU 20 ASU 17, first Rose Bowl win for the Bucks since 1974.
Oklahoma Ohio State 77 VonSchamann FG beats Woody.
 Oregon UCLA 70 The Ducks score three TDs in the final four minutes to win 41-40.
 Oregon State Oregon 98 OSU wins 44-41 in double OT. Ken Simonton's 4th TD in the 2nd OT wins it for the Beavers.
 Pacific San Jose St  95  "I can't believe you didn't have the best finish of all time: the pass from Graham Leigh to Tyrone Watley with no time on the clock go to allow Pacific to beat San Jose State in 1995 just before Pacific dropped football! That was the best pass in history!"(Ok, it's on the list.)
Penn St. Kansas 69 In the 1969 Orange Bowl , the Nittany Lions win 15-14 on second attempt at two point conversion after Kansas has twelve defensive men on the field for the first attempt.
Penn St. Nebraska 82 Blackledge TD pass wins it for JoePa
Penn St. Miami 86 Giftopoulis interceptsTesteverde pass on the PSU 5-yd line to win the Fiesta Bowl and national championship.
Penn St. Notre Dame 90 In South Bend, Lions intercept Rick Mirer in Irish territory with less than a minute to go of a tie game, then kick winning FG with three seconds left.
Penn St. Illinois 94 PSU drives 99 yds for winning TD after trailing 21-0.
Pittsburgh Georgia 82 Dan Marino hits John Brown on fourth down in the final minute to beat UGA in the '82 Sugar Bowl.
 Pittsburgh West Virginia  89 WVU leads Pitt 31-9 with 9 minutes to go.Pitt miraculously rallies and "wins" the game 31-31 on a long field goal on the last play of the game.The tie is one of WVU's worst "defeats" ever.It still hurts.
 Purdue  Michigan St.  97 Ed Watson's two-yard touchdown run with 40 seconds to play capped off a miraculous comeback, and Michigan State's Chris Gardner missed a 43-yard field goal with three seconds left, as Purdue pulled off a stunning 22-21 victory. Michigan State clearly had the game in hand, leading 21-10, and Gardner was attempting a 39-yard field goal with just over two minutes to play. But Purdue defensive tackle Leo Perez broke through the line to block the kick and defensive end Rosevelt Colvin scooped up the loose ball and rumbled 62 yards for the touchdown. Purdue trailed 21-16 after Billy Dicken's pass fell incomplete on the conversion attempt. The ensuing onside kick was recovered by Boilermakers wide receiver Chris Daniels. Dicken completed four passes, including a 14-yarder to Gabe Cox down to the 4-yard line. Following a defensive penalty and Dicken's failed quarterback draw, Watson punched it into the end zone for the win.
 Purdue  Kansas State  98  Drew Brees marches Purdue 80 yards in less than a minute and throws the winning TD pass to Isaac Jones to Beat K-State in the Alamo Bowl.
Rutgers Va.Tech 92 Rutgers last second TD wins 50-49.
 San Jose State Wyoming 92 Sophomore Joe Nedney kicks a 60 yd FG as time expires and the Spartans beat Wyoming 26-24.
 Southern Illinois Eastern Illinois  83  On the last play of the game, Southern Illinois cornerback, Terry Taylor, blocks an Eastern Illinois 25 yard field goal attempt to preserve the 2nd Saluki victory, 17-14, on the way to the 1983 1-AA Championship.
SMU Texas Tech 82 SMU, ranked #1 in the nation, returns a last second kickoff from Texas Tech 92 yards to win the game.
 Southern Mississippi Louisville 89 Brett Favre's 79yd pass to Darryl Tillman on the last play wins it for Southern Miss. 16-10.
Stanford Michigan 72 Rod Garcia hits the last second FG for 13-12 Rose Bowl win.
Stanford Oklahoma 81 Elway rallies the Cardinal
Stanford Cal 90 "The Play II" Cal fans get delay of game penalty. Stanford gets onside kick with :12 left then hits FG with no time left to win 27-25.
Syracuse West Virginia 87 Undefeated Syracuse trails the Mountaineers 31-24 with less than a minute to go. Don McPherson drives them down for a touchdown, then Michael Owens takes the option pitch in the left corner of the endzone for the winning 2 point conversion.
 Syracuse Virginia Tech 98 Donovan McNabb's desperation pass on the last play of the game gives the Orangemen the 28-26 win.
Tennessee Georgia 68 Vols score with no time left then hit 2pter for 17-17 tie in 1st turf.
Tennessee ND 91 Down 31-7, UT comes back to win 35-34 as Jerenmy Lincoln blocks FG with his buttocks at the buzzer
 Tennessee Florida 98 Gator FG attempt goes wide left in OT in front of the largest crowd ever in Knoxville. UT wins 20-17.
Texas TCU 54 Texas' players were going through the motions until a referee failed to blow a play dead and the TCU runner dashed into the end zone. That made it 34-7 TCU as the fourth quarter began. Texas, enraged by the non-whistle, scored four 4th-quarter touchdowns and Buck Lansford's final PAT try grazed the right upright and went through for a 35-34 Texas victory at Amon Carter Stadium in Fort Worth.
 Texas UCLA 70 Eddie Phillips to Cotton Speyrer for 45 yard TD with 12 seconds left. The Horns win 20-17.
Texas Arkansas 87 Brett Stafford to Tony Jones with no time left for 16-14 UT win
Texas Rice 89? Peter Gardere leans over goal line on 4th down play to win it for 'Horns.
Texas Virginia 95 50 yd FG as time runs out into the wind for UT
Texas A&M Rice 55 Aggies trail Rice 12-0 with 4:12 to play in the fourth quarter. A&M scores three TDs in the next 2:46 to win 20-12.
Texas A&M Baylor 58 A &M trails Baylor 33-7 with 1:00 to play in the third quarter. Aggies then score four TDs in the next 13:22 to win 34-33.
 TCU SMU 95  TCU led a tight game by a score of 17-10 very late in the fourth quarter when SMU scored a touchdown. SMU coach Tom Rossley decided to go for two and attempt to win the game. SMU tried a little roll-out play, and a stadium full of nervous fans held their collective breath as SMU QB Derek Canine lofted a short pass toward the end zone. Just then, TCU safety Rick LaFavers stepped in front of the pass, intercepted it, and ran 100 yards for a two-point TCU score with two minutes to play. Pandemonium erupted in Fort Worth. The Horned Frogs won the game, 19-16, and ensured its first back-to-back winning seasons since the late 1950s.
 TCU  Texas  92  A pathetic TCU team led nationally ranked Texas by a score of 16-14 in the 4th quarter of a game TCU was expected to lose by 20+ points. Texas was finally beginning to regroup from a litany of mistakes and was driving to try to take the lead. However, Peter Gardere, the Texas quarterback, lofted an errant pass that landed in the sure hands of TCU safety Tony Rand. Rand ran the interception back 60 yards for a touchdown and sealed TCU's first win over Texas since 1967. The final score was 23-14.
 Texas Tech Texas A&M 97 Its a tie game with one minute left. Tech drives to near the A&M 20 yard line. On three straight plays they are sacked or caught for a loss. instead of a chip shot, the FG becomes a 47 yarder. The starting FG kicker had his leg broken previous week by Nebraska. The backup kicker comes on and kicks a FG 47 yards into the wind, bounces it off of the left upright with 19 seconds left to win.
 Thomas More Defiance 93 Greg Stotko picks up his own team's blocked field goal with no time remaining and takes it into the endzone as Thomas More defeats Div.III power Defiance 24-18.
 Tulane Kentucky 80 UK leading by 2 punts the ball to TU 6 yd.line With 94 yds to go and only 12 seconds on the clock, TU gets the ball to the UK 16 ( with the help of 2 pass interference penalties) and kicks the game winner with no time on the clock.
 UCLA USC  82  With John Robinson deciding to go for two for the win with no time left, UCLA's Karl Morgan blitzes through the middle to sack SC QB Scott Tinsley, and sends Bruins into the Rose Bowl, 20-19.
 UCLA USC 93  3rd and goal , UCLA's Marvin Goodwin intercepts pass from USC's Rob Johnson in the endzone on game's last play to send the Bruins, and not the Trojans, into to the Rose Bowl
 UCLA USC 96 UCLA is down 17 with about 8 minutes left. UCLA cuts the lead to 7 with 3minutes left. After an unsuccesful onside kick attempt by UCLA, USC fumbles. UCLA scores to tie the score. USC gets in field goal range for the final play but has the kick blocked. After swapping field goals in overtime, UCLA scores on a 35 yard run by Skip Hicks. UCLA wins when USC's final desparation pass in intercepted in the end zone. UCLA wins 48-41.
 UNLV Baylor 99 Kevin Thomas returns a fumble 101 yards on the game's final play to shock the Bears.
USC Ohio St. 75 John McKay Jr. catches TD then Pat Haden to Shelton Diggs for 2pter to win Rose Bowl for Trojans
 USC Notre Dame 78 Joe Montana leads a comeback from 24-6 to 25-24 with :46 left but USC drives down and wins it with a FG with :02 left.
USC Oklahoma 81 No.1 ranked Sooners face the No.2 Trojans. Mazur to Cornwell in the corner of the end zone with 2 seconds left wins it for USC.
USC UCLA 90 Capping a 42-point 4th quarter, Todd Marinovich hits a diving Johnnie Morton for 23 yd TD with :16 left, to beat UCLA, 45-42.
 Utah Minnesota 90 With the score tied, the Gophers appeared about to win as they lined up for a 28-yard field goal with eight seconds left. But Greg Reynolds blocked the kick, and Utah's Lavon Edwards picked up the loose ball and ran down the left sideline 91 yards for the clinching score as time expired Utes win 35-29.
Virginia Florida St. 95 Warrick Dunn stopped at one inch line as FSU gets first ever ACC loss.
Virginia Georgia 95 Cavs win Peach Bowl on kickoff return for TD after 4th qtr fumble recovery for TD.
Virginia Tech William & Mary 78 50 yd pass on last play, Lamie to Zollicoffer, Hokies win 22-19.
Virginia Tech NC State 86 Tech kicker hits FG at buzzer then flips off the crowd.
Virginia Tech Virginia 95 With about 40 seconds left in the forth quarter, Tech drives down the field on UVa (at Charlottsville) and Jim Druckenmiller connects on a deep pass to Jermane Holmes for the lead. The Tech fans storm the field! With still 36 seconds remaining UVa starts a drive, but with 4 seconds left they throw to the sidelines (!?) and the ball is picked off by Antonio Banks, who has to dodge the UVa trainer, Joe Geik (who was shown on ESPN trying to trip Banks as he went by).Tech holds off UVA 36-29.
 Washington State  UCLA  88   As an avid University of Washington Husky, it pains me that I have to recommend for inclusion in your list probably the greatest game in Washington State Cougar history. That was the year that the unranked WSU Cougs visited # 1 UCLA. In the final minute, with UCLA having 1st and goal on the WSU 1-yard line, the Cougs stopped them on 4 straight plays to preserve the win and the greatest upset in WSU history. I was in Husky stadium that day with 70,000+ other fans.....our game had ended and everyone was headed for the exits, but as it came down to that final minute, there must have been 50,000 of us who gathered around television sets (it was on ABC) and radios to hear if our other state college would "Coug" it, or come through with the win. Needless to say, that was all Huskies could talk about the rest of the day.
 West Virginia Boston College 93  West Virginia trails Boston College 14-3 and scores with 6 minutes left to make it 14-9.With less than two minutes remaining, WVU forces a BC fumble. Darrin Studstill leads WV on a long drive and hits Ed Hill with a TD pass with less than a minute left to preserve WVU's 11-0 season.
 West Virginia  Pittsburgh 75 West Virginia and Pitt are tied 14-14 with less than 20 seconds to go. Pitt is pinned deep in their own territory and is ready to punt. Johnny Majors notices his punt team is one man short and Pitt is out of timeouts.He runs onto the field and draws a penalty so he can get another man on the field. WVU fair catches the punt, completes a pass that is fumbled out of bounds to stop the clock. BillMcKenzie kicks a 38-yard field goal to win the game over Tony Dorsett and the Panthers. Two fans in the stands have heart attacks.
 West Virginia Pittsburgh 94 Pitt rallies from a 31-6 deficit and takes a 41-40 lead over West Virginia on a TD with less than 30 seconds remaining. After the kickoff Chad Johnston hits Zack Abraham with a 69 TD pass with 3 seconds remaining to give WVU a 47-41 win over its arch rival.
 Western Carolina Chattanooga 89 Terrell Wagner returns an interception 68 yards on the last play of the game as the Catamounts win 26-20.


Can't get enough great finishes?
Check out collegefootballnews.com's rankings of the 100 greatest Div. I-A finishes

The Best of College Football on the Web

 

rec.sport.football.college web site-the official web site of the newsgroup.

WAJL10 Home Page - a college football encyclopedia of information.

Footballology.com- the name says it all.

CollegeFootballNews.com.....ditto.

D3Football.com - great resource for Division III football.

 

Copyright © Ted Mandell 2001.                     Site Awards