College Football History

By SOP newswire2

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As part of an ongoing series throughout the fall, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame posts This Week in College Football History, which takes a look back at some of college football`s landmark moments over the last 140 years.

FEATURED MOMENT:

November 20, 1982- At sold-out Texas Stadium in Irving, Texas, No. 9 Arkansas, led by College Football Hall of Famers Lou Holtz and Billy Ray Smith, played No. 2 SMU to a 17-17 tie. The Mustangs claimed their first SWC title since 1966, when quarterback Lance McIlhenny drove the Mustangs 80 yards to set up the game-tying quarterback keeper. SMU running back Eric Dickerson rushed for 81 yards in the game to set the all-time SWC rushing record, passing College Football Hall of Famer and Texas running back Earl Campbell. The tie denied SMU a perfect season and the national championship, finishing the season 11-0- 1 and No. 2 in the final rankings.

OTHER NOTABLE DATES:

November 16, 1872- Yale played its first-ever football game, squaring off with Columbia in New Haven. The game was played on a field 400-by-225 feet. Yale won 3-0 on a goal from Tommy Sherman and two by Lew Irwin.

November 17, 1906- Nebraska and Kansas squared off in Lincoln to begin an FBS record series of 103-straight meetings. Kansas won the game 8-6, earning the 100th victory in school history. Nebraska currently holds an 82-18-3 advantage in the uninterrupted series.

November 18, 1978- Unranked Auburn cost the eighth-ranked Georgia Bulldogs a trip to the Sugar Bowl after playing to a 22-22 tie in Auburn. Tigers` running back Joe Cribbs posted a school-record 250 yards rushing, almost equaling Georgia`s total offense. College Football Hall of Fame coach Vince Dooley opted to kick the extra point with five minutes left in the game rather than go for two, thinking the Bulldogs would have another opportunity to score, effectively ending the game in a tie.

November 19, 1983- Oregon and Oregon State battled to a 0-0 tie in Eugene. The game represents the last scoreless tie game in FBS history due to the NCAA`s institution of overtime beginning in 1994.

November 21, 1981- 2009 College Football Hall of Fame inductee Gordon Hudson set the NCAA record for yards gained by a tight end with 259 against Utah. The Cougars beat the Utes 56-28 in Provo.

November 22, 1969- No. 12 Michigan upset No. 1 Ohio State 24-12 in Ann Arbor, Mich. on the final day of the regular season for the two rivals. Michigan defensive back Barry Pierson returned a punt 60 yards for a touchdown and intercepted three Buckeye passes to lead the way for the Wolverines. The loss cost Ohio State a shot at a national title, as well as a Big Ten championship and a subsequent Rose Bowl bid. The upset marked the beginning of the famed "Ten-Year War" between College Football Hall of Fame coaches Bo Schembechler from Michigan and Ohio State`s Woody Hayes.

SOURCE: The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame

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