The phrase game of the century in college football has been thrown around a lot in the past 100 years. The question is, which game is it?
In college football, a game of the century is a game played against the number 1-ranked team and the number 2-ranked team. I have narrowed down five different games from the 20th century, and I will evaluate them and find the true game of the century.
It was college football’s centennial season in 1969, so the game was moved from its original date in October by ABC to gain more national attention. The game was played in Fayetteville (home of Arkansas). The game started slowly for Texas, as a fumble in the first quarter led to an Arkansas touchdown. Arkansas went into the half leading 7-0, and on Texas’s first drive of the second half, they fumbled again. Arkansas once again scored off a turnover. The fourth quarter started with Arkansas leading 14-0. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Texas quarterback James Street scrambled for a 42-yard touchdown run. They converted a two-point conversion, making the score 14-8. The next drive, Arkansas drove down the field. Any sort of score would’ve put the game out of reach for Texas, but Arkansas quarterback Bill Montgomery threw an interception in the end zone. The two teams would trade off drives before one of the most gutsy calls in football history occurred. During a timeout, Texas head coach Darrell Royal called a pass play.
In this era, you never punted on fourth down unless it was from the 7-yard line or beyond. “Are you sure that’s the call you want”? Street asked. Royal responded with “damn right I’m sure.” The play ended in a 44-yard gain, along with a great catch made by the tight end Randy Peschel. A couple of plays later, Texas running back Jim Bertelsen ran it in from 2 yards out, and a successful extra point gave Texas the lead. A late comeback by Arkansas was stalled after a Texas interception. Texas ran down the clock to win 15-14. Richard Nixon famously attended the game and, in a controversial move, named Texas the national champion.
Another reason this game was famous was that it was the last major sports game played featuring all-white rosters, which gave the game another nickname. “Dixie’s last stand.”
This one was a classic. Miami came into the game seemingly unstoppable. The quarterback under center, Vinny Testaverde, was the Heisman winner that year. Miami also had an unstoppable defensive line. Featuring all Americans Jerome Brown and Dan Sielo. Along with future first-round pick Bill Hawkins. Though Penn St was also a good team, featuring all-Americans Shane Conlan, Tim Johnson, DJ Dozier, and Chris Conlin. They were deemed “beatable,” unlike Miami.
The game itself was a defensive battle. There was no score until midway through the second quarter, with a 2-yard touchdown run by running back Melvin Bratton. Penn St tied it up late in the half with quarterback John Shaffer’s 4-yard run. The score was 7-7 going into the half. Despite the score, Miami seemed to be in control. Miami had 285 total yards in the first half, compared to Penn St’s 78. The 3rd quarter went scoreless, as the stifling defenses shut down the opposing offense. Miami managed a field goal early in the 4th, but Penn St struck back with another touchdown with about 8 minutes left, making the score 14-10. That was it for the scoring. On the final drive of the game, Testaverde and the offense drove down the field, but on fourth and goal with 18 seconds left. Testaverde threw an interception in the endzone, his fifth of the night. Ending the game with a Penn St victory.
Despite outgaining Penn St by over 280 yards, Miami committed seven turnovers, including the 5 interceptions thrown by Testaverde. Shaffer didn’t perform well either, only completing 5 passes and throwing a pick of his own. But it was enough to pull off a victory in a great game. Penn St secured the National championship with the win.
This game was basically the National Championship, despite it being a regular-season game. The game was not nationally televised, as both teams had used up their one game that was allowed earlier in the year. Notre Dame had a lot of star power on their team, including future NFL Hall of Famer Alan Page and longtime Steelers running back Rocky Bleier. Michigan St had great players as well, including future first overall pick Bubba Smith, along with Clint Jones, George Webster, and Gene Washington.
The game started rough for the Irish; in the first quarter, they lost their quarterback, Terry Hanratty, to injury. Running back Nick Eddy was also hurt before the game after slipping on the ice after getting off the train to the game. Michigan St jumped out in front in the second quarter after a touchdown run by Regis Cavender. Towards the end of the half, they added a field goal to make it 10-0. But a late touchdown by Notre Dame made the score 10-7 at halftime. No scoring occurred in the 3rd quarter, but on the first play of the fourth quarter, a field goal tied the game up at 10 apiece. Both teams traded off scoreless drives. Towards the end of the game, one of the most controversial decisions occurred towards the end of the game. Notre Dame head coach Ara Parseghian decided to run the ball on 5 of the last 6 plays of the game. Because there was no overtime, the game would end in a tie, which would keep Notre Dame #1. So instead of driving for a game-winning field goal, he decided to play it safe. Many people criticized him for his decision. However, regardless of the houghts of fans, Notre Dame ultimately won the national championship after beating USC 51-0 in the next game.
Despite this decision, it does not take away from the game’s greatness. The game’s legacy has lived on through both of the programs, as both teams have played on the 40th and 50th anniversaries of the game.
FSU was one of the best teams of the ’90s, but had a test. Playing in South Bend, Indiana, is never easy. But both teams had stars on both sides of the ball. FSU had quarterback Charlie Ward, who would go on to win the Heisman trophy the same year. They also had all-American linebacker Derrick Brooks. The team also included future NFL running back Warrick Dunn. Notre Dame had star power of their own as well. With all-Americans Aaron Taylor and Bryant Young.
The first quarter started with the two teams trading touchdowns. Then in the second quarter, Notre Dame scored 2 touchdowns, going into the half up 21-7. The third quarter scoring started with a Notre Dame field goal. Then FSU responded with a touchdown midway through the third quarter on a Ward pass to Dunn. FSU added a field goal at the beginning of the fourth before Notre Dame ran FSU’s throat and scored another touchdown, making the score 31-17. FSU made a late comeback attempt in the fourth quarter and scored a late touchdown on a catch by Kez McCorvey to make it a one-score game. FSU tried and failed an onside kick. However, they did get it back, driving it all the way to the 14-yard line before running out of time. The final score was 31-17. Notre Dame rushed for 258 yards, with running back Lee Becton rushing for over 100 yards. Charlie Ward played well. Throwing for nearly 300 yards, but FSU’s defense’s inability to stop the run was a big factor in the game.
The loss did not kill FSU’s season, however, as they went on to win against rival Florida and in the Orange Bowl against Nebraska, giving them the National Championship, and Notre Dame ended the season ranked #2.
This was my initial winner for me due to being a Nebraska fan, but I made sure to put all biases aside for my evaluation. Both teams stayed in their respective rankings for months, which made the buildup for the game even more intense. Oklahoma was led by quarterback Jack Mildren, who commanded the wishbone offense. Along with running back Greg Pruitt and center Tom Brahaney, who were also all-Americans. Nebraska, however, had even more talent on both sides of the ball, mainly its defense. The offense was led by all-American quarterback Jerry Tagge, I-Back Jeff Kinney, and future Heisman-winning wingback Johnny Rodgers. The defense was led by a ferocious D-line, with nose guard Rich Glover, defensive tackle Larry Jacobson, and defensive end Willie Harper, all of whom were all-Americans at some point in their careers.
The game lived up to the hype, as it started with a bang. After both teams went three and out, Oklahoma punted to Rodgers, who made an incredible punt return touchdown. The play became a famous piece of college football history. Oklahoma added a field goal before the first quarter came to a close. The second quarter has more scoring, with Jeff Kinney scoring from a yard out. Oklahoma stormed back, Jack Mildren’s rushing touchdown, and then a 24-yard passing touchdown to Jon Harrison made the score 17-14 at halftime. Nebraska came out of the third quarter hungry, with Jeff Kinney running in two touchdowns before Mildren ran for another touchdown towards the end of the quarter. The score was 28-24. Harrison caught another touchdown from Mildren about halfway through the quarter, but in the final minutes, Kinney ran in his 4th touchdown of the day for Nebraska to take the lead 35-31. Oklahoma failed to score again as Nebraska one an amazing game.
Glover was lined up against Oklahoma’s Brahaney all game. He gave him trouble the whole afternoon, finishing with 22 tackles, which is incredible for a d-lineman. Kinney had 174 yards along with the 4 touchdowns. Mildren, despite the loss, had a great game. Recording 137 yards passing and 130 yards rushing. Jon Harrison added 115 yards and 2 touchdowns on 4 catches. Nebraska would take the momentum game into the Orange Bowl and was deemed the national champion.
I evaluated the 5 games carefully, and it was not an easy decision. All 5 of these teams had a reason to be number 1, but here are my final rankings.
5. Miami vs Penn St
I put this at number 5 mostly because of the number of turnovers. It was also a lower-scoring game, which was another factor I put into account. As well as it being a bowl game, which, for me, the regular season games seem to have more of the game of the century title.
4. Texas vs Arkansas
This one was also low scoring, but it had its moments, such as the famous 4 and 3 play. As well as Nixon’s presence and the “Dixie’s last stand”. It was also technically a regular-season game.
3. Florida St vs Notre Dame
This one had more points, as well as being a regular-season game. Many big names, like Charlie Ward and Derrick Brooks, played in this game. Impressive performances by both offenses made this game fun to watch.
2. Notre Dame vs Michigan St
I’m breaking some of my rules here. Even though it was a low-scoring game that ended in a tie, the significance of the game helped it secure the number 2 spot. It was highly anticipated and featured a ton of talent on both sides of the ball, as well as the controversy surrounding Notre Dame’s decision not to attempt a game-winning field goal.
- Nebraska vs Oklahoma
This game had it all: high scoring, fun plays, lots of talent, highly anticipated, on Thanksgiving in the regular season, and truly decided the national champion. Even without my bias, this game is everything that a game of the century could have. This is definitely the best college football game of the 20th century.
