A QB masterclass and an epic close to Bedlam, Week 10 featured CFB’s best
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David Hale, ESPN Staff Writer
Two games featuring four top-20 teams kicked off at roughly the same time Saturday night, and for the better part of the next three-and-a-half hours, the four quarterbacks involved put on a master class of how the game should be played.
In Tuscaloosa, Jayden Daniels was a magician, but it was Jalen Milroe who delivered the most astonishing trick, completing his transformation from benchwarmer in Week 3 to utterly dominant in Week 10.
In Los Angeles, last year’s Heisman winner worked his own magic, but it was this year’s favorite to take home that hardware who delivered the win.
0:39
USC’s flea-flicker pays off for a 41-yard TD
Caleb Williams snags the pitch from Zachariah Branch and launches a beauty to Tahj Washington for a Trojans touchdown.
Never mind that Daniels’ day was cut short by a brutal hit from Dallas Turner. Never mind that Washington’s explosiveness came at the expense of USC’s abysmal defense. Never mind that the Tide and Huskies ultimately pulled away enough to erase any chance for late drama.
Like all great magic tricks, Saturday’s performances weren’t worth dissecting to figure out how they’re done. The enjoyment comes from simply sitting back and being amazed.
Milroe’s progress has been nothing short of astounding. He lost to Texas, was benched against USF, and for most of September, Alabama‘s title hopes seemed all but extinguished thanks to an offense without an answer at QB. And on Saturday, Milroe tallied 374 yards of offense and four touchdowns in a 42-28 win over rival LSU. How was this the same player?
Years from now, psychologists will study Nick Saban’s decision to bench Milroe after that early loss. It was an act of sheer brilliance, a move that allowed Milroe to both see he need not worry about looking over his shoulder while also forcing him to embrace his role as leader, pushing his team from the bench and earning the respect of every player on the field in the process. What other coach in the country would’ve had the guts to make that move? Saban is playing chess. Everyone else is playing Connect Four.
Michael Penix Jr. wasn’t even the centerpiece of Washington‘s offensive attack Saturday against USC. He threw for 256 yards and accounted for three touchdowns, but the mere threat of Penix’s arm made life a breeze for tailback Dillon Johnson, who rushed for 256 yards and four touchdowns in the 52-42 win.
1:40
Dillon Johnson cooks USC for 256 yards and 4 TDs
Dillon Johnson runs circles around USC’s defense and scores four touchdowns to lead the Huskies to a 52-42 win.
How easy was it for Johnson? According to ESPN Stats & Information, he ran for 199 yards before first contact. We’d say it would be hard for a back to do that against 11 traffic cones, but that comparison might be giving USC’s defense too much credit.
In his loss, Daniels showed he belongs in the Heisman discussion — and perhaps should be at the forefront of it — but his late injury hurts the cause, and LSU’s third loss makes the case a long shot.
In his loss, Caleb Williams saw yet another brilliant performance undercut by Alex Grinch’s defense. Grinch has become Bizzaro Brian Ferentz, and it’s hard to envision a scenario in which he escapes a similar fate. (Though we’d give anything to see the movable force of USC’s D take on the stoppable object of Iowa‘s offense before the two ride off into the sunset.)
In all, Milroe, Penix, Williams and Daniels combined to complete 70% of their throws, tallied more than 1,300 yards and accounted for 14 touchdowns. It was like watching Michelangelo, DaVinci, Picasso and the woman who made that Tom Brady courtroom sketch all take to the canvas together.
It’s certainly possible the 2023 season will deliver another game or two that inspire such awe, but the odds are slim. Saturday’s fireworks were something special, something some fans (cough, cough … we’re looking at you, Big Ten) go decades without experiencing.
There were clear playoff implications involved here, and there were genuine questions raised about whether Alabama or Washington could weather the storm that remains on their schedules. But all of that is conversation for another day.
On Saturday, there was only the sheer exhilaration of four men doing their job just about as well as it can be done.
An epic close to Bedlam
A Heisman contender put on a show. A man named Stoops was everywhere. Both QBs threw for more than 300 yards. Mike Gundy slicked back his hair and donned a pair of sunglasses to look like a grizzled old fighter pilot called out of retirement for one last mission.
This was Bedlam: Endgame.
1:20
Oklahoma State storms the field after upsetting Oklahoma
Oklahoma State fans storm the field after upsetting Oklahoma 27-24.
There have been better, bigger showdowns in the rivalry, of course, but none that came with quite the stakes of Saturday’s final installment. Yes, both teams were ranked in the top 25 and both had conference title aspirations. And on both sides, there were genuine star turns. But what really mattered, more than the records or the rankings or the championship repercussions was this: The winner stays the winner — now, next year and for the foreseeable future.
On Saturday, Oklahoma State — long cast as the little brother — sent big brother off with a swift kick in the rear.
So of course Cowboys fans charged the field as Drake Stoops was wrangled short of the line to gain on fourth down. It was his 12th catch of the game, and it wasn’t enough. “Happy Trails to You” echoed over the sound system, and Oklahoma slinked off into a future in the SEC with a loss to the Pokes etched eternally on their souls.
And of course Alan Bowman hugged every offensive lineman he could find when Oklahoma State’s 27-24 win was secured. He was part of a QB carousel that included Garret Rangel, Gunnar Gundy and possibly a few guys Mike Gundy found asleep outside Eskimo Joe’s, but he emerged as the clear starter after an embarrassing loss to South Alabama and helped turn the Pokes’ season around.
And without question, the Heisman conversation must now include Ollie Gordon, who carried the ball 33 times for 137 yards, scoring twice. Gordon got three carries in that loss to South Alabama. Since then, he has had 120 yards or more in every game. Saturday was actually a step back for him, as he battled an injury and a ferocious Oklahoma front but willed himself down the field, carry after carry. It wasn’t pretty. It was just emphatic.
Earlier this week, Gundy lamented a time when the Bedlam rivalry was ugly and brutal on the field, when he and Brian Bosworth took turns spitting in each other’s faces — which, in fairness, was considered a formal greeting throughout much of the mid-1980s in Oklahoma.
Mike Gundy said Bedlam used to be more a rivalry, back before social media.
“It was a rivalry then. Bosworth spit in my face and I spit in his.” pic.twitter.com/aQh7VUZkQz
— The REF (@KREFsports) October 30, 2023
This time around, the trash talk was done in the media, with former Oklahoma State D-lineman Trace Ford, who transferred to Oklahoma, trashing Gundy, the Cowboys, and Oklahoma State fans, whom he said were “bandwagoners for sure.”
Well, the bandwagon is bursting at the seams now, while Oklahoma’s seems to have broken down somewhere on the side of I-40.
In Norman, they’ll talk about the frustrating penalties — including a 15-yarder on Brent Venables, who might have invented several new epithets to call the officials on what proved to be the winning touchdown drive for Oklahoma State. They’ll talk, too, about the non-call on what looked like a textbook pass interference against Stoops in the end zone on a drive that ended with a field goal. They’ll talk about the final throw, that Stoops corralled well short of a first down. They’ll talk about what might’ve been if Oklahoma hadn’t melted down in each of the past two weeks to watch championship aspirations disappear into the ether.
And then they’ll never speak of this again.
Mike Gundy said he goes home after games and drinks a Diet Coke and watches other teams with a Big Chief notebook and a crayon. When asked what his favorite flavor of Diet Coke was, he said, “Well, I love whiskey.”
— Dave Wilson (@dwil) November 5, 2023
In Stillwater, however, Saturday’s Bedlam finale is destined to become legend, a story passed from generation to generation until, at least, another installment comes to fruition. Because it doesn’t matter that Oklahoma won 91 of the 117 previous meetings. The Cowboys won this one, the last one, the one that will remain as sweet as an Ollie Gordon jump cut until the college football gods — or Oklahoma’s AD — breathes life into the rivalry once more.
Texas, Ohio State tested
Oh, what chaos might’ve been in Saturday’s early slate. Ohio State spent much of Saturday afternoon flummoxed by Rutgers‘ defense and unable to corral Kyle Monangai. Texas jumped out to a big lead, then handed Kansas State one chance after another after another.
The No. 1 team was on the ropes.
The No. 7 team saw its playoff hopes flickering.
And in the end, the favorites clung to victory like so many loose opossums.
thinking about the legend pic.twitter.com/UwIswipWJj
— no context college football (@nocontextcfb) November 3, 2023
The committee rewarded the Buckeyes by placing them atop the first playoff rankings last week, in spite of their repeated offensive hiccups. The obvious counterargument was that Ohio State had played quality opponents and still won. On Saturday, however, Kyle McCord looked lost for long stretches, relying almost exclusively on Marvin Harrison Jr. in the red zone, and the Buckeyes finished with fewer than 400 yards of offense for the fifth time this season — something they’d done just four times total in the previous four seasons.
The committee considered Texas the second-best of the one-loss teams, providing the Longhorns with a pretty clear path to the playoff if they won out. And they had Saturday’s game against Kansas State well in hand, leading 27-7 in the final seconds of the third quarter. But Will Howard responded with three second-half TD passes, and Chris Tennant drilled a 45-yard field goal with 1 second left to send the game to overtime.
And yet, both survived, almost in spite of themselves.
Ohio State scored on a pick-six off a tipped ball and got 208 of its 328 yards from TreVeyon Henderson, including a 65-yard catch-and-run that was the dagger for Rutgers.
Texas overcame two Maalik Murphy interceptions largely because Kansas State botched two late kicks — one a PAT that would’ve given the Wildcats the lead and the other a short field goal.
And yet both remain contenders for a playoff berth because a win is a win.
Still, it’s hard not to have watched both games unfold, almost simultaneously, like college football’s version of a Jardiance commercial — confounding plot lines, sudden shifts in perspective, weirdly captivating. Was this good football? High drama? An important data point in an otherwise still mystifying season?
This is perhaps the real beauty of this season thus far. The flaws all seem so evident in the nation’s top teams — from QB concerns to marginal run games to ex-military operatives who may or may not have been wearing night vision goggles outside Ryan Day’s house earlier this year. But those flaws all seem to evaporate when the game is on the line, and chalk prevails.
The hope for Ohio State and Texas is that those battle wounds heal over, and the scars serve only as a reminder of how narrow the margins can be; that the tough wins make them stronger because every grueling, ugly victory is better than a loss.
Or perhaps the 2023 season is just saving its biggest moments for the very end, a twist buried deep into the final chapters when it’s revealed this whole song-and-dance was actually just a commercial shoot and the wardrobe people step in and — man, that Jardiance commercial is catchy.
Dabo Swinney spent 18 months selling commercial real estate before landing on Tommy Bowden’s staff at Clemson 20 years ago. He took time last week to reminisce about that time in his life, noting in the wake of Clemson’s 4-4 start and a revolt by fans — or, at least one of them in Spartanburg — that sometimes the lowest moments set the table for the greatest victories.
After Saturday’s 31-23 win over No. 15 Notre Dame, Swinney wasn’t talking about his old career. He was headlong into his new one as a financial adviser.
“If Clemson’s a stock,” Swinney shouted after the game, “you better buy all you freakin’ can buy!”
“If Clemson’s a stock, you better buy all you freakin’ can buy right now!”
Dabo was FIRED UP after taking down No. 15 Notre Dame ? pic.twitter.com/chfM7Oo66V
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 4, 2023
It was a mammoth win after a brutal two months to start the 2023 season.
The past week felt like either a turning point or an ending point for Swinney after he first ripped a caller into his radio show with “an Old Testament answer” then doubled down during his weekly media session saying he wouldn’t allow critics to “steal my joy.” Indeed, this was essentially Swinney’s “Eras Tour,” as he took fans through more than a decade of his greatest hits, from confounding analogies (“even healthy trees need pruning”) to vague threats (“you can apply for the job, and good luck to you”) to lamentations of the downfall of American culture (“our society today…”), and even sprinkled in a few grievance deep cuts along the way (“I worked my ass off every single day.”) Heck, he might have quoted “Shake It Off” a few times, too.
More than anything, however, Swinney referred back to his latest banger: It’s all about the turnovers. And Saturday proved he was right.
Clemson recovered a muffed punt and turned that into a touchdown, then saw Jeremiah Trotter Jr. return a pick-six that buried Notre Dame. With a half-dozen starters out for the game, Phil Mafah carried 36 times for 186 yards and two touchdowns, and Swinney won for the 166th time as Clemson’s head coach, moving him past Frank Howard for the most victories in program history.
For Notre Dame QB Sam Hartman, it was another brutal afternoon against his archnemesis. Hartman completed just 13 of 30 passes with two interceptions, finishing his college career with an 0-5 record against the Tigers. He’ll carry that burden the rest of his life, with only his NIL money, his Wake Forest degree, his awesome rib necklace, his amazing head of hair and his numerous ACC records to provide solace. He has our deepest sympathies.
But if the game was a brutal ending for Hartman against Clemson, it felt like a new beginning for the Tigers. Eight years ago, Clemson beat Notre Dame at home and it was the spark in a season that ended with Swinney throwing a pizza party for the entire fan base. Saturday’s win was a big one, too, and it could end with Swinney ordering a dozen pizzas to be delivered to Tyler in Spartanburg’s house at 3 a.m.
Top teams keep rolling
A quick recap of Michigan‘s week:
Jim Harbaugh insulted house plants because he was once offended by a fern wearing an Ohio State hat.
Connor Stalions resigned his post as director of covert oper– ah, graduate assistant. Yeah, that’s it.
Big Ten athletic directors pressured commissioner Tony Petitti to deliver some righteous fury as punishment for the thing for which Michigan has yet to be formally convicted.
A Michigan fan site suggested the spying allegations are all a result of a top-secret investigation by Ryan Day’s brother, who might also just have been Ryan Day wearing a top hat and sunglasses.
Michigan’s president sent a letter to Petitti asking how many Ts are supposed to be in his name and also not to jump to any conclusions about the spying.
From inside his lair hidden deep inside Mt. Rushmore, Harbaugh inched ever closer to acquiring yet another Infinity Stone.
And the Wolverines beat Purdue 41-13 because the Boilermakers are awful and definitely not because Hudson Card is actually a deep-state plant who has actually been working for the Wolverines for the past nine years.
Anyway, we hope Mr. Stalions enjoyed the New Mexico game Saturday.
Lmao New Mexico ?? pic.twitter.com/1wi6Uwjk56
— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) November 5, 2023
Jordan Travis‘ 360 yards passing and two touchdowns helped secure a 24-7 Florida State win over Pitt that secured an ACC championship game berth for the Seminoles — their first since 2014. The win did come with a bit of controversy as Pitt tight end Gavin Bartholomew was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct while on the sideline as the Panthers were driving deep into FSU territory in the third quarter, trailing by just 3. What Bartholomew said to warrant the flag remained a mystery, but we’re assuming he told the refs that putting French fries on a turkey club was a completely normal thing to do. Regardless, FSU did snap a 14-game streak of scoring at least 30 points, which, given that the committee seems to find the Seminoles interesting only if they win by 100, seems like a real red flag.
Big man Nazir Stackhouse showed off his speed on a game-clinching interception, and the tandem of Carson Beck and Ladd McConkey helped fend off a strong effort from Missouri to keep Georgia undefeated with a 30-21 win. Then the law firm of Beck and McConkey helped several people with a structured settlement get cash immediately.
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Big man intercepts Mizzou late in the 4th to give Georgia the ball back
Nazir Stackhouse intercepts Brady Cook and returns it inside Georgia territory short of a touchdown.
Oregon demolished Cal 63-19 behind a six-touchdown performance from Bo Nix. Of course, there’s no way the Ducks QB can keep up this pace moving forward … and, no, sorry we’re being told he plays USC’s defense next week. He might hang 100 on it.
Louisville took a big step toward an appearance in the ACC title game with a dominant 34-3 win over Virginia Tech. The Cardinals’ D was tremendous, holding the Hokies to just 140 total yards — 2.7 yards per play — and 2-of-12 on third- and fourth-down tries. Meanwhile, Wisconsin transfer Isaac Guerendo rushed 11 times for 146 yards and three touchdowns in the win. Louisville is now 5-1 in ACC play, putting it a game up on six different teams with two league losses. It owns head-to-head wins over five of them. Louisville can clinch next week with a win over Virginia and a North Carolina loss to Duke.
Heisman Five
Trying to sort out the Heisman race before November has usually been a fool’s errand, but we’ve reached November and this year’s race remains arguably as chaotic as any in recent memory. There are at least seven or eight players with genuine cases, and Saturday’s games only bolstered those cases across the board. So, who do we have? Please burn these after reading. We don’t want to be accountable for this when we change our mind later.
1. Ohio State WR Marvin Harrison Jr.
Saturday’s game wasn’t Harrison’s most prolific. He had just 25 yards receiving against an impressive Rutgers secondary. But two of his catches went for touchdowns, which were absolutely critical for a Buckeyes offense that looked flummoxed at times.
2. Oklahoma State RB Ollie Gordon II
After three straight games topping 250 yards of offense, Bedlam was bound to be a step back for Gordon, who ran for only 137 yards and two touchdowns. We’re choosing to overlook this embarrassing performance because he has bragging rights in the state for the rest of his life.
3. Florida State QB Jordan Travis
Travis racked up 360 yards through the air and accounted for two touchdowns against Pitt, despite FSU missing both of its top two receivers, Johnny Wilson and Keon Coleman. Instead, Travis found 5-foot-9 Ja’Khi Douglas, who had just 36 yards on the season entering play, six times for 115 yards. It was more offense than the city of Pittsburgh had seen all fall.
4. Washington QB Michael Penix Jr.
Since his win over Oregon, Penix’s passing numbers have been a tad pedestrian: 64% completions, six TDs, four interceptions. And yet, he has made plays when he needed to, helping keep the Huskies undefeated, and defenses have clearly adjusted, opening holes for a Washington ground game that has rushed for nearly 600 yards and nine touchdowns in that span.
5. LSU QB Jayden Daniels
Here’s hoping he’s healthy enough to get back on the field next week against Florida, in part because we want to see his Heisman case live on and in part because we want to see what happens if Florida has to beat Florida State in Week 13 to get bowl eligible.
Aggies’ road woes continue
For much of Saturday, Texas A&M seemed destined to pull off a shocker against No. 10 Ole Miss.
The Rebels were on the precipice of a 17-0 lead midway through the second quarter when Jacoby Mathews returned a blocked field goal try 75 yards for a touchdown. Ole Miss still was up 14 midway through the third quarter when the Aggies went on a run behind Max Johnson, who threw one TD pass to brother Jake and ran for another. But Quinshon Judkins‘ 1-yard run with 1:40 to go proved the difference, and the Rebels won 38-35.
The loss adds more fuel under Jimbo Fisher’s increasingly hot seat. Setting aside the COVID-impacted 2020 season, he’s now 22-23 against Power 5 foes since taking over at A&M in 2018, including a disastrous 3-15 mark on the road.
So, if you’re in the College Station area and looking to save on a Christmas tree, now would be the time to start doing a few laps past Fisher’s house.
Battling for bowls
South Carolina finished 4-of-16 on third and fourth down, committed 10 penalties (for 100 yards), and managed just 89 yards on 38 rushes Saturday, trailing Jacksonville State by seven late in the third quarter, but finished the game on a 17-0 run — the last 10 of which came after Jacksonville State turnovers — to win the battle of the Gamecocks 38-28.
Spencer Rattler‘s 399 passing yards and four takeaways by the defense proved the difference in a win that narrowly keeps South Carolina’s bowl hopes alive and kept coach Shane Beamer from either injuring another foot kicking a Gatorade cooler or perhaps busting through the locker room wall like the Kool-Aid man.
The win snaps a four-game losing streak for the Gamecocks, and South Carolina now has home games against Vanderbilt, Kentucky and Clemson — and needs to win out to get bowl eligible.
Meanwhile, Nebraska had a chance to secure win No. 6 against woeful Michigan State on Saturday, but the Huskers couldn’t get any offense going in a 20-17 loss to the Spartans.
Florida, too, whiffed on a chance to get bowl eligible. The Gators fell behind Arkansas 14-0, fought back to tie at the end of the first quarter, then traded scores for the rest of the way — swinging from all-out surrender gator to Trevor Etienne‘s brilliance. Ultimately, Arkansas booted a 49-yard field goal to send the game to overtime, and KJ Jefferson‘s TD pass then clinched the 39-36 Hogs win.
Surrender Gator. pic.twitter.com/aJaSQuQmbX
— ??️♈️? (@ADavidHaleJoint) November 4, 2023
And somewhere, Dan Enos is firing up his burner account to send some incredibly pointed emails to new Arkansas playcaller Kenny Guiton.
In Week Zero, New Mexico State lost at home by 11 to UMass. In some countries, that is punishable by up to three years in prison. But credit to the Aggies, who have rebounded beautifully to win seven of their next eight games, including Saturday’s 13-7 victory over Middle Tennessee. New Mexico State’s D has held seven straight opponents to 24 points or fewer, and the Aggies’ ground game has been terrific, racking up 182 yards against the Blue Raiders. They’ve now topped 170 yards rushing in 13 straight games, the longest active streak in the country. More importantly, because the Aggies will play 13 regular-season games this season, they needed Saturday’s seventh victory to assure bowl eligibility.
West Virginia was picked to finish last in the Big 12, which riled up the locals about as much as anything since the Whiskey Rebellion of 1791 and, we should add, also seems like a serious overestimation of how good Cincinnati would be. Regardless, CJ Donaldson and Jahiem White both topped 100 yards on the ground as West Virginia ran for 336 in a 37-7 route of BYU that ensures a far better finish than last place in conference play and a bowl bid.
Iowa wins, paint dries
Iowa announced offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz would depart at year’s end, which means we have only a few more weeks left to enjoy — is that the right word? — a performance like the Hawkeyes gave us Saturday against Northwestern.
The over/under for the game was 32.5, and there was never a chance the game would hit that total. The biggest drama was wondering just how low the score would be. In fact, here are Iowa officials digging through rock bottom looking for the Hawkeyes’ passing game.
— no context college football (@nocontextcfb) November 4, 2023
Iowa held the ball for nearly 20 minutes in the first half, and it still had just 89 yards. NASA scientists are still trying to figure out how that’s possible.
Northwestern, meanwhile, largely played offense like a newborn deer taking its first steps.
Neither team averaged better than 5 yards per pass. Neither threw for more than 100 yards. Neither topped 170 yards of total offense. Both required wellness checks after the third quarter to make sure everyone was still conscious.
Northwestern’s first eight drives ended with punts before a huge breakthrough midway through the fourth quarter when the Wildcats turned the ball over on downs. It was thrilling. Then things got really interesting. After an Iowa punt — usually an optimal play call for the Hawkeyes — Northwestern drove a whopping 22 yards for a touchdown, tying the game at 7 with just 1:50 to play.
Fans around the world were terrified that the game would go to overtime, where the two teams would then play indefinitely until either someone scored again or the sun burned itself out and the world ended. Apocalypse was +240 in the Las Vegas live odds.
But miraculously, Deacon Hill completed two passes — a new Iowa record for a single drive — and the Hawkeyes drilled a 52-yard field goal with 14 seconds remaining to win 10-7.
Iowa is now 7-2 and poised to make the Big Ten title game despite warnings from the FDA that consuming Hawkeyes offense can cause delusions, nausea and night terrors.
An ugly loss, a wild win
The last winless team in the FBS finally got a W.
One of the final remaining undefeated teams took a loss in horrifying fashion.
It was as if Sam Houston and Air Force swapped personnel in some sort of “Freaky Friday” situation in Week 10, with one team getting its first taste of victory and the other fumbling away a rivalry game and a shot at a New Year’s Six bowl.
In what might be the most embarrassing Air Force effort since “Iron Eagle 3,” the Falcons lost 23-3 to Army in a game in which the Falcons couldn’t get out of their own way. Air Force had 12 possessions in the game. Two ended with interceptions, four in fumbles, two in failed fourth-down tries, two in punts and one in a missed field goal. After the game, they also left the keys to an F-15 Eagle at the Dippin’ Dots concession stand.
For Sam Houston, however, Saturday offered a small bit of bliss after an utterly demoralizing season. The Bearkats — the “K” is for “kan’t win” — came in 0-8, having lost four of their past five games by a TD or less. In fact, they lost three weeks ago after an FIU field goal with 5 seconds left sent the game to overtime, and last week on a field goal by UTEP with 1 second to play.
So what happened Saturday?
Sam Houston fell behind FCS Kennesaw State 21-7 at the half but fought its way back to tie with 3:49 to play. Three plays later, Da’Marcus Crosby picked off a pass, setting up a nine-play drive that ended with — you guessed it — a field goal as time expired.
0:15
Colby Sessums kicks 35-yard made field goal vs. Kennesaw State
Colby Sessums kicks 35-yard made field goal vs. Kennesaw State
According to ESPN Stats & Information, Sam Houston is now the first team in at least the past 20 years to play in three straight games in which there was a tying or winning field goal in the final 5 seconds.
The win was the first for Sam Houston since moving up to the FBS level, meaning its official membership card (which comes with 10% off any fines for field storming) and complimentary FBS windbreaker will arrive in the mail in the next four to six weeks.
Under-the-radar play of the week
Memphis moved to 7-2 on the season and 4-1 in ACC play with a win over South Florida in a game in which the two teams combined for 109 points — or, as it’s called in the Big Ten, a nice month.
Seth Hennigan and Byrum Brown combined for 706 passing yards and nine touchdowns through the air, but neither produced the game’s biggest pass play.
0:42
Tevin Carter connects for 85-yard TD pass
Tevin Carter connects for 85-yard TD pass
That honor belongs to Memphis backup QB Tevin Carter, who hit Roc Taylor (which seems like the name of a character in the old “Mike Tyson’s Punch Out” game), who sprinted down the sideline for an 85-yard touchdown.
To sum up:
Iowa threw 15 passes Saturday and had 65 yards.
Northwestern threw 19 passes and had 81 yards.
Carter had 85 on one throw.
Under-the-radar game of the week
Illinois looked cooked when it got the ball back, down 5 points to Minnesota, with 2:47 to play and its QB injured on the sideline.
Then Jake Paddock came out of the phone booth wearing a Superman outfit. (Metaphorically. It’s hard to avoid the pass rush when wearing a cape.)
Paddock completed all three of his throws on a six-play, 84-yard drive, including a 46-yard TD pass to Isaiah Williams to go up 27-26.
Illinois is 4-5 on the season with wins by 2, 6, 3 and 1.
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Eli Lederman
Four-star offensive tackle Sam Utu has committed to Alabama, sources told ESPN on Monday.
Utu, No. 77 in the 2026 ESPN 300, is a 6-foot-5, 295-pound lineman from California’s Orange Lutheran High School. He lands with the Crimson Tide over the likes of SMU, Tennessee, Texas and Washington and joins as program’s fourth top 100 pledge in the 2026 recruiting class.
Utu’s commitment, which follows his official visit to Alabama this past weekend, marks the Crimson Tide’s first addition from within the 2026 ESPN 300 in nearly two-and-a-half months, dating back to the March 26 pledge of four-star cornerback Jorden Edmonds (No. 37 overall). Utu now stands as the third-ranked member of Alabama’s incoming class and the program’s second offensive line commit in the cycle alongside three-star offensive guard Chris Booker.
A positionally versatile blocker, Utu is ESPN’s No. 12 offensive tackle recruit and will leave Orange Lutheran as a four-year starter following his senior season this year. Utu’s fluid movement on the offensive line — one of his sharpest tools as a prospect — is owed in part to his background with Orange Lutheran’s volleyball program, where Utu has been a member of the varsity team since his freshman year.
While Utu arrives as Alabama’s first major addition on the trail since late March, his pledge should only be the start for the Crimson Tide this summer. A year after Alabama secured 13 class of 2025 commitments June 1 to July 25, the Crimson Tide appear similarly poised to fill out their incoming class with elite talents in the busy recruiting months ahead.
Alongside Utu, Alabama hosted more than a dozen other prospects on official visits this past weekend, including five-star tight end Kaiden Prothro (No. 19 overall) and top 30 defenders Xavier Griffin (No. 28) and Jireh Edwards (No. 29).
Four-star safety Jett Washington (No. 22) marked another priority visitor on the weekend of May 30, and the Crimson Tide are set to host top targets, including five-star athlete Brandon Arrington (No. 14) and in-state four-stars Anthony Jones (No. 25), Ezavier Crowell (No. 30), and Cederian Morgan (No. 47) in the coming weeks as the temperature turns up on the 2026 recruiting cycle.
A college football game guarantees you certain things. You will get the fight songs. You will get tailgate smells. And you know that, no matter what game you’re attending — maybe it’s a storied rivalry game such as the Iron Bowl or Red River, maybe it’s a Friday night Louisville-Syracuse affair, and maybe it’s even a Division III game like Trinity-Millsaps — you might see something you have never seen, something you couldn’t have envisioned, something you’ll be talking about 25 years later.
Below are the top 25 plays of the 2000s, as voted on by ESPN college football writers. Some decided national titles, some provided all-time rivalry bragging rights, and all of them are stuck in our memories forever. This sport puts us through a good amount of nonsense sometimes, but the games, and the greatest plays, make everything worth it.
Eight ESPN writers and two editors nominated the top plays since 2000. Fifty-one plays were nominated and the eight writers ranked plays from 1 to 25, with 25 points awarded for first-place votes, 24 for second place and continuing until 1 point was awarded for a play voted at No. 25. Below is the result of those votes.
1. Kick-six | Nov. 30, 2013
The play was stunning, one of the most improbable endings in college football history, as Auburn’s Chris Davis raced 109 yards for a touchdown after Alabama kicker Adam Griffith was short on a 57-yard field goal attempt with one second remaining in the 2013 Iron Bowl. Alabama coach Nick Saban argued to have one second put back on the clock after Tide running back T.J. Yeldon was knocked out of bounds. Griffith was sent in to try the long field goal with the score tied 28-28 after Cade Foster had already missed three field goals. After fielding the kick deep in the end zone, Davis tiptoed down the left sideline before breaking into the open field and into the end zone, where he was mobbed by teammates, cameramen and fans.
The loss kept Saban and the previously unbeaten Crimson Tide from playing for what would have been their third straight national championship. Auburn advanced to the final BCS national championship game, where the Tigers in Gus Malzahn’s first season as coach lost to Florida State in the final seconds.
It’s a play that will live in the hearts of Auburn fans, who can still hear the school’s radio play-by-play announcer, the late Rod Bramblett, screaming “Auburn’s going to win the football game!” as Davis crossed the goal line. — Chris Low
2. Boise State trickeration | Jan. 1, 2007
1:53
Ian Johnson celebrates 10 year anniversary of Boise State trick play, proposal
Ian Johnson reflects on the glorious moment when he successfully pulled off the “Statue of Liberty” trick play for Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl followed by a spur of the moment proposal to girlfriend Chrissy Popadics.
Boise State’s “hook and ladder” and “Statue of Liberty” plays go together — like Ian Johnson and Chrissy Popadics. With Oklahoma leading 35-28 late in the Fiesta Bowl, Boise State faced fourth-and-18 from midfield when Broncos coach Chris Petersen called for the “hook and ladder.” Jared Zabransky completed a pass to Drisan James, who lateralled the ball to receiver Jerard Rabb and he went 50 yards to tie the score at 35 with seven seconds remaining.
The Broncos trailed 42-41 in overtime when they lined up for a 2-point conversion. Zabransky took the snap and kept the ball behind his back, where it was grabbed by Johnson, a running back, on the “Statue of Liberty” play. Johnson then ran uncontested to the corner of the end zone to give the Broncos the stunning 43-42 win. After a wild celebration, Johnson got on one knee and proposed to Popadics, who tearfully accepted in front of a sellout crowd and a national television audience. — Heather Dinich
3. Invincibowl | Jan. 4, 2006
3:49
Rewind: Texas upsets USC in Rose Bowl
On Jan. 4, 2006, Texas QB Vince Young orchestrated a touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter in the Rose Bowl against USC to knock off the No. 1 team in the nation and win the BCS National Championship.
Vince Young didn’t win the 2005 Heisman Trophy. In fact, USC running back Reggie Bush received 705 more first-place votes. But the Texas quarterback still produced arguably the best individual season this century, culminating with one of college football’s most memorable all-time plays.
Trailing in the Rose Bowl with a national championship on the line, the Longhorns faced fourth-and-5 in the waning seconds against the Trojans, the defending national champs. But Young scrambled right, then dashed past the pylon for the game-winning touchdown, lifting the unbeaten Longhorns to their first national title in 35 years. — Jake Trotter
4. Tua’s toss | Jan. 8, 2018
0:36
Alabama wins title on Tagovailoa’s walk-off TD pass
Tua Tagovailoa throws a perfect pass to DeVonta Smith for a 41-yard TD in OT, giving the Crimson Tide their fifth national championship under Nick Saban.
The national title game at the end of the 2017 season came at you in waves. Georgia dominated and led 13-0 at halftime. Alabama subbed in freshman Tua Tagovailoa and charged back to tie the score, but the Tide missed an easy field goal attempt at the buzzer. Georgia moved backward in OT but nailed a 51-yard field goal. Tagovailoa took an atrocious sack and lost 16 yards. Bama had control but lost it, and now Georgia was about to finally topple the Tide.
And then, without a timeout and with the building still buzzing, Tagovailoa calmly looked off the safeties, then fired back to a fellow freshman for the most thrilling, breathless ending to a national title game in the College Football Playoff era. — Bill Connelly
5. ‘The Horror’ | Sept. 1, 2007
0:50
Relive Appalachian State’s historic upset over Michigan
On September 1, 2007, Appalachian State entered the Big House as heavy underdogs and came out victorious in a thriller.
There have been major upsets in this sport, but few shook the earth like the day Appalachian State went into Michigan Stadium and stunned the winningest program of all time. Michigan entered the 2007 season ranked No. 5, and though Appalachian State had won consecutive national titles in college football’s second rung, Division I-AA (now FCS), the Vegas books didn’t place a line on the game.
A Division I-AA team had never beaten a ranked Division I-A team, and Michigan had never played an I-AA opponent. But coach Jerry Moore’s team led 28-17 at halftime before Michigan stormed back to lead 32-31 after a 2-point conversion with 4:36 left. Then, Appalachian State drove downfield for a field goal. Michigan amazingly reached field goal range on Chad Henne’s pass to Mario Manningham, but Appalachian State’s Corey Lynch stormed in to block Jason Gingell’s field goal attempt and raced downfield as time expired.
The words of Appalachian State radio broadcaster David Jackson resonate: “The Mountaineers have just beaten the Michigan Wolverines!” So do those of Michigan blogger Brian Cook, who simply referred to the game as, “The Horror.” — Adam Rittenberg
6. ‘Six’ | Nov. 1, 2008
0:37
On this date: Crabtree’s clutch catch wins game for Texas Tech
On Nov. 1, 2008, Michael Crabtree catches a touchdown pass in the final seconds to win the game for Texas Tech over Texas.
No play represented the Air Raid’s playground-type simplicity better than four verticals, what architect Hal Mumme called “Six” because everyone ran deep for six points. Mike Leach, Mumme’s protégé, turned Texas Tech into giant-killers running the offense, and landed the Red Raiders’ biggest upset blow with that play after “College GameDay’s” first visit to Lubbock.
Trailing No. 1 Texas at home, 33-32, with eight seconds left, Graham Harrell threw a back-shoulder ball to Michael Crabtree at the Texas 6, and instead of stepping out of bounds with one second left, Crabtree broke a tackle, got six and ruined Texas’ national title hopes, cementing Texas Tech’s biggest win in school history on a magical night in Lubbock. — Dave Wilson
7. Prayer at Jordan-Hare | Nov. 16, 2013
Watch The Prayer in Jordan-Hare right NOW on the @SECNetwork.#WarEagle | #SECNTakeover pic.twitter.com/KNh22hZIQU
— Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) July 20, 2017
The Kick-Six wouldn’t have been nearly as memorable had it not been for the Prayer at Jordan-Hare two weeks earlier. The Tigers were down to a fourth-and-18 gasp from their 27 when quarterback Nick Marshall launched a deep ball down the middle of the field. Georgia defensive backs Josh Harvey-Clemons and Tray Matthews were both in great position to break up the Hail Mary, and Matthews looked like he was going to intercept the pass.
But Harvey-Clemons tipped it to Auburn receiver Ricardo Louis, who bobbled it briefly on his fingertips and never broke stride for a 73-yard touchdown with 25 seconds remaining. Auburn’s miraculous 43-38 win paved the way for another miracle two Saturdays later against Alabama and ultimately an appearance in the 2013 national championship game. — Low
8. Surrender cobra | Oct. 17, 2015
1:49
Flashback: Michigan State stuns Michigan on flubbed punt
On Oct. 17, 2015, Michigan punter Blake O’Neill bobbled a low snap and coughed up the ball, allowing Michigan State’s Jalen Watts-Jackson to scoop it up and score on the final play of the game.
The 2015 Michigan State-Michigan ending created a meme and popularized a phrase. The Wolverines led 23-21 with 10 seconds remaining. But punter Blake O’Neill muffed a low snap and Michigan State’s Jalen Watts-Jackson scooped it up. He raced into the end zone as time expired, giving the Spartans the improbable comeback victory.
The ESPN broadcast immediately panned to Michigan student Chris Baldwin, who had his hands on his head in disbelief, ultimately producing the most viral surrender cobra. Watts-Jackson broke his hip as he was tackled into the end zone. But he headed to the hospital as a Spartans legend. — Trotter
9. Superman | Oct. 6, 2001
0:35
Williams’ Superman leap seals Oklahoma’s win
On Oct. 6, 2001, Roy Williams flies through the air and hits Texas QB Chris Simms, forcing an INT to Teddy Lehman to secure the Sooners’ win.
The “Superman” leap embodied Oklahoma’s dominance over Texas — and a five-game winning streak in the series — through the early 2000s. With the Longhorns pinned at their 2-yard line, co-defensive coordinators Mike Stoops and Brent Venables (now OU’s head coach) dialed up the “Slamdogs” blitz, calling for Williams to shoot through the gap between the left tackle and guard from the safety position.
Williams soared over the gap instead, crashing into the chest of quarterback Chris Simms. The collision popped the ball into the arms of linebacker Teddy Lehman, who waltzed into the end zone to seal a 14-3 victory. — Trotter
10. Champions* | Jan. 3, 2003
1:17
Ohio State wins championship with help from questionable PI call
On Jan. 3, 2003, Chris Gamble can’t catch an overtime TD, but Miami is called for pass interference. Ohio State won the national championship in 2OT.
Perhaps the most questionable pass interference call in college football history, the penalty on Miami’s Glenn Sharpe in overtime in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl prevented the Hurricanes from repeating as national champions and cementing their dynasty. With one play left to keep their season alive, Ohio State quarterback Craig Krenzel dropped back to pass on fourth-and-3 from the 5-yard line, throwing for Chris Gamble in the end zone. The pass fell incomplete, and Miami players and staff ran onto the field in celebration. Except … Terry Porter, the field judge, threw a flag several seconds after the play ended, a delay that added to the mass confusion that followed and resulted in the widespread second-guessing of the call (for those outside Columbus, Ohio, that is).
The officials huddled and called pass interference on Sharpe. With a fresh set of downs, Ohio State scored to send the game into a second overtime and won the game 31-24. — Andrea Adelson
11. Clowney ‘car wreck’ | Jan. 1, 2013
0:41
Flashback: Clowney’s massive hit sends RB’s helmet flying
Back in 2013, South Carolina’s Jadeveon Clowney knocked the helmet off Michigan’s Vincent Smith after a hard hit, causing a fumble that Clowney then recovered.
Jadeveon Clowney was a 6-foot-6, 274-pound, hulking defensive end who became the face of South Carolina’s renaissance under coach Steve Spurrier. He came to South Carolina as the nation’s top recruit and would leave as the No. 1 pick in the 2014 NFL draft. But his most memorable college play came in the 2013 Outback Bowl against Michigan, which led 22-21 midway through the fourth quarter.
Michigan had possession after a controversial first-down call on a fake punt, and gave the ball to Vincent Smith, its 5-foot-6, 175-pound running back. Clowney rumbled through Michigan’s line untouched and met Smith, who was just receiving the ball. Smith’s helmet and the ball went flying, and Clowney recovered. “It sounded like a car wreck,” South Carolina defensive tackle J.T. Surratt said. South Carolina won 33-28, and Clowney earned an ESPY for the hit. — Rittenberg
12. ‘Oh my gracious!’ | Nov. 10, 2012
1:00
When Johnny Football took down Alabama
Revisit Texas A&M’s upset of No. 1 Alabama in 2012 and the game that turned Johnny Manziel into a legend.
In 2012, Johnny Manziel led Texas A&M into the SEC, and rolled into Tuscaloosa as 14-point underdogs to No. 1 Alabama. He left as Johnny Football, a Heisman favorite as just a redshirt freshman. Looking back, it was a star-studded affair: Coach Kevin Sumlin’s first-year offensive coordinator, Kliff Kingsbury, outdueled Nick Saban and Kirby Smart in a 29-24 upset, with Manziel completing 24 of 31 passes for 253 yards and two TDs, with another 18 carries for 92 yards. Manziel’s Heisman moment was cemented in the third quarter when he avoided a sack, bounced off an Alabama defender, bobbled the ball, caught it, rolled left and found Ryan Swope in the back of the end zone.
“Got him!” Verne Lundquist said as the play unfolded. “No they didn’t! Oh my gracious!” he exclaimed, and a legend was born. — Wilson
13. ‘Orange Crush’ | Jan. 9, 2017
0:54
Watson hits Renfrow for game-winning TD in title game
On Jan. 9, 2017, Deshaun Watson puts Clemson ahead with a 2-yard touchdown to Hunter Renfrow to win the CFP National Championship.
The play forever known as “Orange Crush” delivered Clemson its second national title in school history in the 2017 national championship game and the first under coach Dabo Swinney. In an epic back-and-forth game, Alabama had scored to go ahead 31-28 with 2:07 left. Plenty of time remaining for the Tigers offense. Quarterback Deshaun Watson marched them down the field, reaching the 2-yard line with six seconds left.
Watson found Hunter Renfrow in the end zone for the winning score — thanks, in part, to a rub route Artavis Scott ran to give Renfrow just enough space to get open. Clemson scored with one second left to win 35-31. — Adelson
14. Bush Push | Oct. 15, 2005
1:01
Notre Dame fan rushes the field before the game is over & Notre Dame loses
Notre Dame alum Dan Murphy recalls the time he rushed the field with his younger brother before the Notre Dame vs. USC “Bush Push” game was over.
On its own, the “Bush Push” of 2005 wasn’t something to marvel at. With top-ranked USC trailing Notre Dame 31-28 with seven seconds left in South Bend, Indiana, Trojans quarterback Matt Leinart — the reigning Heisman Trophy winner — appeared to have been stopped short on a surprising quarterback sneak attempt, only for Reggie Bush to shove him in the chest, propelling him across the goal line.
The push violated the NCAA rulebook, but was not penalized, giving USC a key win as it continued its march to the BCS National Championship game. — Bonagura
15. Reggie in the fog | Oct. 23, 2004
There could be a list of Reggie Bush’s best 25 plays at USC, but few are as iconic as his 65-yard punt return in the fog at Oregon State in 2004. Reser Stadium was a house of horrors for the Trojans over the years, and as the top-ranked Trojans clung to a one-point lead in the fourth quarter, Bush delivered.
He spun away from the first tackler, traversed back across the field before outrunning the OSU defenders to the end zone. — Bonagura
16. Jump pass I | Oct. 7, 2006
Never forget when Tim Tebow pulled out the infamous jump pass against LSU 😳
The No. 7 Gators head to Death Valley this weekend for an undefeated matchup with the No. 5 Tigers. pic.twitter.com/hStXtIQgjF
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) October 11, 2019
Only a freshman, Tim Tebow introduced himself to the college football world in 2006 as Florida won the first of two national championships over the next three seasons. He was primarily a short-yardage specialist that year at quarterback behind starter Chris Leak. Tebow’s first career touchdown pass came in a key 23-10 win over No. 9 LSU. He took the snap, started toward the line of scrimmage as if he was going to run and then went airborne, pump-faking, and lobbing a 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end Tate Casey in the back of the end zone.
Tebow won the Heisman Trophy the next year and then duplicated his jump pass as a junior with a game-sealing, 4-yard touchdown to David Nelson against Oklahoma to lead the Gators to the 2008 national championship. — Low
t17. Bluegrass Miracle | Nov. 9, 2002
1:00
Will Muschamp recalls the emotional turn of the bluegrass miracle
Kentucky fans weren’t the only ones left shocked. Former LSU defensive coordinator Will Muschamp couldn’t believe what just happened on November 9, 2002.
“The most shocking, improbable, unbelievable sequence of events.” That’s how announcer Dave Neal described it. Hard to get more accurate than that. Devery Henderson couldn’t have just caught Marcus Randall’s Hail Mary bomb on the final play of LSU’s shocking 33-30 win over Kentucky — he was still more than 20 yards from the end zone when it came down, and he would have been tackled. Henderson needed the ball to pinball around for a moment before he finally secured it as he was racing past Kentucky’s last two defenders.
Kentucky had erased a late, 10-point deficit and hit the go-ahead field goal with just 11 seconds remaining. Wildcat players had already hit coach Guy Morriss with the Gatorade bath. And then LSU committed grand larceny with a 74-yard Hail Mary Plus. — Connelly
t17. Eight laterals of chaos | Oct. 31, 2015
0:59
Top 10 finishes of 2015: Miami uses eight laterals on kickoff return TD to upset Duke
Top 10 finishes of 2015: Corn Elder took Miami’s eighth lateral of a wild final kickoff return and brought it back 75 yards for a touchdown that gave Miami a 30-27 victory over Duke.
Even now, what unfolded on Halloween night in 2015 in Durham, North Carolina, seems unfathomable. Duke took a 27-24 lead over Miami on a quarterback run with six seconds remaining. Then, chaos ensued. On the ensuing kickoff, Ross Martin squibbed the ball, and Dallas Crawford fielded it at the 25-yard line. From there, eight laterals: Crawford threw backward to Corn Elder, who tossed the ball to Jaquan Johnson as Duke defenders closed in. Johnson then tossed the ball to Mark Walton, who threw it to Johnson just as he was being taken to the ground. Johnson then flipped it to Tyre Brady, who sent it back to Elder at the 5-yard line. Elder gave it back to Crawford before giving it back to Elder.
At that point, Miami had blockers out in front and Elder had the speed to evade would-be tacklers and score in an improbable what-did-I-just-see moment. Officials picked up a flag that had been thrown earlier in the mayhem, and the touchdown stood. The ACC announced the following day that the officials botched the final play and it should not have counted. — Adelson
19. Reed wrestles it away | Nov. 10, 2001
0:44
Flashback: Ed Reed strips ball from teammate for Hurricanes pick-six
After an interception, Ed Reed strips the ball from his teammate and takes it for a touchdown to seal Miami’s win vs. Boston College during the 2001 season.
With Miami clinging to a 12-7 lead with just over 20 seconds left in the game, Boston College quarterback Brian St. Pierre had the ball on the Canes’ 9-yard line. He tried to complete a pass to Ryan Read near the 2-yard line, but it was low and ricocheted off Miami cornerback Ed Rumph’s left knee.
Defensive tackle Matt Walters grabbed it at the 10 and rumbled 10 more yards before Reed took the ball from him and outraced a BC defender 80 yards to the end zone. What made this play so memorable was Reed’s vision and decision to wrestle the ball out of his 262-pound teammate’s hands to keep the interception return — and Miami’s chance at the national title — alive. — Dinich
20. ‘Gravedigger’ | Nov. 25, 2023
3:08
Gravedigger: The improbable 4th-and-31 TD that saved Bama’s season
A look inside Alabama’s comeback to beat Auburn in the Iron Bowl on an incredible 4th-and-31 touchdown.
The legendary plays in the Iron Bowl are too many to count, but Jalen Milroe-to-Isaiah Bond on fourth-and-goal from the 31 ranks with any of them. Auburn, suffering through a losing season in Hugh Freeze’s first year on the Plains, seemingly had the game won in what would have been a massive upset. With the Jordan-Hare Stadium crowd roaring, Alabama was pushed back to the 31 after initially having a first-and-goal from the 7. Only 43 seconds remained, and Auburn rushed just two defenders. Milroe stood in the pocket for five seconds before delivering a strike in the left corner of the end zone to a leaping Bond for the game-winning touchdown and a 27-24 win in what was Nick Saban’s final Iron Bowl.
“I’m not going to lie. Before I even caught the ball, I knew we’d won. As soon as it went in the air, I said, ‘Yeah, that’s going to be game,'” said Bond, revealing after the game that the play was called “Gravedigger.” — Low
21. Black 41 Flash Reverse Pass | Oct. 27, 2001
Hard to believe it has already been 15 years… Thanks #HuskerNation for making this moment so special! #GBR #Black41FlashReverse pic.twitter.com/hePzCpRThX
— Eric Crouch (@croucheric) October 27, 2016
On his way to the Heisman Trophy in 2001, Nebraska quarterback Eric Crouch delivered one of the greatest plays in school history. His heroics mostly came from running the option, but on this play against Oklahoma, Crouch handed off the ball, peeled out into the flat and up the field as a receiver. The original ball carrier, Thunder Collins, handed it to Mike Stuntz on a reverse, and he hit Crouch sprinting down the sideline for a 63-yard touchdown.
The surprising playcall came with No. 2 Nebraska leading No. 3 Oklahoma in the fourth quarter and clinched the win. — Bonagura
22. 61-second spectacle | Oct. 27, 2007
Happy anniversary to the greatest college football play in history! Trinity University Miracle Lateral Play: https://t.co/JhFMMnLcmW @ESPNCFB @espn @PTI @TUFootballTX pic.twitter.com/UhuAs8TRZ0
— Trinity University (@Trinity_U) October 27, 2021
Fifteen laterals, 61 yards, 61 seconds. This was the longest play on this list. Starting at the Trinity 39, the ball got to the Millsaps 42, then retreated to the Trinity 45, then moved back to the Millsaps 41, then retreated again to the Trinity 41, then moved from right to left, back and forth.
After more than 45 seconds, things got sloppy. The ball hit the ground a couple of times, the laterals grew less accurate … and Riley Curry, who had also caught the first, seventh and 11th laterals, picked up a bouncing ball and raced 34 yards for maybe the least likely touchdown of the 2000s. When we see teams attempting laterals that we know have no chance of working on the last play of a game, they’re doing it because, hey, it worked once, didn’t it? — Connelly
23. Nonsense masterpiece | Nov. 7, 2015
The game had already been a nonsense masterpiece before we got to overtime. We had already seen more than 1,100 yards of offense, 90 points and seven tying scores. Neither team had led by more than seven points. But Ole Miss finally had things under control: Chad Kelly’s touchdown run gave the Rebels the lead in overtime, and Arkansas faced a fourth-and-25. Ole Miss was about to win the game and, consequently, the SEC West.
Hunter Henry caught a pass well behind the line of scrimmage and, quickly hemmed in, had no choice but to lob it behind him. Somehow, after a deflection, it took exactly the bounce it needed to take, and Alex Collins caught the ball at the Ole Miss 42 with room to run and strolled for the first down. It was stunning. And the outcome was preordained from there: Drew Morgan scored, Brandon Allen converted the 2-pointer, and Bret Bielema’s Hogs had prevailed. — Connelly
24. Cam can | Oct. 23, 2010
His Heisman 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭.#tbt to this @CameronNewton run against LSU 🤯 pic.twitter.com/zZZ2Y1Qp78
— Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) October 12, 2023
Newton’s 49-yard touchdown run in the third quarter against LSU was deemed his Heisman moment the second he crossed the goal line, dragging All-American cornerback Patrick Peterson with him for the last 8 yards. Five LSU defenders failed to tackle Newton, including defensive back Tyrann Mathieu, as Newton ran down the right side of the field and through Mathieu’s knee-high tackle attempt.
Newton, 6-foot-6, 250 pounds, somehow steadied himself near the right hash mark, and in two more strides, cut sharply back to the middle of the field. This was one of the best run defenses in the SEC, and Newton blew right by it — and into college football history. — Dinich
25. Lamar Leap | Sept. 9, 2016
0:30
How Lamar Jackson casually hurdled an opponent for an unreal TD
When Louisville QB Lamar Jackson had nowhere else to go he decided to hurdle over Syracuse defensive back Cordell Hudson.
Storylines often get set early in college football seasons, and on a Friday night in Week 2 of the 2016 campaign, Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson ensured that he would be the top story all fall. After an impressive freshman season in 2015, Jackson began the following year by setting ACC records for touchdowns accounted for (eight) and total offense (610 yards) in the opener against Charlotte. He then went to the Carrier Dome and rushed for four touchdowns, three in the first quarter.
But his most iconic play was the last scoring run, a 13-yarder in the second quarter. Jackson faked a handoff, sprinted to his left and hurdled over Syracuse defender Cordell Hudson, who lunged at him. The leap went viral and propelled Jackson toward winning the Heisman Trophy that fall. — Rittenberg
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