Speaking of: Colorado's Hail Mary, Pop Icons and ACC Teams that lost...
by Dave McMahon
Last week had a plethora of exciting college football games and one of the most exciting happened in Boulder, Colorado. The Buffaloes trailed the Baylor Bears by seven points in the closing seconds of the game. Shedeur Sanders heaved the football towards the endzone from his own side the field and the ball was dropped by the receiver. The very next play Sanders would let it fly once again and this time LaJohntay Wester caught the ball inches from hitting the ground for the score. The Buffs would eventually win in overtime 38 to 31. It was the first win for Colorado in the Big 12 since 2010. They were members of the Pac-12 since.
Speaking of a Colorado hail mary…
On a game played thirty years ago this Tuesday between Colorado at Michigan, the Buffaloes connected on a hail mary from Kordell Stewart to Michael Westbrook (Wester-Westbrook… very close) and Colorado would win 27 to 26 in the “Miracle in Michigan”. Colorado’s wide receiver coach in that game was future head coach and broadcaster Rick Neuheisel. Neuheisel is part of CBS Sports’ College Football Today pregame show and was actually there at last week’s USC at Michigan game from Ann Arbor. It was the Trojans first ever game in the Big Ten and they would lead late in the game. The Wolverines had a 3rd and 1 situation at their own 20-yard line. Kalel Mullings went off right tackle and ran for 63 yards to set up a go-ahead 1-yard Mullings touchdown with under a minute left and Michigan won 27 to 24. On a side-note, Wolverine quarterback Alex Orji had just 32 yards passing in the game. It was the lowest pass yards by Michigan in a win since Halloween of 1987 against Northwestern (3 yards).
This week Michigan faces Minnesota in a battle of the Little Brown Jug. That trophy game has been in existence since 1903 (the rivalry is older than that). The Wolverines have a large lead in the series and have won the last four head-to-head. This week’s game is in Michigan where the last time the Golden Gophers won in the series there was in 2014. The last time Minnesota won this rivalry at home was in 1977. Minnesota’s head coach P.J. Fleck was not even born yet (born in 1980).
Speaking of the state of Minnesota…
40 years ago this week, Minnesota native and legend Prince had the number one song in the country with Let’s Go Crazy.
Speaking of pop icons from years ago…
Did you know that also in the year 1984, Michael Jackson and his brothers played a concert at Tennessee’s Neyland Stadium? The three-day affair drew a combined 148,407 in attendance. This past week superstar Morgan Wallen surpassed that total and had 156,161 attend his two shows at the same stadium. Obviously, last week’s matchup between the Volunteers and the Sooners was played in Norman instead of in Knoxville. The Vols won 25 to 15. It was the second fewest point-total by Oklahoma in the Brent Venables era. Oklahoma had two quarterbacks throw the ball in last Saturday’s game. Their first names were ironically, Michael (Hawkins, Jr) and Jackson (Arnold).
Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel was the Sooners quarterback in 2000 and was the Heisman runner-up to FSU’s Chris Weinke. Oklahoma defeated Florida State that season in the 2001 Orange Bowl and won the National Championship.
Speaking of ACC teams that lost…
North Carolina lost to James Madison last week 70 to 50. James Madison’s team name is the Dukes, but that doesn’t mean the score was supposed to resemble North Carolina or Duke basketball (or James Madison for that matter). The 70 points is the second most points allowed by a team led by hall of fame head coach Mack Brown. The most was 73 when Brown’s Tulane squad lost to Florida State 73 to 14. That Seminole team had All-American Deion Sanders. The now Colorado head coach had a punt return for a touchdown in that game against the Green Wave.