Thursday, March 24, 2005

100 Greatest College Football Endings

The year - 2000
The game - Georgia Tech vs Clemson
The final - Tech 31, Tigers 28.


So far on CFN's 100 Greatest College Football Endings, this game was ranked #92.

No. 92 Georgia Tech 31 ... Clemson 28, November 28, 2000
At the time: Georgia Tech had won three straight and was 5-2. Number four Clemson had started off the season 8-0 and was looking forward to a showdown with Florida State the following week with the hopes of securing an ACC title.


The setup: It was a tremendous game with long scoring drives and an 88-yard punt return for a score from Clemson's Brian Mance. The Tigers took a 28-24 lead with under two minutes to play on a Rod Gardner touchdown catch. Kelly Campbell finished with 209 receiving yards for the Yellow Jackets, but it was another Tech receiver that would steal the show.


The ending: Tech QB George Godsey, who finished with a school record 454 passing yards, had the ball on the Clemson 16 with time running out. He lofted a pass into the end zone for Kerry Watkins, but it looked out of reach. Watkins dove making a one-handed grab for the game-winning score with just seven seconds to play.


How they ended up: Clemson got steamrolled 54-7 by Florida State the following week before beating South Carolina in 16-14 classic. The Tigers ended up 9-3 after losing 41-20 to Virginia Tech in the Gator Bowl. Georgia Tech won its next three games to end the regular season with a seven-game winning streak before losing 28-14 to LSU in the Peach Bowl for a 9-3 record.


By the way, I was there!!!


Also note the links to the other games in the countdown. Go to the homepage for the full list. They have not unveiled the entire list yet.