The Greatest College Football Comebacks of All Time (that didn't have a great finish) Please e-mail your descriptions of great comebacks to dwilson@cae.wisc.edu. Please do not include any games that would qualify for the "Greatest Finishes" list. 1963 USC vs. Wisconsin, Rose Bowl, Jan. 1, 1963 This game is considered one of college football's greatest. With #1 USC ahead of #2 Wisconsin 42-14 at the start of the fourth quarter, USC fans think the game is over and start chanting "We want the Packers". Ron VanderKelen then rallies the Badgers for 23 points amassing the current Rose Bowl record of 401 passing yards going 33 of 48. His primary receiver was former UW athletic director Pat Richter. An onside kick recovered by the Trojans with 1 minute left stops the rally with the eventual National Champions hanging on for a 5 point victory (USC 42 Wisc. 37). David Michie 1972 Auburn vs. Alabama, Dec. 2, 1972 The 1972 Auburn Tigers performed one of the most miraculous comebacks of all time during the Iron Bowl against Alabama. On December 2, 1972, the second-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide brought a 10-0 record into Legion Field to meet the ninth-ranked Tigers, who were 8-1. With 5:30 remaining in the game, Alabama held a seemingly insurmountable 16-3 lead. The Tigers came roaring back for one of the best finishes in Auburn-Alabama history. Auburn's Bill Newton blocked two Alabama punts and David Langer ran both in for touchdowns as Auburn came back to win 17-16. The game has been nicknamed the "Punt Bama Punt" game. AUtiger567@aol.com (Brian Patterson) 1974 USC vs. Notre Dame, Nov. 30, 1974 Notre Dame had a 24-0 lead just a minute before the end of the first half. USC scored just before halftime (and missed the conversion) to make the score 24-6 at the half. Coach McKay is quoted as having said during halftime something like "Gentlemen, if you block like you should, Anothony Davis will carry the second-half kickoff back for a score, and we'll go on from there. Let's go!!" USC's Anthony Davis took the second half kickoff 102 yards for a touchdown, and the comeback was on. The Trojans scored 55 unanswered points in only 17 minutes!!! The Trojans won the game 55-24. Father Theodore Hesburgh, the Notre Dame president, congratulated Coach John McKay after the game, then added, "That wasn't a very nice thing for a Catholic to do." Replied McKay: "Father, that serves you right for hiring a Presbyterian (Coach Ara Parseghian)." Neither team was a "cream puff". USC went on to win the Rose Bowl and the UPI and MacArthur Bowl National Championships, and Notre Dame went on to ruin Alabama's National Championship hopes in the Orange Bowl. hptaylor@gps.caltech.edu (Hugh Taylor) woodylives69@earthlink.net (Billy Mccloud) 1984 Salisbury vs. Randolph Macon, 1984 Salisbury State (now Salisbury University NCAA Division III) was down 33 to nothing in the first quarter came back to win 34-33. LarkinW AT lake DOT k12 DOT fl DOT us (Larkin, William S) 1991 Weber St. at Nevada, 1991 This is the greatest comeback in the history of football. It took place in Reno, Nevada back in 1991 the final year before Nevada went into I-A. The starting quaterback for Nevada was Fred Gatlin. Weber St. totally dismantled the Wolf Pack in the first half getting a 42-7 halftime lead for Weber St. Seeing there was no chance at winning the game, back up quaterback Chris Vargas was put into the game and led the greatest comeback of all time. The Wolfpack with Vargas at the helm, came back from the 35 point defecit and defeated Weber St. 56-49 in the greatest comeback in football history. Unrryan@aol.com (Ryan Souza) 1992 Clemson at Virginia, Oct. 10, 1992 Clemson is down 28-0 with under 2-minutes left in the first half. Clemson coach Ken Hatfield puts in back-up Louis Soloman at QB. He marches the offence to a touchdown with total disreguard for coach Hatfield's play selection...then proceeds to lead the tigers to a 29-28 victory as they stun the home crowd who mostly left at the half. rgladde@CLEMSON.EDU 1994 Louisiana State at Auburn, Sep. 17, 1994 Perhaps not the best game, but certainly one of the most most amazing comebacks I've ever witnessed would be 1994 Auburn vs. LSU game. With just over 12 minutes left in the 4th quarter, LSU lead 23 - 9. Then, Auburn came up with 3 fourth quarter interception returns for touchdowns and some how won the game AU 30 - LSU 26. The Auburn offense was unable to score a single touchdown while the defense scored 4. In fact, The Auburn offense had a mere 18 yards total offense in the entire second half and just over 150 for the game. But, the defense stepped up and forced 8 turnovers to save the game and the then 14 game winning streak. Brad Jeffcoat Florida at Florida State, Nov. 26, 1994 Florida State is behind 31-3 at the beginning of the 4th quarter against UF at Doak Campbell Stadium. Zach Crockett pounds up the middle to score the Noles' first TD of the game to start the 4th qtr. Spurrier's offense stalls against the courageous FSU defense. Danny Kannell leads the team down the field. He throws a strike to the corner of the end-zone to Andre Cooper to make it 31-17. UF's offense goes nowhere again and the Noles take over. Warrick Dunn heads down the field on many of Danny Kannell's swing-passes. On a boot-leg play Kannell puts it in the end-zone for his first ever rushing TD to put the score at 31-24 with time winding down. On the next drive for UF, James Colzie intercepts a Danny Wuerful pass at mid-field. The Seminole crowd is on fire!!! The Gator defense is worn down and can't stop the Noles. Rock Preston runs the ball into the end-zone to tie the game up at 31-31 with about 2 minutes left in the game. The Gators get one last chance to save face but can't get past the FSU defense. The Noles take over but time runs out. Although it ended in a tie, the Noles felt victorious by overcoming a 28 point defecit in about 13 minutes against a higher ranked and favored team. The game was settled a month later in the Sugar Bowl. FSU won the game 23-17. Michael J Collins 2010 Colorado at Kansas, Nov. 6, 2010 Colorado in their final trip to Kansas as a member of the Big 12 takes a 45-17 lead with 14:52 remaining thanks to a fourth quarter rushing touchdow by Rodney Stewart. From there, Kansas scores on a rushing touchdown by James Sims and takes advantage of an onside kick, interception, and fumble to score three more touchdowns to tie the game with 4:30 remaining. After a three-and-out by Colorado s defense, Kansas marches 63 yards in five plays capped off with Simms s fourth rushing touchdown of the afternoon and third of the fourth quarter. A late Colorado drive gets snuffed out with two incomplete passes from the KU seven yard-line in the finals seconds as Kansas hangs on for the 52-45 victory. The comeback is the largest in KU history and the most points scored by a Kansas team in a quarter. In total, Kansas runs 23 offensive plays, gains 225 yards and scores four offensive touchdowns and adds a fumble return for a touchdown by Tyler Patmon. ROCK CHALK, JAYHAWK! Alan Peel, peeler18 AT aol DOT com 2011 Houston at Louisiana Tech, September 17, 2011 Down 34-7 on the road with 20 minutes to play, Houston QB Case Keenum led the Houston Cougars to a 35-34 win over the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs. This marked Keenum's 9th career comeback victory from down 2 scores or more. The Cougars gained 325 yards in the final 20 minutes, including TD drives of 84, 80, 80 and 64 yards. Down the stretch, Keenum was 13-17 for 282 yards and 2 TDs, and rushed 3 times for 22 yards. The Cougar defense caused a fumble, intercepted a pass, forced 2 punts and stopped Louisiana Tech on downs. Parker Binion, parkerbinion AT yahoo DOT com Eastern Kentucky University at Jacksonville State, November 5, 2011 The Eastern Kentucky football team trailed by 24 points with 7:25 remaining, but rallied to earn an improbable 52-48 win. Facing 3rd-and-6, Pryor found junior Cameron Bailey over the middle for a 60-yard touchdown pass. The following on-side kick failed. Jacksonville moved the ball to the Eastern Kentucky 24-yard line. Jacksonville went for the first down on 4th-and-6, fumbled the ball on an option play and defensive lineman Anthony Brown returned the football 71 yards for another Eastern touchdown. Eastern Kentucky then trailed 48-38 with 5:23 remaining. This time the on-side kick worked. Four plays later Eastern Kentucky scored a touchdown with 4:14 left. Jacksonville went three-and-out leaving less than two minutes to play. Eastern Kentucky took two plays to score another touchdown from the Jacksonville 37-yard line. Jacksonville had one final possession and reached 1st-and-goal at the Eastern Kentucky three-yard line with 17 seconds remaining. Eastern Kentucky stuffed two running plays to escape with the victory. Michael Clark, Michael DOT Clark AT eku DOT edu