Saturday, March 9, 2013

The College Football Blog: 2012 Horse Collar Awards Part VI (Memorable Moments)



The Story of the 2012 Season in 271 Moments 

Week 1
1. Weather washouts in the Bayou
2. For-she-zee McNeese State washes out Middle Tennessee State
3. Idaho humiliated by Eastern Washington
4. Tennessee kicks off season in Atlanta with win over NC State
5. Michigan State holds off Boise State in Broncos first game post-Kellen Moore
6. So is Stanford much weaker or San Jose State much stronger or what?
7. Navy hammered by Irish in Ireland
8. Somebody gotta win: Minnesota wins opener over UNLV in OT-III
9. Northwestern outlasts Syracuse
10. Reality sets in: Penn State loses at home to Ohio, 14-24
11. Cal’s stadium opens and Nevada shuts it down
12. Maryland wins 7-6 over something called William & Mary
13. Wisconsin sneaks by Northern Iowa; Iowa sneaks by Northern Illinois
14. Colorado loses at home to Colorado State
15. Youngstown State goes Boom Boom Mancini on Pitt
16. Wake survives Liberty by 3
17. Auburn falls just short in upset bid of Clemson at the Dome
18. Memphis Blues: Tigers lose at home to Tennessee-Martin
19. Oklahoma State pays Savannah State to play, then pays tribute to Savannah State’s own Shannon Sharpe: 84-0
20. Texas State pulls off season’s first stunner, winning 30-13 at Houston as 34.5-point underdogs in first ever game as FBS team
21. Same Story: Alabama crushes Michigan at Jurrah’s House
22. Rich Rod escapes Toledo in OT to win first game with Arizona
23. Sleepy Sooners eventually put away UTEP
24. Louisville smacks Kentucky
25. Baylor puts 59 on SMU in first game post-RGIII
26. VT finishes off GT in OT to finish off week 1

Week 2
27. Utah State beats Utah in OT, snaps 12-game skid against in-state rivals
28. It Gets Worse: Penn State misses last second FG, loses 16-17 at UVA
29. Rocky Mountain Bottom Colorado: Sacramento State wins in Boulder
30. Leach and Wazu sneak by Eastern Washington
31. Notre Dame lucky to survive Purdue
32. Florida outlasts Texas A&M
33. Oregon State upends Wisconsin, 10-7
34. Beating Suspended: FSU 55-0 on Savannah State early in 3rd quarter when game called due to weather
35. Yes, it Will Matter: 30-point underdog ULM rolls 7’s and 11’s all night in 34-31 overtime upset of #8 Arkansas 
36. Further evidence that Colorado must really, really suck: Colorado State loses 7-22 at home to North Dakota State
37. UCLA upsets Nebraska
38. Northwestern beats Vandy in Battle of the Brains
39. UNLV loses at home to Northern Arizona
40. Rich Rod’s boys roll over Oklahoma State
41. Stanford creams Duke in other Battle of the Brains

Week 3
42. FSU 3-0, 176-3 scoring margin despite one game being called early in 3rd quarter
43. Cal lets Ohio State survive
44. ULM terrifies the SEC again, this time coming from down 14 points late to tie Auburn before losing in OT
45. UNC’s comeback falls just short against Louisville
46. Happy Valley Can Muster a Smile: 34-7 win over Navy
47. A&M 48-3 over SMU: This Johnny Football guy, huh
48. Florida pulls away from Tennessee but not on CBS
49. Wyo-Why-Oh-Why: Cowboys lose at home to Cal-Poly
50. Sun Belt not scared of SEC: Western Kentucky shocks Kentucky with trick play on 2-point conversion to win 32-31 in overtime
51. Here We Go Again: Super-hyped USC team outmuscled by Stanford
52. They Run This State: Ball State beats Indiana on the road
53. ND dominates Michigan State in East Lansing
54. Wisconsin dodges Utah State’s upset on missed FG attempt
55. Utah survives premature storming of the field to beat rivals as BYU misses last second FG twice

Week 4
56. Things Are Different Now: Boise State edges BYU, 7-6
57. Baylor fends off ULM’s latest assault
58. Double Directional Michigan: Central Michigan downs Iowa; Western Michigan downs UConn
59. Miami beats Georgia Tech in back-and-forth OT shootout
60. Riley May Have Done it Again: Oregon State upsets UCLA
61. Well, Penn State is still better than Temple
62. More MAC Murders: NIU over Kansas; Ball State over South Florida
63. WAC Ass Showdown: Wyoming wins battle of 0-3 squads, topping Idaho in overtime
64. Typical: LSU over Auburn, 12-10
65. Akron goes to halftime in Knoxville tied with Tennessee, loses by 19
66. ND holds off Michigan, completes 3-gm sweep of Big Ten teams
67. And Now for Something Completely Different: Stoops’ Oklahoma team underachieves and Snyder’s KSU team overachieves, as Kansas State wins in Norman
68. Florida State pulls away from Clemson in battle of ACC’s only good teams
69. Gophigure: Minnesota is 4-0
70. New Mexico over New Mexico State in the Battle of Hori-Awful

Week 5
71. After trailing 13-0 at the half in Eugene, Arizona loses 49-0 to the Ducks
72. Arrrgh! This be a Wicked Harpoon in Me Booty: Leach and Wazu suffer late meltdown and somehow lose at home to Colorado, 34-35
73. Washington upends Stanford
74. Not Exactly Old School SEC: Dawgs hang on to beat Tennessee in shootout, 51-44
75. Northwestern Wildcats are 5-0
76. Middle Tennessee State runs through Georgia Tech, 49-28
77. Eugly: Stony Brook 23-3 over Army
78. Smith, Bailey, and Austin put up video game numbers lead West Virginia to victory in defensive struggle against Baylor, 70-63
79. Penn State wins 3rd straight, 35-7 over Illinois
80. Arkansas in a freefall
81. Ohio State wins by 1 over MSU at East Lansing
82. Houston creams Rice, finally gets first win
83. Boise State dodges disaster, escapes with 3-point win over New Mexico
84. Texas converts on do-or-die 4th and long, drives for TD to beat Ok State in Stillwater
85. Nebraska gets by Wisconsin, 30-27
86. Texas-San Antonio is 5-0

Week 6
87. BYU ekes out 6-3 win over Utah State
88. Navy tops Air Force in OT
89. Arkansas wins Battle of Grease Fires over Auburn, 24-7
90. South Carolina overwhelms Dawgs, wins 35-7 in battle of 5-0 teams
91. Michigan State needs 17-point comeback to survive Indiana
92. Rutgers improves to 5-0
93. Ohio improves to 6-0
94. PSU rallies by Northwestern for fourth straight win, NW falls from ranks of unbeaten
95. KSU by 40 over rival Kansas, moves to 5-0
96. Mississippi State moves to 5-0
97. Stanford survives Arizona in OT, 54-48
98. Duke blows away UVA to get to 5-1
99. Florida beats LSU 14-6 in the other battle of SEC unbeatens
100. West Virginia sneaks by Texas in shootout to remain unbeaten
101. ND hammers Miami to move to 5-0
102. NC State gets FSU again, 17-16, handing Noles their first loss
103. Ohio State bullies Nebraska to get to 6-0
104. Cal stuns UCLA, winning by 26

Week 7
105. Western Kentucky beats Troy to move to 5-1
106. Tulsa whips UTEP to get to 6-1
107. ASU murders Cal, moves to 5-1
108. Louisville and KSU go to 6-0
109. Hard luck Michigan State loses at home to Iowa in OT
110. Northwestern tops Minnesota, improves to 6-1
111. Rutgers tops Syracuse, remains unbeaten at 6-0
112. Oklahoma slaughters Texas in Red River Classic, winning 63-21 after taking 36-2 lead to halftime
113. Rice hands Texas-San Antonio their first loss
114. Notre Dame bests Stanford in overtime on controversial goal line stand, moves to 6-0
115. Oregon State drubs BYU, improves record to 5-0
116. Texas Tech steamrolls West Virginia, 49-14, moving to 5-1 on the year while knocking WV from ranks of the unbeaten
117. Another Suspended Beating: Arkansas leads Kentucky 49-7 early in the 3rd quarter when the game is called
118. Ohio State gives up 49 points to Indiana, manages to win by 3, remain unbeaten
119. LSU deals South Carolina their first loss of the year with 23-21 victory
120. Texas A&M hangs on to win wild shootout over LT, 59-57, in game rescheduled from week 1; loss is LT’s first of the season, while Aggies now stand at 5-1

Week 8
121. Oregon continues easy run through Pac-12 with 22-point win at ASU; Ducks now 7-0
122. Georgia avoids disaster, hangs on to beat Kentucky
123. Ohio State needs miracle to force OT against Purdue, pulls out the victory to stay unbeaten at 8-0
124. Rutgers spanks Temple to move to 7-0
125. LSU solves Manziel, wins 24-19 at A&M
126. Stanford wins big game over Cal, 21-3
127. Florida hammers South Carolina and the OBC 44-11, moving to 7-0 while handing Gamecocks their second straight loss
128. Nebraska nips Northwestern, 29-28
129. Notre Dame survives BYU, 17-0, now a lucky 7-0
130. Louisville wins 27-25 over South Florida to get to 7-0, dropping Bulls to 2-5
131. Michigan gets late FG to win 12-10 over Michigan State
132. Texas Tech prevails over TCU in 3-OT thriller
133. ULM earns 43-42 victory over WK in battle of SBC upstarts
134. Duke wins a classic over UNC to snap 8-game skid against rivals; win makes Dukies bowl eligible for first time since 1994
135. Kansas State destroys West Virginia to improve to 7-0
136. Toledo knocks off Cincinnati to get to 7-1, handing Bearcats their first defeat
137. Texas wins shootout over Baylor, 56-50
138. Penn State tops Iowa for fifth straight victory
139. Florida State wins at Miami to get to 7-1; loss is third straight for Canes and drops them to 4-4 on the year
140. Oregon State drops Utah to move to 6-0, while Utes fall to 2-5 

Week 9
141. Louisville wins in OT over Cincinnati to get to 8-0
142. Dawgs win the Cocktail Party over the Gators for second year in a row; Dawgs improve to 7-1 with the win while ending Florida’s chances of a perfect season
143. Texas dodges Kansas upset bid
144. Lattimore lost to ugly injury; South Carolina hangs on to beat Tennessee
145. UNC gets late punt return for TD to shock NC State
146. Southern Mississippi hammered by Rice, falls to 0-8
147. UCLA gets 45-43 win over ASU on last second FG
148. Arizona knocks off USC, 39-36
149. Big East MAC-ked Again: Kent State deals Rutgers their first loss of the year; victory improves Kent State’s record to 7-1
150. Miami (Ohio) hands rival Ohio their first loss of the season
151. Finally: Michigan State wins a close one, topping Wisconsin on the road in OT
152. Kansas State rocks Texas Tech, moves to 8-0
153. Ohio State stops Penn State’s run, moves to 9-0 with 35-23 victory
154. Oh No: Notre Dame wins convincingly over Oklahoma in Norman, 30-13, to stay undefeated at 8-0; Sooners suffer their second home loss of the year
155. Mississippi State head to Tuscaloosa 7-0; leaves 7-1 after Bama spanks them 38-7
156. Washington beats Oregon State 20-17 to hand the Beavers their first loss of the year

Week 10
157. Vandy all over Kentucky, 40-0
158. Manziel leads A&M past Miss State
159. Army defeats Air Force, 41-21
160. Tennessee narrowly defeats Troy at home, as the ice beneath Derek Dooley becomes even thinner
161. Arkansas manages to defeat Tulsa, 19-15
162. West Virginia’s slide continues, as the Mountaineers lose to TCU in double-overtime
163. Notre Dame needs the luck of the Irish and every other ethnicity on the planet to somehow win against Pittsburgh, 29-26, in OT-III; having lived at least 3 lives in just one game, the Irish stand at 9-0 and appear to be a lock to reach the BCS title game
164. Oregon beats USC 62-51 on the road; Oregon moves to 9-0 with the victory, while the Trojans lose their third game of the season
165. Alabama marches for late score to win at LSU, 21-17, remaining unbeaten
166. Kansas State gets past Oklahoma State to improve to 9-0
167. San Diego State pulls off a victory at Boise State 

Week 11
168. Dawgs stomp Auburn 38-0, move to 9-1 and clinch spot in SEC title game
169. Michigan needs miracle to tie Northwestern late, pulls out victory in overtime
170. Cuse bombs on Louisville, hands Cardinals their first loss of the year, 45-26
171. Texas Tech survives Kansas in double overtime
172. Florida somehow escapes what looks for a while like a brutal loss at home to Louisiana-Lafayette; huge special teams play late delivers 27-20 win for the Gators
173. Dead Man Walking: Missouri wins 4-OT thriller over Tennessee at Neyland Stadium
174. Massachusetts beats Akron for their first win as an FBS team
175. Stanford fights for 27-23 victory over Oregon State
176. Manziel, A&M pull off upset of Bama on the road in one of the great games of 2012; with Bama going down, it appears the SEC will be shutout of the BCS Championship Game

Week 12
177. Hard luck Michigan State loses 20-23 to NW at home
178. Kent State moves to 10-1 and clinches a spot in the conference championship game with 31-24 win at Bowling Green
179. Tulsa wins 23-21 over Central Florida in a battle of C-USA’s best two teams
180. Rutgers wins ugly 10-3 contest over Cincinnati
181. Broke Backed: UCLA beats USC 38-28 to snap 5-game skid against rivals; Bruins defense delivers shot to Matt Barkley late in the 4th quarter that separates his shoulder and ends his college career
182. Ohio State pulls out victory in overtime at Wisconsin to remain unbeaten at 11-0
183. Utah State gets 48-41 overtime victory over Louisiana Tech on the road; the result makes both teams 7-2 on the year
184. Historic Day in Nashville: Vandy pounds Tennessee 41-18 to clinch their first winning record in the regular season since 1982 and guarantee Tennessee’s third consecutive losing campaign; the victory snaps a 6-game skid overall against the Vols, a 14-game skid against the Vols at home, and is just their second win over UT in the last 36 meetings
185. Oklahoma comes out on top in wild game against WV, winning 50-49 to hand West Virginia their fifth consecutive defeat
186. The Night of the Double Event: #1 Kansas State is blown out at Baylor and #2 Oregon is stunned by Stanford at home, 17-14; suddenly the SEC is alive
187. Southern Miss loses 33-34 to UTEP, falling to 0-11 on the year

Week 13
188. TCU wins at Texas
189. Kent State whips Ohio to finish regular season 11-1
190. Northern Illinois throttles EM 49-7 to finish regular season 11-1
191. Apple Cup Shocker: Washington State beats rival Washington 31-28 in overtime
192. Arizona State comes from 10 down in the 4th to beat rival Arizona 41-34
193. Dawgs Kill Tech
194. Northwestern hammers in-state rival Illinois, 50-14, finishing regular season 9-3
195. Louisville loses at home to Connecticut in triple-OT, 20-23
196. Ohio State hangs on to beat Michigan 26-21 in Urban Meyer’s introduction to the rivalry; with the victory the Buckeyes finish the season undefeated at 12-0, achieving as much as possible in their year on probation
197. Rutgers blown out by Pittsburgh
198. Virginia Tech beats Virginia once again, 17-14, to finish 6-6 and keep streak of bowl appearances alive
199. Purdue drills Indiana
200. Tennessee avoids further anguish in season finale, beating Kentucky 37-17
201. Miami wins 52-45 at Duke to finish season 7-5, while the Dukies wind up at 6-6
202. Western Kentucky gets 25-24 win over North Texas to finish 7-5
203. Texas-San Antonio beats Texas State 38-31 to end transitional year at 8-4
204. Baylor prevails on the road at Texas Tech, 52-45 in overtime
205. Oregon doubles up on Oregon State, winning 48-24
206. Florida takes over the game in the 2nd half, wins 37-26 at FSU to finish 11-1
207. Michigan State gets bowl eligible with 26-10 win over Minnesota, as both teams finish 6-6
208. Vandy concludes best regular season in decades with 55-21 win at Wake Forest
209. Bedlam: Oklahoma outlasts Ok State, 51-48 in overtime
210. Winners: Penn State gets hard fought, 24-21 overtime victory over Wisconsin to finish most trying season in team history 8-4
211. Iron Bowl: 49-0, Bama
212. Southern Miss goes down to Memphis, 42-24, finishes as only 0-12 team in FBS
213. ULM wins at FIU, 23-17 in overtime, finishes 8-4
214. Stanford wins at UCLA, 35-17, setting up rematch at home next week
215. Egg Bowl: Mississippi tops Mississippi State 41-24 to get bowl eligible at 6-6
216. South Carolina beats Clemson on the road, 23-17, finishes 11-2
217. Texas A&M destroys Missouri by 30 to finish 11-2
218. San Jose State 52-43 over Louisiana Tech; SJS ends regular season 10-2; LT ends up 9-3 but doesn’t go bowling
219. Notre Dame stops USC at the goal line, wins 22-13 over Barkley-less Trojans to complete 12-0 regular season and clinch spot in the BCS championship game

Week 14
220. Louisville wins at Rutgers 20-17 to win the Big East and earn spot in BCS bowl
221. MAC Championship: NIU outlasts Kent State 44-37 in OT-II; the victory is enough to send Northern Illinois to a BCS bowl game
222. Pac-12 Championship: Stanford beats UCLA again, this time at home, and this time it’s closer, 27-24
223. C-USA Championship: Tulsa ekes out another win over Central Florida, 33-27 in overtime to win the title
224. Boise State defeats Nevada 27-21 to earn a share of the MWC title
225. SEC Championship: Dawgs come up just short against Bama, losing 28-33; the win sends Alabama to the BCS title game
226. ACC Championship: Florida State wins 21-15 over Georgia Tech
227. Kansas State finishes regular season with a beat down of Texas, winning 42-24; at 11-1 they are the Big XII champs
228. Big Ten Championship: Wisconsin slashes Nebraska 70-31 to steal a trip to the Rose Bowl

Week 15
229. Yeah, so Maybe the Rose Bowl isn’t a Big Deal: Bret Bielema deserts Wisconsin just days after leading the team to a win in the Big Ten title game, opting to take the job at Arkansas
230. Navy survives Army again, winning 17-13 to make it 11 straight in the rivalry
231. Coaching Carousel Goes Berserk: By the time the carousel stops, 31 teams will make changes at the head coaching position, much of the action occurring prior to bowl games being played
232. Johnny Football: Manziel wins Heisman, breaking the “no freshmen” rule, thereby making the award more legit; Te’o somehow finishes 2nd, exposing how much of the award is merely a popularity contest, thereby making the award less legit than it has been at any point since pre-segregation days

Bowl Season
233. Arizona pulls off miracle win for the ages over Nevada in the bowl season opener
234. Utah State—the last ever WAC champion—whips Toledo to finish 11-2
235. Van Noy’s Zone: BYU linebacker just about single handedly beats San Diego State
236. Central Florida works Ball State 38-17 to finish the season 10-4
237. ULL wins 43-34 over ECU in New Orleans to finish 9-4
238. Boise State actually makes a game winning FG, winning 28-26 over Washington in Las Vegas; in a down year, the Broncos go 11-2 with the 2 defeats coming by a total of 6 points
239. 13-point underdog SMU throttles MWC co-champ Fresno State 43-10 on Christmas Eve in Hawaii; the win allows SMU to finish with a winning record at 7-6
240. Central Michigan hangs on to defeat Western Kentucky 24-21 in Detroit; WK is led by interim coach and it really costs them at the end of close game; both teams wind up 7-6
241. San Jose State beats Bowling Green 29-20 to finish 11-2
242. Cincinnati outlasts Duke 48-34 to finish 10-3; the Dukies end up with a losing record of 6-7 having lost their final 5 games
243. Baylor bombs UCLA in the Holiday Bowl, 49-26, to finish 8-5; the Bruins lose their final 3 games to finish 9-5
244. Ohio obliterates ULM, 45-14
245. Virginia Tech beats Rutgers 13-10 in overtime to finish with a winning record at 7-6
246. Texas Tech gets by Minnesota, 34-31; the Gophers finish the year with a losing record of 6-7, having lost 7 of their final 9 games
247. Rice works Air Force, 33-14; with the victory, Rice finishes with a winning record of 7-6, while the loss sends AF to a losing record of 6-7
248. Cuse all over West Virginia in the snow, 38-14; remarkably, Syracuse winds up 8-5, while WV ends up just 7-6
249. ASU steamrolls Navy, 62-28
250. With 14 points in the 4th quarter, Texas shocks Oregon State at the Alamo Dome; both teams finish the year 9-4
251. Fittingly, the game between Michigan State and TCU goes down to the wire; MSU comes out on top, 17-16, as both teams wind up 7-6 on the year
252. Vandy tops NC State 38-24 in Nashville to finish 9-4; it is the first time Vanderbilt has won 9 games in a season since 1915
253. Georgia Tech wins 21-7 over a pathetic USC squad favored to reach the BCS championship game at the start of the season; Tech winds up 7-7, while USC finishes the season with an unfathomable record of 7-6
254. Tulsa avenges week 1 loss to ISU, winning 31-17 to finish the year 11-3; Iowa State winds up with losing record of 6-7
255. Clemson uses 12-0 4th quarter and LSU coaching blunder to beat LSU, 25-24, on last second FG; Clemson ends up 11-2, while LSU drops to 10-3
256. Dawgs score final 22 points, win 45-31 over Nebraska to finish 12-2; Nebraska ends up 10-4
257. Northwestern wins 34-20 over Mississippi State for first bowl win since 1949; Wildcats finish 10-3 for their first 10-win season since 1995
258. Ok State dominates Purdue, 58-14, finishing the season 8-5; Purdue winds up with losing record of 6-7
259. Clowney, South Carolina overcome Michigan, 33-28, to finish 11-2; Wolverines wind up 8-5
260. Stanford holds off Alvarez, Wisconsin, 20-14 to win the Rose Bowl and finish the season 12-2; the loss drops Wisconsin to 8-6
261. FSU 31-10 over NIU in Orange Bowl, as both squads finish the year 12-2
262. 14-point underdog Louisville pulls off the biggest stunner in BCS bowl game history, dominating Florida in Sugar Bowl, 33-23; both teams finish 11-2
263. Oregon overpowers KSU in Fiesta, 35-17, to finish 12-1; KSU ends up 11-2
264. Manziel, A&M run over Oklahoma in Cotton Bowl, 41-13, to finish the year 11-2; Oklahoma ends up 10-3
265. Mississippi beats down Pitt, 38-17, to finish with winning record at 7-6; Pitt ends up with losing record of 6-7
266. Ark State tops Kent State, 17-13, for first bowl win and 10-3 record; Kent State finishes 11-3
267. Bama tramples ND, 42-14, for second straight national title and third in four years; Bama finishes 13-1, while ND ends up 12-1

Post-postseason
268. Chip Kelly changes course, leaves Oregon for the NFL
269. Te’o becomes a worldwide freak show
270. Boise State will remain in MWC rather than head to Big East
271. After pausing briefly to fire their own investigators, NCAA prepares to drop the hammer on Miami

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