College football’s 150th anniversary: The 150 best moments that stood the test of time

123. The Camback (2010)

When Alabama and Auburn met in Tuscaloosa in 2010 for the 75th edition of the Iron Bowl, the Tigers had already locked up their trip to the SEC title game. But Gene Chizik’s team needed one more win to stay in the hunt for a trip to the BCS national championship game. Alabama, already bearing two losses on their record, were hoping to play spoiler against their rivals.

Through the first 20 minutes of the contest, Alabama did just that. The Crimson Tide scored the first 24 points in the contest, building up a massive advantage as they exposed holes throughout the Auburn defense. Kirby Smart’s defense shut down Cam Newton, who had terrorized teams throughout the season. Newton finally connected on a 36-yard touchdown pass to Emory Blake five minutes before halftime, but the Tide was still up 24-7 at the intermission.

Fortunes reversed after the break, as Newton came out of the locker room and broke down everything the Crimson Tide had to offer defensively. Less than a minute into the third quarter, he launched a bomb to Terrell Zachery that went for a 70-yard score. Newton also ran in a touchdown in the third quarter, then found Philip Lutzenkirchen for the winning points in the fourth. Sealing his Heisman victory, Newton finished with 216 passing yards and four total touchdowns in the monumental comeback.

122. Vanderbilt Stuns Yale 0-0 (1910)

The 1910 Yale Bulldogs were the defending national champions, but they had already suffered a blemish by the time they took on Vanderbilt on October 22 in New Haven. A week earlier, the Bulldogs fell 9-3 at Army to ruin their chances of repeating their 1909 run. Even with the loss on the record, though, Yale remained one of the most dominant programs in college football.

Vanderbilt was a burgeoning Southern power at the time, willing to challenge all comers under head coach Dan McGugin. The Commodores were a perfect 4-0 as they traveled north to Connecticut for their test against the Bulldogs. Even with the better record, few imagined that Vanderbilt had much of a chance on the road.

But the Commodores defense proved impenetrable, holding Yale scoreless at home for the first time in Bulldogs history. Vanderbilt was unable to punch threw the Yale defenses, but it did not matter. The 0-0 tie sent a message to the Eastern powers of the sport that other regions of the country were catching up quickly on the gridiron, helping change the focal point of the sport forever.

121. Prothro’s Catch (2005)

Before Nick Saban brought national championship swagger back to Tuscaloosa, the defining moment for Alabama football in the 21st century was a ridiculous reception in a 10-win season that was evaporated by NCAA sanctions. In a September showdown at home against Southern Miss, Tyrone Prothro etched his name into Crimson Tide lore and created a moment that remains one of the greatest in college football history.

Prothro ended the game against the Golden Eagles as the Tide’s leading receiver, finishing with seven catches for 134 yards. Early in the game, he hauled in a 52-yard bomb from Brodie Croyle to set up Alabama’s first score, and he had several other critical catches. None, though, were bigger than his eye-popping snag behind the helmet of Southern Miss defensive back Jasper Faulk that netted 42 yards.

The catch allowed Alabama to come back in a game they were losing 21-10 at the time, setting them up to go into the locker room at halftime down only four. After the break, the Crimson Tide adjusted and pulled away with a 30-21 victory. Though the season was wiped out by sanctions, Prothro’s catch can never be erased from the memory.