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

117. Yale Downs Dartmouth in First 100-Point Game (1884)

The 1884 Yale football team was riding a 21-game winning streak and a 37-game unbeaten run when they traveled to Hanover, New Hampshire to face Dartmouth. All season long up to that point in late October, the Bulldogs had made short work of their opponents. In their first four games of 1884, Yale rattled off three shutouts and won by a combined 266-10.

So it was no surprise when the Bulldogs routed Dartmouth on the road to move to 5-0 on the season. What made the game on October 25, 1884, so unique and memorable in the annals of college football history, though, was that for the first time a team topped 100 points in a single gridiron contest.

The feat had almost occurred two weeks earlier when Yale crushed Stevens 96-0. They had also come close a year earlier when the consensus national champion scored 90-plus points in three of their nine victories. But Dartmouth earned the distinction of the overmatched opponent for the Bulldogs as they finally hit triple digits on the scoreboard for the first time.

116. Northwestern Wins Three Straight Overtimes Games (2017)

On the way to winning 10 games in 2017, Northwestern needed some lucky breaks to go their way. That was especially true at the end of October and the start of November when the Wildcats were taken to overtime in three straight games and prevailed each time. Never in college football history had a team pulled off three straight overtime wins in three straight games.

The streak started on October 21, when the Wildcats welcomed Iowa to Evanston. The Hawkeyes fell 17-10 in overtime as Clayton Thorsen punched in the winning score on the ground and then the Northwestern defense held firm on Iowa’s possession. A week later, Northwestern needed three overtimes to get past No. 16 Michigan State 39-31.

Then the Wildcats took their good luck on the road, traveling to Lincoln to face Nebraska in divisional play. Once again, Pat Fitzgerald’s team was forced to play more than 60 minutes. And once again, they were able to prevail as Thorsen was once again the hero with his legs rather than his arm. The following week, the Wildcats took down Purdue 23-13 in regulation to end their unique streak.

115. Cougars and Aztecs Notch High-Scoring Tie (1991)

Now that overtime has taken over college football, the record set by BYU and San Diego State during the 1991 season can no longer be broken. When the Cougars and Aztecs met on November 16 in California, they played not just for the WAC championship but also for a place in the history books.

San Diego State had most of the momentum in the first half, taking a 35-17 lead into the locker room at the half. Marshall Faulk ended the game with four total touchdowns (two rushing, two receiving) for the Aztecs, while quarterback David Lowery went 26-of-39 for 568 yards and five scores.

BYU, led by 1990 Heisman winner Ty Detmer, clawed back in the second half. Leading the Cougars back from a 28-point deficit, Detmer and the offense secured the conference title and the Holiday Bowl berth that came with it thanks to their last-gasp equalizer in the 52-52 tie.