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

144. Botched Michigan Punt Saves Spartans Season (2015)

Intrastate rivalries provide some of the most exciting moments in college football history. The 2015 showdown between No. 12 Michigan and No. 7 Michigan State afforded stakes even bigger than state pride, though, as the Wolverines and Spartans were both in the hunt for a possible Big Ten title and a run at the College Football Playoff.

For most of the game in East Lansing, the visiting Wolverines held the lead. With just under 10 minutes remaining in the contest, kicker Kenny Allen booted a 38-yard field goal that put Michigan up 23-14 and on path to ruin their rival’s chances of a perfect season. Two plays later, Michigan State shaved the lead down to two points as LJ Scott punched in a short touchdown after Connor Cook found Trevon Pendleton for a 74-yard hookup.

Michigan reawakened on defense, however, and the Spartans bogged down on their next two drives. Michigan, hoping to run out the clock, went to punt with 10 seconds remaining. Blake O’Neill botched the play, however, flubbing the snap and fumbling away the ball. Jalen Watts-Jackson scooped up the fumble, returning the ball 38 yards for the winning score as time expired. With the win, Michigan State went on to win the Big Ten and represent the conference in the second iteration of the College Football Playoff.

143. The First Halftime Marching Band Show (1907)

Part of what separates college football from other versions of the gridiron game is the pomp and pageantry that accompanies the action on the field. The college game affords opportunities to integrate other aspects of campus life and campus culture into the program. Nowhere is this more visible than the classic tradition of the halftime marching band performance.

Illinois boasts the distinction of introducing marching bands to the gridiron. Under the direction of legendary bandleader Albert Austin Harding, the Illinois Regimental Band put on a show in Champaign for the crowd in attendance.

Featuring such staples as the “Block I” formation, the show brought the band down from the stands for the first time and provided an opportunity for two sources of school pride to coexist and complement one another. Unfortunately for Illini fans, the music did nothing to reverse the football team’s fortunes as they lost 42-6 at home to Chicago on the landmark day.

142. The Punt Game (1939)

Sometimes a sporting event is just so weird that it sears itself into the collective memory. One such game was the 1939 contest between Centenary and Texas Tech. The Gentlemen hosted the Red Raiders in Shreveport on a rainy November afternoon. Given the conditions, the two teams combined to set the NCAA record for the most total punts in a single college football game.

The unrelenting precipitation pelted the two players all game long, and the quagmire of a football field left both teams unable to gain much purchase on offense. Soon both teams resorted to punting the football back and forth to one another, hoping for a muffed catch and a fumble recovery. The tactic resulted in a half-dozen fumbles, but points proved elusive as the teams ended the game without a score.

While hardly one of college football’s most glamorous moments, no single football game set more NCAA records than the leg workout between Centenary and Texas Tech. In total, 13 individual and team single-game records were set in the 77-punt affair. All 13 remain on the record books eight decades later as of the 150th anniversary of college football.