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

6. Hail Flutie (1984)

Entering the regular-season finale at the Orange Bowl against the Miami Hurricanes, Boston College had already locked up a trip to the Cotton Bowl. The matchup of top-12 teams proved to be a barnburner, as the two teams put on an offensive display and made the scoreboard operators earn their money.

With more than 400 yards and 45 pass attempts already on his stat sheet for the day, the Eagles were down 45-41 against the Hurricanes. Six seconds remained on the clock as Flutie took the snap at his own 45. Under pressure, Flutie darted backward and to his right to avoid the pressure. Stepping into his throw, Flutie heaved the ball from his own 37 into a gusting wind.

The ball knifed through the air, spiraling its way toward the goal line. Miami staggered backward, hoping to knock down the Hail Mary bomb. Instead, it slipped past their outstretched hands and fell to a sprawling Gerard Phelan. Cradling the ball as the clock read zeroes, Flutie to Phelan was a critical part of the quarterback’s Heisman victory.

5. The Longest Play in College Football History (2007)

Sometimes you need to tread off the beaten path to get a truly memorable college football moment. One such moment came during the wacky chaos of the 2007 season when a couple of Division III schools staged what has been clocked as the longest play in college football history. Trinity and Millsaps both came into the game sporting identical 6-1 records, and fate switched the final outcome at the final gun.

Millsaps, up 24-22 in the waning moments of their contest, had the ball with two minutes remaining. But the Majors failed to run out the clock, leaving two seconds for Trinity to run one final play. Setting up on their own 35-yard line, the Tigers had no choice but to run a last-gasp play hoping to take their hosts by surprise.

Quarterback Blake Barmore took the snap and passed to Shawn Thompson 16 yards downfield. After five yards, Thompson lateraled to Riley Curry. Curry found offensive lineman Josh Hooten, who lateraled off immediately to Michael Tomlin. Tomlin chucked the ball to Stephen Arnold, who then pitched to Thompson. All the while, the Tigers remained on either side of midfield. Avoiding tackles and working their way downfield, Trinity eventually completed 15 laterals and recovered their own fumble along the way in a game-winning play that took 62 seconds to complete.

4. The Game that Changed the South (1926)

If the Rose Bowl officials had their way in 1925, Alabama never would have even played in the legendary showdown against Washington on New Year’s Day 1926. Instead, bowl officials originally extended an invitation to Tulane, co-champions alongside the Crimson Tide in the Southern Conference.

The Green Wave turned down the invitation, however, opening the door for Alabama to head west for the holiday duel against the Huskies. Wallace Wade’s Tide team fell behind 12-0 in the first half but came roaring back after the intermission. Scoring three touchdowns in the third quarter, Alabama opened up the game and stole the lead.

Washington punched in a touchdown in the final frame, but after kicking the extra point instead of going for two the Huskies never came any closer to their southern opponents. The win, nearly a century later, remains one of the defining moments of an early golden age for the sport that helped elevate southeastern football into something bigger than just a regional phenomenon.