This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/cfb by /u/2Pollaski2Furious on 2024-08-18 15:41:06+00:00.

15: MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS (lost to Notre Dame 40-37) [2006]

Emotions were high for both these teams heading into the game. Much of the pregame discussion had centered around the previous year’s contest, won by Michigan State 44-41, when the Spartans had planted the flag on the Irish field. Reports had also come out about Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis promising boosters during the offseason that he would never lose to the Spartans again. Michigan State was undefeated at 3-0, while Notre Dame was 2-1, ranked 12th after being blown out by Michigan the week before. With winds up to 30mph and rain swirling around the stadium, Michigan State went to work, scoring on their first two drives and netting a field goal to finish the first quarter up 17-0. Reeling, the Irish moved to a no huddle offense in the second quarter, finally getting on the board, but their next drive ended in a pick six, again restoring a 17 point lead. The two teams traded touchdowns one more time, sending Michigan State to the half up 31-14.

The Irish struck quickly in the second half on a 62-yard catch and run by John Carlson, then started their next drive in Spartan territory, but downed out and Jehuu Caulcrick bulldozed the Irish defense, scoring from 30 yards out. Michigan State missed the extra point, and entered the fourth quarter up 37-21. Six and a half minutes later, Irish QB Brady Quinn found Jeff Samardzija, who rumbled down the sideline, bowling over two Spartan defenders into the endzone. ND failed at their own conversion, and the lead was 10. On MSU’s next drive, Drew Stanton fumbled it away at the Spartan’s own 24 yards line, setting up another drive for a TD, but this time the Irish missed an extra point. Just over four minutes remained, and the lead had been cut to just 37-33. Michigan State went into clock killing mode, but on 3rd down, Stanton tossed over the middle, where Terrail Lambert leapt up, made the catch, and rumbled towards the sideline, getting into the end zone. The meltdown was complete- Notre Dame had come back from 16 down in just under seven minutes and now led 40-37. Michigan State had one last chance, and drove into ND territory, but with 24 seconds left, Lambert again picked off the ball, this time on a bizarre play where he nabbed a deflected pass off a State receiver’s back, and sealed the game. It became another iconic moment in a series full of them, but strangely, arguably the most memorable moment of the game was yet to come.

Two days after the game, a 26-year old Michigan State graduate named Mike Valenti sat down at his desk at AM Radio 1270 WXYT in Detroit. Valenti had been at the game with his father, and he had thoughts. Oh boy did he have thoughts, and what transpired might be the greatest eighteen minutes in talk radio history, as Valenti, struggling through his cracked vocal chords, gave a vicious, passionate beatdown to his team that every sports fan has internally done at one point or another. Highlights included declaring his Spartans had “choked on applesauce” and that every single stereotype about Michigan State Football had been fulfilled on Saturday, as well as a desire to see defensive coordinator Chris Smeland ran out of town and replaced by a couple of children’s toys. The timing was perfect too- modern enough to where going viral was possible, but early enough to where virality wasn’t such a thing that it could have been considered an intentional stunt for national attention.

14: GEORGIA BULLDOGS (lost to South Carolina 20-17) [2019]

Like they tended to do in the late 2010s, Georgia entered the 2019 season a national championship contender, hoping to finally snap the decades long national championship drought. They started ranked third, and remained there at Week 6, having already established credentials by beating a top 10 Notre Dame team at home. Now at 5-0, they were set to host South Carolina, who were staggering to a rough 2-3 start to their own season. The BUlldogs entered the game 22 point favorites.

South Carolina showed signs they weren’t going to be pushed around early, and took a 7-3 lead when QB Ryan Hillinski hit Bryan Edwards for a 46-yard touchdown towards the end of the first quarter. Georgia responded with a touchdown of their own, while South Carolina found a field goal with three minutes left in the half to tie the game at 10. ON the next drive, Gamecock defender Israel Mukuamu wrestled away a Jake Fromm pass on the sideline, and took off 53 yards, giving the Cocks a 17-10 lead at the break. Georgia stagnated early in the second half, and it wasn’t until the end of the third that they finally got a good drive going. But Jake Fromm fumbled at the Carolina 30, then threw another interception to Mukuamu on their next drive, making the Bulldogs fans nervous as the clock slowly drained.

Carolina was forced to punt, and Charlton launched a beauty that was downed at the Georgia 4 with just 6:26 left. Fromm got it together though, and led the Bulldogs down the field on a monster 13 play drive. Facing a 4th and 6 on the Carolina 11, Fromm couldn’t connect to ELi Wolff, but South Carolina was called for holding, and on the very next play, Fromm found Demetris Robertson for a touchdown to tie the game. South Carolina responded quicky, moving into Georgia territory, but Parker White pushed a 57 yard game winner to the right with just 40 seconds left, giving Georgia their own chance to win in regulation. Georgia got to the SC 38, but an illegal shift pushed them back to the 43 with just three seconds left. The crowd clamored for Smart to bring in kicker Rodrigo Blankenship to try a 60-yarder, and jeered as Georgia’s offense trotted out for a Hail Mary. Fromm was hit from behind as he threw, and the ball plopped to the ground just 15 yards down the field, to more frustrated jeers.

Georgia went first in the overtime period, and disaster immediately struck when Mukuamu picked off his third pass, Georgia’s fourth turnover of the day. South Carolina ran three times, then brought Parker White to redeem himself from his miss at the end of regulation. White missed again, forcing a second extra frame. In the second overtime, Carolina again faced a 4th and 1 from the 16, and this time they went for it and converted to keep their drive alive. They drove down to the goal line, but on 3rd down, Georgia lineman Tyler Clark burst through the line, flattening Rico Dowdie as soon as he received the handoff. The Gamecocks would have to rely on White after all, but this time, he hit his kick. Georgia took their turn, couldn’t move the ball at all, and sent on Rodrigo Blankenship, the kicker the fans had been clamoring to try a 60 yarder just minutes earlier. Blankenship lined up the 42-yarder, took his kick… and pulled it left to the crowd’s horror. This remains the only time in the awards history that the TJOTW vote was unanimous (it was like 19 people at the time, but still).

13. USC TROJANS (lost to USCLA 13-9) [2006]

On November 25, 2006, #3 USC tangled with #6 Notre Dame, and the Trojans came away with a 20 point victory, their third consecutive win over a ranked opponent. At the same time, #1 Ohio State downed #2 Michigan in an instant classic, elevating the Trojans to the coveted #2 spot ahead of fellow 1-loss teams Florida and the Wolverines. With one game left on the schedule and no conference championship at the time, the message was simple- beat UCLA, and you were off to play the Buckeyes. And it seemed incredibly doable- their crosstown rivals were just 6-5, locked into the Emerald Bowl, and had lost by multiple scores against every opponent but Notre Dame, who had squeaked out a three point victory back in October.

On their first drive, USC drove to the Bruin 31, but were stuffed on fourth down to turn the ball over on downs. The Trjoans were forced to punt on their next three drives, while UCLA took the lead on a 91 yard drive. The Trojans picked up a deuce when the Bruins were called for holding in the end zone, and their offense finally found the end zone with just 51 seconds left in the half, taking a 9-7 lead to the locker room. USC’s first three drives of the second half also stalled out into punts, while UCLA took the lead with a field goal. Hope sparked for the Trojans when UCLA fumbled in their own territory, but USC could only move 4 yards before turning the ball back over, and UCLA again drove for a field goal, taking a 13-9 with just ten minutes to go. Both teams exchanged three and outs, and the Trojans finally went to work with 5:33 to go, barely surviving a 4th and 1 early in the drive to advance down the field. Then, with 1:14 remaining at the UCLA 19, Trojan QB John David Booty dropped back, and the pass was tipped into the air by Eric McNeal, who caught it as it came down for the interception that sealed the game. It was the first time in sixty-four games the Trojans had failed to break 20-points, and the only time during Pete Carrol’s tenure that USC lost to either of their two biggest rivals- USC or Notre Dame.

12: TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS (lost to South Carolina 63-38) [2022]

Things were looking pretty good for Tennessee as Week 12 dawned in the 2022 season. They had already vanquished their Alabama demons, downing the Tide for the first time since 2006, and while they had lost to Georgia by two touchdowns a couple weeks prior, they sat at #5 in the College Football Playoff rankings, with one of the …

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