Best bowl games in history

The Longhorns and Crimson Tide went into halftime with a scoreline. Behind Texas' special teams and defense, the Longhorns kept the Tide scoreless in the second half. A blocked punt for a touchdown in the third quarter and an yard interception in the fourth quarter sealed the game.

Texas great Bobby Layne threw a touchdown and ran for another in the Longhorns' third bowl win in their history. A sophomore named Earl Campbell had a rather pedestrian game, 19 carries for 95 yards, compared to what would become an outstanding career. Despite the high scoring affair, the two teams combined for yards, but committed seven turnovers, five by the Buffaloes.

Maryland had national title hopes midway through the season, but the Terrapins were stumped by a Longhorns defense that forced five turnovers. Texas threw the ball just seven times, completing two passes for 45 yards.

But 62 carries for yards rushing and opportunistic offense was all that was needed for the Horns. In Chris Simms' final game as a Texas Longhorn, the senior found junior receiver Roy Williams at critical junctures in the game, setting up touchdown catches on three separate occasions.

After trailing early in the second quarter, the Longhorns reeled off 28 unanswered points and never looked back. Forty years later, Texas would have its revenge in thrilling fashion. In , the Texas Longhorns welcomed a new head coach by the name of Mack Brown to their program. After a forgettable year the season before, in what would be John Mackovic's final one at the head of the Texas program, the No.

Heisman Trophy Winner Ricky Williams would play in his final game in a Texas uniform, and the running back did not disappoint. Williams ran for yards and two scores on 30 carries, and caught 5 passes for 45 more yards. Fueled by a point third quarter, the Longhorns grabbed a huge lead and never turned back. Major Applewhite threw for yards and 3 touchdowns as Texas won its 10th Cotton Bowl. In seven games against one another, the Tide had never beaten the Longhorns, and that streak would live on.

A battle of heavyweights saw Texas drop to a deficit with over 12 minutes to go in the game. But two hard-nosed, determined drives by quarterback Robert Brewer ended with two Longhorns' touchdowns with two minutes to play.

Alabama would record a safety with under a minute to go, but Texas' lead stood firm as the Horns pulled an upset. In the Cotton Bowl, Tennessee defeated Texas , and the two programs would meet again two years later with the Longhorns seeking revenge. The Horns' defense was as stout as ever, forcing five Volunteers fumbles, recovering three, holding Tennessee to just 32 yards of offense on 35 plays. Meanwhile, Texas, behind Richard Ochoa and Billy Quinn, rushed for yards in the Longhorns' shutout victory that sent a dominating message.

After two incomplete passes, McMahon tossed a Hail Mary pass toward the end zone from 41 yards out. Once the game kicked off, the Hurricane miscues kept piling on. Miami dominated Penn State all night on paper, gaining three times the yardage, with Penn State quarterback John Shaffer completing a putrid 5-of passes for 53 yards.

Heisman winner Vinny Testaverde completed 31 passes that night, but unfortunately for him, five of those went to Penn State defenders, including his last pass of the night with nine seconds to play. Miami staked its claim to its first national title playing against unbeaten and top-ranked Nebraska.

The decision sealed the upset for Miami and led to an year title drought for Osborne and Nebraska. On paper, this game had no business being competitive. Boise State, a mid-major upstart, was a touchdown underdog against Oklahoma, a member of college football royalty. The two teams scored 22 points in the final 90 seconds of regulation, with Boise blowing an point lead along the way before using a yard hook-and-lateral play on 4th-and in the final seconds of regulation to tie the game.

Down by a point in overtime, Boise continued its trickery, using a Statue of Liberty play to win the game, setting off a wild celebration, complete with a marriage proposal. New York is reportedly acquiring the swingman in a deal with Atlanta in exchange for Kevin Knox and a first-round pick.

This Month in Sports Reference Find out when we add a feature or make a change. Do you have a sports website? Or write about sports? We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. Find out more. We present them here for purely educational purposes. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos. The Huskies fought back in the fourth with a yard touchdown pass to close the gap, but with no two-point conversion rule at the time, all Washington could do was kick the extra point.

The Tide managed to hold on to win in one of the biggest upsets in Rose Bowl history. Astoundingly this contest marked the first time the No. The top-ranked and undefeated Trojans jumped all over the second-ranked Badgers and led with left the fourth quarter. Then Wisconsin came alive. The Big Ten champions roared back to score 23 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, but that was as far back as they could come.

Young accounted for yards and three touchdowns, while his counterpart, Matt Leinart, threw for and a touchdown. The game featured two Heisman Trophy winners Leinart and USC running back Reggie Bush , four top picks in the NFL Draft and 13 other players who would be drafted that year and two undefeated teams battling for a national title. The Trojans led with remaining in the contest, but Young quickly lead the Longhorns on a touchdown drive to close the gap to with to go.

In one of the most debated decisions in college football history, Pete Carroll opted to run the ball with LenDale White, and Texas got a stop. That gave Young the ball at his own yard line with remaining. The rest is history.

The Longhorns marched right down the field and with 30 seconds left and facing a 4th and 5 at the 8-yard line, Young snuck out of the pocket and found the end zone. After a two-point conversion was successful, Texas led