Some More Top 25 College Football Trivia Nuggets

October 7, 2011 - Here are some trivia nuggets for the rest of the Top 25 and the opponents they face tomorrow.  The Top 5 was done on Monday.

The #6 Oklahoma State Cowboys host the Kansas Jayhawks in Stillwater.  The series is tied 29-29-3.  Kansas dominated the series early in its history, but Oklahoma State is 23-8-3 since 1969.  They are also 6-1 since 1998.  The last time the Jayhawks shut out the Cowboys was 31-0 in 1991.  The last time the Cowboys shut out the Jayhawks was 21-0 in 1977.  At least one of the teams scored over 40 points against the other in every game since 1999.

The #15 Auburn Tigers go to Little Rock to face the #10 Arkansas Razorbacks.  Auburn leads the series 11-8-1.  The series is 5-5 since 2001.  The Tigers beat the Razorbacks last season in the highest scoring game of the series 65-43.  Neither team has ever shut out the other.

#12 Michigan Wolverines invade Ryan Field in Evanston, Illinois to take on the Northwestern Wildcats.  Michigan dominated the series 52-15-2.  Northwestern upset Michigan last season 21-14.  Michigan is 30-5 against the Wildcats since 1960.  The last time the Wolverines shut out Northwestern was 31-0 in 1984.  The last time the Wildcats shut out Michigan was 6-0 in 1951.

In another Wildcat game, the Kentucky Wildcats go to Bryce Stadium in Columbia to take on the #18 South Carolina Gamecocks.  South Carolina leads the series 14-7-1.  The Gamecocks are 10-1 since 1999, the loss coming in an upset last season.  The lone tie was 14-14 in 1978.  Neither team has ever shut out the other.

In a third Wildcat game, Missouri Tigers go to Manhattan, Kansas to take on the #20 Kansas State Wildcats.  Missouri leads the series 59-32-5.  Like the Oklahoma-Texas rivalry, this one runs in streaks.  Missouri has won the last 5 games, which broke a 13 game win streak by Kansas State.  The last tie game was 7-7 in 1982.  The last time the Wildcats shut out the Tigers was 38-0 in 2002.  The last time Missouri shut out Kansas State was also 38-0 in 1983.

Okay, no Wildcats this time.  The Miami Hurricanes storm in to Blacksburg to take on the Virginia Tech Hokies.  Miami leads the series 17-11.  The Hurricanes were once undefeated in the series, leading it 12-0 from 1953-94.  The Hokies were 11-6 since.  There is only one shutout in the series.  In their first ever meeting in 1953, Miami beat Virginia Tech 26-0.

The Texas Tech Red Raiders host the #24 Texas A&M Aggies in Lubbock.  Texas A&M leads the series 36-32-1.  The winner of the last three games scored 43 points or more.  The Red Raiders are 11-5 against the Aggies since 1994.  The last time Tech shut out A&M was 12-0 in 2001.  The last time A&M shut out Tech was 21-0 in 1957.  The lone tie was a 14-14 game in 1960.

There is an honorable mention for the Valparaiso Crusaders.  They have the longest active losing streak in the NCAA.  They are 0-4 this season and have lost 24 straight games.  Their last win was in 2009, a 20-17 win over Concordia, which was their only win that season.  They face the 4-1 Pioneer Division leading San Diego Toreros.  Chances are pretty good Valpo will get loss number 25.

Here are some historical scores for this week’s top 25 matchups played on October 7,

1905 - Vanderbilt 34 – Alabama 0

1944 – Missouri 33 – Kansas State 0

1950 - Vanderbilt 27 – Alabama 22

1961 – Utah 28 – Arizona State 26

1961 – Alabama 35 – Vanderbilt 6

1961 – Texas A&M 38 – Texas Tech 7

1967 – LSU 37 – Florida 6

1967 – Indiana 20 – Illinois 7

1978 – Oklahoma 31 – Texas 10

1978 – LSU 34 – Florida 21

1978 – California 21 – Oregon 18

1978 – Texas A&M 38 – Texas Tech 9

1989 – Florida 16 – LSU 13

1989 – Georgia Tech 28 – Maryland 24

1989 – Texas Tech 27 – Texas A&M 24

1995 – Northwestern 19 – Michigan 13

1995 – Florida 28 – LSU 10

1995 – Illinois 17 – Indiana 10

1995 – Kansas State 30 – Missouri 0

1995 – Texas Tech 14 – Texas A&M 7

2000 – Oklahoma 63 – Texas 14

2000 – Florida 41 – LSU 9

2000 – South Carolina 20 – Kentucky 17

2006 – Texas 28 – Oklahoma 10

2006 – Florida 23 – LSU 10

2006 – South Carolina 24 – Kentucky 17

2006 – California 45 – Oregon 24

2006 – Arkansas 27 – Auburn 10

2006 – Georgia Tech 27 – Maryland 23

2006 – Indiana 34 – Illinois 32

Today in 1974 - Pittsburgh Steelers vs Houston Oilers

October 12, 1974 – Today in 1974, the Pittsburgh Steelers went to the Astrodome to play the Houston Oilers in a Week 4 game.

Both defenses showed up to produce a scoreless first quarter.  In the second quarter, Billy “White Shoes” Johnson took off on a 47 yard touchdown run to put the Oilers on the board 7-0.  Roy Gerela answered with a 37 yard field goal.  Houston led Pittsburgh at halftime 7-3.

Gerela closed the gap to 7-6 in the third quarter with a 27 yard field goal.  In the fourth quarter, Pittsburgh took the lead for good with a 9 yard touchdown rush by Preston Pearson.  The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Houston Oilers 13-7.

Dan Pastorini passed 3-6 for 69 yards and Lynn Dickey passed 9-17 79 yards and an interception for the Oilers.  Joe Gilliam passed 17-32 202 yards and 2 interceptions for the Steelers.  Preston Pearson rushed 15-117 yards and a touchdown.  He also had 3 receptions for 42 yards.

Houston went to 1-3 with the loss.  They would finish the season at 7-7.  Pittsburgh improved to 2-1-1.  They would finish the season at 10-3-1, including a 13-10 loss to the Oilers at home.  The Steelers went on to win Super Bowl IX over the Minnesota Vikings 16-6.

Notables

• There were 11 Hall of Famers present at the game: Elvin Bethea for the Oilers, and Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris, Lynn Swann, John Stallworth, Mel Blount, Mean Joe Greene, Jack Ham, Jack Lambert, Mike Webster, and head coach Chuck Noll for the Steelers.
  
• This was Noll’s sixth season as head coach of the Steelers.  He coached the team from 1969-91 and led the team to four Super Bowl wins.
  
• This was Sid Gillman’s second and final season coaching the Oilers.  He coached the Los Angeles Rams from 1955-60 and the Los Angeles/San Diego Chargers from 1961-71.  He led the team to an AFL championship in 1963.  He was replaced in 1975 by defensive coordinator Bum Phillips.
  
• Noll was a defensive assistant coach for the Chargers from 1960-65.
  
• Steelers defensive coordinator Bud Carson went on to be the head coach of the Cleveland Browns from 1989-90.  Chuck Noll played for the Browns from 1953-59.

The Pittsburgh Steelers host the former Houston Oilers, the Tennessee Titans, at home this weekend.

Here are some other scores on this day for teams facing each other this week, on October 6,

1962 – Boston Patriots 43 – New York Titans (Jets) 14

1963 – San Diego Chargers 50 – Denver Broncos 34

1963 – St. Louis Cardinals 56 – Minnesota Vikings 14

1968 – Green Bay Packers 38 – Atlanta Falcons 7

1996 – San Diego Chargers 28 – Denver Broncos 17

2002 – San Diego Chargers 26 – Denver Broncos 9

Game stats can be found on Pro-Football-Reference.com at Pittsburgh Steelers vs Houston Oilers - October 6, 1974.

Last Place Update - October 4, 2011

October 5, 2011 – Welcome to the first Last Place Update of the 2011 NFL season.  Last Wednesday, I was ready to talk about the Kansas City Chiefs and how their play would put them in at least an honorable mention category as Kings of the Cellar, but they won this past week.

Now we’re down to four.

The Minnesota Vikings, Miami Dolphins, St. Louis Rams, and Indianapolis Colts are the last of the winless teams right now.  Although each team has found a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, the Miami Dolphins have the lead for Kings of the Cellar.  Not only are they 0-4, the lost their last three games in the 2010 season, which gives them a seven game losing streak.

The 2010 defending champion Carolina Panthers are 1-3 and have been in every game so far this season. It's still early.  Only time and their play will tell if they will repeat.

The honorable mention goes to St. Louis.  This is a much better team than 0-4 or at least they’re supposed to be.  They haven’t been a threat to win in any game so far this season.  Well, they won’t lose this week, because they have a bye.

Miami’s next loss?  None this week.  They also have a bye, which means the Update will have one, too.

Some Top 5 College Football Trivia Nuggets For This Week's Games

October 3, 2011 – Once again, it’s time to view a few trivia nuggets for Top 5 teams playing this week.

The #17 Florida Gators go into Death Valley to take on the LSU Tigers.  The Gators lead the series 30-24-3.  Although Florida has dominated the series in recent years, LSU is 5-4 against them since 2002.  It’s been a while since either team shut out the other.  The last time Florida shut out LSU was in 1991 when they won 16-0, during the days of Shane Matthews, Errict Rhett, and Kevin Carter.  The last time LSU shut out Florida was in 1963, when they won 14-0, during the days of Billy Truax, Remi Prudhomme, and Doug Moreau.  It was their third consecutive shutout of the Gators and fourth in five years.

The #2 Alabama Crimson Tide host the Vanderbilt Commodores in Tuscaloosa.  Alabama owns the series 60-18-4.  The last time Vandy beat Bama was 30-21 in 1984.  The Tide have gone 20-0 since then and are 43-2 against the Commodores since 1960.  Three of the four ties happened in consecutive years, from 1957-59, 6-6, 0-0, and 7-7 respectively.  The last time Bama shut out Vandy was 20-0 in 1997.  Outside of the 0-0 tie in 1958, the last time Vandy shut out Bama was 7-0 in 1941.

The #3 Oklahoma Sooners take on the #11 Texas Longhorns at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.  Texas leads the series 59-41-5.  The rivalry tends to run in streaks, the last two (more than two game win streaks) a five game win streak by Oklahoma from 2000-04 and a three game win streak by Texas from 1997-99.  The last time Oklahoma shut out Texas was 12-0 in 2004.  The last time the Longhorns blanked the Sooners was 19-0 in 1965, the last of an eight game win streak from 1958-65.

The #4 Wisconsin Badgers have a bye this week.  They play the Indiana Hoosiers on October 15.

The Fresno State Bulldogs host the #5 Boise State Broncos.  Boise State leads the series 9-4.  The Broncos lost their first three against the Bulldogs, but have gone 9-1 since.  Their first meeting was a 42-7 drubbing by Fresno State in 1977.  The only shutout in the series was last season when Boise State nailed Fresno State 51-0.

Here are a few historical scores for this week’s top 25 matchups played on October 3,…

1925 – Kansas 13 – Oklahoma State 3

1942 – Texas A&M 19 – Texas Tech 0

1953 – Alabama 21 – Vanderbilt 12

1959 – Vanderbilt 7 – Alabama 7

1964 – Alabama 24 – Vanderbilt 0

1964 – Texas Tech 16 – Texas A&M 12

1981 – Florida 24 – LSU 10

1981 – Texas A&M 24 – Texas Tech 23

1987 – LSU 13 – Florida 10

1987 – Texas Tech 27 – Texas A&M 21

1992 – Texas A&M 19 – Texas Tech 17

Today in 1978 - Houston Oilers vs Cleveland Browns

October 1, 1978 – Today in 1978, the Cleveland Browns hosted the Houston Oilers (now the Tennessee Titans) at the Dawg Pound at Cleveland Municipal Stadium in a Week 5 AFC Central matchup.

The Browns got on the board first on a 41 yard field goal by Don Cockroft.  In the second quarter, Cleveland increased its lead with a 7 yard touchdown pass from Brian Sipe to Dave Logan.  The Browns led 10-0 at halftime.

In the third quarter, Houston scored on a 41 yard touchdown pass from Dan Pastorini to Rich Caster, but Toni Fritsch missed the extra point.  At the end of the quarter, Cleveland led 10-6.

Rob Carpenter ran 7 yards for a touchdown and put the Oilers ahead 13-10 in the 4^th quarter.  Cockroft tied the game with a 40 yard field goal, but Fritsch put the game away with a 19 yard field goal.  The Houston Oilers beat the Cleveland Browns 16-13.

For the Oilers, Pastorini passed 14-29 215 yards, with a touchdown and an interception.  Ronnie Coleman rushed 19-62 yards and had 4 receptions for 63 yards.  For the Browns, Sipe passed 12-32 106 yards, a touchdown and 3 interceptions.  Clarence R. Scott got an interception for the Browns and Willie Alexander, Robert Brazile, and Mike Reinfeldt each had in interception for the Oilers. 

Both teams went to 3-2.  Cleveland ended the season at 8-8.  Houston ended the season at 10-6 and lost the AFC Championship to the Pittsburgh Steelers 34-5.

Notables

• There were 3 Hall of Famers in this game: Earl Campbell and Elvin Bethea for the Oilers, and Ozzie Newsome for the Browns.
  
• This was Sam Rutigliano’s first season coaching the Browns.  He would coach the team from 1978-84.  He would be replaced in 1984 by defensive coordinator Marty Schottenheimer.
  
• This was Bum Phillips’ fourth season coaching the Oilers.  He coached the team from 1975-80 and coached the New Orleans Saints from 1981-85.
  
• When Phillips was fired from the Oilers, defensive coordinator Ed Biles was named head coach.  He coached the team from 1981-83.  Phillips was the defensive coordinator of the Oilers in 1974 before he was hired as head coach.
  
• Houston’s defensive line coach was Wade Phillips.  He is now the defensive coordinator of another Houston team, the Texans.

Game stats can be found on Pro-Football-Reference.com at Houston Oilers vs Cleveland Browns - October 1, 1978.