EAST LANSING, MI – SEPTEMBER 18: The Michigan State Spartans fans celebrate the overtime victory against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Spartan Stadium on September 18, 2010 in East Lansing, Michigan. The Spartans defeated the Fighting Irish 34-31 in overtime. (Photo by Mark Cunningham/Getty Images)

7 Random Plays to Fire You Up for College Football: Volume 3

While we’re getting closer, college football season (at the FBS level) is still “a month and a wake up” away from starting.

Even though that seems like an eternity away, the 2015-’16 campaign will be here before you know it. Until that time arrives, I’ll go into the vault to provide an assortment of random plays to keep you fired up for the season.

Here’s this week’s installment.

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7 – Hidden Player Trick (2014 GoDaddy Bowl, Arkansas State versus Ball State)

When most people hear the phrase “Arkansas State trick play,” this infamous fake punt is the first thing that comes to mind.

However, the Red Wolves have caught opponents off guard with a various assortment of trick plays over the past five to ten years.

This one might have been the most important. Trailing Ball State 10-3 just before halftime, Arkansas State decided to get creative by running the “Hidden Player Trick.” Fredi Knighten took the snap from center and handed the ball to R.J. Fleming, who was squatting behind the Red Wolf offensive line. This surprise exchange took the Cardinal defense completely by surprise, resulting in a 27-yard gain.

It also fired up the A-State offense, which would knot the score at 10 six plays later.

6. Warren Wins It (2005 Capital One Bowl, LSU vs. Iowa)

It looked like the Nick Saban era in Baton Rouge was going to end on a positive note. Down 12 with 8 minutes remaining, LSU rallied to take the lead with just 46 seconds to play. With Iowa needing to go 56 yards in nine seconds, the Tigers seemingly had the game in the bag.

Then, the unexpected happened.

What do I mean by unexpected? Just before time expired, Drew Tate connected with fifth-year senior Warren Holloway for the game-winning touchdown. This surprise score was the only TD catch of his career.

5. Tavita Traumatizes the Trojans. (Stanford at USC, 2007)

This play sparked an upset so memorable that it came up in not one, but two, of our Big Ten roundtable discussions this week.

Let’s be honest: no one expected Stanford to be in a position to win this game. After all, the Cardinal entered the contest with an 0-3 record in Pac-10 play and were without starting quarterback TC Ostrander. His backup, Tavita Pritchard, was making his first career start, and had attempted only three career passes.

Despite all of these factors working against them, the Cardinal left the Coliseum with a “W.”

Here’s how it unfolded. Trailing 23-17, Stanford faced a fourth and goal from the USC 10. Pritchard dropped back to pass and threw it high to Mark Bradford, who caught the ball for the game-winning TD.

The late score helped Stanford pull off one of the greatest upsets in college football history.

4 – Winston’s Hail Mary (2013, Florida State at Boston College)
Jameis Winston will go down in college football history as one of college football’s top playmakers. No matter what the situation was, you could always count on him to come up with a big play when needed.

Here’s a perfect example of his ability. With time ticking down in the first half, Winston barely got the snap off. Rather than panic with all of the chaos of the rushed snap, Winston kept his composure. After sidestepping two Eagle defenders, he fired a precision pass over the head of a BC defender and into the hands of Kenny Shaw for the go-ahead touchdown.

This surprise strike turned the tide in this contest. Instead of going into the locker room in a tie ball game, Boston College found itself trailing for the first time all afternoon.

3 – Run Lindsay, Run! (Georgia vs. Florida, 1980)

Championship teams always come through under pressure.

That’s what Georgia did in the 1980 edition of the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party. Trailing 21-20 with just 62 seconds remaining, the Dawgs faced a third-and-11 play on their own 7-yard line against a Florida team that had held them scoreless in the final stanza.

But, UGA would not be denied. Quarterback Buck Belue eluded the Gator pass rush and fired the ball across the middle to a wide-open Lindsay Scott. After nearly falling down while coming up with the catch, Scott turned on the jets and outran the Florida defense to the end zone for the game-winning touchdown.

2. Hail Mary Miracle (Georgia at Auburn, 2013)

Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good.

Whether Auburn was the former or the latter, it got the magic it needed to happen on this play. Trailing 38-37 with just 36 seconds to remaining, the Tigers had to convert on fourth and 18 to keep their last-ditch drive alive. Quarterback Nick Marshall dropped back and heaved one downfield into double coverage for what appeared to be the final nail in the Auburn coffin.

But, it wasn’t. The two Georgia defenders collided and knocked the ball into the air. Ricardo Louis alertly pulled it down and took it to the house for the go-ahead touchdown, keeping the Tigers’ SEC West hopes alive.

Auburn would go on to win both the division and the conference that season, earning a berth in the BCS title game.

A postscript: I wish I had a nickel for every Twitter post that said something to the effect of, “I bet Georgia wished that it had Nick Marshall as a defensive back on that play.”

1. “Little Giants” (Notre Dame at Michigan State, 2010)
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This was a fantastic call by Mark Dantonio. Considering that Michigan State faced a 4th-and-18 situation and only needed a field goal to keep the game going, everyone in the stadium was expecting the Spartans to kick.

Rather than play the percentages – which were in MSU’s favor considering that kicker Dan Conroy had kicked a 50-yard field goal earlier in the season – Dantonio gambled and went for it all. Holder Aaron Bates took the snap front center and rolled to his right. After Notre Dame took away primary receiver Le’Veon Bell, Bates waited patiently and hit a wide open Charlie Bates for the game-winning score.

Nothing like a walk-off TD to leave you wanting more college football!

About Terry P. Johnson

Terry Johnson is the Associate Editor for The Student Section. He is a member of the Football Writers Association of America and the National Football Foundation.

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