12 Amazing Game-Winning College Football TDs To Rival Iowa's Ricky Stanzi's

Shades of Drew Brees the probable NFL MVP can be seen in this late touchdown drive against #4 Kansas State in the Alamo Bowl.

With just over a minute to go, Brees drove the Boilermakers down the field and hit receiver Isaac Jones so quickly and efficiently that he still left 30 seconds on the clock. But that's just Drew Brees being the generous guy he is.

John Parker Wilson threw for 243 yards at an 80% completion rate and three TDs.

It was a late touchdown pass off his back foot to the corner of the endzone to Matt Caddell that was clinched the game with eight seconds to go.

Alabama's 41-38 win was Nick Saban's first big win as coach of the Tide, Alabama's first big fourth quarter comeback in forever, and shocking enough to put this infamous look on Arkansas coach Houstun Nutt's face.

Brett Favre was showing flashes of late game miracle-making in his days at Southern Miss.

Tied 10-10 but not content to take the tie after Louisville missed their field goal, Favre tossed a deep bomb downfield that bounced off the helmet of Southern Miss receiver Michael Jackson.

The thriller (too soon?) of a pass fell into Darryl Tillman's hands, and Tillman streaked to the endzone to put Favre's Eagles ahead for good, 16-10.

History will tell us where Ricky Stanzi's pass to Marvin McNutt to beat the Spartans on the last play of the game belongs in the list of great last-second touchdowns.

If Iowa goes on to compete for a national championship, this will go down as the most crucial play they've made so far this year.

The stellar defense couldn't bail the Hawkeyes out, and it was Stanzi that won the game under enormous pressure on a quick slant that will haunt Mark Dantonio (and defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi) for the rest of the year.

The 2007 LSU Tigers was one of the most exciting, fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants teams to watch in recent memory.

This play is emblematic of just how irrational and lucky they were. Down 26-27 to Auburn, Les Miles (and Tommy Tuberville, unwisely) let the clock wind down, then Matt Flynn threw a bomb to Demetrius Byrd in the corner of the endzone to win the game with one second remaining.

The Auburn Tigers couldn't pull off a miracle on the return kick, and the LSU Tigers came away with the miracle win on their way to the national championship.

When people call Matt Flynn a game-manager, I think of this play and laugh.

It was fourth down and four with the Wolverines, 3-3 on the season, facing their first losing record in years. The unbeaten Nittany Lions had taken the lead on a Michael Robinson run, but had unwisely kicked to All-Big Ten returner Steve Breaston to give Michigan good field position and the chance at a comeback.

Henne drove the Wolverines to the red zone and had one more chance. One second remained on the clock (Lloyd Carr had already argued for two seconds to be put back on after some lazy whistling earlier in the drive).

The result? Let's just say the Wolverines were Penn State's only loss on the year. Watch how it happened.

Donovan McNabb showed more intestinally than just fortitude as he drove the Orangemen down the field in a crucial Big East matchup in 1998.

The pounding VT defense and nerves took their toll on McNabb, who vomited repeatedly but managed to hold on long enough to get his team, down 26-22, within striking distance.

After getting sacked on second and goal, McNabb rolled out to his right and threw it back left to his tight end, who outjumped the cornerback for the score, the win, and the capper on a dramatic comeback victory as time expired.

With six seconds to go and more than half a field to make up, it looked like Colorado's last ditch attempt at the endzone would get batted away like so many other Hail Marys had over the years.

Well, it didn't. Colorado beat Michigan on a Kordell Stewart pass that ricocheted to Michael Westbrook and put the Buffs ahead, 27-26, with no time left for the Wolverines to respond.

Joe Montana needed chicken soup and blankets to bring his body temperature back up to normal on a chilly day in the 1979 Cotton Bowl.

But the man they called Joe Cool needed ice water in his veins to bring the Irish back from a 22-point deficit and hit Kris Haines for the winning score as time expired, the Irish beating Houston 35-34.

Cougar fans were heading for the parking lot as SMU's powerful rushing attack put the BYU Cougars down 45-25. But, perhaps apocryphally, Cougar quarterback Jim McMahon hollered to them that the game wasn't over yet.

McMahon threw two quick touchdowns and BYU blocked a punt to set up a chance at a third.

McMahon's 41-yard "Hail Mary" pass was caught by Clay Brown in triple coverage, and BYU won the game as time expired.

Few plays were bigger or flukier than Matt Davison's touchdown reception off Scott Frost's tipped pass as time expired to force overtime for the unbeaten Huskers, who would win the game in extra innings.

Gotta consider Flutie here. The dimunitive Boston College quarterback is synonymous with the Hail Mary.

Flutie's Eagles were don 45-41, after a Miami drive that was dramatic in its own right.

In the closing minute of the game, Boston College took possession at its 22-yard line with 28 seconds on the clock. Two passes put the Eagles forward another 30 yards, but now only 6 seconds remained.

On the last play, Flutie scrambled and threw a Hail Mary pass that sailed over the defense and into the diving arms of Gerard Phelan, giving the Eagles a 47-45 lead.

The voting for the Heisman had already closed, but the Hail Mary pass seemed to validate Flutie's win.

Check out my list of the ten most spectacular Pac-10 plays this year.