Riders on the Storm: 11 of College Football's Worst Weather Games

The unparalleled writing brilliance of a former Vanderbilt student was never more on display than in the Oct. 18, 1924 issue of the New York Herald Tribune newspaper.

Describing Notre Dame's 13-7 victory at the Polo Grounds over the powerful Army eleven, 43-year-old Grantland Rice penned the most legendary phrase in college football history.

The native Tennessean began his narrative as follows:

Outlined against a blue-gray October sky the Four Horsemen rode again. In dramatic lore they are known as famine, pestilence, destruction and death. These are only aliases.

Their real names are Stuhldreher, Miller, Crowley, and Layden. They formed the crest of the South Bend cyclone.

Lost in the elegant prose of the greatest sportswriter America has ever known lies the image of a cool autumn afternoon.

There is something about college football in cold weather that draws upon the memory, bringing up various locations where games have been played and fame earned in some of the most inglorious surroundings.

Inclement weather is the great leveler among those who place dollars and cents upon who will win, and by how much, in sporting houses.

Rain can play havoc with fumbling. Wind affects the kicking game and reduces passing options. Heavy snow neutralizes both teams.

It is not reasonable to believe that all games played in poor weather deserve volumes written concerning the results of that day.

Likewise, there is no legitimate list of every game played in poor weather since the 1869 clash between Rutgers and Princeton began the storied history of football.

Still other schools—BYU, Colorado State, and Utah, for example—have bad weather games each season with little fanfare for most of their efforts.

In contrast, there exists in college football history a select number of games played in such trying conditions they deserve special mention.

For some, the weather was worse than in others. In a few, the magnitude of the game, or the game's shocking result, created drama not soon forgotten.

When the temperature drops, the days become short, and the storytelling around the fireplace begins. Keep the memories alive by recalling the events surrounding the Riders on the Storm.

11. Iowa 24, Penn State 23: Nov. 8, 2008

On their way to playing for the BCS championship, the unbeaten Nittany Lions were derailed by the bowl-bound Hawkeyes in Iowa City.

Into a pounding wind that affected team offensive strategy all day, the men of coach Joe Paterno could not execute when they had to in the fourth quarter.

The Hawkeyes pounced on the opportunity for victory by wiping out a 23-14 Penn State lead with 10 minutes remaining in the game.

Iowa kicked the winning field goal with only one second left in the contest.

With a time of possession advantage of 36 minutes to 24 minutes for Iowa, the No. 3-ranked Nittany Lions could take little solace in the fact they had performed well—just not well enough to win in inclement weather conditions.

10. Boston College 14, Virginia Tech 10: Oct. 25, 2007

The rains came.

There is an old saying among the tribes of football fans throughout the USA: "When the going gets tough, the tough get going."

That less than artful phrase perfectly described iron-willed Eagle quarterback Matt Ryan, who performed brilliantly in monsoon conditions. 

The 6'5", 224-pound signal caller passed for 184 yards and two touchdowns in the fourth quarter alone.

By doing so, BC protected its No. 2 national ranking and improved to 8-0 on the season.

Gobbler fans will not soon forget the man who stood like the Colossus of Rhodes as he inspected the Va. Tech secondary for weaknesses in leading the Eagles to victory. 

9. Clemson 7, South Carolina 6: Nov. 25, 1972

One would think a place called Death Valley is generally dry and warm. That was not the case on this horrific day.

The nasty setting between hated archrivals provided a steady temperature of 33 degrees with a driving, pouring rain lasting all day—a ghastly, dirty, and ugly scene.

If the BC-Va Tech clash was a monsoon, this was Noah's flood.

A tribute to the tenacity of the fans of both sides, not a soul was seen leaving the stadium until the end of the game.

Curiously, rarely does anyone remember anything about this game except being wet and cold all day long.

8. West Virginia 13, South Florida 7: Dec. 6, 2008

White out!

Superb Mountaineer signal caller Pat White played his final game in Morgantown in this contest.

Fans were advised to wear white clothing to salute the great senior quarterback.

They were greeted by a snowstorm that left the entire field white. It was a good omen. 

The Mounties survived the warm-weather USF Bulls thanks to 141 yards passing and 40 yards rushing from White in his final home contest.

7. Notre Dame 17, Penn State 16: Nov. 14, 1992

The Nittany Lions of Joe Paterno waltzed into South Bend with a 6-3 record to face a talented Irish squad led by coach Lou Holtz.

Snow measured over an inch on the field by game's end. Combined with the filming of the movie Rudy during the week around campus, a surreal situation was created.

Notre Dame was on its way to a 10-1-1 season but discovered itself trailing 16-9 late in the game.

Quarterback Rick Mirer found fullback Jerome Bettis wide open in the flat, and he raced for a touchdown, closing the gap to a one-point deficit.

Staring into the snow-covered sky as he pondered the possibility of going for a two-point conversion, the man known as "The Gambler" decades before Tommy Tuberville ever became a head coach spoke the magic words his quarterback wanted to hear.

"Go for it, Rick." 

The Irish converted, won 17-16, and headed for the Cotton Bowl on New Year's Day.

6. Syracuse 7, Colgate 0: Nov. 15, 1947

One of the more unknown contests to be played in inclement weather is the battle between the Orangemen and Red Raiders.

A game so far in the distant past the schools have changed their names to just Orange and Raiders—the former was offensive to some and considered outdated.

As one can imagine, the old Archbold Stadium at Syracuse was quite a home field advantage due to ever-changing weather in that area of New York.

While the Orange boast a proud pigskin history, they are on the losing end in their 65-game series with nearby Colgate.

On a field covered in snow by a furious white storm, 5'8", 150-pound Slivers Slovenski of Syracuse slipped away late in the scoreless game after a fake punt and ran 65 yards for a touchdown to defeat Colgate.

5. Washington State 42, Washington 23: Nov. 21, 1992

The legendary battle of the Northwest known as the Apple Cup has been the scene of several extreme weather contests.

One of the most talked about contests took place in Pullman during the late fall of 1992.

Martin Stadium, home of the Cougars, was visited by a snowstorm with 20-knot winds and minus 18 wind-chill temperatures.

The Huskies, defending co-national champions, had powered to a 9-1 record behind the running of Napoleon Kaufman and the arm of quarterback Mark Brunell.

The Cougars came in at 7-3 for the season and were led by sensational quarterback Drew Bledsoe and progressive head coach Mike Price.

The score at halftime, 7-6 Huskies, reflected the trouble each team had in adjusting to the inclement conditions.

That all ended in the third quarter as Washington State broke loose for 29 points and settled the issue.

Bledsoe finished with 259 yards passing and guided the Cougars to 476 yards of total offense.

The Wazzu defense held Husky ace runner Kaufman to 45 yards rushing.

The big hands of Bledsoe gripped the ball tighter, gave his throws a higher velocity, and spun the football with a better rotation than Brunell's passes.

Despite the Husky quarterback playing to the best of his ability under the snowy conditions, the game was decided by the difference under center.  

4. Mississippi State 43, Texas A&M 41 (OT): Dec. 31, 2000

Although old-time Buckeye and Michigan fans may angrily deny it, this more recent contest is replacing their beloved Thanksgiving weekend blizzard game as the "Snow Bowl."

It was a fascinating match between former Aggie head coach Jackie Sherrill's Mississippi State Bulldogs and his former assistant R.C. Slocum, who was then top man at A&M.

This was a fantastic game, settled by a weather-related blocked extra point leading to a possession where the Bulldogs scored the winning touchdown in overtime.

When the snow started on New Year's Eve in Shreveport, it did not stop (see pictured above).

Although much of the game appeared to be played in a ghostly curtain of snow, it was a thriller from beginning to end.

3. Nebraska 36, Miami 34: Dec. 15, 1962

The worst bowl weather conditions ever.

The setting? The Gotham Bowl played at Yankee Stadium in New York City—the second and final edition of this incredibly unpopular event.

Rumors were rampant in the gotham city; the bowl was broke financially.

The rumors turned out to be fact.

Coach Bob Devaney of Nebraska refused to let his players leave the airplane until the guaranteed money for appearing was deposited into the Cornhuskers' bank account.

Coach Devaney played hardball. 

Miami's incomparable 5'9" quarterback George Mira put on a great show in the face of the incredible wind howling at up to 65 miles per hour with a temperature of 14 degrees.

Tickets sales reached 6,000, but fewer than 2,000 fans actually attended the contest due to the horrific weather and lack of promotion due to a newspaper strike.

Despite it all, the game was a sensational shootout.

Finally, the Hurricanes succumbed to the bigger, heavier, more ground-oriented Cornhuskers despite 321 yards passing from the All-American Mira. 

2. Michigan 9, Ohio State 3: Nov. 25, 1950

The most famous of all foul weather contests, this game has been referred to as "The Snow Bowl" for over 50 years. 

Thanksgiving weekend, over half a century ago, the Wolverines traveled to Columbus only to be met by a foot of snow on the field and drifts much higher elsewhere.

The game time temperature was five degrees with 40 MPH winds.

Over 50,000 fans braved the incredibly nightmarish conditions.

The great Vic Janowicz of the Buckeyes performed yeoman's work by running, kicking, and playing all over the treacherous field.

After the game ended, Janowicz displayed his nearly frozen hands to the coaching staff.

Rather than immediately seeking medical attention, he was heard to lament, "I knew what I wanted to do, but my body wouldn't let me do it on this field."

Despite not making a single first down, the Wolverines proved to be the better bad weather team that day by downing the Buckeyes in a game featuring 45 punts.

It was an unforgettable clash that still lives in the memories of fans six decades later.

1. Oregon State 3, Southern California 0: Nov. 11, 1967

On a rainy Veterans Day in Corvallis, Oregon, the Beavers hosted No. 1-ranked Southern California.

Governors Ronald Reagan and Tom McCall joined 10 generals and admirals to watch this classic with an overflow crowd pouring out of the stands.

So powerful, so fearsome was this USC squad, the weekly journal Sporting News named the '67 Trojans the No. 9 team of the entire 20th century.

California Governor Ronald Reagan made the trip to support USC.

He was so confident of victory he wagered picking an entire box of fresh oranges by hand to send his counterpart in Oregon if the Trojans lost.

The Men of Troy were led by the incredible O.J. Simpson and sensational tough guys Ron Yary and Tim Rossovich.

Oregon State did have a trick or two up their sleeve.  

The Beavers had won the final six games of the prior season and entered the year with confidence in their powerful ground game, led by fullback Bill "Earthquake" Enyart.

Earthquake earned his spurs as a sophomore by achieving all-conference status at linebacker before becoming one of the top three fullbacks in the country in 1967, along with Larry Csonka of Syracuse and Ronnie Jenkins of Georgia.

The field may have been described as a quagmire due to an inch of rain, but it was not too slippery to prevent O.J. from rushing for 188 yards on 33 carries.

The Beaver defense bent but never broke, allowing the Trojans to pass midfield only twice after the first quarter.

Oregon State kicker Mike Haggard (no relation to Merle and definitely not from Muskogee) nailed a 30-yard field goal in the second quarter.

It held up all day.

After the bitter loss, Simpson kept his composure and guaranteed a return to winning ways the following week against UCLA.

Southern California would win the city showdown and go on to the Rose Bowl. When the final poll was taken, the Trojans were declared national champions.

For their part, the 7-2-1 Oregon State Beavers finished No. 7.

The Oregon State Mud Bowl would be the only regular season loss in the entire SC career for O.J. Simpson.

There is no evidence Governor Reagan ever made good on picking the oranges. Maybe he expected the responsibility to trickle down to a staffer in Sacramento.