Rainy Day Blues: College Football's 10 Best Games Played in the Rain.
The worst thing to see early on a Saturday morning during football season is rain falling.
You know your team will be fighting mother nature as they battle to get a win over the opponent coming to town. This has been the case for many decades, as some of the best games have been played under stormy clouds and drenching rains.
This is my list of the 10 most memorable and best games where the teams had a muddy wet fight to lead their team to victory.
10. 1984 Texas vs Oklahoma
1 of 10This game was two heavy weights coming together and fighting it out under drenching rains. Texas was ranked No. 1 and Oklahoma ranked No. 2, and they each had their sights on winning the Red River Rivalry that day.
Mother nature played its part, holding each team with season low scoring. Texas took off to a 10-0 lead at the half. Oklahoma came out after the half time break ready to tackle not only the rain, but the entire Texas team.
With seconds to go in the game, Oklahoma had the lead at 15-12, but Texas QB Todd Dodge was marching down the soggy field and made it into field goal range.
Texas opted to go for one more try into the end zone, where it appeared that Oklahoma had intercepted the ball, however, the officials saw it different and it was ruled as an incomplete pass.
Texas kicked a field goal and the game ended in a 15-15 tie.
Extra Points
This was the only time Mack Brown, current Texas Coach, was not on the Texas sidelines during the Red River Rivalry game. At the time, he was Oklahoma's Offensive Coordinator.
Texas QB, Todd Dodge, went on to head coach at North Texas, but now is the QB's Coach at Pittsburgh.
9. 2002 Florida vs Tennessee
2 of 10
First year head coach Ron Zook brought his No. 10 Florida Gators into Neyland Stadium to meet with Philip Fulmer's No. 4 Tennessee Volunteers. They both got crushed by A LOT of RAIN!
Florida needed to prove they could beat tough SEC opponents and they did just that. They stunned the Vols with a final score of 30-13.
Rex Grossman was having the game of his life, throwing three TD passes and completing 20 of 34 passes for 324 yards. Tennessee kept the ball in his hands as well, with seven turnovers in the first half alone.
After the rain slowed down in the second half, Tennessee tried to claw its way back, but just didn't have it in them. The Gators proved they were prepared for the swamp like conditions at Neyland Stadium, and chomped up a victory in front of 108,000 football fans.
After the game, Philip Fulmer stated..."Grossman, in my opinion, probably won the Heisman tonight."
Extra Points
Tennessee fumbled the ball with two seconds left on the clock, instead of taking a respectful knee. Zook sent in his kicker to kick a field goal, which was a career high for the young man, and the entire stadium started booing the mighty Gators as they celebrated in a rain soaked turf.
8. 1996 Penn State vs Auburn (Outback Bowl)
3 of 10In a very wet showdown, Joe Paterno brought his 15th ranked Nittany Lions down to Tampa, FL to face off with the 16th ranked Auburn Tigers and third year head coach Terry Bowden. For Auburn, this was a dream come true. It had been five years since the Tigers had set foot into a bowl game and they were hungry for a win.
Weather conditions had made the field almost unplayable, at least for the Auburn Tigers. Penn State's Wally Richardson passed for four touchdowns in the rain, leading Penn State to a 43-14 victory over Auburn.
Penn State had a total of 487 yards of offense with Richardson's stellar performance and Bobby Engram's four catches for 113 yards and two touchdowns.
This was total domination demonstrated by the Nittany Lions and all Auburn had left were, excuses and more excuses.
After the game, Terry Bowden said, "Obviously, it was not a real good game for us...Penn State handled the elements much better than we did."
.jpg?w=256 "NFL Draft Football")
7. 2008 UGA vs Georgia Tech
4 of 10
Think back in time, it is the beginning of the 2008 season, the Georgia Bulldogs are ranked No. 1 to start it off, this was suppose to be their season!
After a BLACK OUT of a loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide, and getting Gator Chomped by Florida, Mark Richt and Georgia were still confident they could come up with a win against their in-state rival, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
The Yellow Jackets stung Georgia with their triple-option offense with blistering results on that rainy Saturday. Roddy Jones rushed for a career-best 214 yards and a couple of touchdowns. Jonathan Dwyer ran for 144 and two scores of his own.
When it was over, No. 22 Georgia Tech had overcome a 16-point halftime deficit to stun the 11th-ranked Bulldogs 45-42, its first win in the series since 2000.
6. 1996 Army vs Navy
5 of 10
In the 97th meeting of the Civil War, the Army Cadets faced off with the Navy Midshipmen on a day when mother nature wouldn't let the sun shine on the field, despite former President Bill Clinton's presence at the game.
5. 2009 LSU vs Penn State ( Capital One Bowl )
6 of 10
In only the second meeting of these two teams, this was a thriller all the way 'til the clock ran out. Despite the terrible condition of the field, which was left like a mosh pit in most areas due to the rainstorm, both teams rallied, holding leads at separate times.
The Nittany Lions emerged at halftime with a 13-3 lead, but LSU gained traction after the rain subsided in the second half. Scoring again and taking the lead at 17-16, Les Miles just didn't have the luck with him, and his Tigers fell short 19-17.
In what is known to be the best bowl game outside of the BCS bowls, the Capital One Bowl committee was left feeling embarrassed, with good reason.
"That was by far the worst field conditions I've ever seen in my life. For them to say this is the best bowl outside the BCS, I would expect to play on the best field outside the BCS," said LSU receiver Brandon LaFell.
4. 1967 Alabama vs Auburn ( Iron Bowl )
7 of 10The 32nd Iron Bowl took place under messy skies at Legion Field in Birmingham, AL in 1967. The Auburn Tigers entered the game having been defeated three times that season, but still had a high confidence level, knowing they could take on the country's eighth ranked Crimson Tide.
Alabama had a three game winning streak against the Tigers, and had won seven of the last eight meetings. Auburn was hungry, very hungry.
Bama won the toss, and kicked off to the Tigers. But neither offense could get things going. Six straight punts, three from each team, is how the first quarter played out. Auburn was gaining more yards than Alabama, which gave them the momentum.
Alabama's defense was still fighting though, and the scoreboard still read 0-0. The rain and mud was taking its toll on both teams.
After the half, Auburn struck first, with a 21-yard field goal, making the score 3-0.
The play that made this game so memorable was Kenny "the snake" Stabler's "Run in the Mud". An option play where he out ran Buddy McClinton and got Alabama up by 6-3. The extra point was good.
This was a hard fought match up, but the Tiger's left Legion Field empty handed once again. Another "Moral Victory" awaited them in the locker rooms, where they publicly wept in front of the reporters.
Roll Tide Roll!
3. 2002 LSU vs Auburn
8 of 10
Auburn fans would like to remember this game, not for the weather, but for complete domination over a Nick Saban team on their home turf. No. 10 LSU went into the plains with one goal and one goal only, to WIN.
That didn't happen, and at the end of the game, Saban was asking the same question everyone else was, "What happened to LSU?"
The game details are pretty much all Auburn. Ronnie Brown was in for an injured Carnell Williams, helping the offensive side of the ball, and the defense dominated the LSU Offense all day long. They held them to just 242 total yards on offense.
Tommy Tuberville was thrilled with the win and it marked the beginning of a streak for Auburn against Nick Saban at Jordon Hare. The rain and the horrible conditions are barely remembered in this match up, but at least Nick Saban didn't use that as an excuse! For once, Auburn played well underneath stormy skies!
2. 2008 Alabama vs Auburn ( Iron Bowl )
9 of 10The 2008 Iron Bowl will go down in history as one of the best Iron Bowls of all time.
Most Auburn fans disagree with that statement, but I believe the score and the end to a short lived winning streak against Alabama is the reason for that. They love holding on to those moral victories.
The Auburn Tigers came into Bryant Denny with a ton of confidence for a team who had not performed very well that season. Alabama, UNDEFEATED, was there waiting with a mission at hand, beat Auburn, and you are only one game away from a BCS title game.
The one thing I remember about the game, was the weather. It was COLD! The rain kept coming and going, with lots of wind. I think half the fans were sick with a cold days after the game, but I speak for everyone in the Bama Nation, it was well worth it.
Auburn tried to get some type of offense going, but every time they tried, it just didn't work. The Bama defense was to much for them to handle.
The Crimson Tide routed the Tigers in a 36-0 blowout ending a six game winning streak and giving Auburn their seventh loss of the season, sending them back to the plains with no Bowl Game. The sweetest revenge has been had, proclaimed the Tide fans!
Roll Tide Roll!!!!
1. 1973 Ohio State vs Michigan
10 of 10
Two undefeated teams got together in a rich rivalry contest at Michigan Stadium on that rainy Saturday afternoon. No. 1 Ohio State and No. 4 Michigan squared off knowing the winner would get the chance at a conference championship and Rose Bowl birth.
The game was a struggle for offenses throughout the game. The downpour of rain kept the ball on the ground, only allowing 90 yards of passing for both teams combined.
Ohio State did not make one first down in the first quarter. Series of punts for both teams started letting the defenses take the game into their hands. Ohio State scored first with a field goal from Blair Conway, putting them up 3-0 early in the second quarter.
Two time Heisman Trophy Winner, Archie Griffin, rushed for 41 yards on five carries setting up a five yard touchdown run by fullback Pete Johnson, giving the Buckeyes a 10-0 lead going into half time.
The Wolverines made adjustments to the defense so they could fight their way back into the game. Defense is just what they accomplished, by holding Ohio State to just 91 yards of offense versus their 209 yards total in the second half.
The game ended in a 10-10 tie, which would lead to major controversy, as the Big 10 Commissioners had to choose which team to send to the Rose Bowl since it was a tie. Ultimately, The Ohio State Buckeyes went on to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA.
Michigan fans are still heated about that call, and this is why some say, this is the most heated rivalry in all of college football.
.jpg?w=480 "NFL Draft Football")
.JPEG?w=480 "Super Bowl Football")
.jpg?w=480 "Texans Giants Football")
.jpg?w=600 "Day 3 Grades 🔠")
.jpg?w=600 "Mel Kiper's Top Draft Grades ✍️")
.jpg?w=600 "Mel Kiper's Lowest Draft Grades ❌")
