Greatest Play in Texas History

[java]

Typical for Arkansas during that time. The Cowboys and The Silver Spurs had a particularly challenging task: find a route to get Bevo and Smokey to the stadium, without running out of gas.

 

[Juan]

Excellent post. Before he left Texas, they should have created a bronze mold of Erxleben's foot and made a centerpiece out of it. IMO, his foot/leg was that special.

Thanks. I can even recall the sound.

It probably sounds a little odd now, but in those days at that stadium in that game, everyone inhaled at the same time upon the snap to the punter.

Anticipation was palpable as the air was literally sucked out of the Cotton Bowl.

It created an unusual acoustic, for that moment in time.

Everyone, even those high in the stadium, could hear the ball off the foot of the punter.

And the ball off the foot of Erxleben did not make the same sound as one off the average college punter. His were noticeably different.

It can be weird what sticks in the memory banks over the years but that sound is stuck in mine.

 

[Oilfield]

Street to Peschel, without a doubt. The VY touchdown was unforgettable but he had many, many greater plays in the same game.

 

[More Cowbell]

While not the greatest play in UT history, one to this day I still can't believe is Phil Dawson's kick to beat Virginia into that stiff wind. Sitting in the stadium that day I gave him zero chance of making it.

 

[streettopeschel]

without street-to-peschel, there's no NC in 69, maybe no NC in 70 since we wouldn't have started the season so high in the preseason polls, no 30-game wining streak, no epic showdon with ND returning from a 44-year self imposed bowl ban. hell, we wouldn't have even been swc champs in '69 if arky wins that game.

in additon to being the greatest play in UT's greatest victory, t may very well be the ballsiest call any coach has ever made. a coach of a wishbone team calling for a sub-50% passer to throw deep to a TE who caught 9 balls all year. no way that happened.

even worse, i'd have to think of a different screen name.

 

[harpethhorn]

Thanks. I can even recall the sound. It probably sounds a little odd now, but in those days at that stadium in that game, everyone inhaled at the same time upon the snap to the punter.

Anticipation was palpable as the air was literally sucked out of the Cotton Bowl.

It created an unusual acoustic, for that moment in time.

Everyone, even those high in the stadium, could hear the ball off the foot of the punter.

And the ball off the foot of Erxleben did not make the same sound as one off the average college punter. His were noticeably different.

It can be weird what sticks in the memory banks over the years but that sound is stuck in mine.

I was sitting at the 10 yard line after Johnson and Shearer stopped the OU QB (Thomas Lott) for no gain on our 5 with minutes left.

OU used their time outs, held us and forced Erxleben to punt out of the end zone.

When he hit tha ball it sounded like a small cannon going off……never heard anything like it. Kick went about 70 yards in the air. Game over.

 

[ball911]

Hard to argue with the above, but I could put in a voter for Duke Carlisle's end zone interception of Don Trull to save the Baylor game.

 

[Dave26]

Street to Peschel and that call made me a Longhorn/DKR fan for life. Growing up in upstate NY that's no small task. 3 years later I found myself enrolled at UT and both I and my daughter have been blessed to graduate from this great school. When you look at that pass, the coverage was pretty good, and he thread that in there perfectly.

 

[dcbc]

Not the best, but a great one. Stoney's goal line stop had me about as excited as I got during that era.

 

[burntomaro]

VY. Only because I'm young and the S to P just doesn't carry the same emotion. I was at UT during the Vince run. Will never forget where I was and who I was with, nor the scene in DT Austin.

 

[Orgblood]

I can recall each of those plays mentioned. But the one that I still see over and over is THE HIT.

Tommy Nobis and the D stopping the unstoppable Joe Willie Namath four times inside the 6 and

Beat the high powered Alabama O and deny the National Title to the tide and yea gave to Arky

but beating two future Super bowl, super talented and unforgettable QB in one year is still one of

the most unforgettable 12+ months of football for me. Beating Roger the Dodger and Joe Willie.

Sweet as southern sweet tea