Houston Chronicle: Teams Getting Their Points Across
Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2005 8:27 amBy JOSEPH DUARTE
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle
Scoring has never gone out of style in college football. Judging by this past weekend's dizzying, bulb-burning, score-at-will frenzy across the country, end zone real estate is at a premium.
The biggest muscle flex of the weekend came when Texas Tech ran up 80 points on Division I-AA Sam Houston State. On Monday, Tech coach Mike Leach was asked if his offense could hit the century mark Saturday against I-AA opponent Indiana State.
"As far as landmarks or milestones, we don't really have any of those," said Leach. "
An analysis of games during the last five years by the Chronicle shows that 105 games involving the country's Division I-A schools were decided by more than 50 points, 29 by at least 60 points and three by more than 70.
The biggest blowouts during that stretch? Oklahoma hammered Texas A&M 77-0 in 2003, Kansas State clobbered Ball State 76-0 in 2000 and West Virginia whipped Rutgers 80-7 in 2001.
How much is too much?
Officially, Fort Valley State (Ga.) holds the single-game NCAA scoring record with 106 points against Knoxville (Tenn.) in 1969. In Division I-A, Houston put up 100 points against Tulsa in 1968. The NCAA did not begin record keeping until 1937, although for historical purposes Georgia Tech is listed with 222 points in a win over Cumberland in 1916.
In games decided by at least 50 points since 2000, the winner scored at least 70 points on 17 occasions and 80 twice.
When does scoring reach its limit?
"Some people will say, 'If we score 150, we score 150,' " Missouri coach Gary Pinkel said. "We're not going out there to humiliate or embarrass anybody."
That wasn't the case in 1989, when Houston beat SMU 95-21. SMU fielded a team made entirely of freshmen after the school's two-year NCAA ban. During a three-year stretch beginning in 1988, UH posted blowouts of Tulsa (82-28), SMU, Eastern Washington (84-21) and Louisiana Tech (73-3).
Baylor coach Guy Morriss doesn't blame a team for scoring 60, 70 or 80.
"It's not our opponents' problem; it's our problem to stop them," said Morriss, who lost to A&M 73-10 in 2003.
Not surprisingly, some of the biggest blowouts in the last five years have involved major-conference programs bullying lesser opponents.
Sam Houston State coach Todd Whitten knew the risks of playing an opponent like Texas Tech. Whitten said the roughly $250,000 payout for playing in Lubbock was worth the consequences.
"A couple hundred thousand is important for an athletic department our size and the recognition the university gets," Whitten said. "It's effective advertising."
A coach's quandary
The biggest dilemma facing coaches in a blowout is when to take their feet off the accelerator. Texas coach Mack Brown sat most of his offensive starters after the first series of the third quarter with a 45-0 lead against Rice; Texas A&M's Dennis Franchione had the ball at the 2-yard line and opted not to score in a 66-8 rout of SMU; and even without the regulars in the game, Tech's offense didn't skip a beat in the second half.
If you're unfortunate to be on the losing end of a mega-blowout, just think about Trinity Bible, which lost to Division III Rockford 105-0 in 2003.
"It's been the best publicity this school's ever had," Trinity coach Rusty Bentley said then.
The next Trinity Bible could be Indiana State.
"I think if we play well and we capitalize on every drive, we can score 100 points," Tech quarterback Cody Hodges said.
SCORING RECORDS
• All divisions: Fort Valley State (Ga.) 106 vs. Knoxville (Tenn.) in 1969.
• Division I-A: Houston 100, Tulsa 6 in 1968.
• Division I-AA: Portland State 105, Delaware State 0 in 1980.
Note: The 222 points by Georgia Tech against Cumberland in 1916 is not recognized; the NCAA did not keep official statistics until 1937.
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle
Scoring has never gone out of style in college football. Judging by this past weekend's dizzying, bulb-burning, score-at-will frenzy across the country, end zone real estate is at a premium.
The biggest muscle flex of the weekend came when Texas Tech ran up 80 points on Division I-AA Sam Houston State. On Monday, Tech coach Mike Leach was asked if his offense could hit the century mark Saturday against I-AA opponent Indiana State.
"As far as landmarks or milestones, we don't really have any of those," said Leach. "
An analysis of games during the last five years by the Chronicle shows that 105 games involving the country's Division I-A schools were decided by more than 50 points, 29 by at least 60 points and three by more than 70.
The biggest blowouts during that stretch? Oklahoma hammered Texas A&M 77-0 in 2003, Kansas State clobbered Ball State 76-0 in 2000 and West Virginia whipped Rutgers 80-7 in 2001.
How much is too much?
Officially, Fort Valley State (Ga.) holds the single-game NCAA scoring record with 106 points against Knoxville (Tenn.) in 1969. In Division I-A, Houston put up 100 points against Tulsa in 1968. The NCAA did not begin record keeping until 1937, although for historical purposes Georgia Tech is listed with 222 points in a win over Cumberland in 1916.
In games decided by at least 50 points since 2000, the winner scored at least 70 points on 17 occasions and 80 twice.
When does scoring reach its limit?
"Some people will say, 'If we score 150, we score 150,' " Missouri coach Gary Pinkel said. "We're not going out there to humiliate or embarrass anybody."
That wasn't the case in 1989, when Houston beat SMU 95-21. SMU fielded a team made entirely of freshmen after the school's two-year NCAA ban. During a three-year stretch beginning in 1988, UH posted blowouts of Tulsa (82-28), SMU, Eastern Washington (84-21) and Louisiana Tech (73-3).
Baylor coach Guy Morriss doesn't blame a team for scoring 60, 70 or 80.
"It's not our opponents' problem; it's our problem to stop them," said Morriss, who lost to A&M 73-10 in 2003.
Not surprisingly, some of the biggest blowouts in the last five years have involved major-conference programs bullying lesser opponents.
Sam Houston State coach Todd Whitten knew the risks of playing an opponent like Texas Tech. Whitten said the roughly $250,000 payout for playing in Lubbock was worth the consequences.
"A couple hundred thousand is important for an athletic department our size and the recognition the university gets," Whitten said. "It's effective advertising."
A coach's quandary
The biggest dilemma facing coaches in a blowout is when to take their feet off the accelerator. Texas coach Mack Brown sat most of his offensive starters after the first series of the third quarter with a 45-0 lead against Rice; Texas A&M's Dennis Franchione had the ball at the 2-yard line and opted not to score in a 66-8 rout of SMU; and even without the regulars in the game, Tech's offense didn't skip a beat in the second half.
If you're unfortunate to be on the losing end of a mega-blowout, just think about Trinity Bible, which lost to Division III Rockford 105-0 in 2003.
"It's been the best publicity this school's ever had," Trinity coach Rusty Bentley said then.
The next Trinity Bible could be Indiana State.
"I think if we play well and we capitalize on every drive, we can score 100 points," Tech quarterback Cody Hodges said.
SCORING RECORDS
• All divisions: Fort Valley State (Ga.) 106 vs. Knoxville (Tenn.) in 1969.
• Division I-A: Houston 100, Tulsa 6 in 1968.
• Division I-AA: Portland State 105, Delaware State 0 in 1980.
Note: The 222 points by Georgia Tech against Cumberland in 1916 is not recognized; the NCAA did not keep official statistics until 1937.
