Week 9 of season-specific reminiscing -- 1997

[Eric15]

This season was an exhausting emotional roller coaster.

We blew the doors off Wisconsin to start the year, and I like many others thought we were a legitimate national title contender. The following week we scored on our first offensive play vs. NC State and took I believe a 14-0 lead, but then just a soul-crushing loss played out with the Dee Brown fumble, Coach P not getting a timeout, etc. Lost the next week vs. a bad Oklahoma team, then lost at Va Tech when McNabb has an injured shoulder. Came very close to starting 1-4, but Tebucky Jones took an INT 100 yards the other way to beat Shaun Hill and Tulane.

But then, similar to 1996, we went on a huge tear, winning 8 games in a row, and finally beating Miami for the first time ever. Played an extremely good Kansas State game in the Fiesta Bowl in a virtual away game for us.

A solid, but disappointing season given the talent we had. This should have been a 10-2 team.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

After the Fiesta Bowl, Tempe has one of the largest New Years Eve street parties. The B-52's were playing on the Main Stage that year. Right at midnight, the Mayor of Tempe interrupts the music to announce the Midnight Tostitos Chip Drop (they lower a giant tortilla chip into a huge jar of salsa).

After midnight, the Mayor says "thanks for coming, drive home safely" and that was it. The B-52's never got to play Love Shack.

BTW, last call in Maricopa County was 1 AM back then.

Between the 10 AM tailgate, the ass kicking we got from K-State, and the NYE party, it was a long day.

 

[OrangeDW]

NC State and Oklahoma losses were inexcusable. That should’ve been an 11-1 team.

We flat out destroyed good Wisconsin and West Virginia teams. Those games were a lot of fun, and finally beating Miami in a blowout on the road was nice.

As mentioned above, Jones’ 100 yard INT return saved the season against Tulane. And Jason Poles had the 100 yard int return against WVU. Those two plays and Kevin Johnson’s opening kickoff return for a TD against Wisconsin were the most exciting plays.

NC State loss was just the worst.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

NC State and Oklahoma losses were inexcusable. That should’ve been an 11-1 team.

We flat out destroyed good Wisconsin and West Virginia teams. Those games were a lot of fun, and finally beating Miami in a blowout on the road was nice.

NC State loss was just the worst.

**** Torry Holt.

That is all.

 

[OrangeDW]

**** Torry Holt.

That is all.

It really felt like the 14-0 lead came so easily that we just completely lost focus.

Even still, we had a great chance to pull it out and managed to find an agonizing way to lose with the Dee Brown(why was he in there and getting the ball!!?) fumble and scrambling around not ready for the two point conversion.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

It really felt like the 14-0 lead came so easily that we just completely lost focus.

Even still, we had a great chance to pull it out and managed to find an agonizing way to lose with the Dee Brown(why was he in there and getting the ball!!?) fumble and scrambling around not ready for the two point conversion.

FWIW, Brown never fumbled again for the rest of his SU career.

 

[OrangeDW]

FWIW, Brown never fumbled again for the rest of his SU career.

Yup. Very good college back.

At the time he was a converted QB playing in his second career game and we had veteran Konrad, McIntosh, and a great running QB. Seemed like a head scratcher.

 

[OttoMets]

NC State and Oklahoma losses were inexcusable. That should’ve been an 11-1 team.

We flat out destroyed good Wisconsin and West Virginia teams. Those games were a lot of fun, and finally beating Miami in a blowout on the road was nice.

As mentioned above, Jones’ 100 yard INT return saved the season against Tulane. And Jason Poles had the 100 yard int return against WVU. Those two plays and Kevin Johnson’s opening kickoff return for a TD against Wisconsin were the most exciting plays.

NC State loss was just the worst.

A buddy and I enthusiastically congratulated Jason Poles on that interception a couple years ago at a Fine Mess tailgate. I think he's been hearing about that from every fan he's met during the last 20 years.

All the plays you mention were exciting, I also remember a long Kevin Johnson touchdown to ice the BC game and, of course, Quinton Spotwood's game-winner in the snow at Pitt the next week.

Am I correct in remembering that Spotwood returned 2 punts for touchdowns at Oklahoma? That was a brutal game, some big plays but obviously not enough defense.

 

[GoSU96]

Yup. Very good college back.

At the time he was a converted QB playing in his second career game and we had veteran Konrad, McIntosh, and a great running QB. Seemed like a head scratcher.

Konrad was hurt, McIntosh was hurt, Sudano was hurt, TBuck was at safety.

 

[Doc5120]

NC State - ugghhh. I was there with my Dad, a friend of mine & his Dad, who got us some nice seats behind the SU bench. Didn't we start out with a flea-flicker for a long TD? That was really a mind boggling loss.

K-State was so good. Michael Bishop is a name I'll never forget. I just looked at his stats from 97 and they are less than impressive. I remember him just doing whatever he wanted against us. Is my memory fuzzy?

 

[OrangeDW]

NC State - ugghhh. I was there with my Dad, a friend of mine & his Dad, who got us some nice seats behind the SU bench. Didn't we start out with a flea-flicker for a long TD? That was really a mind boggling loss.

K-State was so good. Michael Bishop is a name I'll never forget. I just looked at his stats from 97 and they are less than impressive. I remember him just doing whatever he wanted against us. Is my memory fuzzy?

Bishop was really fast.

I recall a controversial play(fumble?) when we were still in the game. It was 21-18 and I thought we had a great shot, at one point.

 

[RF2044]

The most frustrating thing about that NC State loss was that we only had 10 players on the field for what ended up being both the game winning TD and the 2 point conversion.

Sickening.

 

[HOFCeluck]

Wisconsin was an OK, but not great team.

 

[sufandu]

Konrad was hurt, McIntosh was hurt, Sudano was hurt, TBuck was at safety.

Was McNabb hurt?

 

[sufandu]

I remember the game Tebucky had against WVU. 11 tackles 2 ints (I think) and he knocked out a WVU TE on a hit immediately after he caught the ball near the LOS. I don't think the guy even had a chance to take a step up field, Jones got there so fast.

 

[Chip]

Wisconsin - one of the more fun trips of my life. We happened to stay in the Wisconsin team hotel. Alvarez' security guy was great, funny man. I took down a sign that said Special Teams practice at 9 am (I was very mature in those days). You're all welcome.

NC State - probably the most deflating loss in my 28 seasons following this team. God I'm old.

Oklahoma - student body right, 10 yards. student body left, 10 yards. Lather, rinse, repeat.

VT - my one and only trip to Blacksburg. That place was haunting at night in those days. So intimidating. McNabb played with a broken collarbone. I think we crossed midfield once.

WVU - really fun game. Rained all day, thankfully we tailgated in one of the parking garages. Dominated the game, one week after WVU took down VT.

BC - rare that I don't remember anything about a BC game in those days. I was at the game, but all I remember is that two wheels were stolen off my car in DC that week, and I was broke, and Lil' Joe graciously paid for the new wheels and my trip to Syracuse so I wouldn't break the BC streak.

Miami - The year that sanctions hit them the hardest. Weather was crappy. It was a boring game in general, but for us, huge celebration. Finally beat them.

K State - New Year's Eve in the desert. We were overmatched. I barely knew they had a program, but then SuperPurpleCat joined our board and educated us. The amount of purple at that game was impressive. I recall weather issues hurt our travel. On TV, the crowd looked 99%/1%.

 

[OburgOrange]

I remember watching Tulane warm up and how small they were. I said we are going to crush these guys... Not so fast

 

[orange_in_VA]

Thats an impressive home attendance average. Even the bottom feeder teams got good crowds back then.

Tulane, ECU and Temple games averaged almost 45k between them. I dont know if that kind of support is ever coming back in the modern age, but it must have been a wild time to be an SU fan at those games.

 

[kirbivore]

It really felt like the 14-0 lead came so easily that we just completely lost focus.

Even still, we had a great chance to pull it out and managed to find an agonizing way to lose with the Dee Brown(why was he in there and getting the ball!!?) fumble and scrambling around not ready for the two point conversion.

Bad coaching all around

 

[kirbivore]

Oklahoma - student body right, 10 yards. student body left, 10 yards. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Sounds like the Walter Washington Temple game, only it was QB over the guard at 4 yds a clip.

 

[kirbivore]

The most frustrating thing about that NC State loss was that we only had 10 players on the field for what ended up being both the game winning TD and the 2 point conversion.

Sickening.

derp

 

[OrangeDW]

I remember watching Tulane warm up and how small they were. I said we are going to crush these guys... Not so fast

To their credit they went 7-4 that year and 12-0 the following year.

 

[BomberOrange]

Bishop was really fast.

I recall a controversial play(fumble?) when we were still in the game. It was 21-18 and I thought we had a great shot, at one point.

There was a clear fumble by K State that you could see on replay and I believe Antonio Anderson recovered. I can’t remember if he ran it in for an apparent TD or if it gave us good field position. Either way it was 24-18 I believe at the time. It was ruled down and we didn’t have replay rule to reverse it. So they kept the ball and scored to make it 31-18. My memory is a bit fuzzy on this but I remember being so PO’d at the call. We were starting to get momentum and that killed it.

 

[samspann1]

Am I correct in remembering that Spotwood returned 2 punts for touchdowns at Oklahoma? That was a brutal game, some big plays but obviously not enough defense.

I remember that OU blocked 2 punts (same guy, IIRC) which led to TDs, and Trout badly missed a FG on the last play of the game.

 

[DNABB5]

Jason Poles had a similiar long pick six when WVU was "going in" down 10-13 as I recall.