Most inexplicable CFB games: I’ll start with ‘97 UCLA @ Texas

To me, this might be the single most head-scratching game I can think of.

The Horns and Mackovic were coming off their Big 12 Title season, complete with the 4th and inches call that doomed Nebraska and made James Brown a hero. They entered ‘97 at #12 in the nation, a clear favorite in the South Division when the North was littered with powerhouses like the Huskers, K-State, and Colorado. Texas beat Rutgers 48-14 week one to move up a spot.

UCLA was in its second season under Bob Toledo after a 5-6 finish in his debut. They promptly started 0-2, with a 3-point road loss to Wazzu (who would come out of nowhere to win the Pac-10) and a 30-24 setback against 3rd ranked Tennessee.

What happened on the afternoon of September 13 in Austin was a game I never expected to see unfold.

Texas started slowly and the Bruins took a 10-0 lead after 1. The floodgates opened in the 2nd quarter. UCLA struck when Skip Hicks took a pass 43 yards to the house just one play after recovering a UT fumble. On Texas very next offensive play, QB Richard Walton threw a pick that was nearly taken in for 6. This led a Cade McNown’s second of five 1st half TD passes.

Down 24-0, Texas inserted Marty Cherry at QB, who was known for his modeling gig the previous offseason. His 3rd pass was picked off, leading to more Bruin points. Cherry was mauled that game, and never played another snap for UT.

It was 38-0 Bruins at halftime. Cade McNown threw 3 passes in the second half. Texas committed 8 turnovers and finally mustered a Phil Dawson field goal to cut the deficit to 45-3. The final score was a 40-yard pick-six off of Marty Cherry to push the final to 66-3.

The win started a 20-game win streak for UCLA, which included a comeback win over Texas A&M in the ‘98 Cotton Bowl. UCLA’s luck ran out the next season in a humid Orange Bowl.

Texas proceeded to finish 2-6 in the Big 12, managing a win over lowly Oklahoma and Kansas. The loss to 1-6 Baylor ended any hopes Mackovic had of sticking around.

Enter Mack Brown, and the rest is history for that stretch. UCLA did smack the Horns the following season, and clobbered them again in 2010 when UT was ranked 7th. That game was a much more respectable 34-12.

I know upsets happen. In hindsight, this was no upset. It was a bloodbath where an opportunistic and motivated team played a seemingly perfect game against an overrated squad.