College football: Groins, grease among most memorable Utah-USU matchups

USU quarterback Tony Adams came into the game as the nation's third-leading quarterback in front of then-record 19,434 fans. But no one expected what would happen on the autumn afternoon in Logan.

Utah State, an independent at the time, came into the game 6-3 after a loss to Wyoming the week before, while Utah was 5-3 behind quarterback Don Van Galder.

However, Adams shredded the Ute defense, passing for an NCAA-record 561 yards and five touchdowns in the rout of the Utes.

That record lasted for five years until BYU's Marc Wilson broke it with 571 yards, ironically in a game against Utah.

Ute upset

Nov. 23, 1963 — Utah 25, Utah State 23

This game took place while the nation was in mourning, just one day after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. There was talk of not playing the game, and many college games were cancelled that day. However, the Ute-Aggie game went on as scheduled and turned out to be a classic.

The two teams hadn't met in Logan in a decade, since 1953, and a sellout crowd of over 15,520 packed Romney Stadium. USU had won two straight in Salt Lake and was the obvious favorite with an 8-1 record to Utah's 3-6 mark.

Utah trailed 23-19 midway through the fourth quarter, but on 4th-and-21 from their own 38, the Utes ran the ball from punt formation, with Andy Ireland gaining 27 yards. A few minutes later, Gary Hertzfeldt hit Mike Davis for the go-ahead touchdown.

USU still had a chance and drove the length of the field behind future NFL quarterback Bill Munson, but at the one-yard line with time running out, coach Tony Knap elected to go for the touchdown rather than the field goal and the Ute defense held.

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