With 136 total points, the game held the record for the most combined points scored in a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) regulation game until 137 total points were scored by Syracuse and Pittsburgh during their November 26, 2016 showdown. The record was then broken by Ohio State and Michigan State during their January 1, 2017 Big Ten Conference (BTN) Championship Game.
The most combined points scored in a college football game goes to show how great NCAA Division I FBS games are when they're being played at their best. The point system used before 1972 required that teams add up the number of points they score and then divide that number by two to find out how many points they needed to score to win or lose. So, a team that scored 20 points would need to beat an opponent by 10 points to win or lose by just as many points. In other words, it's very possible to have a close game that ends in a tie!
There have been several games over the years where both teams were very close to each other in terms of scoring but one team managed to come out on top thanks to more first downs, less turnovers, and better overall performance.
Nebraska scored 66 points against Northwestern in the 2000 Alamo Bowl, the most ever scored in a college football bowl game. The Cornhuskers ran for three touchdowns and passed for two more in an impressive 42-37 win over their Southwest Division rival.
The 1966 Sun Bowl featured two top 10 teams as #8 Texas beat #4 Michigan 34-3 for its only victory of the season. The Wolverines were ranked No. 1 at the time but fell to 2-2 after losing to Texas A&M and Kansas State.
The highest scoring bowl game in NCAA history was held in 1978. Ohio State defeated Iowa 26-16 in the Holiday Bowl. The game was decided by one point until late in the fourth quarter when Ohio State's Mike Krenzel kicked a 37-yard field goal with 11 seconds remaining to seal the win for the Buckeyes. The score was then changed to 26-15 Ohio State due to a rule that states if there is a tie at the end of four quarters, the team that is ahead on points wins. This would be the last year that rule would be used in any college football game.
The most recent bowl game to reach six goals was the 2015 College Football Playoff National Championship between Oregon and Florida State.
The Washington Redskins and New York Giants would light up the District of Columbia Stadium scoreboard on November 27, 1966, in the highest-scoring game in NFL history. The Redskins' 72-41 victory remains the most total points (113) in an NFL game, as well as the most points (72) for one team in an NFL game. The record has since been surpassed twice more, first by the Denver Broncos in 1989 with 113 themselves and then by the Indianapolis Colts in 2014 with 116.
The game was also notable for being the last time that a quarterback had a hand in every point of his team's score. Don Meredith led all rushers with 153 yards and 2 touchdowns, while George Rogers finished with 10 catches for 123 yards and a touchdown. His performance earned him MVP honors for the second consecutive season.
The Redskins dominated the game from start to finish, scoring their first seven points and building up a 42-7 lead at the end of the first quarter. Meredith completed 9 of 12 passes for 103 yards and two scores during that span. He also ran for another 33 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries.
The Giants managed only 76 yards of offense in the first half, while turning the ball over four times (three fumbles, one interception). They came out of the locker room trailing, 51-7, after three quarters.
Redskins' coach Joe Gibbs called his team's effort "outstanding" after the win.
That game is also at the top of the list of the highest bowl game margins: Team Score MarginArmy defeated Houston Armed Forces 70-56 in Bowl 56. TulsaGMAC 55, Bowling Green 63, Alabama 61. The Syracuse Orange (51 points) BYU wins 65-65 over Texas A&M. Holiday
Only Arizona, Bowling Green, Georgia Tech, Oklahoma, and Tulsa have scored more over 150 points in a game in the current NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). With games in the early 1900s excluded, the Houston Cougars are the first Division I FBS football team to score 100 points against another FBS team in 1968, against Tulsa.
The graph depicts the all-time leaders in points scored in an NCAA Final Four game. With 58 points, Bill Bradley holds the record for most points scored in an NCAA Final Four game. As of March 15, 2019, there has been the most points scored in NCAA Final Four games in history. Joe Dumars and John Salley are two of the many players who have scored 57 or more points in an NCAA Final Four game.
The record was first set by Bradley on April 4, 1990, when he had 11 points, 12 rebounds, and 7 blocks in a losing effort against Michigan State. It was also done twice by Salley: once in 1992 when he had 13 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 blocks in a losing effort against Kentucky and again in 1996 when he had 14 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 blocks in a losing effort against Arkansas.
There have been other players who have scored 56 or more points in an NCAA Final Four game. The list includes some legends of basketball such as Ralph Sampson, Dwayne McClain, and David Robinson. Also, included on this list are some future pro players such as Jason Kidd, Chris Webber, and Jalen Rose. In addition, there have been several players who have scored 55 or more points in an NCAA Final Four game.
The record will be probably never to be broken since 2006 when Carmelo Anthony scored 60 points in a losing effort against Memphis.
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