100 Days of MSU Football - Day 24
September 24, 1994. I remember the day well, because that was the day our family got a brand new, state of the art, 32" RCA television. It was the biggest TV I had ever lay eyes on at the time. Might as well have been 60" big, especially since I was only 8. And what was the first thing we watched on that brand new TV? Why, it was Mississippi State versus Tennessee.
State was coming of (another) bad loss to LSU, and Tennessee was down to their 3rd string QB, some Freshman. Peyton Manning was his name, I believe. Peyton had taken over after the starter, Jerry Colquitt, had gone down against UCLA in the opener, with backup Todd Helton (yes, THAT Todd Helton) getting injured during our game with the Volunteers. In stepped Mr. Manning, who we now know would go on to have a hall of fame career at Tennessee, finishing with a 39-6 record as a starter and a Heisman runner up in 1997. He has also gone on to be quite a pro too, I hear.
Anyways, back to the game. The #24 Volunteers, plagued by injuries at the QB position and being led by a Freshman, held tightly to a 21-17 lead late in the game. With around 2 minutes remaining, State began a drive towards the UT endzone, hoping to snatch victory away from the young Manning and the men in orange. On 4th down from the 30 and time running out, Derrick Taite hit Eric Moulds to get a 1st down to about the 10. The rest? Well, you probably know how this story ends. If not, check out the video below:
1994 Tennessee @ Missississippi State (via sparky39762)
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