Top 10 Games in Scott Field History: Honorable Mentions

Last Monday, Bob Carskadon announced that Mississippi State is allowing the fans to vote on the top-10 games in Scott Field history.  For another week, fans can nominate games using the hashtag #HailStateVote on Twitter.  After that, Mississippi State will compile the best 25, and fans can vote on the top-10 from that list.

Naturally, I'm excited about this and have compiled a list after looking over all of our wins at Scott Field through the years. Today we'll review some honorable mentions, tomorrow I'll post numbers 6-10, and the top-5 will be released Wednesday.

I also feel compelled to mention that I'm slightly disappointed that some of our greatest regular-season wins won't be included because they occurred off-campus.  1980 vs #1 Alabama (in Jackson) immediately comes to mind, as well as the 13-7 upset at Army in 1935 (in New York), and the 1940 Battle for the Golden Egg in Oxford, where it was essentially a winner-take-all SEC Championship Game, with State winning 6-0.  Had any of those happened in Starkville, they'd be included - with the 1940 and 1980 games probably topping my list.

Today, we look at some honorable mentions, in chronological order.

1981 - #16 MISS. STATE vs #13 MIAMI

Miami had a junior QB by the name of Jim Kelly, but State got the better of the future NFL Hall of Famer that day.  Our 14-10 halftime lead held through the rest of the game, with Greg Williams getting a crucial interception in the fourth quarter as Miami had driven into State's redzone.

1982 vs #6 LSU

Dana Moore's 45-yard field goal with 20 seconds left lifted State to a HUGE upset in Starkville, 27-24. Had State been good in 1982, this would've made the list, but I ultimately put more priority on games that were part of successful seasons. I don't expect this to make MSU's list, but if it did, I wouldn't argue.

1984 vs #9 LSU

LSU entered Starkville at 3-0-1 in the SEC (the tie with also-undefeated Florida), needing a win to hold serve with Florida for the SEC Title. Instead, Artie Cosby hit a 27yd field goal with 1:15 left, and State won 16-14, preventing LSU from winning an SEC Title. LSU finished 4-1-1, behind 5-0-1 Florida.

1994 vs #23 TENNESSEE

It PAINS me to leave this game off the top-10.  Trust me, I wanted to keep it.  That final drive with Eric Moulds making an incredible catch on 4th down...  We won 24-21, and it was thrilling.  And I love me some Moulds.  One of the great final-drives in MSU history.  Also, Peyton Manning's first collegiate appearance.

1999 - #12 MISS. STATE vs LSU

We were facing 4th down and goal from the 1, needing a touchdown to stay undefeated. In typical MSU fashion, we run up the middle and seem to have fallen short. But in atypical MSU fashion, the refs gave us the touchdown and the 17-16 victory. There's no DEFINITIVE camera angle, but I just don't see how Rod Gibson crossed the goal line. But hey, I'm not complaining.

2004 vs #20 FLORIDA

Jerious Norwood's game-winning TD with 32 seconds left. Let me be clear here - I FULLY expect this to make State's top-10 list (probably around #7), mostly because it's recent and people remember it. But for me, there were more important games and bigger upsets. But I still have a piece of that goalpost.

So, those are the best of the ones that didn't make my cut. Tomorrow, I'll have slightly-longer recaps of #6-10 posted here, and 140-character tweets later in the day.  Wednesday, I'll post my top-5.

Agree, disagree, whatever.  Let me know what you think.  Just remember to vote.  #HailStateVote