Spoilers

[89Hen]

A post by Rabid Rabbit on another thread got me thinking... who's season has your team spoiled or who has spoiled your season in the past? Doesn't have to be a season ending one, but maybe a game in a 7-4 season that you should have won/lost and it kept you or your opponent out of the playoffs, ie. UNI's loss to North Dakota last year.

For UD, the one that sticks in my head is Maine spoiling our 1985 season. The Hens were 7-3 heading into the last game having beaten two I-A's and had a last minute victory over UMass the week before. All the Hens had to do to make the playoffs was beat a team that had NEVER beaten the Hens. The game was played in sideways rain and 40 degree temps... easily the most miserable game experience I've ever had.

UD's biggest spoiler role has to be the 1977 win over 10-0 and bowl bound Colgate... well, they were bowl bound before the Hen game. xsmiley_wix

[McTailGator]

A post by Rabbid Rabbit on another thread got me thinking... who's season has your team spoiled or who has spoiled your season in the past? Doesn't have to be a season ending one, but maybe a game in a 7-4 season that you should have won/lost and it kept you or your opponent out of the playoffs, ie. UNI's loss to North Dakota last year.

For UD, the one that sticks in my head is Maine spoiling our 1985 season. The Hens were 7-3 heading into the last game having beaten two I-A's and had a last minute victory over UMass the week before. All the Hens had to do to make the playoffs was beat a team that had NEVER beaten the Hens. The game was played in sideways rain and 40 degree temps... easily the most miserable game experience I've ever had.

UD's biggest spoiler role has to be the 1977 win over 10-0 and bowl bound Colgate... well, they were bowl bound before the Hen game. xsmiley_wix


Both Maine and NAU have spoiled what should have been very good seasons for McNeese in 1998 and 2003. we were highly ranked going into both those seasons only to be supprised in the first round of the playoffs those years.

I'm supprised the 1997 semi-final game vs McNeese didn't make your list. xconfusedx

[89Hen]

I'm supprised the 1997 semi-final game vs McNeese didn't make your list. xconfusedx
Certainly a heartbreaker... damn illegal procedure xmadx xbawlingx , but I think to be a spoiler the victor has to be an underachiever... not a playoff team.

[pantherclaw]

We "spoiled" WKU's hopes of getting into the playoffs last year.

[Ivytalk]

Certainly a heartbreaker... damn illegal procedure xmadx xbawlingx , but I think to be a spoiler the victor has to be an underachiever... not a playoff team.

Measured by that rubric, I'd have to say that Harvard's biggest spoiler in recent years has been Cornell. One year, they beat us on the strength of two safeties. About 5 or 6 years ago, we had them down 28-0 at the half, and they came back to win 29-28. There was a stretch in the 80s when they beat Harvard about 7 straight times. Cornell is always Harvard's second league game, so an early loss to them can really set us back.

[RabidRabbit]

Spoilers last couple of years off top of my head....

SDSU over Southern in 2004. Southern in SWAC championship that year.

NDSU over Ball St. 06

UC-Davis over Stanford. 05

UNH over Northwestern. 06

WIU over UNI. 06

Chadron St. over Montana St.

Wis-LAX over SDSU xbawlingx

[Col Hogan]

My first visit to the Tub was in 2003...most painful ending I ever witnessed in person for UMass...a great game, but.....

Triple-Overtime loss to Delaware...we were ranked #3 that week...Andy Hall kept Delaware in the game for a 51-45 win...xbawlingx xbawlingx .

[813Jag]

Spoilers last couple of years off top of my head....

SDSU over Southern in 2004. Southern in SWAC championship that year.

NDSU over Ball St. 06

UC-Davis over Stanford. 05

UNH over Northwestern. 06

WIU over UNI. 06

Chadron St. over Montana St.

Wis-LAX over SDSU xbawlingx
I cried that night xbawlingx We were leading early and never recovered.
For us in 1999 FAMU ended our undefeated season 65-18 xbawlingx
Losing to Nicholls State spoiled a lot of seasons xnonono2x xbawlingx

[Ronbo]

EWU in 2002 broke our 24 game winning streak.

MSU in 2005, we were 8-2 going into the game in Bozeman and ranked in the Top 10. We only needed to win the game to get the BSC title outright. The loss resulted in a 3 way tie for the BSC championship.

[UncleSam]

Here's a few spoilers from the CAA,


'01 - a bad UMass team (3-8) upsets URI (8-3) costing URI the playoffs

'03 - Hofstra (2-10) upsets N'eastern (8-4) costing NU a playoff spot

'05 - a mediocre Delaware team (6-5) beats national champ JMU, who finishes 7-4 and misses the playoffs

'05 - Hofstra, a non playoff team, derails UMass playoff plans in the final game of the season with an upset win at HU.

[89Hen]

Good work Sam, finally somebody gets what a 'spoiler' is. xthumbsupx

[Go...gate]

November 19, 1977. Delaware (5-3-1 going in) spoiled Colgate's undefeated season and Bowl bid, 21-3. xbawlingx

[pete4256]

In 2003, a GSU team struggling to get back on its feet dropped its homecoming game to perennial whipping-boys The Citadel and finished the season 7-4, narrowly missing the playoffs. If they'd made the field that year they would have boasted nine straight appearances from 1997-2005.

What made it even more miserable was that we were down big early on to the Bulldogs and then brought in our injured QB--Chaz Williams--who hadn't played in five weeks or so. We took a late lead and were running out the clock when our second-string fullback lost a fumble. El Cid drove it down our throats and scored at the very end to win.

Honorable mentions:

1998 NC v. UMass
2001 Nat'l semi-final v. Furman

The reason those count is that we were favored in each case, heavily in 1998. We were 14-0 that year and dropped to 14-1 largely as a result of eight turnovers.

The semi-final game represented our first home loss in the playoffs and broke our 39 game home winning streak.

If you can call deep playoff games "spoiler games," I think these count because they ruined what appeared to be coronation parties.

[Dukie95]

Villanova over JMU in '06 (we still made the playoffs, but would we have been sent to YSU with a win there?)

[Ivytalk]

A 2-6 Harvard team spoiled Yale's 8-0 record with a 22-7 win at the Bowl back in '79. I can't remember Yale doing the same thing to us in the past 30 years, but they've been undefeated (or nearly so) more often than we have.

[leatherneck177]

I'd say when the Leathernecks traveled into the UNI-Dome and beat Northern Iowa last year. Most complete game of the season by the Necks.

[Libertine]

1997 at App. St.:

We won 25-19 and knocked them out of the playoff picture. Been paying for it ever since.

[PaladinFan]

Two immediately come to mind for me...

Furman v. GSU part II in 2001. Furman came into Paulson facing the Eagle's 39 game home winning streak and their astounding 28-0 home playoff record. Furman, having already dropped the first meeting, was without Payton Winner Louis Ivory at running back. Furman charged back from a 17-7 halftime deficit to stun the Eagles for their still only win at Paulson.

A very close second is Furman v. JMU in 2004. To win that game James Madison had to make a series of stellar plays, a blocked punt for a touchdown, Justin Rascati scampering 22 yards on a third and 21, forcing a fumble as the Paladins were putting the game on ice, inducing a missed extra point. James Madison went on to win the naitonal championship, leaving a bitter taste in the mouths of Furman fans as we had their backs against the wall the entire game.

[Granite]

Here's a few spoilers from the CAA,


'01 - a bad UMass team (3-8) upsets URI (8-3) costing URI the playoffs

'03 - Hofstra (2-10) upsets N'eastern (8-4) costing NU a playoff spot

'05 - a mediocre Delaware team (6-5) beats national champ JMU, who finishes 7-4 and misses the playoffs

'05 - Hofstra, a non playoff team, derails UMass playoff plans in the final game of the season with an upset win at HU.


Another one:

'03 - an improving 4-7 UNH team upset Maine (7-4) in the last game of the season, probably costing them a playoff spot.

Incidentally, that was the season that UNH lost an absolute heartbreaker at home to the Hens (who went on to win the NC) on a missed chip-shot field goal as time expired. A brutal, brutal loss.

[PantherRob82]

North Dakota and Iowa State ruined 06 for us. 2 close losses.

[PantherRob82]

We "spoiled" WKU's hopes of getting into the playoffs last year.

haha, that felt good too.

[PantherRob82]

I'd say when the Leathernecks traveled into the UNI-Dome and beat Northern Iowa last year. Most complete game of the season by the Necks.

tell me about it. I think the season was close to spoiled already after early losses, but the WIU loss and the SIU pounding definitely put it away.

[89Hen]

UNH lost an absolute heartbreaker at home to the Hens (who went on to win the NC) on a missed chip-shot field goal as time expired.
WOW! First UNH fan I've seen that says 'missed'... all the rest of the Cat fans say it was good. ;) :p

[813Jag]

I'm sure losing to Prairie View counts as a spoiler. That loss last year took the wind completely out of our sails.

[Granite]

WOW! First UNH fan I've seen that says 'missed'... all the rest of the Cat fans say it was good. ;) :p

:)

Well, I wast standing on the visitor's side of Cowell Stadium around the spot of the line of scrimmage when it happened - I don't remember what I was thinking, outside of "What the heck just happened?" I don't remember thinking "we wuz robbed" on that one, but maybe 4 years has eroded my memory. ;)

[UNH_Alum_In_CT]

WOW! First UNH fan I've seen that says 'missed'... all the rest of the Cat fans say it was good. ;) :p

Yeah and he's going to get a talking to the next time I see him!!!!! :p :p :p :p :p :p ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;)

I always figured that incorrectly called FG was the football gods balancing things out after you guys missed a PAT in OT against UNH in 2000. Didn't that cost Delaware a perfect regular season after our ridiculous comeback put the game in overtime? Did it even hurt your seeding for the playoffs?

As an aside, I have a buddy who still hasn't forgiven another buddy for leaving that game early! He won't drive with him to a game anymore! xlolx xlolx xlolx

I didn't enter that game as a spoiler because UNH was decent and rolling toward a possible playoff bid. They gakked the next two weeks to crush those playoff dreams.

[UNH_Alum_In_CT]

:)

Well, I wast standing on the visitor's side of Cowell Stadium around the spot of the line of scrimmage when it happened - I don't remember what I was thinking, outside of "What the heck just happened?" I don't remember thinking "we wuz robbed" on that one, but maybe 4 years has eroded my memory. ;)

At I was at my usual perch Granite so you know I couldn't tell from up there. But it sure looked good. It was when I saw the TV replay the next day that I got very upset because it REALLY looked good from the camera in the other end zone!!

Right after the game, I just kept thinking how do you not get a close call on your own field on your Homecoming?????????????? xlolx xlolx xlolx

Any way, back to the spoiler games!! Great off season topic!!! xnodx xnodx xnodx

[Ivytalk]

I'm sure losing to Prairie View counts as a spoiler. That loss last year took the wind completely out of our sails.

That loss would be cause for mass suicide, IMHO!:p

[Granite]

At I was at my usual perch Granite so you know I couldn't tell from up there. But it sure looked good. It was when I saw the TV replay the next day that I got very upset because it REALLY looked good from the camera in the other end zone!!


That was probably part of my problem too, actually. I have pretty good seats - but I was with my daughter (who was 4 months or so at the time) and she wasn't into sitting on my lap. So we were in transit most of the game - I wound up on the Delaware side of Cowell Stadium at field level when it happened, so I didn't have the greatest view of the kick. I just remember the UD fans were despondent when we drove down the field and put ourselves in a position for the win. Of course, it went from despondent to ecstatic pretty quickly. xbangx

[GaSouthern]

western kentucky; umAss; TexSUX St; UNH

[GGASU]

My favorite spoiler was in 1988 when ASU tied Wake Forest in the last regular season game for both teams, keeping the Deacons out of a bowl game. xthumbsupx

[slostang]

How about South Dakota State scoring three TDs (one on 4th and long) and two 2 point conversions against Cal Poly last season to rally from being down 28-6 in the 4th quarter to win 29-28. Take away that loss and Cal Poly would have gone 8-3 with their only losses (all on the road) being to FBS bowl bound San Jose State, Montana and North Dakota State. If Cal Poly held that lead I think they would have been in the 2006 playoffs.xoopsx

[813Jag]

That loss would be cause for mass suicide, IMHO!:p
I was at a wedding when I got word of the score. My first reaction was xeekx My wife had to tell everybody that I wasn't feeling good. xlolx

[Marcus Garvey]

November 19, 1977. Delaware (5-3-1 going in) spoiled Colgate's undefeated season and Bowl bid, 21-3. xbawlingx

What comes around goes around:
20 years later (Nov. 22, 1997 to be exact), Colgate defeats a previously 10-0 Bucknell squad to take the Patriot's first automatic bid to the playoffs.... Colgate gets spanked by Villanova, demonstrating the (then) disparity between the Patriot Leage and the other playoff conferences that would need to be addressed. Bucknell hasn't so much as sniffed the playoffs since!

Where are the Lafayette fans? I thought they'd be all over the place bragging about how they've turned "Spoiling Lehigh's Playoff Hopes" into an annual event! :D

[Marcus Garvey]

I'm sure losing to Prairie View counts as a spoiler. That loss last year took the wind completely out of our sails.

It happens. Even the 1927 New York Yankees (110-44) of "Murderer's Row" fame lost to the St. Louis Browns (59-94). Granted, it was only once in 22 games, but they did still lose to them!

[BigApp]

1997 at App. St.:

We won 25-19 and knocked them out of the playoff picture. Been paying for it ever since.

http://www.worldpartnersadoption.org/images/starfish/NeverForgetPicture.jpg

[BigApp]

My favorite spoiler was in 1988 when ASU tied Wake Forest in the last regular season game for both teams, keeping the Deacons out of a bowl game. xthumbsupx

I've never been happier with a tie. to this day, I smile each and every time someone brings this up xthumbsupx

[Saint3333]

1975 - ASU beats South Carolina, ECU, and Wake Forest and all they have to do is beat WCU for a bowl bid... we lost 11-20.

Hardest 3 losses in the 1-AA era:
3. 1987 Marshall ends ASU loses to Marshall in the semis 10-24, we beat them 17-10 earlier that season
2. 1995 SFA ends ASU 12-0 season 17-27 2nd road of playoffs.
1. 1994 VMI (0-10 at the time) comes into Boone and beats us 23-26 2OT to rip the SoCon title from us and send us on the road for the playoffs.xsmhx

[813Jag]

Here's another one the Jags in 1993 are 8-0 after defeating Alcorn State and Steve "Air" McNair to clinch a tie for their first SWAC title since 1975. The next week at homecoming the Jags lose 28-14 to a 1-5 Nicholls State team.

[Longhorn]

Here's a few spoilers from the CAA,

'05 - a mediocre Delaware team (6-5) beats national champ JMU, who finishes 7-4 and misses the playoffs

As tough as the loss was to UD that year, Cuff was fantastic on a solid (tho underperforming) UD team. And honestly, anytime any team plays the Hens on their home field, UD has a shot (and probably should be favored).

IMO the "spoiler" game that kept the defending champs out of the playoffs in '05 happened much earlier in the season...it was the Duke's loss and lackluster performance against CCU that was the big stinker/spoiler. xoopsx

[Go...gate]

What comes around goes around:
20 years later (Nov. 22, 1997 to be exact), Colgate defeats a previously 10-0 Bucknell squad to take the Patriot's first automatic bid to the playoffs.... Colgate gets spanked by Villanova, demonstrating the (then) disparity between the Patriot Leage and the other playoff conferences that would need to be addressed. Bucknell hasn't so much as sniffed the playoffs since!

Where are the Lafayette fans? I thought they'd be all over the place bragging about how they've turned "Spoiling Lehigh's Playoff Hopes" into an annual event! :D

Actually, we gave #1 seeded Villanova a pretty good playoff game at their place and led 28-27 entering the 4th Quarter. Villanova exploded for three TD's in the final period.

[JMU_Fan_2007]

Coastal Carolina spoiled JMU's 2005 season. We lost a few other games, but that one was the one we should have won (not to take anything from CCU, I just mean we were definately expected too). Not to mention mud baths at Delaware and UMASS. But Coastal was the real spoiler that season

[rokamortis]

Coastal has played a good spoiler since our inception ... unfortunately we've been spoiled a few times ourselves.

[PantherRob82]

Coastal has played a good spoiler since our inception ... unfortunately we've been spoiled a few times ourselves.

CSU maybe? xcoffeex

[PaladinFan]

Thought of another...

2005 Furman v. GSU. Furman has the #1 seed, the Southern Conference title, and home field advantage sitting on the table and manages to let it slip by. Even worse, it all went to Appalachian.

[PantherRob82]

Thought of another...

2005 Furman v. GSU. Furman has the #1 seed, the Southern Conference title, and home field advantage sitting on the table and manages to let it slip by. Even worse, it all went to Appalachian.

Who knows what that game might have changed?

[james_lawfirm]

Biggest spoiler for ASU was back in 1994 (I think), when we lost in the last game of the year to The Citadel who had not won a game that year. We lost that game & it cost us home field advantage through the playoffs. What a bummer!

[AZGrizFan]

A post by Rabid Rabbit on another thread got me thinking... who's season has your team spoiled or who has spoiled your season in the past? Doesn't have to be a season ending one, but maybe a game in a 7-4 season that you should have won/lost and it kept you or your opponent out of the playoffs, ie. UNI's loss to North Dakota last year.

For UD, the one that sticks in my head is Maine spoiling our 1985 season. The Hens were 7-3 heading into the last game having beaten two I-A's and had a last minute victory over UMass the week before. All the Hens had to do to make the playoffs was beat a team that had NEVER beaten the Hens. The game was played in sideways rain and 40 degree temps... easily the most miserable game experience I've ever had.

UD's biggest spoiler role has to be the 1977 win over 10-0 and bowl bound Colgate... well, they were bowl bound before the Hen game. xsmiley_wix

Montana doesn't have 7-4 seasons, but the most recent spoiler to keep us out of the playoffs would be.....wait.....oh damn, I can't think of one. :D :D :D :D :D

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Lehigh played the spoiler against UD in 1999, going to the Tub and winning 52-45. It played a huge part in ensuring that Lehigh qualified as an at-large team in the East for the playoffs rather than UD.

Hard to call the recent success by Lafayette over Lehigh "spoilers" since the league championship was on the line. I'd have to go back to 2005 when Holy Cross upended us 13-10 as a good candidate for a "spoiler" game, which cost us an outright league title and playoff berth.

[CID1990]

1992 vs. Marshall. Don't remember the score, but they handled us pretty good.

That was our only regular season loss. We still won the conference and finished the regular season at #1 in I-AA, but that game cost us a perfect regular season. I guess it was fitting and proper, since a couple years earlier, Marshall was ranked #1 in the country and we beat them in Charleston 20-3.

[GannonFan]

Lehigh played the spoiler against UD in 1999, going to the Tub and winning 52-45. It played a huge part in ensuring that Lehigh qualified as an at-large team in the East for the playoffs rather than UD.


Truth be told, we'd had still been in the playoffs but for a disastrous 51-45 OT loss to nova in the last game of the year, after UD was up 45-24 with 9 minutes left in the game - 3 blocked punts didn't help either. Truly pathetic. xbawlingx xmadx xsmhx

[bluehenbillk]

thanks for reminding me GF xnonono2x

[Umass74]

UMass has defeated three teams with perfect records.
1978 UMass 44 Nevada Reno 21 (semi-finals)
1998 UMass 27 Lehigh 21 (quarterfinals)
1998 UMass 55 GSU 43 (National Championship)

UMass has defeated one team that was undefeated in FCS .
2006 UMass 19 Montana 17