Pirate Galaxy » Gyaws burn crossing the fairway at about 28

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Ara Parseghian still bristles 50 years later at the notion No. 1 Notre Dame played for a tie against No. 2 Michigan State in one of the most famous games in college football history.The only play that we ran that would be suggestive of going for a tie was the last play of the game, the 93-year-old coaching great said.The Irish were without their top running back, quarterback Terry Hanratty had a separated shoulder after being hit by defensive lineman Bubba Smith, several other players were injured and backup quarterback Coley OBrien was ailing. Notre Dame didnt throw a pass in the final six plays and ran a quarterback sneak on the final play, leading to criticism of Parseghian.The Irish, who beat No. 10 USC 51-0 a week later, were named national champions by The Associated Press and in the coaches poll, while the Spartans, whose season was over, finished No. 2. Michigan State was declared national champions by others.Its been 21 years since college football had its last tie, so todays players and many fans might wonder how any game that ended without resolution could be so memorable. But they are. And they served as linchpins in many an argument over who was best, too.That 1966 game has been described as the Game of the Century, as was another Notre Dame tie , a 0-0 game between top-rated Army and the second-ranked Irish at Yankee Stadium in 1946. The Irish finished No. 1 both times while their undefeated opponent finished No. 2 in the AP poll -- the only two times thats happened. In 1953, top-ranked Notre Dame fell to No. 2 following a 14-14 tie with No. 20 Iowa in a game where two players were accused of faking injuries to stop the clock at the end of both halves to score. Maryland won the title that season with the Irish No. 2.Other famous ties include fourth-ranked Michigan tying No. 1 Ohio State 10-10 in 1973, No. 1 Texas holding on for a 15-15 tie with No. 3 Oklahoma in 1984 and a game in 1968 that led the Harvard school newspaper to run the famous headline Harvard Beats Yale 29-29.Without an outcome, the debate of who the better team was lasts forever, said Kent Stephens, historian at the College Football Hall of Fame. The teams will always debate who was better Michigan State or Notre Dame? Its a question that remains in some peoples minds unresolved.Most of todays players werent alive when the last tie was played and find a game with national championship implications ending without a winner incomprehensible.I couldnt imagine that, Michigan State linebacker Riley Bullough said. I think the fans would be even more upset probably than the players, because theyre crazy down there and up here.Notre Dame left tackle Mike McGlinchey said it would be frustrating.That would absolutely drive me in insane. It was 1 versus 2, and the game ends in a tie, he said. I dont know if Id be able to stomach that one.Michigan State defensive back Demetrious Cox said hes not sure he could let a game end in a tie.We might meet somewhere else. We might play in the parking lot or something, he said.Former Oklahoma coach Bud Wilkinson, working as a color commentator at the 10-10 game, said in the closing seconds of the broadcast : If the game does end in a tie, Chris, it makes you feel they ought to have an extra period in college football.Those who played in those games said ties were just accepted.There was no discussion about overtime. A tie was a tie, said Terry Brennan, who played in the 0-0 tie against Army.Not going for a tie had its consequences. In the 1984 Orange Bowl, top-ranked Nebraska cut No. 5 Miamis lead to 31-30 with 48 seconds left on a 24-yard touchdown run by Jeff Smith on fourth and 8. Former Oklahoma coach Barry Switzer remembers watching on television and seeing Nebraska coach Tom Osborne call for a two-point conversion.Im saying, `Tom, dont do this, You were No. 1 going in. If its a tie, you dont lose the national championship, Switzer said.Osborne, though, says that is simply conjecture.I remember the controversy over the 10-10 tie with Notre Dame and Michigan State, and the idea of one coach or the other settling for a tie, I dont think I would have voted for a coach who had a chance to win and settle for a tie, he said.Stephens, the college football historian, said he thinks todays FBS overtime is contrived because it eliminates field position from strategy.I dont think it really and truly reflects the abilities of the teams with this overtime system, said Stephens, saying he prefers ties.Most, though, prefer overtime.I think that its better to declare a winner, Brennan said You want to win. You dont want to be tied.----AP Sports Writers Eric Olson in Omaha, Nebraska, and Noah Trister in East Lansing, Michigan, contributed to this report.---AP college football site: http://collegefootball.ap.org Football Jerseys Outlet . Giroud, who wasnt in the starting lineup for two matches after allegations about his private life and a decline in form, scored twice in the first half. Tomas Rosickys chip made it 3-0 before half time at Emirates Stadium, while defender Laurent Koscielny scored an unmarked header in the second half. Arizona Cardinals Byron Murphy Jersey . -- The goal posts lying flat on the field, Arizonas fans lingered on the field, congregating around the locker room entrance nearly 30 minutes after rushing out of the stands. http://www.cheapfootballchina.com/ . He said Tuesday thats a big reason why he is now the new coach of the Tennessee Titans. Whisenhunt said he hit it off quickly with Ruston Webster when interviewing for the job Friday night. Cheap Jacksonville Jaguars Jerseys China . The Americans, skipped by John Shuster, seized the advantage in the eighth end by scoring five points for a 7-3 lead. The Czechs pulled two back in the ninth, but Shusters team of third Jeff Isaacson, second Jared Zezel and lead John Landsteiner ended with another point to secure the last Olympic berth on offer. Cheap Los Angeles Chargers Jerseys China . -- For the first time in two months, an opponent was standing up to Alabama. TROON, Scotland -- A hole-by-hole look of Royal Troon, site of the 145th British Open on July 14-17:No. 1, 367 yards, par 4: A gentle opening hole, especially with the prevailing wind at the players back. There is out-of-bounds to the right and two bunkers on either side of the landing zone, assuming players hit iron off the tee. Some might try to drive the green in dry, favorable conditions. The green is slightly elevated with a narrow opening and surrounded by five bunkers.Stroke average and rank in 2004, the last time the British Open was held at Royal Troon: 4.10 (11).No. 2, 390 yards, par 4: Players will have a decision off the tee. There are three bunkers 40 yards short of the green. Players can try to hit driver beyond the bunkers and stay short of the next series of bunkers, leaving a short approach to a green guarded in front by two bunkers on the left and two on the right.Stroke average and rank in 2004: 4.06 (14).No. 3, 377 yards, par 4: The Gyaws burn crosses the fairway at about 280 yards; it might be too much for even the long hitters to consider driver. The green features three pot bunkers and slopes from front to back.Stroke average and rank in 2004: 4.14 (10).No. 4, 555 yards, par 5: With the prevailing wind, this par 5 is easily reachable in two shots. Thats all Gary Evans needed in 2004 when he made an albatross. A driver that goes too far could find a pot bunker on the left. The hole bends to the right. Even a long iron off the tee should leave players a shot to go for the green in firm conditions. Anyone making par will feel as though he gave a shot to the field.Stroke average and rank in 2004: 4.75 (17).No. 5, 209 yards, par 3: The green drops off severely to the right, and deep bunkers protect the front and left side of the green. One bunker is at the front right of the green. The highest point of the course makes wind a big factor in club selection.Stroke average and rank in 2004: 3.16 (8).No. 6, 601 yards, par 5: Royal Troon used to have the longest and shortest holes on the Open rotation until the 14th at St. Andrews was extended to 618 yards. Accurate tee shots that carry bunkers about 280 yards out still make it reachable with firm fairways and the prevailing wind. The long, narrow green has one bunker to the left.Stroke average and rank in 2004: 5.00 (15).No. 7, 401 yards, par 4: This leaves the coastline with an elevated tee shot from the top of dunes. Bunkers to the left and right make the fairway tight. Two more bunkers about 300 yards off the tee probably will make a long iron the popular tee shot. The well-bunkered green climbs steeply into the surrounding dunes.Stroke average and rank in 2004: 3.97 (16).No. 8, 123 yards, par 3: Willie Park Jr. once wrote of the pitching surface skimmed down to the size of a postage stamp, and the name stuck. The Postage Stamp is arguably the most famous par 3 on the Open rota. The green is set in the side of a large dune and is surrounded by five bunkers. German amateur Herman Tissies took 15 in 1950. More notable was Gene Sarazen making a hole-in-one at age 71 in 1973.Stroke average and rank in 2004: 3.09 (13).No. 9, 422 yards, par 4: The final outward hole is the toughest on the front nine.dddddddddddd A bunker is cut into the left side of the fairway at about 275 yards, and the approach must be perfect to a small, well-contoured green. Gorse bushes line both sides of the fairway.Stroke average and rank in 2004: 4.23 (5).No. 10, 451 yards, par 4: The links turns back into the wind, and this is a challenging start. There are no bunkers on the hole, but the tee shot is over a hill to a narrow fairway, and the elevated green drops away sharply to the right.Stroke average and ranking in 2004: 4.30 (3).No. 11, 482 yards, par 4: Arnold Palmer once called this the most dangerous hole I have ever seen. Jack Nicklaus made a 10 in his Open debut in 1962. A 4-foot high stone wall runs down the right side and is out-of-bounds with the railway on the other side. Gorse bushes are on the left. One bunker is to the left of the green.Stroke average and ranking in 2004: 4.41 (1).No. 12, 430 yards, par 4: The prevailing wind is straight into this dogleg right with a small green on a plateau. No bunkers threaten the tee shot, only gorse. There are bunkers on both sides of the two-tiered green.Stroke average and ranking in 2004: 4.31 (2).No. 13, 473 yards, par 4: This is where Royal Troons tough finish begins. It is the second hole without a bunker, but with the wind in the players face, it requires two long and accurate shots to reach the elevated green.Stroke average and ranking in 2004: 4.15 (9).No. 14, 173 yards, par 3: Trajectory will be critical because of the wind. The green is protected in the front by deep bunkers. The safe target is a wide section at the back of the green.Stroke average and ranking in 2004: 3.10 (12).No. 15, 499 yards, par 4: The tee has been extended 16 yards, making this the longest par 4 on the course. The drive is slightly blind to a plateau fairway, which opens up the second shot to a green nestling in a hollow. Three bunkers are short of the green, but none around it.Stroke average and ranking in 2004: 4.28 (4).No. 16, 554 yards, par 5: This hole can play longer into the wind because of the Gyaws burn crossing the fairway at about 280 yards. Tiger Woods hit the green in two in 1997 with a 3-iron off the tee and a driver off the deck. Laying up to the left allows for a better angle into a green surrounded by five bunkers.Stroke average and ranking in 2004: 4.74 (18).No. 17, 220 yards, par 3: The prevailing wind comes in from the left, which might make it difficult to hold a green that drops away on both sides. Four bunkers guard the green. Justin Leonard made a 35-foot birdie putt that clinched the claret jug in 1997.Stroke average and ranking in 2004: 3.22 (6).No. 18, 458 yards, par 4: Three bunkers on the left and one on the right make the fairway look tiny. All of them are in range off the tee. Five more bunkers guard the green, and the out-of-bounds path in front of the clubhouse is very close to the back of the green.Stroke average and ranking in 2004: 4.20 (7). ' ' '