Phil C
09-19-2006, 10:18 AM
In 1940 it looked like Cornell was going to have a perfect season and win the National Championship. Cornell had a surprisingly tough game at Dartmouth and was trailing 0 - 3. Cornell got the ball near the end of the game and had a first and goal inside the ten. They ran four plays and didn't score but the refs goofed and gave them a fifth play which was the last play of the game. Cornell scored and kicked the extra point and thought they had escaped with a 7 to 3 win. However upon review of the films Cornell found out they had scored on a fifth down. The ball should have been awarded to Dartmouth who would have ran the last few seconds off. Cornell did the honorable thing and offered to forfeit the game to Dartmount. Some people think they didn't expect Dartmouth to accept it but still they put it to Dartmouth's decision. Dartmouth excepted so they had the win 3 to 0 (or maybe 1 - 0)
Either way this was regarded as a loss by Cornell as Dartmouth was to end the season at 5 - 4. It cost Cornell the National Championship since the AP considered it a loss and awarded the National Championship to Minnessota.
A good example indeed of correcting a mistake.
A similar thing happened in 1990 when Colorado won an NC by scoring on a fifth down against Missouri. Colorado considered the forfeit but did not offer it thus winning the NC. Of course it wouldn't be expected for Colorado to do the honorable thing unlike Cornell.
Either way this was regarded as a loss by Cornell as Dartmouth was to end the season at 5 - 4. It cost Cornell the National Championship since the AP considered it a loss and awarded the National Championship to Minnessota.
A good example indeed of correcting a mistake.
A similar thing happened in 1990 when Colorado won an NC by scoring on a fifth down against Missouri. Colorado considered the forfeit but did not offer it thus winning the NC. Of course it wouldn't be expected for Colorado to do the honorable thing unlike Cornell.