Daily Dose of Crimson Tide: The Goal-Line Stand
In 1978, Alabama lost an early-season meeting with Southern California, 24-14, but clawed its way back into the national title picture despite playing a vicious schedule including Nebraska, Missouri, Washington and Virginia Tech, in addition to the already incredibly-difficult Southeastern Conference lineup.
Led by its defense, the Crimson Tide closed out the regular season with a 34-16 victory against Auburn, sending No. 2 Alabama back to the Sugar Bowl to face No. 1 Penn State.
A 30-yard pass from quarterback Jeff Rutledge to split end Bruce Bolton with 8 seconds remaining in the first half gave Alabama a 7-0 lead, and the two teams traded touchdowns in the third quarter with running back Major Ogilvie following a block by tight end Rick Neal.
But Alabama’s defense was setting the tone for the game, as Penn State’s longest gain in the first half was a 10-yard run by fullback Matt Suhey, and a 32-yard reception by tailback Mike Guman was negated by an illegal-motion penalty.
In what announcer Keith Jackson described as a dramatic turn during the final minutes Penn State recovered a misdirected pitchout at the Alabama 19 and soon found itself with third down at the 1-yard line.
“It was gut-check time,” linebacker Barry Krauss said. “We looked at each other. We knew this could be it. When they broke the huddle, everything got silent. Boy, talk about gut-checks.”
Defensive back Don McNeal made the first stop roughly a foot away from the end zone and when Nittany Lions quarterback Chuck Fusina walked to the line of scrimmage to see how far the ball was from the goal line, defensive tackle Marty Lyons warned him: “You’d better pass.”
Instead, Paterno called Guman’s name for a run up the middle.
The pile started to form immediately after the snap.
Linemen David Hannah, who had an injured knee drained by doctors the day of the game and wasn’t supposed to play, went in for the stand. He along with Byron Braggs and Lyons did their part, neutralizing the Penn State blockers.
When Guman hit the hole there was only him and Krauss, who met in a bone-jarring head-on collision. With the fullback stood straight up short of the end zone, defensive back Murray Legg and linebacker Rich Wingo quickly closed to push Guman backward and finish him off.
The blow broke Krauss’ helmet and he fell to the ground. Due to a pinched nerve, he remained on the field unable to move his left side until Lyons reached down and grabbed him and the two made their way to the sideline.
Alabama held on for the 14-7 victory, and topped the final Associated Press poll, but in a controversial move Southern California leapfrogged the Crimson Tide to No. 1 in United Press voting, resulting in a split national title.
Krauss, an All-American and the Sugar Bowl MVP, was selected in the first round of the NFL Draft. He played 10 years for the Baltimore Colts before finishing his career with the Miami Dolphins.
But his No. 77 on the goal-line stand was the image of the 1978 season and graced the cover of numerous magazines, including Sports Illustrated.
“That goal-line stand was something I’ll never forget,” Bryant said.
Some of this post originated from "100 Things Crimson Tide Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die," published by Triumph Books
