The Matchup of the Ages: Scott Hunter vs. Archie Manning

The 1969 showdown between Alabama and Ole Miss has more than stood the test of time as one of the greatest games in college football history.

It was the first nationally televised night game in college football history, and some consider it one of the best ever played. If there would have been a Hollywood-type marquee outside of Legion Field on October 4, 1969, it would have read “Ole Miss at Alabama,” but the next line could only have been assigned to the starting quarterbacks, “Archie Manning vs. Scott Hunter.”

While the Crimson Tide was 2-0, it was coming off back-to-back eight-win seasons that had some fans wondering if the program might be on the decline after challenging to become the first team in major college football history to win three consecutive national titles (1964-66).

Ole Miss, favored to win the SEC title if not more, was fresh off a 10-9 loss in Lexington to Kentucky. But everyone was already well aware of Manning’s capabilities. The previous year as a sophomore, he had a 362-yard game against LSU, and helped lead a 7-3-1 season.

In one of the rare true shootouts in Crimson Tide history — and with both teams wearing a 100 insignia on their helmets to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the start of college football — Hunter completed 22 of 29 passes for 300 yards, while Manning was 33 of 52 for 436 yards and ran for 104 more. 

The duo combined for 842 yards of total offense, and in the process set numerous school and conference records.

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Even though Crimson Tide head coach Paul W. "Bear" Bryant supposedly told his assistants they were fired numerous times while storming up and down the sideline, Alabama won 33-32 on George Ranager’s 15-yard game-winning touchdown reception with 4:32 remaining.

“After the game was over with, I was looking for Archie and found him,” Hunter said. “He had tears in his eyes. I didn’t even know what to say. I reached out, shook his hand, and he looked me in the eye.We didn’t have to say a thing to each other. We knew what we had done that night.”

Despite the victory, Alabama struggled the rest of the season, beginning with the subsequent Saturday, a 14-10 loss to Vanderbilt. For the first time since 1958, the Tide lost to both Tennessee and Auburn, and closed the year with a 47-33 defeat to Colorado in the Liberty Bowl. The 6-5 finish was the Tide’s worst record since the 5-4-1 finish in 1958, Bryant’s first at Alabama.

Ole Miss went the opposite direction, didn’t lose another Southeastern Conference game and defeated Arkansas in the Sugar Bowl, 27-22, to finish 8-3.

Manning was named a first-team All-American, and finished fourth in Heisman Trophy voting (he placed third in 1970). 

His No. 18 was the only number retired by Ole Miss until Chucky Mullins’ No. 38 in 2006.

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“I have told my boys this," Manning said. “When Eli got to Ole Miss, he was looking through the media guide and called me and said, ‘Dad, your numbers weren’t very good,’ and I said, ‘Eli, we didn’t throw the ball that much.’

“If you threw for 160 or 170 yards per game in the ’60s and the ’70s, that was a good day. That night against Alabama was kind of a freak thing.”

It might still be the game Manning is asked about the most. 

For example, when Manning joined Herschel Walker and Steve Spurrier for a special 150th anniversary of college football panel at 2019 SEC Media Days, it didn't long for him to be asked about the loss 50 years later.  

“I’ve been to Birmingham a lot through the years, and I’ve played a lot of golf tournaments and have a lot of friends, and everybody I see says ‘I was there,’” Manning said. “As best I remember Legion Field in those days only had about 50,000, 60,000 seats. I’ve had 400,000, 500,000 people tell me they were there. It was a great game, though.”

Scott Hunter

Game

Hunter was 22 of 29 (75.9 percent) for 300 yards
One touchdown passes
Passer rating: 174.14
One rushing touchdown
Alabama had 23 first downs and 490 yards of total offense

Career

Year, Games, C-A (precent), Yards, TDs, Ints., Rating

1968 10 122-227 (53.71 percent), 1,471, 10 TDs, 9 ints., 114.8
1969 10 157-266 (59.0 percent), 2,188, 9 TDs, 8 ints., 133.3
1970 11 103-179 (57.5 percent), 1,240 yards, 8 TDs, 15 ints., 113.7

• Hunter was the first Alabama quarterback to pass for 300 yards in a game. It's now been done 54 times. 
• He was the first quarterback to pass for 2,000 yards in a single season (1969). The second was Mike Shula in 1985. 
• Selected in the sixth round of the 1971 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers
• Inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 1998

Archie Manning

Game 

Manning was 33 of 52 (63.4 percent) for 436 yards
Two touchdown passes
One pass intercepted
Passer rating: 142.74
Rushing 104 yards and three touchdowns
Ole Miss had 30 first downs and 609 yards of total offense

Career 

Year, Games, C-A (precent), Yards, TDs, Ints., Rating

1968 10 127-263 (48.3 percent) 1,510, 8 TDs, 17 Ints, 93.6
1969 10 154-265 (58.1 percent) 1,762, 9 TDs, 9 Ints, 118.4
1970 8 121-233 (51.9 percent) 1,481, 14 TDs, 14 TDs, 113.1

• Heisman Voting: Fourth in 1969, third in 1970
• 1971 NFL Draft: Second overall by the New Orleans Saints
• College Football Hall of Fame
• Famous dad and is the reason why the speed limit on parts of campus is 18 mph

Some of this post originated from "100 Things Crimson tide Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die," published by Triumph Books