September 20 Crowd Reacts

September 20, 1986 had a team playing not only against their opponents on the gridiron but with the weather too. That is when something unique and memorable occurred and brought the crowd to their feet. 

It is not every day that we have a story where the USC Trojans are an underdog. However back on September 20, 1986 the football eleven of Southern Cal were getting points in Vegas against the Baylor Bears and their Number 9 ranking in the polls.

USC had traveled halfway across the country to Waco, Texas for the game and the tough Baylor defense and intense weather of heavy rain and thunderstorms had stymied the Trojan offense for much of the game. The rain got heavier and somehow the USC offense was awakened scoring 10 points in the last four muinutes of the contest. Quarterback Rodney Peete found receiver Ken Henry on a leaping 12 yard TD reception with 3:50 remaining and the made extra point tied the game at 14.

USC's defense responded by forcing Baylor to punt and Peete and company got to work again. The administratorswere watching a major thunderstorm that was about to strike the area that could end or postpone the game, but right on cue the Trojans marched to the Baylor 13 and with the wind whipping around the stadium ferociously, Baylor calling multiple timeouts to try and kill the Trojan momentum kicker Don Schafer booted a 32 yard field goal through the posts as time expired in the deluge to give the Trojans a 17-14 upset win as the corwd back in sunny California went wild.

21 Sep 1986, Sun Enterprise-Journal (McComb, Mississippi) Newspapers.com