(Photo by House of Sparky.com)

In 1996, society was cool during this time. What I remember was that flannel was still a fashion. So were Jnco jeans, Rolling Hard shirts and Cool Water cologne. Music was all the rage during time. No Doubt, Bone Thugs N Harmony, Pearl Jam, 2Pac, Biggie.....you get the idea. Don't tell me otherwise. Recently, I went to a local Safeway, where they played Donna Lewis's big hit "I Love You Always Forever" and it brought me back to nostalgia. I also have a visual on how 1996 was.

Look at this lad right here. Taking a picture with a cool demeanor without a care in the world. Oh buddy, cheers to that.

In the sports world around this time, many teams were recapturing their glory days, except the Colorado Avalanche. They won the Stanley Cup in their first season in Denver. The Yankees were back on top, winning the World Series later that year. The Chicago Bulls came back and won the Larry O'Brien trophy and would continue their stranglehold for the next couple years. The Dallas Cowboys cemented a dynasty, winning their third Super Bowl in four years at Sun Devil Stadium, no less. The Kentucky Wildcats were once again on top of the college basketball world, beating Syracuse to capture the NCAA championship. That was the trend in 96'.

In college football, it was more of the same. The Nebraska Cornhuskers were back on track, conquering the last two National Championships, besting Miami and destroying Florida to go back-to-back. With coach Tom Osborne and their lethal I-formation offense, terrorized defenses throughout the nation. In 1995, the Huskers scored 638 points and averaged 38.6 points per margin of victory. A dynasty was in the making as the 1996 season approached. After dominating Michigan State in front of national television audience, Nebraska was gearing up for a matchup against Arizona State at Sun Devil Stadium to continue their dominant reign.

The ASU Sun Devils were a squad that many experts believed showed effectiveness and guts. However, they weren't regarded as one of the best teams in the Pac-10. Coach Bruce Snyder enjoyed a so-so 6-5 season in 95', but had players that exhibited heart and determination. Take his quarterback, Jake Plummer. He did not have the greatest arm in the world, but his elusiveness made defenders turn around and rethink how to contain him. With weapons in running backs Terry Battle and J.R. Redmond, receivers Keith Poole and Ricky Boyer, offensive linemen Juan Roque and Marvel Smith, the Sun Devils have the arsenal to contend in the Pac-10. The defense had Jeremy Staat, Derrick Rodgers, and an undersized linebacker full of heart named Pat Tillman gave this unit a solid chance to stop opposing offenses. ASU came in to this matchup to what many thought would be a tough battle for them, but the Devils would show some fight, yet come up short.

Here's the problem: The Sun Devils had vengeance on their mind. See, during Nebraska's steamroll of a 1995 season, ASU went to Lincoln in the second week and was taken to the woodshed 77-28. But the issue wasn't the margin of victory, it was how the Huskers scored. Up big, Tom Osborne pulled his starters and put his third-stringers and instructed them to continue scoring. This infuriated Bruce Snyder and at mid-field, Snyder gave Osborne an earful about it and told reporters he was sadden at college football. The Devils were p'd off, so to say.

Something weird happened on that September 21st day. Masses thought ASU would show up with a chip on their shoulder......but not like this.

So, right off the bat, I wanted to re-watch the game to get the aura of nostalgia. However, a certain website that generates videos did not have the contest. That's right. The biggest game in ASU football history (Change my mind) is not for viewing pleasure. Maybe the Pac-12 Network has it, but I saw the prices for said network and.....no. Even drinking establishments don't carry the network, because the price is so outrageous. I was able to find clips and use the internet to sort of, recover the nostalgia that I wanted. Also, it's funny that they have the game where the Devils lost by 49 points. Just saying.

Nebraska had changes going into this contest. Scott Frost was the quarterback, replacing Lincoln legend Tommie Frazier and Ahman Green at I-Back, replacing the troubled Lawrence Phillips. Despite this, many pundits believed that the Huskers' machine would keep chugging along. However in the first quarter, Nebraska couldn't really find a groove on offense or ASU's defense decided to become world-beaters. ASU's offense started the scoring when Plummer found a wide-open Poole for a 22-yard touchdown. That's right. The Devils fired the first shot against the #1 ranked team in the nation. One minute later, ASU would duplicate that shot on defense. Green would fumble the ball in the end zone, causing a safety. With ASU up 9-0, people were probably thinking "What is happening?" The Huskers needed to assert themselves into the second quarter.

Well, ASU continued to dominate the second quarter. Their offense didn't really assert themselves in this quarter or in the entire game for that matter. However, it did enough to keep the Devils afloat. This quarter featured two field goals and the defense forced another safety to pushed the lead to 17-0 going into halftime. Now as a fan or anyone who follows the sport, you figured that the Cornhuskers were going to adjust and as the supposed better team, will come out like a house of fire and storm back against a supposed average Pac-10 program. ASU didn't want to hear that. What I remember is during the week before was the media or any college football expert reminding the Devils about the 49 point loss from a season before. Could you blame ASU for having this chip on their shoulder?

The third quarter wasn't exciting, but if you love a defensive chess match, this quarter was for you. Both teams gutted it out till the end of the third. It was around this time where I started to believe that it was going to happen. David was going to defeat Goliath. The unbelievable was about to take place. Everyone wanted ASU to let up and for the Huskers to roar back and continue their dominance. Change my mind. If you have been reading this, you know the theme by now. ASU WASN'T HAVING IT! The fourth quarter belonged to the Sun Devils, where they supplied the icing on the cake. Frost was sacked in the end zone for the third safety of the night to seal the game. As the final moments ticked down, euphoria entered around Tempe or the surrounding areas. Once the clock struck 0:00, fans plowed through the field at Sun Devil Stadium as fireworks exploded into the Arizona sky. People in the neighborhood started yelling and cheering. News outlets showed fans celebrating uncontrollably. It had happened.

FINAL SCORE: Arizona State 19, Nebraska 0

(Photo by Husker Max)

I decided to provide the box score as a prop to show you how dominant the Devils were. 226 total yards and 0 points surrendered by ASU's defense. The team that averaged over 50 points a game last season was held scoreless. Three fumbles recovered, three safeties and six sacks is what the defense did to one of the best offenses in the nation.

Everyone remembers the scores "28-3", "35-3" or "1-0". But "19-0" gave Arizona sports fans hope. It was the night the Arizona State Sun Devil football went against the narrative and basically destroyed a would-be dynasty in the process. This win would be a platform for something special.

And boy, was it special all right.

(To be continued)

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