Countdown to College Football Kickoff 2015, Day 36: A Dubious Texas Tech Record

The college football kickoff countdown is now down to just 36 days, and with that we look at a record that probably won’t be broken, not that anyone would really care to break this one.

ALSO READ: Countdown to Kickoff Day 37, Keeping Stats

So far in our countdown to kickoff, we’ve associated the number of days left with jersey numbers, certain years, and even the 40-yard dash. For the first time our tie-in goes to a record many think to be unbreakable, and the Texas Tech Red Raiders are the holders of this honor.

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Not that they want to be.

No, this isn’t for passing yards, or rushing yards or sacks or most points or any wonderful stat. Texas Tech holds the records for most punts in a single game – 36 – off the foot of punter Charlie Calhoun in what has become known as the “weirdest game of the century”.

By comparison, Georgia Tech, who led the nation in fewest punts last season, only punted 32 times during the entire season.

But on November 11, 1939 at Centenary College Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana, (go ahead and look that school up now), the Red Raiders punted a record 36 times for another record 1,318 yards in a single game.

Now in fairness to Texas Tech, it wasn’t because they were that bad. Actually both teams combined for 77 punts in the game due to the poor field conditions caused by a torrential downpour. Neither the Red Raiders nor the Gentlemen (yes, that was Centenary’s mascot) could advance the ball on the ground or through the air. It became a battle of field position between the two punters and return teams.

The game – as it still had to be called – ended in a 0-0 tie, keeping Centenary winless and saving Texas Tech from having the blemish of a loss to one of the worst teams in the nation on their record.

This is why we love college football the way we do.

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