This post is part of a larger list looking at some of the top individual performances in all of sports history. Check out the full list here.
When two-way great Shohei Ohtani turned his slugging slump into the greatest game in baseball history in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series, it started a discussion in the Sports Illustrated newsroom: What are some of the other top individual performances in sports? And how do they compare to Ohtani’s 10 strikeouts and three home runs?
Here is our pick for college football.
Vince Young 2005 national title game
The greatest college football game of the 21st century was decided by the greatest individual effort of any century, when Texas quarterback Vince Young simply said: I’m taking over.
The broad strokes: Young led Texas to the 2005 national championship with a thrilling victory over USC, 41–38, on Jan. 4, 2006. He threw for 267 yards that night in the Rose Bowl and ran for another 200 and three touchdowns. Young was the best player on the field, and he was sharing it with Heisman Trophy winners Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart. USC had its 34-game winning streak snapped, denying the Trojans a national title three-peat.
"Vince Young Scores!"
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) April 3, 2020
An absolute iconic moment for @VinceYoung10 & the Longhorns 🤘 #HookEm
(via @TexasFootball)pic.twitter.com/wn6qZrpsKA
The details: Young already had been transcendent, but when the Longhorns fell behind by 12 points with 6:42 remaining, he became the entire offense. On Texas’s final two touchdown drives he ran or passed for all 125 yards, scoring two touchdowns and adding a two-point run. His fourth-and-5 touchdown run with 19 seconds left, followed by the two-point scamper, was the clincher.
Greater than Otani? No. It was a huge performance in a huge game, but it didn’t have the same level of versatility.
More College Football on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as The Greatest College Football Performances of All Time.