Gary Cosby Jr.-Imagn Images
There are a ton of factors that make college football as magical as it is, and watching fans flood onto the gridiron after a massive victory is definitely one of the coolest things that sets the sport apart. However, not all field stormings are created equal, and these really stand out from a very crowded pack.
These are the most memorable field stormings in the history of college football
Fans of the City College of New York are credited with being responsible for the first act of court storming in college basketball history after the team won the NIT and NCAA Tournament in the same year in 1950.
There’s no firm record of which college football fanbase was the first to react to a big win in a similar manner, but field storming has been a staple of celebrations for decades on end despite a recent push to crack down on the practice that does pose a significant safety risk to players and spectators alike.
With that said, there’s only so much you can do to prevent a horde of thousands of rabid fans from invading the field in the heat of the moment, and it’s created some absolutely wild scenes, including…
Tennessee Beats Alabama In 2022
Alabama was riding a 15-game winning streak against Tennessee when the “Third Saturday in October” rolled around in 2022, and the #3 Crimson Tide headed to Knoxville hoping to extend it against the #6 Volunteers in a showdown between two undefeated teams.
We were treated to a thrilling shootout that ended when the Vols kicked a walkoff field goal to earn the 52-49 victory before the field at Neyland Stadium transformed into a sea of orange filled with tens of thousands of cigar-smoking fans who tore down the goal posts that were subsequently deposited into the Tennessee River.
Rutgers Beats Louisville in 2006
Rutgers played in the first-ever college football game when they faced off against the school that eventually became Princeton on November 6, 1869, but the team spent well over a century being a major afterthought in the national landscape.
That remained the case after Greg Schinao took over in 2001, as the skipper got off to a rough start by going 2-9 during his first season at the helm in New Brunswick before Rutgers went 1-11 the following year.
However, they slowly but surely began to improve before finally turning the corner in 2006. Rutgers ended up in the Top 25 for the first time in 30 years after starting at 3-0, and they were sitting at #15 when they welcomed their biggest test of the season to that point in the form of #3 Louisville.
The Scarlet Knights improved to 9-0 with the 28-25 victory that was capped off with a game-sealing sack that sparked the “Pandemonium in Piscataway” that resulted in an instant influx of fans on the field.
Virginia Beats Florida State In 2025
This is the most recent entry on this list and one that became iconic the instant it unfolded thanks to how quickly it transpired.
It looked like FSU was Back after bouncing back from its disastrous 2-10 campaign in 2024 with a 3-0 start in 2025. Their showdown with Virginia had all the makings of a trap game ahead of a tilt with Miami, and that certainly turned out to be the case.
The Seminoles were lucky to force overtime after Thomas Castellanos scrambled to connect with Randy Pittman for a game-tying touchdown on a do-or-die fourth-and-goal in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter, and they needed another one (and a two-point conversion) after the Cavaliers took a 46-38 lead in the second frame of the extra session.
However, Castellanos was picked off on fourth down while trying to connect with Squirrel White, the FSU wide receiver who somehow escaped unscathed after being swallowed up by the stampede of UVA fans that immediately invaded.
Texas Tech Beats Texas In 2008
Texas is firmly the big brother in the rivalry with Texas Tech, which is one of the most lopsided that college football has to offer. The Longhorns were riding a five-game winning streak in the series when they headed to Lubbock as the top team in the country in 2008, although Mike Leach and the Red Raiders were also undefeated and sitting at #6.
Texas took a 33-32 lead with a field goal toward the end of the fourth quarter that gave Texas Tech around 90 seconds to drive down the field to answer. Longhorns safety Blake Gideon appeared to snag what would have been a game-sealing interception with eight seconds to go, but he dropped the ball to give the Red Raiders another shot to convert 28 yards away from the end zone.
Graham Harrell capitalized by connecting with Michael Crabtree, who tiptoed down the sideline for the score that gave Texas Tech a 39-33 lead with a second to go. Fans prematurely flooded the field to trigger multiple penalty flags that increased the odds of Texas returning the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown, but they got to storm it for real after the attempt was thwarted.
Utah Beats BYU In 2012
Texas Tech fans may have gotten a false start in that game, but that was an exercise in restraint compared to what happened at the end of the showdown with Utah and BYU in 2012.
Utah had historically been the team to beat in The Holy War, but BYU appeared to have the edge when the #25 Cougars headed to Salt Lake City in 2012 looking to improve to 3-0 against a Utes team that had lost to Utah State the previous week.
BYU had a little over a minute to overcome a 24-21 deficit in the fourth quarter after getting the ball back at its own 6-yard line with no timeouts, and the game seemingly ended after QB Riley Nelson threw an incomplete pass before the clock hit zero.
Utah fans stormed the field before the officials determined there was one second remaining. Order was restored before BYU attempted a 51-yard field goal that was blocked before spectators once again made their way onto the field and drew a 15-yard penalty for doing so while the play was still alive.
That gave the Cougars a chance to tie things up with a 36-yarder, but it doinked off the uprights before the celebration officially (and finally) commenced.
Iowa Beats Minnesota
The last few entries on this list are fairly unconventional for one reason or another, which includes the one stemming from Iowa’s win over Minnesota in 2002.
This one is unique because it occurred during a game where Iowa was the visiting team. However, it was almost a home game for a Hawkeyes team that was sitting at #6 and attracted a legion of fans who headed to the Metrodome in the hopes of seeing their team clinch a Big Ten title by going undefeated in conference play (they were 11-1 and had only lost to Iowa State earlier that season).
Iowa cruised to a 45-21 win over the Golden Gophers, and the school had to fork over $5,000 after its fans tore down Minnesota’s goalposts to celebrate the victory.
Cal Beats Stanford In “The Game” In 1982
This entry also looks a bit different than the ones we’ve discussed so far, but you can’t talk about games involving an invasion without discussing one of the most iconic plays in college football history to the point where it’s simply known as “The Play.”
Cal found itself in a 20-19 hole in the closing seconds of its rivalry game with Stanford in 1982 and essentially needed to score on the ensuing kickoff to get the win.
The Golden Bears managed to do exactly that with the help of five laterals over the course of a sequence that ended with Kevin Moen weaving through members of the Stanford band that had prematurely made their way onto the field—including the trombone player he pancaked after scoring.
LSU Beats Kentucky In 2002
This one is also unique, as it’s the only entry on this list where fans stormed the field after a loss.
It was kind of hard to blame the Kentucky fans who were responsible when you consider it didn’t look like there was any chance LSU was going to leave Lexington with a win in 2002. The Wildcats had kicked a field goal to take a 30-27 lead with 11 seconds to go, and the Tigers ended up with the ball at their own 26 and two seconds left to score a touchdown.
LSU QB Marcus Randall chucked up a prayer that bounced off the hands of a Kentucky defender and into the waiting arms of WR Devery Henderson, who took it to the end zone to give his team the 33-30 win in what was dubbed the “Bluegrass Miracle.”
However, some Wildcats fans didn’t notice he had scored before rushing the field and attempting to tear down the goalposts before taking a look at the scoreboard.