When Kevin Moen sent Gary Tyrrell rear-end-over-tea-kettle, it became the greatest collision of the sublime and ridiculous in sports history.

On Nov. 20, 1982, Moen concluded a preposterous, five-lateral kickoff return to beat Stanford by weaving through the red-coated Cardinal band that had prematurely taken the field. He leaped into the end zone and landed on top of Tyrrell and his trombone.

"I had no idea how he got to that point with the football," Tyrrell said. "Nobody really knew what had happened. But when the scoreboard changed and the crowd got many times as loud, it became a bad time to be a member of the Stanford band."

Battle For Utah

The battle for Utah is so contentious the two teams can't even agree when the series started. Utah says 1896; BYU claims the first game didn't happen until 1922. What both teams can agree on this year is they are having disappointing seasons. Utah coach Ron McBride could lose his job after 12 successful seasons because the Utes are mired at 4-6 and fans are turning away. If BYU wins, it becomes bowl eligible. It the Cougars lose, they will finish below lowly Utah in the Mountain West Conference standings and suffer their first losing season since 1973. BYU has won three straight in the series, but the teams have split their last 10 games. The largest margin of victory over the past five meetings was seven points, and five of the last nine were decided by three points or less. It seems like the game always comes down to the final minutes. That's what McBride would rather talk about. But reporters keep asking him if he has a sense what his job status is. "I don't sense anything," McBride said. "What I sense is we're playing BYU." BYU coach Gary Crowton likewise doesn't want to talk about the Cougars trying to salvage their season with a bowl game. "We have to put all our energy into Utah and not put extra pressure on ourselves about getting into a bowl game," he said. "It's like playing a 12th or 13th man." McBride is 5-7 all-time against BYU, a team the Utes almost never beat before he arrived in Salt Lake City. But he hasn't won at home against the Cougars since 1994. BYU won a nailbiting 24-21 game last year in Crowton's first season. Crowton said he has a good relationship with McBride and is aware of his tenuous situation. "I know there's been a little heat there," he said. "They're going to play hard for him." Many of the Utes support McBride, who owns an 87-63 record at a school that never won before he arrived. Of the school's nine bowl teams, McBride coached six. That's why many of the players are asking administrators to spare their coach. "We love him," quarterback Brett Elliott said. "We want him back. If we win this game -- going out with three in a row with momentum going -- he should be back." -- Ted Miller

Twenty years later as Stanford and California prepare to meet in the 105th "Big Game," Graboz remains one of sports' most beloved highlights.

Graboz?

"Basically, it was grab-ass," Moen said, explaining the term the Bears used for the lighthearted rugby-like, pitch-and-run drill they performed every Sunday, never knowing they would one day use it to shock their archrivals.

"The Play" owes its existence to the brilliance -- and momentary boneheadedness -- of Stanford quarterback John Elway, who engineered a desperation drive that concluded with a 35-yard field goal that gave the Cardinal a 20-19 lead with four seconds left.

Elway, at the time the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy, overcame a fourth-and-17 play from deep in Stanford territory with a 29-yard completion through triple coverage to set up the apparent game-winning field goal.

That was magical, presaging things to come for the cannon-armed quarterback, only Elway also blundered, calling a timeout with eight seconds left instead of letting the clock run down to its final ticks.

That meant Stanford had to kickoff, and the Cal players thought only one thing. "Don't let the ball die," Moen said.

The play wasn't planned in the least. It was serendipitous Graboz.

Moen grabbed the squib kick, thinking it was up to him to find a miraculous path to the end zone. Yet, seeing a wall of white jerseys, he lateraled to Richard Rodgers, who then tossed the ball to Dwight Garner.

Garner was engulfed by a host of Stanford players, and herein lies the most controversial moment of the play. It looks like Garner's knee touched the ground before he unloaded the ball, and every Stanford adherent has insisted so every day for 20 years.

"Naaaah, you've been talking to too many Stanford guys," Moen said. "His knee was a good inch off the ground."

Debates notwithstanding, there was no whistle. Garner lateraled back to Rodgers, who broke away before tossing the ball to Mariet Ford.

Ford charged down field before unloading a no-look heave to a racing Moen.

Moen dashed through the baffled band and that had already started Stanford's unofficial fight song "All Right Now." He sprinted into the end zone, jumped into Tyrrell and landed indelibly in college football lore.

Elway told an ESPN documentary that "at that time it was the most tragic thing that had happened to me."

But not to the Bears. Here was the call from Cal play-by-play radio announcer, Joe Starkey:

"The Bears have won! Oh my God! The most amazing, sensational, dramatic, heart-rending, exciting finish in the history of college football! ... Excuse me for my voice, but I have never, never seen anything like it in the history of any game in my life!"

Said Moen, "I didn't think it would have a such a long shelf life."

It took Tyrrell about 24 hours to realize it would. Walking through campus the next day, he saw the Sunday San Jose Mercury-News at a newsstand. There was a big picture of him and Moen. The headline read, "Stuff this trombone."

"I pulled my collar up a little higher," Tyrrell said.

The interview requests started pouring in. Tyrrell's roommate handled a number of them.

They became pseudo-celebrities. They appeared on a game show together a few weeks after the game, and Moen presented Tyrrell $2,000 for a new trombone. The old one found its way to the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind.

Over the past two decades, they've become friends and successful businessmen, Moen in real estate in Southern California and Tyrrell in venture capital in Silicon Valley. Of course, Moen is remembered as the hero, while Tyrrell has been the punchline, a role he struggled with at first but has embraced good naturedly as time passed.

Tyrrell makes his own beer and calls his special brew "Trombone Guy Pale Ale."

So would he change history if he could?

"The tradeoff between victory and history?" he said, repeating the question. "Definitely victory. But there's a little gray area there because of the notoriety and the paths I've been able to go down."

Around the Pac-10

Arizona
It took a near-mutiny for Arizona to end a six-game losing streak with a surprising 52-41 victory over California. That came just days after more than 40 players visited the school president to complain about coach John Mackovic's abrasive style, which brought on a tearful press conference in which Mackovic basically begged for forgiveness and, of course, his job. The question is: what now? Can Mackovic recover and regain his team's trust? "We've come a long ways in one week as far as understanding each other," Mackovic said of his disgruntled players. Players complained of harsh treatment and what felt like personal insults, not motivational techniques. Mackovic told one player he was a disgrace to his family; and he told another, who had surrendered a game-winning touchdown against Washington, that he might not be allowed to remain on the team. "I think we've both done a poor job of communicating," Mackovic said. Mackovic admitted that the public problems could severely affect recruiting. Still, Mackovic believes he will be back next year. "I have been told nothing to the contrary," he said.

Arizona State
Arizona State coach Dirk Koetter said his team needs use its bye week to "get back to playing and not thinking too much." The Sun Devils have lost three consecutive Pac-10 games after starting 4-0 in the conference. Koetter said he believes ASU, picked to finish ninth in the conference, didn't handle success well, terming it "paralysis by analysis." It's worth noting, however, that two of those defeats were to the No. 3 (Washington State) and No. 7 (USC) teams in the nation. While he threw two interceptions and fumbled once against the Trojans, quarterback Andrew Walter became the program's first quarterback to throw for more than 3,000 yards (3,289). Walter, who didn't become the starter until fifth game of the season, has four games with over 400 yards passing.

California
California won a split decision on its appeal to the NCAA, which might help the future but does little for the present. The NCAA, which sanctioned Cal for academic fraud and other violations in June, restored nine scholarships but upheld its one-year bowl ban, leaving the bowl eligible Bears out of luck after an impressive turnaround following a 1-10 season. "I was disappointed for our seniors," first-year coach Jeff Tedford said. "I didn't look at the scholarship issue as being that severe." Tedford admitted that the appeal was a long shot, and seemed more irritated that just 28,808 fans showed up for the Bears game last weekend against Arizona. He said he thinks the turmoil at Arizona and the mellow atmosphere at 70,000-seat Memorial Stadium contributed to the Bears flat performance. "I think it had some effect on us," he said.

Oregon
After starting 6-0, Oregon has lost four of five and tumbled from the national rankings. In the 42-14 defeat to Washington, the Ducks totaled 177 yards and scored two touchdowns on their first two possessions but managed just 123 yards and no points over the next three and a half quarters. They had zero yards in the fourth quarter when the Huskies turned the game into a blowout. "We've hit a lull," coach Mike Bellotti said. "We've been inconsistent at the quarterback position." With the score tied 14-14, Bellotti opted to start the third quarter with backup Kellen Clemens instead of starter Jason Fife, and Clemens promptly threw an interception that set up the Huskies go-ahead score. The Ducks never recovered. Bellotti said that Fife remains the starter. "I think he's doing fine," Bellotti said. The main problem for the Ducks is not Fife but the loss of tailback Onterrio Smith, who had knee surgery Monday. Oregon visits rival Oregon State on Saturday, and the home team has won the last five Civil Wars.

Oregon State
Oregon State's sophomore running back Steven Jackson is becoming a force and figures to become a Heisman Trophy candidate next season. His 230 yards rushing in the Beavers' comeback 31-21 victory over Stanford was his third game with over 200 yards on the ground, making him the only Oregon State back to ever eclipse that benchmark three times in a season. He has four consecutive games over 100 yards rushing and needs just 57 yards against Oregon to set a new school single-season rushing record. Jackson leads the Pac-10 and ranks fifth in the nation with 136.84 yards rushing per game. "He's very physical -- he breaks tackles," coach Dennis Erickson said. "And he's got better speed than people think." Jackson's dominance also is helping struggling quarterback Derek Anderson, who completed just 17 of 41 passes against Stanford, but had a 46-yard touchdown strike to James Newson that put the Beavers ahead for good in the fourth quarter. The Beavers are bowl eligible and head into the Civil War against Oregon as winners of three of their last four.

Stanford
Stanford blew a 21-6 halftime lead against Oregon State, failing to score a point in the second half of the 31-21 defeat. The Cardinal continues to struggle at quarterback, where starter Chris Lewis has been sidelined for four weeks with a stubborn bruised shoulder that was supposed to keep him out just a week or two. Lewis is questionable again Saturday against California, and the Cardinal's seven-game winning streak in the "Big Game" appears in danger. Lewis' replacement, Kyle Matter, completed just 13 of 35 for 177 yards with two interceptions against the Beavers. He was 6-of-19 for 48 yards in the second half. Stanford coach Buddy Teevens said this the toughest year he has endured in terms of injuries. The Cardinal is so beaten up that sophomore Will Svitek became the first Stanford player to play offense and defense in the same game since Scott Frost did it against San Jose State in 1994. Svitek played tight end and defensive end against the Beavers, with injuries at both positions forcing the move. In 1994, Frost started at free safety and also played quarterback.

UCLA
UCLA coach Bob Toledo has led the Bruins to a 7-3 record and a No. 24 national ranking heading into its showdown with crosstown rival USC, despite using one of the youngest lineups in the nation. The Bruins have won three straight games since losing starting quarterback Cory Paus and inserting a true freshman, Drew Olson, typically a death knell for most teams. Toledo believes he's sufficiently answered questions about his job status. "I would hope so," he said. "I've hopefully proven myself." The schedule certainly doesn't get any easier with the seventh-ranked Trojans and No. 3 Washington State ahead. But Toledo is 6-0 after bye weeks, and the Bruins should be plenty motivated after suffering a 27-0 thrashing against USC last year. The key matchup is tailback Tyler Ebell vs. the Trojans' stout run defense. Ebell, a true freshman, has eclipsed 100 yards in six straight games, averaging 135 yards per game. He needs 142 yards over the next two contests to become just the third true freshman in Pac-10 history to rush for 1,000 yards. The Trojans rank second in the conference and eighth in the nation against the run, surrendering just 88.30 yards per game.

USC
With 10,836 career yards passing, USC quarterback Carson Palmer needs just 76 yards over the next two games to eclipse Stanford's Steve Stenstrom and become the Pac-10's all-time leading passer. Palmer, who ranks 10th in the nation in passing efficiency, has thrown 15 touchdown passes in the last four games and has at least two touchdown passes in seven straight games. He hasn't tossed an interception in his last 93 attempts. That makes it easy for coach Pete Carroll to tout him as a Heisman Trophy candidate. "He's a quarterback reaching his pinnacle his senior year against the most difficult schedule in the nation," Carroll said. The Trojans' schedule is rated the nation's toughest by the BCS rankings. Eleven of USC's 12 opponents have been or are ranked, while four remain among the nation's top-17. "It's been one adventure after another," Carroll said.

Washington
Easy-going, loquacious Washington coach Rick Neuheisel was certifiably grumpy during his press conference this week setting up the Apple Cup with Washington State. "We're not angry," Neuheisel said. "We're just going to get ready to play." After a series of one-to-three-word answers to a number of questions, Neuheisel explained that engaging topics at length "doesn't pay off well for me." It's hard to see why Neuheisel is so peeved. Besides avoiding their first losing season in 26 years with a 42-14 victory over No. 23 Oregon, the Huskies extended their streak of beating at least one ranked team to 14 consecutive seasons. Washington also ended a six-game losing streak away from Husky Stadium. Two weeks after Oregon safety Keith Lewis called him "overrated," UW quarterback Cody Pickett picked apart the Ducks for 316 yards and four touchdowns and set the Pac-10's single-season passing record with 3,818 yards. Now the Huskies can claim the Neuheisel-coined "Northwest Championship," with a victory over No. 3 Washington State. The Huskies have won four straight games against the Cougars, and only one player, sixth-year receiver Pat Reddick, was around in 1997, the last time the Huskies lost to Washington State.

Washington State
Washington State coach Mike Price wouldn't even touch the subject of his Cougars playing themselves into the Fiesta Bowl. "The season for us is playing in the Apple Cup vs. Washington," he said. "This is a one-game season." That said, Price is trying to keep his team loose. Last year, Washington State was favored to beat Washington in Husky Stadium but appeared tight and lost 26-14, the Cougars fourth consecutive defeat in the series. "I got them too wound up," Price said. After all the struggles this season -- from injuries to a brutal locker room fight -- things seem to be falling into place for the Cougars. They are healthier than they have been at any time this season after a bye week. If they get by the Huskies, they have another bye before playing at UCLA on Dec. 7. Cornerback Jason David, the guy who had his face broken by a punch from linebacker Ira Davis, is expected to be back by then, at which point Davis also will be allowed to return from suspension. That's two more starters back on the field, and Davis led the Pac-10 with six interceptions before the fight.

Around the Mountain West
If Air Force beats San Diego State, coach Fisher DeBerry will win his 150th career game and the Falcons will be become the 10th team in school history to win nine games. A victory also likely puts the Falcons in the Las Vegas Bowl against the No. 5 team from the Pac-10. ... Strong safety Joel Buelow was named Mountain West Conference defensive player of the week for his effort against UNLV. Buelow had seven tackles, including a sack, a forced fumble and an interception, and broke up two passes. ... BYU defensive end Brady Poppinga, who leads the MWC with eight sacks, suffered an isolated tear of the MCL in the loss to New Mexico, but he's still going to try to play against Utah. He will be fitted with a custom brace that should take pressure off his knee. ... Colorado State running back Cecil Sapp needs 118 yards over the final two games to break the school's single-season rushing record and 281 yards to break the MWC record. The Rams can wrap up the conference title and a Liberty Bowl berth with a victory this weekend at home against New Mexico or the following weekend against UNLV. ... New Mexico's 20-16 victory last Saturday over BYU was the Lobos first win in Provo since 1971 -- a span of 14 games. More important: It kept their bowl hopes alive. The Lobos need to win one of their final two games to record the seven victories they need in a 13-game schedule to be bowl eligible. ... The Lobos are stout in the red zone. They have scored touchdowns on 12 of their last 13 visits. ... There's an old Sheriff in town for San Diego State. Senior Lon Sheriff, who lost the quarterback job in the preseason to Adam Hall, will start the season-finale against Air Force because Hall is out with a concussion. Sheriff was the starter in 2000 and '01 and threw for 3,478 yards. ... With 10 receptions for 96 yards against Colorado State, receiver J.R. Tolver set new school records for single-season receiving yards (1,376) and career yards (3,163). ... UNLV had 303 yards rushing against Air Force and played in front of a record home crowd of 27,582 fans, but still lost 49-32. The defeat dropped the Rebels from contention for a bowl game. They are off this week before concluding the season at Colorado State. ... Utah tailback Brandon Warfield was named MWC Offensive Player of the Week after rushing for 164 yards and two touchdowns in the Utes 23-18 victory over Wyoming. He keyed the Utes second consecutive victory after ending a six-game losing streak. ... Wyoming athletic director Lee Moon was anything but gentle when discussing his decision to fire coach Vic Koenning this week. Of course, he pointed to Koenning's 5-28 record in three seasons, including a 1-19 mark in the MWC, which Moon said included only one quality win (Air Force). But it also was obvious that he had grown weary of Koenning's forthrightness this season while talking about the Pokes struggles. When it was pointed out that other MWC coaches voiced support for Koenning, Moon said, "If I were one of the coaches in our conference, I'd want Vic to stay around, too." Moon didn't reveal any candidates on his list, but he explicitly stated that after hiring Koenning, then the Cowboys defensive coordinator, because of booster pressure, this decision would be his. "A lot of those people who were standing in his corner are now criticizing me for hiring him," Moon said.

Ted Miller covers college football for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.