The Howard Bison, an FCS program that went 2-9 last season and has had just one winning season since 2004, outlasted UNLV of the Mountain West Conference by a score of 43-40 on Saturday night in Las Vegas. According to RJ Bell, Howard was a 45-point underdog in the game on any sportsbook willing to put a line on the game (many FBS vs FCS matchups are left without a line unless you get real desperate). As such, Howard winning becomes what may be the biggest upset in college football history, according to the spread:
WOW!!!
Howard +45 leads UNLV in the 4th Q
This would be the BIGGEST UPSET IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL HISTORY!— RJ Bell (@RJinVegas) September 3, 2017
How Howard won is just as improbable. It required pulling out of a double-digit deficit in the third quarter:
Howard, a 45-point underdog, was down 33-21 in the third quarter against UNLV.
Howard won 43-40.
— Kevin McGuire (@KevinOnCFB) September 3, 2017
Howard’s record-setting night was fueled in large part by Caylin Newton, the younger brother of former Heisman Trophy winner and Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton. And like big brother Cam, Caylin put in work in the win:
Howard stuns UNLV, 43-40.
Howard's QB?
Cam Newton's little brother, Caylin. He rushed for 190 yds, 2 TDs + passed for 140 yds, TD tonight.
— NFL Draft (@NFLDraft) September 3, 2017
Hey @BleacherReport @SportsCenter @FirstTake @undisputed make sure y'all give @CoachMikeLondon & @HUBISONFOOTBALL a shout out! pic.twitter.com/kcPl3nqCgi
— Brandon London (@BrandonLondonTV) September 3, 2017
Howard’s victory eclipses the previous record for biggest point-spread underdog of Stanford over USC in 2007. That was also the year Appalachian State pulled the stunner in the Big House. It is believed Appalachian State was between a 30 and 32-point underdog in that matchup as well. Howard’s victory may not be chronicled in College GameDay 10 years from now the way Appalachian State’s victory was, but it will be one Howard fans remember for some time.
Of course, there is a little more to the story as well, because Howard also cashed a nice check for the game
$600K guarantee to play the game, and @HUBISONFOOTBALL took the win too. Congrats to them.
— Raphielle Johnson (@raphiellej) September 3, 2017
It won’t get easier for UNLV. The Rebels play at Ohio State on September 23.