Scalded on the gridiron

THINK OF IT: THE CAL POLY-SAN LUIS OBISPO football team goes into the Los Angeles Coliseum and challenges the mighty USC Trojans. And wins! Unthinkable? That’s what they thought at Stanford at the opening of Saturday’s game against the UC Davis Aggies.

The lowly Aggies, coming into the game after losses to New Hampshire and Portland State, picked the Cardinal apart after Stanford built a 17-0 lead. With 12 seconds remaining, quarterback Jon Grant tossed a touchdown pass for the victory, 20 to 17. Stunned Stanford alumni called it the worst humiliation in school history. Sports talk-radio guru Jim Rome called it the worst defeat in college football history. Stanford Coach Walt Harris apologized during a news conference Monday.

The San Francisco Chronicle wrote on Tuesday, “At least no one saw it on television.” But Davis students turned out at a sports bar Tuesday night to watch a videotape of the game -- the tape will be shown around Davis forever. No Division 1-AA team should ever beat a 1-A team.

Admittedly, Stanford isn’t the football power that top-ranked USC is this year. The Cardinal has had three consecutive losing seasons. But Stanford is building for the future with a new coach and big plans for a new stadium. As for Davis, there’s no question that this was the biggest win in the 89-year history of Aggie football.

Stanford called on Davis to fill a hole in its 2005 schedule when San Jose State backed out. Davis would be guaranteed $200,000 in gate receipts. They call these “body bag” games because members of the little-school team sacrifice their bodies on the big school’s turf for the payout. They aren’t supposed to win.

The game probably won’t have a long-lasting impact on Davis. It still will be known for its veterinary, viticulture and medical schools, not as a football power. Coach Bob Biggs said, “I don’t know what it means.”

If nothing else, though, it was an inspiring victory of heart over brawn. Americans love Cinderella stories because they show that no matter how tough the odds, those who want something badly enough have a chance to attain it.