Here is some video of the "first" 5th down play. Working wide was not the way it was done "back in the day"
And this is what Dave Nelson had to say about it:
"The 1940 Dartmouth-Cornell game, referred to as the 'Fifth Down' game, haunts officials and Rules Committees whenever an official's error is perceived as the act responsible for the loss of a game. The aftermath of the game played that cold November day in Hanover, New Hampshire, has mistakenly become the standard of conduct expected of teams who win by officiating errors. ...
"The 1940 rule was the same as it is today: the team with the greater number of points at the end of four periods is the winner. Cornell and Dartmouth violated the rule and it has haunted the game and institutions who play by the rules ever since.
"After the Dartmouth-Cornell game, whenever an official errs on a victory or defeat decision, there is a hue and cry that the team that benefited from the error should violate the rules of the game and offer the game to the loser. NCAA institutions are required to play by the NCAA playing rules and it is not possible for an institution to award a game to the opponent when the final score is not in their favor.
"One of the joys of a college football game is its finality and the lack of an appellate system. Like the rest of football, an official's error is just one more 'rub of the green' that is part of a total education."
- David M. Nelson, "Anatomy Of A Game", pp. 212-214
