NFL Old School Game of the Week: Manning Leads Broncos Back From 24-Point Halftime Deficit to Win over Chargers

Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning would throw for 309 yards and three touchdown passes in the Broncos' comeback win over the Chargers.

 On March 20, 2012, the Denver Broncos signed quarterback Peyton Manning to a five-year contract with the hopes that he would the Broncos back to the Super Bowl.

However, his first season got off to a rough start as the Broncos went 2-3 over the first month of the 2012 season as they traveled to San Diego to take on their division rivals, the San Diego Chargers on Monday Night Football.

The Chargers came into the game with a 3-2 record under head coach Norv Turner, who was under pressure to get the Bolts back to the playoffs after a two-year absence as the two old AFL rivals prepared to face off for the 105th time.

The first break of the game would go to the Chargers when the Broncos' Trenton Holliday muffed a punt which was recovered by San Diego backup tight end Dante Rosario at the Denver 17-yard-line which would lead to a 32-yard field goal by Nick Novak to give the Chargers a 3-0 lead.

Though the Broncos dodged that bullet, disaster would strike on the ensuing kickoff when Omar Bolden lost the football when he was hit by Chargers defensive back Darrell Stuckey which was recovered by Corey Lynch to give San Diego the ball at the Denver 19-yard-line.

Ryan Matthews would run for four yards to set up 2nd & 6 when quarterback Philip Rivers found tight end Antonio Gates for a 15-yard touchdown to give the Chargers a 10-0 lead with 8:16 left in the first quarter.

The score was still 10-0 in favor of San Diego when Rivers was intercepted by Broncos defensive back Jim Leonhard on a deep pass intended for Gates to give Denver the ball back at its five-yard-line.

Two plays later, Manning hit a wide open Eric Decker who appeared on his way to an 85-yard touchdown only to trip over his feet at the San Diego 40-yard-line and get tackled 10 yards later as Denver would have a 1st down at the Chargers' 30-yard-line.

A four-yard run by Willis McGahee and an incomplete pass would set up 3rd & 6 at the Chargers' 26-yard-line when Manning was picked off by San Diego cornerback Quentin Jammer who return the interception 80 yards for a touchdown to increase the Chargers' lead to 17-0 with six minutes left in the second quarter.

After Denver would go three-and-out on its next possession, the Chargers would get the ball back at their 34-yard-line when they put together their best drive of the first half as they would drive 66 yards in 10 plays, culminating with a 11-yard touchdown pass from Rivers to gates to make it a 24-0 game in favor of San Diego with 24 seconds to in the first half.

Manning would take a knee to rule out the clock as the Broncos went into the locker room down 24 points but set to get the ball to start the second half.

Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers would throw for 241 yards and two touchdowns but also throw four interceptions.

Starting at his 15-yard-line, Manning would complete a 11-yard pass to Joel Dressen, then handed the ball off to McGahee who would only pick up two yards to set up 2nd & 8 when Manning found Dressen again this time for 19 yards to give the Broncos a 1st down at their 47-yard-line.

After a pass to McGahee gained zero yards, Manning completed passes of 14 yards to Decker and 10 yards to Dressen to put the Broncos at the Chargers' 29-yard-line when Manning found Demaryius Thomas for a 29-yard touchdown to put Denver on the board to cut the San Diego lead to 24-7 with just over 11 minutes left in the third quarter.

The Chargers appeared unfazed by the touchdown as they drove from their 15-yard-line to the Broncos' 33-yard-line with a chance to increase their lead as they were faced with a 3rd & 8 situation.

That is when Broncos defensive end Elvis Dumervil sacked Rivers to knock the ball loose which was recovered by defensive back Tony Carter who returned the fumble 65 yards for a touchdown to cut the Chargers' lead to 24-14 with 4:41 left in the third quarter.

The Chargers would go three-and-out on their ensuing possession to give the ball back to the Broncos who took over at their 45-yard-line as two runs by McGahee for 11 yards give Denver a 1st down at the San Diego 44-yard-line.

An nine-yard pass from Manning to Dressen would set up 2nd & 1 when McGahee was stopped for no gain to bring up 3rd & 1 when the Broncos went backwards on a false start penalty and a holding penalty to force 3rd & 16 as the third quarter came to an end.

The fourth quarter would begin with Manning completing a 25-yard pass to tight end Jacob Tamme to give the Broncos a 1st down at the San Diego 25-yard-line as two more runs by McGahee for 11 yards gave Denver another 1st down at the Chargers' 14-yard-line as Manning would complete a seven-yard pass to Decker, then hit Decker again for a seven-yard touchdown to make it a three-point game at 24-21 with 13:33 left in the fourth quarter.

Needing to turn the momentum back in their favor, the Chargers would drive from their 15-yard-line to their 31-yard-line when Rivers was picked off again, this time by Carter, who returned the interception 15 yards to give the Broncos the ball at the 50-yard-line.

From there, Manning would complete two passes to Brandon Stokley for 15 yards to go along with a nine-yard run by McGahee and a five-yard offsides penalty on the Chargers to put Denver at the San Diego 21-yard-line.

That is when Manning lofted a pass for Stokley in the right corner of the end zone who would outleap Chargers defensive back Marcus Gilchrist to make the catch for the 21-yard touchdown to give the Broncos their first lead of the game at 28-24 with 9:03 to go in the fourth quarter.

Having seen their lead disappeared, the Chargers would get the ball back at their 32-yard-line as Rivers would complete passes of 13 yards to Gates and six yards to Malcolm Floyd to put the Chargers in Denver territory at the Broncos' 49-yard-line.

However four plays later, Rivers would be intercepted again, this time by Broncos cornerback Chris Harris give Denver the ball back at its 34-yard-line.

The Broncos would pick up one 1st down before punting the ball back to the Chargers who would take over at their 14-yard-line with 3:52 left in the game, needing a touchdown to retake the lead.

Two passes to Floyd for 21 yards and two runs by Ronnie Brown for 10 yards would put San Diego at its 45-yard-line when Rivers would throw his fourth interception of the game as Harris would step in front of a pass intended for Eddie Royal and run it back for a 46-yard pick-six to increase the Broncos' lead to 35-24 with 2:05 left in the game.

Broncos wide receiver Brandon Stokley catches the go-ahead touchdown pass.

The Chargers would start their next drive at their 20-yard-line as Rivers would complete three passes for 27 yards to put San Diego at its 47-yard-line until Rivers was sacked by Broncos linebacker Von Miller for a six-yard loss on 1st down, which was followed by two straight incomplete passes to force a 4th 7 16 when Rivers was sacked again by Dumervil to give the ball back to Denver at the San Diego 33-yard-line with 52 seconds to go in the game.

Manning would come and take two knees to run out the clock as the Broncos would come away with the 35-24 victory, equaling the greatest comeback in Denver Broncos history as well as Monday Night Football history.

The loss to the Broncos would send the Chargers' season into a spiral as they would lose six of their next eight games as San Diego would finish the season with a 7-9 record marking the first losing season for the Chargers since 2003 which resulted in the dismissal of Turner as head coach after six seasons.

As for the Broncos, their comeback victory against the Chargers would be the first win of a 11-game winning streak as Denver finished the season with the league's best record at 13-3 to earn home field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs.

But the Broncos would go out in the Divisional Round as they were stunned by the Baltimore Ravens, thanks to the "Mile High Miracle" a game-tying 70-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Joe Flacco to Jacoby Jones with 31 seconds left in regulation as the Ravens would go on to win the game 38-35 in double overtime.

Manning would come back with a vengeance the following season as he would throw for 5,477 yards and 55 touchdown passes to lead the Broncos to the Super Bowl where they would be destroyed by the Seattle Seahawks 43-8 to hand Denver its fifth loss in the Super Bowl.

However two years later, Manning, with help from the Broncos' defense, would lead Denver to its third Super Bowl title as the Broncos would knock off the Carolina Panthers 24-10 in Super Bowl 50 in what would be the final game in Manning's 18-year NFL career.

College Football Old School Game of the Week: Notre Dame Remains Unbeaten Thanks to Overtime Goalline Stand

Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o meets Stanford running back Stepfan Taylor at the goal line at the end of the 2012 matchup between the Irish and the Cardinal.

 There are moments during a football season when fans realize that this could be a special season.

For the fans of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, that moment came during the end of their game against the Stanford Cardinal where the Notre Dame defense put together a goal line stand for the ages.

The Irish came into the game ranked #7 in the country with a 5-0 record thanks in large part to their defense which led by middle linebacker Manti Te'o had given up just 39 points up to this point in the season and had not given up a touchdown in their previous three games.

On offense, the Irish were led by quarterback Everett Golson who been named the starting quarterback by head coach Brian Kelly before the season as Tommy Rees, the team's starting quarterback from the previous season, had been suspended for the first game of the season after an offseason arrest at an off campus party.

Golson and the Irish looked to remain unbeaten as they hosted the #17 ranked Stanford Cardinal from the Pac-12 who came into the game with a 4-1 record having just come off a 54-48 overtime win over Arizona the previous week.

Stanford was led by second-year head coach David Shaw, who had taken over as head coach of the Cardinal after Jim Harbaugh left to become the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers before the 2011 season.

Shaw's first year was successful as the Cardinal went 11-2 to finish the season #7 ranked in the country as Stanford played in its second straight BCS Bowl game.

But for 2012, the Cardinal would have to rely on a new quarterback as Andrew Luck, the team's starting quarterback for the previous three seasons had also left for the NFL as he was selected by the Indianapolis Colts with the #1 overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft.

Josh Nunes had been given the difficult task of taking over for Luck as he helped Stanford knock off #2 USC three weeks earlier as the Cardinal hoped he could lead Stanford to an upset of Notre Dame on a rainy Saturday in South Bend.

 After the Cardinal went three-and-out to start the game, the Irish got the ball at their 25-yard-line and proceeded to drive to the Stanford 49-yard-line until quarterback Everett Golson fumbled the snap from center as Stanford defensive back Usua Amanam recovered the ball at the Notre Dame 47-yard-line.

A 14-yard pass from Nunes to tight end Zach Ertz and three running plays that totaled 13 yards put Stanford at the Irish 20-yard-line when Nunes lofted a pass intended for wide receiver Kodi Whitfield only to have it intercepted by Irish cornerback Bennett Jackson to give the ball back to Notre Dame at their one-yard-line.

The two teams would trade punts until late in the first quarter when Irish defensive back Matthias Farley picked off a Nunes pass and returned it 49 yards to the Stanford 16-yard-line to help set up a 29-yard field goal by Kyle Brindza to give Notre Dame a 3-0 lead with 36 seconds left in the first quarter.

The Cardinal would begin their next possession at their 25-yard-line as it appeared to go three-and-out as Nunes threw an incomplete pass on 3rd & 10 only for Irish defensive tackle Stephen Tuitt get called for roughing the passer to give Stanford a 1st down at its 40-yard-line.

A 22-yard pass from Nunes to Ertz would help the Cardinal drive down to the Notre Dame eight-yard-line to set up a 25-yard field goal attempt by Jordan Williamson when Tuitt made up for his mistake earlier in the drive as he would block the kick to keep the score at 3-0 in favor of the Irish with 9:46 left in the second quarter.

Manti Te'o would finish the game with a game high 11 tackles.

After another exchange of punts, the Irish got the ball back at their 10-yard-line as a quarterback sack and an incomplete pass would bring up 3rd & 16 when disaster struck as Golson was hit in the end zone by Stanford defensive end Ben Gardner to cause a fumble that was recovered by linebacker Chase Thomas for a touchdown to give the Cardinal a 7-3 lead with 6:06 to go in the second quarter.

The Irish would get the ball back at their 13-yard-line as they quickly drove into Stanford territory as running back Theo Riddick would run for 12 yards to start the drive which was followed by a 20-yard pass from Golson to wide receiver T.J. Jones and then a 23-yard run by Golson to put Notre Dame at the Cardinal 32-yard-line.

Six plays later, the Irish would bring on Brindza to attempt a 27-yard field goal but a bad snap would force the Irish to abandon the field goal attempt and give Stanford the ball back at its 26-yard-line with 1:34 left before halftime.

The Cardinal would go into their hurry-up offense as Nunes would complete four of five passes for 41 yards on a drive which would end with a 48-yard field goal by Williamson as time expired in the first half with Stanford ahead 10-3.

The defenses would dominate the early part of the third quarter as both teams would go three-and-out on their first two possessions of the second half until the Irish used their running game to drive from their 13-yard-line to the Stanford 37-yard-line when Golson took off and run for 20 yards until he was hit by Cardinal cornerback Alex Carter to jar the ball loose as Gardner would make the recovery to give Stanford the ball at its 17-yard-line.

The Irish defense would force a three-and-out to give their offense the ball at their 48-yard-line as a 23-yard pass from Golson to Riddick would help Notre Dame drive to the Stanford 16-yard-line until a pair of false start penalties on right guard Mike Golic Jr pushed them back 10 yards.

A pair of runs which gained only two yards would set up 3rd & 18 when Golson connected with tight end Tyler Eifert for a 24-yard touchdown on the second play of the fourth quarter that with the extra point tied the game at 10.

The Cardinal would begin its next possession at their 25-yard-line as they would drive down the field on the right arm of Nunes who would complete four of six passes for 52 yards on a 16-play, 68-yard drive that took over eight minutes off the clock and culminated with a 27-yard field goal by Williamson to give Stanford a 13-10 lead with 6:12 remaining in regulation.

The Irish would get the ball back at their 16-yard-line as running back Cierre Wood would carry the ball three straight times, picking up 23 yards to set up 3rd & 4 when Golson found Jones for 14 yards to give Notre Dame a 1st down at the Stanford 47-yard-line.

An illegal block penalty would push the Irish back to their 47-yard-line when Golson was struck with a helmet-to-helmet hit by Amanam at the end of a four-yard run to draw a 15-yard penalty and give Notre Dame a 1st down at the Stanford 34-yard-line.

However, Golson would have to leave the game with a concussion as Rees would come on to replace Golson with 3:24 left in regulation and the Irish needing at least a field goal.

A run for no gain and a false start penalty would push the Irish back five yards to set up 2nd & 15 when Rees connected with Eifert to bring up 3rd & 4 when Rees try to hit the tight end again only for Cardinal cornerback Terrence Brown get called for pass interference to give Notre Dame a 1st down at the Stanford 13-yard-line.

From there, the Irish kept the ball on the ground as Wood would run for three yards followed by a five-yard run by Riddick on 2nd down to set up 3rd & 2 when Riddick was stopped for no gain to bring up 4th & 2 as Kelly would send in the field goal unit to try and tie the game.

Brindza would come to kick a 22-yard field goal to tie the game at 13 with 20 seconds left in regulation as Stanford would take a knee to run out the clock and send the game into overtime as the Cardinal would win the overtime coin toss and elected to play defense to start the extra period.

Tommy Rees would complete all four of his passes for 43 yards in relief of Everett Golson.

Things got off to an auspicious start for the Irish as Rees would be sacked by Stanford linebacker Trent Murphy for a seven-yard loss to force a 2nd & 17 from the Cardinal 32-yard-line.

However, Rees would recover as he would complete a nine-yard pass to wide receiver DaVaris Daniels to set up 3rd & 8 when Rees hit Reddick for 16 yards and a 1st down at the Stanford seven-yard-line.

That is when Rees found Jones for a seven-yard touchdown that with the extra point gave Notre Dame a 20-13 lead as its defense would come onto the field hoping to keep the Cardinal out of the end zone and ending the game.

Much like Notre Dame, the Stanford offense would go backwards on its first play of their overtime possession as running back Stepfan Taylor would be dropped for a five-yard loss to set up 2nd & 15 when Nunes would scramble for 13 yards which was followed by a 13-yard run by Taylor to give the Cardinal a 1st & goal at the Irish four-yard-line.

Two more runs by Taylor for three yards would bring up 3rd & goal from the one-yard-line when Taylor was stopped for no gain to bring up a do-or-die 4th & goal when the Cardinal went back to Taylor one more time to get into the end zone and extend the game.

But Taylor would be stopped once again as Jackson and linebacker Carlo Calabarese would stop his progress as Notre Dame came away with the 20-13 victory, though Stanford believed that Taylor had gotten into the end zone after his initial progress had been stopped but to no avail.

While the loss would drop them from #17 to #22 in the polls, the Cardinal would recover as they would not lose another game for the rest of the season as they would go on an eight-game winning streak which included a 17-14 overtime win over 10-0 Oregon, a 27-24 win over UCLA in the Pac 12 Championship Game and a 20-14 win over Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl as Stanford would finish the season with a 12-2 record.

As for the Irish, they would ride their defense to an undefeated regular season which included in another memorable goal line stand in their regular season finale against USC which resulted in a 22-13 win to clinch a spot in the BCS National Championship Game as Te'o would finish second in the Heisman Trophy voting behind Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel.

However, the Irish would get steamrolled by Alabama as the Crimson Tide won 42-14 to give the Tide its second straight national championship and third in four years.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Blocked Punt Paves Way for Rams to Score Last-Minute TD Against Packers

The Packers' Donny Anderson has his punt blocked in the final minute of Green Bay's 1967 Week 13 game against the LA Rams.

 Christmas season is seen by many as the time of miracles and that it is what the Los Angeles Rams got on December 9, 1967 towards the end of their game with the Green Bay Packers.

The Rams came into the game with a 9-1-2 good enough to make the four-team NFL postseason if the four teams with the best records got in but the Rams were in the same division as the Baltimore Colts who held a 10-0-2 record to lead the NFL Coastal Division.

The Rams were led by head coach George Allen who was in his second season as the Los Angeles head coach as he help direct the Rams to an 8-6 record in 1966 for the team's first winning season since 1958.

On the field, Allen had quarterback Roman Gabriel running the offense and the defense which featured the "Fearsome Foursome" defensive line of Deacon Jones, Merlin Olsen, Lamar Lundy and Roger Brown who had taken over the right defensive tackle position from Rosey Grier who had retired following the 1966 season.

Despite their excellent record, the Rams needed a win over the Packers to set a winner-take-all game for the Coastal Division in the final week of the season as a Rams victory would vault them over the Colts and clinch LA its first playoff appearance in nine years.

While the Rams' playoff hopes hung in the balance, the Packers were all set to return to the postseason as they had already clinched the NFL Central Division title two weeks earlier in a 17-13 win over the Chicago Bears.

Despite their early clinching of a division title, the 1967 season was anything but smooth sailing for the Packers had been decimated in the backfield as the legendary duo of Paul Hornung and Jim Taylor had departed to the play for the New Orleans Saints prior to the season while their replacements, Jim Grabowski and Elijah Pitts, had gone down to injuries.

But under the steady leadership of head coach Vince Lombardi, quarterback Bart Starr, and one of the NFL's stingiest defenses, the Packers came into the Rams game with 9-2-1 as Green Bay was seeking its third straight NFL championship and fifth in the last seven years.

The Packers got the ball to start the game as a 29-yard pass from Starr to wide receiver Boyd Dowler and a 13-yard run by Donny Anderson put Green Bay in field goal range as Don Chandler would attempt a 41-yard field goal only for the kick to fall short of the uprights to keep the game scoreless.

The Rams would drive to around midfield before punting it back to the Packers who would go three-and-out on their ensuing possession to give the ball back to Los Angeles who begin its next possession at the Green Bay 45-yard-line.

The Rams would only travel six yards on three plays as Bruce Gossett would come on to attempt a 46-yard field goal(The goalposts were located at the top of the end zone in 1967).

But linebacker Lee Roy Caffey would come in to block the kick as cornerback Herb Addderly would recover the loose football at the Rams' 43-yard-line to give Green Bay the ball inside LA territory for its next possession.

After three running plays picked up 13 yards and a fresh set of downs, Starr put the ball in the air as he fired a pass for Carroll Dale, who made the catch at the two-yard-line and then strolled in to complete the 30-yard touchdown to give the Packers a 7-0 lead with 2:35 remaining in the first quarter.

The Rams would start their next possession at their 27-yard-line as two running plays picked up 12 yards to set up 1st & 10 at the 39-yard-line when Gabriel went deep and hit tight end Bernie Casey for a 40-yard completion to put Los Angeles at the Packers' 21-yard-line as the first quarter came to an end.

From there, the Rams would overcome a holding penalty to score their first touchdown of the game as Gabriel found wide receiver Jack Snow in the left corner of the end zone for a 16-yard touchdown that with the extra point tied the game at seven with 12:48 left in the second quarter.

Packers quarterback Bart Starr would only complete 10 of 20 passes for 138 yards as he threw one touchdown and two interceptions.

Following a Green Bay three-and-out, the Rams got the ball at their 17-yard-line when Gabriel tried to hit Snow on a bomb only to have Adderly make the interception to give the Packers the ball at their 40-yard-line.

Green Bay would drive to the Los Angeles 29-yard-line until a pair of holding penalties pushed them back and forced the Packers to punt the ball away as the Rams would take over at their 10-yard-line.

The Rams would move 29 yards to their 39-yard-line until Gabriel was picked off again, this time by Green Bay free safety Willie Wood to give the Packers the ball at their 47-yard-line with 2:50 left before halftime.

Two runs by Travis Williams gained 11 yards and a 1st down as the two-minute warning hit as Starr would complete a 20-yard pass to Dowler to put Green Bay at the Rams' 22-yard-line as the next three plays would go nowhere and force the Packers to settle for a 32-yard field goal by Chandler to give them a 10-7 lead with 46 seconds left before halftime.

The Rams tried to muster up a drive before the end of the first half but could go no further than their 35-yard-line as the Packers went into the locker room with a 10-7 halftime lead.

The Rams would get the ball to start the first half as rookie running back Willie Ellison returned the opening kickoff of the second half 43 yards to the Los Angeles 43-yard-line.

The drive would begin with two runs by running back Les Josephsen that totaled 14 yards to give LA a 1st down at the Green Bay 43-yard-line as Gabriel would keep the ball himself and run for two yards to set up 2nd & 8 when he completed a 15-yard pass to Casey which was followed by a seven-yard pass to tight end Billy Truax.

Then after three straight running plays gained eight yards, Gabriel would find Snow for an 11-yard touchdown to give the Rams their first lead of the game at 14-10 with 10:41 remaining in the third quarter.

The Rams defense would then force a three-and-out to give their offense the ball back at their 37-yard-line as Josephsen would get his hands on the next two plays, running for four yards and then catching a 10-yard pass from Gabriel to put Los Angeles at the Green Bay 49-yard-line.

Los Angeles would overcome an intentional grounding penalty as Gabriel completed a 19-yard pass to Josephsen and 2nd & 25, then hit Casey for six yards and a 1st down, before connecting with Casey again for 17 yards on 3rd & 4 to put the Rams at the Green Bay 14-yard-line.

However, the drive would stall as the Rams would go no further as Gossett would come on to kick a 23-yard field goal to end the 12-play, 48-yard drive as LA's lead increased to 17-10 with 1:27 left in the third quarter.

The seven-point lead would only last for 19 seconds as Williams would return the ensuing kickoff 104 yards for a touchdown, for his then NFL record fourth kickoff return for a touchdown as Chandler would come on to kick the extra point to tie the game at 17.

The Rams would go three-and-out on their ensuing possession as the game moved into the fourth quarter when Starr was intercepted by Rams cornerback Clancy Williams, whose 19-yard return gave Los Angeles possession at the Green Bay 25-yard-line.

A seven-yard pass to Truax followed by two runs for two yards set up a 4th & inches when Allen negated the field goal and would go for the 1st down which he got when Josephsen picked up the one yard needed for the 1st down.

Josephsen would then carry the ball on the next two plays, gaining six yards to set up 3rd & 4 at the eight-yard-line when Gabriel threw a pass for a wide open Dick Bass in the end zone only for the fullback to drop the ball and force LA to settle for a 16-yard field goal by Gossett to give the Rams a 20-17 lead with 10:16 remaining in the fourth quarter.

After a Packers three-and-out, the Rams began their next possession at their 47-yard-line things went from bad to worse for Bass as he coughed up the football after a hit by Green Bay defensive end Bob Brown as defensive tackle Jim Weatherwax would recover the fumble to give the Packers the ball at the Los Angeles 43-yard-line with 7:40 to go in the fourth quarter.

The Packers would methodically drive down the field as Starr completed passes of six yards to Mercein, 14 yards to Williams, and nine yards to Dowler on an eight-play, 43-yard drive that ended with a four-yard touchdown run by Mercein to give Green Bay a 24-20 lead with 2:19 to go in the game.

Rams quarterback Roman Gabriel would complete 20 of 36 passes for 227 yards and throw three touchdown passes.

Following a 24-yard return by Kelton Winston on the ensuing kickoff, the Rams would begin their next possession at their 33-yard-line with two minutes to go and needing a touchdown to win.

After an incomplete pass to start the drive, Gabriel would hit Bucky Pope for 12 yards, then Casey for 11 yards to put the Rams at the Packers' 44-yard-line as Gabriel would throw three straight incomplete passes to bring up 4th & 10.

That is when Gabriel tried to find Casey only for Packers linebacker Dave Robinson almost pick off the pass as it fell incomplete to give Green Bay the ball at their 44-yard-line with over a minute left and a chance to run out the clock.

The Packers would run the ball three straight times but would go backwards as they lost three yards as the Rams called all three of their timeouts to set up a 4th & 13 situation at the Green Bay 41-yard-line with 54 seconds left.

It seemed all the Packers needed to do was punt the ball away and have their defense clamp down on Gabriel and the Rams' offense who would have very little time to drive down the field and get the touchdown that they needed to win the game.

But that is when the miracle occurred for the Rams as linebacker Tony Guillory broke the Packers' wall and blocked Anderson's punt as defensive back Claude Crabb would scoop up the loose football and 20 yards to the Green Bay five-yard-line to give Gabriel a second chance at winning the game.

After an incomplete pass on 1st down, Gabriel would find Casey in the left corner of the end zone for the five-yard touchdown that with Gossett's extra point gave the Rams a shocking 27-24 lead with 34 seconds to play.

The Packers would get one last chance as they began their last drive at their 34-yard-line but Starr could only get Green Bay past the Los Angeles 40-yard-line as his last pass of the game would be intercepted by linebacker Maxie Baughan as time expired with the Rams on top 27-24 to keep their division hopes alive.

The win over the Packers would set up a winner-take-all game for the Coastal Division the following week as the Rams hosted the Colts as the "Fearsome Foursome" would lead a seven-sack effort by the defense as Gabriel would throw three touchdown passes in a 34-10 win to send Los Angeles to the playoffs for the first time since 1958.

However, the Rams would face the Packers in a rematch for the Western Conference Championship which Green Bay won 28-7 on their way to a third straight NFL title and second straight win in the Super Bowl.

College Football Old School Game of the Week: Ohio State Stuns Iowa with Buzzer Beater Touchdown

Ohio State players celebrate after their shocking win over the Iowa Hawkeyes in 1990.

When Ohio State traveled to Iowa City to take on the Iowa Hawkeyes on November 10, 1990, the Buckeyes were cast in the unfamiliar role of underdog when facing the Hawkeyes as Ohio State came into the game unranked while Iowa was ranked #6 in the country.

Ohio State was led by head coach John Cooper, who was in his third season as the Buckeyes' head coach having gone just 15-13-1 sinch his arrival, as the Buckeyes were trying to bounce back from a three-game winless streak earlier in the season while they lost to USC and Illinois while tying Indiana.

But the Buckeyes came into the Iowa game on a three-game winning streak as they had scored a combined 142 points over the past three games with senior quarterback Greg Frey throwing seven touchdown passes during the winning streak.

With Frey and the offense clicking, the Buckeyes looked to continue their dominance over Iowa, a team Ohio State had defeated in 20 of their previous 23 meetings since 1962.

Iowa fans thought that 1990 would be different when it came to Ohio State as the Hawkeyes came into the game on a five-game winning streak and a 6-1 overall record as the Hawks stood atop the Big 10 standings.

Led by head coach Hayden Fry, who was in his 12th season as the head coach of the Hawkeyes and junior quarterback Matt Rodgers, son of then Boston Celtics head coach Jimmy Rodgers, Iowa seemed poised to return to the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1985 and third time in 10 years.

 The Hawkeyes got the ball to start the game as Fry surprised the Buckeyes with an end around reverse pass from wide receiver Danan Hughes to tight end Michael Titley that went for 30 yards on the second play of the game to put Iowa at the Ohio State 37-yard-line.

Six plays later, the Hawkeyes were in the end zone as Rodgers kept the ball and ran it in for a three-yard touchdown to give Iowa a 7-0 lead with 11:12 remaining in the first quarter.

Iowa quarterback Matt Rodgers 13 of 21 passes for 137 yards while running for one touchdown.

After an Ohio State punt, the Hawkeyes got the ball at the Buckeyes' 46-yard-line as Nick Bell ran for four yards to set up 2nd & 6 when Paul Kujawa fumbled the football on a hit by linebacker Tom Lease which was recovered by cornerback Foster Paulk to give Ohio State the ball at its 36-yard-line.

The fumble would not amount to anything as the Buckeyes would go three-and-out to punt the ball back to the Hawkeyes who would also go three-and-out on their ensuing possession to give the ball back to Ohio State who would take over at their 41-yard-line.

The Buckeyes would drive down the field as Frey completed passes of 24 yards to Jeff Graham and 17 yards to Bobby Olive to put Ohio State at the Iowa one-yard-line as time expired in the first quarter with the Buckeyes facing a 4th & goal situation.

Cooper decided to go for the touchdown as the second quarter began which he got when Frey ran it in on a quarterback option to help tie the game at 7 just two seconds into the second quarter.

The Hawkeyes would respond with a 12-play, 50-yard drive where Rodgers completed all five of his passes on the drive for 45 yards only for Iowa to settle for a field goal after the junior quarterback was sacked by Buckeyes linebacker Jason Simmons for a 13-yard loss on 3rd & goal at the Ohio State four-yard-line as Jeff Skillet would come on to kick a 34-yard field goal to give Iowa a 10-7 lead with 9:04 left in the second quarter.

Following an Ohio State punt, the Hawkeyes got the ball at the Ohio State 46-yard-line as Iowa would ride the legs of Lew Montgomery as he carried five times for 29 yards on a nine-play, 46-yard drive that ended with Montgomery punching it in from a yard out to increase Iowa's lead to 17-7 with 2:17 left before halftime.

Iowa seemed poised to increase their lead before the end of the first half as they would get the ball once again in Buckeyes territory as their next possession would begin at the Ohio State 44-yard-line with 1:56 left in the first half.

A clipping penalty would push the Hawkeyes back 15 yards to their 41-yard-line as two runs by Bell for 24 yards put Iowa at the Ohio State 35-yard-line when Fry opted to go for the 1st down.

However, an illegal motion penalty would push the Hawkeyes back five yards to make it 4th & 6 as Fry kept his offense on the field to try and get the 1st down which they failed to get as Rodgers threw an incomplete pass intended for Bell.

Taking over at their 25-yard-line after a dead ball penalty following the 4th down stop, the Buckeyes would drive into Iowa territory as Frey completed an 11-yard pass to Graham which was followed by a 16-yard run by running back Robert Smith to put Ohio State at the Hawkeyes' 48-yard-line with 10 seconds left in the half.

That is when Frey fired a Hail Mary pass that bounced off the chest of Hawkeyes cornerback Merton Hanks and into the arms of Graham, who would then run it in to complete the shocking 48-yard touchdown as time expired in the first half to help cut the Iowa lead to 17-14.

The third quarter would be a defensive stalemate as both teams traded punts until 3:15 remaining in the quarter when Rodgers completed a 29-yard pass to Titley, then a 21-yard pass to tight end Alan Cross to help lead the Hawkeyes to the Buckeyes' 15-yard-line.

After a two-yard run by Montgomery, Rodgers would be dropped for a seven-yard loss by Simmons to set up 3rd & 15 when Rodgers fired a pass for Bell, who dropped the ball in the end zone for what would have been a touchdown.

Instead, the Hawkeyes settled for a 37-yard field goal by Skillet which increased Iowa's lead to 20-14 with 18 seconds to go in the third quarter.

Following an Ohio State three-and-out, the Hawkeyes got the ball at their 20-yard-line as they would use Tony Stewart's legs to drive down the field as the senior running back would carry the ball eight times for 52 yards on a 11-play, 80-yard drive that culminated with a one-yard touchdown run by Montgomery to increase Iowa's lead to 26-14.

The Hawkeyes would attempt a two-point conversion but were unsuccessful as Hughes tried to take it in on an end around to keep the score at 26-14 in favor of Iowa with exactly 11 minutes to play.

It seemed like the Hawkeyes would on their way to sixth straight victory as they held the Buckeyes to another three-and-out on their next possession to get the ball back at the Iowa 23-yard-line.

However, the Buckeyes would catch a break when Paluk blocked Jim Hujsak's punt to give the ball to the Ohio State offense at the Hawkeyes' 24-yard-line.

A three-yard run by Smith and an incomplete pass would set up 3rd & 7 when Frey fired a 21-yard touchdown pass to Olive that cut the Iowa lead to 26-21 with 6:34 to go in the game.

Iowa would start its next possession at their 23-yard-line as it took them three plays to move to their 39-yard line when Rodgers was intercepted by cornerback Lance Price, whose nine-yard return put Ohio State at the Hawkeyes' 44-yard-line with 4:37 to go and a chance to take the lead.

The drive would begin with a 15-yard pass from Frey to Olive which was followed by a three-yard run by Smith and then a quarterback sack by Iowa linebacker John Derby for an eight-yard loss to make it 3rd & 15 where Frey threw an incomplete pass to set up 4th & 15.

That is when Frey threw a pass toward the end zone intended for wide receiver Bernard Edwards only to have Iowa defensive back Jason Olejniczak intercept it to give the Hawkeyes the ball back at their 20-yard-line with 2:31 left on the clock and a chance to run out the clock.

The Hawkeyes would run the ball three straight times only picking up a yard before punting the ball back to the Buckeyes as Hujsak's kick traveled only 27 yards as Ohio State would get the ball at the Iowa 48-yard-line with 59 seconds left in the game.

The drive would start with Frey completing a 23-yard pass to Olive, then finding Graham for seven yards, then throwing an incomplete pass intended for Scottie Graham to set up 3rd & 3 at the Iowa 18-yard-line with 20 seconds left.

Frey would then complete a 15-yard pass to Jeff Graham to put Ohio State at the Iowa three-yard-line as Frey would throw an incomplete pass set up 2nd & goal with seven seconds to play.

That is when Frey found Olive in the back of the end zone for a three-yard touchdown with one second to go as the Buckeyes took their first lead of the game at 27-26 as Ohio State would fail to convert on the ensuing two-point conversion.

The Hawkeyes would have one attempt to pull off a miracle as they tried their version of the 1982 California game-winning kickoff return for a touchdown, but it failed as the Buckeyes would come away with the 27-26 win.

The loss would not derail Iowa's dreams of going to the Rose Bowl as they wound up finishing the regular season with a 8-3 record and 6-2 in the Big 10 as they finished in a four-way tie with Illinois, Michigan, and Michigan State as the Hawkeyes advanced to the Rose Bowl based on their head-to-head record against the four teams.

But the Hawkeyes would fall to the Washington Huskies 46-34 in the "Grandaddy of Them All" as Iowa would finish the season with 8-4 record and #16 ranking in the final coaches poll while finishing #18 in the final AP poll.

As for the Buckeyes, they would finish the season with a 7-4-1 record as they would drop their regular season finale 16-13 to Michigan and then lose to Air Force 23-11 in the Liberty Bowl.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Redskins Break in New Stadium with OT Win over Cardinals

 

78,270 fans witnessed the first game in Jack Kent Cooke Stadium between the Washington Redskins and the Arizona Cardinals.

On September 14, 1997, a new era began in Washington Redskins football as the Redskins hosted the Arizona Cardinals in their first game at their new stadium, Jack Kent Cooke Stadium in Landover, Maryland.

The stadium was named after the Redskins' late owner who had passed away five months prior to seeing the new 80,116 stadium opened.

The Redskins came into their 1997 home opener with a 1-1 record under head coach Norv Turner, who was in his fourth season as the Washington head coach, having led the Redskins to a 9-7 record the year before, their first winning season since Joe Gibbs' retirement in 1992.

With Gus Frerotte at quarterback and running back Terry Allen, who was coming off a season where he had scored 21 touchdowns, the Redskins were hoping to use their new stadium as a springboard to return to the postseason for the first time since 1992.

The Redskins' opponent for this game were the Arizona Cardinals, who were coming off an emotional victory the week before as they had defeated the Dallas Cowboys for the first time in seven years with a 25-22 overtime victory(To read about that game, click on the link which is highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2021/12/nfl-old-school-game-of-week-goalposts.html).

Arizona was led by head coach Vince Tobin who was in his second season as the Cardinals' head coach as he was tasked with trying to lead the Cards to a winning season for the first time since 1984 when they were St. Louis(The Cardinals moved to Arizona in 1988).

With Kent Graham at quarterback, the Cardinals hoped to spoil the Redskins' grand opening of their new stadium as the two teams faced off in Week 3 of the 1997 NFL season.

After the Redskins went three-and-out to start the game, the Cardinals had the ball at their 29-yard-line when Graham completed a six-yard pass to Frank Sanders, only for the wide receiver to lose the football following a hit by Washington cornerback Cris Dishman, leading to a recovery by Daryl Pounds to give the Redskins the ball at the Arizona 35-yard-line.

The Redskins would drive to the Cardinals' two-yard-line until Allen was stopped twice for no gain, forcing them to settle for a 20-yard field goal by Scott Blanton to give Washington a 3-0 lead with 8:27 left in the first quarter.

The Cardinals would then drive from their 32-yard-line to the Washington 34-yard-line before punting the ball back to the Redskins who would go three-and-out as they prepared to punt the ball back to Arizona.

However, Cardinals defensive back J.J. McCleskey would block the punt as Tommy Bennett would pick up the ball at the two-yard-line and then punch it for the touchdown to give Arizona a 7-3 lead with 57 seconds left in the first quarter on the first blocked punt return for a touchdown in 25 years for the Arizona Cardinals.

The Redskins would get the ball at their 40-yard-line to start their next drive after Butler kicked the ensuing kickoff out of bounds as Frerotte would complete a 14-yard pass to fullback Larry Bowie, then hand it off to Allen, who ran for four yards to put Washington at the Arizona 42-yard-line as the first quarter came to an end.

The second quarter would begin with a bang as Frerotte completed a 36-yard pass to wide receiver Leslie Sheppard to give the Redskins a 1st & goal at the Cardinals' six-yard-line as Allen would run for one yard to set up 2nd & goal where Frerotte found Westbrook for the five-yard touchdown to give Washington a 10-7 lead.

Redskins quarterback Gus Frerotte completed 19 of 36 passes for 265 yards and threw two TDs.

Following an Arizona punt, the Redskins got the ball at their 23-yard-line when Frerotte was intercepted by Cardinals linebacker Ronald McKinnon on a pass intended for Westbrook, to give the Cardinals the ball at the Washington 35-yard-line.

The Cardinals would drive to the Redskins' five-yard-line until Graham was sacked by Redskins defensive tackle Chris Mims for a 12-yard-loss, forcing Arizona to settle for a 34-yard field goal attempt by Butler, which ended up sailing wide left and no good to keep the score at 10-7 in favor of Washington.

From there, the two teams would trade punts for the rest of the second quarter as the Redskins went into the halftime break still ahead 10-7.

The third quarter would pick up where the second quarter left off with the two teams exchanging punts until the Redskins got great field position to start their second possession of the second half after 16-yard punt return by Brian Mitchell put Washington at the Cardinals' 41-yard-line.

Three plays would pick up eight yards to set up a 4th & 2 when Turner sent in the field goal unit as Blanton would attempt a 51-yard field goal in hopes of extending the Redskins' lead.

But Blanton's kick would miss to the left of the uprights to give the ball back to the Cardinals at their 41-yard-line still trailing 10-7 midway through the third quarter.

The Cardinals would then put together their best drive of the game as they moved 44 yards in 13 plays, primarily on the ground as they ran the ball on nine of the 13 plays for 28 yards to help set up a 32-yard field goal by Butler that tied the game at 10 with 52 seconds left in the third quarter.

After another exchange of punts, the Redskins would get the ball back at their 28-yard-line as Frerotte completed passes of 16 yards to tight end Jamie Asher and 21 yards to Westbrook to help lead Washington into Arizona territory as Blanton would attempt another 51-yard field goal, which failed short of the uprights to keep the game tied at 10 with 11:31 left in the fourth quarter.

The two teams would again trade punts until the 5:05 mark in the fourth quarter when the Redskins put together a drive for the go-ahead score.

Starting at his 24-yard-line, Frerotte would complete a 11-yard pass to Bowie for a 1st down which was followed by a two-yard pass to Asher and an incomplete pass to bring up 3rd & 8 when Frerotte found Mitchell for 11 yards and a fresh set of downs at the Washington 48-yard-line.

After an incomplete pass on 1st down, Frerotte hit Henry Ellard for nine yards, then ran for four yards on 3rd & 1 to give Washington a 1st down at the Cardinals' 39-yard-line.

Following a four-yard run by Allen, Frerotte completed a 15-yard pass to Shepherd to give the Redskins a 1st down at the Cardinals' 20-yard-line as the two-minute warning hit.

Two plays later facing a 3rd & 10, Frerotte tried to hit Westbrook for the go-ahead touchdown as Cardinals defensive back Tim Howard got called for pass interference to give Washington a 1st & goal at the one-yard-line.

It seemed like the Redskins were going to make it a 17-10 game but they were unable to punch it into the end zone on three straight running attempts by Allen as Washington ended settling for a 19-yard field goal by Blanton to give them a 13-10 lead with 1:13 left in regulation.

Michael Westbrook makes what would be the game-winning touchdown catch.

The Cardinals would start their next drive at their 33-yard-line with 68 seconds left on the clock and no timeouts as Graham completed a 16-yard pass to Kevin Williams for a 1st down at the Arizona 49-yard-line.

After an incomplete pass, Graham would complete three straight passes for 21 yards before spiking the ball at the Washington 30-yard-line with 14 seconds left.

Graham tried to complete one more pass but it fell incomplete intended for Sanders, leading the Cardinals to call on Butler to attempt a 47-yard field goal, which he made with two seconds left to tie the game at 13 and send it to overtime.

The Cardinals would win the overtime coin toss to get the ball to start the overtime period at their 34-yard-line with a six-yard run by running back Leeland McElroy when disaster would strike on 2nd down as McElroy would fumble the football after a hit by Redskins linebacker Marvcus Patton, leading to a recovery by fellow linebacker Derrick Smith at the Arizona 35-yard-line.

After a run by Allen lost five yards to set up 2nd & 15, Frerotte was able to uncork a deep pass despite pressure from the Cardinals' defense and hit Westbrook, who made the catch as he was falling backwards, for the game-winning 40-yard touchdown to give the Redskins a 19-13 overtime win.

The loss to the Redskins would be the beginning of a six-game losing streak as they would finish the season with a 4-12 record as rookie Jake Plummer would take over the starting quarterback job midway through the season while the Redskins would go on to finish the season with a 8-7-1 record, a half game out of a playoff spot.

As for Jack Kent Cooke Stadium, which would become known as FedEx Field in 1999, it sadly did not gain the reputation as its predecessor as it became regarded as one of the worst stadiums in the NFL as the Redskins have complied a 100-117-1 record in the stadium since its inception and have won only one playoff game, a 27-13 win over the Detroit Lions in the 1999 NFC Wild Card Game.

College Football Old School Game of the Week: Spartans Deny Buckeyes National Title Game Berth with Big 10 Champ Game Upset

Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio celebrates with the Big 10 championship trophy after his Spartans upset Ohio State in the 2013 Big 10 Championship Game.

Since their inception in 1992, college football conference championship games have often been the make-or-break for a team's hopes of playing for a national championship in the bowl games that are played in the first few days of January.

That was such the case in the 2013 Big 10 Championship Game when the Ohio State Buckeyes traveled to Indianapolis to play the Michigan State Spartans with a spot in the National Championship Game on the line for the Buckeyes.

The Buckeyes came into the Big 10 Championship Game ranked #2 in the country behind #1 Florida State with a 12-0 record having won the Big 10 Legends division to earn a spot in the Big 10 Championship Game.

The Buckeyes were led by head coach Urban Meyer, who after taking a year off following a six-year tenure at the University of Florida where he won two national championships, became the Ohio State head coach for the 2012 season, taking over from interim head coach Luke Fickell, who had taken over for Jim Tressel who had resigned prior to the 2011 season because of NCAA infractions.

Those infractions would ban the Buckeyes from the 2012 postseason as the team went undefeated under Meyer and quarterback Braxton Miller who ran for 1,271 yards while throwing for 2,039 yards during that season which was followed up with another undefeated regular season in 2013 as Ohio State won its first 24 games since Meyer became the head coach.

All the Buckeyes needed to do was defeat Michigan State and they would secure a spot in the BCS National Championship Game to be played in Pasadena.

While the Buckeyes had hopes of playing for the national championship in Pasadena, the Spartans had ropes of playing in Pasadena on New Year's Day in the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1987 as Michigan State came into the game ranked #10 in the country with a 11-1 record having won the Big 10 Leaders division.

It was the second division title under head coach Mark Dantonio, who had been the Spartans' head coach since 2007, having led Michigan State to bowl games in each of his prior six seasons and had complied two seasons of at least 10 wins in 2010 + 11.

On the field, the Spartans were led by sophomore quarterback Connor Cook and a stout defense that had given up only 141 points during the regular season.

Even though a loss would probably still allow them to play in the Rose Bowl as they would presumably be the Big Ten's highest ranked team after Ohio State, the Spartans were looking for redemption as they had lost a heartbreaker to Wisconsin in the inaugural Big 10 title game two years earlier.

The Spartans got the ball to start the game as they would move 47 yards in 14 plays on a drive that was extended twice by Ohio State pass interference penalties on 3rd down pass that fell incomplete.

Michael Geiger would kick a 40-yard field goal to cap off the six and a half minute drive to give the Spartans a 3-0 lead as the two teams would trade punts for the rest of the first quarter.

Then on the first play of the second quarter, Cook would find Keith Mumphrey on a corner route as the junior wide receiver would turn the play into a 72-yard touchdown to extend the Spartans' lead to 10-0.

Spartans quarterback Conner Cook completed 24 of 40 passes for 303 yards and threw three touchdown passes in his MVP performance.

After an Ohio State punt, the Spartans got the ball back at their 34-yard-line as two runs by running back Jeremy Langford collected seven yards to set up 3rd & 3 when Cook connected with wide receiver Aaron Burbridge for 14 yards, then with Mumphrey for 12 more, before firing a 33-yard touchdown pass to Tony Lippett to increase the Michigan State lead to 17-0 with 9:01 to go in the second quarter.

Desperately needing a spark, the Buckeyes would get it on the second play of their ensuing possession as Miller escaped a sack and ran 48 yards to the Michigan State 34-yard-line as Miller would end the 5-play, 84-yard drive with a 20-yard touchdown pass to running back Philly Brown to put Ohio State on the scoreboard for the first time in the game.

The two teams would exchange punts until 1:23 left in the first half when the Buckeyes got the ball at their 36-yard-line with a drive that got off to an auspicious start as Miller was sacked for a six-yard loss by Spartans linebacker Max Bullough and defensive end Shilique Calhoun.

However, the Buckeyes would get out of the hole as Miller ran for 15 yards on the next play which was followed by an eight-yard run for Hyde to pick up an Ohio State 1st down at Michigan State 47-yard-line.

Miller would complete a 36-yard pass to tight end Jeff Heuerman to help set a 28-yard field goal by Drew Basil as time expired in the first half with the Buckeyes trailing 17-10 as Ohio State would get the ball to start the second half.

The Buckeyes would use their running game to drive down the field on their first possession of the second half as three runs by Hyde for 27 yards and a 24-yard run by Miller put Ohio State at the Michigan State 19-yard-line when disaster nearly struck as Devin Smith fumbled the ball after catching a 11-yard pass from Miller only for Smith to fall on the ball at the Spartans' eight-yard-line.

On the next play from scrimmage, Miller would run it in for an eight-yard touchdown that with the extra point tied the game a 17 with 12:21 remaining in the third quarter.

The Spartans looked to respond on their next possession as they drove from their 29-yard-line to their 47-yard-line until Cook was intercepted by Buckeyes safety C.J. Barnett to give the Buckeyes the ball at the Michigan State 48-yard-line.

But the Buckeyes could not take advantage of the interception as the Spartans' defense would force an Ohio State punt to give their offense the ball back at their four-yard-line.

Following a Michigan State three-and-out, the Buckeyes got the ball back at the Spartans' 44-yard-line as the Ohio State offense would run the ball on five straight plays, culminating with a six-yard touchdown run to give the Buckeyes their first lead of the game at 24-17 with 5:36 left in the third quarter.

Buckeyes quarterback Braxton Miller threw for 101 yards and a touchdown while running for 142 yards and two touchdowns.

Having seen their 17-point lead disappeared, the Spartans needed to get their offense moving again which they did when Langford exploded for a 34-yard run on the first play of Michigan State's ensuing possession to give the Spartans a 1st down at the Ohio State 41-yard-line.

After the next three plays picked up eight yards, the Spartans were faced with a 4th & 2 situation when Dantonio decided to go for the 1st down which he got when Cook kept the ball and ran for six yards to give Michigan State a fresh set of downs at the Buckeyes' 27-yard-line.

Three straight incomplete passes would lead to Geiger coming on to kick a 44-yard field goal which barely made over the crossbar to cut the Buckeyes' lead to 24-20 with 2:29 left in the third quarter.

Following an Ohio State punt, the Spartans would begin their next possession at their 10-yard-line with a 12-yard pass from Cook to Bennie Fowler which was followed by an 48-yard pass from Cook to Macgarrett Kings, that despite having 10 yards given up because of an illegal block penalty, put Michigan State in Ohio State territory at the Buckeyes' 40-yard-line.

Six plays later, Cook found tight end Josiah Price wide open in the end zone for a nine-yard touchdown to put Michigan State back on top at 27-24 with 11:41 to go in the fourth quarter.

The Buckeyes would get great field position to start their next drive as the Spartans attempted a squib kick in hopes of recovering it only for Ohio State to recover it at its 41-yard-line.

However, the Buckeyes would go three-and-out to punt the ball back to the Spartans who picked up one 1st down before punting it back to Ohio State, who would once again get great field position as linebacker Ryan Shazier would partially block Mike Sandler's punt to give the Buckeyes the ball at the Michigan State 47-yard-line.

Three consecutive running plays gained eight yards to set up 4th & 2 when Meyer decided to go for the 1st down only for Spartans linebacker Denicos Allen tackle Miller for no gain to give Michigan State the ball at its 39-yard-line with 5:41 left in regulation.

Langford would run for 16 yards to begin the drive which was followed by the junior running back being stopped for no gain as Cook would complete back-to-back passes for 11 yards to give the Spartans a 1st down at the Ohio State 34-yard-line.

After an eight-yard run to make it 2nd & 2, Langford would get the ball again as he bursted through the Buckeyes' defense to score on a 26-yard touchdown run to increase the Spartans' lead to 34-24 with 2:16 left in regulation.

Needing a miracle to keep their national championship hopes alive, the Buckeyes next possession would begin with a 12-yard run by Miller, only to be followed by four straight incomplete passes to give the ball back to the Spartans who would run out the clock to come away with the 34-24 win to send Michigan State to the Rose Bowl for the first time in 26 years.

Spartans running back Jeremy Langford finished 128 yards on 24 carries and one touchdown.

The loss snapped Ohio State's 24-game winning streak and dropped them to #7 in the rankings as the Buckeyes would be invited to play in the Orange Bowl where they would face the Clemson Tigers with a chance to end their season on a high note.

But the Buckeyes would fall to the Tigers by the score of 40-35 as their 2013 season would end with Ohio State finishing with a 12-2 record and #10 final ranking in the coaches poll while finishing #12 in the final AP poll.

As for the Spartans, they would go on to face the Stanford Cardinal in the 100th playing of the Rose Bowl as linebackers Kyler Elsworth and Darien Harris would stop Stanford running back Ryan Hewitt for no gain on a 4th & 1 with 1:46 to go in the game to preserve Michigan State's 24-20 victory to give the Spartans their school record 13th win and #3 ranking in both the final AP and coaches polls.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Bengals Clinch AFC Central Title with OT Win over Redskins

The Bengals begin to celebrate after Jim Breech's field goal gave them the AFC Central championship with their overtime win over the Redskins.

The Cincinnati Bengals entered the final game of the 1988 regular season locked into the postseason but their seeding still up for grabs as Cincinnati needed one more win to the AFC Central division title plus a Buffalo Bills loss to clinch home field advantage throughout the NFL playoffs.

The Bengals were led by head coach Sam Wyche, who was in his fifth season as the Cincinnati head coach, but had seemingly came into the 1988 season on the hot seat as Cincinnati went 4-11 in 1987 which led to Wyche feuding with his starting quarterback Boomer Esiason.

For the '88 season, Wyche decided to install a no-huddle offense as the normal Bengals offense which under the direction of Esiason, scored 428 points through the first 15 games of the season as the left-handed quarterback would end up as the league's top rated passer.

To go along with Esiason, the Bengals featured the league's top rushing attack with running backs James Brooks and rookie Ickey Woods, who had gained notoriety throughout the country with his touchdown dance known as the "Ickey Shuffle".

Esiason, Woods, Wyche and the Bengals came into the regular season finale with a 11-4 record with a chance to clinch Cincinnati's first division title since 1981 when the Bengals made it all the way to the Super Bowl.

While the Bengals were looking to secure their playoff position, the Redskins were hoping to avoid their first losing season since 1980 as Washington came into the game with a 7-8 record having lost five of their previous seven games to knock them out of playoff contention.

The Redskins were led by Joe Gibbs, who was in his eighth season as the Washington head coach, having led the Skins to two Super Bowl titles including one 11 months earlier when quarterback Doug Williams threw four touchdowns in a 35-point second quarter as the Redskins routed the Denver Broncos 42-10.

Williams was joined in the backfield by rookie running back Jamie Morris, the younger brother of Giants running back Joe Morris, who had taken over the starting running back from Super Bowl hero Timmy Smith, who had a disappointing 1988 season after running for 204 yards in the Redskins' Super Bowl win.

Despite having just 81 carries up to this point in the season, Morris would be the workhouse for the Redskins in their final game of the 1988 season.

 The Bengals got the ball to start the game as they would drive from their 23-yard-line to the Redskins' 22-yard-line, thanks in large part to a 46-yard pass from Esiason to wide receiver Eddie Brown to help set up a 40-yard field goal attempt by Jim Breech, only for the kick to fall short of the uprights to keep the game scoreless.

The Redskins would begin their first possession of the game at their 22-yard-line as they would drive 52 yards in 10 plays with Morris carrying six times for 25 yards while Williams completed three of four passes for 27 yards on the drive which ended with a 43-yard field goal by Chip Lohmiller to give Washington a 3-0 lead with 5:27 left in the first quarter.

After a Cincinnati three-and-out, the Redskins would start its next drive at their 35-yard-line as they would move to the Bengals' 39-yard-line when Morris appeared to have fumble the football when he was stripped of the ball by defensive tackle David Grant leading to a recovery by strong safety Soloman Wilcots.

However, the referees ruled that the whistle had blown before Morris lost the football even though replay showed that he was not down before the fumble, which meant the Redskins kept the football at the Bengals' 35-yard-line as the first quarter came to an end.

Five plays later, Williams found Ricky Sanders for a 20-yard touchdown to increase the Redskins' lead to 10-0 with 12:33 left in the second quarter.

Redskins running back Jamie Morris carried the ball 45 times as he ran for 152 yards.

The Bengals would get the ball back at their 15-yard-line as a 24-yard run by Woods and a 19-yard pass from Esiason to wide receiver Tim McGee to put Cincinnati in Redskins territory as the drive would stall at the Washington 33-yard-line.

That is when Wyche sent in punter Lee Johnson to attempt a 50-yard field goal, instead of Breech, as Johnson would make his first career NFL field goal to cut the Redskins' lead to 10-3 with 9:03 to go in the second quarter.

Washington would start its ensuing possession at their 17-yard-line as Morris would have four carries for 29 yards to help lead the Redskins drive to the Bengals' 48-yard-line until Williams threw an interception when he was picked off by Cincinnati defensive back Ray Horton on a pass intended for Gary Clark to give the Bengals the ball at their 39-yard-line.

After the first two plays picked up only one yard, Esiason would hit McGee for 13 yards to give the Bengals a 1st down at the Washington 47-yard-line which was followed by a 15-yard run by Woods, then another Woods run for three yards, and then a 12-yard scramble by Esiason to put Cincinnati at the Redskins' 17-yard-line.

That is when Esiason fired a 17-yard touchdown pass to McGee that with Breech's extra point tied the game at 10 with 62 seconds left before halftime.

The Redskins would run out the clock with two Morris runs for 10 yards as the two teams went into the locker room deadlocked at 10 with Washington set to get the ball to start the second half.

The Redskins would start their first drive of the second half at their 31-yard-line with four runs by Morris for 14 yards followed by a 11-yard pass to Art Monk to put Washington in Cincinnati territory when Williams threw a 44-yard touchdown pass to Sanders to break the 10-10 tie and give Washington a 17-10 lead.

The Bengals would hold the ball for the next seven minutes only to punt it back to the Redskins who would take over at their seven-yard-line as they moved only 14 yards on five plays to set up a 3rd & 7 at the Washington 21-yard-line when Williams threw a bomb that bounced off the hands of Cincinnati free safety David Fulcher and into the arms of Sanders for a 45-yard completion to give the Redskins a 1st down at the Bengals' 34-yard-line as the third quarter came to an end.

Following a seven-yard run by Sanders on a reverse, Morris would carry the ball four straight times for 13 yards to set up a 4th & 1 at the Bengals' 14-yard-line when Gibbs decided to go for the 1st down instead of a chip shot field goal.

The gamble would backfire as Morris would be dropped for an one-yard loss by Fulcher to give the Bengals the ball back at their 15-yard-line with 11:11 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Four straight running plays gained 16 yards until Esiason, playing with a sprained index finger on his throwing hand which he injured in the first quarter and a sprained ankle he suffered in the third quarter, faked a handoff to fullback Stanley Wilson, and fired a 69-yard touchdown pass to Brown that with the extra point tied the game at 17 with 8:20 left in the fourth quarter.

Washington would begin its next drive at its 21-yard-line as Williams would complete three of four passes for 25 yards to help move the Redskins into Bengals territory to the Cincinnati 49-yard-line.

After a holding penalty gave them five extra yards and a 1st down, the Redskins went back to Morris who would carry the ball on seven of the next eight plays, gaining 24 yards to help put Washington at the Bengals' 12-yard-line with 11 seconds to go when Gibbs called on Lohmiller to kick a 29-yard field goal that would give the Redskins the win and end Cincinnati's chances of home field advantage.

But Lohmiller's kick would bounce off the right upright to make the kick no good as the Bengals would take a knee to run out the remaining five seconds in regulation and send the game into overtime with both teams deadlocked at 17.

Boomer Esiason only completed 10 of 19 passes for 187 yards but threw two touchdowns.

The Bengals won the overtime coin toss and took the ball to start the extra period as Cincinnati would pick up one 1st down before punting the ball to the Redskins who would take over at their 16-yard-line with another chance to spoil the Bengals' hopes of clinching a division title.

Morris would break the record for most carries in a NFL game with his 44th carry on the first play of the drive which would only go for two yards as Williams would complete a pair of four-yard passes to give Washington a 1st down at its 26-yard-line as an incomplete pass and a two-yard run by Morris would bring up a 3rd & 8 situation.

That is when Bengals nickelback Barney Bussey sacked Williams and knocked the ball loose which was recovered by Grant to give Cincinnati the ball at the Redskins' 17-yard-line.

Following two runs by Woods for 14 yards, Wyche sent in Breech and the field goal unit to try and win the game with a chip shot 20-yard field goal.

This time Breech's kick would be true as it sailed through the uprights seven minutes into overtime to give the Bengals not only a 20-17 win but the AFC Central division title for the first time since 1981.

The loss dropped the Redskins to 7-9 marking the first and only time Washington had a losing season during Gibbs' first tenure as the Redskins head coach as the Skins would win one more Super Bowl before his resignation in 1992.

As for the Bengals, they would get the #1 seed in the AFC playoffs when the Bills lost to the Indianapolis Colts 17-14 the following day as Cincinnati would defeat the Seattle Seahawks 21-13 in the Divisional Round then beat Buffalo 21-10 in the AFC Championship Game to send the Bengals to Super Bowl XXIII where they would face the 49ers again.

The Bengals would lose in heartbreaking fashion as 49ers quarterback Joe Montana led his team 92 yards in 11 plays for the game-winning touchdown, a 10-yard touchdown pass to John Taylor with 34 seconds left, to give San Francisco a 20-16 victory and their third Super Bowl title in the 1980s.