NFL Old School Game of the Week: White Shoes Sparks Falcons Comeback Win over Jets

 

Billy "White Shoes" Johnson had 226 all-purpose yards and scored two touchdowns in the Falcons' win over the Jets in 1983.

By the time the 1983 NFL season it looked like the best days of Billy "White Shoes" Johnson were over.

The player famous for his "Funky Chicken" dance after scoring 19 touchdowns for the Houston Oilers from 1974 through 1980, five of them via punt return, was not the same player as a devasting knee injury that he suffered in 1979 had limited his explosiveness as Johnson was now returning punts for the Atlanta Falcons.

But in Week 8 of the '83 season, Johnson began a career renaissance with a remarkable performance against the New York Jets.

The Falcons came into the game with a 2-5 record as they hoped to snap a four-game losing streak during head coach Dan Henning's first season as the Atlanta head coach after taking over for Leeman Bennett who had led the Falcons to their first three playoff appearances during his six-year tenure.

The Falcons had a strong offense led by quarterback Steve Bartkowski and running back William Andrews who came into the game as the second leading rusher in the NFL with 735 yards plus wide receiver Alfred Jenkins but had a weak defense that had given up an average of 20.7 points per game through the first seven games of the season.

The Falcons traveled to the Big Apple to take on the Jets at Shea Stadium, who were loooking to get back on track as the team had stumbled to a 3-4 start after playing in the AFC Championship Game the season before.

New York had a new head coach in Joe Walton, who had served as the team's offensive coordinator for the prior two seasons, following head coach Walt Michaels' retirement following the '82 season.

The team was led by its ferocious pass rush known as the "New York Sack Exchange" which featured Mark Gastineau and Joe Klecko that complied 66 quarterback sacks in 1981 as the Jets broke a 12-year playoff drought by making the playoffs in 1981 which was followed by their journey to the AFC Championship Game in 1982.

On offense, the Jets were led by veteran quarterback Richard Todd, who was trying to keep his job as the team's starting quarterback as New York had selected Ken O'Brien with their first round back in the 1983 NFL Draft.

With running back Freeman McNeil out with a dislocated shoulder, the Jets hoped for a big day from Todd, much like the one he had against the Los Angeles Rams when he threw for 446 yards in 27-24 overtime win(To read about that game, click on the link which is highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2024/12/nfl-old-school-game-of-week-jets-beat.html).

The Jets would get a short field to start the game as kick returner Preston Brown returned the opening kickoff 44 yards to the 50-yard-line as New York opened with four straight running plays that gained 20 yards to move the Jets to the Falcons' 30-yard-line.

Todd would throw his first pass of the game, an one-yard completion to tight end Jerome Barkum that turned into a turnover when Falcons linebacker Fulton Kuykendoll knocked the ball loose as free safety Bob Glazebrook would recover the fumble to give Atlanta the ball at their 29-yard-line.

The two teams would exchange punts until later in the first quarter when the Jets drove from their 42-yard-line to the Falcons' 19-yard-line as Todd completed three passes for 37 yards on the drive until he was picked off on a pass intended for wide receiver Wesley Walker in the end zone by Atlanta cornerback Bobby Butler to end the New York scoring threat and give the Falcons the ball at their 20-yard-line.

The Jets defense would force a three-and-out from the Falcons to give their offense the ball back at their 23-yard-line as two plays went nowhere as the Jets would face a 3rd & 11 from their 22-yard-line as the second quarter began.

It looked like the Falcons were going to force a three-and-out as Bruce Harper fell in the backfield after a handoff from Todd, only for him to get up as he was not touched and ran for a 78-yard touchdown to give the Jets a 7-0 lead.

After another Atlanta three-and-out, the Jets got the ball at their 37-yard-line as Todd completed two passes to Walker for 31 yards and connected with running back Scott Dierking for 11 yards to help move New York to the Falcons' 27-yard-line where Pat Leahy would come on to attempt a 44-yard field goal.

However, Leahy's kick would sail wide left of the uprights to keep the score at 7-0 as the Falcons would go three-and-out again on their ensuing possession as the Jets would get the ball back at their 20-yard-line with 5:31 to go in the second quarter.

Falcons quarterback Steve Bartkowski completed 25 of 36 passes for 313 yards and two touchdowns.

The Jets would again drive deep into Falcons territory as New York would drive 71 yards in 11 plays to set up another field goal attempt for Leahy, this one from 26 yards out, only for it to be blocked by Falcons linebacker Rich Dixon to give Atlanta the ball at their 20-yard-line with 1:14 left before halftime.

The Falcons would drive to the Jets' 21-yard-line as Bartkowski would complete five straight passes for 55 yards but Atlanta would fumble the football on the final play of the first half as wide receiver Alfred Jenkins coughed up the football at the end of a 19-yard catch as Jets defensive back Kirk Springs would make the recovery to end the first half with New York ahead 7-0.

The Falcons would get the ball to start the second half but they would go three-and-out as the Jets begin their first drive of the second half at their 47-yard-line as two runs by Dwayne Crutchfield gained four yards to set up 3rd & 6 when Todd completed a 10-yard pass to Dierking for a New York 1st down at the Atlanta 39-yard-line.

From there, Todd would complete three straight passes for 35 yards to put the Jets at the Falcons' four-yard-line when Dierking took a handoff and run up through the middle for the touchdown to extend the Jets' lead to 14-0 with 9:16 left in the third quarter.

It looked the wheels were coming off for the Falcons when on the second play of their ensuing possession, Bartkowski had a pass bounce off the hands of tight end Arthur Cox and into the arms of linebacker Lance Mehl to give the Jets the ball at the Atlanta 47-yard-line.

Todd would then complete an eight-yard pass to Derrick Gaffney, followed by a 30-yard pass to Lam Jones to move the sticks to the Falcons' nine-yard-line as Mike Augustyniak would carry the ball for six yards then get another carry which resulted in a three-yard touchdown as New York pushed its lead to 21-0 with 6:29 to go in the third quarter.

The Falcons would begin their next possession at their eight-yard-line as running back Gerald Riggs came into the game and seemed to provide a spark as he carried the ball four times for 30 yards to help drive Atlanta to the Jets' 44-yard-line until Bartkowski was intercepted again, this time by Jets cornerback Bobby Jackson to give New York the ball at their 38-yard-line.

The Jets would go three-and-out as they punted the ball back to the Falcons who took over at their 18-yard-line as Bartkowski would complete passes of 17 yards to Riggs, then 21 yards to Stacey Bailey to move Atlanta into New York territory at the Jets' 44-yard-line.

Following a three-yard run by Riggs, Bartkowski would go back to Bailey as the two connected for a 26-yard completion to move the Falcons to the Jets' 15-yard-line when "White Shoes" would begin his takeover of the game.

Bartkowski would complete a short pass to Johnson, who would then weave his way through the Jets' defense to get into the end zone for the 15-yard touchdown to cut the Falcons' deficit to 21-7 with four seconds to go in the third quarter.

The Jets would be forced to punt on their next possession as a holding on right tackle Marvin Powell nullified a 16-yard pass from Todd to tight end Mickey Shuler that would have given New York a 1st down in Falcons territory when "White Shoes" struck again as Johnson returned the punt 41 yards to the Jets' 25-yard-line 

It would take the Falcons just one play to get into the end zone as Bartkowski hit a wide open Andrews over the middle for the 25-yard touchdown to cut the New York lead to 21-14 with 12:23 to go in the fourth quarter.

With momentum on their side, the Falcons were set to get the ball back after their defense forced a three-and-out from the Jets' offense as they would punt the ball when Johnson would make his third and thus far biggest play of the game.

Johnson would catch the ball at his 29-yard-line and immediately break the tackle of the Jets' Johnny Hector as "White Shoes" would run down the left sideline before faking out punter Chuck Ramsey at the New York 20-yard-line and run into the end zone for the 71-yard touchdown, the Falcons' third touchdown in a span of four minutes and nine seconds to tie the game at 21 with 10:55 left in regulation.

The Jets looked to get back on track on their next possession which began at their 34-yard-line with a nine-yard pass from Todd to Harper followed by an apparent 26-yard pass to Shuler that was wiped out because of a holding penalty on left tackle Chris Ward as the Falcons would force the Jets another three-and-out.

New York would punt the ball back to Johnson, who would muff the punt but recover his own fumble as the Falcons would get the ball back at their 31-yard-line as Atlanta would drive 55 yards in 11 plays, the longest play being a 21-yard pass from Bartkowski to Johnson, to set up a 32-yard field goal by Mick Luckhurst to give the Falcons their first lead of the game at 24-21 with 3:37 left in regulation.

After another three-and-out by the Jets, the Falcons would begin their next possession at their 39-yard-line as a false start penalty and an incomplete pass would set up a 2nd & 15 when Johnson would strike one more time as he ran for 36 yards on an end-around to give Atlanta a 1st down at the New York 27-yard-line.

The Falcons would settle for a 40-yard field goal by Luckhurst to increase the Atlanta lead to 27-21 with 1:48 left in the game as the Jets would get one last chance to salvage from an embarrassing defeat.

But Todd would throw three straight incomplete passes to force a do-or-die 4th down situation where Todd was picked off by Falcons strong safety Tom Pridemore to seal the 27-21 win for the Falcons as they had pulled off the greatest comeback in team history by overcoming a 21-point deficit thanks to "White Shoes" who finished with four catches for 57 yards, three runs for 53 yards, and four punt returns for 116 yards.

The Jets would not return to the postseason as they would finish the season with a 7-9 record as Todd would be traded to the New Orleans Saints in the offseason, allowing for O'Brien to take over as the starting quarterback as would led New York to two playoff appearances in 1985 and 1986.

The Falcons would also finish with a 7-9 record as Johnson would be named the NFL Comeback Player of the Year as he would end the season with 64 catches for 709 yards and four touchdowns including a memorable game-winning Hail Mary touchdown catch on the final play of the Falcons' 28-24 win over the San Francisco 49ers(To read about that game, click on the link highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2017/11/nfl-old-school-game-of-week-white-shoes.html).

Johnson would play four more years for the Falcons, leading the team in receptions and yards in 1985 as he caught 62 passes for 830 yards, then would play one game for the Washington Redskins in 1988 which would be the final stop in "White Shoes" 14-year NFL career.

College Football Old School Game of the Week: The Catch(Clemson Version)

Jerry Butler makes "The Catch" for Clemson in their 1977 win over South Carolina.

When sports fans think of "The Catch" most of them either point to Dwight Clark's famous game-winning touchdown reception for the San Francisco 49ers as they defeated the Dallas Cowboys in the 1981 NFC Championship Game or Willie Mays' over the shoulder catch in Game 1 of the 1954 World Series to help the New York Giants defeat the Cleveland Indians.

But when someone mentions "The Catch" in the state of South Carolina, fans of both of the two major college football teams in the Palmetto state will think of Clemson Tigers wide receiver Jerry Butler's game-winning touchdown catch in the final minutes of the Tigers' 1977 win over the South Carolina Gamecocks.

Clemson came into the game needed to defeat the Gamecocks to earn an invitation to play the Pittsburgh Panthers in the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville on December 30th of that year which would be the first bowl game for the Tigers since 1959.

The Tigers were led by first-year head coach Charley Pell, whose offense was led by junior quarterback Steve Fuller and ironically Dwight Clark, who would only catch 32 passes during his career at Clemson as Butler, a junior, was the Tigers' leading receiver as he had caught 40 passes for 694 yards and three touchdowns.

While the Tigers were playing for a bowl game, South Carolina was looking to secure its third straight winning season under head coach Joe Corlen as the Gamecocks came into the "Palmetto Bowl" with a 5-5 record after starting out the season 3-0.

The South Carolina offense was led by senior quarterback Ron Bass or more famously known as "Sunshine" for the 1971 T.C. Williams Titans of Alexandria, Virginia that inspired the 2000 movie Remember The Titans and a plethron of running backs that featured 1980 Heisman Trophy winner George Rogers, who was the team's second leading rusher as a freshman in 1977.

 After both teams punted on their opening possessions of the game, the Tigers took over at their 10-yard-line as it took them eight plays just get to their 45-yard-line until Fuller ran for five yards on a quarterback option to the left side then lateraled the ball to running back Warren Ratchford who ran for 27 yards to complete the 32-yard play and give Clemson a 1st down at the South Carolina 23-yard-line.

Running back Marvin Sims would then get a carry as he ran for 19 yards to give Clemson a 1st & goal where Rutherford would cap off the 11-play, 90-yard drive with a four-yard touchdown run to give the Tigers a 7-0 lead with 6:36 left in the first quarter.

Clemson would get a golden opportunity to extend their lead when on the second play of the Gamecocks' ensuing possession, cornerback Roy Eppes would pick off a pass from Bass and return the interception 30 yards to the South Carolina 10-yard-line.

The Tigers would run the ball three straight times for a total of nine yards as Pell would take the points instead of going for it on 4th down as kicker Obed Ariri would make the 18-yard field goal to increase Clemson's lead to 10-0 with 3:59 remaining in the first quarter.

The Gamecocks would then drive from their 31-yard-line to the Tigers' 39-yard-line thanks in large part to a pair of 12-yard completions by Bass, first to Rogers and the latter to tight end Willie Scott, until running back Johnnie Wright fumbled the football as Clemson free safety Steve Ryan would make the recovery to give the Tigers the ball at their 33-yard-line.

From there, the Tigers would travel 67 yards in 14 plays, converting on four straight 3rd down conversions as Lester Brown would dive into the end zone for a one-yard touchdown to extend the Clemson lead to 17-0 with 9:39 to go in the second quarter.

Clemson quarterback Steve Fuller would complete 14 of 20 passes for 178 yards while running for 31 yards on 17 carries. 

South Carolina would get the ball back at their 20-yard-line as the Gamecocks ran the ball on 14 consecutive plays for 63 yards until Bass threw a pass that was batted down by Tigers defensive tackle Jim Stuckey on a 3rd & 5 as Carlen would send in the field goal unit to get South Carolina on the scoreboard.

But Britt Parish's 34-yard field goal attempt would side right of the uprights as the Gamecocks came away with zero points after a drive which lasted for seven minutes as the Tigers would get begin their next drive at their 20-yard-line.

The Tigers seemed poised to add on to their lead especially after a 41-yard pass from Fuller to Butler put Clemson in South Carolina territory at the Gamecocks' 33-yard-line with over a minute to go before halftime.

However, the Tigers would turn it over on the next play from scrimmage as Ratchford would cough up the football thanks to a hit by Gamecocks linebacker David Prezioso as defensive lineman Bill Janus would recover the fumble at the South Carolina 44-yard-line.

Carolina would try to get into field goal range before the end of the half but Bass would throw his second interception of the game as cornerback Rex Varn picked off a pass intended for wide receiver Phillip Logan to allow the Tigers to run out the clock on the first half and go into the locker room still ahead 17-0.

Midway through the third quarter, it appeared that the Tigers had put up the knockout punch as running back Ken Calicutt busted through a hole provided by guard Jon Bostic and ran for a 52-yard touchdown to push the Clemson lead to 24-0.

After an exchange of three-and-outs, the Gamecocks had the ball at their 14-yard-line when Bass completed a nine-yard pass to Rogers which was followed by an incomplete pass to set up 3rd & 1 when Bass ran a quarterback option to the right side and tossed the ball to running back Spencer Clark who outran the Clemson defense for a 77-yard touchdown to give South Carolina their first points of the game and trim the deficit to 24-7 with 3:58 to go in the third quarter.

The Tigers would begin their next possession at their 35-yard-line as Fuller completed passes of 17 yards to wide receiver Rick Waddington and 10 yards to Dwight Clark to help Clemson drive to the South Carolina 27-yard-line until Fuller pitched the ball behind Brown, leading to a recovery by defensive lineman Fred Sinclair to give the Gamecocks the ball at their 33-yard-line.

Three plays later, Bass would complete a 40-yard pass to Logan to put South Carolina at the Clemson 11-yard-line when running back Steve Dorsey took a handoff from Bass and ran up the middle for the touchdown to cut Tigers' lead to 24-14 just 37 seconds into the fourth quarter.

The Gamecocks kept the momentum on their side as they forced a three-and-out from the Clemson offense then got the ball at the Tigers' 39-yard-line after Dave Sims' punt only went 10 yards.

South Carolina would keep the ball on the ground as they ran the ball on 10 out of the 11 plays of their drive which ended with another touchdown run by Dorsey, this one from one yard out to make it a 24-20 game as the Gamecocks would go for two after the touchdown.

Bass would complete a pass to Scott but the tight end was out of bounds making the pass incomplete and keeping the score at 24-20 in favor of the Tigers with 7:02 to play in the game.

Clemson would pick up one 1st down before punting the ball back to the Gamecocks as Sims shanked another punt, this one going for 18 yards as South Carolina would take over at their 48-yard-line with a little over four minutes to play and a chance to take the lead with a touchdown.

Three straight running plays picked up 12 yards and a fresh set of downs at the Clemson 40-yard-line when Bass threw three straight incomplete passes to force a do-or-die 4th & 10 with 2:01 remaining when Bass threw a pass over the middle that was caught by Logan some 20 yards downfield, who then was able to break a couple of Clemson tackles to run into the end zone for the 40-yard touchdown.

It was the fourth touchdown for the Gamecocks in a span of 16 minutes and 10 seconds as they had wiped away a 24-point deficit to take their first lead of the game at 27-24 with 1:48 left to play in the game.

With their Gator Bowl hopes on the line, the Tigers would begin their next drive at their 33-yard-line after a 26-yard return by wide receiver Willie Jordan on the ensuing kickoff as Clemson had all three timeouts and 99 seconds to drive down the field for the go-ahead touchdown.

The drive would begin with an one-yard run by Fuller followed by a two-yard pass to Ratchford to bring up 3rd & 7 when Fuller connected with Waddington for a 26-yard completion to give Clemson a 1st down at the South Carolina 38-yard-line.

After throwing a pass out of bounds to stop the clock, Fuller would find Dwight Clark over the middle for 18 yards to move the chains as Clemson would have a 1st down at the Gamecocks' 20-yard-line with less than a minute to play.

That is when Fuller took the snap and drifted to his left side when he threw a pass toward the end zone for Butler that was too high and behind the wide receiver.

But Butler would contort his body to make the catch for the 20-yard touchdown to culminate the five-play, 67-yard drive and give Clemson a 31-27 lead with 49 seconds to go in the game.

The Gamecocks would get one last chance to pull out the win as an excessive celebration penalty and a 26-yard kickoff return by Rogers gave South Carolina the ball at their 49-yard-line.

However, Bass would throw four straight incomplete passes to force a turnover on downs as Fuller would take a knee to run out the clock as the Tigers had secured their first bowl game in 18 years with their 31-27 victory over the Gamecocks.

South Carolina would play one more game in 1977 as they traveled to Hawaii to take on the Rainbow Warriors where the Gamecocks would fall 24-7 to finish the '77 season with a 5-7 record while Clemson would be routed by Pitt 34-3 in the Gator Bowl to finish the season with a 8-3-1 record and #19 ranking in the final AP poll.

As for Butler, he would return to Clemson for his senior season where he led the Tigers with 58 catches for 908 yards to help Clemson win its first ACC championship in 11 years as the Clemson went 11-1 and finished #6 in the AP poll after a 17-15 win over Ohio State in the Gator Bowl, the infamous game where a Clemson player was punched by Ohio State head coach Woody Hayes.

Butler would then be chosen by the Buffalo Bills with the #5 pick in the 1979 NFL Draft where Butler would spend his entire eight-year NFL career as he caught 278 passes for 4,301 yards and scored 29 touchdowns.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Rams Beat Bucs on Dickerson's Walk Off Overtime Touchdown

 

Eric Dickerson had the fourth and final 200 yard game of his illustrious career in the Rams win over the Buccaneers in 1986.

To beat the Los Angeles Rams of the mid 1980s, the first thing a team needed to do was stop running back Eric Dickerson.

But for NFL teams that was almost an impossible task as the #2 overall pick of the 1983 NFL draft ran for 5,147 yards in his first three seasons including the single season record for most yards in a season with 2,105 in 1984, a record which still stands today.

In week 6 of the 1986 NFL season, it was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' turn to try and stop Dickerson as they traveled to Southern California to take on the Rams.

The Rams came into the game with a 3-1 record under fourth year head coach John Robinson as Dickerson ran for 450 yards in the team's first four games of the season but was coming off a 17-carry, 58-yard performance the week before in a 34-20 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Rams were hoping that Dickerson could return to his top form especially since starting quarterback Steve Bartkowski, who had been signed in the preseason after incumbent starting quarterback Dieter Brock had been lost for the season because of a knee injury, was unavailable because of injury as Steve Dils would be making his first start in three years.

LA's opponent, the  Tampa Bay Buccaneers, came into the game with a 1-3 record hoping to win their second game of the season which would match the total from the previous season where they went 2-14 during the 1985 season which was the first season for head coach Leeman Bennett.

The 1986 offseason had been a tumultuous one for the Bucs as future Hall-of-Fame defensive end Lee Roy Selmon retired a week before the 1986 NFL Draft where Tampa Bay selected running back Bo Jackson with the #1 overall pick.

But Jackson would not suit up for the Buccaneers as he elected to play baseball as he would sign a contract to play for the Kansas City Royals after his selection in the 1986 MLB Draft.

The Bucs started the season losing their first two games of the season as quarterback Steve DeBerg would be benched in favor of Steve Young, who led the Bucs to a 24-20 win over the Detroit Lions in Week 3 despite only throwing for 39 yards, as Tampa would fall to the Atlanta Falcons one week later.

Young would get the start again for the Bucs' game with the Rams, who The Rams were expected to win the game as they were favored by 11 points.

After the Bucs went three-and-out to start the game, the Rams took over at their 34-yard-line as they rely on Dickerson to drive them down the field as he carried the ball seven times for 53 yards on a 10-play, 66-yard drive that ended with an one-yard touchdown run by Barry Redden to give Los Angeles a 7-0 lead.

Following another Tampa Bay three-and-out, the Rams got the ball back at their 48-yard-line as Dils would attempt his first pass of the game, an incomplete pass on 1st & 10, which was followed by two Dickerson runs for 12 yards and then another incomplete pass as LA was face with a 2nd & 10 at the Buccaneers' 40-yard-line.

That is when Dickerson took a handoff from Dils and ripped through the middle for a 40-yard touchdown run to cross the 100-yard rushing mark on just 10 carries to increase the Rams' lead to 14-0 with 1:37 left in the first quarter.

Tampa Bay would pick up a 1st down on their ensuing possession but it once again ended on a punt as the Rams would begin their next drive at their 16-yard-line as Dils was able to complete a screen pass to Dickerson who ran for 22 yards until he was hit by Buccaneers cornerback Ricky Easmon, resulting in a fumble that was recovered by strong safety Craig Swope to give the Bucs the ball at the Los Angeles 38-yard-line.

The Bucs would run the ball on three straight plays gaining 10 yards before Young completed a 11-yard pass to wide receiver Gerald Carter for a Tampa Bay 1st down at the Rams' 17-yard-line as an one-yard run by running back Nathan Wonsley followed by an eight-yard pass from Young to tight end Jimmie Giles set up a 3rd & 1 at the eight-yard-line.

Wonsley would be stopped for no gain to make it 4th & 1 when Bennett decided to go for the 1st down which he got when Young snuck up the middle for two yards to move the sticks as Tampa Bay would have a 1st & goal at the six-yard-line.

After a Wonsley run that lost two yards, Young would get the two yards back on a quarterback run on 2nd down, then scramble on 3rd & goal for the four-yard touchdown to cut the Rams' lead in half to 14-7 with 9:43 to go in the second quarter.

Buccaneers quarterback  Steve Young only completed eight of 23 passes for 83 yards while running for 37 yards and scoring a touchdown on eight carries.

The Rams would begin their next possession at their 36-yard-line as a 12-yard run by Redden followed by a 16-yard pass from Dils to Dickerson put LA at the Tampa Bay 36-yard-line when it looked like Dickerson ripped off another long touchdown run, only for it to be called because of an illegal formation penalty which pushed Los Angeles back five yards to the Bucs' 41-yard-line.

From there, the Rams would slowly drive down the field as it took them eight plays to 24 yards before calling on Mike Lansford to attempt a 34-yard field goal, which he made to extend the LA lead to 17-7 with 4:56 to remaining in the first half.

The Bucs would go three-and-out again on their next drive as the Rams would get the ball back at their 27-yard-line as a Dickerson run that lost four yards would bring up 2nd & 14 when Dils was sacked by Buccaneers linebacker Keith Browner, forcing a fumble that Browner recovered to give Tampa Bay the ball at the Los Angeles 11-yard-line.

However, the Bucs could only gain three yards on three plays as they would settle for a 26-yard field goal by Donald Igwebuike to once again make it a seven-point game at 17-10 with 1:55 left before halftime.

The Rams would get the ball back at their 15-yard-line but were content to go into the halftime break with the 17-10 lead as they basically ran out the clock but set to get the ball to start the second half.

But the Bucs' defense would force the Rams to go three-and-out on their initial possession of the second half as the two teams traded punts until midway through the third quarter when Wonsley exploded for a 59-yard touchdown run that with the extra point tied the game at 17.

The two teams would go back to trading punts until early in the fourth quarter when the Rams got great field position as a 11-yard punt return by Mickey Sutton gave Los Angeles the ball at the Tampa Bay 44-yard-line.

Dils would complete back-to-back passes for 12 yards to give LA a fresh set of downs at the Bucs' 32-yard-line as an end around reverse to wide receiver Ron Brown cost the Rams five yards as Dils would complete two straight passes for 14 yards to set up a 4th & 1 at the Tampa Bay 23-yard-line.

Robinson would send in Lansford to attempt the go-ahead field goal, which he made from 40 yards out to give the Rams a 20-17 lead with 9:41 left to play in the fourth quarter.

After another Tampa three-and-out, the Rams took over at their 30-yard-line as Dickerson, who had been held to 44 yards in the second and third quarters combined, ran for 12 yards on back-to-back carries to pick up a LA 1st down which was followed by a three-yard run by Redden and then two straight carries for Dickerson for seven yards to give the Rams a 1st down at Buccaneers' 48-yard-line.

But the drive would stall as the Rams would punt the ball back to the Buccaneers but would get a perfect punt by Dale Hatcher as the ball was downed at the one-yard-line, meaning Tampa Bay would have to go 99 yards for a possible game-winning touchdown with 4:34 left in regulation.

The drive would begin with a six-yard run by Wonsley followed by a 11-yard pass from Young to Carter to pick up a 1st down as it took three straight running plays to pick up the next 1st down at the Tampa Bay 30-yard-line right at the two-minute warning.

The Bucs would pick up the pace as Young would complete a eight-yard pass to Wonsley, then scramble for four yards and the 1st down, when Young connected with Carter for 15 yards and another 1st down at the Rams' 43-yard-line.

After throwing an incomplete pass on 1st down, Young would find Carter again, this time for 11 yards to move the sticks again as a quarterback sack and an incomplete pass would force a 3rd & 12 situation when Young fired a 15-yard pass to wide receiver Phil Freeman to put the Bucs at the LA 19-yard-line with 20 seconds left in regulation.

Young would throw two straight incomplete passes to bring up 3rd down when it looked like Rams linebacker Kevin Greene sacked Young for a five-yard loss but ended up inadventrly grabbing the quarterback's face mask resulting in a five-yard penalty which essentially meant the play did not counted as the clock stopped with four seconds to go.

Needing at least a field goal to tie the game, Bennett sent in the field goal unit as Igwebuike would make a 37-yard field goal as time expired to cap off the 17-play, 80-yard drive but more importantly tie the game at 20 and send into overtime.

The Rams would win the overtime coin toss and elected to receive as Brown would return the overtime kickoff 21 yards to the LA 27-yard-line as the drive would begin with a 18-yard pass from Dils to wide receiver Bobby Duckworth for a LA 1st down at their 45-yard-line.

Following a Dickerson run that lost three yards, Dils would hit Brown for 16 yards and another Rams 1st down at the Tampa Bay 42-yard-line when they called "46 Gap" an off tackle run to the left side.

Dils handed the ball off to Dickerson, who was able to break a tackle at the 40-yard-line, then run up the middle where he dodged a diving attempt from a Buccaneer defensive back around the 25-yard-line and ran in untouched for the 42-yard touchdown to give the Rams the 26-20 win as Dickerson finished with 207 on 30 carries and two touchdowns.

The 1986 season would be another disaster for the Buccaneers as they would win just one more game to finish the season with a 2-14 record resulting in the firing of Bennett after just two seasons.

The Bucs would once again have the #1 pick in the NFL draft which they used to pick 1986 Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Vinny Testaverde, who would play for the team, as Young would be traded to the San Francisco 49ers a few days before the 1987 NFL draft.

As for the Rams, they would continue to lean on Dickerson as he would win the rushing title for the third time in four years as he finished with 1,821 yards and 11 touchdowns as Los Angeles would finish the regular season with a 10-6 record, good enough to earn a spot in the playoffs despite tough losses in the final weeks of the season to the New England Patriots(To read about that game, click on the link highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2024/11/nfl-old-school-game-of-week.html) and Miami Dolphins(To read about that game, click on the link highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2020/10/nfl-old-school-game-of-week-marino.html).

In the playoffs, the Rams would fall to the Washington Redskins 19-7 in the NFC Wild Card Game as Dickerson ran for 158 yards but lost three fumbles as Los Angeles turned the ball over six times in the game.

It would be one of Dickerson's final games as a Ram as in the middle of the 1987 NFL season, he was traded to the Indianapolis Colts, where he played through the 1991 season as he won the rushing title for the final time in his career in 1988 with 1,659 yards.

Dickerson would play two more years before retiring from the NFL after the 1993 season as he was selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 1999 as Dickerson would make amends with the Rams and have his number #29 retired in 2009.

College Football Old School Game of the Week: Wilhoit's Long FG Gives Vols Win over Gators

James Wilhoit(25) would make a 50-yard field goal with six seconds to go to give the Vols the win over Florida in 2004.

 The field goal kicker is perhaps the most stressful position in all of football as one can forever remembered a hero with if he is able to make the game-winning field goal or as it a goat if he misses it or has a series of misses that ends costing his team the game.

In 2004, Tennessee Volunteers kicker James Wilhoit was able to feel both extremes in the same game as he would go from rock bottom to top of the world in the Vols' annual September showdown with the Florida Gators.

The Volunteers came into the game ranked #13 in the country under head coach Philip Fulmer who was beginning his 12th season as the Tennessee head coach but still looking for a new starting quarterback to replace Casey Clausen who had graduated after the 2003 season.

True freshmen Erik Ainge, nephew of former NBA player Danny Ainge, and Brett Schaeffer would both get reps with the first team offense during the Vols' season opener with the UNLV Runnin Rebels thirteen days prior to the Florida game.

Schaeffer, who was a dual threat quarterback got the start as he completed seven of 10 passes for 123 yards and a touchdown while running for 29 yards and another touchdown on seven carries while Ainge, who was a traditional drop back passer, completed 10 of 17 passes for 118 yards and throwing two touchdowns as the Volunteers easily defeated the Rebels 42-17.

Fulmer would not name a starting quarterback for the Florida game as he would once again go with the two-quarterback system as the Vols prepared to host the Gators, who came into the game ranked #11 in the country but intense pressure to perform for their embattled head coach, Ron Zook.

Zook had became the Gators' head coach after Steve Spurrier left to become the coach of the Washington Redskins in 2002 after a 12-year tenure where the "ol Ball coach" complied a record of 122-27-1 while leading the Gators to five SEC championships and the 1996 national championship.

But after back-to-back 8-5 seasons, Zook was on the hot seat entering the 2004 season as he had lost five home games in his first two seasons in Gainesville compared to the five that Spurrier had lost during his entire 12-year run.

With sophomore Chris Leak returning as the Gators' starting quarterback, Florida would defeat Eastern Michigan 49-10 in their season opener before traveling up to Knoxville to take on the Vols in a primetime showdown.

The Vols would start the game on offense as Schaeffer would get the start at quarterback for Tennessee's opening possession which ended in a turnover when running back Derrick Tinsley dropped a handoff on an end-around that was recovered by Florida defensive back Dematrice Webb at the Volunteers' 32-yard-line.

Five plays later, Leak would find wide receiver O.J. Small for a five-yard touchdown to give the Gators a 7-0 lead with 11:15 left in the first quarter.

Florida quarterback Chris Leak would throw for 286 yards and three touchdowns.

The Vols would get the ball back at their 20-yard-line for their next possession where they relied on their stable of running backs to drive down the field as Tennessee would attempt a single pass during the drive.

Cedric Houston would carry the ball on the first four plays of the drive, gaining 34 yards, before Gerald Riggs Jr got four carries which went for 28 yards, while Schaeffer ran for 16 yards on two carries to move the Vols to the Gators' two-yard-line.

From there, Jabari Davis would carry the ball on the last two plays of the drive with the second carry being an one-yard touchdown to end the 12-play, 80-yard drive and tie the game at seven.

Florida would begin its next possession at their 32-yard-line as the Gators would advance to the Tennessee 47-yard-line until Leak was picked off by Volunteers safety Jason Allen on a deep pass intended for Andre Caldwell in the end zone as the Vols would begin their next drive at their 20-yard-line.

Now it was Ainge's turn at quarterback as he started the drive with a 13-yard pass to wide receiver Chris Hannon then ended it with a 16-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Justin  Reed to give Tennessee a 14-7 lead just 44 seconds into the second quarter.

The Gators would get horrible field position for their next drive as Caldwell caught the kickoff while going out of bounds at the Florida three-yard-line.

However, the Gators would drive 97 yards in 16 plays as they converted on four straight 3rd down situations, the first being a shovel pass from Leak to running back Ciatrick Faison that went for 21 yards, followed by a 11-yard pass to wide receiver Dallas Baker on a 3rd & 5 and then a seven-yard pass to wide receiver O.J. Small on a 3rd & 4 and wrapped with a 13-yard pass to Baker on a 3rd & 9.

The drive culminated with a nine-yard touchdown pass from Leak to wide receiver Jemalle Cornelius to tie the game at 14 with 7:32 to go in the second quarter.

The Volunteers' ensuing possession would end in a turnover as Ainge was intercepted by Florida safety Terrence Holmes who returned the pick 20 yards to the Tennessee 30-yard-line as Leak would complete a 29-yard pass to Caldwell on the next play from scrimmage to set up an one-yard touchdown run by running back Deshawn Wynn to give Florida a 21-14 lead with 5:29 remaining before halftime.

Both teams would trade punts to end the first half with the Gators on top and set to get the ball to start the second half as Florida would pick up one 1st down before punting the ball back to the Vols who would take over at their 28-yard-line with Schaeffer at quarterback.

The drive was going smoothly for the Vols as Schaeffer completed passes of 18 yards to Hannon and 11 yards to Jayson Swain which was followed by a 22-yard run by the freshman quarterback to move Tennessee to the Florida 17-yard-line until Schaeffer lost the football after a quarterback sack by linebacker Earl Everett.

Florida defensive tackle Ray McDonald would recover the fumble to give the Gators the ball at their 23-yard-line as a 32-yard run by Fason along with a 18-yard pass from Leak to Small help Florida advance all the way to the Tennessee one-yard-line where they had a 1st & goal.

But the Gators could not punch into the end zone as Leak lost three yards on a quarterback run on 1st down then threw back-to-back incomplete passes to force a 21-yard field goal attempt by Matt Leach, which sailed wide right to keep the score at 21-14 as Tennessee would get the ball back at their 20-yard-line.

From here on out, Ainge would be the Tennessee quarterback as he would complete seven of nine passes for 62 yards on a 14-play, 80-yard drive that ended with the freshman quarterback firing a 23-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Bret Smith that with the extra point tied the game at 21 with 13:02 left in the fourth quarter.

Erik Ainge(10) would complete 16 of 24 passes for 192 yards and throw three touchdown passes.

Following an exchange of punts, Florida got the ball back at their six-yard-line as two runs by Wynn for seven yards and a six-yard pass from Leak to Small gave the Gators a 1st down at their 19-yard-line when Leak threw a pass that was tipped by Tennessee safety Brandon Johnson but landed in the hands of Gators wide receiver Chad Jackson at his 45-yard-line as Jackson would run the remaining 55 yards untouched to complete the stunning 81-yard touchdown and give Florida a 28-21 lead with 7:43 left in regulation.

Tennessee would begin its next possession at their 20-yard-line as a pass interference penalty on Florida free safety Jarvis Herring on a 3rd & 9 followed by a 15-yard pass from Ainge to Hannon helped the Vols move to the Gators' 47-yard-line where they faced a 4th & 6 situation with 5:22 to go in the game.

Instead of punting the ball back to the Gators, the Vols would gamble and go for the 1st down which they got when Ainge hit wide receiver Tony Brown for a 32-yard completion to give Tennessee a 1st down at the Florida 15-yard-line.

After two running plays gained two yards, Ainge would fire a 13-yard touchdown pass to Swain as the Vols were on the verge of tying up the game once again when disaster struck as Wilhoit's kick sailed wide right to keep the score at 28-27 in favor of the Gators with 3:25 to go in the game.

The Gators would begin their ensuing possession at their 20-yard-line with a chance to run out the clock if they could pick up a couple of 1st downs.

A nine-yard pass from Leak to Fason followed by a two-yard run by Fason gave the Gators a 1st down at their 31-yard-line with 2:02 to go as Wynn carried the ball on the next two plays, gaining seven yards to set up a crucial 3rd & 3 that if Florida converted, would win them the game.

Wynn would be stopped for no gain but that was not the worst of it as Baker was called for a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after slapping the helmet of Tennessee cornerback Jonathan Wade in response of Wade slapping Baker's helmet.

The officials stopped the clock to assess the penalty but forget it to restart it until the Gators snapped the ball as they punted the ball back to the Volunteers who would take over at their 39-yard-line with 43 seconds to go.

After throwing an incomplete pass to begin the drive, Ainge would hit Hannon for 21 yards to move Tennessee to the Florida 40-yard-line where Ainge would spike the ball to stop the clock with 29 seconds left.

Ainge would then complete a seven-yard pass to Hannon which was followed by another spike to stop the clock with 13 seconds remaining as Fulmer would send Wilhoit on to the field to attempt a 50-yard field goal, one yard shy of his career long of 51 yards that ironically came against Florida in 2003.

Wilhoit would get his redemption as his kick sailed through the uprights with six seconds remaining to give the Vols a 30-28 lead as Florida could not pull off a miracle on the ensuing kickoff on the final play of the game as Tennessee came away with its fourth win in seven years over the Gators.

The loss to Tennessee was the beginning of the end for Zook as one month later after a 38-31 loss to 1-5 Mississippi State, it was announced that Zook would be fired at season's end, though he was allowed to coach the team for the rest of the regular season which ended with a 20-13 win over Florida State.

Defensive coordinator Charlie Strong would be the Gators' interim head coach for the Peach Bowl where Florida would lose 27-10 to the Miami Hurricanes to finish the 2004 season with a 7-5 record.

The Gators would hire Utah head coach Urban Meyer to become their next head coach as Meyer would comply a record of 65-15 over six seasons as Florida won two national championships during Meyer's tenure.

Meanwhile, Tennessee would use its win over Florida as a springboard to the SEC East title as they finished the regular season with a 9-2 record and earn a trip to the SEC Championship Game where the Vols would fall to the Auburn Tigers 38-28.

Tennessee would wrap up its 2004 season with a 38-7 win over Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl as the Vols would finish ranked #13 in the final AP poll and #15 in the final coaches poll as Schaeffer would transfer to Ole Miss following the season as Ainge would be benched during his sophomore season before winning back the starting quarterback job for his final two seasons in Knoxville.

As for Wilhoit, he would remain the Vols' kicker through 2006 as he finished his career with 59 successful field goals, third most in Tennessee history and 325 points, which is also third most in school history.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Raiders Win Primetime Shootout With Cowboys

Raiders running back Marcus Allen would have 15 carries for 55 yards while catching seven passes for 67 yards in LA's win over the Cowboys.

NFL fans were in for a treat during Week 8 of the 1983 regular season as they got to see the 5-2 Los Angeles Raiders take on the 7-0 Dallas Cowboys in a rare Sunday night game(Sunday Night Football did not formally begin until 1987).

The Cowboys were the home team as they were one win away from matching their best start in team history when they went 8-0 to start the 1977 season which ended with a 27-10 win over the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XII.

The biggest reason for the 7-0 start which led by quarterback Danny White and running back Tony Dorsett had averaged 28.8 points per game up to this point in the season which included a dramatic 31-30 win over the defending Super Bowl champion Washington Redskins in the first game of the season.

Despite the explosive offense, head coach Tom Landry, who was in his 24th season as the Dallas head coach, was worried about his defense as they had given up an average of 21 points per game during the first seven games of the season.

If the Cowboys were going to return to the Super Bowl, they would need their defense to shape up.

Meanwhile, the Raiders came into the game with a new starting quarterback as Marc Wilson had been taken over the job after a relief performance the week before in a 38-36 loss to the Seattle Seahawks as the incumbant starter, Jim Plunkett, had been benched after throwing 14 interceptions in the first two months of the season.

Raiders head coach Tom Flores was hoping that Wilson , who had started nine games during the 1981 season, could calm the Raiders' offense down as it featured second-year running back Marcus Allen and all-pro tight end Todd Christiansen on a unit that averaged 25.8 points during the first seven games of the season.

 After the Cowboys went three-and-out to start the game, the Raiders would get the ball at their 30-yard-line when disaster struck of the second play of the drive as Wilson fumbled the snap from center which was recovered by Cowboys defensive end Ed "Too Tall" Jones to give the Cowboys the ball at the Los Angeles 33-yard-line.

White would then complete a 16-yard pass to running back Ron Springs for a Dallas 1st down where Springs would get a carry that would go for two yards which was followed by an incomplete pass to bring up a 3rd & 8.

That is when the Cowboys went into their bag of tricks as Springs took a handoff and rolled to his left then stopped and threw a pass downfield to a wide open White who made the catch as he ran into the end zone untouched for a 15-yard touchdown to give Dallas a 7-0 lead.

The Raiders would pick up one 1st down before punting the ball to the Cowboys who would go three-and-out on their ensuing possession as they would punt the ball back to the Raiders who would get great field position for their next drive as Greg Pruitt ran the punt back 36 yards to the Dallas 26-yard-line.

The Cowboys defense would allow only seven yards on three plays as the Raiders would settle for a 37-yard field goal by Chris Bahr which cut the Dallas lead to 7-3 midway through the first quarter.

Following another Dallas three-and-out, the Raiders would begin their ensuing possession at the Cowboys' 45-yard-line as Wilson would complete passes of 18 yards to Malcolm Barnwell and 17 yards to Allen to help set up Wilson's two-yard touchdown pass to tight end Derrick Jensen to give Los Angeles a 10-7 lead with 95 seconds to go in the first quarter.

It seemed like the Raiders had seized control of the game especially after their defense forced another three-and-out from the Cowboys offense only to muff the ensuing punt as Pruitt fumbled the ball which was recovered by reverse defensive back Rod Hill to give Dallas the ball at the Los Angeles 38-yard-line.

White would then hit Drew Pearson for a 24-yard completion that got seven yards added to it as the result of a late hit by Raiders strong safety Mike Davis to give the Cowboys a 1st & goal at the Los Angeles seven-yard-line.

A two-yard run by Dorsett and an offsides penalty would move the ball to the two-yard-line where Springs would punch it in for the touchdown to give the Cowboys a 14-10 lead with 13:45 to go in the second quarter.

The Raiders would then give the ball right back to the Cowboys when on the first play of their ensuing possession, Allen fumbled the football after a hit by Dallas linebacker Anthony Dickerson, who would then make the recovery to give Dallas the ball at the Los Angeles 20-yard-line.

Dallas would advance to the Los Angeles five-yard-line before the drive stalled as Rafael Septien would come on to kick a 23-yard field goal to extend the Cowboys' lead to 17-10.

Cowboys quarterback Danny White would throw for 240 yards and two touchdowns while catching the first touchdown pass of his career.

The Raiders would get great field position to start their next drive as Cleo Montgomery would return the ensuing kickoff 48 yards to the Los Angeles 46-yard-line as fullback Frank Hawkins, filling in for an injured Kenny King, would make his presence felt.

The drive would begin with a nine-yard run by Hawkins, followed by an incomplete pass to bring up 3rd & 1 when Hawkins busted loose for a 32-yard run to give the Raiders a 1st down at the Cowboys' 13-yard-line.

An illegal use of hands penalty would push the Raiders back 10 yards to the Dallas 23-yard-line when Hawkins got another carry as he took around it the left side and run untouched for the 23-yard touchdown that with the extra point tied the game at 17.

The Cowboys would respond with an eight-play, 76-yard drive which saw White complete a 20-yard pass to Pearson to move Dallas into Raider territory followed by a 27-yard pass to tight end Doug Cosbie to advance to the red zone where White would connect with Butch Johnson for a 15-yard touchdown to put the Cowboys back on top with a 24-17 lead with 5:27 to go in the second quarter.

The Raiders would begin their next possession at their 23-yard-line as Wilson would hit tight end Todd Christiansen on two completions for 28 yards and Branch for 11 yards to help move Los Angeles to the Dallas 35-yard-line where on 3rd & 12, Wilson scrambled for 18 yards to give the Raiders a 1st & 10 at the Cowboys' 17-yard-line.

Wilson would then threw his second touchdown of the game, a 17-yarder to Hawkins to cap off an 11-play,77-yard drive and tie the game at 24 with 2:19 to go before halftime.

The first half fireworks would continue on the ensuing kickoff as Ron Fellows' 50-yard return would give the Cowboys the ball at the 50-yard-line as White would hit Johnson for 19 yards on a 2nd & 22 which was followed by a 11-yard pass to Tony Hill to move the sticks to the Raiders' 32-yard-line.

Two plays later, White would be intercepted by Raiders defensive back Odis McKinley to give Los Angeles the ball at their 22-yard-line with 44 seconds to go in the first half.

Instead of going into the halftime break with the score tied, the Raiders were aggressive as Wilson would complete three consecutive passes for a total of 48 yards to move Los Angeles to the Dallas 30-yard-line where the Raiders would line up for a 48-yard field goal by Bahr with nine seconds to go in the half.

But it was a fake as Wilson, who was also the holder, took the snap and then fired a pass downfield to tight end Don Hasselbeck who made it all the way to the end zone as the pass fell incomplete at the 10-yard-line.

However, Hasselbeck had been tackled by Dickerson in the end zone which resulted in a pass interference penalty to give Los Angeles a 1st & goal at the one-yard-line with three seconds left.

Flores would gamble once again as he would go for the touchdown instead of the field goal as Wilson found Christensen in the back of the end zone for the touchdown as time expired in the first half to give the Raiders a 31-24 lead after a second quarter which saw a combined 38 points scored between the two teams.

The second half would begin with both teams going three-and-out on their opening possessions as the Raiders would drive from their 46-yard-line to the Cowboys' 11-yard-line until Wilson was intercepted by Jones on a screen pass intended for Allen to end the Los Angeles scoring threat.

Following another exchange of three-and-outs, the Cowboys had the ball at their 27-yard-line when White was sacked by Raiders nose tackle Archie Reese, forcing a fumble that was recovered by defensive end Howie Long to give Los Angeles the ball at the Dallas 20-yard-line.

An 11-yard run by Allen would help the Raiders move to the Dallas six-yard-line where the drive would stall as Los Angeles would settle for a 24-yard field goal for the only points of the third quarter as the Raiders increased their lead to 34-24.

The Cowboys would begin their next possession at their 18-yard-line as it looked like the Raiders had taken a 41-24 lead when on 3rd & 10, cornerback Lester Hayes picked off a White pass and returned it 30 yards for an apparent touchdown.

But a pass interference penalty was called on the Raiders to nullify the touchdown and give the Cowboys a 1st down at their 36-yard-line as a 20-yard pass from White to Johnson and a 27-yard run by Dorsett help move Dallas to the Los Angeles 17-yard-line as the third quarter came to an end.

After an incomplete pass was thrown to start the 4th quarter, White would hit wide receiver Doug Denley for the 17-yard touchdown that would cut the Raiders' lead to 34-31.

The Raiders would get the ball back at their 20-yard-line as a 14-yard pass from Wilson to Allen on 3rd & 11 gave Los Angeles a 1st down at its 33-yard-line when Wilson was sacked for a 13-yard loss by Dickerson which jarred the ball loose as linebacker Mike Hegman would pick up the fumble and run it in for a nine-yard touchdown to give the Cowboys a 38-34 lead with 13:05 left in the fourth quarter.

Wilson would help atone for his fumble on the Raiders' ensuing possession as he scrambled for 23 yards on one play while completing two passes for 28 yards to help move Los Angeles to the Dallas eight-yard-line where Bahr would come on to kick a 26-yard field goal that trimmed the Cowboys' lead to 38-37 with 9:35 left in the game.

Following a Dallas three-and-out, the Raiders got the ball at the 50-yard-line when Wilson completed a 18-yard pass to wide receiver Dokie Williams who would fumble the football after a hit by Cowboys cornerback Dennis Thurman as strong safety Dexter Clinkscale would make the recovery to give Dallas the ball at their 35-yard-line.

The Cowboys picked up one first down until White was sacked by Raiders linebacker Matt Millen, leading to a 3rd & 15 situation at the Dallas 48-yard-line when White was intercepted by Raiders cornerback Ted Watts, whose 13-yard runback would give Los Angeles the ball at its 25-yard-line with 3:09 to go in the game and a chance to drive for the winning score.

Raiders quarterback Marc Wilson would complete 26 of 49 passes for 318 yards with three touchdown passes while running for 46 yards on five carries.

The drive would begin with an eight-yard pass from Wilson to Christiansen as Allen would carry the ball on the next two plays, gaining three yards to give the Raiders a 1st down at their 36-yard-line as the two-minute warning hit.

After the timeout, Wilson would hit Allen for eight yards, then connected with Williams for 18 yards and a 1st down at the Dallas 38-yard-line as a nine-yard pass to Christiansen followed by a three-yard run by Hawkins put the Raiders at the Cowboys' 26-yard-line.

That is when Wilson found Williams again for 18 yards to give the Raiders a 1st & goal as three runs by Hawkins that netted zero yards would bleed the clock until Bahr would come to kick a 26-yard field goal to give the Raiders a 40-38 lead with 20 seconds left in the game.

The Cowboys would get a chance to pull off a miracle but White would throw three straight incomplete passes to end the game as the Raiders prevailed with the 40-38 win to hand the Cowboys their first loss of the season.

The game with the Raiders would be a microcosm of the Cowboys' season as their offense would put up a ton of points while the defense would give up too many as Dallas would end the regular season with a 12-4 record, good enough to earn a spot in the NFC Wild Card game.

In that game, the defense would play well but four turnovers committed by the offense would lead to a 24-17 defeat at the hands of the other Los Angeles team, the Rams, to end Dallas' season as their streak of consecutive postseason appearances would end the following year before the Cowboys won the NFC East in 1985 in what would the final trip to the playoffs under Landry.

As for the Raiders, Wilson would start the next two games until he suffered a broken left shoulder in a 28-20 win over the Kansas City Chiefs as Plunkett would reclaim the starting quarterback job for the rest of the season as Los Angeles won the AFC West division with a 12-4 record.

In the playoffs, the Raiders would knock off the Pittsburgh Steelers 38-10 in the divisional round then defeat the Seahawks 30-14 in the AFC Championship Game to earn a trip to Super Bowl XVIII where they would destroy the Washington Redskins 38-9 behind Allen's MVP performance as the Raiders claimed their third Lombardi trophy in eight years.

College Football Old School Game of the Week: Oklahoma Survives Alabama's Upset Bid

Oklahoma's Eric Bassey would score the game-sealing touchdown with a 45-yard fumble return for a touchdown in the Sooners' 2002 win over Alabama.

On September 7,2002 the Alabama Crimson Tide traveled to Norman, Oklahoma to take on the Oklahoma Sooners in the first regular season matchup between the two historic programs.

The two teams had met before in the 1962 Orange Bowl won by the Crimson Tide 17-0 and again in the 1970 Bluebonnet Bowl which finished in a 24-24 tie.

The Sooners would came into the game as the favorite as they were ranked #2 in the country as they were seen as a national title contended under head coach Bob Stoops, who had led Oklahoma back to national promience after years of medicority as the Sooners won the 2000 national championship in Stoops' second season as head coach.

Going into the 2002 season, the biggest question amongst Oklahoma fans was who was going to be the starting quarterback between redshirt sophomore Jason White and senior Nate Hybl.

Despite coming off a torn ACL in his left knee that he suffered on a quarterback rollout the previous season, White won the starting quarterback job as he would get the start in the Sooners' season opener with the Tulsa Golden Hurricane which Oklahoma won 37-0.

The Sooners looked to White and senior running back Quentin Griffin, who had rushed for 237 yards in the win over Tulsa, to lead the Sooners to a win over the Crimson Tide, who came into the game having barely escaped with a 39-34 win over Middle Tennessee in their season opener.

Seven months earlier, the Tide were put on probation for illegal benefits to players that had occurred during the tenure of head coach Mike Dubose from 1997 through 2000 as the NCAA hit Alabama with a two-year bowl ban and loss of 21 scholarships.

The Tide were led by head coach Dennis Franchione, who was in his second season as the Alabama head coach who now had to coach a football program that could not go to a bowl game in 2002, meaning the Tide had very little to lose as a win over Oklahoma could be one of the highlights of the season.

Oklahoma was set to get the ball to start the game but the Crimson Tide would pull a fast one on the Sooners as they executed a surprise onside kick to perfection as kicker Lane Bearden recovered his own kick to give Alabama the ball at their 47-yard-line.

From there, the Tide would drive to the Sooners' 28-yard-line until Michael Ziifie kicked a 45-yard field goal to give Alabama an early 3-0 lead.

The Tide would get the ball back in Oklahoma territory for their second possession after wide receiver Lance Taylor partially blocked Blake Ferguson's punt to give Alabama the ball at the Sooners' 40-yard-line.

However, the Tide could only move four yards on three plays as they settled for a 52-yard field goal attempt by Ziifie which was blocked by Oklahoma linebacker Pasha Jackson to keep the score at 3-0 in favor of the Tide.

The Sooners would go three-and-out on their ensuing possession to give the ball back to the Tide who would also go three-and-out as they were set to punt the ball back to Oklahoma when the snap from center Nick Ridings went over the head over Bearden and into the end zone.

Bearden would then kick the ball out of the end zone resulting in a safety to cut the Alabama lead to 3-2 as Oklahoma would get the ball back at the 50-yard-line following the free kick.

Following an one-yard run by Griffin to start the drive, White would complete passes of six yards to Griffin and 11 yards to Curtis Fagan to give Oklahoma a 1st down at the Alabama 32-yard-line when White found Mark Clayton for the first touchdown of the game to give the Sooners a 9-3 lead with 6:09 to go in the first quarter.

Oklahoma wide receiver Mark Clayton would catch four passes for 129 yards and score two touchdowns.

Alabama would start its next drive at their 29-yard-line when on the second play of the drive, quarterback Tyler Watts was intercepted by Oklahoma cornerback Derrick Strait, whose 15-yard runback gave the Sooners a 1st & goal at the Crimson Tide six-yard-line.

But the Sooners could not cash in on the turnover as three plays would pick up just one yard as Trey Dicarlo was called upon to attempt a 22-yard field goal which was blocked by strong safety Waine Bacon that was scooped up by free safety Charles Jones who ran it back 30 yards to the Alabama 38-yard-line when the Tide offense would begin its next possession.

The Oklahoma defense would force a three-and-out to give their offense the ball back at their 47-yard-line as an offsides penalty and an incomplete pass would bring up 2nd & 5 when disaster struck for White as he tore the ACL in his right knee during a rollout to the right, similiar to the play where he tore the ACL in his left knee one year earlier.

Hybl would come on to take over as starting quarterback as he completed a four-yard pass to Fagan on his first play from scrimmage on a 3rd & 4 to give Oklahoma a 1st down at the Alabama 43-yard-line as the first quarter came to an end.

Oklahoma would end up punting the ball back to Alabama on that possession as the two teams traded punts until late in the second quarter when Strait stripped tailback Santonio Beard of the ball as linebacker Teddy Lehman would make the recovery to give the Sooners the ball at the Crimson Tide 49-yard-line.

It would take Oklahoma one play to get into the end zone as Hybl threw deep and connected with wide receiver Mark Clayton for a 49-yard touchdown to increase Oklahoma's lead to 16-3 with 2:25 left in the second quarter.

After an Alabama three-and-out, the Sooners got the ball back at their 46-yard-line as Hybl would complete three straight passes for 16 yards to move Oklahoma to the Alabama 38-yard-line where on a 3rd & 5, Hybl connected with Clayton on a curl route that would go for 37 yards and give the Sooners a 1st & goal at the Alabama one-yard-line with 16 seconds to go in the half.

Following an incomplete pass and a Kejuan Jones that went for no gain, the Sooners were faced with a 3rd & goal with three seconds to go before halftime, meaning Oklahoma had just one play before the halftime break.

Instead of taking the chip shot field goal, Stoops opted to go for the touchdown which he got when Hybl was able to sneak into the end zone as time expired in the first half with Oklahoma ahead 23-3.

Alabama would get the ball to start the second half as the Tide would put together their best drive of the game thus far as they travled 66 yards in 12 plays with 10 of those plays being runs as running back Ahmaad Galloway would punch it in for a four-yard touchdown that cut the Sooners' lead to 23-10 with 9:14 to go in the third quarter.

On the ensuing kickoff, Bearden would attempt a pooch kick that Lehman tried to catch but was unable to secure the kick after a collison with a teammate as Chris James would make the recovery to give the ball to the Crimson Tide at the Oklahoma 43-yard-line.

Watts would complete a 37-yard pass to wide receiver Sam Collins to help the Tide drive to the Sooners' four-yard-line where Ziifie would attempt a 22-yard field goal, only for the kick to sail wide left to keep the score at 23-10 in favor of the Sooners.

After an Oklahoma three-and-out, the Tide got the ball back at their 43-yard-line as a 22-yad pass from Watts to tight end Donald Clarke would move the Sooners to the Alabama 26-yard-line where on 4th & 10, Franchoine would go for the 1st down instead of attempting a field goal.

The gamble would not pay off as Watts would threw an incomplete pass resulting in a turnover on downs and giving the ball back to the Sooners at their 26-yard-line.

The Alabama defense would force another three-and-out as Oklahoma was set to punt the ball back to the Tide when the Alabama special teams unit struck again as defensive end Leslie Williams would block the punt as Taylor, who had partially blocked a punt earlier in the game, recoverd the ball and ran it in for a nine-yard touchdown that cut the Sooners' lead to 23-17 with 1:53 left in the third quarter.

Alabama's defense would keep up the pressure on the Sooners as back-to-back quarterback sacks would lead to another Oklahoma three-and-out as the Tide would get the ball back at the Oklahoma 39-yard-line with a chance to take the lead.

The Tide would drive all the way to the Oklahoma three-yard-line as they lined up to attempt a 20-yard field goal only for Bearden, who was the holder, to keep the ball and run it himself for a three-yard touchdown that with the extra point gave Alabama a 24-23 lead with 10:16 remaining in the fourth quarter.

The Sooners would pick up their first 1st down of the second half before punting the ball back to the Tide who once again got the ball in Oklahoma territory as they began their next possession at the Sooners' 46-yard-line.

The Tide would run off nearly five minutes off the clock as they drove to the Oklahoma 28-yard-line before settling for a 45-yard field goal by Ziifie to extend Alabama's lead to 27-23 with 3:37 left in the game.

The Sooners would start their next drives at their 20-yard-line needing a touchdown to take the lead which seemed unlikely at this point as Oklahoma's total offense in the second half was -5 yards on five possessions.

Coming off the bench, Oklahoma quarterback Nate Hybl would complete 16 of 30 passes for 251 yards and throw one touchdown pass.

Following an incomplete pass to begin the drive, Hybl would throw a shovel pass to running back Renaldo Works that would go for a 23-yard gain to give the Sooners a 1st down at their 43-yard-line.

After a pair of incomplete passes would force Oklahoma into a 3rd & 10 situation, Hybl would connect with wide receiver Antwone Savage for the 10 yards the Sooners needed as Oklahoma moved into Alabama territory with a fresh set of downs at the Tide 47-yard-line.

That is when Hybl throw another shovel pass to Works, which this time went for 39 yards to give Oklahoma a 1st & goal at the Alabama eight-yard-line when Hybl handed the ball off to Jones, who would run it in for the touchdown to give Oklahoma a 30-27 lead with 2:11 left to play in regulation.

The Tide would get the ball back at their 21-yard-line needing at least a field goal to send the game into overtime or a go-ahead touchdown as following an one-yard loss to start the drive, Watts would complete three passes for 37 yards to move Alabama to the Oklahoma 43-yard-line twith less than a minute to play.

Needing at least one more 1st down, Watts would drop back to pass when the ball slipped out of his hand before it went forward, resulting a fumble that was picked up by Oklahoma defensive back Eric Bassey who ran it back for a 45-yard touchdown to put the game away as the Sooners would escape with the 37-27 win.

Alabama would go on to have a solid season as they would go to finish with a 10-3 record to finish ranked #11 in the AP poll only for the Tide to lose their head coach as Franchione left Tuscaloosa to became the head coach of the Texas A&M Aggies.

Franchione would be temporary replaced by Washington State head coach Mike Price until Price was fired before coaching a single game because of an off the field sex scandal as former Bama quarterback Mike Shula would eventually become the Tide head coach for the 2003 season.

As for the Sooners, they would ride with Hybl as their starting quarterback to a 8-0 start until a pair of losses to Texas A&M and Oklahoma State in the final month of the regular season would derail Oklahoma's national championship hopes.

But the Sooners would recover to win the Big 12 Championship with a 29-7 win over the Colorado Buffaloes as Oklahoma would be invited to play in the Rose Bowl for the first time in school history as the Sooners would dispatch of the Washington State Cougars 34-14 as Oklahoma would finish the season with a 12-2 record and #5 ranking in both the final AP and coaches polls.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Favre Plays Through the Plan to Lead Packers to Upset over Eagles

A hit by Eagles defensive end Reggie White(92) on Packers quarterback Brett Favre would be a game-changing moment for the Packers franchise.

Hall-of-Fame quarterback Brett Favre is undeniably one of the toughest players to ever play in the NFL as evident by his streak of 321 consecutive starts at quarterback over a span of nearly two decades of football, most of them with the Green Bay Packers.

The streak is remarkable as Favre would stay in the lineup despite playing with several injuries such as the case in Week 10 of the 1992 NFL season in a performance that would reward the Green Bay franchise down the road.

The Packers came into the Eagles game with a 3-6 record as under first-year head coach Mike Holmgren who had been hired to end decades of mediocrity as Green Bay had made the playoffs only two times since the retirement of head coach Vince Lombardi following the 1967 season.

In the Packers' third game of the season, starting quarterback Don Majkowski would suffer an ankle injury as Favre, who the Packers had traded a first round pick to the Atlanta Falcons for on February 11th, would take over and lead Green Bay to a 24-23 comeback win over the Cincinnati Bengals(To read about that game, click on the link which is highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2017/09/nfl-old-school-game-of-week-legend-of.html).

Favre would lead the Packers to a 17-3 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in his first start but Green Bay would lose four of their next five games as the team seemed poised for another losing season.

While the Packers were trying to seek relevance in the NFL, the Eagles were looking to return to the postseason under second year head coach Rich Kotite, who took over for Buddy Ryan after he was fired following the 1990 season after leading the Eagles to three straight playoff appearances.

The Eagles would miss the 1991 playoffs despite a 10-6 record as starting quarterback Randall Cunningham was lost for the season after he tore the ACL in his left knee after a hit by Packers linebacker Bryce Paup.

Two months before the 1992 season began, tragedy struck for the Eagles as Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jerome Brown was killed in a car accident as the team would retire Brown's number #99 and declare they would "Bring it home for Jerome" and win the Super Bowl in Brown's memory.

The Eagles got off to a 4-0 start before losing three of their next five games as tensions rose between Kotite and the team, especially the defense led by All-Pro defensive end Reggie White, remained loyal to Ryan

Despite their recent struggles, the Eagles seemed confident they would get back on track against the Packers as evident by Cunningham's postgame quotes after being benched during Philadelphia's 31-10 win over the Raiders when asked whether or it not he would get the start against Green Bay by saying "It's not like we're playing Minnesota or the Giants or the Cowboys or the Redskins".

The Eagles would get the ball to start the game as they would drive into Green Bay territory before punting the ball to the Packers, who would take over at their 15-yard-line as Favre would complete his first two passes of the game for 26 yards, then found tight end Jackie Harris for an eight-yard completion only for him to fumble the football after a hit by Eagles linebacker Byron Evans as strong safety Rich Miano would recover the fumble to give Philadelphia the ball at their 47-yard-line.

From there, the Eagles would advance to the Packers' 17-yard-line until the drive stalled as Philadelphia would settle for a 34-yard field goal by Roger Ruzak to give the Eagles a 3-0 lead with 2:20 left in the first quarter.

The Packers would begin their next possession at their 32-yard-line as Favre would complete a 11-yard pass to fullback Harry Sydney when Favre separated his left shoulder after being driven to the ground by White.

Favre would stay in the game as it was his non-throwing shoulder that was injured as he would hand the ball off to running back Vince Workman on the next play from scrimmage as Vince would took it up the middle and explode for a 44-yard run to put the Packers at the Eagles' 13-yard-line as Workman would run for one yard on the final play of the second quarter.

The second quarter would begin with Favre, bad shoulder and all, completing a seven-yard pass to Harris to set up 3rd & 2 at the five-yard-line where Favre would connect with wide receiver Sterling Sharpe for a five-yard touchdown to give Green Bay a 7-3 lead 52 seconds into the second quarter.

 Following a Philadelphia punt, the Packers would take over at their 20-yard-line as Favre would go a perfect 5-of-5 on the drive as he completed five passes to five different receivers for 57 yards on the 12-play, 80-yard drive that ended with an one-yard touchdown run by Workman to extend Green Bay's lead to 14-3 with 2:21 to go in the second quarter.

The Eagles would try to put some points on the scoreboard before the end of the first half as they would drive from their 21-yard-line to the Green Bay 41-yard-line until Cunningham was sacked by Packers linebackers Johnny Holland and Tony Bennett for a six-yard loss to force a Philadelphia punt.

Favre would take a knee to end the first half with the Packers on top 14-3 as Green Bay would get the ball to start the second half, though they would have to do it without Workman, who left the game with a separated left shoulder.

Packers wide receiver Sterling Sharpe would catch seven passes for 116 yards and score one touchdown.

The Packers would go three-and-out to give the ball back to the Eagles at their 23-yard-line as Cunningham would complete two passes to Roy Green for 31 yards and scramble for 13 yards that got 15 yards added to the run because of a late hit by Packers linebacker George Koonce as Philadelphia would cap off the drive with a 17-yard touchdown run by running back Heath Sherman to cut the Green Bay lead to 14-10 midway through the third quarter.

The Packers would start their next drive at their 19-yard-line as Favre would complete two passes to Harris for 31 yards while Darrell Thompson would reel off a 33-yard run to move Green Bay to the Philadelphia 17-yard-line until Favre was picked off by Eagles linebacker William Thomas to end the drive Packers' threat to increase their lead.

After the Eagles would go three-and-out, the Packers would get the ball back at their 43-yard-line as Green Bay would convert on three straight 3rd down conversions as Favre would find Sharpe for nine yards on a 3rd & 3 at the 50-yard-line, followed by a 19-yard completion to Harris on 3rd & 12, and then another 19-yard completion, this one to Sharpe to give Green Bay a 1st & goal at the Philadelphia three-yard-line.

Favre would then fake a handoff and toss a three-yard touchdown pass to Thompson to increase the Packers lead to 21-10 with 10:37 left in the fourth quarter.

It would take the Eagles 24 seconds to get back into the end zone as Sherman would catch a screen pass from Cunningham and turn into a 75-yard touchdown to cut the Packers' lead back to four points at 21-17.

Following a Packers punt, the Eagles would get the ball back at their 11-yard-line as the drive would begin with a four-yard run by Sherman to set up 2nd & 6 when Cunningham threw deep for Fred Barnett where he drew a pass interference penalty on Packers cornerback Terrell Buckley to move the Eagles 34 yards to the Green Bay 46-yard-line.

Cunningham would try to connect with Barnett again on another deep pass which drew another pass interference penalty, this one on the other starting cornerback, Roland Mitchell, to give the Eagles a 1st & goal on the Packers' two-yard-line when running back Herschel Walker would punch it in for the touchdown to give Philadelphia a 24-21 lead with 5:45 to go in the fourth quarter.

The Packers looked to respond on their next drive but after two incomplete passes to begin the drive, Favre would be picked off again, this time by Evans, who returned the interception 13 yards to the Green Bay 20-yard-line, giving Philadelphia a chance to deliver the knockout punch with another touchdown.

However, Sherman would fumble the football when he was hit by Packers free safety Chuck Cecil as strong safety LeRoy Butler would scoop up the loose ball and run it back 17 yards to the Green Bay 27-yard-line, giving Favre another chance to lead the Packers to the game-tying field goal or go-ahead touchdown with 5:17 left in the game.

After completing a seven-yard pass to Sydney to start the drive, Favre would connect with Sharpe for a 34-yard completion to give Green Bay a 1st down at the Eagles' 32-yard-line where a holding penalty on Miano where give the Packers five extra yards and a fresh set of downs at the Philadelphia 27-yard-line.

Thompson would carry the ball on the next three plays gaining 16 yards until a quarterback sack and an incomplete pass would force the Packers to settle for a 31-yard field goal by Chris Jacke to tie the game at 24 with 1:31 left in regulation.

The Eagles would take over at their 11-yard-line with 1:25 to go and two timeouts in their pocket as Kotite went for the conservative approach as Walker would run the ball on 1st down as he gained nine yards as the Eagles seemed content to run out the clock and send the game in overtime.

But on the next play from scrimmage, disaster would strike as Walker was hit in the backfield by Green Bay defensive end Don Davey, forcing a fumble that was recovered by Holland to give the Packers the ball at the Eagles' 23-yard-line with 43 seconds to go and already in field goal range.

Thompson would run for no yards as the Packers would drain the clock to three seconds before calling timeout with three seconds to go as Jacke would come on to attempt the game-winning field goal from 41 yards out.

Jacke's kick was true as his 41-yard field goal split through the uprights as time expired with the Packers pulling off the 27-24 upset as Green Bay improved its record to 4-6 while the Eagles record dropped to 6-4.

Chris Jacke(13) is held up by defensive end Robert Brown after his game-winning field goal.

After the game, Cunningham apologized for his pregame remarks saying he "ran his mouth too much" while linebacker Seth Joyner criticized Kotite for his late-game management saying "Anytime you play conservative in this league you're setting yourself to lose" as it looked like the Eagles' season was falling apart.

However, the Eagles would win five of their last six games of the regular season, including a four-game winning streak to end the regular season, to finish the season with a 11-5 record and earn a Wild Card berth as the Eagles would win their first playoff game since winning the 1980 NFC Championship Game as Philadelphia would score 26 points in the 4th quarter to knock off the New Orleans Saints 36-20(To read about that game, click on the link which is highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2018/11/nfl-old-school-game-of-week-eagles-stun.html).

The Eagles would be eliminated the following week as they would fall to the Dallas Cowboys 34-10 as the Eagles would not return to the postseason under Kotite who would be fired after the 1994 season.

As for the Packers, the win over the Eagles began a six-game winning streak as Green Bay would finish the season with a 9-7 record but not enough to qualify for the postseason as a 27-7 loss to the Minnesota Vikings prevented Green Bay for making the playoffs for the first time since 1982.

However, during the offseason, the Packers would sign White as a free agent as Reggie cited Favre's performance against the Eagles as a reason to sign with Green Bay as he was inspired by Favre's toughness.

With White anchoring the defense and Favre entrenched as the team's starting quarterback, the Packers would make the playoffs six years in a row which included two NFC championships and a 35-21 win over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI for Green Bay's first NFL championship in 29 years.