College Football Old School Game of the Week: Sanders Celebrates Heisman Trophy Win with Spectacular Performance in Japan

 

Barry Sanders would finish the 1988 regular season with another 300-plus rushing performance against Texas Tech in Tokyo, Japan.

When Barry Sanders won the 1988 Heisman Trophy, he was not in New York to accept the award.

Instead, he was in Tokyo waiting in the lobby of the Miyako Hotel in Tokyo, Japan just a few hours before he and the Oklahoma State Cowboys would take on the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the 1988 Coca-Cola Classic at the Tokyo Dome.

Sanders had complied a season for the ages as he had run for 2,296 yards and scored 35 touchdowns as he broke 18 NCAA records including the one for most touchdowns in a season by one player as Oklahoma State as Barry needed just 47 seconds to break Marcus Allen's record for most rushing yards in a season which he set in 1981.

But Sanders was not alone as he was surrounded by quarterback and future Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy and all-American wide receiver Hart Lee Dykes as they were a part of an offense averaged 47.7 points per game with their lowest total being 28 in their loss to Oklahoma(To read about the Oklahoma game, click on the link which is highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2020/11/college-football-old-school-game-of_19.html).

Under head coach Pat Jones, the Cowboys had already accepted an invitation to play the University of Wyoming in the Holiday Bowl at the end of December 1988, as Oklahoma State was two wins away from a second straight 10-win season and third in five years.

The Cowboys' opponent in Tokyo were the Red Raiders out of the Southwest Conference who entered the game with a 5-5 record under second year head coach Spike Dykes, who would not be participating a bowl game despite needing one more win to become bowl eligible.

The Red Raiders also had a explosive offense led by quarterback Billy Joe Tolliver as Texas Tech had averaged 34.4 points over its last five games as they had overcome a 1-4 start to give themselves a chance at a second straight winning season if they could upset the Cowboys in Tokyo.

Texas Tech would get the ball to start the game but would immediately give it right back to the Cowboys as Tolliver try to hit wide receiver Tyrone Thurman on a deep pass on the first play of the game, only to be intercepted by Oklahoma State cornerback Melvin Gilliam, whose eight-yard return gave the Oklahoma State offense the ball at their 43-yard-line.

The Cowboys would drive 57 yards in 10 plays with Sanders carrying the ball seven times for 31 yards with his last carry being a dive into the end zone for a one-yard touchdown to give Oklahoma State a 7-0 lead.

The Red Raiders would begin their ensuing possession at their 20-yard-line as Tolliver would complete four of five passes for 53 yards on a 10-play, 80-yard drive that culminated with running back Jerry Gray punching it in for a one-yard touchdown that with the extra point tied the game at seven with 5:15 left in the first quarter.

The Cowboys would get the ball back at their 21-yard-line for their next possession as Sanders needed just 16 yards to break Allen's single-season record.

Sanders would run for six yards on the opening play of the possession which was followed by an 11-yard run by fullback Garrett Limback to give the Cowboys a 1st down at their 38-yard-line.

Sanders would then lose four yards on 1st down which was followed by a one-yard pass from Gundy to Sanders on 2nd down to set up 3rd & 13 at the Oklahoma State 35-yard-line.

That is when Gundy handed the ball off to Sanders on a draw play that picked up 15 yards to break Allen's record and give the Cowboys a 1st down at the 50-yard-line.

The Cowboys would drive to the Texas Tech 28-yard-line when faced with a 4th & 2 to start the second quarter, Jones decided to go for the 1st down instead of attempting a field goal, which would backfire as Gundy would trip over his center for a four-yard loss to give the Red Raiders the ball at their 32-yard-line.

After a Texas Tech punt, the Cowboys would get the ball back at their 20-yard-line only to turn it over on the first play of their ensuing possession as Gundy was intercepted by Red Raiders free safety Brian Dubiski to give Texas Tech the ball at the Oklahoma State 35-yard-line.

The Red Raiders would move to the Oklahoma State 25-yard-line until Scott Segriest would come on to attempt a 42-yard field goal which he would fail to make to keep the game tied at seven.

Following an Oklahoma State punt, the Red Raiders would begin their next drive at their 23-yard-line as they would drive 77 yards in eight plays as Tolliver completed all four of his passes on the drive for 60 yards with the last completion being a six-yard touchdown pass to Gray to give Texas Tech a 14-7 lead with 6:32 left in the second quarter.

Texas Tech quarterback Billy Joe Tolliver would throw for a then school record 446 yards on 28-of-41 passing.

The Cowboys would get the ball back at their 17-yard-line as they slowly move to their 44-yard-line until Gundy pitched the ball to Sanders, who then broke three tacklers on his way to a 56-yard touchdown that with the extra point tied the game at 14 with 4:28 to go in the second quarter.

The Red Raiders would start their next possession at their 27-yard-line as a 12-yard pass from Tolliver to Thurman plus a 15-yard penalty on the Cowboys and a 19-yard pass to running back Ervin Farris put Texas Tech at the Oklahoma State 27-yard-line.

However, penalties would push the Red Raiders all the way back to their 48-yard-line where they faced a seemingly insurmountable 2nd & 35 when Tolliver found Thurman for 24 yards then handed the ball off to Gray who ran for three yards to set up 4th & 8 at the Oklahoma State 25-yard-line.

The Red Raiders would go for the 1st down which they got as Tolliver completed a 21-yard pass to Farris to give Texas Tech a 1st & goal at the Oklahoma State four-yard-line when Gray ran it in for the four-yard touchdown to give the Red Raiders a 21-14 led with 1:47 left before halftime

Taking over at their 22-yard-line, the Cowboys would turn to Sanders to get them down the field as he would run the ball four times for 53 yards to get Oklahoma State down to the Texas Tech 14-yard-line until Gundy was sacked by Red Raiders defensive lineman John Elliott for a 11-yard-loss, forcing the Cowboys to settle for a 43-yard field goal by Cary Blanchard as time expired in the first half with the Red Raiders ahead 21-17.

Oklahoma State would get the ball to start the second half as the Cowboys would get the ball at their 23-yard-line as they would drive 77 yards in nine plays with the drive being capped off with a 11-yard touchdown pass from Gundy to Dykes to give Oklahoma State a 24-21 lead.

The Cowboy defense would force the Red Raiders to punt on their next possession to give their offense the ball back at their 20-yard-line as a penalty would push Oklahoma State back to its 10-yard-line to face a 1st & 20 when Gundy found Dykes for a 32-yard completion to give the Cowboys a 1st down at their 42-yard-line.

Disaster nearly struck for the Cowboys on their next play from scrimmage when Sanders fumbled the ball at the end of a 23-yard run only to be saved by tight end Robert Kirksey, allowing Oklahoma State to keep possession at the Texas Tech 35-yard-line.

Six plays later, the Cowboys were back in the end zone as Gundy hit Dykes for a six-yard touchdown to increase Oklahoma State's lead to 31-21 with eight minutes to go in the third quarter.

The Red Raiders would begin their next possession at their 20-yard-line as Tolliver completed a pair of 14-yard pass to Farris and two passes to Thurman that totaled 43 yards to set up Gray's one-yard touchdown run which cut the Oklahoma State lead to 31-28 with 2:45 remaining in the third quarter.

The Cowboys would get the ball back at their 20-yard-line where after a two-yard run by Sanders to start the drive, the Heisman Trophy winner would catch a swing pass from Gundy and turn into a 66-yard play to put Oklahoma State at the Texas Tech 12-yard-line.

Three plays later, Sanders would punch it in for a two-yard touchdown which pushed the Cowboys' lead back to 10 points at 38-28 with 27 seconds left in the third quarter.

It would take the Red Raiders three plays to get back into the end zone as running back Clifford Winston would run for 40 yards on the first play of Texas Tech's ensuing possession, then run for eight more yards to set up Tolliver's 37-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Sprinkles on the first play of the fourth quarter to cut Oklahoma State's lead to 38-35.

The Cowboys would start their next possession at their 14-yard-line as five plays took them to their 35-yard-line where they faced a 4th & 1 situation when Jones decided to gamble and go for the 1st down which he got when Sanders ran for six yards to give Oklahoma State a 1st down at their 41-yard-line.

After two passes to Limbrick gained eight yards, Gundy had a pass batted down on 3rd & 2 to bring up 4th down when the Cowboys lined up to punt, only for them to run a fake as the snap went to Limbrick who ran for five yards to give Oklahoma State a fresh set of downs at the Texas Tech 47-yard-line.

Following a Sanders run that went for no gain, Limbrick would run for 16 yards that got 15 yards added on to it because of a Texas Tech penalty to put the Cowboys at the Red Raiders 16-yard-line.

Sanders would then run for two yards which would be followed by a 11-yard pass from Gundy to tight end Vance Vice to give Oklahoma State a 1st & goal at the Texas Tech three-yard-line as Sanders would run it for a three-yard touchdown to make it a 10-point game once again as Oklahoma State took a 45-35 lead with 9:28 left in the game.

Back came the Red Raiders as a 59-yard bomb from Tolliver to Rodney Blackshear on the opening play of Texas Tech's next drive would lead to a two-yard touchdown run by Isaac Garrett cut the Cowboys' lead to 45-42 with 7:43 to go in the game.

Sanders accepts the award for MVP of the Coca-Cola Classic.

The Cowboys would then hold the ball for over five minutes as they drove from their 29-yard-line to the Texas Tech 45-yard-line before punting the ball back to the Red Raiders who would take over at their 15-yard-line with a chance to salvage a tie or win the game.

After an incomplete pass to start the drive, Tolliver would complete a 24-yard pass to Travis Price, only for it to be downgraded to a four-yard pass because of a clipping penalty as the Red Raiders would face a 2nd & 6 at their 19-yard-line.

Tolliver would then complete passes of nine yards to Farris and 24 yards to Price to put Texas Tech at the Oklahoma State 48-yard-line when Anthony Lynn fumbled the football after catching a short pass as Cowboys defensive tackle Brandon Colbert would recover the fumble to give the Cowboys the ball at their 48-yard-line with a chance to run out the clock.

The Cowboys would fail to pick up a 1st down as they would punt the ball back to the Red Raiders who would take over at their 18-yard-line with only a handful of seconds to play.

Tolliver would throw one incomplete pass before firing a desperation Hail Mary pass on the final play of the game which would be picked off by Gilliam to end the game with the Cowboys on top 45-42.

Sanders would finish the game with 332 yards on 44 carries, the fourth time he rushed for more than 300 yards in a game, to bring his season total to 2,628 yards and 39 touchdowns.

Almost a month later, Sanders would suit up one final time for the Cowboys as he would run for 222 yards on 29 carries and score five touchdowns in a 62-14 thrashing of Wyoming in the Holiday Bowl to give Oklahoma State its 10th win of the season as they would finish ranked #11 in both the final coaches and AP polls.

Sanders would then go on to be selected with the #3 overall pick in the 1989 NFL draft by the Detroit Lions as he would go to have a Hall-of-Fame career as he ran for 15,269 yards over ten seasons.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Fryar's Hail Mary TD Gives Patriots Win over Rams

Irving Fryar holds the ball up high after catching the game-winning touchdown in the Patriots' 1986 game with the Rams.

In Game 5 of the 1986 American League Championship Series, the California Angels were one strike from advancing to the World Series until Dave Henderson hit a two-run home run to give the Boston Red Sox a 6-5 in the 9th inning of a game in which Boston would win 7-6 after innings as the Red Sox would overcome a 3-1 series deficit to win the American League pennant to earn a trip to the World Series.

Almost a month after that fateful game, another Boston sports teams would pull off a miracle win in that stadium, Anaheim Stadium, as the New England Patriots faced off with the Los Angeles Rams in a key week 11 game of the 1986 NFL season.

The Patriots came into the game with a 7-3 record as New England was hoping to make another run to the Super Bowl were one year earlier, the Patriots made the NFL playoffs as a Wild Card team and won three games on the road to win the AFC championship.

New England was led by head coach Raymond Berry, who was in his second full season as the Patriots head coach with his starting quarterback being Tony Eason, who was selected with the #15 overall pick in the 1983 NFL Draft as Eason was the fourth of the six quarterbacks picked in the first round in a class that included John Elway, Jim Kelly, and Dan Marino.

After going back-and-forth as the Patriots starting quarterback for the past two seasons with veteran Steve Grogan, Eason was firmly set as the starting quarterback in the 1986 season as he had started all but two games up to this point in the season.

While the Patriots had seemingly found their franchise quarterback, the Rams were still looking for their as they also came into the game with a 7-3 record under head coach John Robinson, who was in his fourth season as the LA head coach.

The Rams had made the playoffs the previous three seasons primarily on the legs of Eric Dickerson, as he had finished as the NFL's leading rusher in his first two seasons in 1983 and 1984 with Dickerson breaking the single season rushing record in 1984 as he ran for 2,105 yards.

However, the Rams' fortune relied on finding a new quarterback as they had finished toward the bottom of the league when it came to passing offense in 1984 + 1985 as the likes of Jeff Kemp and Dieter Brock had served as the team's starting quarterbacks during that time.

For 1986, the Rams had signed veteran Steve Bartkowski as a free agent to become the new starting quarterback only to be replaced after six starts by backup Steve Dils as Ram fans were clamoring to see if rookie Jim Everett, who had been acquired in a trade after Everett could not come to a contract agreement with the Houston Oilers after they selected him with the #3 overall pick in the 1986 NFL draft, could take the reins as the LA quarterback.

Everett would go into the New England game as the team's backup quarterback behind Dils as Los Angeles was seeking on at least a return to the NFC Championship Game, where they would fall to the Chicago Bears in the previous year.

   The Patriots would get the ball to start the game as Stephen Starring would return the opening kickoff 42 yards to give the New England offense the ball at their 44-yard-line.

From there, Eason would complete three straight passes, totaling 27 yards, to move the Patriots deep into LA territory to set up a 42-yard field goal by Tony Franklin to give New England a 3-0 lead early in the first quarter.

The Rams would start their initial possession of the game at their 31-yard-line as a 21-yard pass from Dils to David Hill would help Los Angeles get to the New England 25-yard-line where Mike Lansford would come on to attempt a 42-yard field goal, which would sail wide left to keep the score 3-0 in favor of the Patriots.

Patriots quarterback Tony Eason would complete 36 of 52 passes for 375 yards and throw touchdown passes.

 

Taking over at their 25-yard-line, the Patriots would drive to the Rams' 46-yard-line until Eason was intercepted by Rams cornerback Leroy Irvin, who retuned the pick 23 yards until he fumbled the football which was recovered by Patriots running back Craig James, allowing New England to retain possession at the Los Angeles 47-yard-line.

From there, the Patriots would drive to the Rams' 28-yard-line until Franklin came on to kick a 45-yard field goal which increased New England's lead to 6-0 with 3:32 left in the first quarter.

The Rams would go three-and-out on their next possession to punt the ball back to the Patriots but would get a reprieve when Irving Fryar fumbled the punt which was recovered by Rams linebacker Norwood Vann to give the ball back to Los Angeles at their 47-yard-line.

However, the Rams could not take advantage of the turnover as they would go three-and-out again, forcing them to punt again when disaster would strike for LA when Dale Hatcher's punt was blocked by Patriots defensive back Rod McSwain, who scooped up the football at the LA 31-yard-line to run it in for a touchdown to increase New England's lead to 13-0 just 15 seconds into the second quarter.

With the game slipping away, Robinson inserted Everett into the game on the Rams' next offensive possession which did not seem to provide a spark as they would go three-and-out again to punt the ball back to the Patriots.

But the Rams would not get another gift from Fryar as he fumbled the football after a hit by LA free safety Vince Newsome as Vann would make his second recovery to give the ball back to the Rams at the Patriots' 34-yard-line.

This time, the Rams would cash in on the turnover as Everett threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to Henry Ellard to put Los Angeles on the scoreboard to cut the Patriots' lead to 13-7 with 13:02 left in the second quarter.

The two teams would exchange punts until 3:45 left in the second quarter when the Rams took over at their 21-yard-line as Dickerson got the ball on the first two plays of the drive, gaining 15 yards to give LA a 1st down at its 36-yard-line when Everett completed a seven-yard pass to Ellard, which was followed by an one-yard loss by Dickerson to set up 3rd & 4 at the Rams' 42-yard-line as the two-minute warning hit.

After the timeout, Everett would complete a 10-yard pass to running back Mike Guman to give the Rams a 1st down at the New England 48-yard-line where Everett would find Ellard for 22 yards to give the Rams another 1st down at the Patriots' 26-yard-line.

Following a two-yard run by Dickerson, Everett would scramble out of the pocket before firing a 24-yard touchdown pass to running back Barry Redden that with the extra point gave the Rams a 14-13 lead with 90 seconds left before halftime.

The Patriots would get the ball back at their 23-yard-line as Eason would complete four straight passes for 58 yards to move New England to the LA 19-yard-line when Eason handed the ball off to Tony Collins, who would run for 17 yards to give the Patriots a 1st & goal at the Los Angeles two-yard-line with 48 seconds left in the first half.

However, the Patriots could not punch into the end zone as a run by Mosi Tatupu would go nowhere while Eason would throw back-to-back incomplete passes to bring up 4th & goal when Franklin would come on to kick a 19-yard field goal to give New England a 16-14 lead with 24 seconds left in the first half.

The Rams took a knee to end the first half as they would go on into the locker room down 16-14 but set to get the ball to start the second half.

After both teams punted on their first possessions of the second half, the Rams would get the ball at the New England 37-yard-line as three runs by Dickerson for 17 yards plus a nine-yard pass from Everett to Ron Brown would set up an 11-yard touchdown run by Redden to give the lead back to Los Angeles at 21-16 with 9:15 to go in the third quarter.

Following a New England three-and-out, the Rams would get the ball back at their 20-yard-line as they would drive to the Patriots' 36-yard-line until Redden fumbled the football after he was hit by Patriots linebacker Don Blackmon, leading to a recovery by fellow linebacker Ed Reynolds to give New England the ball at their 33-yard-line.

After another exchange of punts, the Patriots took over at the 50-yard-line when Eason was picked off by Irvin again, who returned the pick 22 yards until like he did in the first quarter, fumble the football which this time was recovered by Collins to seemingly give the ball back to New England.

But an inadvertent whistle by back judge Jimmy Rosser before the fumble allowed the Rams to keep the football at the Patriots' 39-yard-line with 1:16 to go in the third quarter.

Everett would complete a swing pass to Dickerson that would go for 24 yards to put the Rams at the New England 15-yard-line when a holding penalty pushed Los Angeles back to the 25-yard-line as Dickerson would run for five yards on 1st & 20 to put the Rams at the Patriots' 20-yard-line as the third quarter came to an end.

The fourth quarter would begin with a bang as Everett would find Ellard in the end zone for the 20-yard touchdown which extended Los Angeles' lead to 28-16 just six seconds into the fourth quarter.

Rams quarterback Jim Everett would come off the bench to throw three touchdown passes on 12-of-19 passing for 193 yards.

Following another exchange of punts, the Patriots got the ball at their 42-yard-line when New England went into their two-minute offense as Eason would complete four passes in a row, totaling 52 yards to give New England a 1st & goal at the Rams' six-yard-line when Eason would finally throw an incomplete pass to bring up 2nd down.

That is when Eason found Fryar in the end zone for a six-yard touchdown to cut the Rams' lead to 28-23 with 7:06 to go in the game.

The Rams would begin their next possession at their 29-yard-line as LA reverted back its ground attack to try and milk the clock as they would run the ball seven straight times as they picked up a pair of 1st downs as they moved to the Patriots' 33-yard-line where they had a 3rd & 1 with a little over two minutes to go.

Dickerson appeared to get the 1st down only to have it called back because of a holding penalty to push them back 10 yards to the New England 43-yard-line when Everett threw an incomplete pass, forcing the Rams to punt the ball back to the Patriots, who would take over at their 13-yard-line with 1:45 left to play in the game.

The drive would start off with Eason completing an eight-yard pass to Fryar which was followed by a 18-yard pass to Stanley Morgan to give the Patriots a 1st down at their 39-yard-line.

The Patriots would go backwards on 1st down when Rams linebacker Kevin Greene sacked Eason for a five-yard loss to make it 2nd & 15 where Eason found Fryar for 13 yards to set up 3rd & 2 at the New England 47-yard-line.

It looked like the Patriots had converted as Eason completed a 23-yard pass to tight end Greg Baty only to have it nullified because Eason crossed the line of scrimmage before throwing the pass resulting in a five-yard penalty and a loss of down to make it 4th & 7 at the New England 42-yard-line with 34 seconds to go.

The Patriots would keep their hopes alive as Eason completed a pass to Collins for the needed seven yards to give New England a 1st down at their 49-yard-line as Eason stopped the clock with an incomplete pass with 15 seconds to go.

Eason would scramble for 26 yards before stepping out of bounds at the Rams' 25-yard-line with three seconds to go, giving the Patriots a chance at one throw into the end zone for the game-winning touchdown.

Eason would loft a pass for the right corner of the end zone where Morgan was able to tip the ball amongst a sea of Ram defenders that would fall into the hands of Fryar for a shocking 25-yard touchdown with no time left on the clock.

After the wild celebration following the touchdown, Franklin would come on to kick the extra point to make the Patriots' victory official with the score of 30-28.

Even though they lost the game, the Rams found their quarterback as Everett would be the starting quarterback for the rest of the season as he helped Los Angeles earn a spot in the playoffs with a 10-6 record as the Rams would fall to the Washington Redskins 19-7 in the NFC Wild Card Game.

Everett would remain as the Rams' starting quarterback for the next seven seasons as he would finish his LA career as the all-time leader passer in Rams history with 23,758 yards.

As for the Patriots, they would finish the season with a 11-5 record that aided with a collapse by the New York Jets, would help New England clinch the AFC East division title for the Patriots' first division title since 1978.

However, the Patriots would fall to the Denver Broncos 22-17 in the divisional round of the AFC playoffs as New England would not return to the postseason until 1994 and with Drew Bledsoe at quarterback.

College Football Old School Game of the Week: Kansas State Pulls Out Holiday Bowl Win over Arizona State

 

Kansas State quarterback Ell Roberson would throw for 215 yards and a touchdown while running for 63 yards and two touchdowns.

On December 27,2002 the #6 ranked Kansas State Wildcats traveled to San Diego, California to take on the Arizona State Sun Devils in the 25th edition of the Holiday Bowl.

The Wildcats came into the game with a 10-2 record under head coach Bill Snyder, who had turned the Kansas State football program from one of the worst in college football to one of the best as the Wildcats, who had just three winning seasons from 1935 through 1988, had won at least nine games for the ninth time in 10 years.

The 2002 Wildcats roster featured quarterback Ell Roberson, who had become the Wildcats' starting quarterback after coming off the bench to lead Kansas State to a 27-20 win over USC in the fourth game of the season and sophomore running back Darren Sproles, who had run for 1,347 yards during the regular season.

Kansas State also had the nation's #1 scoring defense as the Wildcats allowed an average of just 11.8 points per game on a squad that was led by cornerback Terrance Newman, who won the Jim Thorpe Award which goes to the best defensive back in the country.

With the firepower on offense and their stingy defense, the Wildcats hoped to finish off the 2002 season on a high note as they prepared to face the Sun Devils for the sixth time in school history.

The Sun Devils came into the Holiday Bowl unranked with an 8-5 record under second year head coach Dirk Koetter, who had taken over from Bruce Snyder after his nine-year run in Tempe.

The Sun Devils got off to a 7-2 start in 2002 but a three-game losing streak in November would cause them to fall from #16 in the rankings to unranked as they would defeat arch rival Arizona in the regular season finale to earn an invitation in the Holiday Bowl.

The Arizona State offense was predicated on the passing game led by quarterback Andrew Walter who threw for 3,584 yards during the regular season with his leading receiver being Shaun McDonald, who caught 77 passes for 1,309 yards and scored 13 touchdowns while the defense was led by all-American defensive end Terrell Suggs who had accounted for 22 quarterback sacks, a NCAA record.

The Sun Devils hoped that a upset over the Wildcats could be the turning point for their football program which was hoping for their first nine-win season since 1997.

  After a scoreless first quarter which saw both teams combine for six punts, the Sun Devils got the ball in Kansas State territory at the Wildcats' 38-yard-line as Walter would overcome a quarterback sack on the first play of the drive, to complete passes of nine yards to Daryl Lightfoot and 11 yards to Derek Hagen to give Arizona State a 1st down at the Kansas State 23-yard-line.

Following two straight incomplete passes, Walter would find Mike Williams for 15 yards to pick up another 1st down as Williams would then run for two yards to set up 2nd & goal where Walter found Justin Taplin for a six-yard touchdown to give the Sun Devils a 7-0 lead with 11:36 left in the second quarter.

The Wildcats would begin their next possession at their 20-yard-line only to give it right back to the Sun Devils as Roberson lost the football after he was hit by Arizona State linebacker Mason Unck as defensive tackle Brian Montesanto made the recovery to give Walter and the ASU offense the ball at the Kansas State 16-yard-line.

However, the Wildcat defense would not allow a 1st down as the Sun Devils were forced to settle for a 26-yard field goal by Mike Barth which increased Arizona State's lead to 10-0.

Having been held to just six yards of total offense, the Wildcat offense needed to get on track which is exactly what they accomplished on their next drive as Snyder inserted Newman into the game on offense as he would catch a 36-yard pass from Roberson to give Kansas State a 1st down at the Arizona State 41-yard-line.

On the very next play, Roberson gave the ball to Sproles who run it in for the 41-yard touchdown to put the Wildcats on the scoreboard and cut the Sun Devils' lead to 10-7.

Arizona State would start its next possession at the Wildcats' 48-yard-line thanks to a 42-yard return by Josh Golden, but would be forced to punt the ball back to the Wildcats, who would go on three-and-out to give the ball back to the Sun Devils at the Kansas State 42-yard-line.

From there, Walter would complete a 24-yard pass to McDonald, then hand the ball off to Williams on the next two plays as he gained nine yards to set up 3rd & 1 when Hakim Hill was able to run it in for the nine-yard touchdown to push the Sun Devils back to ten points at 17-7.

Things would go from bad to worse for the Wildcats on their next possession as Sproles fumbled the football at the end of a 19-yard run as Sun Devils cornerback Brett Hudson made the recovery to give the Arizona State offense the ball at the Kansas State 26-yard-line.

But like they did earlier in the second quarter, the Kansas State defense would hold the Sun Devils to a field goal after a turnover as Barth would come on to kick a 39-yard field goal to increase the Arizona State lead to 20-7 with 1:25 left before halftime.

Arizona State quarterback Andrew Walter would complete 28 of 51 passes for 293 yards and throw two touchdown passes.

Hoping to get a score before the end of the half, the Wildcats would drive 78 yards in three plays as Roberson completed a 41-yard pass to Taco Wallace to set up the junior quarterback's 32-yard touchdown run to trim the Arizona State lead to 20-14 with 54 seconds left in the first half.

The Sun Devils would get the ball back at their 34-yard-line but would be unable to mount a scoring threat as the first half came to an end with Arizona State on top 20-14.

The start of the third quarter resembled the first quarter as both teams traded punts until the 5:33 mark of the quarter when Walter completed a 19-yard pass to McDonald to put the Sun Devils at the Kansas State 36-yard-line.

Two runs by Hill which netted just one yard and an incomplete pass would lead the Sun Devils to call on Barth to attempt a 51-yard field goal, which would fall short of the uprights to keep the score at 20-14 and give the ball to the Wildcats at their 35-yard-line.

From there, the Wildcats would put together the most impressive drive of the game as they travel 65 yards in 16 plays on a drive that took over seven minutes to complete and did not end until Roberson punched it in from three yards out to tie the game at 20.

However, the Wildcats could not take the lead as the snap on the ensuing extra point was too low for holder Travis Brown to handle as kicker Joe Rheem would not get an opportunity to kick the ball as the score remained deadlocked at 20 with 12:10 left in the fourth quarter.

The Sun Devils would begin their next possession at their 22-yard-line as Walter would hit Bobby Pinkard for a 33-yard completion on the first play of the drive to put Arizona State at the Wildcats' 45-yard-line.

After an incomplete pass, Walter would complete his next three passes for 29 yards to move Arizona State to the Kansas State 16-yard-line as the sophomore quarterback would throw another incomplete pass to bring up 2nd & 10 where he would find McDonald for six yards to set up 3rd & 4 at the Kansas State 10-yard-line.

That is when Walter rolled to his right only to spin back to his left and loft a screen pass for Williams who was able to run it for the 10-yard touchdown to give Arizona State a 27-20 lead with 10:30 left in the fourth quarter.

The Wildcats would get the ball back at their 20-yard-line as the drive began with a three-yard run by Sproles, which was followed by a 32-yard pass from Roberson to James Terry and then a 11-yard pass from Roberson to Terry to put Kansas State at the Sun Devils' 34-yard-line.

Sproles would then carry for 12 yards to give Kansas State another 1st down at the Arizona State 22-yard-line as the next three plays netted zero yards to set up 4th & 10.

Instead of opting for a field goal that would cut the Sun Devils' lead to four points, Snyder had the offense lined up to go for the 1st down as the Wildcats would then spend two timeouts before ultimately going for it.

The gamble would pay off as Roberson hit Terry for 21 yards to set up the quarterback's one-yard touchdown run that with the extra point tied the game at 27 with 6:41 to go in regulation.

The Wildcat defense would force an Arizona State punt to give their offense the ball back at their 41-yard-line with 4:24 remaining and a chance to drive for the go-ahead score.

Following two runs by Roberson that totaled eight yards, fullback Travis Wilson would get the ball on 3rd & 2 as he ran for five yards to give the Wildcats a 1st down at the Arizona State 46-yard-line.

Roberson would then keep it for 16 yards on the next play from scrimmage to give Kansas State a 1st down at the Arizona State 30-yard-line as Sproles would then carry it for five yards to set up 2nd & 5 when Roberson completed a 15-yard pass to Terry to set up 1st & goal at the Sun Devils' 10-yard-line.

That is when Roberson hit Derrick Evans on a slant pattern for the 10-yard touchdown that with the extra point gave the Wildcats their first lead of the game at 34-27 with 75 seconds to go in regulation.

Kansas State running back Darren Sproles would run for 118 yards on 21 carries and scored one touchdown.

Taking over at his 22-yard-line, Walter would complete a 20-yard pass to Taplin to begin the Sun Devils' ensuing possession as the two would connect again for eight yards to put Arizona State at the 50-yard-line as Walter would throw two straight incomplete passes to bring up 4th & 2.

The Sun Devils would convert as Walter found Lightfoot for only four yards but enough for a 1st down at the Kansas State 46-yard-line.

After three straight incomplete passes, Walter would fire a desperation Hail Mary pass on the final play of the game that the Wildcats would knock away to preserve the 34-27 victory, the 11th for Kansas State during the 2002 season.

The loss dropped the Sun Devils to 8-5 as they would not qualify for a bowl in 2003 but would rebound in 2004 with a 9-3 record which included a 27-23 victory over Purdue in the Sun Bowl as the Sun Devils would finish #19 in the final AP poll and #20 in the final coaches poll that year.

That would be the highpoint of the Dirk Koetter era which ended after the 2006 season as he was fired after a six-year tenure where the Sun Devils went 40-34.

As for the Wildcats, their win over Arizona State gave them their fifth 11-win season in six years which as Kansas State would retain its #6 ranking in the final AP poll but fell one spot in the coaches poll to #7.

Roberson and Sproles would return the following year to lead the Wildcats to the Big 12 Championship Game where Kansas State would stun #1 Oklahoma 35-7 to give the Wildcats their first conference championship since 1934.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Texans Tame Lions in Thanksgiving Thriller

 

The Texans celebrate after Shayne Graham kicked the game-winning field goal in their 2012 win over the Detroit Lions.

The Houston Texans got to make their first ever appearance on Thanksgiving Day in 2012 when they traveled up north to take on the Detroit Lions in the Lions' annual Thanksgiving game.

The Texans came into the game with a 9-1 record just one win away from tying their franchise record of 10 wins which Houston had accomplished the prior season when the Texans made it to the playoffs for the first time since their inception in 2002.

The Texans featured one of the NFL's most explosive offenses which was led by quarterback Matt Schaub, running back Arian Foster and wide receiver Andre Johnson while the defense was led by defensive end J.J. Watt who was on his way to a 20-sack season as Houston was hoping to secure the top seed in the AFC playoffs.

While the Texans were riding high, the Lions were struggling as they entered their annual Thanksgiving game with a 4-6 record, already matching their loss total from the previous season where they went 10-6 to earn a playoff spot for the first time in 12 years.

Detroit was led by quarterback Matthew Stafford and his favorite target, wide receiver Calvin Johnson, who had caught 65 passes for 1,117 yards up to this point in the season as the Lions were hoping to win on Thanksgiving for the first time since 2003.

 The Lions got the ball to start the game as Stafford would overcome a sack by Watt on the first play of the game to complete four of eight passes for 67 yards on a 12-play, 80-yard drive that ended with a two-yard touchdown run by Mikel Leshoure to put Detroit ahead 7-0.

The rest of the first quarter would be a punting contest as both teams trading punts with the only significant play of the first quarter was whether Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh intentionally kicked Schaub in the crotch.

The Texans would start a drive early in the second quarter at their 26-yard-line as Schaub would hit Johnson for 37 yards to put Houston in Detroit territory at the Lions 37-yard-line as six plays later, Foster would punch it in from six yards out that with the extra point tied the game at seven with 10:57 left in the second quarter.

The Lions would respond with a 10-play, 83-yard drive as Stafford completed five of eight passes for 79 yards on the drive which culminated with a five-yard touchdown pass from Stafford to Mike Thomas to give Detroit a 14-7 lead with six minutes to go in the second quarter.

Houston would get the ball back at their 25-yard-line as Schaub would complete five of six passes for 78 yards on the drive which included a 43-yard pass to Johnson as Schaub would find tight end Owen Daniels for a nine-yard touchdown to help tie the game at 14 with 2:11 left before halftime.

It would only take the Lions 22 seconds to get back into the end zone as Stefan Logan would return the ensuing kickoff 38 yards to the Detroit 41-yard-line as Stafford would complete a 37-yard pass to Ryan Broyles which was followed by a 22-yard touchdown pass to Johnson to give the Lions a 21-14 led with 1:49 left in the first half.

The Texans would try to mount one more drive before the end of the first half but a sack by Lions defensive end Cliff Avril would end the first half with the Lions ahead 21-14 as Houston would get the ball to start the second half.

The Lions would force a three-and-out to get their offense the ball back at their 22-yard-line as Detroit would hold the ball for six-and-a-half minutes as they would drive 45 yards in 11 plays to set up a 46-yard field goal by Jason Hanson which extended the Lions' lead to 24-14 with a little over seven minutes left in the third quarter.

The Texans would start their next possession at their 19-yard-line as Schaub would throw an incomplete pass on 1st down to set up 2nd & 10 when the most controversial play of the game occurred.

Schaub would hand the ball off to Justin Forsett who would run for seven yards until he was hit by Lions free safety Louis Demas, causing the Houston running back to have his left arm and knee to hit the ground.

Forsett would get up and run in untouched into the end zone as referees never blew the whistle and signaled touchdown as replays clearly showed Forsett was down by contact.

Because it was a scoring play, the instant replay booth would automatically review only to have Schwartz thrown the challenge flag to draw an unsportsmanlike penalty but even worse, nullify the review which meant the 81-yard touchdown would stand as Shayne Graham would make the extra point to cut the Lions' lead to 24-21.

The Texans would force a Detroit punt to get the ball back at their 33-yard-line as three straight running plays gained 34 yards to put Houston at the Detroit 33-yard-line as the drive would stall as the Texans would settle for a 45-yard field goal by Graham which tied the game at 24 with 2:36 left in the third quarter.

The Lions would start their next drive at their 20-yard-line as Joique Bell would account for the bulk of the yardage on the drive as he ran for 26 yards on the final play of the third quarter then would run it in for a 23-yard touchdown to give Detroit a 31-24 lead with 13:31 remaining in the third quarter.

The two teams would trade punts for the next six minutes of the game until the Texans were pinned back in front of their end zone as they got the ball at their three-yard-line.

After throwing an incomplete pass to start the drive, Schaub would complete a two-yard pass to Foster which was followed by a 13-yard pass to Johnson to give the Texans a 1st down at their 18-yard-line.

Foster would run for 15 yards on the next play to give Houston another 1st down as Schaub would hit Johnson for 23 yards to put the Texans at the Lions' 44-yard-line as Schaub would throw an incomplete pass before hitting Foster on two straight plays picking up only three yards to set up 4th & 7.

Despite having a little over four minutes left in regulation, Kubiak would gamble and go for the 1st down which he got as Schaub found Johnson for 16 yards to give the Texans a 1st down at the Lions' 25-yard-line.

Two incomplete passes later, Schaub would hit Johnson again, this time for 12 yards which was followed by a 11-yard pass to tight end Garrett Graham to set up 1st & goal at the Lions' two-yard-line.

Foster would run for one yard as the two-minute warning hit to set up 2nd & goal when Foster got the ball again as he would punch it in for the one-yard touchdown to cap off the 15-play, 97-yard touchdown drive that with Graham's extra point tied the game at 31 with 1:55 to go in regulation.

The Lions would get the ball back at their 24-yard-line as Stafford completed passes of 18 yards to Johnson and 13 yards to tight end Tony Scheffler to put Detroit at the Houston 45-yard-line as Stafford would throw three straight incomplete passes to force a Detroit punt to give the Texans the ball at their two-yard-line with 39 seconds left in regulation.

Schaub would take a knee to run out the clock as the game would move into overtime with the score tied at 31 as the Lions would win the overtime coin toss to get the ball to start overtime.

Stafford would complete a 40-yard pass to Broyles on the first play of overtime to put the Lions at the Texans' 40-yard-line seemingly to put Detroit close to field goal range only for the Lions to turn it over two plays later when tight end Brandon Pettigrew fumbled the football after a hit by strong safety Danael Manning which was recovered by linebacker Daryl Sharpton to give the Texans the ball at their 35-yard-line.

A 14-yard pass from Schaub to Johnson plus five runs by Foster for 25 yards help put the Texans in field goal range as Graham would come onto attempt a 51-yard field goal that would give Houston the win.

However, Graham's kick would sail wide left to keep the game going as the Lions would take over at their 41-yard-line with 9:38 left in the extra period.

The Lions would pick up one 1st down before punting the ball back to the Texans who would take over at their nine-yard-line as Houston would drive to their 29-yard-line until Schaub was intercepted by cornerback Chris Houston to give Detroit the ball at the Houston 41-yard-line.

A 14-yard pass from Stafford to Scheffler would help set up a 47-yard field goal attempt by Hanson which would bounce off the left upright to give the Texans the ball back at their 37-yard-line with 4:32 left in overtime.

From there, Schaub would complete passes of 15 and 11 yards to tight end James Casey with a 23-yard pass to Johnson sandwiched in between the two catches by Casey to help the Texans at the Lions' 14-yard-line as Graham would come on to attempt a 32-yard field goal.

The third time would be the charm for a game-winning field goal as Schaub's kick sailed through the uprights with 2:25 to go in overtime to give Houston a 34-31 win.

The Lions would never recover from the Thanksgiving loss as they would lose their remaining five games of the season to end the season on an eight-game losing streak to finish the season with a 4-12 record with the lone highlight being Johnson breaking Jerry Rice's record for most receiving yards in a season as Megatron would finish the season with 1,964 yards on 122 receptions.

As for the Texans, they would finish the regular season with a 12-4 record to win the AFC South for the second year in a row as Houston would host the Cincinnati Bengals in an AFC Wild Card game which the Texans won 19-13 to advance to the Divisional Round where they would be eliminated by the New England Patriots with a 41-28 defeat.

College Football Old School Game of the Week: Vols Win SEC Championship to Clinch National Title Game Spot

Tennessee wide receiver Peerless Price makes what would the go-ahead touchdown catch in the 1998 SEC Championship game.

The day of December 5, 1998 was an eventful one in the annals of college football as three undefeated teams: The Tennessee Volunteers, the Kansas State Wildcats, and the UCLA Bruins all entered the game with a chance to earn one of the two spots in the inaugural BCS national championship game that would take place at the Fiesta Bowl in Tempe, Arizona on January 4,1999.

The day began with the #3 Bruins going down to the Miami Hurricanes as running back Edgerrin James ran for 299 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Canes to a 49-45 upset to end UCLA's 20-game winning streak.

A few hours later, the #2 Wildcats were stunned in the Big 12 Championship Game by the Texas A&M Aggies on Brandon Stewart's walk-off 32-yard touchdown pass to Sirr Parker to give the Aggies a 36-33 double overtime victory.

That left the #1 Volunteers as the only one of the three teams standing as they faced the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the SEC Championship Game.

The Volunteers were the defending SEC Champions as they had won the 1997 SEC Championship with quarterback Peyton Manning at the helm as he threw for 373 yards and four touchdowns in the Vols' 30-29 win over the Auburn Tigers.

Many experts thought they would be a slight decline for the Volunteers coming into the 1998 season as Tee Martin took over for Manning at quarterback who had been selected as the #1 overall pick of the 1998 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts.

However, Martin would lead the Volunteers to a 11-0 regular season which included wins over the Florida Gators, the first win for Tennessee over Florida since 1992 and a 28-24 win over the Arkansas Razorbacks when the Vols cashed in a late Arkansas fumble to score the game-winning touchdown with 28 seconds to go in the game.

What made the undefeated regular season even more remarkable was the fact that the Volunteers had lost starting running back Jamal Lewis, who had rushed for 1,364 yards the previous season, had been lost to a knee injury in the fourth game of the season as the pair of Travis Henry and Travis Stephens would carry the load at running back.

While the Volunteers were seeking a second straight SEC title, the Mississippi State Bulldogs were looking for their first conference title since 1941, the only time Mississippi State had ever won the Southeastern Conference title.

The Bulldogs came into the game with an 8-3 record and a #23 ranking in the AP poll as the Bulldogs clinched the SEC West division title thanks to a 22-21 win over Arkansas two weeks prior to the SEC title game.

While the Bulldogs were two-touchdown underdogs to the Volunteers, their stout defense gave Mississippi State a chance to add even more chaos in the race to determine who would play for the national championship in the Fiesta Bowl.

 After both teams went three-and-out to start the game, the Bulldogs got the ball at their 46-yard-line as running back James Johnson ran for 21 yards that with a five-yard face mask penalty on the Vols gave Mississippi State a 1st down at the Tennessee 28-yard-line.

The Volunteer defense would hold the Bulldogs to three yards on the next three yards to force a 38-yard field goal attempt by Brian Hazelwood which sailed wide left to keep the game scoreless.

Tennessee would drive into Mississippi State territory until Martin was sacked by Bulldogs linebacker Larry Campbell for a 11-yard loss which pushed the Vols back onto their side of the field where they would punt the ball back to the Bulldogs.

Following a Mississippi State punt, the Vols got the ball back at their nine-yard-line as they picked up one 1st down before facing a 3rd & 12 at their 18-yard-line when Martin fired a deep pass intended for Peerless Price only to have it be intercepted by Bulldogs cornerback Robert Bean at the Mississippi State 30-yard-line.

Bean would then zigzag his way through the field as he would run the pick back for a 70-yard touchdown to give Mississippi State a 7-0 lead with five seconds left in the first quarter.

Robert Bean gave Mississippi State its first touchdown with a 70-yard pick-six.

The Vols would begin their next possession at their 20-yard-line as two runs by Henry for eight yards plus an offsides penalty on the Bulldogs gave Tennessee a 1st down at its 32-yard-line when Martin completed a 22-yard pass to Price to put Tennessee at the Mississippi State 40-yard-line.

The Bulldogs defense would hold the Vols offense to five yards on the next three plays which would lead to a Tennessee punt as the Mississippi State offense would take over at their five-yard-line.

A 16-yard run by running back Chris Rainey followed by an illegal procedure penalty would put the Bulldogs at their 21-yard-line where on 1st & 15, quarterback Wayne Madkin would be intercepted by Tennessee free safety Deon Grant, whose 24-yard return gave the Vols the ball at the Mississippi State 20-yard-line.

Two runs by Stephens for a total of seven yards would make it 3rd & 3 when Martin completed an eight-yard pass to Price to give Tennessee a 1st & goal at the Bulldogs' five-yard-line.

From there, Stephens would carry the ball on the next two plays with the second carry being a two-yard touchdown run that with the extra point tied the game at seven with 9:32 left in the second quarter.

After an Mississippi State, the Vols got the ball back at their 33-yard-line when Martin threw a bomb for Jermaine Copeland that would go for 40 yards which was followed by a 19-yard pass to Price to give Tennessee a 1st & goal at the Bulldogs eight-yard-line.

However, the Vols could not punch into the end zone as Martin threw two incomplete passes and was dropped for a six-yard loss to force a 31-yard field goal by John Hall to give Tennessee a 10-7 lead with 5:09 remaining in the first half.

Neither team would mount a scoring threat for the rest of the first half as Tennessee would go into the halftime break still ahead 10-7 and set to get the ball to start the second half.

Tennessee would pick up one 1st down before punting the ball back to the Bulldogs as the third quarter was a defensive stalemate as both teams traded punts until a little over six minutes to go in the carter when Vols linebacker Al Wilson picked off a Madkin pass and returned it for an apparent 32-yard pick-six.

But the touchdown would be negated by an illegal block on the return which meant the Vols offense would take over at the Mississippi State 33-yard-line.

A three-yard run by Henry would bring up 2nd & 7 when Henry fumbled the football as Bulldogs defensive tackle Kevin Sluder made the recovery to give Mississippi State the ball at their 32-yard-line.

The Bulldogs would drive to the Tennessee 47-yard-line before punting the ball back to the Volunteers who would begin their next possession at their 20-yard-line.

A 28-yard pass from Martin to Copeland would once again put Tennessee in Mississippi State territory at the Bulldogs' 48-yard-line only for Martin to throw three straight incomplete passes to force another Tennessee punt.

The Bulldogs would move into Tennessee territory as Madkin completed passes of 11 yards to Kevin Cooper and 15 yards to Kevin Prentiss to put the Bulldogs at the 46-yard-line as the Volunteer defense would allow only one more yard on the next three plays to force a Mississippi State punt.

Taking over at their 12-yard-line, the Vols would turn to Henry as he would get five straight carries for a total of 32 yards until Martin put the ball in the air as he would throw an incomplete pass on 3rd & 8 to force another Tennessee punt.

That is when Prentiss would receive the punt at his 17-yard-line and run it back for an 83-yard touchdown to give the Bulldogs a 14-10 lead with 8:43 left in the fourth quarter.

With their national championship hopes hanging in the balance, the Vols would begin their next possession at their 25-yard-line as Stephens ran for just one yard on 1st down before Martin completed an eight-yard pass to Copeland to set up 3rd & 1 when the junior quarterback kept the ball himself and run for two yards to pick up the 1st down.

A ten-yard holding penalty on the Bulldogs followed by a 13-yard run by Stephens would give the Vols a 1st & 10 at the Mississippi State 41-yard-line when Martin lofted a pass for Price, who made the catch in the left corner of the end zone for the 41-yard touchdown to give Tennessee a 17-14 lead with 6:15 to go in regulation.

After a 25-yard return by Prentiss on the ensuing kickoff, the Bulldogs would begin their next possession at their 30-yard-line when disaster struck as Madkin coughed up the football after a hit by Tennessee linebacker Corey Terry as fellow linebacker Corey Westmoreland made the recovery at the Mississippi State 26-yard-line.

It would take the Vols just one play to cash in on the fumble as Martin hit Copeland for a 26-yard touchdown, the second Tennessee touchdown in 28 seconds to extend the Volunteers' lead to 24-14 with 5:47 left in regulation.

Tennessee quarterback Tee Martin would throw two touchdown passes in a span of 28 seconds in the fourth quarter.

The Tennessee defense would force the Bulldogs to go three-and-out on their next possession to give their offense the ball back at their 23-yard-line with 3:54 to play and a chance to run out the clock.

The drive would get off to a good start as Henry would get the ball on three straight plays as he gained 15 yards to give the Vols a 1st down at their 38-yard-line.

An illegal formation penalty would push the Vols back 5 yards to their 33-yard-line where they would face 1st & 15 as Henry would run for 14 yards to set up 2nd & 1 where for 17 yards to give Tennessee a 1st down at the Mississippi State 36-yard-line.

From there, Martin would take two knees to run out the clock as the Volunteers would come away with the 24-14 win to win their second straight SEC championship and more importantly secure a spot in the Fiesta Bowl where they would play for the national championship.

The Bulldogs would get an invitation to play the Texas Longhorns in the Cotton Bowl where they would get throttled as the 1998 Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams ran for 203 yards to give the Horns a 38-11 win as the Bulldogs finished the season with a 8-5 record and outside of the top 25 in the final AP & Coaches polls.

As for Tennessee, they would face the Florida State Seminoles in the Fiesta Bowl where Martin threw a 79-yard touchdown pass to Price in the fourth quarter which paved the way to the Vols winning the game 23-16 to give the Volunteers their first national title since 1951.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Dolphins Beat Bills in Wild Game for 1st Place

Don Nottingham(36) hugs Bob Griese after his game-winning touchdown against the Bills in 1974.

 In week 10 of the 1974 NFL season, the Miami Dolphins hosted the Buffalo Bills in a game where the winner would take sole position of 1st place in the AFC East division.

Both teams came in with identical 7-2 records as Miami had already defeated the Bills 24-16 in Buffalo eight weeks prior to the ir rematch with the Bills in the Orange Bowl.

The Dolphins were the favorites as they were the two-time defending Super Bowl champions under head coach Don Shula, who had turned Miami into the premier team in the NFL since his arrival in south Florida in 1970.

Shula had led the Dolphins to the playoffs all four seasons since he become the Miami head coach which included three straight Super Bowl appearances and a 17-0 season in 1972.

The Dolphins' offense featured one of the NFL's top rushing attacks in the backfield of fullback Larry Csonka, tailback Mercury Morris, and Jim Kiick to go along with quarterback Bob Griese and his favorite target, wide receiver Paul Warfield.

With this offense plus the vaunted "No-Name" defense, Miami hoped to extend their 28-game winning streak at the Orange Bowl as they prepared to host the Bills, a team the Dolphins had not lost to since 1969.

While the Dolphins were seeking a third straight Super Bowl title, the Bills were just hoping to go back to the playoffs, a feat that Buffalo had not accomplished since 1966 when they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFL Championship Game.

Buffalo was led by head coach Lou Saban, who was in his second stint as the Bills' head coach after holding that position from 1960-1965 as he led the Bills to two AFL championships.

The best player on the Bills was clearly running back O.J. Simpson, who had run for 2,003 yards the year before but had only rushed for 762 yards up to this point in the 1974 season as the "Juice" was battling a knee injury.

But with the help of second-year quarterback Joe Ferguson and an improved defense, the Bills came into their game with the Dolphins with a chance to take over 1st place in the AFC East.

After both teams went three-and-out on their opening possessions of the game, the Bills would begin their second possession at the Miami 31-yard-line thanks in large part to a 17-yard punt return by Donnie Walker.

Buffalo would put the ball in the air on three straight plays with Ferguson connecting on only one of those passes, an eight-yarder to Simpson, to set up a 40-yard field goal attempt by John Leypoldt.

However, the Dolphins' Larry Ball would block the kick to keep the game scoreless and give the ball to the Miami offense at their 28-yard-line.

The Dolphins would pick up one 1st down before punting the ball back to the Bills, who would go three-and-out on their ensuing possession as Buffalo punter Marv Bateman's punt would only go 17 yards to give Miami the ball at the Buffalo 43-yard-line.

Two runs for six yards and an incomplete pass would lead to a 54-yard field goal attempt by Garo Yepremian would fall short of the uprights as the game remained scoreless.

The two teams would exchange punts as the game moved into the second quarter when the Dolphins defense forced the first turnover of the game when Miami linebacker Bob Matheson knocked the ball loose from Simpson at the end of an 18-yard run as cornerback Tim Foley made the recovery to give the Dolphins the ball at the Buffalo 35-yard-line.

Griese would complete a 26-yard pass to Nat Moore to give Miami a 1st & goal at the Bills' nine-yard-line when Benny Malone ran for five yards to make it 2nd & goal from the four-yard-line when disaster appeared to strike.

That is when Griese fired a pass toward the end zone intended for Warfield which was intercepted by Bills strong safety Tony Greene, who ran it out of the end zone for an apparent 105-yard pick-six, only to have it called back because of a holding penalty on Bills cornerback Robert James to nullify the Buffalo touchdown and give the Dolphins a 1st down at the two-yard-line.

Griese would then hand the ball off to Csonka, who punched it in for the two-yard touchdown to give the Dolphins a 7-0 lead with 8:16 remaining in the second quarter.

The score was still 7-0 when the Dolphins took over at their 13-yard-line with 2:41 left before halftime as it appeared that Miami seemed content on running out the clock in the first half as they only moved 11 yards on five plays to set up 3rd & 11 from their 24-yard-line with 44 seconds left.

But Greise would complete a 27-yard pass to Moore to give the Dolphins a 1st down at the Buffalo 49-yard-line when Griese fired a bomb to Warfield who would make the catch for the 49-yard touchdown to extend Miami's lead to 14-0 with 26 seconds left in the half.

Paul Warfield would catch four passes for 139 yards and score one touchdown.

The Bills would get the ball back at their 40-yard-line as Ferguson would complete a 12-yard pass to Simpson then scramble for seven yards to set up a 58-yard field goal attempt by Leypoldt which was blocked to end the first half with the Dolphins ahead 14-0 and set to get the ball to start the second half.

Miami would go three-and-out on its opening possession of the second half as the Bills would take over at their 45-yard-line when the Buffalo offense relied on its running game to drive down the field.

The Bills would run the ball on nine of the 11 plays on their 55-yard drive which ended with an one-yard touchdown run by Ferguson to cut the Dolphins' lead in half to 14-7 with 8:44 to go in the third quarter.

Following an exchange of punts, the Dolphins got the ball back at their 13-yard-line as four straight running plays picked up 21 yards to set up 3rd & 1 from the Miami 34-yard-line when Griese connected with  Warfield again on another long pass, this time for 54 yards that with a roughing-the-passer penalty gave the Dolphins a 1st & goal at the Bills' six-yard-line.

After a run by Morris went for no gain, Griese handed the ball off to Csonka, who would run it in for a six-yard touchdown to push the Miami lead back to 14 points at 21-7 with 1:48 left in the third quarter.

Things would go from bad to worse for the Bills on their next possession when Ferguson was sacked by Dolphins defensive end Bill Stanfill, injuring the quarterback's right knee to knock him out of the game as rookie Gary Marangi would come in to replace Ferguson.

Marangi's first play would be a handoff to Simpson, who could not pick up the 1st down as the Bills would punt the ball back to the Dolphins, who would take over at their 37-yard-line as the fourth quarter was set to begin.

Two plays for six yards and an offsides penalty would give the Dolphins a 1st down at their 48-yard-line when Griese handed the ball off to Morris, who fumbled the football as Bills linebacker Dave Washington scooped up the fumble and ran it in for a 42-yard touchdown to cut the Miami lead to 21-14 with 13:58 remaining in the fourth quarter.

The Dolphins would begin their next possession at their 36-yard-line as Csonka would run for four yards to set up 2nd & 6 when Griese completed a 20-yard pass to Moore, only to have James knock the ball loose as Washington would make his second fumble recovery in as many possessions to give the ball back to the Bills at their 44-yard-line.

Marangi would hand the ball off to fullback Jim Braxton, who would run for 12 yards to give the Bills a 1st down at the Miami 44-yard-line when Marangi fumbled a snap from center, which he recovered to make it 2nd & 10 when the rookie quarterback faked a handoff and fired a 44-yard touchdown pass to J.D. Hill that with the extra point tied the game at 21 with 11:10 remaining in the fourth quarter.

The Dolphins would begin their next possession at their 19-yard-line as five straight running plays picked up 25 yards before Griese put the ball back in the air as he completed a two-yard pass to tight end Jim Mandich to set up 3rd & 9 when Griese tried to hit Moore on a deep pass only to have Buffalo free safety Neil Craig make the interception.

But just like the 105-yard pick six that was nullified in the second quarter, the interception would not stand as James would be called for pass interference to give the Dolphins a fresh set of downs at the Buffalo 23-yard-line.

Two straight running plays would pick up 12 yards until fullback Don Nottingham would run it in for a 11-yard touchdown to give the Dolphins a 28-21 lead with 5:01 left in regulation.

Following a 23-yard return by Wallace Francis on the ensuing kickoff, the Bills would begin their next possession at their 29-yard-line with 4:50 left on the clock and needing a touchdown plus an extra point to tie the game.

The drive would begin with Marangi scrambling for seven yards which was followed by Simpson being dropped for a three-yard loss to set up 3rd & 6 when Marangi completed a 14-yard pass to Ahmad Rashad to give the Bills a 1st down at their 47-yard-line.

After an incomplete pass, Marangi would scramble again, this time running for 16 yards to give the Bills a fresh set of downs at the Miami 37-yard-line as the two-minute warning hit.

Marangi would throw complete two straight passes to Braxton which gained 14 yards before firing a 21-yard pass to Bob Chandler to give the Bills a 1st & goal at the Dolphins' two-yard-line.

After Marangi was dropped for a three-yard loss on 1st down, Marangi would find Chandler in the end zone for the five-yard touchdown that with the extra point tied the game at 28 with 56 seconds left in regulation.

Gary Marangi completed six of nine passes for 98 yards and threw two touchdowns in relief of an injured Joe Ferguson.

It appeared that the game was destined for overtime as the Dolphins would get the ball at their 19-yrd-line with just 51 seconds to drive down the field and at least attempt a game-winning field goal.

That is when Griese fired a 31-yard pass for Warfield to give the Dolphins a 1st down at the 50-yard-line as Kiick would get his hands on the next two plays, first catching a 12-yard pass from Griese, then running for 15 yards to put Miami at the Buffalo 23-yard-line with 24 seconds to go.

Griese would then hand the ball off to Nottingham on a draw play as the "Human Bowling Ball" would run it for the 23-yard touchdown to give the Dolphins a 35-28 lead with 19 seconds left following Miami's four-play, 81-yard drive that took only 32 seconds to complete.

The Bills would get the ball back at their 33-yard-line as Marangi would throw an incomplete pass, then theow a desperation pass as time expired which was intercepted by Dolphins linebacker Nick Buoniconti to end the game with Miami on top 35-28 and in first place in the AFC East.

Despite the heartbreaking loss, the Bills would make the playoffs as they would finish the season with a 9-5 record to earn the AFC's Wild Card spot (There was only one in 1974) as Buffalo would travel to Pittsburgh to face the Steelers in the Divisional Round which Pittsburgh won 32-14 in what would be the only playoff game in Simpson's career.

As for the Dolphins, they would go on to win the AFC East for the fourth year in a row as they finished the season with a 11-3 record.

However, their chances at a third straight Super Bowl title would end in a "Sea of Hands" as the Dolphins fell to the Oakland Raiders 28-26 in a classic AFC divisional playoff that the Raiders won on Clearnce Davis's game-winning eight-yard touchdown pass amongst several Miami defenders.

College Football Old School Game of the Week: SMU's Pony Express Completes Undefeated Season with Cotton Bowl Victory

SMU quarterback Lance McIlhenny runs for what would be the only touchdown in the 1983 Cotton Bowl.

When it comes to the 1982 college football national championship, the majority of experts and fans will recognize the Penn State Nittany Lions as the national champions as they were voted #1 in the final AP and Coaches polls after their win in the Sugar Bowl against #1 Georgia.

But if you ask anyone associated with the SMU football program, they will tell you they should have been voted national champions and will point to their win in the 1983 Cotton Bowl over the Pittsburgh Panthers as part of their argument.

The Mustangs came into the game ranked #4 in the country with a 10-0-1 record with their only blemish of the season coming in their regular season finale whey played the Arkansas Razorbacks to a 17-17 tie.

The Mustangs were led by head coach Bobby Collins, who was in his second season as the SMU head coach after taking over from Ron Meyer, who had left to become the head coach of the NFL's New England Patriots following the 1980 season.

Collins inherited a team which featured the famous "Pony Express" backfield in running backs Eric Dickerson and Craig James, who had combined to run for over 2,500 yards during the 1982 regular season as Dickerson finished the 1982 season with 1,617 yards and 17 touchdowns to finish 3rd in the Heisman Trophy race while James ran for 938 yards.

At quarterback was junior Lance McIlhenny, who had taken over as the SMU starting quarterback since midway through the 1980 season when the Mustangs switched from a pro-style offense to a triple option attack,t he Mustangs did not have to travel far from their home in Dallas to play in the school's first Cotton Bowl since 1966 after winning the Southwest Conference championship for the second year in a row(They did not play in a bowl game in 1981 because they were on NCAA probation).

Standing in their way were the #6 Pittsburgh Panthers who having to salvage their season after they were unble to fulfill their national championship expectations.

The Panthers had finished the previous two seasons as the #2 team in the country and were seen as national title contenders as they were ranked #1 in the preseason AP and coaches poll.

The Panthers were led by quarterback Dan Marino, who had thrown for 34 touchdown passes in 1981 and defensive end Chris Doleman on a team which had 18 starters returning from the season before for first-year head coach Foge Fanzio, who had been promoted from defensive coordinator to head coach after Jackie Sherill's departure for Texas A&M following the '81 season.

Pitt would win their first seven games of the season before falling to Notre Dame 31-16 in the first week of November then would lose to Penn State 19-10 in the final game of the regular season to finish the regular season with a 9-2 record as they earned an invitation to take on the Mustangs in Dallas on New Year's Day.

While Pitt was hoping to finish the season with their fourth straight 10-win season, the Mustangs were looking to complete an undefeated season for the first time since 1947 as the two teams meet on a cold, windy day in Dallas which featured some sleeting during the game.

 Pitt would get the ball to start the game as they would drive from their 28-yard-line to inside SMU territory until the Panthers were faced with a 4th down at the Mustangs' 38-yard-line.

Lined up to punt, the Panthers ran a fake as the ball was snapped to the upback, Rick Duckovich, who ran 11 yards to the SMU 27-yard line to give Pitt a fresh set of downs.

On the very next play, Marino completed a screen pass to fullback Joe McCall that went for 26 yards to put the Panthers at the SMU one-yard-line where they had a 1st & goal only for disaster to strike when McCall fumbled the ball when he tried to leap over a pile to get into the end zone.

SMU strong safety Wes Hopkins would make the recovery to end the Pitt scoring threat and give the Mustangs offense the ball at their two-yard-line.

From there, the SMU offense would launch a 22-play, 91-drive that took over nine minutes off the clock as the "Pony Express" drove to the Pitt seven-yard drive which was aided by four penalties for 40 yards by the Panthers' defense which included two personal fouls.

But just like the Panthers on their first drive of the game, the Mustangs would turn it over as McIlhenny fumbled the football when he was hit by Pitt cornerback Tim Lewis as nose guard JC Pelusi would make at the Pittsburgh 14-yard-line to end the SMU scoring threat.

Pitt quarterback Dan Marino would complete 19 of 37 passes for 187 yards.

The game was still scoreless late in the second quarter when the Panthers would force another turnover when free safety Tom Flynn knocked the ball loose from James which was recovered by fellow defensive back Dan "Peep" Short to give Pitt the ball at their 36-yard-line with 2:35 left before halftime.

Marino would complete four passes to get the Panthers down to the SMU 10-yard-line where Eric Schubert would attempt a 26-yard field goal only for the kick to sail wide left and no good as the first half would end in a scoreless tie, the first time that happened in a Cotton Bowl since 1961.

After SMU punted the ball following their opening possession of the second half, the Panthers took over at their 38-yard-line as Marino would complete his next five passes for 28 yards to lead Pitt to the SMU 19-yard-line when Mustangs nose guard Michael Carter sacked Marino for a nine-yard-loss.

The Panthers would end up settling for a 43-yard field goal by Schubert to end the 13-play, 36-yard drive to give Pitt a 3-0 lead with 4:34 left in the third quarter.

The Mustangs would begin their next possession at their 20-yard-line as Dickerson got to carry the ball twice to start the drive as he ran for 12 yards to give SMU a 1st down at its 32-yard-line when McIlhenny was dropped for a six-yard loss by Pelusi to make it 2nd & 16.

Dickerson would run for three yards to set up 3rd & 13 when McIlhenny put the ball in the air as he completed a 20-yard pass to flanker Bobby Leach to give the Mustangs a 1st down at their 49-yard-line.

Just when it seemed like the Mustangs' offense had it moving, Leach would be dropped for a 11-yard los on an end around by Doleman and Short to bring up 2nd & 21 at the SMU 38-yard-line.

That is when McIlhenny went deep and fired a pass for Leach down the right sideline who would make an over-the-shoulder catch as he was knocked out of bounds at the Pitt 20-yard-line after a 42-yard completion.

The Mustangs would go back to Dickerson as he would carry the ball on the next two plays to pick up nine yards and set up 3rd & 1 when James got the ball as he ran for two yards to pick up the 1st down at the Pitt nine-yard-line.

McIlhenny would then fake a handoff to Dickerson, ran to his right and fake a pitch to James, took up the middle and broke a tackle attempt to Pitt linebacker Yogi Jones, to run into the end zone for a nine-yard touchdown to complete the 11-play, 80-yard drive and give SMU  7-3 lead with 13:49 left in the fourth quarter.

The Panthers would begin their ensuing possession at their 26-yard-line as Marino would complete a 19-yard pass to split end Keith Williams, then hit running back Bryan Thomas for 11 yards on a 4th & 3 at the SMU 33-yard-line which was followed by a 15-yard run by Thomas to give Pitt a 1st & goal at the Mustangs' seven-yard-line.

After a McCall run that went for no gain on 1st down, Marino tried to hit Williams again but overthrew him in the end zone to set up 3rd & goal when Marino fired a pass before he was hit by SMU linebacker Clarence McDade that was intended for Dwight Collins in the end zone.

But Hopkins would get in front of the pass to deflect it as SMU free safety Blane Smith would make  the interception to give the ball back to the Mustangs with 8:08 left in the game and SMU still ahead 7-3.

The Pitt defense would force the Mustangs to punt to give the ball back to Marino and the Panthers offense at their 38-yard-line with 4:29 left to play as Panther fans hoped Marino could pull off a game-winning touchdown in the final minutes just like he did in the Sugar Bowl one year earlier.

The drive would begin with an eight-yard run by Thomas that was followed by a one-yard run by McCall which got 15 yards added on to it as Carter was called for a late hit penalty to give Pitt a 1st down at the SMU 37-yard-line.

An incomplete pass followed by a one-yard run by Marlon McIntyre followed by another incomplete pass set up 4th & 9 when Marino fired a low pass for a diving Dwight Collins at the SMU 26-yard-line that Collins dropped, the sixth such drop for the Pitt offense, to turn the ball over on downs and give the Mustangs a chance to run out the remaining 2:11 on the clock.

Dickerson would pick up two 1st downs to milk the remaining time in the game as the Mustangs came away with the 7-3 victory, their first Cotton Bowl win since 1949 and their 11th victory of the season to finish with a 11-0-1 record.

Despite the loss, the Panthers would still finish the season ranked in the top 10 as they earned the #9 ranking in the final coaches' poll and #10 ranking in the final AP poll as Marino would go on to a Hall-of-Fame career as he would play 17 seasons with the Miami Dolphins.

As for SMU, despite being the only college football team not to lose a game in 1982, they would finish ranked #2 in both the final AP and coaches poll behind Penn State, who was voted #1 in both polls after defeating #1 Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.

The Mustangs would remain a national power for the next two seasons as they would finish with back-to-back 10-2 seasons until they finished with two straight 6-5 seasons in 1985 + 1986 before the program was banned from playing for two seasons after receiving the infamous "Death Penalty" for repeated NCAA violations in 1987.

Eric Dickerson ran the ball 27 times for 124 yards.

The Pitt defense would force the Mustangs to punt to give the ball back to Marino and the Panthers offense at their 38-yard-line with 4:29 left to play as Panther fans hoped Marino could pull off a game-winning touchdown in the final minutes just like he did in the Sugar Bowl one year earlier.

The drive would begin with an eight-yard run by Thomas that was followed by an one-yard run by McCall which got 15 yards added on to it as Carter was called for a late hit penalty to give Pitt a 1st down at the SMU 37-yard-line.

An incomplete pass followed by a one-yard run by Marlon McIntyre followed by another incomplete pass set up 4th & 9 when Marino fired a low pass for a diving Dwight Collins at the SMU 26-yard-line that Collins dropped, the sixth such drop for the Pitt offense, to turn the ball over on downs and give the Mustangs a chance to run out the remaining 2:11 on the clock.

Dickerson would pick up two 1st downs to milk the remaining time in the game as the Mustangs came away with the 7-3 victory, their first Cotton Bowl win since 1949 and their 11th victory of the season to finish with a 11-0-1 record.

Despite the loss, the Panthers would still finish the season ranked in the top 10 as they earned the #9 ranking in the final coaches poll and #10 ranking in the final AP poll as Marino would go on to a Hall-of-Fame career as he would play 17 seasons with the Miami Dolphins.

As for SMU, despite being the only college football team not to lose a game in 1982, they would finished ranked #2 in both the final AP and coaches poll behind Penn State, who was voted #1 in both polls after defeating #1 Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.

The Mustangs would remain a national power for the next two seasons as they would finish with back-to-back 10-2 seasons until they finished with two straight 6-5 seasons in 1985 + 1986 before the program was banned from playing for two seasons after receiving the infamous "Death Penalty" for repeated NCAA violations in 1987.