NFL Old School Game of the Week: Reich's Monday Night Miracle

Bills quarterback Frank Reich completed 21 of 37 passes for 214 yards and threw two touchdown passes in his first NFL start.

 Quarterback Frank Reich is known for directing two of the greatest comeback wins in the history of football.

In 1984, Reich came off the bench to relieve a struggling Stan Gelbaugh to start the second half of the Maryland Terrapins' game against the Miami Hurricanes where he led the Terps to six straight scoring drives as Maryland overcame a 31-0 halftime deficit to shock the Hurricanes 42-40 in what was at the time the largest comeback in college football history.

Eight years later while filling in a for injured Jim Kelly, Reich led the Buffalo Bills to the greatest comeback in NFL playoff history as Buffalo overcame a 35-3 deficit to knock off the Houston Oilers 41-38 in overtime of their 1992 AFC Wild Card game.

But there is a lesser known comeback or miracle Reich was at the helm of when he made his first career NFL start in the Buffalo Bills' week 6 game with the Los Angeles Rams.

Having been selected in the third round of the 1985 NFL draft, Reich served as the backup quarterback to Vince Ferragamo for the 1985 season and then Kelly who took over as the Bills' starting quarterback in 1986 after a two-year stint in the USFL.

In his first four seasons, Reich had attempted only 20 passes as the Bills rose from the one of the worst teams in the NFL to an appearance in the 1988 AFC Championship Game against the Cincinnati Bengals which they lost 21-10.

The Bills entered the 1989 season as Super Bowl contenders but several disputes amongst the Bills roster which included running back Thurman Thomas, wide receiver Andre Reed and defensive end Bruce Smith led to those in the media to nickname the Bills the "Bickering Bills".

In week 5 against the Indianapolis Colts, Kelly separated his left shoulder after a hit by Indianapolis Colts defensive end Jon Hand, in which Kelly blamed right tackle Howard Ballard for missing the block, as Reich would come in to 11 of 19 passes for 171 yards and threw his first career touchdown pass in a 37-14 loss to the Colts which dropped the Bills to 3-2.

With Kelly out for the next month, Reich would assumed the reins as the Bills' starting quarterback as Reich's first start would come in front of a nationwide audience on Monday Night Football.

The Bills' opponent for this week were the Los Angeles Rams, who were off to a 5-0 start to the season which included a 13-12 over the defending Super Bowl champion San Francisco 49ers in San Francisco.

The biggest reason for the Rams' hot start was their offense which was led by quarterback Jim Everett and included former Bills running back Greg Bell and the wide receiver tandem of Willie "Flipper" Anderson and Henry Ellard as the offense averaged 28.4 points and 395.4 yards per game in the first five games of the season.

With their high-powered offense going up against a Buffalo defense that was minus three starters and a backup quarterback making his first career NFL start, the Rams were expected to came out of western New York with a 6-0 record.

 After the Rams punted on their opening possession of the game, the Bills got the ball at their eight-yard-line where Reich completed his first pass of the game, a five-yard screen pass to Thomas on the first play of the drive.

Thomas would then reel off a 38-yard run to get the Bills into Los Angeles territory until Reich was intercepted by Rams cornerback Jerry Gray on a pass intended for Buffalo wide receiver Flip Johnson as the Rams would take over at the Bills' 46-yard-line.

It looked like the Bills would get the ball back as they held the Rams to a three-and-out but Mickey Sutton would muff the ensuing punt as LA linebacker Richard Brown would make the recovery to give the Rams a golden opportunity to get on the scoreboard as they begin their next possession at the Buffalo 16-yard-line.

A two-yard run by Bell and an incomplete pass would set up 3rd & 8 when Everett found running back Buford McGee over the middle for a 10-yard completion to give Los Angeles a 1st & goal at the Bills' four-yard-line as Bell would run for one yard to set up 2nd & goal when Everett connected with McGee again, this time for the three-yard touchdown to give the Rams a 7-0 lead with 5:02 left in the first quarter.

The two teams would trade punts as the game moved into the second quarter when on a 2nd & 23 from the Bills 41-yard-line, Everett threw deep for Ellard, only to have the pass intercepted by Buffalo free safety Mark Kelso, whose 33-yard return gave the Bills the ball at the Rams' 47-yard-line.

However, the Bills could not convert the turnover into points as they would go three-and-out to punt the ball back to the Rams, but would get another chance later in the second quarter when Bell fumbled the football after a hit by Bills defensive end Art Still as defensive tackle Jeff Wright would recover the fumble at the Los Angeles 20-yard-line.

While the Bills' offense would not gain a yard on their next drive, they would get some points as Scott Norwood would come on to kick a 38-yard field goal to cut the Rams' lead to 7-3 with 4:10 left in the second quarter.

Following a Los Angeles three-and-out, the Bills got the ball back at the Rams' 49-yard-line as Reich completed two passes to Reed for 15 yards while Thomas ran for six yards to set up another Norwood field goal, this one from 48 yards out, which barely glazed the crossbar to trim the deficit to one point at 7-6 with 56 seconds left before halftime.

Bills running back Thurman Thomas had 24 carries for 105 yards and caught nine passes for 67 yards

Buffalo got the ball to start the second half only to give the ball right back to the Rams on the first play from scrimmage when Thomas would lose the football at the end of a six-yard run as Rams defensive back Michael Stewart would make the recovery to give Los Angeles an opportunity to extend their lead as they took over possession at the Bills' 33-yard-line.

But a sack by Smith for a five-yard loss would knock the Rams out of field goal range and force them to punt the ball back to the Bills as the two teams would trade punts until the Rams would put together their best drive of the game later in the third quarter.

Starting at their 37-yard-line, Everett would complete a seven-yard pass to tight end Pete Holohan which was followed by two runs by Bell for five yards to pick up a Rams 1st down at the LA 49-yard-line.

Everett would then connect with Ellard for 24 yards and again for 19 yards to move Los Angeles to the Buffalo eight-yard-line when the Rams averted disaster when Bell fumbled the football after a hit by Wright as Everett would fall on the football after a nine-yard loss that pushed the Rams back to the Bills' 17-yard-line.

Two incomplete passes later, the Rams would settle for a 34-yard field goal by Mike Lansford to extend their lead back to four points at 10-6 with 2:56 to go in the third quarter.

The Bills would get the ball back at their 25-yard-line as Thomas would carry the ball four times for 20 yards plus catch a 13-yard pass from Reich on a 12-play, 52-yard drive that culminated with a 40-yard field goal by Norwood make it a one-point game once again at 10-9 in favor of the Rams just 51 seconds into the fourth quarter.

The Rams would begin their ensuing possession at their 21-yard-line as Everett would complete two passes to Ellard for 27 yards to move Los Angeles to the Buffalo 41-yard-line when on 3rd & 13, Everett tried to connect with Ellard again on a pass that fell incomplete but drew a 25-yard pass interference penalty on Sutton to give the Rams a 1st down at the Bills' 16-yard-line.

However, the Rams would lose three yards on the next three plays to force Los Angeles to settle for a 36-yard field goal by Lansford to increase the LA lead to 13-9 with 9:01 to in the fourth quarter.

Reich, who had completed 11 of 26 passes for only 78 yards, would have his longest completion on the opening play of the Bills' next drive as he hit Reed for a 49-yard pass to move the Bills into Rams territory at the Los Angeles 39-yard-line.

It looked like the Rams defense was going to force a punt as they would sack Reich on 3rd & 8 only to have defensive back Anthony Newman get called for a holding penalty to give the Bills a fresh set of downs at the Los Angeles 32-yard-line.

Three straight running plays for 11 yards would move Buffalo to the LA 21-yard-line when Reich found Reed again, this time for 15 yards to give the Bills a 1st & goal at the six-yard-line.

After a five-yard run by Larry Killebrew and a Thomas run that went nowhere, Reich would throw the second touchdown pass of his NFL career, a one-yard toss to Thomas to give the Bills their first lead of the game at 16-13 with 2:23 left in regulation.

The Rams would take over at their 26-yard-line with a chance to drive at least a game-tying field goal or a go-ahead touchdown but after a six-yard scramble by Everett to start the drive, the quarterback would throw three straight incomplete passes to force a turnover on downs and give the Bills the ball at the Los Angeles 32-yard-line with 1:53 left on the clock.

With all three timeouts left, the Rams holped to stop the Bills from picking up a 1st down as two straight running plays for two yards would set up a crucial 3rd & 8 when Thomas appeared to pick up the 1st down, only for Rams linebacker Mel Owens to strip Thomas of the football, causing a fumble that was recovered by Stewart to give Los Angeles the ball at their 22-yard-line with 1:33 left in the game.

It would take the Rams just one play to get into the end zone as Everett threw a pass over the middle for Anderson, who made the catch around midfield and outran the rest of the Buffalo defense for a shocking 78-yard touchdown to give Los Angeles a 20-16 lead with 82 seconds left to play.

A squib kick plus a 18-yard return on the ensuing kickoff would give the Bills good field position for their next drive which would begin at their 36-yard-line as Buffalo had 1:17 left on the clock and all three timeouts in their pocket as Buffalo needed a touchdown to win the game.

The Bills averted disaster to start the drive as Reich completed a six-yard pass to Reed, who fumbled the football after a hit by Rams linebacker Mike Wilcher as center Kent Hull would recover the fumble at the Buffalo 42-yard-line but more importantly keep the drive going.

Reich would then complete a three-yard pass to Thomas to set up 3rd & 1 which became 3rd & 6 after a false start penalty on Bills left tackle Will Wolford, when Reich found Thomas for 17 yards to give Buffalo a 1st down at the Los Angeles 43-yard-line as Buffalo called timeout with 40 seconds to go.

Reich would then hit Thomas for six yard and then again for 15 yards for a fresh set of downs at the Rams' 22-yard-line as the Bills spent their second timeout with 26 seconds to go.

A 14-yard pass to Harmon, who was knocked out of bounds at the Rams' eight-yard-line, would set up a 1st & goal with 20 seconds to go when Reich found Reed on a slant pass, who was able to outmuscle Rams cornerback LeRoy Irvin to cross the plane with the ball for the touchdown with 16 seconds to go and give the Bills a 23-20 lead.

The Rams would get one last chance at a miracle as Everett would threw a Hail Mary from his 40-yard-line only for it to fall incomplete as time expired with the Bills on top 23-20 to hand the Rams their first loss of the 1989 season.

The loss to the Bills would begin a four-game losing streak for the Rams as they would go on to finish the season with a 11-5 record which included a 23-20 overtime win over the New Orleans Saints where Anderson set the all-time mark for most receiving yards in a game with 336(To read about that game click on the link highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2018/10/nfl-old-school-game-of-week-flipper.html)to earn a playoff spot as a Wild Card team as Los Angeles would upset the Philadelphia Eagles 21-17 in the Wild Card round, then knock off the New York Giants 19-13 in overtime of their divisional playoff game(To read about that game, click on the link highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2021/10/nfl-old-school-game-of-week-flippers.html)as the Rams would fall to the 49ers 30-3 in the NFC Championship Game.

Reich would remain the Bills' starter for the next two games, which they both won to improve to 6-2, before Kelly returned from injury as the Bills would struggle for the second half of the season as they would lose five of their final eight games to finish the season with a 9-7 record but still good enough to win the AFC East division.

The Bills would be eliminated by the Cleveland Browns 34-30 in their AFC divisional playoff to end their 1989 season before going on their four-year run as AFC Champions as they would play in the next four Super Bowls but failing to capture the Lombardi Trophy in each of their four Super Bowl appearances.

Reich would remain with the Bills through the next five seasons, starting in seven games across that span, including the legendary comeback against the Oilers in the 1992 playoffs, before bouncing around the league as he played for three different teams over the next four seasons before retiring after the 1998 NFL season.

College Football Old School Game of the Week: Boise State Crushes Fresno State's Chances of BCS Berth

Boise State wide receiver Billy Wingfield tries to break the tackle of Fresno State 

Sometimes, there is a moment or game where you can look back and say "That was the moment that it all started".

For the Boise State football program, that moment was their 2001 game with the Fresno State Bulldogs, where the Broncos traveled to the Central Valley of California and pulled off a victory that was seen as the launching pad of their ascension to one of the top programs in college football.

The Broncos came into the game unranked with a 3-3 record under first-year head coach Dan Hawkins, who had been promoted to head coach after Dirk Koetter left Boise to take the head coach position with the Arizona State Sun Devils after a three-year run in Boise where Koetter complied a 26-10 record and led Boise State to two Big West conference championships.

The Broncos left the Big West Conference to join the Western Athletic Conference for the 2001 season where the Broncos lost their first two games of the season to South Carolina and Washington State before being embarrassed by the Rice Owls 45-14 in the fifth game of the season.

The Broncos were an afterthought in their Friday night showdown with the Bulldogs, who came into the game undefeated and visions of appearing in a major bowl game in their heads thanks to their hot start to the 2001 season.

Led by head coach Pat Hill and quarterback David Carr, the Bulldogs started the season with a 24-22 win over the Colorado Buffaloes in Boulder followed by a 44-24 win over Oregon State in the Bulldogs' home opener and a 32-20 over Wisconsin in Madison as the Broncos defeated three straight teams from power conferences to propel the Bulldogs into the rankings at #11.

The Bulldogs would win their next three games, including an overtime win over Colorado State, to improve their record to 6-0 and ranking to #8 in the country as college football media starting to theorize that if the Bulldogs finished the regular season undefeated, they could earn an at-large bid in one of the bowl games of the Bowl Championship Series.

The Broncos got the ball to start the game as they would drive 77 yards in 11 plays with quarterback Ryan Dinwiddie running for 18 yards on a 2nd & 12 then completing a 12-yard pass to wide receiver Tim Gilligan to set up the sophomore quarterback's 16-yard touchdown pass to running back Brock Forsey to give Boise State the early 7-0 lead.

Fresno State would get good field position for their opening drive of the game as Bernard Berrian returned the ensuing kickoff 33 yards to the Bulldogs' 40-yard-line as it would take six plays for Carr to lead the Bulldog offense to the end zone as he connected with tight end Alec Greco for a 19-yard touchdown to help tie the game at seven.

After a Boise State three-and-out, the Bulldogs got the ball at their 24-yard-line when it looked like the Bronco defense had forced a turnover on the first play of the drive when cornerback Gabe Franklin intercepted a Carr pass only for it to be nullfied because of a roughing the passer penalty on defensive tackle Bobby Hammer. 

From there, Carr would complete six of seven passes for 66 yards on the 11-play, 76-yard drive that culiminated with a nine-yard touchdown pass from Carr to wide receiver Rodney Wright to give Fresno State a 14-7 lead with 1:50 left in the first quarter.

The Broncos would go three-and-out again on their next possession to punt the ball back to the Bulldogs, who took over at their 44-yard-line as they drove to the Boise State six-yard-line where they were faced with a 4th & 1 situation.

The Bulldogs would go for the 1st down which they got as Carr snuck for two yards to give Fresno State a 1st & goal at the four-yard-line when on the very next play, running back Paris Gaines took into the end zone for the touchdown to extend Fresno State's lead to 20-7(the extra point was missed) with 12:30 to play in the second quarter.

Fresno State quarterback David Carr 30 of 49 passes for 345 yards and threw three touchdown passes.

Following another Boise State punt, the two teams traded turnovers as Broncos linebacker Kris Foster picked off a Carr pass to give the Broncos the ball at the Fresno State 46-yard-line only for Bulldogs linebacker Sam Williams to return the favor and intercept Dinwiddie to give Fresno State the ball back at their 36-yard-line.

The Bulldogs would end up punting the ball back to the Broncos who began their ensuing possession at their 20-yard-line as a 22-yard pass from Dinwiddie to wide receiver Billy Wingfield and a 15-yard pass to wide receiver Lou Fanucchi moved Boise State to the Fresno State 25-yard-line until Dinwiddie was picked off by cornerback Tierre Sams, whose 21-yard return gave Fresno State the ball at their 27-yard-line.

Back-to-back passes from Carr to Wright totaled 41 yards as the Bulldogs moved into Broncos territory until the drive stalled as Asen Asparuhov would attempt a 44-yard field goal which would sail wide left of the uprights and no good as the Broncos would take over at their 27-yard-line with 1:10 left before halftime.

The drive would begin with a 27-yard run by Dinwiddie followed two passes for 24 yards to move Boise State to the Fresno State 22-yard-line when a holding penalty pushed the Broncos back 10 yards to the Fresno State 32-yard-line where they would face a 1st & 20.

That is when Dinwiddie connected with wide receiver Jeb Putzier for 14 yards then again for the 18-yard touchdown with 16 seconds left in the first half to cut the Fresno State lead to 20-14 as the Bulldogs would take a knee to end the first half of play.

Fresno State would get the ball to start the second half as they would drive 82 yards in eight plays as Carr completed passes of 12 yards to Berrian, then two straight passes to Wright for 45 yards, before going back to Berrian for an 18-yard touchdown that with Carr finding Berrian in the end zone on the ensuing two-point conversion, increased the Bulldogs' lead to 28-14.

The Broncos would respond with a 10-play, 82-yard drive which saw Dinwiddie hit Putzier for a 23-yard completion, then again for the 19-yard touchdown to once again make it a one-score game at 28-21 in favor of Fresno State with 8:01 to go in the third quarter.

The Bulldogs would begin their next possession at their 24-yard-line as they would drive to the Boise State 41-yard-line until on a 3rd & 1, Gaines fumbled the football after a hit by Broncos linebacker LaGary Mitchell as the ball would be caught in mid-air by defensive back Travis Burgher, whose return set Boise State up at the Fresno State 41-yard-line.

Seven plays later, Forsey would take a pitch from Dinwiddie around the right side and dive it into the end zone for a three-yard touchdown that with the extra point tied the game at 28 with 41 seconds left in the third quarter.

A botched squib kick on the ensuing kickoff would give the Bulldogs great field positon for their next drive which started at their 48-yard-line as Carr and the Fresno State offense moved it down to the Boise State 21-yard-line until Carr was sacked by defensive end Ryan Nelson for a seven-yard loss on 3rd & 1, forcing the Bulldogs to settle for a 45-yard field goal attempt by Asparuhov.

But just like in the first half, Asparuhov would miss the kick, this time with ball hooking wide right, as the game remained tied at 28 with 11:41 left in regulation.

Boise State would drive to around midfield before punting the ball to the Bulldogs who would go three-and-out on their next possession to give the ball back to the Broncos, who would take over at their 46-yard-line.

That is when Dinwiddie fired a laser to Swillie who made the catch around the Fresno State 25-yard-line then bounced off a hit by Bulldogs free safety Bryce McGill and raced into the end zone for the 54-yard touchdown to give the Broncos their first lead of the game at 35-28 with 7:12 left in the fourth quarter.

Boise State quarterback Ryan Dinwiddie threw for 297 yards and four touchdown passes.

The Bulldogs would get the ball back at their 24-yard-line as a 21-yard pass from Carr to Wright help move Fresno State into Boise State territory until the drive stalled as the Bulldogs would punt the ball back to the Broncos who would take over at their 13-yard-line hoping to take some time off the clock.

But a quarterback sack followed by Dinwiddie tripping over his own center pushed the Broncos to their one-yard-line when on 3rd & 22 when Broncos defensive end Nick Burley dove over a Boise State blocker to sack Dinwiddie in the end zone for safety to cut the Boise State lead to 35-30 but more importantly give the ball back to the Bulldogs with a chance to drive for the game-winning touchdown.

Following the free kick, the Bulldogs would get the ball at their 43-yard-line with 3:51 left on the clock as the drive would begin with a five-yard run by Gaines followed by a seven-yard scramble by Carr for a Fresno State 1st down at the Boise State 45-yard-line.

After two straight incomplete passes, Carr found wide receiver Charles Smith for a 11-yard completion and a 1st down at the Boise State 34-yard-line as Carr would then run for 11 yards another 1st down at the Boise State 23-yard-line.

A two-yard run by Gaines and two incomplete passes would set up a do-or-die 4th & 8 when Boise State was called for 12 men in the huddle, giving the Bulldogs five free yards to make it 4th & 3 when Carr threw a pass that was deflected by Broncos defensive end Marcus Purkiss but caught by Smith for a four-yard gain and a Fresno State 1st down at the Boise State 12-yard-line.

Two runs by Gaines for seven yards and an incomplete pass would put Fresno State in another 4th down situation, this time needing three yards to continue the game, when Boise State blitzed Carr as Broncos linebacker Greg Sasser would make the sack to force a turnover on downs and give the Broncos the ball at their 11-yard-line with 51 seconds to go in the game.

Dinwiddie would take two knees to run out the clock to complete the 35-30 upset win for the Broncos as the Bulldogs' chances of getting into a BCS Bowl were dashed.

The Bulldogs would lose another heartbreaker the following week as they gave up a touchdown in the final seconds to fall to the Hawaii Warriors 38-34 as Fresno State would finish the regular season with a 11-2 record but in second place in the WAC conference race.

Fresno State would then play Michigan State in the Silicon Valley Football Classic in San Jose, California where the Spartans would prevail in a 44-35 shootout as the Bulldogs finished the season with a 11-3 record as Carr finished the season with 4,839 yards and 46 touchdowns passes as he would be selected with the #1 overall pick in the 2002 NFL draft by the expansion Houston Texans.

As for the Broncos, they would finish the season with a 8-4 record but shockingly would not be invited to play in a bowl game.

However, over the course of the next quarter of a century, the Broncos have appeared in 23 bowl games, won 10 or more games 17 times, won 15 conference championships, finished ranked in the top 25 fourteen times, five times in the top 10, and completed two undefeated seasons.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Bears Defeat Jets in Wild Monday Night Game

Bears quarterback Jim Harbaugh is hoisted by teammates after leading the Bears to a 19-13 overtime win over the Jets.

The final game of Week 4 of the 1991 NFL season was one of the crazier games of that season as the Chicago Bears hosted the New York Jets on a Monday Night in the Windy City.

The Bears were off to hot start to the 1991 NFL season as they came into the game with a 3-0 record under head coach Mike Ditka, who was one win away from earning his 100th victory as head coach after becoming the Chicago head coach in 1982 during a reign that included a Super Bowl championship in 1985.

On the field, the Bears were led by quarterback Jim Harbaugh, running back Neal Anderson, and linebacker Mike Singletary as Chicago hoped to return to the postseason for the second year in a row and for the seventh time in the previous eight seasons.

The Bears' opponent for this game were the Jets, who came into the game with a 1-2 record under head coach Bruce Coslet, who was hoping to get New York's AFC team back to the playoffs for the first time since 1986 with a lineup that featured quarterback Ken O'Brien and wide receiver Al Toon.

 The Bears got the ball to start the game as a holding penalty would put Chicago in a 2nd & 17 at their seven-yard-line when Harbaugh connected with wide receiver Tom Waddle for a 31-yard completion which was followed by Waddle drawing a 35-yard pass interference penalty on Jets cornerback Tony Stargell to put the Bears at the New York 27-yard-line.

It looked like the drive was going to end with a touchdown as Harbaugh completed a 10-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Wendell Davis only for it to be wiped out because of a false start penalty as the Bears would settle for a 33-yard field goal by Kevin Butler to give Chicago the early 3-0 lead.

The Jets would get great field position for their first drive of the game as Terance Mathis returned the ensuing kickoff 37 yards to the New York 45-yard-line as O'Brien would find Toon for 29 yards on the Jets' first offensive snap of the game to advance the Jets to the Bears' 26-yard-line.

The Jets would advance all the way to the two-yard-line but could not put into the end zone as Pat Leahy would come on to kick a 19-yard field goal to tie the game at three with 5:54 left in the first quarter.

After an exchange of punts, the Bears had the ball at their 27-yard-line when on the second play of the second quarter, Harbaugh completed a nine-yard pass to running back James Rouse, who lost the football after he was hit by Jets linebacker Kyle Clifton, causing a fumble that was recovered by free safety Lonnie Young to give New York the ball at the Chicago 35-yard-line.

Two runs by running back Blair Thomas that totaled 15 yards would set up a 37-yard field goal attempt by Leahy, whose kick would sail wide right of the uprights to keep the game tied at three.

Later in the second quarter, two passes from Harbaugh to tight end James Thornton for 21 yards plus a 15-yard personal foul penalty on Jets defensive end Marvin Washington helped the Bears move to the New York 27-yard-line when Butler would come on to attempt a 45-yard field goal.

However, Butler would miss the kick as the Jets would take over with 4:03 left in the first half and a chance to take the lead.

The drive would begin with two runs by Thomas for 25 yards which was followed by O'Brien hitting Mathis for a 20-yard completion as the Jets would make it to the Bears' 17-yard-line where Leahy would make a 34-yard field goal on the final play of the first half to give New York a 6-3 lead at the halftime break.

After both teams punted on their opening possessions of the second half, the Jets got the ball at their 41-yard-line when O'Brien got hot as he completed all four of his passes for 46 yards on the nine-play, 59-yard drive that culminated with an one-yard touchdown run by running back Brad Baxter to extend New York's lead to double digits at 13-3 with 3:38 to go in the third quarter.

Jets running back Blair Thomas ran for 125 yards on 27 carries but had a crucial fumble in the final minutes of regulation.

The Bears would begin their ensuing possession at their 22-yard-line as Harbaugh completed three passes to Davis for 25 yards to move Chicago to around midfield when Waddle drew another pass interference penalty, this one on the other Jets cornerback James Hasty for 28 yards, to give the Bears a fresh set of downs at the Jets' 26-yard-line as the fourth quarter began.

The Jets defense would stiffen and not allow another 1st down as Butler would come on to kick a 44-yard field goal to make it an one-touchdown game in favor of New York at 13-6 with 12:51 left in the fourth quarter.

The Bears defense would force the Jets to punt on their next possession to give their offense the ball at their 37-yard-line as Harbaugh completed three passes to Davis for a total of 42 yards to advance Chicago to the New York four-yard-line with a 1st & goal.

Three straight running plays by three different runners gained just two yards to set up 4th & goal from the two-yard-line when Harbaugh tried to punch it in on a quarterback draw only to be stopped one yard short of the end zone by Jets strong safety Brian Washington to give New York the ball at their one-yard-line but a chance to run out the clock with 3:32 left in regulation.

The Jets would pick up two 1st downs as Thomas would carry the ball on five straight plays to move New York to their 34-yard-line where they would face a 2nd & 8 situation as the Bears spent their three timeouts.

That is when Bears defensive tackle Steve McMichael would strip Thomas of the ball as "Mongo" would make the recovery to give Chicago the ball at the Jets' 36-yard-line with 1:54 to go in regulation

The drive got off to an auspicious start as Jets defensive tackle Dennis Byrd would sack Harbaugh for a nine-yard loss to push the Bears back nine yards to the New York 45-yard-line, which was followed by an incomplete pass to bring up 3rd & 19.

Harbaugh would fire a pass intended for Waddle, that looked like was going to be intercepted by Hasty, only for Waddle to wrestle the ball away from the Jets defensive back, to make the 16-yard catch and set Chicago up with a do-or-die 4th & 3 when Harbaugh handed the ball to Anderson who ran for eight yards to give Chicago a fresh set of downs at the New York 21-yard-line as Harbaugh would spike the ball to stop the clock with 1:10 remaining.

Harbaugh would then complete an eight-yard pass to Waddle followed by a six-yard pass to Anderson to give the Bears a 1st & goal at the Jets' seven-yard-line as the next three plays netted just one yard to set up 4th & goal at the six-yard-line.

The Bears would run the clock down to three seconds before snapping the ball when Harbaugh found Anderson in the left corner of the end zone as time expired for the touchdown that with Butler's extra point tied the game at 13 and send into overtime.

Bears running back Neal Anderson would catch the game-tying touchdown on the final play of regulation.

The Jets would get the ball to start the extra period as they picked up one 1st down before punting the ball to the Bears, who would drive from their 39-yard-line to the New York 44-yard-line until they punted it back to the Jets, who would take over at their 20-yard-line with 8:32 left in the game.

From there, O'Brien would complete four of five passes for 47 yards to help New York drive to the Chicago 11-yard-line when Coslet would send in Leahy and the field goal unit to win the game with a 28-yard field goal attempt.

But Leahy's kick would sail wide left of the uprights to keep the game going as the Bears would take over at their 20-yard-line with 3:50 left in the game as a 13-13 tie looked very possible.

Harbaugh would complete five of his next six passes for 45 yards to move the Bears to the Jets' 23-yard-line when Harbaugh rolled to his right and fired a pass for tight end Cap Boso, who made the catch around the five-yard-line, then carried two New York defenders to the goal line where it looked like Boso crossed for the game-winning touchdown with 35 seconds left.

The Bears began to celebrate with Boso, who had grass stuck in his face mask, until instant replay was initiated and found that Boso's knee was down before he crossed the goal line, meaning that the Bears a 1st & goal inside the one-yard-line.

Harbaugh would then sneak for what would be the game-winning touchdown to finally end the game as 12:45 in the morning(eastern time) with 18 seconds left in overtime with the Bears on top 19-13 to give Ditka his 100th victory as the Chicago head coach

The Jets would recover from the loss to finish the season with an 8-8 record but good enough to qualify for the playoffs as they defeated the Miami Dolphins 23-20 in overtime on a 30-yard field goal by Raul Allegre in the final game of the regular season as New York would fall to the Houston Oilers 17-10 in the Wild Card round.

As for the Bears, they would return to the postseason with a 11-5 record as they would be defeated by the Dallas Cowboys 17-13 in the NFC Wild Card round in what would be the final postseason appearance during Ditka's tenure which would end after the 1992 season.

College Football Old School Game of the Week: Manning & Vols Overcome Mistakes to Win SEC Title

 

Tennessee quarterback Peyton Manning completed 25 of 43 passes for 373 yards and threw four touchdowns in the 1997 SEC Championship Game.

No one would have blamed Peyton Manning if he had left the University of Tennessee to go the NFL after his junior season in 1996.

Manning was projected to be the #1 overall pick in the 1997 NFL Draft, with the New York Jets holding the rights to the top pick and Bill Parcells set to become their head coach, but more importantly was set to graduate with a degree in speech communication in May after just three years of school.

But in a press conference that was broadcast throughout the Volunteer state, Manning announced he would return for his senior season in which Tennessee fans hoped that Manning could lead the Vols to not only a SEC championship but a national championship.

Tennessee's championship dreams seemed to evaporate in "The Swamp" in the third game of the season as the Vols lost to the Florida Gators 33-20, marking their fifth straight defeat in the series against the Gators and third with Manning as the starting quarterback.

However, two losses by the Gators to the LSU Tigers and the Georgia Bulldogs in the middle of the season opened the door for Tennessee to claim the SEC East division title which they did as Manning led the Vols to a 10-1 regular season as the senior quarterback threw for 3,446 yards and 33 touchdown passes making him a prime candidate for the Heisman Trophy.

For winning the SEC East division title for the first time since the SEC adopted division play in 1992, the Vols earned a trip to Atlanta where they would face the winners of the SEC West division, the Auburn Tigers, in the SEC Championship Game at the Georgia Dome.

Manning directed an offense that averaged 34.6 points per game with a supporting cast that featured freshman running back Jamal Lewis who ran for 1,237 yards in the regular season and two stellar wide receivers in Marcus Nash and Peerless Price.

Led by head coach Phillip Fulmer, who was in his fifth full season as the Tennessee head coach, a win in the SEC Championship Game would not only give Tennessee its first SEC championship since 1990 but would earn them a spot in the Orange Bowl where they would play the Nebraska Cornhuskers that if the Vols won plus a Michigan loss in the Rose Bowl, would earn the Volunteers their first national title since 1951.

Standing  in Tennessee's way were the Auburn Tigers, who were also making their first trip to the SEC Championship Game as they won the SEC West title with a dramatic 18-17 win against Alabama in the Iron Bowl as the Tigers finished the 1997 regular season with a 9-2 record.

It was remarkable that the Tigers made it all the way to Atlanta despite the lack of a running game as no Auburn player rushed for more than 300 yards during the 1997 season as quarterback Dameyune Craig threw for 3,015 yards and 16 touchdown passes.

But with a defense that gave up just under 17 points per game, the Tigers had a chance to win their first outright SEC title since 1987 and end the Vols' chances of a national championship.

The Vols came out firing to start the game as Manning completed a 25-yard screen pass to Lewis on the first play of the game which would lead to Manning connecting with Price for a 40-yard touchdown to give Tennessee a 7-0 lead just five plays into the game.

Auburn would get the ball at their 20-yard-line for their first possession of the game as the Tigers lost two yards on two plays to set up 3rd & 12 when Craig scrambled around before completing a 69-yard pass to wide receiver Hicks Poor to help set up a 30-yard field goal by Jaret Holmes to cut the Tennessee lead to 7-3 with 10:25 to go in the first quarter.

Following an exchange of punts, the Vols had the ball at their 13-yard-line when Manning found Nash for an 11-yard gain, only for Nash to lose the football after a hit by Auburn linebacker Takeo Spikes as free safety Brad Ware would scoop up the fumble and return it for a 24-yard touchdown to give the Tigers a 10-7 lead with 5:36 left in the first quarter.

After another Tennessee punt, the Tigers would drive 25 yards in six plays to set up another field goal from Holmes, this one from 48 yards out to extend the Auburn lead to 13-7 as the Vols would go three-and-out on their ensuing possession to punt the ball back to the Tigers who had the ball at their 42-yard-line as the first quarter came to a close.

On the second play of the second quarter, Craig would fire his second touchdown of the game, a 51-yard bomb to wide receiver Tyrone Goodson to push the Tigers' lead to double digits at 20-7 just 48 seconds into the second quarter.

Auburn quarterback Dameyune Craig threw for 262 yards and two touchdowns despite completing only 14 of 34 passes.

The Tennessee offense would get back on track on their next drive as Manning would complete two passes to Price for 38 yards to move Tennessee to the Auburn 10-yard-line when on back-to-back plays Price and Nash dropped potential touchdown catches, forcing the Vols to settle for a 27-yard field goal by Jeff Hall to cut the Tigers' lead to 20-10 midway through the second quarter.

Auburn would pick up one 1st down before punting the ball back to the Vols, who looked like were going to begin their next possession in Tigers territory as Terry Fair returned the punt 44 yards until he fumbled the football as Auburn free safety Larry Melton would fall on the ball to give the Tigers the ball back at their 31-yard-line.

The Vols defense would hold the Tigers offense to a three-and-out to force another punt when Fair fumbled the football again, this time with Auburn fullback Kevin McLeod recovering the loose ball to give the Tigers the ball at the Tennessee 28-yard-line.

However, the Tigers could not convert the turnover into points as Craig fired three straight incomplete passes which was followed by Holmes missing his 45-yard field goal kick to give the ball back to the Vols at their 28-yard-line with 1:51 left in the first half.

Manning would complete three passes for 12 yards before firing a deep pass intended for Nash that was picked off by Auburn cornerback Larry Casher to force the fourth turnover by the Vols in the first half as the Tigers would take over at their 18-yard-line with 79 seconds left before halftime.

Auburn would go three-and-out to punt the ball back to the Vols who took a knee to run out the clock in the first half as Tennessee would go to the halftime break trailing 20-10.

After holding the Tigers to a three-and-out to start the first half, Fair would redeem himself for his two earlier fumbles to return the Auburn punt 45 yards to the Tigers' 22-yard-line where Manning and the Tennessee offense would take over.

Manning would hit Nash for 13 yards to begin the drive then connected with wide receiver Jermaine Copeland on back-to-back passes with the second pass being a five-yard touchdown to cut the Tennessee deficit to 20-17 with 11:56 to go in the third quarter.

Following an Auburn punt, the Vols got the ball at their 37-yard-line as Lewis would carry the ball four straight times to gain 18 yards until an illegal procedure pushed Tennessee five yards back to the 50-yard-line when Manning completed a 14-yars pass to Copeland then found Lewis for 21 yards to move the Vols to the Tigers' 15-yard-line and poised to give the lead back to Tennessee.

But Manning would throw a pass intended for Copeland, who juggled the ball until it was caught by Auburn cornerback Jason Bray for the interception, who would then run it back 77 yards to give Craig and the Tigers' offense the ball at the Tennessee 19-yard-line.

After an illegal procedure pushed the Tigers back five yards, Craig would fire a 24-yard touchdown pass to running back Fred Beasley to extend the Auburn lead back to 10 points at 27-17 with 6:14 left in the third quarter.

Tennessee would answer with a 10-play, 80-yard drive which saw Manning complete a 23-yard pass to Price on a 3rd & 17 which was followed by the Vols going for it on 4th & 3 in Auburn territory where Auburn would jump offsides to give Tennessee a 1st down when Manning hit Nash on a slant route that resulted in a 46-yard touchdown to trim the Vols' deficit to 27-23.

However, the ensuing extra point would be blocked by Tigers defensive tackle Charles Dorsey that was scooped up by linebacker Quinton Reese, who ran it back 78 yards to the end zone, giving Auburn two points to extend their lead to 29-23 with 1:06 remaining in the third quarter.

After an Auburn three-and-out, the Vols advanced to the Tigers' 41-yard-line until they committed their sixth turnover of the game as Lewis fumbled the handoff from Manning as Tigers defensive end Jeff Dunlap would make the recovery at the Auburn 42-yard-line.

The Tennessee defense would hold the Tigers to another three-and-out to give their offense the ball back at their 27-yard-line when after an incomplete pass on 1st down, Manning would throw a short pass to Nash, who made the catch at the Tennessee 30-yard-line, then broke two Auburn tackles as he raced down the sideline for a 73-yard touchdown that with the extra point gave the Vols a 30-29 lead with 11:14 left in the fourth quarter.

Tennessee wide receiver Marcus Nash caught nine passes for 126 yards, including the game-winning 73-yard touchdown pass.

Markeith Cooper would return the ensuing kickoff 46 yards to give the Tigers' offense the ball in Tennessee territory only for the Vol defense force their first turnover of the game when Fair stripped Auburn wide receiver Karsten Bailey of the ball at the end of a nine-yard reception as defensive back Fred White would recover the fumble at the Tennessee 40-yard-line.

The two teams would trade punts until there was 3:43 remaining in the game when the Vols took over at the Auburn 39-yard-line with a chance to run out the clock as two runs by Lewis for three yards and a six-yard pass from Manning to Nash set up a 4th & 1 where the Vols went for the 1st down where Manning kept it himself to gain the necessary yard to move the sticks.

From there, Lewis would run the ball on back-to-back plays, gaining five yards to bring up a 3rd & 5 when the freshman running back ran for 18 yards to give Tennessee a 1st down at the Auburn six-yard-line where Manning took a knee to run out the clock as the Vols would come away with the 30-29 victory to secure their first SEC championship since 1990.

The Tigers would return to the Georgia Dome one month later to play Clemson in the Peach Bowl where Auburn would win the battle of the Tigers as Craig led Auburn to 15 straight points to overcome a 17-6 fourth quarter deficit to win the game 21-17 as Auburn would finish the season with a 10-3 record and #11 ranking in both the final AP & Coaches polls.

As for the Volunteers, their slim chances of a national championship would disappear with Michigan's 21-16 victory over Washington State in the Rose Bowl one day before Tennessee's encounter with Nebraska in the Orange Bowl where the Vols would be blown out by the Cornhuskers 42-17 as Michigan and Nebraska would split the national championship while Tennessee finished the season ranked #7 in the AP poll and #8 in the coaches poll.

Manning, who would finish second in the Heisman Trophy voting behind Michigan defensive back Charles Woodson, would finish his Tennessee career with 11,201 yards and 89 touchdown passes as he would go on to an 18-year Hall-of-Fame career in the NFL.

Ironically one year later, the Vols would finally defeat Florida and win the national championship without Manning at quarterback as Tee Martin, who took over the starting quarterback job and led Tennessee to its first national title since 1951.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Titans' "Giant" 4th Quarter Comeback Over New York

 

Titans quarterback Vince Young accounted for 318 yards of total offense and three touchdowns in Tennessee's win over the Giants in 2006.

The game between the New York Giants and Tennessee Titans during week 12 of the 2006 NFL season would be a microcosm for both teams' seasons with the Giants starting out fast and fading at the end while the Titans got off to a slow start but came on strong to finish the season.

The Titans came into the game with a 3-7 record after starting the season 0-5 as their plan to have their rookie quarterback Vince Young, who had been selected with the #3 overall pick in the 2006 NFL draft, to sit behind starter Kerry Collins nullified as head coach Jeff Fisher inserted Young as the starting quarterback in the fourth game of the season.

Young had looked like a rookie as he had completed 90 of 197 passes for 1,074 yards and six touchdown passes to go against his eight interceptions while running for 225 yards and three touchdowns as the Titans had gone 3-4 since Young became the starting quarterback.

Tennessee was just looking to see progress from their rookie quarterback while New York was looking to back on track as far they entered the game on a two-game losing streak which had dropped the Giants' record to 6-4 after a five-game winning streak in the middle of the season.

The Giants were led by head coach Tom Coughlin, who was in his third season as the New York head coach after a seven-year run with the Jacksonville Jaguars, as the Giants looked to return to the postseason for the second year in a row as they had gone 11-5 and won the NFC East the year before.

However, the Giants' locker room was in a bit of turmoil as running back Tiki Barber had announced in October that he would be retiring at the end of the 2006 season even though Barber was the peak of his career as he had run for 1,830 yards in 2005.

Despite his pending retirement, Barber was still producing as he had run for 998 yards up to this point in the season while quarterback Eli Manning had thrown for 2,202 yards and 18 touchdown passes.

Manning, Barber, and the Giants would travel to Nashville where they would take on the Titans where the first three quarters of the game were dominated by "Big Blue".

 After both teams punted on their first possessions of the game, the Titans had the ball around midfield when running back Travis Henry lost the football after a hit by Giants linebacker Reggie Torbor as strong safety Gabil Wilson would make the recovery to give New York the ball at their own 48-yard-line.

From there, it would take nine plays for the Giants to get into the end zone as Manning hit Burress for a three-yard touchdown to put New York on top 7-0 with 4:26 left in the first quarter.

Following a Tennessee three-and-out, the Giants got the ball back at their 24-yard-line as they would embark on a 10-play, 76-yard drive where Manning completed four of five passes for 40 yards on the drive which ended with a 10-yard touchdown run by running back Brandon Jacobs to extend the New York lead to 14-0 with 12:28 to go in the second quarter.

It would take the Giants' defense just one play to give their offense the ball back as defensive tackle Fred Robbins recovered a fumble after a botched handoff between Young and Henry at the Titans' 29-yard-line to put New York on the doorstep of any other touchdown.

The Giants would advance all the way to the Tennessee four-yard-line when on 4th & 1, Coughlin decided to go for the 1st down instead of taking a chip shot field goal as Jacobs would not only pick up the 1st down, but punch into the end zone for the touchdown to increase New York's lead to 21-0 midway through the second quarter.

Titans quarterback Adam "Pac-Man" Jones would intercept two Eli Manning passes in the fourth quarter and return a punt 23 yards to set up 17 points for Tennessee.

The Titans' offense, which had complied just one 1st down and 34 total yards up to this point, would show signs of life on their ensuing possession as they would hold the ball for nearly seven minutes as they drove from their 31-yard-line to the Giants' two-yard-line when they were faced with a 4th & goal situation.

Fisher decided to go for the touchdown which they could not get as Young would be tackled one yard short of the end zone by Giants linebackers Antonio Pierce and Carlos Emmons to give New York the ball back at their one-yard-line with 1:06 left before halftime.

The Giants would be able to pick up a 1st down as the Titans spent all three of their timeouts to force a New York punt to give Tennessee one last chance at getting on the scoreboard before the end of the first half as their offense would take possession at their 46-yard-line with 38 seconds to go in the half.

A thirteen-yard run by Young and an 11-yard pass to tight end Bo Scaife moved the Titans to the Giants' 30-yard-line, giving Rob Bironas a chance at a 48-yard field goal on the final play of the first half, only for the kick to sail wide right as time expired with New York maintaining its 21-0 lead.

After an exchange of punts to start the third quarter, the Giants took over at their 11-yard-line as they would hold the ball for the rest of the third quarter as Manning would complete five of his six passes for 41 yards to move New York to the Tennessee 31-yard-line.

The Giants decided to gamble on the first play of the fourth quarter when they decided against a field goal and go for the 1st down on 4th & 3 as Manning's pass for wide receiver Tim Carter fell incomplete to give the Titans the ball back at their 31-yard-line.

Despite the failure on 4th down, it did not seem the Giants were in danger of losing the game, especially after their defense held the Titans' offense to three-and-out to give their offense the ball back at their 29-yard-line.

Barber started the drive with a six-yard run to bring up 2nd & 4 when Manning threw a deep pass intended for Burress that was overthrown and picked off by Titans cornerback Adam "Pac-Man" Jones, whose 28-yard return gave the Titans the ball at the Giants' 46-yard-line.

A 25-yard pass from Young to wide receiver Bobby Wade gave Tennessee a 1st down at the New York 21-yard-line when a dead ball personal foul penalty on running back Lendale White after a two-yard run by Young pushed the Titans back to the New York 34-yard-line where the Titans were faced with a 2nd & 23.

Two passes for 14 yards would bring up 4th & 8 as the Titans would go for the 1st down which if they failed to convert would likely end any chances of a miracle comeback for Tennessee.

Young would scramble to try and pick up the 1st down but he was going to fall a few yards short when Giants cornerback Frank Walker hit the Titans quarterback in the helmet with a forearm as Young was falling out of bounds, resulting in a 15-yard personal foul penalty to be added on to the seven-yard run to give Tennessee a 1st & goal at the New York six-yard-line.

Three plays later, the Titans had their first touchdown of the game as Young hit Scaife for a four-yard touchdown to cut the Tennessee deficit to 14 points at 21-7 with 9:38 to go in the fourth quarter.

The Titans' defense would then force a three-and-out to give their offense the ball back in Giants territory as Jones returned the ensuing punt 23 yards to the New York 36-yard-line.

Young would connect with Wade on back-to-back passes for 20 yards to start the drive before handing the ball off to Henry who would run for nine yards to the New York seven-yard-line as Young would hit Scaife for five yards to give the Titans a 1st & goal at the two-yard-line.

After Henry ran for one yard on 1st down, Young would keep it himself and run it in for the one-yard touchdown to trim the Giants' lead to 21-14 with 5:24 left in the fourth quarter.

The Giants would pick up one 1st down on their ensuing possession before they had to punt the ball away to the Titans who would take over at their 24-yard-line with 3:07 left in regulation with a chance to drive and score the game-tying touchdown.

Young would throw three straight incomplete passes to force a do or die 4th & 10 when the Giants had appeared to have the game won when defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka had Young wrapped up for a quarterback sack, only for him to let the rookie quarterback out of his grasp as Young would run for 19 yards to give Tennessee a fresh set of downs at their 43-yard-line.

Young would then complete a 20-yard pass to wide receiver Roydell Williams, which was followed by a 16-yard run by Young and then a 14-yard pass to wide receiver Drew Bennett to set up 2nd & 3 from the Giants' 14-yard-line when Young found Brandon Jones in the back of the end zone for the touchdown that with Bironas' extra point tied the game at 21 with 44 seconds remaining in regulation.

The Titans celebrate after Rob Bironas(2) kicked the game-winning field goal.

Having seen their 21-point lead evaporate, the Giants had a chance to save themselves if they could drive down the field and set up a potential game-winning field goal as they got the ball at their 19-yard-line with 40 seconds left and all three timeouts.

But after a nine-yard pass on 1st down, Manning threw a pass that was badly underthrown for Tyree and was intercepted by the Pac-Man to give the Titans the ball at the Giants' 49-yard-line with 23 seconds to go and one timeout in Tennessee's pocket.

Young would hit Scaife for 11 yards who would step out of bounds with 18 seconds left which was followed by a seven-yard pass from Young to Brandon Jones as the Titans would spend their last timeout with 11 seconds left.

It was here where Fisher decided to send in the field goal unit as Bironas would come to attempt a 49-yard field goal that would give the Titans the lead for the first time in the game.

Despite an attempt by the Giants to freeze him with a timeout, Bironas' kick was true as it sailed through the uprights to give Tennessee a 24-21 win as the Giants could not pull off a miracle touchdown on the ensuning kickoff.

In the final 12:55 alone, Young completed 13 of 17 passes for 133 yards and threw two touchdown passes while running for 46 yards on five carries and scoring another touchdown to lead the Titans the largest comeback from a 4th quarter deficit in team history.

The collapse against the Titans would be a microcosm of the Giants' season as they started out strong only to fade at the end as they would lose three of their next four games to fall to 7-8 only to save themselves with a 34-28 victory over the Washington Redskins in the final game of the regular season, thanks to a 234-yard performance by Barber, to finish the season with a 8-8 record, good enough to earn the final playoff spot in the NFC.

However, the Giants' season would end the following week in the Wild Card round as they lost to the Philadelphia Eagles 23-20 on David Akers' walk-off 38-yard field goal.

As for the Titans, they would ride the momentum of their comeback win against the Giants to a six-game winning streak to improve their record to 8-7 as win over the New England Patriots in their regular season finale would clinch a playoff spot for Tennessee.

But the Titans would fall to the Patriots 40-23 to end their season with a 8-8 record as Young would go on to win the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award as he finished the season with 2,199 passing yards and 12 touchdown passes to go along with his 552 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns.

Injuries and tension with front office management would derail Young's NFL career as he would be cut by the Titans after the 2010 season as Young would play the 2011 season for the Eagles as Michael Vick's backup before bouncing around the league as he signed with three successive teams over the next three seasons only to be released during the preseason in all three seasons.

College Football Old School Game of the Week: Dawgs Knock off Sooners in Rose Bowl Classic

 

Georgia running back Sony Michel scores the game-winning touchdown in the Bulldogs' double overtime win over Oklahoma in the 2018 Rose Bowl.

In the early years of the College Football Playoff, close games were very rare as most of the games were blowouts.

That was not the case on New Year's Day 2018 when the Georgia Bulldogs and Oklahoma Sooners faced off in the "Grandaddy of Them All" the Rose Bowl where the winner would face the winner of the Sugar Bowl later that night between the Clemson Tigers and the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Oklahoma came into the Rose Bowl as the favorite behind first-year head coach Lincoln Riley, who had been promoted to head coach on June 7, 2017 after Bob Stoops stepped down as the Sooners' head coach after a 18-year tenure in which he led Oklahoma to 191 wins, 10 Big 12 conference championships and the 2000 national title.

Riley, who had been the Sooners' offensive coordinator for the previous two seasons, directed a Sooners team that went 12-1 as Oklahoma won the Big 12 conference title for third straight season and a second appearance in the CFP since its inception in 2014, thanks in large part to their high-powered offense which averaged almost 45 points per game.

At the controls of the offense was quarterback Baker Mayfield, who threw for 4,347 yards and 41 touchdown passes which propelled the former walk-on to be named as recipient of the Heisman Trophy award for 2017.

Mayfield's supporting cast featured running back Rodney Anderson, freshman wide receiver Cee Dee Lamb and all-American tight end Mark Andrews as the Sooners traveled to Pasadena to play in the Rose Bowl game for the second time in school history with their previous trip coming at the end of the 2002 season as they defeated the Washington State Cougars 34-14.

The Sooners' opponent  were the Georgia Bulldogs, who were making their first appearance in the CFP as the Dawgs hoping to win their first national title since 1980 when freshman running back Herschel Walker led the way.

Georgia was led by head coach Kirby Smart, a former Bulldogs defensive back, who was in his second season as the Dawgs' head coach after serving as defensive coordinator for Alabama for eight seasons under Nick Saban to help the Tide win four national titles.

While the Sooners featured one of the most explosive offenses in the country, the Bulldogs had one of the stingiest defenses as the Dawgs gave up an average of 13.2 points per game led by Butkus Award winner Roquan Smith as the nation's best linebacker.

On offense, the Dawgs were led by the best backfield in the country in running backs Nick Chubb, Sony Michel, and Deandre Swift who combined to run for 2,720 yards and scored 29 touchdowns as Georgia also went 12-1 during the season as the Bulldogs won the SEC title for the first time since 2005 and a trip to Pasadena to play in the Rose Bowl for the first time in 75 years when the Dawgs defeated UCLA 9-0 behind 1942 Heisman Trophy Winner Frank Sinkwich and running back Charley Trippi.

The biggest wild card for the game would be Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm, a true freshman who had taken for starter Jacob Eason who was injured in the Dawgs' first game of the 2017 season, who had thrown for 2,173 yards and 21 touchdown passes up to this point in the season.

 After the Dawgs punted on their opening possession of the game, the Sooners would quickly drive down the field as Mayfield completed two straight passes to fullback Dimirtri Flowers that totaled 42 yards which was followed by an eight-yard pass to tight end Mark Andrews that got 15 yards added to the play as Georgia defensive tackle Tyler Clark was called for a late hit.

The six-play, 80-yard drive would end with a 13-yard touchdown pass from Mayfield to wide receiver Marquise Brown to give Oklahoma a 7-0 lead just 3:29 into the game.

Georgia would respond with a six-play, 75-yard drive that began with a 25-yard run by Chubb and later a 23-yard run by Michel would move the Dawgs to the Sooners' 27-yard-line where Fromm completed a 14-yard pass to wide receiver Javon Wims, then hit Michel for a 13-yard touchdown to tie the game at seven.

It would take the Sooners only 91 seconds to get back into the end zone as a 48-yard run by running back Rodney Anderson would set up his nine-yard touchdown run to put Oklahoma back on top 14-7 with 6:56 to go in the first quarter.

The track meet seemed to be on as Georgia would drive from its 25-yard-line to the Sooners' 31-yard-line until they brought on Rodrigo Blankenship to attempt a 48-yard field goal, which sailed wide left as the score remained at 14-7 in favor of Oklahoma.

The Sooners would make three touchdowns in three possessions as Anderson would burst loose for a 41-yard touchdown on the second play of the second quarter to extend Oklahoma's lead to 21-7.

Oklahoma Baker Mayfield completed 23 of 35 passes for 287 yards and threw two touchdown passes while catching another TD.

But the Sooners' two-touchdown lead lasted just 12 seconds as Michel would run untouched for a 75-yard touchdown, the longest scoring play of the year for the Dawgs, to trim the Georgia deficit to 21-14.

Oklahoma would come back down the field as a 29-yard pass from Mayfield to Andrews and a 14-yard pass to Lamb would help the Sooners move to the Georgia 12-yard-line when Clark would sack Mayfield for a nine-yard loss on a 3rd & 7 to force Oklahoma to settle for a 38-yard field goal by Austin Seibert to push the Sooners' advantage back to double digits at 24-14 with 9:12 to go in the second quarter.

The two teams would exchange punts until 3:28 was left in the second quarter when a 31-yard run by running back Troy Sermon plus a 45-yard pass from Mayfield to Brown help the Sooners advance all the way to the Georgia two-yard-line with 13 seconds to go before halftime.

That is when the Sooners pulled out their version of the "Philly Special" as Mayfield handed the ball off to Flowers who tossed the ball to Lamb on a reverse, who then stopped and fired a pass for a wide open Mayfield, who made the catch for the two-yard touchdown that with the extra point gave Oklahoma a 31-14 lead with just six seconds left in the first half.

Oklahoma seemed poised to go the locker room ahead by 17 points with a chance to put the game out of range as they would get the ball to start the second half when a squib kick went awry on the ensuing kickoff as Seibert's kick bounced off Georgia linebacker Tae Crowder, who then landed on the ball to give the Dawgs possession at the Oklahoma 47-yard-line with five seconds to go.

That was enough time for Fromm to complete a nine-yard pass to wide receiver Terry Godwin then call timeout with one second left as Smart would send in Blankenship to attempt a 55-yard field goal who would make the longest field goal in Rose Bowl history as time expired in the first half with Georgia trailing 31-17.

The sequence of events at the end of the first half changed the momentum of the game as the Georgia defense would hold the Sooners to a three-and-out on their first possession of the second half as the Dawgs would get the ball at the 50-yard-line following a 21-yard punt return by Mecole Hardeman.

It would take the Dawgs just one snap to get into the end zone as Chubb would run it in for the 50-yard touchdown to cut the Sooners' lead to 31-24 early in the third quarter where the Oklahoma offense would be held to 29 yards after a first half where they complied 360 yards.

Late in the third quarter, Georgia would drive 71 yards in six plays as Fromm completed passes of 11 yards to Godwin and 20 yards to Wims to set up Michel's 38-yard touchdown run that with the extra point tied the game at 31 with 41 seconds to go in the third quarter.

Then on the first play of the fourth quarter, Mayfield would be picked off by Georgia strong safety Dominick Sanders, whose 39-yard return set the Dawgs up with a 1st & goal at the Oklahoma four-yard-line.

After a Chubb run went for no gain on 1st down, Fromm would hit Wims for the four-yard touchdown to give Georgia their first lead of the game at 38-31 with 13:57 left in the fourth quarter.

Georgia running back Nick Chubb ran for 145 yards and scored two touchdowns on just 14 carries.

Following an exchange of punts, the Sooners got the ball at their 12-yard-line when they rediscover the magic of the first half as Anderson would run for 15 yards to start the drive which was followed by a 36-yard pass from Mayfield to Lamb and then a 22-yard run by Mayfield to put Oklahoma at the Georgia 15-yard-line.

After Anderson would run for four yards on 1st down, Mayfield would find Flowers in the back of the end zone for the 11-yard touchdown that with the extra point tied the game at 38 with 8:47 to go in regulation.

The Dawgs would begin their ensuing possession at their 25-yard-line as they moved to their 46-yard-line when Michel was met by Oklahoma linebacker Caleb Kelly who was able to force a fumble that was scooped up by strong safety Stephen Parker and returned for a 46-yard touchdown to give Oklahoma a 45-38 lead with 6:52 to go in the fourth quarter.

After both teams went three-and-out on their next possessions, the Dawgs got the ball at their 41-yard-line with 3:22 left in regulation for them to drive down the field and score the game-tying touchdown.

The drive began with a four-yard run by Michel followed by a 15-yard pass from Fromm to Godwin to give Georgia a 1st down at the Sooners' 40-yard-line when Fromm was barely avoided a sack from Oklahoma defensive end D.J. Ward to complete a 17-yard pass to Michel to give the Dawgs a fresh set of downs at the Oklahoma 23-yard-line.

Two incomplete passes would force a 3rd & 10 when Fromm found Godwin again, this time for 16 yards, to give Georgia a 1st & goal at the Oklahoma seven-yard-line when Fromm threw a pass intended for Wims in the end zone, who drew a pass interference penalty on Sooners cornerback Tre Norwood to move five yards closer to the end zone at the Sooners' two-yard-line.

That is when Chubb lined up as the quarterback in the "Wild Dawg" formation as he took the direct snap from center and punched in in for the two-yard touchdown that with Blankenship's extra point tied the game at 45 with 55 seconds left in regulation.

Oklahoma would get a chance to drive down for a potential game-winning field goal but could go no further than their own 45-yard-line before punting the ball back to Georgia who took one knee to run out the clock and send the game to overtime, the first time in Rose Bowl history that the game had gone into overtime, tied at 45.

Georgia would get the ball to start the overtime period as two runs combined for four yards to set up 3rd & 6 when Fromm fired a pass intended for tight end Isaac Nauta that fell incomplete to bring up 4th down where Blankenship would come on to kick a 38-yard field goal to give the Dawgs a 48-45 lead but the Sooners the chance to win the game if they could put into the end zone.

Two plays gained eight yards to set up a 3rd & 2 when Riley called for an end around reverse to wide receiver Jordan Smallwood, who ended up tackled one yard short of the first down by Smith and fellow linebacker Reggie Carter to force a 4th & 1 at the 16-yard-line.

Riley ended up sending in the field goal unit as Seibert would make a 34-yard field goal that tied the game at 48 and send the game to a second overtime period where the Sooners would start on offense.

The Dawgs appeared to have force a turnover when cornerback Deandre Baker intercepted a Mayfield pass in the end zone only for it to be nullified by an offsides penalty on defensive end Jonathan Ledbetter gave Oklahoma a 1st down at the 15-yard-line.

The Georgia defense would hold as the Sooners picked up five yards on the next three plays to bring up a 4th & 5 when Seibert would come on to attempt a 27-yard field goal that would give Oklahoma the lead once again.

Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm completed 20 of 29 passes for 210 yards and threw two touchdown passes.

However, Seibert's kick was blocked by Georgia linebacker Lorenzo Carter to keep the game tied at 48 but more importantly gave the Dawgs a chance to win the game with any score on their ensuing possession.

On 1st down, Fromm tossed the ball to Swift who would be dropped for a two-yard-loss to bring up 2nd & 12 from the 27-yard-line when it was Michel's time to line up in the "Wild Dawg" formation.

Michel took the direct snap and ran around the left side untouched for the game-winning 27-yard touchdown to give Georgia the 54-48 double overtime victory and clinch a spot in the National Championship game.

The heartbreaking loss to the Dawgs would be the first of three straight CFP semifinal losses for Riley and the Sooners as Oklahoma would win the Big 12 the next two seasons only to be defeated by Alabama 45-34 in the 2019 Orange Bowl followed by a humiliating 63-28 loss to LSU in the Peach Bowl the following season.

As for Georgia, their dreams of winning a national championship in their backyard would come to a heartbreaking end as they fell to Alabama 26-23 in overtime as Tua Tagovailoa, who had replaced starter Jalen Hurts to begin the second half, hit Devonta Smith for a 41-yard touchdown pass on 2nd & 26 to give the Crimson Tide its fifth national title in nine yards.

Georgia fans would have to four more years before ending their national championship drought when they defeated Alabama 33-18 in the 2022 National Championship Game the first of their back-to-back national titles.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Raiders Hold off Chargers in Shootout

Raiders running back Marcus Allen ran the ball 19 times for 107 yards and caught five passes for 40 yards and one touchdown.

The division rivarly between the Los Angeles Raiders and San Diego Chargers produced a number of high scoring affairs in the early 1980s and their meeting in Week 8 of the 1984 NFL season was no exception as the two teams combined for 81 points and 962 yards of total offense.

The Raiders were the defending Super Bowl champions having demolished the Washington Redskins 38-9 in Super Bowl XVIII nine months earlier, thanks in large part to running back Marcus Allen's MVP performance where he carried the 20 times for 191 yards and scored two touchdowns.

Allen helped lead the Raiders to a 6-1 start in the '84 season during which the Raiders lost starting quarterback Jim Plunkett to a torn muscle in his abdomen during the sixth game of the season.

Plunkett's replacement would be Marc Wilson, who had been with the Raiders since he had been chosen with the #15 pick in the first round of the 1980 NFL draft and had made 12 starts prior to the '84 season.

Wilson was effective in his first start of the season as he completed 21 of 37 passes for 268 yards and threw a touchdown in the Raiders' 23-20 win over the Minnesota Vikings, one week before Los Angeles' game with the Chargers.

For the Raiders to beat the Chargers, they would need a big game from Wilson as the Raiders prepared to take on of the most explosive offenses in the NFL in the "Air Coryell" offense.

Since his arrival in 1978, Chargers head coach Don Coryell's offenses lead the league every year in passing yards and total yards as the Chargers made the playoffs in four consecutive seasons from 1979 through 1982 with San Diego appearing in two AFC Championship games during that span.

The man pulling the trigger at quarterback was Dan Fouts, who threw for at least 4,000 yards in three straight seasons from 1979 to 1981 with a plethron of receivers that included Charlie Joiner and Wes Chandler plus All-Pro tight end Kellen Winslow.

Despite their high scoring offense, the Chargers' defense often ranked at the bottom of the league in total points allowed which resulted in San Diego often playing in high-scoring affairs included a 33-30 loss to the Raiders in week 4 of the '84 season as the Chargers came into the rematch with the Raiders with a 4-3 record as San Diego hoped to end a five-game losing streak to the Silver & Black.

 The Chargers got the ball to start the game as a Fouts fumble recovered by running back Earnest Jackson would lead to a 3rd & 23 at the San Diego 16-yard-line when Fouts found wide receiver Jesse Bendross for a 29-yard completion and a Charger 1st down at the San Diego 45-yard-line.

Fouts would then connect with Winslow on two passes for 29 yards to help set up Jackson's five-yard touchdown run to end the nine-play, 71-yard drive to give San Diego a 7-0 lead.

The Raiders would drive to the San Diego 40-yard-line before punting the ball back to the Chargers, who would take over at their one-yard-line when Fouts would be picked off by Raiders strong safety Mike Davis to give Los Angeles the ball at the Chargers' 14-yard-line.

Allen would carry the ball for four yards on 1st down to make it 2nd & 6 when he caught a screen pass from Wilson that he turned into a 10-yard touchdown to help tie the game at 7 with 6:11 left in the first quarter.

Following a Chargers punt, the Raiders got the ball at their 33-yard-line as a 23-yard pass from Wilson to wide receiver Cliff Branch helped Los Angeles advance to the San Diego 32-yard-line until Wilson was intercepted by Chargers linebacker Billy Ray Smith to stop the Raiders drive and give San Diego the ball at their 22-yard-line.

The Raiders defense would force a three-and-out to give their offense the ball back who would turn it over again when Allen fumbled the football at the end of a four-yard run as Smith would recover the fumble to give the Chargers the ball at the Los Angeles 49-yard-line.

But the Chargers would go three-and-out again as they would punt the ball back to the Raiders who took over at their 14-yard-line as Wilson would complete four of seven passes for 53 yards to move Los Angeles to the San Diego 20-yard-line to set up a 38-yard field goal attempt by Chris Bahr.

However, Bahr's kick would sail wide left of the uprights as the Chargers would begin their ensuing possession at their 20-yard-line midway through the second quarter with the game still tied 7-7.

From there, Fouts would complete passes of 24 yards to tight end Eric Sievers and 25 yards to fellow tight end Pete Holohan on a drive that ended with Fouts throwing a 22-yard touchdown pass to Chandler to give the Chargers a 13-7 lead with 5:01 to go in the second quarter as kicker Benny Ricardo would miss the extra point.

The Raiders would start their ensuing drive at their 38-yard-line with Wilson completing two passes to Allen for 16 yards to move Los Angeles to the San Diego 46-yard-line when Allen lost his second fumble of the game, this time with Chargers free safety Tim Fox making the recovery to give the San Diego offense the ball at their 41-yard-line.

A 23-yard pass from Fouts to Holohan would lead to a 32-yard touchdown run by Jackson to extend the San Diego lead to 20-7 with 1:53 left before halftime.

Chargers quarterback Dan Fouts would complete 24 of 45 passes for 410 yards and throw three touchdown passes but also three interceptions.

The Raiders would get the ball back at their 22-yard-line for their next drive as Wilson would complete three straight running plays to running back Kenny King for 29 yards, then connect with running back Frank Hawkins for four yards to put Los Angeles at the San Diego 45-yard-line.

That is when Wilson threw a deep pass down the right sideline that was caught by wide receiver Malcolm Barnwell for the 45-yard touchdown to cut the Chargers' lead in half to 21-14 with 28 seconds left in the first half as Fouts would take a knee to run out the clock on the first half.

The Raiders would get the ball to start the second half as a 34-yard run by Allen would be the biggest play of the nine-play, 66-yard drive that ended with a 42-yard field goal by Bahr to trim the San Diego lead to 20-17.

The Raiders defense would force a turnover on the Chargers' ensuing possession as defensive end Lyle Alzado would sack Fouts to cause a fumble that Alzado would recover to give Los Angeles the ball at the San Diego 17-yard-line.

Four plays later, the Raiders had the lead as Wilson connected with tight end Derrick Jensen for an one-yard touchdown to give Los Angeles a 24-20 lead with 6:25 to go in the third quarter.

Chargers running back Lionel James would run the ensuing kickoff out of the end zone to the San Diego 15-yard-line when he was hit by Raiders linebacker Jeff Barnes, causing a fumble that was recovered by Jimmy Smith to give Los Angeles the ball at the San Diego 16-yard-line.

However, the Raiders would pick up only one yard on three plays as they would settle for a 33-yard field goal by Bahr to increase Los Angeles' lead to 27-20.

Things would go from bad to worse on the Chargers on the opening play of their next possession as Fouts would be picked off by Raiders linebacker Brad Van Pelt, whose nine-yard return would put the Raiders at the San Diego 20-yard-line.

After an incomplete pass on 1st down, Wilson would find wide receiver Dokie Williams for a 20-yard touchdown to extend Los Angeles' lead to 34-20 with 4:15 remaining in the third quarter.

The Chargers would begin their next possession at their 20-yard-line as they would hold the ball for the rest of the third quarter as Fouts would complete two passes to Winslow for 32 yards and two passes to Holohan for 21 yards to move San Diego to the Los Angeles 11-yard-line where Riccardo would make a 29-yard field goal to make cut the LA lead to 34-23 with 13:20 to go in the fourth quarter.

The Raiders would get great field position for their next possession as Cleo Montgomery returned the ensuing kickoff 38 yards to the Los Angeles 41-yard-line as a five-yard run by King and a three-yard pass to Allen would set up 3rd & 2 at the LA 49-yard-line.

That is when Wilson connected with Barnwell for another long touchdown, this one for 51 yards, to seemingly put the game out of reach as the Raiders' lead increased to 41-23 with 12:13 left in the fourth quarter.

Needing a quick touchdown, the Chargers would drive 67 yards in five plays, aided by two Raider penalties for 40 yards, the first being a roughing-the-passer penalty on defensive end Greg Townsend, followed by a 25-yard pass interference penalty on defensive back Odis McKinney, to help set up Fouts' five-yard touchdown pass to Winslow to cut the Los Angeles lead to 41-30 with 10:11 remaining in the fourth quarter.

The Raiders would then bleed out the clock on their ensuing possession as they ran the ball on nine straight plays, gaining 50 yards, before Wilson completed a 10-yard pass to tight end Todd Christensen to help set up a 32-yard field goal by Bahr to push the LA lead back to two touchdowns at 44-30 with 3:54 left in regulation.

Raiders quarterback Marc Wilson threw five touchdown passes and 332 yards on 24-of-37 passing.

Needing a quick touchdown, the Chargers would begin their next drive at their 32-yard-line with a 12-yard pass from Fouts to Winslow which would be the final catch of the '84 season for Winslow as he would be carted off the field after tearing the MCL and PCL in his right knee.

Three plays later, Fouts would connect with wide receiver Bobby Duckworth for a 50-yard touchdown to make it an one touchdown game at 44-37 with 2:36 to go in the game.

The Chargers attempted an onside kick on the ensuing kickoff that was recovered by Raiders defensive back Vann McElroy at the San Diego 44-yard-line, giving the Raiders a chance to run out the clock if they picked up a 1st down.

However, the Chargers' defense would hold the Raiders to six yards on the next three plays, to force a punt by Ray Guy that would go out of bounds at the San Diego 16-yard-line with 2:06 left in regulation for Fouts and the Air Coryell offense to drive for the game-tying touchdown.

The drive would begin with Fouts completing two passes to Holohan for 17 yards to move San Diego to their 33-yard-line when James turned a short screen pass to a 31-yard completion that got 15 yards added to it because of a personal foul penalty on McElroy to put the Chargers at the Los Angeles 21-yard-line with 1:34 left to play.

Two incomplete passes would set up a 3rd & 10 when Fouts hit a wide open Bendross who appeared on his way to the end zone when his knee knocked the ball out of his hands and rolled out of bounds at the three-yard-line when San Diego would have a 1st & goal.

It looked like the Chargers were poised to tie the game as Jackson would punched it in for an apparent three-yard touchdown, only to have it nullified because of a holding penalty on Sievers that would push the Chargers back 10 yards to the LA 13-yard-line with 50 seconds to go and four chances to get into the end zone.

But disaster would strike for the Chargers on the next play from scrimmage as Fouts' pass that was intended for Joiner was intercepted by Raiders defensive back Ted Watts in the back of the end zone which allowed the Raiders to run out the clock and come away with the 44-37 victory to improve Los Angeles' record to 7-1 while dropping San Diego's record to 4-4.

The Chargers would end up finishing the season with a 7-9 record with the highlight before a 34-28 overtime win over the 11-0 Miami Dolphins in week 12(To read about that game, click on the link which is highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2022/12/nfl-old-school-game-of-week-chargers.html)as Coryell's tenure would come to an end midway through the 1986 season after he was fired after a 1-7 start.

As for the Raiders, they would go on a three-game losing streak following their win against the Chargers as Los Angeles would finish the regular season with a 12-4 record to earn a spot in the AFC Wild Card Game where their quest for back-to-back Super Bowl titles would end with a 13-7 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.