NFL Old School Game of the Week: Jets Pull off Divisional Playoff Upset Win over Raiders

Raiders quarterback Jim Plunkett is sandwiched between two New York Jet defenders in their 1982 playoff loss to the Jets.

 The 1982 NFL season was marred by a players strike that lasted for 57 days from September 21st through November 16th which wiped out nearly half the season as all 28 teams' schedules were reduce from 16 games to 9 games.

With the shortened season, the NFL decide to expand the playoffs from a 10-team format to a 16-team single-elimination tournament where eight teams would qualify per conference as a team needed to win three games to earn a trip to Super Bowl XVII in Pasadena, California.

The expansion of the postseason allowed for the Jets, who finished with a 6-3 record, to qualify as the #6 seed in the AFC, and make a memorable playoff run as the Jets would win their first postseason games since they won Super Bowl III in 1969.

The Jets were led by head coach Walt Michaels who was in his sixth season as the head coach of New York's AFC team as the Jets did not have a winning season in Michaels' first four seasons until they went 10-5-1 in 1981 to earn a trip to the playoffs for the first time since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970.

The biggest reason for the Jets' return to the postseason was their defensive line which complied 66 quarterback sacks in 1981 as the line of Mark Gastineau, Joe Klecko, Marty Lyons, and Abdul Salaam would become known as the "New York Sack Exchange". 

With the shortened season and Klekco's absence because of a ruptured patella tendon in his right knee, the "Sack Exchange" would only comply just 12 sacks as the Jets would return to the postseason for the second year in a row, thanks in large part to running back Freeman McNeil, who would finish as the NFL's leading rusher for the 1982 regular season.

Behind McNeil's 201 rushing yard performance, the Jets knocked off the defending AFC Champion Cincinnati Bengals 44-17 in the first round of the tournament to advance to the second round of the tournament where the Jets would travel cross-country to take on the AFC's #1 seed, the Los Angeles Raiders.

The 1982 season was the first season for the Raiders in Los Angeles after two years of legal proceedings between Raiders owner Al Davis and the NFL, who tried to block Davis from moving the team from until a jury ruled in favor of Davis in his antitrust lawsuit against the leaguein May 1982 which allowed him to move the team from Oakland to LA as the "Silver and Black" would move into the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for their new home stadium. 

On the field the Raiders were led by quarterback Jim Plunkett, who led the Raiders to a surprising Super Bowl title in 1980, and rookie running back Marcus Allen, who had been selected with the #10 overall pick in the 1982 NFL draft after his Heisman Trophy winning season in 1981 where Allen ran for 2,342 yards and scored 23 touchdowns for the USC Trojans, the other tenant of the LA coliseum.

Allen accounted for 1,098 yards of total offense and scored 14 touchdowns in his rookie season as the Raiders would finish the regular season with a 8-1 record to earn home field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs which began for Los Angeles with a 27-10 win over the Cleveland Browns as Plunkett threw for 386 yards while Allen scored two touchdowns.

The Raiders entered their second round playoff game with the Jets as a slight favorite as over 90,000 fans filled the Memorial Coliseum to see if Los Angeles could secure their spot in the AFC Championship Game.

After both teams punted on their first possessions of the game, the Jets had the ball at their 40-yard-line when Todd botched a handoff to McNeil, resulting in a fumble recovery by Raiders linebacker Ted Hendrick to give Los Angeles the football at the New York 34-yard-line.

It looked like the Raiders would going to convert the turnover into a touchdown as Plunkett completed a 26-yard pass to wide receiver Malcolm Barnwell to give LA a 1st & goal at the Jets' eight-yard-line only for the Sack Exchange to strike as Lyons sacked Plunkett to stall the drive and force a field goal attempt.

But Chris Bahr's 34-yard field goal attempt would bounce off the right upright and no good as the Jets would get the ball back at their 20-yard-line for their next possession of the game.

The Jets would drive down the field on the right arm of Todd, who completed all six of his passes for 65 yards on a 10-play, 80-yard drive that culminated with Todd throwing a 20-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Wesley Walker to give New York a 7-0 lead with 3:52 to go in the first quarter.

The Raiders would begin their ensuing possession at their 20-yard-line as Los Angeles would drive to the Jets' 27-yard-line until the second play of the second quarter when Plunkett was picked off by Jets cornerback Bobby Jackson, who returned the interception 10 yards to give Todd and the New York offense the ball at their 22-yard-line.

On the next play from scrimmage, Todd would connect with wide receiver Lam Jones for a 38-yard completion to move the Jets to the Raiders' 40-yard-line as New York was given an opportunity to extend their lead.

The Jets would pick up one more 1st down before calling on Pat Leahy to attempt a 47-yard field goal, which he would miss as his kick fell short of the uprights, to keep the score at 7-0 in favor of New York as the Raiders would get the ball back at their 30-yard-line.

Los Angeles would drive to the Jets' 40-yard-line before punting the ball back to the Jets as a 37-yard pass from Todd to Walker would be the biggest play of the eight-play, 68-yard drive that ended with a 30-yard field goal by Leahy to increase the Jets' lead to 10-0 with 2:55 left in the second quarter.

Jets wide receiver Wesley Walker caught seven passes for 169 yards and one touchdown.

The Jets would force the Raiders to punt on their next possession to get the ball back at their 13-yard-line when McNeil got loose for a 26-yard run only to fumble at the end of it after a hit by Raiders linebacker Rod Martin as cornerback Ted Watts would make the recovery to give Los Angeles the ball at the New York 39-yard-line with 38 seconds to go before halftime.

A five-yard run by Plunkett and an incomplete pass would set up 3rd & 5 when Plunkett found wide receiver Cliff Branch for a 18-yard-completion that looked to put the Raiders in field goal range only for Branch to fumble the football which was recovered by Jets cornerback Jerry Holmes which allowed New York to run out the clock in the first half with the Jets ahead 10-0.

During the halftime break, Michaels received a phone call that he was told was from Jets owner Leon Hess, who berated Michaels for a few seconds that led the New York head coach believe was a prank call by Al Davis, though later it was revealed that the caller was a bartender from Queens who want to mess with Michaels.

Perhaps the phone call caused the Jets to start off the second half slow as the Raiders would get the ball to start the second half at their 20-yard-line as two passes from Plunkett to Branch totaled 33 yards to help move Los Angeles to the Jets' 24-yard-line where on 4th & 1, the Raiders went for the 1st down which they got when running back Frank Hawkins got two yards to move the sticks for Los Angeles.

Three plays later, the Raiders were in the end zone as Allen ran it in for a three-yard touchdown to get Los Angeles on the scoreboard and cut the Jets' lead to 10-7 with 7:04 remaining in the third quarter.

The Jets would drive to around midfield on their next possession before punting the ball back to the Raiders when LA cornerback Lester Hayes partially blocked Chuck Ramsey's punt which only went 17 yards as the Raiders would begin their next drive at their 40-yard-line.

Allen would catch a pass on 1st down but lost one yard which was followed by a four-yard run on 2nd down to set up a 3rd & 7 situation when Plunkett connected with Barnwell for a 57-yard touchdown to give the Raiders a 14-10 lead with 1:14 left in the third quarter.

It seemed like the favored Raiders were in complete control of the game especially when on the Jets' ensuing possession, defensive tackle Lyle Alzado pressured Todd into throwing an interception by Hayes on the next-to-last play of the third quarter to give Los Angeles the ball at the New York 41-yard-line.

The Raiders would advance to the Jets' 19-yard-line when Allen fumbled the football after a hit by Jets linebacker Lance Mehl as Klecko would fall on the football to the New York offense the ball at their 14-yard-line for their next offensive possession.

A 36-yard pass from Todd to Walker helped move the Jets to the Raiders' 27-yard-line until Alzado sacked Todd for a 13-yard loss to set up a 3rd & 23 when Todd was picked off again, this time by LA free safety Burgess Owens on a pass intended for Walker in the end zone as the Raiders would begin their next possession at their 20-yard-line.

The Raiders would go three-and-out to punt the ball back to the Jets, who would take over at their 33-yard-line as two runs by McNeil for 10 yards and a 11-yard pass from Todd to tight end Jerome Barkum would lead to a 2nd & 3 situation at the Los Angeles 46-yard-line.

That is when Todd threw deep for Walker, who would make a diving catch for a 45-yard reception to give the Jets a 1st & goal at the Raiders' one-yard-line when running back Scott Dierking would dive into the end zone for the one-yard touchdown to give New York a 17-14 lead with 3:45 left in regulation.

Jets running back Scott Dierking(25)dives for what would be the game-winning touchdown.

The Raiders would get the ball back at their 20-yard-line as an incomplete pass and a quarterback sack by Gastineau would put Los Angeles into a 3rd & 17 situation when Plunkett threw a pass intended for Branch that was underthrown and intercepted by Mehl, who returned the pick eight yards to give the Jets the ball at the LA 27-yard-line with 2:49 left in the game and a chance to run out the clock.

McNeil would carry the ball on the next two plays, gaining a total of four yards as the Raiders spend two of their three timeouts to set up a 3rd & 6 when McNeil got the ball again when he lost his third fumble of the game after a hit by Owens that led to a recovery by Hendricks at the Los Angeles 33-yard-line with 2:26 left for the Raiders at a minimum drive down and kick a field goal to send the game into overtime.

Following a two-yard scramble by Plunkett to start the drive, Plunkett would complete passes of 15 yards to Hawkins and eight yards to tight end Todd Christensen to move the Raiders to the New York 42-yard-line with a 2nd & 2 situation with 1:50 left in regulation.

That is when Plunkett once again threw a pass intended for Branch that was underthrown and intercepted by Mehl at the Jets' 26-yard-line which allowed New York to take three knees to run out the clock on their 17-14 victory to send the Jets to the AFC Championship Game.

One week later, the Jets would travel down to Miami to take on the Dolphins in the AFC Championship Game that would be become known as the "Mud Bowl" as three days of rain in southern Florida would turn the playing surface at the Orange Bowl into a muddy mess as Michaels and many Jets fans believe was intentional as they believe Dolphins head coach Don Shula instructed the field crew not to tarp the field as a muddy surface would slow down the Jets' speed.

The Jets offense would be held to just 139 yards and zero points as Todd would throw five interceptions, three of them to Dolphins linebacker A.J. Duhe which included a 35-yard pick-six in the fourth quarter as the Dolphins defeated the Jets 14-0 to end New York's dreams of going to Super Bowl XVII.

Seventeen days after the defeat to the Dolphins, Michaels would step down as the Jets head coach, saying he needed to take a break from football that many believe that the Jets front office pressure Michaels to resign as offensive coordinator Joe Walton would be promoted to head coach.

College Football Old School Game of the Week: Washington Scores 27 Straight Points to Knock off Nebraska

Washington quarterback Billy Joe Hobert celebrates with his teammates after leading the Huskies to a win over Nebraska in 1991.

On September 21, 1991, the #4 Washington Huskies traveled to the nation's heartland to take on the #9 Nebraska Cornhuskers in a nationally televised primetime top-10 showdown that would have a major impact on the Huskies' fortunes for a national championship.

Washington came into the game as the preseason favorite to win the Pac-10 conference championship as at least 15 starters returning from a team that had gone 10-2 the previous season as the Huskies won the Pac-10 title and earned a trip to the Rose Bowl for the first time since the 1981 season as the Huskies defeated the Iowa Hawkeyes 46-34 to finish the season ranked #5 in the country.

Despite the large number of players returning for the 1991 season, the Huskies would have to break in a new starting quarterback in redshirt sophomore Billy Joe Hobert, who took over for Mark Brunell who tore the MCL and suffered damage to the ACL in his right knee, which would cause Brunell to miss significant time in the 1991 season.

Hobert made his first time in the Huskies' 1991 season opener, a 42-7 rout of Stanford, as the Huskies made their trip to the Lincoln to take on the Cornhuskers, who were looking to beat a ranked opponent for the first time since the end of the 1988 regular season.

After both teams punted on their opening possessions of the game, the Cornhuskers had the ball at their 24-yard-line when on 3rd & 10, Nebraska quarterback Keithen McCant scrambled for 16 yards for a Nebraska 1st down which was followed by an 11-yard run by running back Derek Brown to move the Cornhuskers into Washington territory at the Huskies 49-yard-line.

McCant would then complete a 22-yard pass to wide receiver Tyrone Hughes to set up a 1st & 10 at the Washington 27-yard-line when McCant tossed the ball to Brown on an option play to the left side as the sophomore running back would run into the end zone for the first touchdown of the game to give Nebraska a 7-0 lead with 8:41 left in the first quarter.

The two teams would trade punts as the game moved into the second quarter when on the first play of the quarter, Hobert was picked off by Nebraska cornerback Kenny Wilhite on a deep pass to give the Cornhuskers the ball at their 29-yard-line.

The Huskies defense would force a three-and-out but their offense would have to begin pinned back in front of their end zone as Nebraska's Mike Stigge boomed a 68-yard punt to the Washington two-yard-line.

Heading into the stiff wind, the Huskies ran the ball five straight times for 37 yards to begin a 10-play, 98-yard drive that was capped off with a nine-yard touchdown run by Hobert on a quarterback draw to cut the Nebraska lead to 7-6 as Washington could not tie the game because of a botched snap on the ensuing extra point.

Following another exchange of punts, the Cornhuskers got the ball at the Washington 49-yard-line as four plays took Nebraska to the Huskies' 42-yard-line when McCant threw deep and hit wide receiver Jon Bostick for the 42-yard touchdown which increased Nebraska's lead to 14-6 with 3:40 to go in the second quarter.

It looked like the Cornhuskers would have a golden opportunity to increase their lead when on the second play of the Huskies' ensuing possession, Hobert threw his second interception of the first half as cornerback Tyrone Legette picked off a Hobert pass to give Nebraska the ball at the Washington 36-yard-line.

However, McCant would then throw his first interception of the game as Huskies cornerback Dana Hall  intercepted a deep pass from McCant to give Washington the ball back at their eight-yard-line with 1:08 to go before halftime.

From there, the Huskies would drive to the Cornhuskers' 31-yard-line to give Travis Hanson a chance at a 49-yard field goal on the final play of the first half only for the kick fall short as Hanson was kicking into the wind to keep the score at 14-6 in favor of Nebraska after the first 30 minutes.

Running back Beno Bryant ran for 139 yards on 17 carries and scored one touchdown.

The Huskies would get the ball to start the second half as they would drive 51 yards in seven plays to set up a 43-yard field goal attempt for Hanson, which he made with the wind at his back, to cut the Nebraska lead to 14-9 with 12:27 to go in the third quarter.

The score remained 14-9 until later in the third quarter when Huskies tailback Beno Bryant muffed a punt that was recovered by Nebraska linebacker Mike Anderson at the Washington two-yard-line where on the next play from scrimmage, Brown would punch in for the touchdown to increase the Cornhuskers' lead to 21-9 with 5:32 left in the third quarter.

Now down by double digits, the Huskies needed a touchdown as they would drive 78 yards in 12 plays as Bryant atoned for his fumble by running for a 15-yard touchdown to cut the Nebraska lead to 21-16 with 19 seconds to go in the third quarter.

Bryant's touchdown would not have happened if not for Hobert bailing out the Huskies on a 3rd & 27 at the Washington 49-yard-line as the redshirt sophomore picked up 19 yards on a quarterback scrmable to set up 4th & 8 where Hobert found wide receiver Orlando McKay for a 15-yard completion to give Washington a fresh set of downs at the Nebraska 21-yard-line.

After forcing Nebraska to a three-and-out, the Huskies got the ball back at their 31-yard-line as Hobert would complete a 22-yard pass to tight end Aaron Pierce to start the drive then on a 2nd & 8 hit fullback Aaron Jones for a 20-yard completion to give Washington a 1st down at the Nebraska 25-yard-line.

Hobert would then hand the ball off to Bryant, who reeled off a 17-yard run to give the Huskies a 1st & goal at the Cornhuskers eight-yard-line when disaster nearly struck for Washington as Hobert fumbled a snap from center that was recovered by Pierce that allowed the Huskies to keep possession of the football.

On the next play from scrimmage, Hobert would fire an eight-yard touchdown pass to McKay to give the Huskies their first lead of the game at 22-21 with 11:20 left in the fourth quarter as the Huskies failed to convert on a two-point conversion following the touchdown.

Things would go from bad to worse for the Cornhuskers on their ensuing possession when McCant fumbled the football after a hit by Huskies linebacker Jaime Fields as strong safety Paxton Tailele would recover the fumble to give the Washington offense the ball at the Nebraska 33-yard-line.

Eight plays later, the Huskies were back in the end zone as Hobert kept the ball on a quarterback option to the left side and ran it in for a three-yard touchdown to extend the Washington lead to 29-21 with 7:26 to play in the game.

The Cornhuskers would go three-and-out on their ensuing possession to give the ball back to the Huskies, who after two plays lost two yards set up 3rd & 12, handed the ball off to running back Jay Berry who exploded for an 81-yard touchdown run for Washington's fourth touchdown in a span of nine minutes and 41 seconds but more importantly increase their lead to 36-21 with 5:38 left in the game.

Jay Berry would run for an 81-yard touchdown that secured the Huskies' victory over the Cornhuskers.

Berry's long touchdown run was the nail in the coffin for the Cornhuskers as their offense could muster only 109 yards and five 1st downs in the second half while the Huskies accounted for 349 yards of offense, 225 of them rushing, in the final 30 minutes as Washington finished the game with an incredible 618 yards of total offense, with 335 of those yards rushing, as the Huskies improved to 2-0 with the 36-21 victory 

Nebraska would recover from the loss as they would finally beat an ranked opponent in the Arizona State Sun Devils one week later as the Cornhuskers would go 8-0-1 throughout the rest of the regular season to finish the regular season with a 9-1-1 records as Nebraska shared the Big 8 conference title with Colorado.

The Cornhuskers would earn a trip to the Orange Bowl would they would be defeated by the Miami Hurricanes 22-0 as the Cornhuskers would finish ranked #15 in the final AP poll and #16 in the final coaches poll with a 9-2-1.

As for the Huskies, they would steamroll through the rest of the regular season as only one of their remaining nine regular season victories, a 24-17 triumph over the California Golden Bears, would have a margin of a touchdown or less as Washington would win the Pac-10 championship and earn a second straight trip to the Rose Bowl.

In the "Grandaddy of Them All", the Huskies trounced the Michigan Wolverines 34-14 to finish the season with a 12-0 record and a split national championship with Miami as the Huskies would be voted #1 in the final coaches poll while the Hurricanes would be voted #1 in the final AP poll.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Falcons Shock 49ers to Clinch Playoff Berth

Falcons quarterback Bobby Hebert came off the bench to complete 17 of 27 passes for 197 yards and threw two touchdown passes.

The Week 17 matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and the Atlanta Falcons in the final week of the 1995 regular season had playoff implications for both teams as the 49ers were seeking to secure home field advantage while the Falcons were looking to secure their place in the postseason.

The '95 season had been a up-and-down one for the Falcons as they started the season with a 4-1 record which included a 23-20 overtime win over the Carolina Panthers in Week 1(To read about that game, click on the link highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2023/09/nfl-old-school-game-of-week-falcons.html)before going 4-6 over their next 10 games to enter the regular season finale with a 8-7 record.

The Falcons were led by head coach June Jones, who was in his second season as the Atlanta head coach after serving the previous three yeas as the Falcons' offensive coordinator, as Jones' "Run N Shoot" offense was directed by quarterback Jeff George who had thrown for 4,031 yards up to this point in this season as wide receivers Bert Emanuel, Eric Metcalf, and Terrance Mathis would all finish the season with at least 1,000 receiving yards.

However on the defensive end, the Falcons were last in passing yards allowed and 29th out of 30 teams in total yards allowed as Atlanta had given at least 20 points in eleven out of the 15 games during the regular season as they gave up an average of 21.6 points per game while the offense averaged 22.2 points per game.

All the Falcons needed to do was their final regular season game to clinch a spot in the playoffs for only the sixth time in team history and first since 1991.

But the Falcons' opponents were the defending Super Bowl Champion 49ers who came into the game with a 11-4 record and needed to beat the Falcons to secure home field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs.

The 49ers were led by quarterback Steve Young, whose four-year run as the NFL's top rated quarterback would come to an end in 1995 because Young missed five games during the season, and wide receiver Jerry Rice, who was having perhaps the best year of his Hall-of-Fame career as he had caught 110 passes for 1,695 yards while catching 15 touchdown passes.

Despite being the road team, the 49ers were double digit favorites to defeat the Falcons as San Francisco had won their previous three meetings with Atlanta by a combined score of 133-27 since Jones' promotion to head coach including a 41-10 romp by the Niners during the second week of the '95 season.

The 49ers would start the game with the ball at their 20-yard-line as Young would complete five of seven passes for 64 yards to move San Francisco to the Falcons' six-yard-line when Young completed a short pass to fullback Adam Walker who was hit by Falcons linebacker Darryl Talley at the one-yard-line causing a fumble that would go into the end zone.

Fortunately for San Francisco, Rice would fall on the football for the 49ers touchdown to give San Francisco a 7-0 lead with 9:24 remaining in the first quarter.

The Falcons would get good field position for their opening possession as Jamal Anderson returned the ensuing kickoff 34 yards to the Atlanta 35-yard-line as George would complete two passes for 15 yards begin to the drive then handed the ball off to running back Craig "Ironhead" Heyward who reeled off a 19-yard run to give the Falcons a 1st down at the 49ers' 31-yard-line.

However, the drive would stall as the Falcons lost three yards on the next three plays as they would settle for a 52-yard field goal by Morten Andersen to put Atlanta on the scoreboard and cut the 49ers' lead to 7-3 with 5:34 left in the first quarter.

The 49ers would begin their ensuing possession at their 22-yard-line as the other 49ers starting wide receiver, J.J. Stokes, would make his presence felt as he would catch three passes for 35 yards to help San Francisco advance to the Atlanta 41-yard-line.

That is when it looked like the 49ers had called for a double reverse as the ball ended up in Rice's hands who stopped and fired a deep pass down the right sideline for Stokes, who made the catch for the 41-yard touchdown as for the first and only touchdown pass of Rice's career as San Francisco increased its lead to 14-3 with 1:58 to play in the opening period.

Jerry Rice caught 12 passes for 153 yards while recovering a fumble for one 49ers touchdown and throwing a 41-yard touchdown pass for another 49ers touchdown.

Another long kickoff return, this time by Eric Metcalf for 37 yards, gave the Falcons good field position as their begin their next drive at their 45-yard-line as two running plays would gain 13 yards to put Atlanta at the San Francisco 42-yard-line as George would complete four straight passes with his last completion being a 12-yard touchdown to Metcalf, who made a one-handed catch for the touchdown on the third play of the second quarter to cut the 49ers' advantage to 14-10.

It looked like a track meet was starting to develop especially when Young connected with Rice for a 57-yard completion on the first play of the 49ers' ensuing possession to give San Francisco a 1st & goal at the Atlanta eight-yard-line.

Rice would then catch a seven-yard pass to set up a one-yard touchdown run by running back Derek Loville to push the 49ers' lead to 21-9 with 12:16 to go in the second quarter.

After the two teams traded punts on their next possessions, Atlanta would get the ball back at their 14-yard-line as a 41-yard pass from George to Metcalf would help the Falcons drive to the 49ers' nine-yard-line where they had a 3rd & 2 when George threw an incomplete pass intended for Emanuel when 49ers defensive end Tim Harris drove George into the ground which resulted in the Falcons quarterback spraining his neck.

As George was taken off the field, he gave the 49ers bench the finger as Andersen would come on to kick a 28-yard field goal that cut the 49ers' lead to 21-12 with 1:50 left in the first half.

After forcing the 49ers three-and-out on their ensuing possession, the Falcons would begin their next drive at their 36-yard-line as backup Bobby Hebert would come on to take the reins as the Atlanta quarterback as the Falcons had 78 seconds left before halftime to get some points on the scoreboard.

Hebert would complete four of five passes for 23 yards to move the Falcons to the 49ers' 41-yard-line when Jones would send in the field goal unit as Andersen would attempt a 59-yard field goal with 15 seconds to go.

Andersen, who had made a team-record 55-yard field goal two weeks earlier, would shatter his own record as he made the 59-yard field goal to bring the Falcons to within a touchdown at 21-15 as the first half came to an close.

The Falcons got the ball to start the second half as Hebert hit Emanuel on a 32-yard catch-and-run to help move Atlanta to the San Francisco 20-yard-line when on 4th & 1, the Falcons decided to go for the 1st down which they got as Hebert kept it himself as he picked up two yards to move the sticks.

Hebert would then connect with Emanuel for a 10-yard completion on a 3rd & 9 to set up Hebert's seven-yard touchdown pass to Mathis to give the Falcons a 22-21 lead as they would go for two after the touchdown which failed as Hebert would then an incomplete pass on the two-point attempt.

Following an exchange of punts, the 49ers got the ball back at their four-yard-line as Young would complete passes of 13 yards to Loville followed by a 17-yard completion to tight end Brent Jones and then back to Rice for 33 yards on the first play of the fourth quarter to move San Francisco to the Atlanta 26-yard-line.

The Falcons defense would hold the 49ers to five yards on the next three plays, forcing San Francisco to settle for a 39-yard field goal by Jeff Wilkins to put the 49ers back on top with a 24-22 lead with 12:38 left in the fourth quarter.

Falcons wide receiver Terrance Mathis caught eight passes for 84 yards and scored two touchdowns, including the game-winner with less than two minutes left.

After forcing a Falcons punt, the 49ers would begin their next possession at their 21-yard-line as Rice would catch three passes for 25 yards to help move San Francisco advance to the 50-yard-line when Young threw deep for Rice who made an uncharacteristic drop with the ball at the goal line and what would have been a 50-yard touchdown.

Six plays later, the 49ers were at the Falcons' nine-yard-line where they faced a 3rd & 4 situation when Falcons linebacker sacked Young for a five-yard loss which forced San Francisco to settle for a 32-yard field goal by Wilkins which increased the 49ers' lead to 27-22 with 3:36 to go in the game.

Needing a touchdown to retake the lead, the Falcons would begin their next possession at their 20-yard-line as Hebert would find wide receiver J.J. Birden for 15 yards which was followed by a five-yard pass to Mathis to set up 2nd & 5.

After two incomplete passes, the Falcons were faced with a do-or-die 4th & 5 when Hebert connected with Metcalf for a 23-yard completion to give Atlanta a 1st down at the 49ers' 37-yard-line as the two-minute warning hit.

On the next play from scrimmage, Hebert would take the snap and scrambled to his left side before firing a pass to Mathis, who made the catch near the left sideline around the 49ers' 10-yard-line and then zigzagged his way through the 49ers defense until he was able to dive into the end zone to complete the 37-yard touchdown and give the Falcons a 28-27 lead with 1:45 left in the game.

Because the Falcons failed to convert on the two-point touchdown after Mathis' touchdown, the 49ers had a chance to win the game if they could drive down into Atlanta territory and kick a field goal as they would begin their ensuing possession at the San Francisco 27-yard-line.

The drive would begin with two incomplete passes until Young hit Rice for eight yards to set up a 4th & 2 when Rice would make his 12th catch of the game as his 10-yard reception to give the 49ers a 1st down at their 45-yard-line when a pass interference penalty on Falcons free safety Devin Bush would put San Francisco at the Falcons' 44-yard-line with 46 seconds to go.

Two incomplete passes and a quarterback sack by Falcons defensive tackle Lester Archambeau would force the 49ers into a 4th & 14 situation when Young threw a pass intended for Jones that was picked off by Falcons strong safety Kevin Ross as he would return the interception 17 yards to the Atlanta 46-yard-line.

Hebert would come on to take a knee to run out the remaining time on the clock as the Falcons secured a spot in the NFL playoffs with a 28-27 win as the 49ers would end up as the #2 seed in the NFC as the Cowboys were win the following night to secure home field advantage throughout the playoffs.

Unfortunately for the Falcons and the 49ers, their quest for the Vince Lombardi Trophy would both end at the hands of the Green Bay Packers as the Packers defeated the Falcons 37-20 in the Wild Card round which was followed by the Packers upsetting the 49ers in the Divisional Round as Green Bay eliminated the defending Super Bowl Champions with a 27-17 win in San Francisco.

College Football Old School Game of the Week: Alabama Gets Revenge on A&M & Manziel

 

Alabama quarterback A.J. McCarron completed 20 of 29 passes for 334 yards and threw four touchdown passes in Bama's win over Texas A&M.

On November 10, 2012, the Texas A&M Aggies traveled to Tuscaloosa, Alabama to take on the #1 ranked and defending national champion Alabama Crimson Tide as the Tide were two-touchdown favorites to defeat the Aggies.

But behind a remarkable performance by redshirt freshman quarterback Johnny Manziel, who threw for 253 yards and two touchdown passes while running for 92 yards on 18 carries, the Aggies shocked the Tide 29-24 to hand Alabama its first loss in over a year.

The Tide would rebound to run the national championship for the second year in a row while Texas A&M would go on to finish the season with a 11-2 record in their first season in the SEC as Manziel would win the Heisman Trophy after a season in which totaled 5,216 yards of offense(3,706 passing and 1,410 rushing)and 47 touchdowns(26 touchdown passes, 21 touchdown runs).

This set the stage for the anticipated rematch on September 14, 2013 where the #1 ranked Crimson Tide traveled to College Station to take on Manziel and the #6 ranked Aggies.

The Tide were the two-time defending national champions under head coach Nick Saban, who returned Alabama to dominance as the Crimson Tide won at least 10 games in each of the previous five seasons and won three national titles in the last four years.

Seeking a historic three-peat, the Tide featured quarterback A.J. McCarron, who had been the Tide's starting quarterback for the previous two seasons, and a stout defense that gave up an average of only 8.9 points per game in 2011 and 10.9 points per game in 2012.

The most points an Alabama defense had given up over that span were the 29 scored by the Aggies in their 2012 upset over the Tide as the Aggies led by second-year head coach Kevin Sumlin look to build on their 2012 season where A&M finished #5 in both the final AP and coaches polls.

The offseason had been a tumultuous one for the Aggies because of Manziel's off the field behavior which included a few instances of him partying and underage drinking that included him being getting kicked out of a frat party at the University of Texas.

The biggest issue came on August 4 when it was revealed that Manziel was under a NCAA investigation for making money off autographed merchandise.

The NCAA could not determine whether or not Manziel received any payment for the autographs as a deal was made where Manziel would be suspended for the first half of the Aggies' 2013 season opener against the Rice Owls.

Manziel showed no effects of the suspension as he threw for three touchdown passes in the second half of the Aggies' 52-31 against Rice then threw for 426 yards and three touchdowns in a 65-28 win over Sam Houston State to set up the rematch with the Crimson Tide who defeated Virginia Tech 35-10 in their season opener before going on a bye the week before the A&M game.

 A&M got the ball to start the game as Manziel would complete passes of 32 and 35 yards to wide receiver Mike Evans to set up a one-yard touchdown run by running back Cameron Clear to give the Aggies a 7-0 lead just 2:39 into the game.

After forcing the Tide to go three-and-out on their opening possession of the game, the Aggies got the ball back at their 41-yard-line as Manziel ran the ball twice for 24 yards before connecting with Evans again, this time for 34 yards to set up another one-yard touchdown run, this one by running back Ben Malena to extend the A&M lead to 14-0 midway through the first quarter.

At this point, the Tide were getting thoughts of deja vu as the Aggies had jumped out to a 20-0 lead in their upset the year before, but the Alabama offense would respond with a touchdown on their ensuing possession as McCarron completed four of five passes for 60 yards on a six-play, 75-yard drive that culminated with McCarron throwing a 22-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Kevin Norwood to get Bama on the scoreboard and cut the Aggies' lead to 14-7 with 5:24 left in the first quarter.

Aggies wide receiver Mike Evans caught four passes for 135 yards in the first quarter alone as he finished the game with 279 yards on seven catches.

The Aggies' Brandon Williams would have trouble receiving the ensuing kickoff as the ball bounced off his hands and went out of bounds at the Texas A&M two-yard-line meaning the Aggies would have drive to 98 yards for a touchdown.

It looked like the Aggies were going to drive the length of the field as a 34-yard pass from Manziel to Evans help moved A&M to the Alabama 34-yard-line when it looked like the Aggies were going to be in the red zone again after Evans caught a 19-yard pass from Manziel.

But Evans would be called for pass interference which negated the 19-yard catch and pushed the Aggies back 15 yards to the Alabama 49-yard-line as A&M would be forced to punt the ball to the Tide who would take over at their 20-yard-line.

A 21-yard pass from McCarron to wide receiver Amari Cooper and a 15-yard pass to tight end O.J. Howard moved Alabama to the Aggies' 44-yard-line when the Tide went into their bag of tricks as McCarron handed the ball off to fullback Jalston Fowler, who tossed the ball back to McCarron on a flea-flicker, who fired a pass for a wide open DeAndrew White for the 44-yard touchdown on the third play of the second quarter to tie the game at 14.

On their next possession, the Aggies would drive from their 25-yard-line to the Alabama 34-yard-line when on 3rd & 8, Manziel faded back to the 50-yard-line where it looked like he was going to be sacked by Alabama defensive end Jeoffrey Pagan, only for Manziel to escape the grasp of Pagan and drop back to the A&M 40-yard-line when he lobbed a desperation pass that was caught by Aggies wide receiver Edward Pope for a 12-yard gain and a 1st down at the Alabama 22-yard-line.

The Aggies were on the cusp of retaking the lead as three straight running plays for 18 yards put A&M at the Alabama four-yard-line when Manziel was picked off in the end zone by Alabama cornerback Cyrus Jones to end the A&M threat and give the Tide the ball at their 20-yard-line.

A two-yard run by running back Kenyon Drake and a 27-yard pass to Howard put the Tide at their 49-yard-line when McCarron completed a short pass to wide receiver Kenny Bell, who then outran the Aggies defense for the 51-yard touchdown to give the Tide their first lead of the game at 21-14 with 8:55 left in the second quarter.

Following a Texas A&M three-and-out, the Tide would rely on their running game to move down the field and keep Manziel off the field as running back T.J. Yeldon carried the ball three straight times for a total of 26 yards to begin the drive as Bama moved into A&M territory when Kenyon Drake got the call on back-to-back plays as he also ran for a total of 26 yards to move the Tide to the Aggies' four-yard-line.

Yeldon would then finish off the 11-play, 93-yard drive that took nearly six-and-a-half minutes to complete as Yeldon ran it in for the four-yard touchdown to extend the Crimson Tide's lead to 28-14 with 45 seconds left in the first half.

Manziel would get one last chance to put some points on the board for the Aggies before the first half as he led A&M to the Alabama 25-yard-line before time ran out on the first half with the Tide ahead 28-14 and set to get the ball to start the second half.

However, the Tide would go three-and-out on their opening possession of the first half as they punted the ball to the Aggies who took over at their 34-yard-line as a nine-yard run by Manziel would bring up a 2nd & 1 situation when Manziel threw a pass that was deflected and intercepted by Alabama strong safety Vinnie Sunseri, who then run it back for a 73-yard pick-six to increase the Crimson Tide's lead to 35-14 with 12:41 left in the third quarter.

Having given up 35 unanswered points, the Aggies needed a score on their ensuing possession which they would get as Manziel led the Aggies on a nine-play, 58-yard drive that was capped off with a 14-yard touchdown pass from Manziel to wide receiver Malcome Kennedy to trim the Crimson Tide's advantage to 35-21 with 9:33 to go in the third quarter.

The Tide would begin its next drive at their 17-yard-line as McCarron completed passes of 10 yards to White and 12 yards to Christion Jones on the opening two plays of the drive before the Tide went back to the running game as they ran the ball on eight consecutive plays with the last play being a three-yard touchdown run by Drake to push the Alabama lead back to 21 points at 42-21 with 4:16 remaining in the third quarter.

Alabama running back T.J. Yeldon averaged nearly six yards per carry as he ran for 149 yards on 25 carries and scored one touchdown.

The two teams would trade punts as the game moved into the fourth quarter when Manziel led the Aggies on a quick four-play, 80-yard touchdown drive that took only 90 seconds to complete as Manziel would find Kennedy again, this time for a 12-yard touchdown to once again make it a two-possession game at 42-28.

The Tide would start their next drive at their 25-yard-line with a 26-yard pass from McCarron to White which was followed by six straight runs by Yeldon for 33 yards plus a 15-yard penalty on the A&M defense to help put Alabama on the cusp of putting the game away as they had the ball at the Aggies' one-yard-line.

However, the maligned Aggies defense would force a turnover when free safety Steven Jenkins hit Yeldon so hard he fumbled the football as linebacker Shaan Washington would make the recovery to give A&M the ball at their four-yard-line

An incomplete pass and an one-yard run by Tre Carson would set up 3rd & 9 when Manziel threw a deep pass down the right sideline for Evans, who made the catch around the Aggies' 40-yard-line, then outrace the rest of the Alabama defense for a shocking 95-yard touchdown cut the Crimson Tide's lead to 42-35 with 8:04 to go in regulation.

With the momentum on the Aggies' side, the Tide would begin their next possession at their 35-yard-line as Yeldon looked to atone for his fumble as he ran for 24 yards on the first two plays of the drive to move Alabama into A&M territory as an incomplete pass and an illegal shift penalty would set up a 2nd & 15 at the Texas A&M 46-yard-line.

That is when McCarron completed a 26-yard pass to Howard to give Alabama  a 1st down at the Aggies' 20-yard-line as four straight running plays for 15 yards would put the Tide at the A&M five-yard-line when McCarron faked a handoff and found Fowler for the touchdown to extend the Bama lead to 49-35 with 2:28 left in regulation.

Needing a touchdown to stay alive, Manziel would lead the Aggies on a 10-play, 75-yard drive that ended with Kennedy catching his third touchdown pass of the game, this one for four yards to trim the Crimson Tide lead to 49-42 with just 15 seconds to go.

The Aggies would attempt an onside kick but Cooper would recover the kick for the Tide as McCarron would take a knee to run out the clock as Alabama would come out of College Station with a 49-42 in a game that had a combined 92 points and 1,196 yards of offense.

Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel accounted for 562 yards of total offense as he threw for 464 yards and five touchdown passes while running for 98 yards on 14 carries.

A&M would not live up to their national title aspirations as the Aggies would go on to finish the regular season with a 8-4 record which included a 45-41 loss to the Auburn Tigers in the middle of the season(To read about that game, click on the link which is highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2023/09/college-football-old-school-game-of_20.html).

The Aggies would finish the season with a trip to the Peach Bowl where Manziel led the Aggies back from a 21-point deficit to defeat the Duke Blue Devils 52-48 as "Johnny Football" would account for 455 yards of total offense and five touchdowns in what be the final game of his collegiate career as he would forego his final two seasons of eligibility and enter the 2014 NFL Draft.

As for the Tide, they would retain their #1 ranking throughout the season as their defense which gave up 628 yards to the Aggies, would allow only 50 points over the next nine games of the season to improve their record to 11-0 when they met Auburn in the Iron Bowl.

It was this game that would not the Crimson Tide's chances of a third straight national championship as the Tigers defeated the Tide 34-28 with the famous "Kick-Six" where Auburn's Chris Davis would run back an Alabama missed final goal 100 yards for the game-winning touchdown on the final play of the game.

Alabama would up play Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl where the Sooners upset the Crimson Tide 45-31 as the Tide would finish the season with a 11-2 record and #7 ranking in the final AP poll and #8 ranking in the final coaches poll.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Brees & Manning's Superdome Shootout

Eli Manning and Drew Brees greet each other after their game where they threw a combined 13 touchdown passes.

In Week 8 of the 2015 NFL season, the New York Giants traveled down to the Crescent City to take on the New Orleans Saints in a game that would feature 101 points scored and 1,024 yards of offense between the two teams.

The Saints came into the game with a 3-4 record as New Orleans got off to a 1-4 start to the 2015 season as the New Orleans defense had given up a total of 143 points over their first five games of the season.

The Saints would win their next two games to improve to 3-4 thanks to their future Hall-of-Fame quarterback Drew Brees, who was in his 10th season as the New Orleans starting quarterback, having led the Saints to a 31-17 win over the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV.

With head coach Sean Payton, the Saints hoped they could return to the postseason after missing out the previous year as they finished the season with a 7-9 record which was only the second losing season for the Payton/Brees era which began in 2006.

The Saints' opponents, the Giants, came into the game with a 4-3 record as New York also had defensive issues as "Big Blue" had given up 156 points over their first seven games of the season.

The pressure was on head coach Tom Coughlin, who despite leading the Giants to two Super Bowl championships, was on the hot seat as the Giants had missed the playoffs the previous three seasons with their 2014 season ending with a 6-10 record, tied for the worst record in a season with Coughlin as the head coach of the Giants.

To defeat the Saints, the Giants would need a big day from their quarterback, Eli Manning, who was returning home to Louisiana, to play the team his father, Archie, played for from 1971-80.

 After the Saints went three-and-out to start the game, the Giants got the ball at their 40-yard-line as Manning would complete four of his first five passes to move New York to the New Orleans' two-yard-line where on 4th & goal, Manning would connect with wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. for the touchdown to give the Giants an early 7-0 lead.

The Saints would begin their ensuing possession at their 20-yard-line as Brees began the drive with a 17-yard screen pass to running back Mark Ingram, then later in the drive would connect with tight end Ben Watson for 25 yards, to set up Brees' 34-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Willie Snead to help tie the game at seven midway through the first quarter.

Following a Giants three-and-out, the Saints took over at their four-yard-line when Brees threw a deep pass intended for Watson, who made the catch for a 46-yard gain, which led to Brees connecting with wide receiver Brandin Cooks for a 26-yard touchdown to give New Orleans a 14-7 lead with 2:24 left in the first quarter.

The Giants would respond with a nine-play, 79-yard drive that was capped off with an one-yard touchdown pass from Manning to Beckham that with the extra point tied the game at 14 early in the second quarter.

It would take the Saints five plays to get back into the end zone as wide receiver Marcus Colston would turn a short Brees pass into a 53-yard touchdown to put New Orleans back on top at 21-14 with 11:05 still to play in the second quarter.

The Saints defense would hold the Giants to a three-and-out on their next possession to give their offense the ball back at their 40-yard-line when the Saints would put together the longest drive in terms of time as they would hold the ball for the next seven minutes as they drove 60 yards in 14 plays.

Brees would complete all eight of his passes on the drive for 62 yards on the drive with his last completion being a two-yard touchdown pass to Snead, the fourth touchdown pass of the first half for Brees as the Saints increased their lead to 28-14 with 1:46 to go before halftime.

The Giants would go to a no-huddle offense when they got the ball back at their 20-yard-line as New York would pick up one 1st down before it looked like they were set to punt as Manning threw an incomplete pass on 3rd & 5 from the New York 39-yard-line, only for Saints cornerback Brandon Browner get called for a holding penalty to give the Giants a 1st down at their 44-yard-line.

Following a roughing the passer penalty on Saints linebacker Hau'oli Kikaha on the very next play, Manning would complete six straight passes for 41 yards with his last completion going to running back Shane Vereen for a two-yard touchdown to cut the New Orleans lead to 28-21 with two seconds left in the first half.

Giants quarterback Eli Manning threw a career high six touchdown passes.

The Giants would get the ball to start the second half as it would take them just four plays to travel 65 yards as Manning and Beckham connected for their third touchdown of the game, this one for 50 yards that with the extra point tied the game at 28 just 2:02 into the third quarter.

The Saints would answer with an eight-play, 80-yard drive where Brees completed four passes to four different receivers for 60 yards on the drive which culiminated with Brees hitting Cooks for a 21-yard touchdown to put New Orleans back on top 35-28.

The Giants would get great field position to start their next drive as Vereen returned the ensuing kickoff 46 yards to the New York 43-yard-line where a holding penalty would force New York into a 3rd & 16 situation when tight end Will Tye fumbled the football after catching a short pass from Manning as Saints free safety Jarius Byrd would recover the fumble to give New Orleans the ball at the Giants' 36-yard-line.

However, the Saints could not convert on the turnover as Brees threw a deep pass intended for Cooks that was intercepted by Giants cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie to give New York the ball back at their seven-yard-line.

The Giants would drive to the New Orleans 47-yard-line before they punted the ball back to the Saints, who would begin their next possession at their 20-yard-line as New Orleans would use the running game for this drive as Ingram carried the ball three times for 25 yards while C.J. Spiller would reel off a 11-yard run on the drive which ended with Brees firing a 20-yard touchdown to Watson to give the Saints their largest lead of the game at 42-28 with 29 seconds to go in the third quarter.

Going back to the no-huddle for their next possession, the Giants drove from their 20-yard-line to the Saints' 33-yard-line when it looked like the New Orleans defense had forced another turnover as defensive end Bobby Richardson sacked Manning to cause a fumble that was recovered by defensive tackle Tyeler Davidson.

But the fumble was negated by a holding penalty on Saints cornerback Delvin Breaux to give the Giants a 1st down at the Saints' 28-yard-line as the Giants advanced to the New Orleans nine-yard-line when on 4th & goal, Manning found wide receiver Dwayne Harris in the end zone for the touchdown to cut New Orleans' lead to 42-35 with 12:15 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Following a Saints three-and-out, the Giants got the ball at their 35-yard-line as it would take New York three plays to drive down the field as Manning would hit Beckham for a 38-yard completion, then find wide receiver Rueben Randle for a seven-yard gain, then ending the drive with a 20-yard touchdown pass to Harris to help tie the game at 42 with 9:30 left in regulation.

The Saints began their next drive at their 20-yard-line as Brees helped move the New Orleans offense to the New York 43-yard-line when threw a pass intended for Snead, who looked to have made the catch until he was hit hard by Rodgers-Cromartie, which caused the ball to be dislodged from Snead and into the arms of Giants defensive back Trumaine McBride, who returned the interception 63 yards for the touchdown to give the Giants a 49-42 lead midway through the fourth quarter.

Now trailing for the first time in the game, the Saints began their ensuing possession at their 20-yard-line as two passes by Brees for nine yards set up a 4th & 1 at the New Orleans 29-yard-line when Payton decide to gamble and go for the 1st down.

The gamble paid off as Ingram ran for two yards to give the Saints a fresh set of downs at their 31-yard-line where after a false start penalty pushed the Saints back five yards, Brees would find Cooks for 12 yards then Colston for five yards to move the sticks as the Saints had a 1st & 10 at their 43-yard-line.

Following an incomplete pass, Brees would complete a five-yard pass to Snead, then connect with Watson for 16 yards and then Snead again for nine yards, before handing the ball off to Ingram on three straight plays as the former Heisman Trophy winner would move the Saints to the Giants' nine-yard-line with a 2nd & goal situation.

Then is when Brees threw his record-tying seventh touchdown pass of the game, a 9-yarder to Spiller that with the extra point tied the game at 49 with 36 seconds left in regulation.

Saints quarterback Drew Brees became the eighth player in NFL history to throw seven touchdown passes in one game.

Following a touchback on the ensuing kickoff, the Giants got the ball at their 20-yard-line with all three timeouts which meant they had plenty of time to drive down the field for a possible game-winning field goal.

Manning would overthrow Randle on 1st down, then connected with Vereen for five yards as New York called timeout with 25 seconds before their 3rd & 5 when Manning threw a pass that bounced off the hands of Harris and incomplete to force a 4th & 5 as the Giants would punt the ball back to the Saints as overtime appeared to be on the horizon.

Giants punter Brad Wing's kick traveled 46 yards as Saints returner Marcus Murphy received the punt at his 29-yard-line as Murphy ran the kick back 24 yards to the Giants' 47-yard-line until he coughed up the football after a hit by Giants defensive back Craig Dahl that was picked up by Snead, who was tackled by Wing as the punter grabbed Snead's face mask.

Wing was called for a face mask penalty, even though Snead could not advance the fumble as the only way the offense can advance a fumble in the final two minutes is if the player who fumbled the ball makes the recovery, which put the Saints at the Giants' 32-yard-line with five seconds to go, meaning the Saints could win the game with a field goal.

Payton would send in the Saints' field goal unit as Kai Forbath would come on to make a 50-yard field goal as time expired to give New Orleans a 52-49 win in the fifth highest scoring game in NFL history.

Manning played one of the best games of his NFL career as he completed 30 of 41 passes for 350 yards and threw a career high six touchdown passes but it was not good enough as Brees completed 39 of 50 passes for 505 yards and seven touchdown passes, tying the mark for most touchdown passes thrown in one NFL game.

The Giants would go on to finish the season with a 6-10 record as Coughlin would resign after the season as his 12-year run in New York came to an end after compiling a 102-90 record.

As for the Saints, they would go on a four-game losing streak after their win against the Giants as they would finish the 2015 season with a 7-9 record, the second of three straight 7-9 seasons before Payton and Brees led the Saints to four straight playoff appearances from 2017-20.

College Football Old School Game of the Week: Wisconsin Wins Rose Bowl to Cap Off Cinderella Season

Wisconsin quarterback Darrell Bevell celebrates after his 21-yard touchdown run in the 1994 Rose Bowl.

When Barry Alvarez arrived to become the head coach of the Wisconsin  Badgers in 1990, a trip to the Rose Bowl seemed impossible as the Badgers had only had six winning seasons since their last trip to Pasadena following the 1962 season.

But after Alvarez's first season ended with a 1-10 record, the Badgers began to improve going 5-6 in back-to-back seasons before breaking through in 1993 as Wisconsin went 9-1-1 overall and 6-1-1 in the  Big 10 to share the Big 10 championship with the Ohio State Buckeyes as the two teams played to a 14-14 tie in early November.

But because the Buckeyes had been to the Rose Bowl more recently(Their previous trip was following the 1984 season)Wisconsin got the invitation to the "Grandaddy of Them All: where they would play the Pac-10 Champion UCLA Bruins on January 1, 1994.

The catalyst for the Badgers run for the roses was their rushing attack led by junior tailback Brent Moss, who was the Big 10's leading rusher with 1,479 yards and 14 touchdowns, and another junior tailback in Terrell Fletcher who ran for 932 yards and scored nine touchdowns.

The Wisconsin offense also featured quarterback Darrell Bevell, who was the conference's highest rated passer and wide receiver Lee DeRamus who caught 54 passes for 920 yards as the Badgers offense averaged just over 30 points per game while their defense gave up 16.2 points per game.

While the Badgers were ending a 31-year drought in the "Grandaddy of Them All", the Bruins were playing in the Rose Bowl game for the first time since their victory in the 1986 Rose Bowl against Iowa as the Bruins overcame an 0-2 start to the season to finish the regular season with a 8-3 record and in a tie with USC and Arizona for the Pac-10 championship.

However, the Bruins won the tiebreaker thanks to their 37-17 victory over Arizona and 27-21 win over USC in the final game of the regular season to earn head coach Terry Donahue his fourth trip to the Rose Bowl game since he became the UCLA head coach in 1976.

Donahue's 1993 UCLA squad was led by All-American wide receiver J.J. Stokes who caught 68 passes for 1,005 yards and scored 17 touchdowns with most of those touchdowns being thrown by junior quarterback Wayne Cook as the Bruins looked to end the 1993 season with a Rose Bowl championship.

Even though it was their home stadium, this game would be essentially a road game for the Bruins as nearly 70,000 Wisconsin fans filled the 104,901 seat football stadium to give the Badgers a home field advantage in Pasadena, California.

The Badgers got the ball to start the game as they would drive from their 20-yard-line to the UCLA' 47-yard-line before punting the ball to the Bruins who would begin their initial possession of the game pinned back at their three-yard-line.

Three straight running plays would gain 26 yards to move UCLA to its 29-yard-line when Stokes caught his first pass of the game, a 25-yard completion where after the play Stokes slapped the helmet of Wisconsin cornerback Kenny Gales for tackling him out of bounds, which drew a 15-yard penalty on Stokes, as UCLA would get a fresh set of downs at their 39-yard-line.

Stokes would atone for his mistake be catching a 37-yard pass from Cook to move the Bruins to inside the Badgers' 20-yard-line as the drive would stall as UCLA settled for a 27-yard field goal by Bjorn Merten to give the Bruins a 3-0 lead with 4:16 to go in the first quarter.

The Badgers would begin their next possession at their 23-yard-line as Moss got his hands on the football on the next four plays as he carried the ball three times for 22 yards and caught a five-yard pass to move Wisconsin to the 50-yard-line as Bevell would complete passes of 14 yards to wide receiver J.C. Dawkins and 16 yards to Fletcher to set up 1st & goal from the UCLA three-yard-line.

That is when Moss would punch it into the end zone for a three-yard touchdown to cap off the nine-play, 77-yard drive and give Wisconsin a 7-3 lead with 11 seconds to play in the first quarter.

Following an exchange of punts, the Bruins had the ball at their 32-yard-line when they committed the first turnover of the game as Badgers cornerback Jeff Messenger intercepted a Cook pass to give Wisconsin the ball at the UCLA 44-yard-line.

However, the Badgers would give the ball right back to the Bruins when on 2nd & 7 from the 41-yard-line, Bevell was picked off by UCLA strong safety Marvin Goodwin to give the ball back to the Bruins at their 28-yard-line.

But after two running plays netted five yards to set up a 3rd & 5, Cook completed a 10-yard pass to Stokes, who fumbled the football while trying to escape the tackle of Messenger as Badgers defensive tackle Lamark Shackelford made the recovery at the UCLA 32-yard-line.

From there, Moss would carry the ball seven times for 23 yards on the eight-play, 32-yard drive which was capped off with Moss' one-yard touchdown run to extend the Badgers' lead to 14-3 with 4:04 to go in the second quarter.

Wisconsin running back Brent Moss had 36 carries for 158 yards and scored two touchdowns.

After an UCLA punt, the Badgers got the ball back at their 27-yard-line as they were drove to the UCLA 21-yard-line to give kicker Rick Schnetzky a chance to make a 38-yard field goal on the final play of the first half.

However, Schentzky's kick would sail wide right of the uprights as time expired in the first half with the Badgers on top 14-3 with UCLA set to get the ball to start the second half.

The Bruins would quickly move into Wisconsin territory as running back Daron Washington would run for 26 yards on two carries as Stokes caught a 19-yard pass from Cook to move UCLA to the Wisconsin 35-yard-line.

A two-yard pass from Cook to wide receiver Kevin Jordan and two incomplete passes would set up a 4th & 8 when the Bruins decided to go for the 1st down as Cook threw an incomplete pass intended for wide receiver Mike Nguyen but drew a pass interference penalty on Wisconsin defensive back Donny Brady to give UCLA a 1st down at the Badgers' 23-yard-line.

The Bruins would advance to the Wisconsin eight-yard-line until Cook was sacked by the combination of Badgers defensive tackle Carlos Fowler and linebacker Chris Hein, causing Cook to lose the football as defensive tackle Mike Thompson would recover the fumble at the Badgers' 13-yard-line where the Wisconsin offense would begin their first drive of the second half.

The Badgers would drive to the UCLA 10-yard-line, thanks a 32-yard run by Fletcher on the first play of the drive, when they were faced with a 4th & 1 situation when Alvarez decided to go for the 1st down which the Badgers could not get as Moss was stopped for no gain.

Following the play, a brawl ensued between the two teams which resulted in the ejections of Goodwin and defensive back Donovan Gallatin for the Bruins while DeRamus and fullback Mark Montgomery were ejected on the Badgers' side.

After the fight, the Bruins would drive from their 10-yard-line to the Wisconsin 33-yard-line until they turned it over again when Cook fumbled the football after a hit by Badgers linebacker Rob Lurtsema as defensive back Henry Searcy would recover the fumble at the Wisconsin 37-yard-line.

After holding the Badgers to a three-and-out, the Bruins got the ball back at their 11-yard-line as they would drive 89 yards in seven plays, aided by two Wisconsin penalties, the first being a pass interference penalty on Messenger which nullified an interception by free safety Scott Nelson and the second being a holding penalty on strong safety Reggie Holt.

The drive would end with a 12-yard touchdown run by running back Ricky Davis on the second play of the fourth quarter to cut the Badgers' lead to 14-10.

Following another Wisconsin three-and-out, the Bruins had the ball at their 22-yard-line when Cook handed the ball off to Davis, who reeled off a 10-yard run until Badgers linebacker Yusef Burgess's helmet hit the ball to cause a fumble that was recovered by Thompson at the UCLA 34-yard-line.

An offsides penalty and two runs by Moss for eight yards would move Wisconsin to the UCLA 21-yard-line when Bevell scrambled out of the pocket to the left side of the field and run it in for the touchdown to extend the Badgers' lead to 21-10 with 10:52 remaining in the fourth quarter.

The Bruins would begin their ensuing possession at their 23-yard-line as they moved to midfield until they committed their sixth turnover of the game as Jordan would cough up the football as Nelson would fall on the ball to give the Wisconsin offense possession at their 36-yard-line.

The Badgers would pick up one 1st down before punting the ball back to the Bruins, who took over at their 10-yard-line as Cook would complete seven of 12 passes for 75 yards on the 14-play, 90-yard drive that culminated with Cook finding Nguyen for a five-yard touchdown that trimmed the Wisconsin lead to 21-16 as the Bruins missed the two-point conversion after the touchdown with 3:38 left in the game.

UCLA wide receiver J.J. Stokes caught 14 passes for 176 yards.

Wisconsin would try to run out the clock on their ensuing possession as Moss carried the ball five times for 31 yards before punting the ball back to the Bruins, who would take over at their 38-yard-line with 1:43 left in the game and no timeouts in their pocket.

The drive would begin with Cook completing passes of seven yards to tight end Brian Allen and eight yards to Stokes for one UCLA 1st down that was followed by Cook scrambling for 10 yards to pick up another 1st down at the Wisconsin 37-yard-line.

Cook would go back to Allen for six yards on 1st down which was followed by an incomplete pass and a false start penalty to set up 3rd & 9 when Cook found Stokes for 18 yards and a Bruins 1st down at the Wisconsin 18-yard-line with 15 seconds to go.

That is when Cook did the one thing he couldn't do as he scrambled up the middle before going down at the 15-yard-line as time would run out before the Bruins could line up to spike the ball and stop the clock, setting off a wild celebration by the Badgers as they came away with the 21-16 victory for their first Rose Bowl victory in school history.

The loss to Wisconsin would be the final time the Bruins played in the Grandaddy of Them All under Donahue's leadership as he would retire following the 1995 season as the winningest head coach in UCLA history with a 151-74-8 record as the Bruins have appeared in only one Rose Bowl game since Donahue's retirement.

As for the Badgers, it would only take five years for them to return to Pasadena as they would face UCLA again, this time defeating them 38-31 in the 1999 Rose Bowl behind running back Ron Dayne's 246-yard and four-touchdown performance in the first of back-to-back Rose Bowl victories for Wisconsin as they returned the following year to defeat Stanford 17-9.

Since then, the Badgers have appeared in four more Rose Bowl games, including three straight from 2011 to 2013, but have been defeated in all four appearances.

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.