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.

College Football Old School Game of the Week: Irish Beat Spartans with "The Immaculate Deflection"

Raghib "Rocket" Ismail accounted for 139 all-purpose yards on 11 touches in the Irish's comeback win over Michigan State in 1990.

On September 22, 1990, the #1 ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish traveled up north to take on the #24 ranked Michigan State Spartans in the 56th meeting between the two programs and 36th consecutive season in which the two played for the Megaphone Trophy.

The Irish were the favorites to win the game as they were the #1 team in the country led by head coach Lou Holtz, who had helped led Notre Dame to the national championship in 1988 which was followed by a 12-1 season in 1989.

For 1990, the Irish had a new starting quarterback in sophomore Rick Mirer, who took over for Tony Rice after Rice graduated in the spring of 1990 as Mirer would join an offense that featured a trio of running backs in Ricky Watters, Tony Culver, and Tony Brooks plus wide receiver and kick returner Raghib "Rocket" Ismail.

In his first career start, Mirer led the Irish back from a 10-point 4th quarter deficit to defeat the Michigan Wolverines 28-24 in a top 5 primetime showdown as Mirer threw the game-winning touchdown pass to Adrian Jarrell with 1:45 left in the game.

Mirer and the Irish hoped for an easier time in East Lansing as they prepared to take on the Spartans, who come into the game with a 0-0-1 record as they tied the Syracuse Orangemen 23-23 in their 1990 season opener.

The Spartans were led by head coach George Perles, who was in his eighth season as the Michigan State head coach, having led Sparty to five bowl games, including a trip to the Rose Bowl following the 1987 season, which the Spartans won 20-17 against USC.

Michigan State's offense was led by senior quarterback Dan Enos and the running back tandem of Tico Duckett and Hyland Hickson, who would both end up rushing for 1,000 yards each during the 1990 season as the Spartans looked to knock off the Irish for the first time since 1986.

The Spartans would get the ball to start the game as they would drive from their 15-yard-line to the Notre Dame 41-yard-line until they were forced to punt the ball away to the Irish, who would take over at their 15-yard-line for their opening possession of the game, as they drove to the Michigan State 38-yard-line before punting the ball back to the Spartans.

The Irish defense would hold the Spartans' offense to a three-and-out as Michigan State would punt the ball back to Notre Dame as a 21-yard return by Ismail would give the Irish the ball at the Spartans' 41-yard-line.

The "Rocket" would play a huge part on the Irish's ensuing possession as he ran for 19 yards on an end-around reverse, then caught a 10-yard pass on a 3rd & 9 situation, to help set up a five-yard touchdown run by Watters to give Notre Dame a 7-0 lead with 2:43 left in the first quarter.

Following an exchange of punts, the Spartans took over at the 50-yard-line as two plays netted two yards to set up 3rd & 8 when Enos threw a pass that was intercepted by Notre Dame cornerback Tom Carter that was nullified by a roughing-the-passer penalty on Irish linebacker Devon McDonald, giving Michigan State a fresh set of downs at the Irish 33-yard-line.

Three straight running plays gained seven yards to set up a 42-yard field goal by John Langeloh to put Michigan State on the scoreboard and cut Notre Dame's lead to 7-3 with 10:26 left in the second quarter.

The Irish would begin their ensuing possession at their 32-yard-line but a holding penalty followed by a quarterback sack would force Notre Dame to punt on 4th & 22 when Michigan State cornerback Todd Murray broke through the Notre Dame line to block Craig Hentrich's punt.

The ball would roll into the back of the end zone for a safety to cut Notre Dame's lead to 7-5 as the Spartans would get the ball at their 44-yard-line with a chance to take the lead with a touchdown.

Quarterback Rick Mirer completed 10 of 12 passes for 135 yards in the second half .

A 32-yard by Hickson would set be the biggest play of the seven-play, 56-yard drive that ended with an one-yard touchdown run by Hickson to give the Spartans a 12-7 lead with 5:06 remaining in the second quarter.

After a Notre Dame three-and-out, the Spartans took over at their 29-yard-line as six straight running plays totaled 31 yards to move Michigan State to the Notre Dame 40-yard-line until a pair of incomplete passes help kill the drive and force a Spartans punt back to the Irish with 18 seconds to go before halftime.

Watters would run the ball three times for nine yards to bring an end to the first half with the Irish trailing 12-7 but set to get the ball to start the second half.

It would not take long for the Irish to advance into Michigan State territory as Mirer connected with Ismail for a 35-yard completion on the second play of the second half to put the Irish at the Spartans' 32-yard-line.

From there, the Irish would run the ball six straight times to drive to the Michigan State 13-yard-line where on 4th & 2, Holtz decided to go for the 1st down instead of kicking a field goal as Spartans defensive tackle Bobby Wilson would spot Culver one yard short of the marker to give the Spartans the ball at their 12-yard-line.

The Spartans would then use the passing game to help them drive down the field as Enos would passes of 33 yards to wide receiver Courtney Hawkins, 15 yards to wide receiver James Bradley and 20 yards to Hickson on a 12-play, 88-yard drive that culminated with an one-yard touchdown run by Duckett to increase Michigan State's lead to 19-7 with exactly six minutes left in the third quarter.

The Irish would begin their next possession at their 34-yard-line with a nine-yard pass from Mirer to Ismail, followed by eight straight running plays to move Notre Dame to the Michigan State 35-yard-line where on 3rd & 16 Mirer connected with Ismail again, this time for eight yards to set up a 4th & 8 situation.

Once again, the Irish would go for the 1st down which this time they got as Mirer hit Culver for nine yards to move the chains and give Notre Dame a fresh set of downs at the Michigan State 18-yard-line.

Five plays later, the Irish were in the end zone as Watters punched it in from the one-yard-line to cap off the 16-play, 66-yard drive and trim Michigan State's lead to 19-14 with 13:13 left in the fourth quarter.

The Spartans would get the ball back at their 33-yard-line as Enos would complete a 11-yard pass to Bradley and then a 19-yard pass to Hawkins to help Michigan State drive to the Notre Dame 39-yard-line until Enos was picked off by Irish linebacker Michael Stonebreaker, whose 23-yard return gave Mirer and the Irish offense the ball at their 49-yard-line.

But the Spartan defense would force a three-and-out to give their offense the ball back at their 25-yard-line as they drove to midfield until a quarterback sack by Notre Dame defensive tackle Eric Jones on a 3rd & 11 forced Michigan State to punt the ball back to the Irish who would take over at their 19-yard-line with 5:15 to go in the game.

The drive would begin with a 19-yard pass from Mirer to right end Derek Brown which was followed by Mirer connecting with wide receiver Tony Smith for 13 yards on a 3rd & 4 to give Notre Dame a 1st down at the Michigan State 43-yard-line.

Mirer would then hit Brooks for 11 yards on 3rd & 9 for another Irish 1st down at the Michigan State 31-yard-line as Watters would run for five yards on 1st down to set up a 2nd & 5 at the Spartans' 26-yard-line.

That is when Mirer fired a pass toward the right sideline that looked like was going to be a sure interception for Murray, only to have the ball bounce off his chest and into the hands of Jarrell for a remarkable 24-yard completion and a Notre Dame 1st down at the Michigan State two-yard-line.

After Brooks was stopped one yard short of the end zone and Watters for no gain, Culver would punch it for the one-yard touchdown to give Notre Dame a 20-19 lead with 34 seconds left in the game as the Irish would go for two following the touchdown which was unsuccessful as Mirer was tackled short of the end zone.

Michigan State would have one last chance to pull out a miracle but Enos' Hail Mary pass from the Spartans' 29-yard-line would fall incomplete as time expired with the Irish on top 20-19 for Notre Dame's fourth straight victory in the series with the Spartans.

The Spartans would rebound from the loss to finish the season with a 8-3-1 record, which included a historic upset over #1 Michigan 28-27 in the middle of the season, as Michigan State would be ranked #14 in the final AP poll and #16 in the final coaches poll after defeating USC 17-16 in the Sun Bowl.

As for the Irish, their luck would run out two weeks later as they would be stunned by the Stanford Cardinal 36-31 in South Bend, which dropped Notre Dame from #1 to #8 in the polls.

The Irish would regain the #1 ranking one month later only to lose it again when they were upset by Penn State 24-21 in the penultimate game of the regular season as they would finish the regular season with a 9-2 record which earned Notre Dame an invitation to the Orange Bowl where they would play #1 Colorado.

In the final minutes of the Orange Bowl, Ismail returned a Colorado punt 91 yards for a touchdown, only to have it wiped out because of a controversial clipping penalty as the Irish would go on to lose the game 10-9 to finish the 1990 season with a 9-3 record and #6 ranking in both polls.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Chiefs Prevail in Mahomes' NFL Debut

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes completed 22 of 35 passes for 284 yards and one interception in his first career NFL start.

 In the spring of 2017, the Kansas City Chiefs made a bold move in the first round of that year's NFL draft as they traded up 17 spots to move from the #27 pick to the #10 pick to select quarterback Patrick Mahomes out of Texas Tech.

Even though they had a starting quarterback in Alex Smith who had helped lead Kansas City to three playoff appearances in four years, the Chiefs and head coach Andy Reid felt they needed a upgrade at quarterback if they were going to end the nearly 50-year drought of appearing in a Super Bowl has the Chiefs had not returned to the big game since they won it in Super Bowl IV to end the 1969 season.

Mahomes would spend the 2017 season on the bench as the backup to Smith, who would start 15 games to lead the Chiefs to the AFC West title for the second year in a row and a fourth trip to the NFL playoffs in five years for Kansas City.

With their position in the 2017 NFL playoffs secured, the Chiefs and Reid decided that Mahomes would get the start in the Chiefs' regular season finale against the Denver Broncos as Kansas City would rest several starters before their AFC Wild Card game against an opponent to be determined.

Even though he would by playing with a bunch of backups, this was Mahomes' opportunity to see the Chiefs what they had in Mahomes and see if he really was their quarterback of the future.

For Week 17, the Chiefs traveled to the Mile High City to take on their division rivals, the Denver Broncos, who hoping to end the season on a positive note as they came into the game with a 5-10 record, with eight of those losses by a double digits margin.

The Broncos were led by head coach Vance Joseph, who was in his first season as the Denver head coach after taking over for Gary Kubiak, who stepped down after the 2016 season to health issues.

The biggest issue for the Broncos in 2017 was their quarterback situation as injuries and poor performances had led to a carousel between Paxton Lynch, Brock Osweiler, and Trevor Siemian as all three players at one point in the season were the team's starting quarterback.

Lynch, who had been inactive for the first ten weeks of the season, because of a injury to his throwing shoulder, would get  the start in hopes of ending the Broncos' seven-game losing streak on a 18 degree day in Denver.

The Chiefs would start the game on offense at their 14-yard-line as Mahomes would throw two straight incomplete passes to set up 3rd & 10 when he found tight end Demetrius Harris for a 51-yard completion to give Kansas City a 1st down at the Denver 35-yard-line.

Following another incomplete pass, Mahomes handed the ball off to running back Kareem Hunt for his only carry of the game, a 35-yard touchdown to give Hunt the season rushing title and Kansas City a 7-0 lead just 53 seconds into the game.

After a Denver three-and-out, the Chiefs got the ball back at their 48-yard-line as Mahomes completed a three-yard pass to fullback Anthony Sherman that got 15 yards added to the play because of a face mask penalty on Broncos linebacker Todd Davis to Kansas City a 1st down at the Denver 34-yard-line when Mahomes threw his first career interception as Denver free safety Darian Stewart picked off the pass intended for De' Anthony Thomas to give the Broncos the ball at their 10-yard-line.

From there, the Broncos would drive 72 yards in 11 plays to set up a 36-yard field goal by Brandon McManus to get Denver on the scoreboard and cut the Chiefs' lead to 7-3 with 5:22 left in the first quarter.

The two teams would trade punts as the game moved into the second quarter when the Broncos would drive down the field behind the right arm of Lynch who completed all five of his passes to five different receivers for a total of 65 yards on the 10-play, 80-yard drive that was capped off with a 29-yard touchdown pass from Lynch to running back De' Angelo Henderson to give Denver a 10-7 lead with 4:56 left in the second quarter.

The Chiefs would begin their ensuing possession at their 27-yard-line as Mahomes would connect with wide receiver Albert Wilson three times for 52 yards to help set up a one-yard touchdown run by Sherman to put Kansas City back on top 14-10 with 1:07 left in the first half.

Denver would get the ball back at their 29-yard-line as Lynch completed passes of 11 yards to wide receiver Demaryius Thomas and 30 yards to wide receiver Jordan Taylor to put the Broncos at the Kansas City 30-yard-line with a chance to get some points before the end of the first half.

However, the drive would end with a turnover as Lynch tried to connect with Taylor again, only to be intercepted by Chiefs linebacker Terrance Smith which allowed Kansas City to run out the clock on the first half and go into the halftime break with a 14-10 lead.

Broncos quarterback Paxton Lynch completed 21 of 31 passes for 254 yards and threw two touchdown passses while being intercepted two times.

After the Broncos punted on their opening possession of the second half, the Chiefs got the ball at their eight-yard-line as Mahomes would eight of his next 11 passes for 73 yards to help Kansas City advance to the half-yard-line where they had a 2nd & goal situation.

But the Chiefs could not punch into the end zone as Sherman would be dropped for a loss on 2nd down which was followed by an incomplete pass on 3rd down, which forced Kansas City to settle for a 20-yard field goal by Harrison Butker to cap off the 18-play, 90-yard drive that took off eight minutes and forty six seconds off the clock and extended the Chiefs' lead to 17-10.

The Broncos would start their next drive at their 25-yard-line with a four-yard run by Anderson to set up 2nd & 6 when Lynch was sacked by Chiefs defensive end Chris Jones which caused a fumble that was picked up by linebacker Ramik Wilson, who took it into the end zone for an 11-yard touchdown to increase Kansas City's lead to 24-10 with 3:04 to play in the third quarter.

Following an exchange of punts, the Broncos got the ball back at their 20-yard-line early in the 4th quarter as they needed two touchdowns to tie the game.

The Broncos were able to drive down to the Chiefs' 11-yard-line until a quarterback sack of Lynch by Kansas City linebacker Tanoh Kpassagnon help push Denver into a 4th & 15 situation where the Broncos had to go for it as Lynch tried to hit wide receiver Isiah McKenzie, only to be intercepted by Chiefs cornerback Terrance Mitchell whose 40-yard return gave Kansas City the ball at their 42-yard-line with 7:02 left in the game and still ahead by two touchdowns.

Figuring they had the game in hand, Reid took out Mahomes and replaced him with quarterback Tyler Bray, whose first snap of the game was supposed to be a handoff to Sherman, only to result in a fumble that was scooped up by Denver linebacker Zaire Anderson, who return it 38 yards for a Broncos touchdown to cut the Chiefs' lead to 24-17.

Bray remained in the game for the Chiefs' ensuing possession which went nowhere as Kansas City would go three-and-out to punt the ball back to the Broncos, who now had a chance to drive for the game-tying touchdown with 5:16 left in regulation and the ball at their 38-yard-line.

The drive began with a 22-yard pass from Lynch to tight end Bennie Fowler for a Denver 1st down at the Chiefs' 40-yard-line which was followed by two straight running plays that only gained three yards to set up 3rd & 7 when Lynch found running back Devontae Booker for a 25-yard gain and a fresh set of downs at the Kansas City 12-yard-line.

A six-yard run by Booker put Denver at the six-yard-line as incomplete pass followed by a run by Henderson that went for no gain set up a do-or-die 4th & 4 from the Broncos' six-yard-line.

That is when Lynch found Thomas in the left corner of the end zone for the six-yard touchdown that with McManus' extra point tied the game at 24 with 2:53 left in regulation.

When the Chiefs' offense came back onto the field to begin their ensuing drive at their 21-yard-line, they did so with Mahomes back at quarterback as Reid hoped the rookie could lead the Kansas City offense down the field to set up a potential game-winning field goal by Butker.

The drive got off to an auspicious start as Mahomes was sacked by Denver linebacker DeMarcus Walker for a seven-yard loss to set up a 2nd & 17 where Mahomes found Wilson for 13 yards to set up 3rd & 4 where Mahomes was able to draw an offsides penalty on the Broncos to give the Chiefs a fresh set of downs at their 32-yard-line.

Mahomes would then complete a 12-yard pass to wide receiver DeMarcus Robinson which was followed by a 13-yard completion to Wilson to put Kansas City in Denver territory at the Broncos' 43-yard-line.

After an incomplete pass on 1st down, Mahomes would go back to Wilson as the two connected for a 14-yard completion to move the Chiefs to the Broncos' 29-yard-line with 1:14 left in regulation and in Butker's range for a field goal.

From there, the Chiefs kept it on the ground as they ran the ball four straight times, gaining 17 yards to move to the Denver 12-yard-line where Kansas City was able to bleed the clock down to four seconds before calling their last timeout and sending in Butker to win the game on the final play of regulation.

Butker would easily make the 30-yard field goal as time expired to give the Chiefs the 27-24 victory to end the Chiefs' regular season with a 10-6 record while dropping the Broncos to a 5-11 record as they ended the season on an eight-game losing streak.

Harrison Butker would hit a walk-off field goal in the Chiefs' 2017 regular season finale against the Broncos.

Joseph would return as the Broncos' head coach for the 2018 season as Denver signed Case Keenum away from the Minnesota Vikings in hopes of turning the Broncos' fortunes around.

However, the Broncos' offensive woes continued as they scored more than 30 points in a game only once in a 6-10 season, which would lead to Joseph's dismissal as the Denver head coach after back-to-back seasons of at least 10 losses, the first time the Broncos had done that since the early 1970s.

As for the Chiefs, their 2017 season would end the following week in the AFC Wild Card round as they coughed a 21-3 lead to the Tennessee Titans, who scored 19 unanswered points to pull out the 22-21 victory as Kansas City lost its sixth straight playoff game at Arrowhead Stadium.

Almost one month after the loss to the Titans, the Chiefs would trade Smith to the Washington Redskins for cornerback Kendall Fuller and a third round pick in the 2018 NFL draft, effectively handing the keys to Mahomes to become the new starting Kansas City starting quarterback.

All Mahomes has done since he became the Chiefs' starting quarterback has thrown for nearly 36,000 yards and 267 touchdown passes while winning two NFL MVP awards(2018, 2022) but more importantly ending the Chiefs' 50-year drought as world champions as Mahomes has led the Chiefs to five Super Bowls, winning three of them with Mahomes being selected as the game's MVP in all three of the Chiefs' victories.

College Football Old School Game of the Week: Mizzou Wins Border War Shootout over Kansas

 

Missouri kicker Grant Ressel(95)kicks the game-winning field goal in the 2009 edition of the "Border War".

One of the longest and most-played rivalries in all of college football is the one between the Kansas Jayhawks and the Missouri Tigers also known as the "Border War".

Every year from 1907 through 2011, the two neighboring schools would play each other, most if not all the time, at the end of the regular season, often unbeknownst to the rest of the country as the two schools were not national powers.

The peak of the rivalry came in a three year span starting in 2007 when the two teams both ranked in the top 5, met at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City with a spot in the Big 12 conference championship game on the line as well as potential national championship implications.

Missouri would win that game 36-28 behind a 40-of-49 for 361 yards and three touchdown pass performance by Tigers quarterback Chase Daniel as Missouri would move to the #1 ranking in the AP poll for the first time since 1960 as the Tigers needed to beat Oklahoma in the Big 12 title game to earn a spot in the BCS national championship game(Missouri would lose 38-17 to Oklahoma).

One year later, the Jayhawks and Tigers would met once again at Arrowhead, thought this time there were no Big 12 or national title implications, as Kansas would prevail with a 40-37 win thanks to quarterback Todd Reesing's 26-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Kerry Maier on a 4th & 7 with 27 seconds remaining.

The two teams would play each other for the third straight season at Arrowhead in the final game of the 2009 regular season as the 7-4 Tigers would face the 5-6 Jayhawks in the 103rd consecutive meeting between the two schools.

Missouri was led by head coach Gary Pinkel, who was in his ninth season as the Tigers' head coach, having led Mizzou to the school's only second and third 10-win seasons in the previous two seasons prior to 2009.

The 2009 season started out well with Missouri winning their first four games before losing four of their next five to drop to a 5-4 record until they defeated Kansas State and Iowa State to secure the Tigers' fifth straight winning season and sixth in the last seven years.

On the field, the Tigers were led by quarterback Blaine Gabbert, who had taken over for Daniel who left Missouri as its all-time leader in passing yards and touchdown passes, and wide receiver Danario Alexander, who up to this point in the 2009 season had caught 92 passes for 1,311 yards and scored 12 touchdowns.

On the other side were the Jayhawks, who came into the Missouri game under a cloud of controversy as head coach Mark Mangino was being investigated by the school for allegations of verbal and physical abuse against some of his players during his tenure as the Kansas head coach which began in 2002.

The allegations overshadowed what had been the most successful run in Kansas football history as Mangino had complied a record of 50-47 while leading Kansas to four bowl games including a trip to the Orange Bowl following the 2007 regular season where the Jayhawks defeated the Virginia Tech Hokies 24-21 to finish the season with a 12-1 record and #7 ranking, the most wins and highest ranking ever in a Kansas football season.

But with the investigation into his conduct as well as a six-game losing streak after starting the 2009 season with a 5-0 record, Mangino was on the hot seat as he prepared the Jayhawks to face the Tigers in another edition of the "Border War".

The Jayhawks got the ball to start the game as they would drive 18 yards in five plays before punting the ball to Missouri, who took over at their 20-yard-line as they would advance to the Kansas 34-yard-line until they punted the ball back to Kansas, who would begin its ensuing possession at their one-yard-line.

It looked like the Tigers were going to get the ball back in Kansas territory as Reesing threw two incomplete passes to force a 3rd & 10 situation when he completed a 17-yard pass to running back Jake Sharp to give the Jayhawks a 1st down at their 18-yard-line.

From there, Reesing would complete five straight passes, with three of those completions going to wide receiver Dezmon Briscoe for a total of 29 yards, including one for a seven-yard touchdown to give Kansas a 7-0 lead with 6:40 left in the first quarter.

Kansas wide receiver Dezmon Briscoe caught 14 passes for 242 yards and scored two touchdowns but also had two costly fumbles.

Missouri would respond with a seven-play, 51-yard drive with the big play being a 30-yard scramble by Gabbert, to help set up a 43-yard field goal by Grant Ressel to cut the Kansas lead to 7-3 with 3:52 to go in the first quarter.

Kansas would start their next drive at their 30-yard-line as back-to-back passes to Sharp totaled 39 yards to move Kansas to the Missouri 31-yard-line when a chop black penalty pushed the Jayhawks back 15 yards with a 1st & 25 situation at the Tigers' 46-yard-line.

Two plays later on 3rd & 18, Reesing would hit tight end Tim Biere for a 33-yard completion to give Kansas a 1st & goal at the Missouri one-yard-line when Reesing snuck it in for the touchdown to increase the Jayhawks' lead to 14-3 with 64 seconds remaining in the opening quarter.

The Tigers seemed poised to cut into the Kansas lead on their ensuing possession as they drove 64 yards in 11 plays to the Jayhawks' 26-yard-line until Gabbert fumbled the football after he was tackled by Kansas defensive end Maxwell Onyegbule with linebacker Drew Dudley recovering the fumble to give the Jayhawks the ball at their 26-yard-line.

Following an exchange of punts, the Jayhawks had the ball at their 17-yard-line when Reesing completed an eight-yard pass to Briscoe, who would fumble the football which was recovered by Missouri defensive back Carl Gettis, whose 20-yard return gave the Tigers a 1st & goal at the Kansas five-yard-line.

It would take the Tigers three plays to get into the end zone as running back Derrick Washington punched it in for the one-yard touchdown to trim the Jayhawks' lead to 14-10 with 5:49 left in the second quarter.

The Jayhawks would move down the field on their ensuing possession on the right arm of Reesing who would complete six of seven passes for 68 yards on a drive that culminated with an eight-yard touchdown pass from Reesing to Maier to push the Kansas lead back to 11 points at 21-10 with 3:03 to go before halftime.

A 40-yard run by Gabbert on the Tigers' following drive would lead to a 28-yard field goal by Ressel to trim the Jayhawks' lead to 21-13 with 61 seconds to go in the first half as Missouri would get a chance to put more points on the board before halftime as Tigers cornerback Kip Edwards intercepted a Reesing pass to give the Missouri offense the ball at their 48-yard-line.

However, the Tigers would go three-and-out as the Jayhawks would take a knee to run out the clock on the first half with Kansas ahead 21-13.

Missouri would get the ball at their 35-yard-line to start the second half as Gabbert completed two passes to Alexander for 39 yards which was followed by two runs by Washington for 26 yards with the second run being a 14-yard touchdown to cut the Jayhawks' lead to 21-19 when the Tigers decided to go for two following the touchdown which was unsuccessful as Gabbert was tackled behind the line of scrimmage by Kansas safety Darnell Stuckey.

The Jayhawks would respond with a 13-play, 78-yard drive that was capped off with a two-yard touchdown pass from Reesing to Maier to increase the Kansas lead to 28-19 with 5:45 left in the third quarter.

Kansas quarterback Todd Reesing threw for a school record 498 yards and four touchdown passes on 37-of-55 passing.

It would only take the Tigers one minute and 45 seconds to get back into the end zone as wide receiver Jerrel Jackson would take an end around for a 37-yard touchdown to bring Missouri to within a field goal of taking the lead at 28-26.

On the Jayhawks' ensuing possession, Reesing would complete a 22-yard pass to Briscoe, who would end up fumbling the football for the second time in the game as Gettis, who recovered Briscoe's earlier fumble in the game, would make the recovery to give Missouri the ball back at their 27-yard-line.

After an incomplete pass and a five-yard run by Washington set up a 3rd & 5 situation, Gabbert would connect with Alexander for a 67-yard touchdown to give the Tigers their first lead of the game at 33-28 with 4:03 to go in the third quarter.

The Missouri defense would force the Jayhawks to punt on their next possession to give their offense the ball back at the Tigers' 13-yard-line where after a false start penalty pushed them back five yards to the eight-yard-line, Gabbert found Alexander again, this time for 59 yards to put the Tigers at the Kansas 33-yard-line.

From there, the Tigers would advance to the Jayhawks' 10-yard-line until  Onyegbule sacked Gabbert for a nine-yard loss to kill the Missouri drive and force the Tigers to settle for a 37-yard field goal by Ressel which increased Missouri's lead to 36-28 with 13:29 to go in the fourth quarter.

Kansas would get the ball back at their 28-yard-line as a holding penalty would lead to a 3rd & 12 situation when Reesing hit Briscoe for a 74-yard touchdown which was followed by Reesing hitting Maier on the ensuing two-point conversion to tie the game at 36 with 12:01 remaining in regulation.

The Kansas defense would force the Tigers to go three-and-out on their next drive but the offense would get the ball back at their one-yard-line after another coffin-corner punt by Missouri's Jake Harry IV.

However, the Jayhawks would drive down to the Tigers' five-yard-line thanks to completions of 26 yards to Briscoe and 42 yards to running back Reli Lewis until an intentional grounding penalty on Reesing on 3rd & goal would force Kansas to settle for a 39-yard field goal by Jacob Bransetter to give the Jayhawks a 39-36 lead with 5:10 left in regulation.

The Jayhawks would force another three-and-out but another excellent punt by Harry would pin the Kansas offense back at their three-yard-line with 2:59 left in the game and Missouri with only one timeout remaining.

But Reesing would throw two straight incomplete passes to help stop the clock and set up a 3rd & 10 situation when Missouri defensive ends Aldon Smith and Brian Coulter combined to sack Reesing in the end zone for a safety to cut the Jayhawks' lead to 39-38 with 2:45 to go as Missouri was set to get the ball back with a chance to drive for the game-winning field goal.

An 18-yard return by Gettis on the ensuing kickoff would give the Tigers' offense the ball at their 48-yard-line as a three-yard run by Gabbert followed by a nine-yard run by Washington gave Missouri a 1st down at the Kansas 40-yard-line.

After an incomplete pass on 1st down, Gabbert would complete an eight-yard pass to Alexander to set up a 3rd & 2 situation when Washington broke loose for a 27-yard run to put Missouri at the Kansas five-yard-line with a 1st & goal with 51 seconds to go.

Missouri wide receiver Danario Alexander caught 15 passes for 233 yards in the game with 10 catches for 202 yards coming in the second half.

Gabbert would then take two knees to drain the remaining time on the clock to four seconds before Pinkel would send Ressel and the field goal unit in to win the game with a 27-yard field goal.

Ressel would easily make the kick as time expired to give Missouri the 41-39 victory to improve the Tigers' record to 8-4 while handing the Jayhawks their seventh straight loss to end the season with a 5-7 record.

The loss to Missouri would be the final game for Mangino as the Kansas head coach as he and the university agreed to a contract buyout which resulted in Mangino resigning from his position.

The Jayhawks would return to being a football doormat as they would win only 22 games through the 2010s and would not appear in a bowl game until 2022.

Missouri would go to play Navy in the Texas Bowl which the Tigers would lose 35-13 to finish the season with a 8-5 record and unranked in either the final AP or coaches poll.

As for the Missouri-Kansas rivalry, the two teams would play each other the following two seasons before the Tigers left the Big 12 conference for the SEC, which resulted in bringing an end to the rivalry after 105 straight years after playing each other.

The two programs agreed to a home-and-home in 2025 + 26 and then again in 2031 + 32 but there are currently no plays to resume the rivalry on an annual basis.

College Football Old School Game of the Week: USC Holds off Fresno State Thanks to Bush's Spectacular Performance

USC running back Reggie Bush would put together a performance for the ages in the Trojans' win over the Fresno State Bulldogs in 2005.

The USC Trojans of the early 2000s were the top program in all of college football as they won back-to-back national championships in 2003 + 2004 and produce three Heisman Trophy winners in span of four years starting with quarterback Carson Palmer in 2002 followed by quarterback Matt Leinart in 2004 and then running back Reggie Bush in 2005.

When it comes to the 2005 Heisman race, the college football world believed that Bush sewed up the award with his performance in the Trojans' penultimate game of the regular season where they would take on the Fresno State Bulldogs.

USC was ranked #1 with a 10-0 record having won their previous 32 games under head coach Pete Carroll who had the Trojans in the hunt for an unprecedented third straight national championship.

The 2005 season had some bumps in the road including a 38-28 win over Arizona State where the Trojans overcame a 21-3 halftime deficit to defeat the Sun Devils(To read about that game click on the link which is highlighted here:https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2022/09/college-football-old-school-game-of_28.html) and a 34-31 win over Notre Dame in one of the greatest games ever played.

In both victories, Bush would come up large as he ran for 158 yards and two touchdowns in the vicotry over Arizona State, then ran for 160 yards and three touchdowns to go along with pushing Leinart into the end zone on the Trojans' game-winning touchdown in the final seconds of the Notre Dame game.

Up to this point in the season, Bush had run for 1,104 yards and scored 13 touchdowns while catching 28 passes for 315 yards and returning kickoffs and occasionally punts.

The Trojans hoped for a big night from Bush as they prepared to host the #16 ranked Fresno State Bulldogs from the Western Athletic Conference who had upset on their minds.

The Bulldogs came into the USC game with a 8-1 record with their only loss being a 37-34 nailbiter to Oregon in the second game of the season.

The Bulldogs were led by head coach Pat Hill, who was in his ninth season at Fresno having led the Bulldogs to six bowl appearances as he had complied a 72-39 record during his time in the Valley.

If the 23-point underdog Bulldogs were going to pull off the giant upset in front of a crowd of nearly 90,000 fans at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, they somehow would have to contain Bush.

 Bush would get his hands on the football as the game began as he returned the opening kickoff 28 yards to the USC 28-yard-line.

However, Bush would not touch the ball on the Trojans' first drive of the game as USC would travel 26 yards in seven plays before punting the ball to the Bulldogs who would take over at their 19-yard-line.

After an one-yard run by Wendell Mathis to start the drive, quarterback Paul Pinegar would complete four of six passes for 63 yards to help drive the Bulldogs to the USC 13-yard-line when Pinegar completed a 12-yard pass to tight end Devyn McDonald who had the football popped out of his hands after a hit by USC defensive back Josh Pinkard, only for wide receiver Jermaine Jamison catch the fumble in midair and dive into the end zone for the touchdown to give Fresno State a 7-0 lead.

Bush would make his presence felt on the Trojans' ensuing possession when he broke loose for a 65-yard run to give USC a 1st & goal at the Fresno State five-yard-line when Bush's partner in crime, running back Lendale White, ran it for the game-tying touchdown midway through the first quarter.

Following an exchange of punts, the Bulldogs took over at their 35-yard-line as three plays gained nine yards to set up a 4th & 1 where it appeared Fresno State would punt the ball back to the Trojans, only to run a fake as the ball was snapped to strong safety Josh Sherley, who would run for two yards to give Fresno State a fresh set of downs at their 46-yard line as the first quarter came to an end.

Eight plays later, the Bulldogs were back in the end zone as running back Roshon Vercher would punch it in for an one-yard touchdown to give Fresno State a 14-7 lead with 12:07 left in the second quarter.

Bush would return the ensuing kickoff 30 yards to the USC 34-yard-line as Reggie would catch a 12-yard pass from Leinart then ran for 12 yards that with a face mask penalty on Fresno State gave the Trojans a 1st & goal at the Bulldogs' nine-yard-line

But the Trojans could not get it into the end zone as they would settle for a 25-yard field goal by Mario Danelo to cut the Fresno State lead to 14-10 lead midway through the second quarter.

The Bulldogs would start their next possession at their 45-yard-line after a 42-yard return by Adam Jennings on the kickoff as Pinegar would complete all five of his passes for 52 yards on the eight-play, 55-yard drive that culminated with a 14-yard touchdown pass from Pinegar to wide receiver Joe Fernandez to extend the Fresno State lead to 21-10 with 4:08 left before halftime.

Fresno State quarterback Paul Pinegar would complete 27 of 45 passes for 317 yards and throw four touchdown passes but would also throw four interceptions.

Facing their largest deficit since their comeback win over Arizona State, the Trojans would begin their ensuing drive at their 11-yard-line with a 21-yard run by Bush, which was followed by Leinart completing five of his next six passes for 39 yards to help set up a 31-yard field goal by Danielo to trim the deficit to eight points at 21-13 as the first half came to a close.

The Bulldogs would get the ball to start the second half but would end up punting the ball back to the Trojans who would take over at the Fresno State 43-yard-line after a 16-yard return by Bush on the punt.

Following a seven-yard pass from Leinart to fullback Brandon Hancock, Bush would reel off a 35-yard run to put USC at the Fresno State one-yard-line where Leinart would sneak into the end zone to make it an one-point game at 21-20.

The Bulldogs would begin their next drive at their 14-yard-line as a holding penalty would push them back to their six-yard-line where on 3rd & 18, Pinegar would throw it deep only to have Trojans free safety Brandon Ting intercept the pass to give USC the ball at the Fresno State 45-yard-line.

On the very next snap, Bush would run untouched for a 45-yard touchdown to give USC a 27-21 lead with 10:03 to go in the third quarter.

Things would go from bad to worse for the Bulldogs on the first play of their ensuing possession as Pinegar would be picked off by USC strong safety Darnell Bing to give the Trojans the ball at the Fresno State 32-yard-line.

Five plays later, the Trojans were back in the end zone as Leinart completed a six-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Steve Smith to extend USC's lead to 34-21 following the Trojans' third touchdown in a span of three minutes and eight seconds.

After the ensuing kickoff went out of bounds, the Bulldogs took over at their 35-yard-line as four straight runs by Mathis gained 34 yards to move Fresno State to the USC 31-yard-line as Pinegar would complete an 11-yard pass to running back Matt Rivera, which was followed by a 20-yard touchdown pass from Pinegar to wide receiver Paul Williams to cut the Trojans' lead to 34-28 with 5:39 left in the third quarter.

The Fresno State defense would then hold the Trojans to a three-and-out as the Bulldogs would get the ball back at the USC 30-yard-line after a 57-yard punt return by Jennings.

Three runs by Mathis for a total of 22 yards would put Fresno State at the USC eight-yard-line with a chance to regain the lead when Pinegar would throw his third interception of the quarter as free safety Scott Ware would pick off the pass at the goal line and run it back 30 yards to the Fresno State 30-yard-line where Leinart and the USC offense would take over.

A 13-yard pass to Bush followed by a pass interference penalty on Fresno State put the Trojans at the Bulldogs' 42-yard-line when Leinart was sacked for an eight-yard loss by Bulldogs defensive end Garrett McIntyre to set up 2nd & 18 from the 50-yard-line.

That is when Bush produced his Heisman moment as he took a handoff from Leinart and run to the left side untouched for 25 yards until he made a juke move at the 25-yard-line and cut back across the field as he would run it in for an amazing 50-yard touchdown which increased the Trojans' lead to 41-28 with 75 seconds left in the third quarter.

The Bulldogs would drive to inside USC territory on their next possession before punting the ball back to the Trojans who would go three-and-out as a 15-yard return by Jennings on the ensuing punt plus a 15-yard personal foul put Fresno State at the USC 15-yard-line.

It would take the Bulldogs six plays to get into the end zone as Pinegar completed a six-yard touchdown pass to Fernandez to bring Fresno State back to within a touchdown at 41-35 with 9:59 left in the fourth quarter.

Bush would get his hands on the football again on the ensuing kickoff only to fumble the football when he was hit by Bulldogs cornerback Marcus McCauley as defensive back Jason Huss would recover the fumble to give Fresno State the ball at the USC 18-yard-line.

That is when Pinegar handed the ball off to Mathis, who ran untouched into the end zone for the 18-yard touchdown that with the extra point gave Fresno State a 42-41 lead with 9:47 left in the fourth quarter.

Bush would atone for his fumble on the Trojans' ensuing possession which began at their 11-yard-line as Bush would start the drive with two runs totaling 25 yards which was followed by a 43-yard reception to give USC a 1st down at the Fresno State 21-yard-line.

Four plays later, White would punch it in for a two-yard touchdown to give USC a 47-42 lead as the Trojans would go for two after the touchdown, which was unsuccessful as Leinart would throw an incomplete pass to keep the score where at 47-42 with 6:22 left in regulation.

Fresno State would begin its next drive at their 21-yard-line as two plays gained only one yard to set up 3rd & 9 when Pinegar lost the football after a sack by USC defensive end Lawrence Jackson as linebacker Brian Cushing would recover the fumble at the Bulldogs' 15-yard-line to give the Trojans an opportunity to put the game away with a touchdown.

After a seven-yard run by Bush on 1st down, the Fresno State defense would clamper down as they held to Bush to zero yards on his next two carries to force a 26-yard field goal by Danielo which extended the Trojans' lead to 50-42 with 3:06 left in regulation as the Bulldogs would have a chance to drive for a touchdown and convert on a two-point conversion that would tie the game.

Starting at their 28-yard-line, the Bulldogs came out throwing as Pinegar completed a  four-yard pass to Fernandez which was followed by two straight incompletions to set up a do-or-die 4th & 6 when Pinegar threw a screen pass to Rivera that would go for eight yards to give Fresno State a 1st down at their 40-yard-line.

Pinegar would then complete a five-yard pass to Fernandez which was followed by a 30-yard pass to Rivera to put Fresno State at the USC 25-yard-line when Pinegar throw a pass intended for Williams that would be intercepted by Bing at the goal line as the senior defensive back would run the interception back 40 yards to the Fresno State 40-yard-line with 1:20 left in the game.

As Fresno State had no timeouts, Leinart could take two knees to run out the clock as the Trojans would come away with the 50-42 victory, the 33rd straight win for USC as they improved their 2005 record to 11-0 on a night where Bush accounted for 513 yards as he carried the ball 23 times for 294 yards while catching three passes for 68 yards, returning a punt for 16 yards and seven kickoffs for 136 yards.

While the Bulldogs maintained their #16 ranking despite the loss, they never recovered from the heartbreaking loss as they would lose three final games of the season including a 34-21 loss to Tulsa in the Liberty Bowl to finish the season with a 8-5 record and unranked.

As for Bush and the Trojans, they would destroy crosstown rival UCLA 66-19 to clinch a spot in the BCS National Championship Game while Bush would go on to win the Heisman Trophy one week later.

The Trojans would face the Texas Longhorns in the Rose Bowl where their dreams of a third straight national title would be crushed by Heisman runner-up Vince Young's performance as he threw for 267 yards and ran for 200 yards and scored four touchdowns including the game-winner with 19 seconds left in the game to give Texas a 41-38 win for the Longhorns' first national title since 1970(To read about that game, click on the link which is highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2017/09/college-football-old-school-game-of_13.html).

Four years later, the Trojans would be forced to vacate all their wins from the 2005 season after a NCAA investigation found that Bush received improper benefits, including a limousine ride to the 2005 Heisman Trophy ceremony as Bush would also vacate the Heisman Trophy.

However, the NCAA's decision to allow players to make money on their name, image, and likeness or NIL, would lead to Bush being reinstated as the 2005 Heisman Trophy winner in 2024.

Every Super Bowl Ranked(20 to 1)

Here now is Part 3 of my rankings of every Super Bowl with the 20 best Super Bowls of all time:

 20. XLIV=Saints-31 Colts-17

Down 10-6 as the second half began, Saints head coach Sean Payton made one of the biggest gambles in Super Bowl history as he decided to call for an onside kick on the opening kickoff of the second half.

The Saints recovered the onside kick which led to a touchdown giving them a 13-10 lead, then retaking the lead with 5:42 left in the fourth quarter when quarterback Drew Brees hit Jeremy Shockey for a two-yard touchdown and Lance Moore for the two-point conversion to put New Orleans ahead 24-17.

The Colts appeared on their way to the game-tying touchdown on their ensuing possession until cornerback Tracy Porter stepped in front of a Peyton Manning pass and returned it 74 yards for the back-breaking touchdown to give the Saints their first ever world championship.

19. X=Steelers-21 Cowboys-17

The first nine Super Bowls were either blowouts or competitive but boring, but that was not the case with the 10th edition of the game.

The Steelers and the Cowboys played the most exciting Super Bowl up to that point as Pittsburgh, led by Lynn Swann’s four catches for 161 yards, scored 14 straight points in the 4th quarter, culminating with Swann’s 64-yard touchdown catch with over three minutes to play, which seemingly put the game away as Pittsburgh took a 21-10 lead.

But after quarterback Roger Staubach threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to Percy Howard just 74 seconds after Swann’s touchdown cut the lead to 21-17, the Cowboys got the ball back at their own 39-yard-line with 1:22 left and a chance to win the game.

However, Staubach could not pull off another “Hail Mary” like he did earlier in the 1975 playoffs against the Minnesota Vikings, as his last pass from the Steelers’ 38-yard-line as time expired was intercepted by Pittsburgh defensive back Glen Edwards to clinch the Steelers’ second straight Super Bowl victory.

18. XLVI=Giants-21 Patriots-17

Four years after their classic encounter in Super Bowl XLII, the Giants and the Patriots met again in another great Super Bowl.

The Patriots held a 17-15 lead with 3:46 to go in the game when Giants quarterback Eli Manning connected with Mario Manningham on a 38-yard pass down the left sideline that helped led to Ahmad Bradshaw’s six-yard touchdown run with 57 seconds left, though he should to stay out of the end zone as the Patriots would have more time to come back and try to score the game-winning touchdown.

New England quarterback Tom Brady got the Patriots to their own 49-yard-line when he fired a Hail Mary pass as time expired, which fell incomplete, just beyond the outstretched arms of tight end Rob Gronkowski, giving the Giants their second Super Bowl title in five years.

17. XIV=Steelers-31 Rams-19

Perhaps the most underrated Super Bowl of all time as this game featured a record six lead changes, the last one coming with 12:04 left in the game when Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw connected with John Stallworth for a 73-yard touchdown pass to give Pittsburgh a 24-19 lead.

Bradshaw and Stallworth would connect again on another long pass, this one for 45 yards, which help led to Franco Harris’ 1-yard touchdown run with under two minutes to go that sealed the Steelers’ fourth Super Bowl title in six years.

16. XLVII=Ravens-34 49ers-31

For the first 31 ½ minutes, this Super Bowl looked like it was going to be of the worst ones in history as the Ravens held a 28-6 lead, until the lights went out in the Superdome, causing a 34-minute stoppage in play.

After the lights came back on, the game took off as the 49ers outscored the Ravens 23-6 and had a 1st-and-goal at the Baltimore seven-yard-line with 2:39 to go and a chance to score the game-winning touchdown.

But the Ravens held the 49ers out of the end zone, though San Francisco fans still feel that wide receiver Michael Crabtree was held on the quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s 4th down incompletion, allowing the Ravens(who gave the 49ers two points when punter Sam Koch ran out of bounds in the end zone to avoid a possible block punt) to give Baltimore the championship as head coach John Harbaugh defeated his brother Jim in the first Super Bowl where the head coaches were brothers.

15. III=Jets-16 Colts-7

The Jets pulled off the greatest upset in Super Bowl history and fulfilled quarterback Joe Namath’s

“Guarantee” of New York knocking off the 18-point favorite Baltimore Colts to give the AFL its first win in the Super Bowl.

The game itself was actually kinda of dull as the Jets controlled much of the game as they forced five turnovers and held a 16-0 lead early in the 4th quarter when Johnny Unitas, who had taken over for an ineffective Earl Morrall, tried to rally the Colts but could only lead his time to one touchdown as the Jets become the world champions.

14. XIII=Steelers-35 Cowboys-31

Three years after their memorable encounter in Super Bowl X, the Steelers and the Cowboys produced another Super Bowl classic.

The game featured a wild first half in which Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw broke the record for most touchdown passes thrown in a Super Bowl as he threw three, two of them to John Stallworth, which included one for 75 yards as Pittsburgh took a 21-14 lead into the halftime break.

The game was still 21-14 in favor of Pittsburgh when Dallas had a 3rd-and-3 at the Steelers’ 10-yard-line when Dallas quarterback Roger Staubach threw a perfect strike to a wide open Jackie Smith in the end zone, only to have Smith drop the sure touchdown, forcing Dallas to settle for a field goal.

The Steelers seemed to put the game away in the 4th quarter when they scored two touchdowns in 13 seconds to increase their lead to 35-17, only to have Staubach and the Cowboys rally for two touchdowns to cut the margin to 35-31 with 22 seconds left when Steelers running back Rocky Bleier recovered the Cowboys’ onside kick attempt, sealing Pittsburgh’s third Super Bowl title.

13. LVIII-Chiefs-25 49ers-22 (OT)

For the third time in five years, the Chiefs came back from a 10-point deficit to win the Super Bowl, this time prevailing in a rematch with the 49ers in the longest Super Bowl ever played.

The 49ers jumped out to a 10-0 second quarter lead until the Chiefs scored 13 unanswered points with quarterback Patrick Mahomes throwing a 16-yard touchdown pass to Marquez Vandes Scantling late in the third quarter.

The 49ers would retake the lead early in the fourth quarter when Brock Purdy threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Jauan Jennings only to have the extra point blocked, allowing for the Chiefs to tie the game with a 24-yard field goal by Harrison Butker on Kansas City's ensuing possession.

The two teams would exchange field goals in the final two minutes of regulation to send the Super Bowl into overtime for only the second time in history.

The 49ers would get the ball first as they drove 66 yards in 12 plays to set up Jake Moody's 24-yard field goal to give San Francisco a 22-19 lead as Mahomes and the Chiefs would get the ball with a chance to win the game.

Mahomes would complete all eight of his passes on the drive for 42 yards while running 27 yards on two carries on a 13-play, 75-yard drive that culminated with the Chiefs quarterback throwing a three-yard touchdown pass to Mecole Hardman with three seconds left in the overtime period to give Kansas City its second straight Lombardi trophy and third in five years.

12. XXXVIII=Patriots-32 Panthers-29

This game was expected to be a defensive struggle until the final 3:05 of the first half when both teams combined for 24 points with the Patriots holding on to a 14-10 lead at halftime.

There was no more scoring until the second play of the 4th quarter when Patriots running back Antowain Smith scored on a 2-yard touchdown run to extend New England’s lead to 21-10.

That touchdown began a wild 4th quarter that saw a combined 37 points and 430 yards of total offense between the two teams, including the longest touchdown pass in Super Bowl history, an 85-yarder from Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme to Muhsin Muhammad.

But after Delhomme threw the game-tying touchdown pass to Ricky Proehl with 1:05 left in regulation, Panthers kicker John Kasay kicked the ensuing kickoff out of bounds, giving Tom Brady and the Patriots the ball at their own 40-yard-line, where they drove to the Panthers’ 24-yard-line to set up Adam Vinatieri’s 41-yard field goal with five seconds left, which provided the winning margin and gave New England its second Super Bowl title in three years.

11. XXIII=49ers-20 Bengals-16

It seemed like no one was going to get into the end zone as the game was tied 6-6 with 50 seconds left in the third quarter when the Bengals’ Stanford Jennings returned a kickoff 93 yards for the game’s first touchdown, which was followed by the 49ers’ Jerry Rice, who caught 11 passes for 215 yards, scoring on a 14-yard touchdown reception just 91 seconds after Jennings’ touchdown to tie the game once again.

Then after Jim Breech kicked a 40-yard field goal to give the Bengals a 16-13 lead with 3:20 left in regulation, 49ers quarterback Joe Montana led his team on a 11-play, 92-yard drive which culminated with Montana hitting John Taylor for the game-winning touchdown, a 10-yard pass with 34 seconds left to give San Francisco its third Super Bowl title.

10. XXXVI=Patriots-20 Rams-17

Before they became the “Evil Empire” of the NFL, the New England Patriots were the loveable underdog who bucked Super Bowl tradition and chose to be introduced as a team when they entered their matchup with the two-touchdown favorite St.Louis Rams.

The Patriots converted three Ram turnovers into 17 points as they held a 17-3 lead as the 4th quarter began until St. Louis struck back with 14 unanswered points, the last coming on a 26-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Kurt Warner to Ricky Proehl with 90 seconds left in regulation that with Jeff Wilkins’ extra point tied the game at 17.

Broadcaster John Madden suggested the Patriots run out the clock and play for overtime when they got the ball back at their own 17-yard-line with 1:21 to go, but New England drove down the field as they went 53 yards in eight plays to set up Adam Vinatieri's 48-yard field goal as time expired to give the Patriots their first ever NFL championship.

9. LVII=Chiefs-38 Eagles-35

Things did not look good for the Chiefs as the first half came to an end as they trailed the  Eagles 24-14 after allowing 265 yards of total offense as Philadelphia held the ball for nearly 22 minutes.

Even worse, Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes limped into the locker room after reaggravating a high ankle sprain.

Mahomes would play through the injury as he would complete 13 of 14 passes in the second half and throw two touchdown passes as the Chiefs came from behind to win the game on a 27-yard field goal by Harrison Butker with eight seconds to go which was set up by a key 26-yard scramble by Mahomes and a controversial holding call on Eagles cornerback James Bradbury on 3rd & 8 at the Philadelphia 15-yard-line.

8. LII=Eagles-41 Patriots-33

Super Bowl LII resembled an Arena football game as it set the record for most combined yards of total offense in any game in NFL history as the Eagles and Patriots combined for 1,151 yards of total offense and only one combined punt.

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady broke his own Super Bowl record for most passing yards as well as most passing yards in a postseason as he threw for 505 yards on 28-of-48 passes and threw three touchdown passes.

But Brady lost this epic duel to Nick Foles, who had taken over the Eagles’ starting quarterback job with in the 14th game of the season after starter Carson Wentz was lost with a torn ACL, as the backup was named MVP as he completed 28 of 43 passes for 370 yards and threw three touchdowns, including what turned out to be the game-winner, a 11-yard touchdown pass to tight end Zach Ertz with 2:21 left in the game.

Foles also became the first quarterback to catch a touchdown pass in a Super Bowl as he caught a one-yard touchdown pass from tight end Trey Burton on a 4th-and-goal with 34 seconds left in the first half.

However, the game was not decided until the final play when Brady’s Hail Mary attempt from midfield fell incomplete as time expired, giving the Eagles their first NFL championship in 57 years.

7. XXXII=Broncos-31 Packers-24

Broncos quarterback John Elway finally got his first Super Bowl title in his 15th NFL season and fourth Super Bowl appearance as Denver upset the defending Super Bowl champion Packers, thanks in large part to running back Terrell Davis’ 157 yards and three touchdowns on 30 carries, despite missing most of the second quarter with a migraine headache.

But it was Elway who made the game’s most memorable play as he dove for a 1st down and did a 90-degree spin as he was hit while diving for the 1st down mark.

That play became known as “The Helicopter” and set up Davis’ second touchdown run of the game, who then scored the game-winning touchdown when Packers head coach Mike Holmgren instructed his defense to let the Broncos score with 1:45 left in regulation, to give his offense enough time to try and send the game into overtime.

The gamble did not pay off as quarterback Brett Favre drove the Packers to the Denver 31-yard-line until Green Bay turned it over on downs as Favre’s 4th down pass was knocked down by Broncos linebacker John Mobley, sealing Denver’s first Super Bowl title.

6. XXV=Giants-20 Bills-19

The Bills and the Giants provided fans across the country a needed distraction from “Operation Desert Storm” with one of the best Super Bowls ever.

The heavily-favored Bills held a 12-3 lead midway through the second quarter when the Giants put together a 14-play, 87-yard drive which ended with a 14-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jeff Hostetler to Stephen Baker with 25 seconds left before halftime to cut the lead to 12-10, which was followed by a 14-play, 75-yard drive to start the second half which took 9:29 off the clock and culminated with one-yard touchdown run by Ottis Anderson to give New York a 17-12 lead.

The Bills retook the lead on the first play of the 4th quarter on a 31-yard touchdown run by Thurman Thomas, which the Giants responded with another long drive, this one for 74 yards on 13 plays which used up 7 ½ minutes and ended with a 21-yard field goal by Matt Bahr to give the Giants the lead once again.

With 2:16 to go in the game, the Bills took over at their own 10-yard-line and drove to the Giants’ 29-yard-line, giving kicker Scott Norwood a chance to win the game with a 47-yard field goal with eight seconds left.

While Norwood’s kick was long enough, it sailed wide right, giving the Lombardi Trophy to the Giants and handing the Bills the first of their four straight Super Bowl losses.

5. XLIX=Patriots-28 Seahawks-24

No team had even won a Super Bowl when trailing in the 4th quarter by 10 points, but Patriots quarterback Tom Brady went 13-of-15 for 124 yards and threw two touchdown passes, the last one a three-yarder to Julian Edelman with 2:06 to play, giving New England a 28-24 lead.

However, it looked like the Seahawks were on their way to their second straight Super Bowl title when Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson connected with Jermaine Kearse for a 33 yards on pass that slipped through the hands of Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler and onto the legs of Kearse, where he tipped it back to himself to make the catch and give Seattle a 1st-and-goal at the Patriots’ five-yard-line with 1:05 to play.

But after Marshawn Lynch picked up four yards on 1st down, Butler atoned for his mistake when he intercepted Wilson’s 2nd pass intended for Drew Lockette, securing New England’s fourth Super Bowl championship.

4. XXXIV=Rams-23 Titans-16

This game could have easily been a blowout as the Rams outgained the Titans 294-89 in the 1st half but had to settle for three field goals and a 9-0 halftime lead.

After the Rams finally got in the end zone when quarterback Kurt Warner hit Torry Holt for a nine-yard touchdown midway through the third quarter to extend the lead to 16-0, the Titans took over the game as they outgained the Rams 173 to -4 and scored 16 unanswered points to tie the game with 2:12 to play in regulation on Al Del Greco’s 43-yard field goal.

But on the first play from scrimmage after Del Greco’s field goal, Warner hit Isaac Bruce for a 73-yard touchdown pass to put the Rams back in front 23-16 with 1:54 remaining.

However, this gave the Titans a chance to send the game into overtime as they drove from their own 12-yard-line to the Rams’ 10-yard-line when with six seconds to go, quarterback Steve McNair connected with Kevin Dyson on a slant pass, only to have Dyson be tackled by Rams linebacker Mike Jones, one yard short of the end zone as the clock run out, giving the Rams their first Super Bowl title.

3. XLIII=Steelers-27 Cardinals-23

Two of the greatest plays in Super Bowl history happened in this Super Bowl, both courtesy of the Steelers.

The first play happened with 18 seconds left in the first half as the Cardinals, who were trailing 10-7, were on the verge of taking the lead with the ball at the one-yard-line, when Steelers linebacker James Harrison intercepted Kurt Warner’s pass, and though dodged numerous tackles to run the pick all the way back for a 100-yard touchdown to increase the Steelers’ lead to 17-7 at halftime.

The Cardinals would come back to score 16 straight points, the last of which coming on Larry Fitzgerald's 64-yard touchdown reception to give Arizona a 23-20 lead with 2:37 left in regulation.

The Steelers would get the ball back at their 22-yard-line, but were pushed back to their 12-yard-line after a holding penalty when quarterback Ben Roethlisberger began a drive that would lead the Steelers to the Cardinals’ six-yard-line, setting up the second classic play.

Roethlisberger threw a pass toward the right corner of the end zone where wide receiver Santonio Holmes extended his legs to make the catch before falling out of bounds for what would be the game-winning touchdown with 35 seconds left, giving the Steelers a record sixth Super Bowl championship.

2. LI=Patriots-34 Falcons-28(OT)

After Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan threw an eight-yard touchdown pass to running back Tevin Coleman to give Atlanta a 28-3 lead with 8:31 left in the third quarter, it looked like Super Bowl LI was all but over.

But that is when Patriots quarterback Tom Brady caught fire as he completed 21 of 27 passes for 234 yards and threw two touchdown passes to help the lead Patriots back from 25 points down to force the first overtime in Super Bowl when after running back James White scored on a one-yard touchdown run, which was followed by a two-point conversion pass from Brady to Danny Amendola with 57 seconds left in regulation.

The Patriots won the overtime coin toss and drove 75 yards in eight plays, with Brady completing five of six passes for 50 yards on the drive which ended with a two-yard touchdown run by White to complete the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history.

1. XLII=Giants-17 Patriots-14

When you have one of the greatest upsets of all time and probably the greatest play in Super Bowl history in the same game, then that game is the best Super Bowl of all time.

The Patriots were looking to become the first team since the 1972 Dolphins to go a season undefeated, but their high-powered offense, which had scored 589 points during the regular season, was held in check, thanks to the Giants’ ferocious pass rush as New England scored only one touchdown through the first three quarters, but held onto a 7-3 lead.

The Giants would take the lead with 11:05 left in the 4th quarter when quarterback Eli Manning found wide receiver David Tyree for a five-yard touchdown, but relinquished the lead with 2:42 to go when Patriots quarterback Tom Brady hit Randy Moss for a six-yard touchdown to put New England ahead 14-10.

The Giants began their ensuing possession at their own 17-yard-line and were at their own 44-yard-line where they faced a 3rd-and-5, when the greatest play in Super Bowl history happened.

Manning took the snap and looked like he was going to be sacked by three Patriot defenders, only to have Manning escape the rush and scramble to his right, where he fired a pass downfield for Tyree, who was able to make the catch with one hand pinned to his helmet and Patriots safety Rodney Harrison draped all over for a 32-yard gain and a 1st down at the New England 24-yard-line.

The play would become known as the “Helmet Catch” and would lead to Manning’s game-winning 13-yard touchdown pass with 35 seconds left, that gave the Giants the win and denied the Patriots a chance at immorality.

For Part 1 or 60-41 of the list, click on the link which is highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2026/02/every-super-bowl-ranked60-to-41.html

For Part 2 or 40-21 of the list, click on the link which is highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2026/02/every-super-bowl-ranked40-to-21.html