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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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