NFL Old School Game of the Week: Patriots Complete Perfect Regular Season

Tom Brady and Bill Belichick chatting on the sidelines before their historic game with the Giants.

Since the 1972 Miami Dolphins, no team has completed an entire season as a undefeated Super Bowl champion.

In fact, there has been only one team to complete the regular season undefeated.

That team is the 2007 New England Patriots, who are the only team to 16-0 in the regular season since the NFL expanded the schedule to 16 games.

The Patriots, led by head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady, won three Super Bowls in four years, but after a loss in the 2006 AFC Championship Game to the Indianapolis Colts, the team felt they needed a upgrade in the wide receiver position in order to get back to the Super Bowl.

So in the offseason so they signed Donte Stallworth as a free agent, acquired Wes Welker in a trade from the Miami Dolphins, and received the league’s best deep receiver, Randy Moss, in a trade with the Oakland Raiders.

The moves paid huge dividends in the season opener as the Patriots crushed the New York Jets 38-14, thanks to Moss’ 9 catches for 181 yards and 2 touchdowns to go along with Welker’s six catches for 61 yards.

But controversy erupted on the very next day when Belichick was accused of videotaping the Jets’ defensive signals as a camera used by one of his assistants was confiscated at the Jets game.

Three days later, Belichick was fined $500,000 and the team’s first round pick in the 2008 Draft was taken away.

The incident that became known as “Spygate” polarized the team amongst NFL fans outside of the New England region, as they were branded as cheaters by many fans.

Using anger from “Spygate”, the Patriots would win the next 14 games on the schedule, many of them by double digits as Brady entered the season finale with 48 touchdown passes, one short of tying the record set by Peyton Manning just three years earlier, and Moss with 21 touchdown receptions, one short of the record held by Jerry Rice since 1987.

While the Patriots enjoyed a smooth ride throughout most of the 2007 season, the Giants went through a roller coaster ride to get to the regular season finale with the Patriots.

The Giants dropped their first two games and were down 17-3 at halftime of the third game of the season, until they mounted a second half comeback to pull off a 24-17 win against the Washington Redskins.

New York would win its next five games to improve its record to 6-2 until they lost two of their next three games, which included a 41-17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in which quarterback Eli Manning had three of his four interceptions returned for touchdowns.

But the Giants would bounce back again and win three of their next four, including a 38-21 win over the Buffalo Bills in the 15th game of the season to clinch a playoff berth for the third straight year.

The Giants entered the game with the Patriots with a 10-5 record and locked into the #5 seed, which allowed the opportunity for head Tom Coughlin to rest his players before the playoffs began the following week and treat the game like a preseason game.

However, Coughlin decided to play Manning and all his starters in hopes to derail the Patriots’ hopes of completing the first undefeated regular season in 35 years.

Eli Manning was valiant in defeat as he threw four touchdown passes.

While the competitive nature of the game was solved, the availability of the game to NFL fans was another problem.

The game was slated to air on the Saturday night before the final Sunday on the NFL Network, which was not available to many cable customers.

In an unprecedented move, the NFL network telecast was simulcasted on CBS and NBC, giving all NFL fans a chance to see if history was to be made.

The Giants received the opening kickoff and started their first drive at their own 26-yard-line.

On 2nd-and-6 from the 30, Manning went deep and hit Plaxico Burress for a 52-yard gain that help led to Manning’s 7-yard touchdown pass to running back Brandon Jacobs that put the Giants on top 7-0, just four minutes into the game.

The Patriots responded to the touchdown with a 12-play, 54-yard drive that ended with a 37-yard field goal by Stephen Gostkowski that trimmed the New York lead to 7-3.

Then after forcing a three-and-out, the Patriots got the ball back right at the 50-yard-line, only to have the Giants appear to force a three-and-out of their own as Brady was sacked by linebacker Antonio Pierce on 3rd-and-14.

But cornerback Corey Webster was called for illegal contact on the play, negating the sack, and giving New England a fresh set of downs at the Giants’ 49-yard-line.

That is when Brady went to work as he completed 4 passes for 47 yards, the last completion being a 4-yard touchdown pass to Moss, that tied the record for most touchdown passes and most touchdown receptions in a season, and broke the record for most points in a season by a single team.

It also gave the Patriots a 10-7 lead as the touchdown came on the first play of the second quarter.

Moss drew an unsportsmanlike penalty after the touchdown for excessive celebration, meaning the Patriots would have to kick from their 15-yard-line.

This meant that the Giants would get great field position to begin their next offensive drive, but that drive never started as wide receiver Domenik Hixon returned the kickoff 74 yards for a touchdown that gave the lead back to New York at 14-10, just 16 seconds into the second quarter.

New England would begin its next drive at its own 33 and drive 39 yards in seven plays before settling for a 45-yard field goal by Gostkowski that cut the New York lead to 14-13.

The Patriots would force another punt by the Giants, then drove 61 yards in 10 plays to set up Gostkowski’s third field goal of the game, a 37-yarder that gave New England the lead once again at 16-14 with 2:04 before halftime.

Having produced only 20 yards of offense since their opening drive, the Giants got the ball at their 15 with 1:54 left and two timeouts.

The drive got off to an auspicious start as Manning threw an incomplete pass, but he would complete four straight passes for 66 yards, then scramble for 11 more to set up a 1st-and-goal at the Patriots’ three with 21 seconds left.

After an incomplete pass to Burress, Manning would find tight end Kevin Boss for the three-yard touchdown that put the Giants back in the lead at 21-16 as the first half come to a close.

Randy Moss runs toward the end zone for his record-setting 23rd touchdown reception.

The Patriots got the ball to start the second half but went three-and-out, giving the ball back to the Giants who took over at their own 40.

That is when the Giants went to the running game as Jacobs carried the ball four times for 37 yards on a seven-play drive that culminated with a 19-yard touchdown pass from Manning to Burress to increase the Giants’ lead to 28-16 with 9:12 left in the third quarter.

Now facing their largest deficit of the season, the Patriots got the ball at their own 27 and rode the arm of Brady as he completed five straight passes for 59 yards to get New England to the Giants’ 16-yard-line.

Two plays later, Moss drew a pass interference penalty on linebacker Gerris Wilkinson, giving the Patriots a 1st-and-goal at the one-yard-line.

An illegal formation penalty pushed New England back five yards, but running back Lawrence Maroney would punch it in from six yards out to cut the New York lead to 28-23 with four minutes to play in the third quarter.

The Giants would start their ensuing possession at their own 40 after a 26-yard return by Hixon and drove to the New England 41-yard-line until Manning was sacked for a 14-yard loss by Adelius Thomas, killing the drive and forcing the Giants to punt.

After both teams punted on their next drives, the Patriots took at their own 35-yard-line with 11:29 to play.

After an incomplete pass on 1st down, Brady went deep for Moss, but the ball was underthrown and dropped by Moss.

However on 3rd down, the Patriots went back to the same play as Brady threw it deep and hit Moss in stride to complete a 65-yard touchdown that not only gave the Patriots, but also gave Brady the record for most touchdowns passes in a season(50) and Moss the record for most touchdown receptions in a season(23).

New England would for two after the touchdown and when Maroney ran in the successful two-point conversion, the Patriots had a 31-28 lead with exactly 11 minutes to play in the fourth quarter.

The Giants try to mount a response on their ensuing possession until Manning was intercepted by cornerback Ellis Hobbs at the Patriots’ 48-yard-line.

Brady would found Donte Stallworth for a 17-yard gain on the first play of the drive, but was sacked on the next play by linebacker Reggie Torbor for a 10-yard loss setting up a 2nd-and-20.

However, Brady got out of the jam as hit back-to-back passes to Welker and Kevin Faulk for 22 yards to give the Patriots a 1st down at Giants’ 23-yard-line.

The Giants defense put Brady in another desperate situation as two runs by Maroney gained only one yard, setting up a 3rd-and-9.

But Brady would connect with Welker for 12 yards and another 1st down, and two plays later Maroney scored his second touchdown of the game on a five-yard run to give the Patriots their largest lead of the game at 38-28.

Now needing two scores, the Giants took over at their own 32-yard-line with 4:30 to play in regulation.

A Patriots fan holds up a 16-0 sign after New England's 38-35 win completed the first undefeated regular season in 35 years.

Manning would complete six of eight passes on a 11-play, 68-yard drive, the last completion being a three-yard touchdown pass to Burress, who made a one-handed grab for the touchdown that brought the Giants to within three points, 38-35 with 1:04 left.

With little time left and only one timeout in their pocket, the Giants had no choice but to try for the onside kick.

But after linebacker Mike Vrabel recovered the kick and Brady kneeled the ball three times to run out the clock, the Patriots had finished the regular season undefeated, with a hard-fought 38-35 win.

The Patriots became just the fourth team in NFL history to finish a regular season undefeated as they joined the 1972 Dolphins and the 1934 and 1942 Chicago Bears in that accomplishment.

The Patriots would keep their undefeated season alive with wins over the Jacksonville Jaguars and San Diego Chargers to return to the Super Bowl where they faced the Giants, who rode the momentum of their strong performance against into the playoffs as they defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Dallas Cowboys, and Green Bay Packers, all on the road to make it to the Super Bowl and get a rematch with New England.

That is where the Giants shattered the dreams of the Patriots, thanks to David Tyree’s “Helmet Catch”, which set up Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Burress with 35 seconds left that gave New York a 17-14 win and the NFL championship.

The loss in the Super Bowl earned the 2007 Patriots the “Best Team That Didn’t Win A Super Bowl” on an episode of the NFL Network’s show “Top 10”, a countdown show of the greatest moments, teams, players, and performances.

But there are some Patriots fans who take pride in fact that their team is the only one to go undefeated in a 16-game regular season.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Allen's Amazing INT Return Saves Philly

Eric Allen(21) begins his run to immorality with his 94-yard game-winning interception return against the Jets.

Many of the most remembered plays in NFL history occur in the postseason like “The Immaculate Reception” or “The Catch” because of the stakes are higher as one team moves on toward the Super Bowl while another team’s season and dreams come to an end.

Rarely due great plays in the regular season get special recognition in the annals of NFL football unless a player makes such a spectacular play it has to be remembered.

This data visualization is not affiliated with, nor sponsored by, any player or sports organizationThat is the case with Eric Allen and his 94-yard interception return for a Philadelphia Eagles touchdown against the New York Jets on October 3, 1993, a play that was so amazing that NFL Films declared it the greatest interception in NFL history.

The Eagles were riding high off to a 3-0 start under third-year head coach Rich Kotite, who did something his more famous predecessor Buddy Ryan couldn’t do, win a playoff game the year before.

The Eagles’ quarterback was the dynamic Randall Cunningham, who had recovered from a torn ACL injury he occurred in the opening game of the 1991 season.

But the Eagles’ strength was their “Gang Green” defense which had been among the league’s best for the last several years.

However, the defense suffered a huge blow during the offseason when defensive end Reggie White left the team in the first season of free agency and signed with the Green Bay Packers.

Allen, a 3-time Pro Bowler, would have to take up a bigger role in the leadership of the Eagles’ defense with the departure of White.

While the Eagles lost their defensive leader the offseason, the Jets appeared to make some major upgrades for the 1993 season.

New York signed nine-time Pro Bowl safety Ronnie Lott and then traded a 3rd round draft pick to acquire Boomer Esiason from the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Jets also traded for running back Johnny Johnson from the Arizona Cardinals and used their first round pick to select linebacker Marvin Jones.

With the new additions to the roster, the pressure was on head coach Bruce Coslet, who was entering his fourth season in New York, to guide the Jets to a playoff run.

New York, who entered the game with a 2-1 record, had a chance to make a major statement as they hosted the undefeated Eagles in a game that was big enough to have Pat Summerall and John Madden call the game for CBS.

The Jets got the ball to start the game and drove 78 yards in 11 plays, culminating with a 7-yard touchdown pass from Esiason to James Thornton that put New York up 7-0.

It got better for the Jets when cornerback James Hasty stripped the ball from Eagles wide receiver Fred Barnett and returned it 30 yards to the Eagles’ 14-yard-line, leading to Esiason’s 14-yard touchdown pass to tight end Johnny Mitchell to give the Jets 2 touchdowns in in a span of 2 minutes and 14 seconds, and a 14-0 lead.

It was a forgettable first quarter for the Eagles as they ran only five plays and had no 1st downs.

They finally got their first 1st down of the game early in the 2nd quarter but on the very next play, Cunningham was picked off by Lott at the Eagles’ 34-yard-line.

Four plays later, the Jets were in the end zone again as Esiason connected with Mitchell for a 12-yard touchdown to increase the New York lead to 21-0.

Randall Cunningham is carried off the field after breaking his left leg.

After an exchange of punts, the Eagles’ offense finally got going as they went no-huddle and drove 78 yards in 8 plays, ending with a 8-yard touchdown run by Herschel Walker that cut the deficit to 21-7.

However during the drive, the Eagles lost Barnett for the rest of the season to a torn anterior cruciate ligament.

But it would get worse for the Eagles on their next possession when Cunningham, scrambling out of the pocket, was sandwiched by Jets defensive tackles Marvin Washington and Scott Mersereau, breaking the fibula in his left leg when he planted his foot to try and throw a pass.

Without their star quarterback, the Eagles had to turn to Bubby Brister, who had been signed as a free agent during the offseason after playing seven years in Pittsburgh.

Brister came in with the Eagles at their own 40-yard-line and 3:02 let before halftime with his team down 21-7.

All Bristed did was guide the Eagles to the Jets’ 10-yard-line in five plays and then when fire a pass that was almost intercepted by linebacker Bobby Houston only to be caught by Bavaro at the 5, who then barrelled over cornerback Earl Thomas to get in the end zone for the 10-yard touchdown that brought the Eagles back to within seven points, 21-14 as the first half came to a close.

Even with Cunningham and Barnett out, the Eagles had to feel good about their chances since they had scored the last 14 points, had held the Jets offense in check after their 21-point barrage in the game’s first 18 minutes, and were getting the ball to start the second half.

But that momentum did not carry over as the Eagles went 3-and-out on their first drive of the half and gave the ball back to the Jets who took over at their own 35-yard-line, where it took them only one play to get back into the end zone when Esiason connected with Mitchell for their third touchdown of the game, a 65-yarder that pushed New York’s lead back into double digits at 28-14 just 1:44 into the third quarter.

The Eagles punted again on their next possession, but got a break from their defense when linebacker Tim Harris knocked the ball out of the arms of Johnson, leading to a fumble that was recovered by fellow Eagles linebacker William Thomas at the Jets’ 17-yard-line.

Three plays later, Brister found Calvin Williams for a 11-yard touchdown and the Eagles were back to within a touchdown at 28-21 with 9:52 to play in the third quarter.

After forcing a Jets punt, Brister lead the Eagles on a 13-play, 87-yard drive that included two key third down conversions; a 23-yard run by Brister and a 16-yard pass to Bavaro.

The drive ended 1:19 into the fourth quarter when Vaughn Hebron ran it in from one yard out to tie the game at 28.

But on the very next play from scrimmage, Esiason found Chris Burkett for a 60-yard gain putting the Jets at the Eagles’ 20-yard-line and in prime position to retake the lead.

However on 1st-and goal from the 10-yard-line, Esiason overthrew Burkett and was intercepted by safety Rich Miano at the four-yard-line, giving the ball back to Philadelphia.

Two plays later, the Jets pass rush got to Brister and forced to him back into his end zone, where he made a throw that lead the referees to call intentional grounding, which since it was in the end zone was a safety, giving the Jets two points and the lead back at 30-28, plus a free kick by the Eagles giving the ball back to the Jets.

Boomer Esiason threw four touchdown passes but his two 4th quarter interceptions proved costly for the Jets.

Adrian Murrell’s return of the free kick to the 50-yard-line and roughing the passer penalty on defensive tackle Keith Millard had the Jets at the Eagles’ 20-yard-line facing 2nd-and-9.

That is when Allen struck for his electrifying return.

Esiason faked a handoff and threw a pass toward the right sideline intended for Burkett.

But the pass was overthrown and intercepted by Allen at the six-yard-line, who looked to get out of bounds because he was pinned, but instead made a move toward to his left to miss Burkett, then to dodge Terrance Mathis’ attempt made a 180-degree spin at the 10-yard-line.

Allen found a hole up the middle of the field and ran through it for several yards, dodging

Esiason’s arm tackle at the 25-yard-line, to continue running toward the left sideline where he had some more room.

As Allen ran into Jets territory, fellow defensive back Ben Smith asked for Allen to pitch him the ball so he could run into the end zone but Allen refused.

Instead, Smith give his teammate a block on Mitchell at the New York 25, the Jets’ last attempt at a tackle, allowing for Allen to complete his astonishing 94-yard touchdown return.

As he made his way through the end zone, Allen found Cunningham in the tunnel and immediately gave him the ball as the Eagles celebrated their first lead of the game at 35-30.

Despite the unbelievable turn of events, there was still 8:43 to play and a chance for the Jets to save themselves.

However, they could not get past their own 25-yard-line on their next two possessions and were forced to punt, but the Eagles offense stalled and could not get enough 1st downs to run out the clock, forcing them to punt the ball back to the Jets who took over at their own 20-yard-line with 2:54 left.

It seemed that the Jets would not get past the 25-yard-line again as three incomplete passes forced a 4th-and-10.

That is when Esiason went deep and found Mitchell again for the 1st down who appeared to be on his way to the end zone only to be tackled by safety Wes Hopkins at the Eagles’ 43-yard-line after a 37-yard gain.

Six plays later, the Jets were faced with another 4th down, this time at the Eagle’ 28-yard-line and needing seven yards.

Esiason looked for anyone to throw to, but could not find a receiver and was forced to scramble.

Esiason was poised to get the 1st down until he was tackled by linebacker Byron Evans at the 23-yard-line, two yards short of the 1st down and giving the ball to the Eagles who ran out the remaining 69 seconds on the clock to come away with a 35-30 win.

While the Eagles would go to win the battle, they would lose the war as Cunningham and Barnett were lost for the season, leading Philadelphia toward a downward spiral as they lost their next six games to finish the season with a 8-8 record and out of the playoffs.

As for the Jets, they lost their next two games before going on a five-game winning streak and were poised for a playoff berth as they stood at 8-5 with three games to go in the season, only to lose those three games to finish 8-8 and out of the playoffs, which led to the firing of Coslet.

Allen remained with the Eagles through the 1994 season when he left and signed with the New Orleans Saints where he played from 1995-1997, before going to the Oakland Raiders and playing from 1998-2001 until his retirement after 14 seasons.

He finished his career with 54 interceptions, which is currently tied for 21st in NFL history. with his most memorable pick being the one against the Jets.

College Football Old School Game of The Week: Michigan Gives Carr Win in Final Game

Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr is carried on the shoulders of his players after the Wolverines upset the Florida Gators in the 2008 Capital One Bowl.

Lloyd Carr was not expected to be the head coach of the Michigan Wolverines football team, but on May 13, 1995, the man who had been an assistant at Michigan for 15 years and the defensive coordinator for the previous eight seasons, was named interim head coach when his boss, head coach Gary Moeller, resigned following his arrest for a drunken outburst at a bar.
In his first game, Carr's Wolverines came back from a 17-0 4th quarter deficit to defeat the Virginia Cavaliers 18-17, with quarterback Scott Driesbach throwing the game-winning touchdown pass to Mercury Hayes on the final play of the game.

Carr admits even Michigan had lost that game he never would have been named the permanent head coach which he was named on November 13, 1995.
Carr continued the success at Michigan that his former boss, the legendary Bo Schembechler and predecessor Moeller had had, as Carr would lead Michigan to 121 wins in 13 seasons, including winning a least a share of five Big 10 titles, taking the Wolverines to the Rose Bowl four times, and winning the AP national championship in 1997.
But following a disappointing 8-4 season in 2007 which including the Wolverines' humiliating season opening loss to Division I-AA Appalachian State and a 14-9 defeat to rival Ohio State in the regular season finale, the program's sixth loss to the Buckeyes in seven years, there are growing callas amongst fans of "Big Blue" for Carr to go.
Two days following the defeat to Ohio State, Carr announced he would be stepping down as Michigan's head coach following their bowl game, which turned out to be the Capital One Bowl at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando on New Year's Day.
The Wolverines' opponent that day would be the Florida Gators, who entered the game ranked #9 in the country despite a 9-3 record as their three losses were by a combined 19 points(20-17 to Auburn, 28-24 to LSU, and 42-30 to Georgia).
The Gators were led by head coach Urban Meyer, who had directed Florida to the national championship one year prior, and Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow at quarterback, who entered the bowl game having accounted for nearly 4,000 yards of total offense and 51 touchdowns(29 passing, 22 rushing).
Playing just almost two hours away from their campus in Gainesville and with Tebow at quarterback, the Gators were excepted to knock off the Wolverines and spoil Carr's chance at getting a fairy tale ending to his career.
The Wolverines got the ball to start the game and drove 93 yards in 12 plays, which included this spectacular behind-the-back catch by Adrian Arrington on the third play of the drive.

The drive culminated with a 21-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Chad Henne to wide receiver Mario Manningham, one play after Henne was called for intentional grounding, as Michigan took a 7-0 lead four minutes into the game.
On the ensuing kickoff, the Gators were going to great field position as Michigan kicker Bryan Wright pooched kicked the kickoff, keeping it away from the dangerous Percy Harvin, but disaster almost struck as tight end Aaron Hernandez fumbled the kick, only to recover it to give Florida the ball at their own 42-yard-line.
From there, Tebow guided the Gator offense to the Michigan 32-yard-line where kicker Joey Iljas was set up with a 49-yard field goal attempt, only to have the kick go wide right, keeping it a 7-0 game in favor of the Wolverines.
The Florida defense forced a three-and-out and got the ball back at their 41-yard-line following a 18-yard punt return by Brandon James.
Tebow would get the drive started with a 19-yard run and end it with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Harvin that with the extra point tied the game 7-7 with 2:37 left in the first quarter.
The Florida defense would force another three-and-out and were in prime position to take the lead after James returned the ensuing punt 23 yards that with a 15-yard penalty on the Wolverines put the Gators at the Michigan 29-yard-line.
Three plays later, the Gators were back in the end zone as Tebow threw a 18-yard touchdown pass to Andre Caldwell to give Florida a 14-7 lead, 12 seconds into the second quarter.

2007 Heisman Trophy Winner Tim Tebow would account for four of the Gators' five touchdowns in the 2008 Capital One Bowl.

The Wolverines would respond with a 12-play, 56-yard touchdown drive, with Henne completing four of seven passes for 46 yards on the drive as the senior quarterback rushed for the game-tying touchdown from three yards out to tie the game 14-14 with under 10 minutes to play in the second quarter.
On the ensuing kickoff, Wright decided to keep deep and got a touchback, but it was all for naught as Harvin would run for 66 yards on the next play from scrimmage as the Gators had a 1st-and-goal the Michigan three-yard-line when Carr called timeout to have his defense regroup.
The timeout worked as not only the Michigan defense held the Gators out of the end zone, but pushed them back to the 17-yard-line following a sack of Tebow by senior defensive back Jamar Adams.
It got better for the Wolverines as Iljas' 35-yard field goal attempt was blocked by defensive tackle Terrance Taylor, giving Michigan the ball at their 24-yard-line.
Following a seven-yard run by Manningham, Henne connected with Carson Butler for a 65-yard pass play that had the Wolverines in business with a 1st-and-goal at the Florida four-yard-line.
But on the very next play, running back Mike Hart fumbled the ball after a hit by Gators defensive end Justin Trottou, which was recovered by linebacker Brandon Spikes at the four-yard-line.
The Gators would go three-and-out, giving the ball back to Michigan, who took over at their own 48-yard-line, only to turn it over for the second straight drive, as Henne on a deep pass by Florida free safety Major Wright at the Gators' one-yard-line.
The Gators were able to get out from near their end zone to drive 20 yards before punting the ball back to Michigan, who took over at their 38-yard-line with 2:39 before halftime.
That is when Henne went to work again as he completed three passes for 45 yards to give Michigan a 1st-and-goal at the Florida one-yard-line with 38 seconds left in the half and the Wolverines poised to take the lead.
However, disaster nearly struck on 1st down as Henne tried to sneak it in for the touchdown, only to fumble the football, which the quarterback recovered.
Following an incomplete pass on 2nd down, the Wolverines had time for one play before having to settle for a field goal.
They wouldn't need to settle for the kick as Henne threw a one-yard touchdown pass to Adrian Arrington with eight seconds left, giving the Wolverines a 21-14 lead as the first half came to a close.

In his final game, Michigan senior quarterback Chad Henne would go 25-of-39 for 373 yards and throw three touchdown passes.

The Gators were set to receive the ball to start the ball to start the second half, but no one on the Florida special teams unit was able to field the squib kick by Wright and when Michigan's Bryan Wright recovered the kick, the Wolverines had the ball at the Florida 37-yard-line.
Seven plays later, Michigan was back in the end zone as Hart punched it in from one yard out to extend the Wolverines' lead to 28-14, just 2:10 into the second half.
The Gators would respond with a 10-play, 56-yard touchdown run that ended with a one-yard touchdown run by Tebow to cut the deficit in half to 28-21 midway through the third quarter.
Michigan got the ball back at their 33-yard-line and proceeded to drive to the Florida six-yard-line on the right arm of Henne as he completed three passes for 47 yards.
But once again, Hart fumbled the football, as he was lost the ball when he was stretching out for the touchdown.
The loose ball went into the end zone which was recovered by Wright for a touchback, leading to the Gators' eight-play, 80-yard drive that culminated with a 14-yard touchdown pass from Tebow to Caldwell that with Iljas' extra point tied the game at 28 with 1:26 left in the third quarter.
The Wolverines took over at their 30-yard-line as the Wolverine offense drove to the Florida 15-yard-line until a clipping penalty help kill the drive and force a 37-yard field goal attempt by K.C. Lopata.
But Lopata's kick was good and the Wolverines had the lead once again, 31-28 with 12:16 left in the fourth quarter.
After the Michigan defense forced a three-and-out, the Wolverines got the ball at their 26-yard-line and drove 21 yards until Henne was picked off by Florida's Mike Pouncey, who had been inserted into the defensive line after several injuries, and returned it nine yards to the Michigan 34-yard-line.
Five plays later, Tebow connected with Harvin for a 10-yard touchdown to give the Gators their first lead of the game, 35-31 with 5:49 left in regulation.
Following a 15-yard return by Brandon Minor on the ensuing kickoff, the Wolverines had the ball at their own 33-yard-line.
Henne would connect with Greg Matthews for six yard on 1st down, then found Arrington again, who made another highlight catch, when he caught the ball with one arm, for a 37-yard-gain, to give Michigan a 1st down at the Florida 24-yard-line.

Then after a six-yard run by Hart, Arrington would strike again, this time catching Henne's pass up the middle for the go-ahead touchdown as Michigan retook the lead 38-35 with 4:12 to play in regulation.
After a touchback on the ensuing kickoff, the Gators took over at their 20-yard-line and only got six yards on three plays, presumably forcing a punt with 2:47 to go and the Gators with all three timeouts remaining.
However, Meyer decided to gamble and go for the 1st down, but it backfired as Tebow's pass fell incomplete giving the ball back to Michigan at the Florida 26-yard-line with 2:42 left and a chance to ice the game.
The Florida defense would rise to the occasion as they did not permit a 1st down as Michigan ran the ball three straight times, forcing the Gators to burn their timeouts, and settle for a 41-yard field goal by Kopata to extend the lead to 41-35 with 2:21 left in the game.

Michigan wide receiver Adrian Arrington stole the show with some spectacular catches as he caught nine passes for 153 yards and two touchdowns.

James returned the ensuing kickoff 23 yards to give Tebow and the Gators the ball at their 23-yard-line, needing a touchdown and an extra point to win.
But Tebow threw four straight incomplete passes, giving the ball back to Michigan, where Henne took a knee three times to run out the clock and give Lloyd his 122nd and final victory as the Wolverines upset the Gators 41-35.
Tebow and the Gators would rebound the following season as they won their second national championship in three seasons, then went 13-1 the following season which ended with a 51-24 rout over the University of Cincinnati in the Sugar Bowl as Tebow went 31-of-35 for 482 yards in his final game as the Gators quarterback.
One year later, Meyer would step down as the Gators' head coach, only to return in 2012 as the head coach at Ohio State.
As for Michigan, they would go into a downward spiral following Carr's retirement as the program would go into mediocrity as the Wolverines would go lose more games over the next seven years then they did Carr's 13-year tenure as Michigan head coach as the program went 46-42 and had three losing seasons under the combined leadership of head coaches Rich Rodriguez and Brady Hoke.
The program seems back on track now with Jim Harbaugh as head coach as he has put together back-to-back 10 win seasons in Ann Arbor.
As for Carr, he would be enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame in 2011 and currently serves as a member of the College Football Playoff Committee.

2017 Southern 500 Throwback Paint Schemes

Ever since the Southern 500 in Darlington, South Carolina, come back to its traditional Labor Day race date back in 2015, NASCAR has started to off an old school feel to the event, declaring the weekend "Throwback Weekend" as many drivers drive paint schemes from NASCAR's past in the race.
And this year is no exception, as multiple drivers will be using paint schemes that honor some of the legends of the sport.
Now this is not a complete list of all the throwback paint schemes that will be run in this year's Southern 500, as some drivers will have paint schemes to honor their sponsor and have never been seen before.
The paint schemes that are included in this list are the ones that have been run in NASCAR or other auto racing series, with pictures of the paint scheme that will be run in the race on Sunday and the paint scheme that will be duplicating.
So without further adieu, here are some of the throwback paint schemes you can except in the 2017 Southern 500:
A.J. Allmendinger

Allmendinger will be paying tribute to Terry Labonte, who used a paint scheme similar to this when he won the 1984 Winston Cup Championship.

Aric Almirola

Almirola will honor his car owner, "The King" Richard Petty, with this paint scheme that Petty had when he won his 200th career race in the 1984 Firecracker 400 at Daytona in front of President Ronald Reagan.

Trevor Bayne

Bayne will be driving a paint scheme similar to the one Mark Martin used when he won his first career Cup race back in 1989.

Clint Bowyer

Just like Bayne, Bowyer will driving a paint scheme that resembles one used by Mark Martin, with this scheme that Martin used in the Busch Series(now Xfinity Series)from 1988-1991.

Ryan Blaney

Blaney will be driving a paint scheme similar to the one Kyle Petty used when he won the 1987 Coca-Cola 600 for the Wood Brothers, the team that Blaney is driving for at Darlington.

Chris Bueschler

Bueschler will honor former driver Patty Moise, the first female driver to lead a Xfinity series race, with this paint scheme that resembles the one Moise drove during the 1988 Xfinity series season.

Derrike Cope

Unlike most of the drivers on this list, Cope will actually be honoring himself as the 1990 Daytona 500 winner will be driving a paint scheme he used from 1994-1996 when he drove for Bobby Allison.

Matt DiBenedetto

Speaking of Bobby Allison, DiBendetto will be using a paint scheme similar to the one Bobby drove to victory in the 1988 Daytona 500.

Austin Dillon

Dillon will be paying tribute to the the man most famous for driving the #3 car, Dale Earnhardt, will this paint scheme that closely resembles the famous Wrangler paint scheme that Earnhardt drove to 22 Cup victories and back-to-back championships in 1986 + 87.

Ty Dillon

Austin's younger brother, Ty, will pay tribute to car owner Smokey Yunick, who had this paint scheme driven by three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Johnny Rutherford, back in 1963.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.

In his final Southern 500, Junior will be using a paint scheme similar to the AC-Delco paint scheme that he used in 1998-99 as he drove to back-to-back Xfinity championships and won 13 races.

Jeffrey Earnhardt

Dale Jr.'s nephew and son of Kerry, Dale Sr.'s first child, will pay tribute to his famous grandfather with this paint scheme that closely resembles the one "The Intimidator" drove in the 1989 Xfinity series race in Daytona.

Chase Elliott

Chase will pay tribute to his famous father Bill with this paint scheme that is similar to the one "Awesome Bill from Dawsonville" used when he made his Cup debut back in 1976.

Denny Hamlin

Hamlin will be going outside of the Cup series and into the modified series with his throwback paint scheme that pays tribute to Ray Hendrick(no relation to Rick Hendrick) who was known as Mr. Modified as he won over 700 late-model stock races during his legendary career.

Kasey Kahne

Kahne will pay tribute to his car owner, Rick Hendrick, will this almost identical duplicate paint scheme that was used by Geoff Bodine from 1985-1989, which Bodine drove to four victories, including the 1986 Daytona 500.

Brad Keselowski

Keselowski will be bringing up one of the most iconic paint schemes in NASCAR history, Rusty Wallace's famous Miller Genuine Draft black #2, which he drove to 23 victories between 1991 and 1995.

Corey LaJoie

LaJoie, son of two-time Xfinity series champ Randy, will pay tribute to another second generation driver with this paint scheme that is close to the one Davey Allison, son of Bobby Allison, used in the Xfinity Series in 1984 and 1985.

Kyle Larson

Larson will be driving a paint scheme that is similar to the one used by Kyle Petty for the 1995 Cup Season which he drove during his eighth and final Cup victory at the spring race at Dover.

Joey Logano

Just like Denny Hamlin, Logano will be using a paint scheme outside of NASCAR as his throwback paint scheme will honor Indycar driver Jimmy Vasser, a paint scheme similar to this in the 2002 CART season(not Indycar because the IRL-CART split was still in effect in 2002).

Michael McDowell

It is fitting that the team McDowell will honor Alan Kulwucki because the team McDowell drives for operates out of the same shop that Kulwucki's team did as McDowell will be driving a paint scheme similar to the one the 1992 Cup Champion used during his rookie season in 1986.

Jamie McMurray

McMurray's paint scheme will bear resemblance to the Hawaiian Tropic #1 car that was driven by Donnie Allison in the famous 1979 Daytona 500, where Donnie crashed with Cale Yarborough while battling for the win on the final lap, leading to a fight between the two after the race was over.

Ryan Newman

Just like his teammate Austin Dillon, Newman will be driving a paint scheme that resembles the Dale Earnhardt Wrangler paint scheme which Earnhardt used for car owner Richard Childress from 1984-1987.

Danica Patrick

Patrick will pay tribute to Dale Jarrett, with this paint scheme that is similar to the one Jarrett used from 1996-2000 as he won 20 races, including two Daytona 500s, and the 1999 Cup Championship.

Reed Sorenson

Sorenson will drive a scheme that was used by legendary owner Bud Moore, who owned the car number #15 for decades, with this paint scheme that is similar to the one driven by Brett Bodine in 1989 and Morgan Shepherd in 1990 while driving for Mr. Moore.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Stenhouse will pay homage to one of the most famous drivers that used the number #17 in the Cup series, Darrell Waltrip, with this paint scheme that closely resembles the one DW used in the 1997 season.

Cody Ware

Ware will pay tribute to the 1990 movie Days of Thunder with the Mello Yello scheme that Tom Cruise's character Cole Trickle ran at the conclusion of the movie, plus have a logo to pay tribute to the victims of Hurricane Harvey in Texas.

Cole Whitt

Whitt will honor his grandfather, "Gentlemen" Jim Whitt, with this paint scheme, nicknamed the "Lime Green Machine", which Jim drove in five Cup races between the years 1972 and '73.