NFL Old School Game of the Week: Rams Pull Off Playoff Shocker Over America's Team

Ron Smith runs away from the Cowboys as he scores the game-winning touchdown in the Rams' 1979 Divisional Playoff win over Dallas.

As they entered the 1979 Playoffs, the Los Angeles Rams were not considered a threat to make it to the Super Bowl.
In fact, they were just lucky to be in the playoffs with a 9-7 record, the worst record of the 10 teams in the NFL Playoffs that season.
But the Rams shocked the world as they put together a Cinderella run to the Super Bowl which began with thier Divisional Playoff upset over the Dallas Cowboys.
The Rams had been one of the winningist teams during the 1970s as they won the NFC West every year from 1973 through 1978.
But the Rams had earned a reputation as chokers as they had made it to the NFC Championship Game four times during that span, including three in a row from 1974-76, only to lose all four times.
The Rams were known then for a ground-control offense and a stout defense under head coach Chuck Knox, who coached the team from 1973-77 before leaving to become head coach of the Buffalo Bills in 1978 as he was replaced by defensive coordinator Ray Malavasi, who kept Knox's formula of running the ball and playing good defense.
It seemed the formula that had worked for so long began to show cracks in 1979 as the team was 5-6 in the middle of November and in danger of missing the playoffs.
That is when second-year quarterback Vince Ferragamo became the starter, taking over for  Pat Haden who Haden broke his pinkie finger on his right hand, and led the Rams to four straight wins to clinch their seventh straight NFC West division title, despite their 9-7 record.
Odds were long that this would finally be the year for the Rams would reach the Super Bowl as traveled to Dallas to take on the Cowboys, the #1 seed in the NFC.
Dallas had been to the Super Bowl the previous two seasons, winning in 1977 against the Denver Broncos and losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1978, and were expected to make another trip to the Super Bowl which would be their sixth in nine years.
Led by head coach Tom Landry and quarterback Roger Staubach, who despite being 37, had maybe the best season of his career as he had career highs in completions(267) passing yards(3,586) and touchdown passes(27) in leading Dallas to a 11-5 record which included a memorable come-from-behind 35-34 win over their division rival the Washington Redskins in the last game of the regular season to clinch the #1 seed in the NFC.

Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach would struggle during Dallas' playoff game with the Rams as he completed 12 of 28 passes for 124 yards, but threw two touchdown passes.

Most of the first quarter was a defensive stalemate as neither team could put together a respectable drive with the only points of the quarter coming on a safety.
With the Rams backed up at their seven-yard-line, Ferragamo dropped back to pass, but slipped in the end zone, leading to Cowboys defensive tackle Randy White sacking him in the end zone to give Dallas a 2-0 lead with 5:40 lead and the ball as the Rams had to kick the ball back to the Cowboys.
Dallas took over at their 46-yard-line following the free kick with a chance to increase their land but Staubach was intercepted by Rams free safety Eddie Brown, whose 21-yard return gave the Rams the ball at the Cowboys' 32-yard-line.
However, the Rams could not take advantage of the turnover as they gained only seven yards in three plays, forcing a 44-yard field goal attempt by Frank Corral, which he missed.
The game was still 2-0 midway through the second quarter when the Rams were backed up again, this time starting thier drive at their eight-yard-line.
But the Rams avoided another potential safety as running back Wendell Tyler ran for a 35-yard gain on the first play of the drive to get Los Angeles out of harm's way.
The running of Tyler and Cullen Bryant led the Rams to the Cowboys' 36-yard-line where they faced a 4th-and-1 when Malvasi decided to go for the 1st down.
The gamble paid off as Bryant ran for four yards to pick up the 1st down at the 32-yard-line, which was followed by  Ferragamo lofted a pass over the head of Cowboys linebacker D.D. Lewis and into the hands of Tyler, who made the catch at the 15-yard-line and then ran in to complete the 32-yard touchdown pass to give LA its first lead of the game, 7-2 with over five minutes left in the first half.
The Cowboys responded to the touchdown by putting together their best drive of the half as Staubach, who did not complete a pass in the first quarter, hit a pair of 17-yard passes, one to Drew Pearson and the other to tight end Billy Joe Dupree, to set up Rafael Septein's 33-yard-field goal to culminate the 10-play, 54-yard drive and cut the Rams' lead to 7-5 with 55 seconds left in the first half.
With the Rams at their 30-yard-line and such little time left, the Cowboys and many fans assumed that Los Angeles would just run out the clock and go into the halftime break with a 7-5 lead.
But the Rams shocked the Cowboys by being aggressive as Ferragamo completed a 15-yard pass to Preston Dennard, then hit Ron Smith for 12 yards to put the Rams at the Cowboys 43-yard-line with 17 seconds left.
Then after an incomplete pass, Ferragamo dropped back and fired a deep pass intended for Smith, who was double covered by cornerback Aaron Kyle and strong safety Randy Hughes.
But the ball was able to land in the hands of Smith, who made the catch in the end zone for the shocking 43-yard touchdown with three seconds left, increasing the Rams' lead to 14-5 as the first half came to a close.

During the halftime break, the Rams medical staff was trying to determine the extent of an injury to defensive end Jack Youngblood, who had been taken out of the game after a chop block.

They found out that his left fibula was broken and recommended that he return to the game.
But Youngblood told the doctors to tape up the leg and gave him two Aspirin which they did, allowing the all-Pro end to play the rest of the game
This began the legend of Youngblood as a warrior as he would play the rest of this game and the rest of the postseason, including the Pro Bowl, with a broken leg and still be effective as evident by this sack of Staubach in the second half.

Early in the third quarter, the Cowboys were given an opportunity to cut into the Los Angeles lead as defensive back Dennis Thurman intercepted a Ferragamo pass and made a 18-yard return to the Rams' 34-yard-line.
However, the Cowboys would lose three yards on three plays and were forced to punt the ball back to the Rams, who in turn punted the ball back to the Cowboys, who took over at their 46-yard-line.
The Dallas drive began with Staubach firing a pass over the middle for Drew Pearson, who made the catch and was tackled after a 29-yard gain at the Rams' 25-yard-line.
Then on the next snap, Landry decided to cross up the Rams with a halfback option pass from Ron Springs, whose pass was caught by Tony Hill in the end zone, but the pass was ruled incomplete as Hill's left foot stepped out of bounds before he had possession.
But that did not stop the Cowboys as they would were pick up 10 more yards on the running of Tony Dorsett and Robert Newhouse, setting up a 2nd-and-10 from the 15-yard-line where Staubach threw a pass intended for Dorsett in the end zone.
The pass was intercepted but LA linebacker Jim Youngblood(no relation to Jack)was called for pass interference, giving the Cowboys a 1st-and-goal at the one-yard-line, where on the very next play, Springs dove in for the touchdown to cut the Rams' lead to 14-12 with 7:35 left in the third quarter.
Following the touchdown, the Rams drove to the Cowboys' 43-yard-line with a chance to increase their lead, only to have Ferragamo get intercepted again, this time by free safety Cliff Harris, whose 21-yard-return gave Dallas the ball at their 43-yard-line.
Eleven plays later, the Cowboys had the lead as Staubach connected with tight end Jay Saldi for a two-yard touchdown to give Dallas a 19-14 lead with 12:46 left in the fourth quarter.
 Staubach had to be helped off the field following the touchdown as he was hit hard by Rams linebacker Jack Reynolds after he fired the pass, but he would return to the game.

Meanwhile, the Rams drove into Cowboys territory again, this time to the Dallas 32-yard-line where they faced a 4th-and-8 with over seven minutes to go.
Malavasi could have called on for a field goal to cut the lead to two points and hope his defense could stop Staubach to give his offense the ball back and a chance for the game-winning field goal.
But Malavasi decided to go for the 1st down and appeared to have gotten it when Ferragamo's pass for Drew Hill fell incomplete, only to have back judge Ray Douglas threw a flag, calling pass interference on Harris and giving the Rams a 1st down at the Dallas 19-yard-line.
But field judge Charley Musser overruled Douglas, and the flag was rescinded, meaning the Rams had failed on 4th down and Dallas would have the ball at the Los Angeles 32-yard-line with 6:59 left in the game.
It seemed like the Cowboys were going to increase thier lead as Dorsett ran for 26 yards on the next play from scrimmage to put Dallas at the Rams' 42-yard-line, only to have the LA defense rise up and force a Dallas punt, giving the Rams the ball back at their 20-yard-line with 4:22 to go.
Just like the Cowboys' possession before, the Rams got a big gain on the first play from scrimmage as Ferragamo connected with Billy Waddy for 36 yards to put LA at the Dallas 44-yard-line.
But a holding penalty helped kill the drive and the Rams were forced to punt the ball back to the Cowboys, who took over at their 21-yard-line with 2:45 to go and a chance to run out the clock.
However, the Rams defense came up large as they forced a three-and-out to get the ball back at exactly the 50-yard-line with 2:16 left and a chance to drive for the winning score.
That is when Ferragamo dropped back 10 yards and fired a pass down the middle, that was tipped by Cowboys linebacker Mike Hegman, but landed in the hands of Waddy, who made the catch at the Dallas 27-yard-line and then outran the rest of the Cowboys defense to complete the 50-yard touchdown and give the Rams a 21-19 lead with just 2:06 to go.

Even though the Rams had the lead, they knew they were not out of the woods yet, especially with Staubach at quaterback.
After the Cowboys returned the ensuing kickoff to the 21-yard-line, Staubach had 1:57 left to pull off another miracle.
The drive got off to a good start as Dorsett picked up 12 yards on a reverse for a Dallas 1st down at their 33-yard-line.
But Staubach's next two passes, both intended for Hill were incomplete, which was followed by Staubach being called for intentional grounding on 3rd down, leading to a loss of 10 yards and loss of down to force a 4th-and-20 at the 23-yard-line.
The Cowboys' hopes for a miracle were not answered as Staubach's pass went over the head of Pearson, turning the ball over on downs and allowing for Los Angeles to run out the clock which they did, to complete the Rams' 21-19 shocking upset over the Cowboys.

Vince Ferragamo only completed nine of 21 passes for 210 yards, but three of those completions were for touchdowns, including the game-winner with over two minutes to go.

The Rams rode the momentum of their upset of the Cowboys the following week into Tampa Bay where they defeated the Buccaneers 9-0 in the NFC Championship Game to earn thier first trip to the Super Bowl, where they faced off with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Despite being heavy underdogs, the Rams traded blows with the Steelers and held a 19-17 lead in the 4th quarter when Pittsburgh quarterback Terry Bradshaw threw a 73-yard touchdown pass to John Stallworth for the go-ahead touchdown, then connected with Stallworth for a 45-yard completion to help set up Franco Harris' one-yard touchdown run which put the game away as the Steelers won 31-19.
Ferragamo remained the Rams' starting quarterback the following season as he threw for 30 touchdown passes in the 1980 regular season and lead Los Angeles to the playoffs for the eighth consecutive year, only to be eliminated by the Dallas Cowboys 34-13 in the NFC Wild Card Game.
Ferragamo would leave the Rams for the Canadian Football League for the 1981 season after a contract dispute, but returned to the Rams in 1982 and regained the starting quarterback job as he led them to the playoffs in 1983 and another win over the Cowboys.
But Ferragamo's career took a turn for the worse in the third game of the 1984 season as he broke his right hand, knocking him out for the rest of the season and ending his career in Los Angeles as he would play for the Buffalo Bills in 1985 and was the backup for the Green Bay Packers in 1986 before he decided to retire the 1986 season.
As for the Cowboys, the loss to the Rams marked the end of an era as Staubach would announce his retirement in March of 1980, handing the reins over to Danny White, who lead the Cowboys to three straight NFC Championship Games from 1980-82, but with the Cowboys losing each time.
In 1985, Staubach was selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame and is still regarded today as the greatest Dallas Cowboy of all time.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Steelers-Ravens Rivalry Heats Up

Plaxico Burress makes a one-handed touchdown catch in the Steelers' 26-21 win against the Ravens in 2001.

When it comes to rivalries in the National Football League, many fans consider the one between the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers as the best.

NFL fans often expect a hard-hitting, trash-talking, low-scoring affair as both teams pride themselves on their toughness and defenses.

But when did the bad blood between these two teams begin?

You can point a Sunday night game in December 2001 when the 10-2 Steelers traveled to Baltimore to face the defending Super Bowl champion Ravens.

The two teams had met six weeks earlier in Pittsburgh with the Ravens defeating the Steelers 13-10 despite being outgained 348-183 and not having starting quarterback Elvis Grbac in the line up.

The Ravens were aided by four missed field goals by Steelers kicker Kris Brown.

In the days before their rematch, Steelers wide receiver Plaxico Burress told the Pittsburgh media that “We(the Steelers) beat those guys up physically. We know it. All we have to do is go down there and beat them up again and hopefully come out of there with a win.”

This prompted the loquacious Ravens tight end Shannon Sharpe to respond by calling Burress “Plexigas”, implying that Burress was soft.

The Ravens also took offense to a comment from Steelers running back Jerome Bettis who said that Bengals linebacker Takeo Spikes was just as good as Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, it was that Lewis had a better supporting cast.

Sharpe responded to that comment by saying “Comparing Takeo Spikes to Ray Lewis is like comparing a homeless man to Bill Gates.”

The Ravens downplayed their opponent as well, when Lewis said that was no one on the Ravens’ first or second defensive team unit he would trade for any of the starters on the Steelers’ defense, despite the fact that Pittsburgh entered the game with the league’s best defense as they were holding opponents to an average of 12 points a game.

The stakes were also high entering this game as Pittsburgh had a chance to clinch the AFC Central if they defeated the 8-4 Ravens.

Lewis barked that no matter what “the road for the Super Bowl runs through Baltimore.”

The Ravens got the ball to start the game from their own 35-yard-line to the Pittsburgh 42-yard-line until Grbac was sacked by linebacker Jason Gildeon, killing the drive and forcing a Baltimore punt, giving the Steelers the ball at their own 23.

Using their running game and a 24-yard-pass from Stewart to Troy Edwards, the Steelers drove 73 yards in 13 plays, taking over eight minutes off the clock, to set up a chip shot 22-yard field goal for Brown, which he made to give Pittsburgh a 3-0 lead.

Elvis Grbac is drilled by Steelers linebacker Jason Gildeon.

After Corey Harris returned the ensuing kickoff 33 yards, the Ravens drove 56 yards in 8 plays, culminating with a 2-yard touchdown run by Grbac on the second play of the second quarter that put Baltimore on top, 7-3.

The Steelers would take over at their own 30 and drive to the Ravens’ 15-yard-line, thanks to two 3rd down completions from Stewart to Burress; the first for 14 yards on 3rd-and-7 at the Pittsburgh 33, then again for 32 yards on a 3rd-and-8 at their own 49.

Pittsburgh was faced with its third 3rd down of the drive, 3rd-and-6 at the Baltimore 15, but Stewart’s pass for Hines Ward fell incomplete, and the Steelers had to settle for another Brown field goal, this one from 33 yards out, that cut the Ravens to 7-6 with 9:29 left in the first half.

The Ravens got another great return on the ensuing kickoff as Jermaine Lewis’ 38-yard return gave Baltimore possession at their own 48.

However, the Ravens could travel to the Steelers’ 30 where they were forced to attempt a 48-yard field goal by Matt Stover, which he missed, giving the ball back to Pittsburgh at their own 38 with exactly six minutes to play before halftime.

There, Stewart led the Steelers on a 8-play, 62-yard drive, which ended with a 25-yard touchdown catch by Burress,who out jumped cornerback Chris McAlister to deflect the ball with one hand and then used that same hand to make the catch, which put Pittsburgh back in the lead at 13-7 with 1:52 to go in the half.

After giving up two big kick returns, Brown kicked it short giving the Ravens the ball back at their own 31-yard-line.

Five plays later, Grbac was intercepted by safety Chad Scott on a pass intended for Qadry Ismail, giving the Steelers the ball at the Baltimore 44 and a great chance to put more points on the board.

But a sack by linebacker Shannon Taylor forced the Steelers into a hail mary solution, which was unsuccessful keeping it a 13-7 game as the first half came to a close.

Despite the missed opportunity at the end of the half, the Steelers got the ball to start the second half.

Starting at their 16, Pittsburgh used a combination of short passes and runs to drive 49 yards in 11 plays to the Ravens’ 35-yard-line.

But that is when disaster appeared to strike as Stewart was intercepted by cornerback Chris McAlister, only to have pick nullified by a Ravens penalty as defensive end Rob Burnett was called for illegal hands to the face, giving Pittsburgh a fresh set of downs.

Stewart had the Steelers at the 14-yard-line after a 13-yard run, but lost 10 yards when tight end Jerame Tuman was called for offensive pass interference, then lost four more after a sack by Peter Boulware.

Stewart would get the Steelers back to the 14-yard-line for a 32-yard field goal attempt, but Brown’s kick bounced off the right upright, giving Pittsburgh zero points on a drive that took over 11 minutes.

Both teams would exchange punts for the rest of the third quarter as the score remained 13-7 in favor of Pittsburgh.

It seemed that the score was going to change early in the 4th quarter when Jermaine Lewis returned a Steeler punt 62 yards to the Pittsburgh’ 26-yard-line, giving the Ravens an excellent opportunity to retake the lead.

But on 2nd-and-5, Grbac was sacked for a five-yard-loss and then was called for a 15-yard taunting penalty after the play, forcing the Ravens back to their own 41-yard-line.

After an incomplete pass, the Ravens were forced to punt, but were able to pin the Steelers as Kyle Richardson’s 34-yard punt put Pittsburgh at their own seven-yard-line.

Bobby Shaw outruns Rod Woodson and Duane Starks for a 90-yard touchdown pass in the 4th quarter.

Two runs gained three yards forcing a 3rd-and-7 at the 10-yard-line and it seemed that the Ravens had the Steelers right where they wanted them.

That is when Stewart dropped back and fired a deep pass down the middle, that was caught by Bobby Shaw at the Baltimore 38 and then outraced the Raven secondary for a shocking 90-yard touchdown.

Pittsburgh went for two but the conversion failed keeping the score 19-7 with 8:53 to go in the game.

Brown kicked another short kick on the ensuing kickoff in hopes of avoiding a big return, but it backfired as Harris’ 32-yard return put Baltimore at the Pittsburgh 42.

Six plays later, Grbac found Ismail for a 14-yard touchdown to make it a one-score game at 19-14 with 6:36 remaining.

The Steelers took over at their own 28 and were faced with a 3rd-and-7 when Stewart connected with Burress again, this time for 38 yards that gave Pittsburgh a 1st down at the Baltimore’ 31-yard-line.

A pair of runs by Amos Zereoue for a total of 25 yards gave Pittsburgh a 1st-and-goal at the Ravens’ four-yard-line.

On 3rd-and-goal, fullback Dan Kreider punched it in from four yards out had a 26-14 lead with over three minutes to play.

Another short kick and another good return by Harris, this one for 23 yards, gave Baltimore the ball at their own 42 with 2:53 on the clock.

Having used up all their timeouts and needed two touchdowns, the Ravens had to go the air, but the Steeler defense allowed for Grbac to complete only short passes as it took Baltimore 11 plays to get in the end zone, a 5-yard pass from Grbac to Stokley to make it a 26-21 game with just 1:14 to play.

The Ravens attempted an onside kick but it was recovered by Shaw and after Stewart took a knee twice, the Steelers had come away with a 26-21 win and had clinched the AFC Central title.

After the game, the humbled Ravens gave their respect to the Steelers as Sharpe said that Burress could have his name back after Burress caught eight passes for 156 yards and that the Ravens “did a lot of talking and we didn’t back it up. They did a lot of talking and they backed it up.”

Five weeks later, the two teams would meet again in the AFC Divisional Playoffs in Pittsburgh where the Steelers dispatched of the Ravens 27-10 to advance to the AFC Championship Game, where they lost 24-17 to the New England Patriots.

The rivalry would continue into the 2002 season as realignment put the Ravens and the Steelers in AFC North Division along with the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns, meaning they would meet twice a year.

Since 2002, the two teams have met 29 times, with 14 of those meetings being decided by a field goal or less, and meeting each other three times in the playoffs, with the Steelers winning two of those contests.

NFL Old School Game of The Week: Steelers Dig Out of 21-0 Hole to Beat Ravens

After throwing three 1st quarter interceptions, Kordell Stewart to account for five touchdowns in leading the Steelers back from a three-touchdown deficit.

When Kordell Stewart entered the National Football League in 1995, the former Colorado Buffaloes quarterback was selected as a possible quarterback of the future for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

But Steelers head coach Bill Cowher and the rest of the coaching staff were so impressed with Stewart’s athleticism, that they decided to use him in a number of different ways to spark their offense, sometimes lining him up as a running back or wide receiver or even quarterback.

This earned Stewart the nickname “Slash” as his contributions helped the Steelers make their first trip to the Super Bowl in 16 years.

Even though starting quarterback Neil O'Donnell left Pittsburgh following the Super Bowl, Stewart still had to play the “Slash” role for the 1996 season as Mike Tomczak was the starting quarterback for the season.

Finally in 1997, Stewart become the Steelers’ starter as he led the 2-2 Steelers to Baltimore to face off with the 3-2 Ravens in Week 6 of the NFL season.

Football had returned to Baltimore in 1996 as Art Modell elected to move the Cleveland Browns to Baltimore but had to change the name of the team and keep all the records and history that Browns had accumulated in their 50 years of existence in Cleveland.

Essentially, that mean the Ravens were a brand new team even though most of the players from the 1995 Browns team would be playing in Baltimore.

The Ravens brought back another Baltimore legend in head coach Ted Marchibroda, who had led the Baltimore Colts to three straight AFC East titles back in the 1970s, and had used their two first round picks in the 1996 NFL Draft to pick players that would be part of the nucleus for the Ravens’ future in offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden and linebacker Ray Lewis.

Baltimore went 4-12 in 1996 and were hoping to improve upon that record in 1997 with quarterback Vinny Testaverde at the helm as they looked to match their win total of the previous year if they could beat the Steelers.

The Ravens got the ball to start the game and drove 25 yards from their own 21-yard-line to the 46-yard-line when Testaverde was intercepted by Steelers safety defensive back Carnell Lake, who returned the pick 11 yards to the Baltimore 43-yard-line.

However, on 3rd-and-9 from the 42-yard-line, Stewart gave the ball back to the Ravens as he was picked off by Baltimore cornerback Eugene Daniel, allowing for the Ravens to take over at their own 33-yard-line.

Testaverde rebounded from his early interception by completing back-to-back passes to Derrick Alexander for 31 yards to start the drive, then hit Jermaine Lewis for a 13-yard gain on a 3rd-and-9, then concluded the drive with a 22-yard touchdown pass to tight end Eric Green which put the Ravens ahead 7-0 midway through the first quarter.

Things did not get better for Stewart and the Steelers on their ensuing possession as Stewart threw his second interception of the game with strong safety Stevon Moore being the culprit this time and returning the pick 38 yards to the Pittsburgh’ five-yard-line.

It took the Ravens three plays to get back into the end zone as Bam Morris, punched it in from one yard out to increase the Baltimore lead to 14-0 with 4:55 left in the first quarter.

After having his quarterback throw two interceptions that led to touchdowns, Cowher decided to go to the ground game on the Steelers’ next drive as Jerome Bettis carried the ball five times for 31 yards to lead the Pittsburgh offense to the Ravens’ 19-yard-line as the second quarter began.

Ravens quarterback Vinny Testaverde was 28-of-47 for 290 yards and three touchdowns, but also accounted for all four Baltimore turnovers.

But on the second play of the quarter on a 3rd-and-11 Stewart was picked off for the third time in successive possessions as Daniel made his second interception of the game and returned it 43 yards to the Pittsburgh 42 yard-line.

Five plays later, the Ravens were ahead 21-0 as Testaverde connected with Brian Kinchen for a 24-yard touchdown.

At this point, many Steeler fans were clamoring for Cowher to bench Stewart and put Tomczak in the game.

But, Cowher stuck with Stewart, even though the next two Pittsburgh drives ended in punts.

Then with 6 ½ minutes left before halftime, the Steelers defense rose up and forced their first turnover of the game as defensive back Chris Oldham sacked Testaverde, causing a fumble that was recovered by nose tackle Joel Steed at the Ravens’ 29-yard-line.

Bettis got the call on the first three plays of the drive as he gained 12 yards until the Steelers went back to the air as Stewart connected with Courtney Hawkins for a 15-yard-gain to set up a 1st-and-goal at the two-yard-line.

After Bettis gained a yard on 1st down, Stewart snuck into the end zone to put the Steelers on the scoreboard and cut the deficit to 14 points, 21-7 with 3:17 left in the first half.

The Ravens held the ball for the remainder of the first half as they put together a 12-play, 51-yard drive that culminated with a 34-yard field goal by Matt Stover to push the Baltimore lead to 24-7 as the first half came to a close.

With 30 minutes left in the game, the Steelers knew that they probably had to score every time they had the football to come back from the 17-point deficit.

So, for the opening second half kickoff Cowher sent wide receiver Yancey Thigpen out on the field even though he normally was not a part of the return unit.

To the Ravens’ kicking unit, this signaled a possible reverse was going to be used by the Steelers.

Stover kicked the ball which was received by Will Blackwell at his own three-yard-line, with Thigpen backing up toward Blackwell for a possible reverse.

But Thigpen never got the ball and drew enough Raven players off Blackwell, allowing for him to run untouched for a 97-yard touchdown, making it a 24-14 game just 17 seconds into the second half.

The score was still 24-14 midway through the third quarter when the Steelers began a drive from their own 10-yard-line.

On a 3rd-and-8 from the 23-yard-line, Stewart hit Charles Johnson for a 10-yard completion, which was followed by a 37-yard pass to Thigpen that put the Steelers in Ravens territory at the Baltimore 30-yard-line.

Five plays later, the Steelers were faced with a 4th-and-1 at the Ravens’ 10-yard-line when Cowher decided to gamble and go for the 1st down, instead of kicking a chip shot field goal that would bring Pittsburgh to within seven points.

The gamble paid off as Stewart gained two yards for the 1st down, then on the very next play hit Johnson for a 8-yard touchdown that brought the Steelers to within three points, 24-21 with 1:52 left in the third quarter.

Jerome Bettis carried the ball 28 times and ran for 137 yards in the Steelers' comeback win.

Both teams would go three-and-out on their next series, giving the ball back to the Ravens at their 12-yard-line early in the 4th quarter.

Three plays netted 15 yards before Testaverde was sacked by linebacker Mike Vrabel, causing the Baltimore quarterback to lose the football for the second time in the game as defensive end Kevin Henry recovered the loose ball at the Ravens’ 23-yard-line.

Two straight runs by Bettis for 19 yards put Pittsburgh at the four-yard-line where Stewart found tight Mark Bruener in the right corner of the end zone for the touchdown, to give the Steelers their first lead of the game, 28-24 with 9:31 left in the 4th quarter.

After forcing the Ravens to go three-and-out, the Steelers got the ball back at their own 11-yard-line with 7 ½ minutes to go.

After two Bettis runs gained only two yards, the Steelers went back to the air on 3rd-and-8 from the 13-yard-line when Stewart launched a deep pass down the right sideline that was caught by Thigpen for a 63-yard gain and a 1st down at the Baltimore 24-yard-line.

Two more runs by Bettis gained 13 yards and gave the Steelers a 1st down at the 11-yard-line when it looked like the Stewart from the first half of the game had returned as he was sacked for a 21-yard loss by defensive tackle James Jones, setting up a 2nd-and-31 at the 32-yard-line.

However, Stewart would come back with a 15-yard pass to Thigpen on 2nd down, which was followed by a 17-yard touchdown to Johnson on 3rd-and-16 that pushed the Steelers lead to 35-24 with 3:04 remaining in regulation.

Now it was the Ravens who needed to come up with a few scores as quickly as possible after leading by as much as 21 points.

They got much needed help on the ensuing kickoff as Jermaine Lewis’ 38-yard return put Baltimore at their own 49-yard-line.

On the first play after the return, Testaverde hit Alexander for 12 yards, which was followed by two straight incomplete passes, and then drew a 29-yard pass interference penalty on 3rd down that put the Ravens at the Steelers’ 10-yard-line where on the very next play, Testaverde hit running back Alexander for a 10-yard touchdown

The Ravens went for the two-point conversion and got it as Testaverde connected with running back Earnest Byner, cutting the Steelers’ lead to three points, 35-32, with 2:27 left in regulation.

With all three timeouts and the two-minute warning still to come, the Ravens opted not to go for the onside kick and instead kick deep, as the Steelers took over at their own 20-yard-line.

Bettis ran for six yards on two plays, setting up a 3rd-and-4 at the two-minute warning.

That is when Stewart faked a handoff to Bettis, then faked a reverse to Thigpen, and then went around the left end to run untouched for a 74-yard touchdown to push the Steelers’ lead back to double digits, 42-32 with 1:47 left.

The Ravens were going to need a miracle to at least send the game into overtime but once again they got a great kickoff return by Jermaine Lewis as his 46-yard return put Baltimore at their own 47-yard-line.

Testaverde hit two straight passes for 15 yards, giving the Ravens a 1st down at the Steelers’ 37-yard-line when he connected with Green for a 29-yard gain, only to have Green fumble the ball at the end of the run after a hit by Oldham, which was recovered by the Steelers’ Myron Bell the ball at their own eight-yard-line with 59 seconds left.

Ray Lewis and Tyrus McCloud(54) walk off the field dejected after allowing 35 2nd half points to the Steelers.

However, Pittsburgh could not run out the clock and were forced with a punting situation when Cowher ordered punter Josh Miller to take an intentional safety, instead of having a potential punt blocked, giving the Ravens two points to cut the lead to 42-34 with 11 seconds left.

This meant the Ravens had one last chance as the Steelers would kick off to them and Baltimore would possibly have enough time to run one more play.

After James Roe returned the free kick 16 yards to the Baltimore 49-yard-line, the Ravens had eight seconds left and a chance for a Hail Mary pass.

But Testaverde’s Hail Mary was intercepted by Donnell Woolford, ending the game and completing the greatest comeback in Steelers history(though they had come back from 21-point deficits to games on two occassions before this one) as they won 42-34 after trailing by 21 points, thanks in large part to Stewart who completed 11 of 14 passes for 181 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions in the second half.

The Ravens struggled through the rest of the season as they finished with a 6-9-1 record and let Testaverde walk in the offseason as he signed with the New York Jets for the 1998 season leading them to the AFC Championship Game, while the Ravens went 6-10 that season leading to the exit of Marchibroda as head coach as he was replaced by Brian Billick who helped lead the Ravens to a Super Bowl title in the 2000 season thanks to Ray Lewis and the Baltimore defense.

As for Stewart, he would remain the Steelers’ starting quarterback for the rest of the 1997 season and led them to the AFC Championship Game, but turned the ball over four times himself(including two end zone interceptions) as Pittsburgh lost to the Denver Broncos 24-21.

Stewart and the Steelers would struggle for the next three seasons as they missed the playoffs each year before experiencing a renaissance in 2001 as Pittsburgh went 13-3 with Stewart earning his first and only Pro Bowl selection as the Steelers advanced to the AFC Championship Game, only to fall to the New England Patriots 24-17 as Stewart threw three interceptions in the loss.

Then in the third game of the 2002 season, Stewart was benched in favor of Tommy Maddox, who helped lead the Steelers back to the playoffs and ultimately to Stewart’s departure from Pittsburgh as he signed with the Chicago Bears for the 2003 season.

But once again, Stewart performed poorly and lost the starting job, leading to his release after one year and “Slash” signing ironically with the Ravens, where he served as a backup for the next two seasons for the final two years of his 11-year NFL career.

College Football Old School Game of the Week: Bama Holds Off Ole Miss in Historic Primetime Shootout

On the night of October 4, 1969, the Alabama Crimson Tide played host to the Ole Miss Rebels in one of the first college football games to be televised in prime time.

When ABC Sports producer Roone Aldridge saw that his network would be going up against the MLB playoffs being televised on NBC, Aldridge persuaded his bosses to move the Ole Miss-Alabama game into primetime so they could get better ratings.

The network honchos and both head coaches, Alabama’s Bear Bryant and Ole Miss’ John Vaught, agreed to the terms paving the way for the game to be played under the lights.

Alabama was no stranger to playing under the lights as it had participated in the very first primetime college football telecast the previous season in a 14-6 win over the Miami Hurricanes.

The Crimson Tide entered the game as the #15 ranked team in the country after winning their opening two games of the season in wins over Virginia Tech and Southern Miss, while Ole Miss came in ranked #20 with a 1-1 record but with Heisman Trophy candidate Archie Manning at quarterback, the Rebels had a great chance to knock off the Tide in Birmingham.

Bama got the ball at their 24-yard-line to start the game and promptly drove to the Ole Miss 30-yard-line in eight plays, with quarterback Scott Hunter connecting with David Bailey three times totaling 34 yards.

But the last 30 yards of the drive belong to running back Johnny Musso as he carried the ball seven straight times with the last carry being a one-yard touchdown run to end the 15-play, 76-yard drive and put the Tide ahead 7-0 with 8:15 left in the first quarter.

Manning and the Rebels responded with a 12-play, 74-yard touchdown drive that culminated with a two-yard touchdown run by Archie that tied the game at 7.

The game was still tied in the second quarter when Ole Miss was poised to take their first lead of the game as Manning led the Rebels on a drive from their 26-yard-line to the Tide seven-yard-line where they faced a 2nd-and-6.

That is where the Tide defense rose up and forced a fumble when defensive backs Mike Dean and Danny Gilbert hit Ole Miss receiver Riley Myers so hard that he lost the football at the four-yard-line, leading to a recovery by defensive tackle Paul Boschung.

This would lead to a 17-yard touchdown run by Bubba Sawyer that put the Tide ahead 14-7 with 4:21 to go in the first half, that was set up by a 67-yard run by George Ranager.

Quarterback Scott Hunter became the first player in Alabama history to threw for at least 300 yards in a game as he threw for exactly 300 yards in the Tide's 1969 shootout with Ole Miss.

The Rebels had a chance for more points before the end of the half as Manning led the Ole Miss offense to the Bama nine-yard-line where they faced a 4th-and-1 with 53 seconds to go.

Vaught decided against kicking the field goal and go for the 1st down, but running back Randy Reed was stopped by Bama defensive tackle Jim Duke and others short keeping the Tide in the lead as the first half came to a close.

Ole Miss would tie the game on their opening drive of the second half with a 11-play, 65-yard drive that was capped with a 11-yard touchdown pass from Manning to Floyd Franks as Manning completed all eight of his passes on the drive.

After an exchange of punts, the Tide retook the lead with a 6-play, 63-yard drive that culminated with another 1-yard run by Musso, which put Bama back in the lead at 21-14 at the 6:34 mark of the third quarter.

Ole Miss was on their way to another score on their ensuing drive only to have Manning be intercepted by Bama linebacker Woodie Husband at the Tide’s 45-yard-line.

The Ole Miss defense forced a punt and got the ball back at their own 20, where it only took them four plays to get back into the end zone.

A 46-yard pass from Manning to tight end Jimmy Poole led to a 17-yard touchdown run by Manning to close the Bama lead to a single point.

But in a play that would haunt the Rebels for the rest of the game, Perry King’ extra point attempt sailed wide left and Ole Miss still trailed 21-20.

The Rebels would get their first lead of the game three minutes into the fourth quarter when Myers caught a 2-yard pass from Manning that gave Ole Miss a 26-21 lead following a failed two-point conversion.

Ole Miss quarterback Archie Manning became the first player to throw for at least 300 yards and run for 100 yards in the same game with his 540 yards of total offense.

Bama responded with a 10-play, 67-yard drive that ended with a 1-yard touchdown run by Hunter that put the Tide back in the lead at 27-26 after Hunter’s two-point conversion pass was intercepted.

It only took 28 seconds for the Rebels to retake the lead as Manning hit Vernon Studdard for a 42-yard gain on the first play from scrimmage, followed by a 21-yard run by Manning , and then the quarterback taking it in for a 1-yard touchdown.

Once again the Rebels went for two and once again were unsuccessful, keeping it a 32-27 game with 7:15 to play.

The Tide took over at their 20-yard-line and drove 80 yards in 11 plays as Hunter completed all 8 of his passes on the drive for 74 yards, the last completion being a 14-yard touchdown to George Ranager that gave Bama a 33-32 lead with under four minutes to go.

The way the game was going it seemed whoever had the ball last would win the game and Ole Miss got the ball back at their 46-yard-line following by a bad kickoff by Duke.

However, the Rebels could only get nine yards on three plays and were faced with another 4th-and-1 at the Bama 45-yard-line.

Ole Miss went for it but like at the end of the first half, the Rebels were did not convert the 4th down as Manning’s sneak was stopped by the Bama defense, giving the Tide the ball with 2:24 to play.

The Tide could not get a 1st down and were forced to punt the ball back to Ole Miss, who took over at its 5-yard-line with 1:48 to go and zero timeouts.

Manning would get the Rebels to the Bama 42 before time ran out, giving the Crimson Tide a wild 33-32 win in a game that set over 20 SEC records.

The two quarterbacks combined for throwing over 700 yards as Hunter accounted for 300 yards on 22-of-29 passing while Manning threw for 436 yards on 33-of-52 passing to go along with 104 yards on 15 carries.

Overall, Manning accounted for 540 yards of total offense and five touchdowns. His 540 yards of total offense is a record that still stands in Ole Miss football history for most yards of total offense in a single game.

Despite all the fireworks, when the two head coaches met at midfield after the game, Bryant was quoted as saying “That was the worst game I’ve ever seen”, to which Vaught responded “You’re right, Bear”, while ABC broadcaster Chris Schenkel who called the game said it was "the most exciting game I've ever seen in 20 years of broadcasting".

The majority of college football fans and historians have sided with Schenekl's assessment as the duel between Manning and Hunter under the lights in Alabama is regarded as one of the most memorable games in college football history.

The scoreboard at Legion Field after the historic shootout between Ole Miss and Alabama in 1969.

College Football Old School Game of the Week: Irish Overcome 16-Point 4th Quarter Deficit to Knock Off Spartans

Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn would throw for 316 yards and five touchdown passes in the Fighing Irish's 40-37 comeback win over Michigan State.

When thinking of the great teams that Notre Dame football has rivalries with, many college football fans think of Michigan, USC, and even Miami.
But some often overlook the Fighting Irish's rivalry with the Michigan State Spartans, who they have played every year since 1948, which includes their infamous 1966 "Game of the Century" where the Irish ran out the clock instead of going for the win to settle for a 10-10 tie.
One of their most intense and wildly entertaining meetings in this rivalry occurred on a rainy Saturday night in East Lansing as the Fighting Irish looked to gain some revenge against the Spartans.
Notre Dame entered the game ranked #13 in the country, but were coming off a 47-21 shellacking at the hands of the Michigan Wolverines.
The Fighting Irish had entered the 2006 season with national championship expectations under second-year head coach Charlie Weis as they had a high-powered offense that featured quarterback Brady Quinn, who had thrown for nearly 4,000 yards the year before, and 1,000 yard rusher Darius Walker at running back and 1,000 yard receiver Jeff Samardzija.
For the Irish to get back on track, they needed a win in East Lansing as the Spartans entered the game with a 3-0 record under head coach John L. Smith, who entered the 2006 season on the hot seat after back-to-back losing seasons.
But what made this game so anticipated was the game the year before where the Spartans defeated the Irish 44-41 in overtime and then planted a Michigan State flag at the 50-yard-line of Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend.
This gesture by the Spartans angered the Irish and their fans as they hoped for payback when the two teams met on September 23rd in East Lansing where the winner would receive the Megaphone Trophy, the trophy which has been given out to the winner of the game since 1949.

Michigan State quarterback Drew Stanton accounted for 167 yards of offense(114 passing, 53 rushing) and two touchdowns in the Spartans' heartbreaking loss to Notre Dame.

After the Irish went three-and-out to start the game, the Spartans got the ball at their 27-yard-line and proceeded to drive for the game's first touchdown in just three plays, culminating with a 34-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Drew Stanton to Kerry Reed to put Michigan State ahead 7-0 just 2:45 into the game.
Following another Notre Dame punt, the Spartans' offense only traveled nine yards in five plays before punting the ball away to the Irish as senior punt returner Tom Zbikowski returned the ball 15 yards until he was stripped of the ball by Spartans sophomore cornerback Kendell Davis-Clark, forcing a fumble that was recovered by Michigan State punter Brandon Fields at the 50-yard-line.
Three plays later, Stanton throw a backward pass to wide receiver Matt Trannon, who then threw a deep pass to a wide open Javon Ringer for a 26-yard touchdown to increase the Spartans' lead to 14-0 with 6:49 remaining in the opening quarter.
The Spartans onslaught continued as they forced another three-and-out from the Notre Dame offense then had a 1st down at the Irish 15-yard-line following a 37-yard run by Stanton.
But that is where Notre Dame finally showed signs of life as they held the Spartans to just one more yard, forcing a 32-yard field goal by by Brett Swenson to extend the Michigan State lead to 17-0 with 99 seconds left in the first quarter.
Following an exchange of punts, Notre Dame took over at their 40-yard-line and put together their best drive of the game as Quinn completed three straight passes for 24 yards to drive the Irish to the Michigan State 32-yard-line where Quinn lofted up a pass to left corner of the end zone that was caught by Rhema McKnight to put the Irish on the board and cut the Michigan State lead to 17-7 with 11:07 left in the second quarter.
The touchdown seemed to turn the momentum in the Irish's favor as they forced the Spartans a three-and-out to get the ball back at their 15-yard-line, only to have Quinn be picked off on the second play of the drive by junior defensive end Ervin Baldwin, who returned the pick 19 yards for a touchdown to push the Michigan State lead back to 17 points, 24-7 with 9:04 left before halftime.
The Irish got the ball back at their 28-yard-line and were faced with a 4th-and-1 at their 37-yard-line when Weis decided to gamble and go for the 1st down.
The gamble paid off as Quinn faked a handoff to Walker and found a wide open John Carlson for a 27-yard gain and a 1st down at the Michigan State 36-yard-line.
Then after two runs by Walker for 19 yards, Quinn threw a screw pass to  Samardzija, who then ran in untouched to complete the 17-yard touchdown that helped cut the Spartans lead to 24-14 with 6:45 left in the first half.
The Spartans responded with an eight-play, 59-yard drive with culminated with a 15-yard touchdown pass from Stanton to Reed to push the Spartans' lead back up to 17 points at 31-14 with over 2 minutes left before halftime.
The score would remained 31-14 as the first half came to a close as both teams could not mount a scoring threat on their final possessions of the first half.

Michigan State wide receiver Kerry Reed only caught two passes for 49 yards, but both went for touchdowns.

The Spartans got the ball to start the second half but promptly went three-and-out, punting the ball back to Notre Dame who took over at their 20-yard-line.
After four plays gained 18 yards, Quinn found Carlson wide open again as the senior tight end made the catch at the Michigan State 45-yard-line and then outran the Spartans defense to complete the 62-yard touchdown to bring Notre Dame to within 10 points again at 31-21 with 11:13 left in the third quarter.
The Irish were poised to cut further into the Spartans' lead after forcing a three-and-out and then getting the ball at the Michigan State 41-yard-line following a 26-yard punt by Fields.
But the Irish turned the ball over on downs as Quinn threw an incomplete pass intended for Samardzija on 4th-and-7 at the Spartans' 38-yard-line.
From there, the Spartans ran four straight running plays, with the last one being a 30-yard touchdown run by junior running back Jehuu Caulcrick to push the lead to 37-21 as holder Brett Swanson could not handle the snap on the extra point.
Both teams would exchange punts as the game moved into the fourth quarter when the Irish began a drive at their 20-yard-line as Quinn connected with Carlson for another big gain, this one for 32 yards on the first play of the drive.
But three plays later the Irish were faced with a 4th-and-5 at the Michigan State 43-yard-line when Weis decided to go for it on 4th down for the third time in the game.
Quinn found Samardzija for the 1st down, who then made a Spartan defender miss a tackle at the 35-yard-line and then outran the rest of the Michigan State defense for a 43-yard touchdown to pull the Irish to within 10 points.
Weis decided to go for the two-point conversion in hopes of making it an eight-point game but Walker was stopped on a toss sweep, keeping the score 37-27 with 8:18 left in the fourth quarter.
The Spartans got the ball back at their 20-yard-line and after two runs by Ringer gained only one yard, Stanton ran the ball on 3rd down, only to be stripped of the ball by Notre Dame senior safety Chinedum Ndukwe, forcing a fumble that was recovered by Ndukwe at the Michigan State 24-yard-line with 6:10 left in regulation.
It seemed that Notre Dame was going to waste the opportunity as back-to-back penalties pushed them back 17 yards to the Spartans' 41-yard-line until Samardzija drew a pass interference penalty on a pass intended for him in the end zone, giving the Irish 15 yards and an automatic 1st down at the Michigan State 26-yard-line.

Notre Dame wide receiver Jeff Samardzija caught seven passes for 113 yards and scored two touchdowns.

Then after connecting with Samardzija for a 12-yard gain, Quinn fired his fifth touchdown pass of the game, a 14-yarder to McKnight that pulled the Irish to within four points with 4:57 to go.
But kicker Carl Giona pulled the extra point wide left, keeping the score 37-33, meaning the Irish could not settle for a field goal for their next score as they would have to get a touchdown to take the lead.
The Spartans began their next drive backed up at their 12-yard-line, hoping to put together some 1st downs and run out the clock.
Ringer picked up seven yards on 1st down, which was followed by a run by Stanton for no gain, setting up a 3rd-and-3 at the 19-yard-line.
That is when Stanton dropped back to pass and lofted a pass that was intercepted by Notre Dame junior defensive back Terrail Lambert, who proceeded to weave through the Michigan State offense for a pick-six as his 27-yard interception return for a touchdown gave Notre Dame its first lead of the game at 40-37, after Giona's extra point, with 2:53 left in regulation as the Irish had scored three touchdowns in 5:25.
The Spartans got the ball back at their 23-yard-line with a chance to save themselves and either tie the game or drive for the winning score.
Stanton hit Trannon for a 13-yard gain on 3rd-and-6 from the 27-yard-line, then ran for seven yards on a quarterback option on 4th-and-1 to put Michigan State at the Notre Dame 42-yard-line with 32 seconds left.
But on the very next play, Stanton was intercepeted by Lambert again, ending the Spartans' chances and giving the Irish a remarkable 40-37 comeback win.
The Spartans never recovered from the meltdown against Notre Dame as they only won one game the rest of the season, which ironically is the greatest comeback in college football history as they overcame a 35-point deficit to defeat Northwestern 41-38, to finish the season with a 4-8 record, which led to the firing of Smith as head coach.
He was replaced by Mark Dantonio, who has since led the Spartans to great heights as Michigan State as they have won two Big Ten titles, a win in the 2014 Rose Bowl against Stanford, and a trip to the 2015 College Football Playoff.
As for the Irish, their comeback against the Spartans sparked a seven-game winning streak that helped earn a second straight trip to a BCS Bowl game, only to be blown out by LSU 41-14 in the Sugar Bowl to finish the season with a 10-3 record.
But Weis and the Irish could not find the success they had during his first two seasons as Notre Dame went 16-21 the following three seasons, leading to Weis' firing after the 2009 season and hiring Brian Kelly as head coach, who led the Irish to an undefeated regular season in 2012 and a trip to the National Championship Game.
As for Quinn, he would end finish the 2006 season with 3,426 yards and 37 touchdown passes, as he would wrap up his career in South Bend as the all-time leader in passing yards with 11, 762 and touchdown passes with 95 along with 18 other school records.
Quinn would bounce around the NFL for the next seven years before going into the broadcast booth as he now serves as a analyst for FOX's college football coverage.