College Football Old School Game of the Week: Miami Preserves Title Hopes With Walk-off FG Win over FSU

Jeff Davis kicks the game-winning field goal as time expires in Miami's 1983 game with Florida State.

When it comes to field goals in the rivalry between the Florida State Seminoles and the Miami Hurricanes, what is remembered most by college football fans and experts are the missed field goals by Florida State in the final seconds of numerous games with the "Wide Right" trilogy where the Seminoles lost on last-second field goals that went wide right in the 1991, 92, and 2000 games, which is followed by a wide-left miss on the final play of their 28-27 loss in 2002.
But there is a successful field goal in the final seconds of the game between these two intra-state rivals that not only decided the game but also paved the way for a national championship.
In 1983, the 9-1 Hurricanes traveled to Tallahassee to take on the 7-2 Seminoles in a game which could determine where Miami was going to play in the postseason.
Since Miami was not affiliated with a conference in 1983, they could almost play anywhere in the country like the Cotton Bowl in Dallas or the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans.
But the Hurricanes had their sights set on home as an invitation to the Orange Bowl to take on the Big 8 champion Nebraska Cornhuskers seemed possible if the Hurricanes could knock off the Seminoles in Tallahassee.
The Hurricanes had come a long way from their embarrassing 28-3 loss to the Florida Gators in the first game of the regular season to win nine games in a row as they were led by head coach Howard Schnellenberger and redshirt freshman Bernie Kosar at quarterback.
But the biggest reason for the Hurricanes' winning streak and their #6 ranking entering the FSU game was their defense which had given up only 62 points during their nine-game winning streak, which averaged out to under a touchdown per game.
If the Hurricanes were going to beat the Seminoles, they would need their defense to stop the Seminoles' rushing attack which had running backs Greg Allen, Cletis Jones, and Roosevelt Snipes combine to rush for over 2,000 yards amongst the three players during the 1983 season.
Florida State was coached by Bobby Bowden, who was in his eighth season in Tallahassee and had the Seminoles on a four-game winning streak entering the Miami game.
The Hurricanes got the ball to start the game as they began their first drive of the game from their 38-yard-line following a 29-yard-return by Daryl Oliver on the opening kickoff.
Kosar would hit tight end Glenn Dennison for 17 yards on the game's first play, then after a six-yard run by Albert Bentley, connected with Eddie Brown for 19 yards to put Miami at the FSU 20-yard-line.
Then on 3rd & 9 from the 19-yard-line, Kosar fired a pass for Stanley Shakespeare in the end zone, only to have Seminoles safety Brian McCrary interfere with Shakespeare on the play to give Miami a 1st & goal at the one-yard-line.
That is when Kosar handed the ball off to Bentley, who busted through for the one-yard touchdown to give the Hurricanes a 7-0 lead just 2:01 into the game.

FSU"s David Ponder blocks Rich Tuten's punt for a safety late in the first quarter.

After forcing Florida State to punt on their opening possession of the game, the Hurricanes got the ball at their 30-yard-line as Kosar lead the Miami offense to the Seminoles' 29-yard-line, thanks to a seven-yard pass to Bentley on 3rd & 6 from the Canes 36-yard-line, then connected with Brown on a 21-yard completion.
But at the 29-yard-line where he was facing 3rd & 3, Kosar was picked off by McCrary to stop the Hurricanes' drive and give FSU the ball at their one-yard-line.
The Seminoles would flip the field position as they drove to midfield before punting the ball back to Miami who took over at their three-yard-line and only gained three yards on three plays before calling on Rich Tuten to punt the ball back to the Seminoles.
But Tuten never got the kick away as FSU defensive tackle David Ponder, father of future FSU quarterback Christian and father-in-law to future ESPN broadcaster Samantha, blocked the punt which went into the back of the end zone for a safety to give the Seminoles two points and the ball as the Hurricanes would kick off from their 20-yard-line with 57 seconds left in the first quarter.
The Seminoles would get the ball at their 47-yard-line but would go no further as they went three-and-out to end the first quarter trailing 7-2.
Following the FSU punt, the Hurricanes would get the ball at their 31-yard-line and drive to the Seminoles' 30-yard-line as Kosar hit his first three passes on the drive for 34 yards.
The drive would stall at the 30-yard-line as Kosar threw three straight incomplete passes, forcing the Hurricanes to settle for a 46-yard field goal attempt by Jeff Davis which he missed giving the ball back to the Seminoles at their 30-yard-line.
From there, the Seminoles would drive 70 yards in 12 plays, culminating in an three-yard touchdown run by Allen on the ninth straight running play of the drive, to give the Seminoles a 9-7 lead midway through the second quarter.
Following a Miami punt, the Seminoles would get the ball back at their nine-yard-line with 1:52 left before halftime when they began a drive which went 63 yards in seven plays with Snipes carrying the ball four times on the drive and running for 50 yards to set up a 44-yard field goal attempt by Phil Hall with only a few seconds to go.
Hall would miss the kick only to get a retry as Miami was offsides, giving Hall another chance and five yards closer to make the field goal.
But Hall could not take advantage of the second chance as his 39-yard attempt was no good as the first half came to a close with the Seminoles clinging to a 9-7 lead.
After the Seminoles went three-and-out on their opening possession of the second half, the Hurricanes would drive 39 yards in 11 plays to set up a potential go-ahead field goal by Davis from 41 yards out.
However, Davis' kick would be no good, keeping the Seminoles in the lead at 9-7.
Following the missed field goal, the Seminoles put together a 12-play, 76-yard drive that was capped off with an one-yard touchdown run by quarterback Bob Davis to extend the FSU lead to 16-7 with 3:23 left in the third quarter.
Now facing their biggest deficit since the loss to Florida, the Hurricanes responded with a seven-play, 64-yard drive that was capped off with a 37-yard touchdown pass from Kosar to Brown which cut the FSU lead to 16-14 with 31 seconds left in the third quarter.

Miami quarterback Bernie Kosar would complete 21 of 35 passes for 243 yards and throw one touchdown as well as an interception.

The Seminoles would begin the 4th quarter with a 15-play, 50-yard drive which saw the Seminoles travel from their 20-yard-line to the Miami 30-yard-line before calling Hall on to attempt a 47-yard field goal.
But for the third time in the game, Hall could not connect as his 47-yard attempt fell short, keeping it a 16-14 game with over 10 minutes to go in the game.
The two teams would trade punts until the Hurricanes got the ball at the Seminoles' 49-yard-line following a 19-yard return by Brown on the punt to give Kosar and the offense a short field as they had 2:12 to drive into field goal range.
The drive would began with a 10-yard pass from Kosar to Shakespeare followed by another 10-yard pass to Shakespeare to put Miami at the FSU 29-yard-line.
That is when the Hurricanes crossed up the Seminoles with a draw play as Keith Griffith took an handoff from Kosar and proceeded to run 20 yards to the FSU nine-yard-line to give Miami a 1st & goal.
From there, Schnellenberger kept it conservative as he had his offense ran the ball three straight times, picking up seven more yards, before calling on Davis to attempt a 19-yard field goal with three seconds left.
Bowden called timeout in hopes of icing the kicker but it was to no avail as Davis calmly sank the 19-yard field goal as time expired to give Miami a 17-16 victory and extend their winning streak to 10 wins in a row.
The Seminoles had three weeks to stew over the Miami loss before playing their regular season finale where they were crushed by the Florida Gators 53-14.
Despite their 7-4 record, the Seminoles would be invited to the Peach Bowl where they easily took care of the North Carolina Tar Heels with a 28-3 win as they ended the 1983 season on a positive note.
As for the Hurricanes, they would be invited to play in the Orange Bowl where they would take on the #1 Nebraska Cornhuskers, who came into the game averaging 52 points per game.
But thanks to a 300-yard, two-touchdown performance from Kosar, the Hurricanes, who were a 10 1/2 point underdog, took a 31-17 lead into the fourth quarter when the Cornhuskers scored two touchdowns to draw within a point at 31-30 with 48 seconds left when Nebraska head coach Tom Osborne decided to go for two instead of a tie.
That is when Miami defensive back Kenny Calhoun deflected Nebraska quarterback Turner Gill's pass intended for Jeff Smith to preserve the 31-30 victory for the Hurricanes.
With their monumental upset of the Cornhuskers along with losses by #2 Texas in the Cotton Bowl and #4 Illinois in the Rose Bowl and a lackluster performance by #3 Auburn in a 9-7 win over Michigan in the Sugar Bowl, the Hurricanes were voted #1 in the final AP and UPI polls to give the Hurricanes their first national title.
But while the stop on the two-point conversion in the Orange Bowl is what remembered most for the Hurricanes winning the national championship in 1983, it wouldn't have been possible if not for Jeff Davis' heroics against Florida State.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Undefeated Patriots Survive Upset Bid By Ravens

Jabar Gaffney makes the game-winning touchdown catch with 43 seconds left in the Patriots' Week 13 game with the Baltimore Ravens.

The 2007 New England Patriots are the only team in NFL history to go through a 16-game regular season undefeated, but they almost didn't accomplish that feat, thanks to a major scare they got in the 12th game of the regular season when they travel to Baltimore to take on the Ravens on Monday Night Football.

The Patriots had storm their way to a 11-0 record thanks to their high-powered offense led by quarterback Tom Brady, who was on pace to break Peyton Manning's record of most touchdown passes in a season, as Brady had thrown 39 touchdown passes through the first 11 games, with 16 of those touchdown passes going to Randy Moss, who had been acquired through a trade with the Oakland Raiders in the offseason, who also had a chance to set a NFL record, the most touchdown receptions in a season which had been held by Jerry Rice since 1987.

Brady needed 11 more touchdown passes and Moss needed seven touchdown catches in the Patriots' last five games of the regular season to set the new NFL records.

While the Patriots were rising, the Ravens were falling as they entered the game with the Patriots on a five-game losing streak.

The Ravens were coached by Brian Billick, who was in his ninth year as the Baltimore head coach, but was now fighting for his job as his team stood at 4-7 as they prepared to host the undefeated Patriots.

To make matters worst, starting quarterback Steve McNair was out with an injury and was replaced with Kyle Boller, who the Ravens had selected in the first round in 2004 but was seen to be a bust at this point in his career.

With the state of the Ravens and the Patriots' average margin of victory being 23 points in their first 11 victories, Baltimore was an 19-point underdog as they prepared for their Monday Night game against the Ravens.

A competitive game seemed unlikely, but that would happen as the game wouldn't be decided until the final play of the game.

The Patriots got the ball to start the game and promptly drove to the Ravens' three-yard-line, thanks in large part to a 42-yard pass from Brady to Donte Stallworth and three Baltimore penalties which gave the Patriots 24 more yards.

But the Ravens' defense would rise up and held the Patriots out of the end zone, forcing New England to settle for a 21-yard field goal by Stephen Gostkowski which put the Patriots ahead 3-0.

After the Ravens punted on their initial possession, the Ravens defense made the Patriots offense do something that they had rarely done all year: go three-and-out, giving the Ravens the ball at their 30-yard-line.

On 3rd & 11 from the 29-yard-line, Boller went deep and connected with Devard Darling for a 53-yard gain that put the Ravens at the Patriots' 18-yard-line.

From there, Willis McGahee carried the ball four straight times for 11 yards, which was followed by back-to-back completions from Boller to Derrick Mason, with the last one being a four-yard touchdown pass to give the Ravens a 7-3 lead with 1:23 left in the first quarter.

The Ravens defense would force a second straight three-and-out to give their offense the ball back at their 34-yard-line as the Baltimore offense drove to the Patriots' 27-yard-line until they faced a 4th & 6.

That is when Billick decided to gamble and go for the 1st down, which he got when Boller found Mason for 12 yards to give the Ravens a 1st down at the Patriots' 15-yard-line.

However, the Ravens would gain only four more yards on the next three plays and had to settle for a 29-yard field goal by Matt Stover, which increased the Baltimore lead to 10-3 with 8:49 left in the second quarter.

The Patriots offense would finally got back on track on its next possession as they put together a nine-play, 60-yard drive which was capped off by an one-yard touchdown run by Heath Evans, that with Gostkowski's extra point tied the game at 10 with 5:24 left before halftime.

Ravens running back Willis McGahee carried the ball 30 times for 137 yards and scored one TD.

After an exchange of three-and-outs, the Patriots would get the ball at their 36-yard-line with 1:04 left on the clock and two timeouts left in their pocket.

Following an incomplete pass, Brady would throw only his fifth interception of the season as Ravens safety Ed Reed made the pick after Brady's pass bounced off the hands of Wes Welker and landed in the arms of Reed at the Baltimore 40-yard-line.

Reed would return the interception into Patriots territory until he was stripped of the ball by Patriots running back Kevin Faulk, resulting in a fumble that was recovered by tight end Benjamin Watson to give New England the ball at their 27-yard-line.

Following that near disaster, the Patriots decided to run out the clock and go into the halftime break tied at 10 with the Ravens set to get the ball to start the second half.

The Ravens would drive 73 yards in eight plays with McGahee carrying the ball six times for 48 yards, with the last carry being a 17-yard touchdown run to give Baltimore a 17-10 lead.

However, the Patriots would respond with a 10-play, 72-yard drive which culminated with a three-yard touchdown pass from Brady to Moss, the 40th TD pass for Brady and the 17th TD catch for Moss, to tie the game at 17 with 4:29 left in the third quarter.

But the Ravens would not back down as Yaman Figurs returned the ensuing kickoff 38 yards to give the Ravens great field position as they would begin their drive at their 44-yard-line.

From there, McGahee would account for 29 yards on the next two plays, 18 on a run and 11 on a screen pass, ultimately leading to a one-yard touchdown pass from Boller to tight end Daniel Wilcox on the second play of the fourth quarter to give the Ravens a 24-17 lead.

Then after forcing the Patriots to go three-and-out for the fourth time in the game, the Ravens seemed poised to increase their lead as Figurs returned the ensuing punt 33 yards to the New England 26-yard-line.

But on 3rd & 14, Boller was intercepted by Patriots safety James Sanders at the one-yard-line, whose 42-yard return gave New England the ball at their own 43-yard-line.

After an offensive pass interference penalty on Welker pushed the Patriots back 10 yards, Brady connected with running back Lawrence Maroney on a 43-yard screen pass to give New England a 1st down at the Ravens' 24-yard-line.

But once again, the Ravens' defense would stiffen as they would not allow another 1st down, forcing the Patriots to settle for a 38-yard field goal by Gostkowski which cut the Baltimore lead to four points at 24-20 with 8:46 left in the 4th quarter.

The Ravens were unable to move the ball on their next possession as they went three-and-out forcing them to punt the ball back to the Patriots who took over at their 44-yard-line with a chance to take the lead.

The drive would start out well with a 19-yard pass from Brady to Moss to put the Patriots at the Ravens' 37-yard-line, but back-to-back offensive penalties killed the drive and forced the Patriots to punt back to the Ravens, who took over at their 28-yard-line with 5:28 remaining to play.

But for the second straight drive, the Ravens would go three-and-out, forcing them to punt the ball back to the Patriots who took over at their 27-yard-line with 3 1/2 minutes to go and two timeouts left in their pocket.

After an incomplete pass on the first play of the drive, Brady would hit Watson for 23 yards to give New England a 1st down at the 50-yard-line.

Following another incomplete pass, Brady hit Faulk for nine yards leading to a 3rd & 1 where Brady snuck for two yards to get the 1st down at the Baltimore 39-yard-line.

Then after throwing two straight incomplete passes, Brady connected with Faulk again for nine yards to set up 4th & 1 at the Ravens' 30-yard-line with 1:53 to play.

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady completed 18 of 38 passes for 257 yards and threw two touchdowns.

Brady tried to catch the Ravens defense off guard by hurrying up to the line and quickly running another quarterback sneak.

But the Ravens defense was able to stop Brady short of the 1st down, only to have the officials come in and tell the crowd that a timeout had been called by the Ravens.

The Ravens defense was in disbelief at the call, but replays showed that defensive coordinator Rex Ryan had called timeout before the Patriots had snapped the ball.

Given a reprieve, the Patritos tried for the 1st down again, this time giving the ball to Evans, who lost a yard as he was tackled by linebacker Bart Scott, only to have the Patriots be called for a false start on right guard Russ Hochstein.

The penalty cost New England five yards but gave them a third chance to get the 1st down, which they got when Brady scrambled for 12 yards, which along with an illegal contact penalty on Ravens cornerback Samari Rolle, put New England at the Ravens' 18-yard-line with 1:38 to go.

Faulk ran for five yards on 1st down, but Brady would throw two straight incomplete passes, leading to a 4th & 5 at the 13-yard-line with 55 seconds to play.

Brady would throw a pass intended for Watson in the end zone, only for the pass to fall incomplete.

But once again a flag was thrown as Ravens defensive back Jamaine Wishbourne was called for pass interference, giving the Patriots a 1st down at the Ravens' eight-yard-line.

That is when Brady took the snap and fired a pass toward the left corner of the end zone intended for Jabar Gaffney, who bobbled the ball as he went out of bounds.

But the officials signaled touchdown and after the instant replay booth reviewed the play, the call stood and the Patriots had their first lead of the game.

After the review of the touchdown, Scott was so outraged that he drew two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, one for arguing with the officials and another for throwing a referee's flag that would be assessed on the ensuing kickoff.

Gostkowski would kick the the extra point to make it a 24-20 game with 43 seconds left as Reed was called for lining up offsides on the extra point, which would also be added on the ensuing kickoff, meaning that the Patriots would kick off from the Ravens' 35-yard-line.

The 35 yards in penalties would come back to haunt the Ravens as they started their final drive from their 20-yard-line with 43 seconds left and one timeout.

Boller would complete back-to-back passes, one to running back Musa Smith for 13 yards and the other to Mason for 12 yards to put the Ravens at their 45-yard-line where they burn their last timeout with 13 seconds left in the game.

Then after an incomplete pass on the next play, the Ravens were left with eight seconds on the clock, forcing them to go their "Hail Mary" formation.

That is when Boller fired a "Hail Mary" pass that was caught by Mark Clayton, but three yards short of the end zone, as he was tackled by a swarm of Patriot defenders as time expired, allowing for New England to escape with the 24-20 win and move their record to 12-0.

It would take weeks for the Ravens to recover from the heartbreaking loss as they would lose their next three games, including one to the winless Miami Dolphins, until they broke their nine-game losing streak with a win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the regular season finale to finish the season with a 5-11 record.

But the damage of the season had been done as Billick was fired after the season and replaced by John Harbaugh, who would lead the Ravens to their second Super Bowl title in franchise history in 2012.

Meanwhile, the Patriots would go on to become the first time since the 1972 Miami Dolphins to finish a regular season undefeated as they would win their next four games to finish the season 16-0 as Brady would break Manning's record of most touchdown passes in a season and Moss would break Rice's record of most touchdown catches in a season as Brady connected with Moss on a 65-yard touchdown pass in the Patriots' 38-35 win over the New York Giants in the regular season finale.

But after defeating the Jacksonville Jaguars and the San Diego Chargers in the AFC Playoffs, the Patriots would be stunned by the Giants in Super Bowl XLII 17-14 to end the season 18-1.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Chiefs Come From Behind To Beat Packers in Shootout

Eddie Kennison scores the game-winning touchdown, a 51-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Trent Green. six minutes and eighteen seconds into overtime.

When the Kansas City Chiefs traveled to Lambeau Field to face the Green Bay Packers in Week 6 of the 2003 NFL season, many fans were hoping for a shootout between the two teams' high-powered offenses.

Both teams would not disappoint in game which featured over 900 yards of total offense and 74 points combined between the two teams.

The Chiefs entered the game undefeated with a 5-0 record under head coach Dick Vermeil, who had helped built an explosive offense much like the one he had built to win the Super Bowl with the then St. Louis Rams during the 1999 season.

The Chiefs offense was directed by quarterback Trent Green, who was reunited with Vermeil in Kansas City after losing his starting quarterback job in the 1999 preseason when he suffered torn ligaments after a hit by Chargers safety Rodney Harrison, paving the way for Kurt Warner to swoop in and lead the Rams to the Super Bowl title.

Green had a variety of weapons at his disposal including running back Priest Holmes, who lead the league in rushing in 2001 as he ran for 1,555 yards, then followed that season up with a 1,615 yard and 21 touchdown season in 2002, and tight end Tony Gonzalez who had been to the Pro Bowl the past four seasons.

But the Chiefs' ultimate weapon was kick returner Dante Hall, who had begun the 2003 season, by returning either a kickoff or a punt for a touchdown in the previous four games.

Meanwhile, the Packers entered the game with a 3-2 record who were looking for their third straight win.

The Packers were led by quarterback Brett Favre, who was in his 12th season as the Packers' starting quarterback, who had a explosive running back to match Holmes in Ahman Green, who had rushed for over 1,000 yards the last three seasons.

Both Greens, Trent and Ahman, would play a huge factor in the outcome of this Week 6 game.

Chiefs running back Priest Holmes would carry the ball 22 times for 81 yards and catch six passes for 59 yards.

After the Chiefs were forced to punt on their opening possession, the Packers drove 80 yards in 11 plays as Favre was a perfect 6-of-6 for 75 yards on the drive which included completions of 26 yards to Donald Driver and a 23-yarder to Robert Ferguson.

The drive ended with Favre hitting tight end Bubba Franks for a one-yard touchdown to give Green Bay a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter.

Favre stayed hot on the Packers' ensuing possession as he hit Ahman for 21 yards, then connected with tight end Wesley Walls for 36 yards, to set up Ahman's four-yard touchdown run which increased the Green Bay lead to 14-0 with 2:44 left in the opening quarter.

The Chiefs seemed poised to go three-and-out for the third straight possession as they faced a 3rd & 9 at their 21-yard-line when Green hit Johnnie Morton for 38 yards to give Kansas City its first 1st down of the game at the Packers' 41-yard-line.

This would eventually lead to a 26-yard touchdown pass from Green to Gonzalez to put the Chiefs on the scoreboard as they cut the Packers' lead to 14-7 with just 42 seconds left in the first quarter.

Bolstered the touchdown, the Chiefs defense forced their first three-and-out of the game on the Packers' next possession to get the ball back at their 45-yard-line following a 30-yard return by Hall on the punt.

This would lead to an eight-play, 55-yard drive which culminated with a 10-yard touchdown pass from Green to Morton which tied the game 14-14 with 9:22 to go in the second quarter.

The Packers would respond with a 14-play, 80-yard drive which took seven minutes and ended when Favre connected with Ahman for a 11-yard touchdown to put the Packers back on top at 21-14 with 2:22 to go in the first half.

With time winding down before halftime, the Chiefs tried to drive to get more points on the board but their drive stalled at Green Bay 45-yard-line, forcing a punt back to the Packers, who ran out the clock in the first half as they went into the locker room with a 21-14 lead and would be getting the ball to start the second half.

When Green Bay got the ball to start the second half, Favre went back to being perfect as he completed all five of his passes for 33 yards on an eight-play, 76-yard drive which ended with a 18-yard touchdown run by Najeh Davenport to increase the Packers' lead to 28-14.

The Packers kept the momentum going as they forced the Chiefs to go three-and-out on their opening possession of the second half and got the ball at their 49-yard-line after Jason Baker shanked his punt which went for 28 yards.

After a three-yard loss on 1st down, Favre hit Walls for back-to-back completions totaling 20 yards to give the Packers a 1st down at the Chiefs' 34-yard-line.

That is when the much maligned Chiefs defense rose up and stopped the Packers, allowing only two yards on the next three plays, forcing the Packers to settle for a 50-yard field goal by Ryan Longwell which increased their lead to 31-14 with just over six minutes to go in the third quarter.

Packers quarterback Brett Favre would complete 25 of 36 passes for 272 yards and throw two touchdowns.

Following Longwell's field goal, the defenses would take over as neither team could mount a scoring threat for the rest of the third quarter as the Packers went into the final 15 minutes still holding on to a 31-14 lead.

But things began to change early in the 4th quarter when Hall returned a Packers punt 32 yards to the Green Bay 42-yard-line, setting up a short six-play drive which culminated with an one-yard touchdown run by Holmes which brought the Chiefs to back within 10 points at 31-21 with 12:25 to go in the 4th quarter.

The Packers would get the ball back at their 29-yard-line and proceeded to go their running attack to drive down the field as they ran the ball on four of their next five plays, picking up 30 yards in the process to drive the Packers into Kansas City territory.

But on 3rd & 6 at the Chiefs' 32-yard-line, Favre was picked off by free safety Jerome Woods on a pass intended for Driver, who then ran it back for a 79-yard pick-six that brought the Chiefs to within a field goal at 31-28 with exactly nine minutes to go in the 4th quarter.

The momentum had clearly shifted back to the Chiefs as they forced a three-and-out on the Packers' ensuing possession to get the ball back at their 20-yard-line when Green connected with Gonzalez for a 67-yard completion to give the Chiefs a 1st down at the Green Bay 13-yard-line.

However, a false start penalty on Gonzalez and three plays netted only one yard forced the Chiefs to settle for a 34-yard field goal by Morten Andersen which tied the game 31-31 with 5:45 left in regulation.

With their 17-point lead having been evaporated in just a span of six minutes and 40 seconds, the Packers took over at their 29-yard-line looking to break the 31-31 tie and retake the lead.

After Favre connected with Driver for six yards to open the drive, the Packers went Ahman who carried the ball 16 yards to a 1st down at the Kansas City 49-yard-line, then got the ball again and ran for 26 more yards to another 1st down at the Kansas City 23-yard-line.

But the drive would stall at the Chiefs' 23-yard-line and the Packers would settle for a 41-yard field goal by Longwell to give them a 34-31 lead with 2:48 left in regulation.

The Chiefs would take over at their 10-yard-line with two timeouts in their pocket and needing to drive at least into field goal range to give Andersen at a chance of tying the game with a field goal.

The drive would start off with a four-yard run by Green, which became a 19-yard play after Packers defensive tackle Cletidus Hunt was called for grabbing a face mask to give Kansas City a 1st down at their 29-yard-line.

Then after the next two plays picked up only one yard, Green hit Morton for 14 yards and a 1st down at the Chiefs' 44-yard-line.

This was followed by back-to-back 12-yard completions, the first to Gonzalez and the second to Holmes, which put the Chiefs at the Packers' 32-yard-line.

Holmes would carry the ball on the next two plays gaining seven yards to set up 3rd & 3 when Holmes caught a 12-yard screen pass from Green to give the Chiefs a 1st down at the Green Bay 13-yard-line with just 13 seconds left in regulation.

Green took two shots at the end zone but both passes fell incomplete forcing Kansas City to settle for a 31-yard field goal by Andersen which tied the game at 34 as time expired in regulation.

Chiefs quarterback Trent Green threw for exactly 400 yards and three touchdowns on 27-of-45 passing.

The Chiefs would win the overtime coin toss and got the ball at their 29-yard-line when they decided to rely on Holmes in hopes of carrying Kansas City down the field in hopes of setting up a game-winning field goal.

Holmes would carry the ball nine straight times, gaining 41 yards to drive Kansas City to the Packers' 30-yard-line where they faced a 3rd & 2.

That is when Green decided to put up in the air, only for his pass to fall incomplete, but still in range for Andersen to come on and kick the game-winning field goal from 48 yards out.

But the future Hall-of-Fame kicker's attempt at a game-winning field goal would be blocked by Hunt, giving the Packers the ball at their 39-yard-line with a chance to drive down the field and kick the game-winning field goal.

On the first play from scrimmage, Favre handed the ball to Ahman, who ran for eight yards, but lost the football when the helmet of Woods knocked the football loose, which was recovered by Chiefs linebacker Mike Maslowski to give Kansas City the ball back at their 49-yard-line.

That is when Green decided to go deep and fire a pass down the right side of the field for Eddie Kennison, who had made only one catch all day long.

Kennison made the catch around the Green Bay 20-yard-line and then proceeded to outrun Packers defensive back Bhawoh Jue for the walk-off 51-yard touchdown to give the Chiefs a 40-34 win and keep their undefeated season intact as they moved to 6-0.

The Chiefs would eventually run their record up to 9-0 until they lost to the Cincinnati Bengals 24-19 in Week 11 to end Kansas City hopes of an undefeated season.

Kansas City would finish the season with a 13-3 record good enough to earn the #2 seed in the AFC and a first-round-bye.

But the Chiefs would fall to Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts 38-31 in their divisional playoff, the only time Kansas City made the playoffs under Vermeil who retired after the 2005 season.

As for the Packers, they would continue to struggle for the next few weeks of the season until a four-game winning streak in December, coupled with a 18-17 loss by the Minnesota Vikings on the last play of the game to the Arizona Cardinals in the regular season finale, gave Green Bay the NFC North title and a spot in the playoffs.

The Packers would knock off the Seattle Seahawks 33-27 in overtime of their Wild Card Game, but would fall to the Philadelphia Eagles 20-17 in overtime in the Divisional Round after the Eagles converted on 4th & 26 on their final possession of regulation where they were able to kick the game-tying field goal.

College Football Old School Game of the Week: Reggie Ho Kicks Irish To Win Over Michigan

Reggie Ho is lifted up his teammates after kicking four field goals in the 1988 season opener against Michigan.

Almost every Notre Dame football fan and most non-sports fans know the story of Rudy, the story of Daniel Ruettiger, a 5-6 walk-on who famously made his way on to the Notre Dame football team and made a quarterback sack at the end of the 1975 Georgia Tech-Notre Dame game and was carried off the field.
That story was made into the movie Rudy starring Sean Astin which came out in 1993 and has become one of the most beloved sports movies of all time.
While the movie never got a sequel, the story of a walk-on helping the Irish football team was given in the name of Reggie Ho, a 5-5 135-pound kicker from Hawaii who helped Notre Dame to a win over Michigan.
Ho came to the University of Notre Dame in 1985 in hopes of becoming a doctor like his father as he entered the pre-med program.
After two years at the university,  Ho decided to try out for the football team as a kicker.
Ho had experience as a kicker as he played soccer and football at St. Louis High School in Honolulu.
Ho was granted a spot on the Notre Dame roster by head coach Lou Holtz and kicked an extra point in the Irish's 56-13 win over Navy in 1987.
But Ho's story did not end there as he would be named the team's starting placekicker as the Irish opened the 1988 season against Michigan.
Michigan came to South Bend ranked #9 under head coach Bo Schembechler who was looking for revenge against the Irish after Notre Dame shocked the Wolverines 26-7 in Ann Arbor the year before.
If the #13 Irish were going to pull off the upset, they were going to need find a way to replace the production of Heisman Trophy winner Tim Brown, who had accounted for 11 touchdowns the year before with three of them coming on punt returns.
The man assigned with the task of replacing Tim Brown on punt returns was sophomore Ricky Watters, who had spend his freshman season as a running back before being switched to returner and wide receiver before the start of the 1988 season.
Notre Dame would get the ball to start the game but would punt it to the Wolverines who would go three-and-out on their opening possession, forcing them to punt the ball back to Notre Dame where Watters was waiting to receive the punt.
Watters got the ball at his 19-yard-line bursted up through the middle, made a cut to his left at the Irish 35-yard-line and ran untouched for a 81-yard touchdown to put Notre Dame on top 7-0 with 10:11 left in the first quarter.
After both teams traded punts, the Irish would drive from their 42-yard-line to the Michigan 15-yard-line when on 4th & 3, Holtz sent Ho in to try a 31-yard field goal.
With the nearly 59,000 fans holding their breath, Ho calmly made the 31-yard field goal to increase the Irish lead to 10-0 with 35 seconds left in the first quarter.
Following the field goal, the Irish would be given another excellent opportunity to put more points on the board as Leroy Hoard fumbled the ensuing kickoff after a hit by Notre Dame cornerback D'Juan Francisco, which was recovered by his teammate, defensive end Arnold Ale to give the Irish the ball at the Michigan 22-yard-line.
But the Wolverines defense would not allow a 1st down and forced the Irish to call on Ho again to attempt another field goal, this one from 38 yards out.
Ho would come on and kick his second field goal in a span of 48 seconds as his 38-yarder on the second play of the second quarter increased the Irish lead to 13-0.

Ricky Watters scored the game's first touchdown on a 81-yard punt return early in the first quarter.

Now down nearly two touchdowns, the Wolverines desperately needed a big play on offense if they were to stay in the game and they would get that on the ensuing kickoff as Tony Boles' 59-yard return set up the Michigan offense at the Notre Dame 38-yard-line.
Michigan would convert on two straight 3rd down conversions as quarterback Michael Taylor hit Hoard on a shovel pass for 10 yards on 3rd & 10 from the 36-yard-line, then found Greg McMutry for eight yards on 3rd & 6 from the 22-yard-line.
The Wolverines would face a 3rd straight 3rd down but would come up one yard short of making the 1st down as Boles ran for five yards only to be stopped at the five-yard-line setting up a 4th & 1.
That is when Schembechler decided to go for the 1st down and got it when Taylor snuck for two yards to give Michigan a 1st & goal at the three-yard-line.
After Tracy Williams picked up two yards on 1st down, Hoard dove over the goal line for a one-yard touchdown to put the Wolverines on the scoreboard trailing 13-7 with 8:21 left in the second quarter.
The Irish would begin its next possession at its own 29-yard-line and drive to the Michigan 47-yard-line until a pass from quarterback Tony Rice bounced off Watters and was intercepted by Michigan cornerback David Key to give the Wolverines the ball at their 33-yard-line with 4:11 left in the first half.
Michigan would drive to the Notre Dame 45-yard-line before punting the ball back to the Irish who would run out the clock and go into the locker room with a 13-7 lead after 30 minutes of football.
Both teams would punt on their opening possessions of the second half and Michigan was set to punt after failing to pick up a 1st down on their second possession of the half.
But the Wolverines would catch a break when Watters muffed the punt resulting in a fumble that was recovered by Michigan at the Notre Dame 14-yard-line.
The Wolverines would drive to the one-yard-line where they were faced with 4th & goal when Schembechler decided to gamble again near the Notre Dame goal line and try to come away with a touchdown.
Taylor would punch it in for the touchdown that along with Mike Gillette's extra point gave Michigan its first lead of the game at 14-13 with 4:44 to go in the third quarter.
The Irish would get the ball back at their 22-yard-line when on 1st down, Rice threw his first completed pass of the game, a one-yard loss to running back Mark Green.
But Rice's second completion would go for 23 yards as he connected with Steve Alaniz for a 23-yard gain and a 1st down at the Notre Dame 44-yard-line.
From there, the Irish went back to the ground as they ran the ball eight straight times, picking up 46 yards to set up a 26-yard field goal by Ho to reclaim the lead on the second play of the 4th quarter.
Following Ho's third field goal of the game, the Wolverines would put together a drive that would take up over 8 1/2 minutes to complete.

Michigan running back Tony Boles was the game's leading rusher with 83 yards on 25 carries.

Michigan would begin its drive from their 20-yard-line where four straight running plays picked up 12 yards until Taylor hit Chris Calloway for 17 yards to give the Wolverines a 1st down at their 49-yard-line.
The Wolverines would then make two straight key 3rd down conversions as Boles ran for eight yards on 3rd & 1 at the Notre Dame 42-yard-line which was followed by a 12-yard run by Taylor on a quarterback draw on 3rd & 7 to give Michigan a 1st down at the Notre Dame 19-yard-line.
From there, the Wolverines would go backwards as a holding penalty and three runs which lost four yards would force Michigan to call on Gillette to attempt a 49-yard field goal.
Gillette would make the kick to give Michigan a 16-14 lead with 5:34 left in the game.
Notre Dame got the ball back at their 20-yard-line and went to the air on 1st down as Rice would throw an incomplete pass, only to get a 15-yard pass interference penalty on Key to give the Irish a 1st down at their 35-yard-line.
Rice kept the ball on the ground on the next play from scrimmage as he kept the ball on a quarterback option and around the left side of the Notre Dame offensive line for a 21-yard run to give the Irish a 1st down at the Michigan 44-yard-line.
Then after running back Tony Brooks was stopped after a one-yard run on 1st down, Rice would throw his third and final completed pass of the game, a 18-yard completion to Brooks to give Notre Dame another 1st down at the Michigan 25-yard-line.
Then after two runs by Green netted six yards, Rice ran for four yards and another 1st down at the Michigan 15-yard-line.
Three more runs would pick up six more yards setting up 4th & 4 from the nine-yard-line when Holtz sent in Ho to attempt the go-ahead 26-yard field goal.
Even though he had made three field goals already, the pressure was on Ho for this kick as if he missed the Irish would lose the game since they had one timeout left.
But Ho would connect on his fourth field goal of the game to give Notre Dame a 19-17 lead with just 1:13 left.
Michigan would get the ball back with two timeouts remaining in hopes of driving into field goal range and kick a game-winning field goal.
Disaster nearly struck on the ensuing kickoff as Boles dropped the kick only to pick it up and ran 30 yards to the Michigan 37-yard-line, giving the Wolverines the ball with 66 seconds remaining.
The drive began with Taylor hitting a 11-yard pass to Calloway for a 1st down, which was followed by a one-yard scramble to Taylor, forcing Michigan to call one of its two remaining timeouts with 43 seconds left.
Then after Taylor's 2nd down pass intended for Calloway fell incomplete, Taylor hit McMutry for 19 yards and a 1st down at the Notre Dame 32-yard-line.
Taylor tried to connect with McMutry again on 1st down but the pass fell incomplete which was followed by a Boles run up the middle to set up the field goal attempt as Michigan ran the clock down to three seconds before calling timeout.
Gillette would come on to the field to attempt a 48-yard field goal which would give Michigan a 20-19 win and break the hearts of Notre Dame fans.
Holtz called timeout in hopes of icing Gillette as the Michigan kicker prepared for his attempt to etch his name in Michigan lore.
Finally, Gillette was able to kick the ball which was long enough but sailed inches wide right of the goal line and no good as time expired giving Notre Dame a 19-17 win and set off a wild celebration in South Bend.

Notre Dame's Corny Southall celebrates after Mike Gillette misses his potential game-winning field goal on the last play of the game.

The loss to Notre Dame would be the first of two heartbreakers to start the season for Michigan as the Wolverines would blow a 16-point lead to the #1 Miami Hurricanes the following week to lose that game 31-30 and start off the season.
However, the Wolverines would rebound to go 8-0-1 for the rest of the regular season earn a trip to the Rose Bowl where they would defeat the USC Trojans 22-14 for the second Rose Bowl title in Schembechler's legendary career to finish the season with a 9-2-1 record and #4 ranking in both polls at the end of the season.
As for Notre Dame, they would win the national championship as the Irish would defeat the #1 Hurricanes in the legendary "Catholics vs Convicts" game which you can read by clicking on the link here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2017/11/college-football-old-school-game-of_8.html then knock off the USC Trojans 27-10 in a #1 vs #2 game at the end of the regular season to earn a trip to the Fiesta Bowl where they would knock off the undefeated West Virginia Mountaineers 34-21 to earn the school their 11th national title.
Ho would continue his role as the short-range field goal kicker as he would make five more field goals and convert 31 extra points over the course of the Irish's championship season.
Ho would graduate in the spring of 1989 with a degree in pre-med as he would spend the next four years at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine where would he receive his medical degree in 1993.
Ho is now living his dream of being a cardiologist as he specializes in electrophysiology at the Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia.
But to Irish fans, Dr. Reginald Ho was always be the man he kickstarted Notre Dame's run to the 1988 National Championship.
(Below are the highlights of the game)

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Unlikely Heroes Help Ravens to Comeback Win Over Seahawks

Ravens quarterback Anthony Wright would complete 20 of 37 passes for 314 yards and throw four touchdown passes in the Ravens' comeback win over the Seahawks.

Sometimes in a NFL season it is not the star players of a team, but players who have been struggling or backups who came in to provide a spark to a team and turn their season around.

For the 2003 Baltimore Ravens, those unlikely heroes came in the form of quarterback Anthony Wright and wide receiver Marcus Robinson who saved the Ravens' season in their Week 12 game with the Seattle Seahawks.

The Ravens entered the game with a 5-5 record, having lost their previous two games and needing a win to keep their playoff hopes alive.

While the Ravens had their usual stout defense led by linebacker Ray Lewis and strong safety Ed Reed, the offense was not very explosive as rookie quarterback Kyle Boller had not provided the strong passing game Baltimore had been looking for as he averaged only 138.8 yards per game until he tore his quadriceps muscle in his left leg during the Ravens' 33-22 to the then St. Louis Rams.

Not impressed by backup Chris Redman's performance in relief of Boller, head coach Brian Billick named Wright the starting quarterback for the Ravens' next game against the Miami Dolphins.

Wright, who had started five games in his NFL career up to that point, lead the Ravens' offense to only two field goals in a 9-6 overtime loss to Miami, but still got the nod as the starting quarterback as the Ravens prepared to host the Seattle Seahawks.

The Seahawks entered the game with a 7-3 record thanks to an undefeated record at home and an offense which featured quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and running back Shaun Alexander.

Seattle head coach Mike Holmgren had his team in the thick of the NFC playoff race, but needed a win on the road to bolster their chances of a playoff spot.

Despite having lost three of their first four road game of the season, many experts believed Seattle could go into Baltimore and pick up the win.

For the Ravens to win, they needed a strong passing game to accompany running back Jamal Lewis and one player that they needed to have a big game was Robinson, who had been signed by the Ravens in the offseason but had only caught nine passes for 76 yards and zero touchdowns in the entire season.

That stood in sharp contrast to his 1999 season with the Chicago Bears where he caught 84 passes for 1,400 yards and nine touchdowns.

If the Ravens were to pull off the win, they would need the Robinson of 1999 to show up to help Wright and the struggling Ravens offense.

After a first quarter which saw both teams punt on every possession, the Seahawks began the second quarter with a 3rd & 4 at their 26-yard-line when fullback Mack Strong ran for nine yards and the 1st down.

That got the Seattle offense moving as Hasselbeck would hit his next three passes for a total of 43 yards to lead the Seahawks to the Ravens' 22-yard-line.

However, the drive would stall as Hasselbeck would threw two incomplete passes and be sacked by RAvens nose tackle Kelly Gregg for a five-yard-loss, forcing Seattle to settle for a 45-yard field goal by Josh Brown which gave the Seahawks a 3-0 lead with 11:54 left in the second quarter.

Following the Seattle field goal, the game went back into a punting contest until the Ravens' defense forced a turnover when Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs sacked Hasselbeck, which knocked the football loose for a fumble that was recovered by Suggs and returned seven yards to the Seahawks' three-yard-line to give Baltimore a 1st & goal.

However, the Ravens could not move the football on three plays and were force to settle for a 21-yard field goal by Matt Stover which tied the game at 3 with 3:36 left before halftime.

The Seahawks would get the ball back at their 20-yard-line when they put together their best drive of the game as Hasselbeck would complete four of his next seven passes for 54 yards to lead Seattle to the Baltimore 26-yard-line.

From there, the Seahawks went to Alexander who carried the ball three times for 24 yards, setting up Hasselbeck's two-yard touchdown pass to  Darrell Jackson for the game's first touchdown and to give Seattle a 10-3 lead with 23 seconds to go in the first half.

Ravens running back Jamal Lewis would carry the ball 26 times for 117 yards.

It seemed that the Ravens were going to go into the halftime break down a touchdown as they took over at their 36-yard-line with just 16 seconds to go.

But inexplicably the Ravens did not take a knee and decided to run the ball as Wright handed the ball off to Chester Taylor, who coughed up the football after he was hit by Seahawks linebacker Anthony Simmons, leading to a fumble that was recovered by cornerback Ken Lucas whose 24-yard-return gave Seattle the ball at the Ravens' 10-yard-line with just eight seconds left in the half.

That was enough time for Seattle to take a shot at the end zone which they did as Hasselbeck threw a pass to Bobby Engram, who made the catch for the Seahawks' second touchdown in 23 seconds to extend Seattle's lead to 17-3 with as the first half came to a close.

The Ravens would get the ball to start the second half, but it seemed that a 14-point lead would be a huge hill for Baltimore to climb especially since their offense had gained only 42 yards of total offense in the first half.

The Ravens gained eight yards on the first two plays of the half to set up a 3rd & 2 at their 37-yard-line when Wright went deep and connected with Travis Taylor for a 43-yard completion to the Seahawks' 20-yard-line.

Two plays later, Wright would hit Robinson for a 13-yard touchdown to trim the Seahawks' lead in half to 17-10 with 12:18 to go in the third quarter.

However, the Seahawks would respond quickly with a three-play, 56-yard drive that ended with Hasselbeck firing a 38-yard touchdown pass to Koren Robinson to push the Seahawks' lead back to 14 points at 24-10, just 89 seconds after the Ravens' touchdown.

The Ravens would go three-and-out on their ensuing possession and after Dave Zastudil shanked a 24-yard punt, the Seahawks had the ball at the Baltimore 29-yard-line.

The Baltimore defense would hold and not permit a 1st down, forcing the Seahawks to call on Brown to attempt a 46-yard field goal, which he made to extend the Seattle lead to 27-10 midway through the third quarter.

The Ravens would get the ball back at their 35-yard-line where it took them five plays to get back into the end zone as Wright connected with Robinson for another touchdown, this one for 50 yards to bring Baltimore back to within 10 points at 27-17 with 5:26 left in the third quarter.

It would only take the Seahawks 20 seconds to score again as Hasselbeck fired a deep pass for Jackson, who made the catch in stride and ran down the left sideline for a 80-yard touchdown to push the Seattle lead back to 17 points at 34-17.

All of a sudden the defensive stalemate that had occurred in the first half had turned into a up-and-down track meet and it wasn't over yet.

After Jackson's 80-yard touchdown catch, Lamont Brightful returned the ensuing kickoff 40 yards to the Baltimore 48-yard-line, where it took the Ravens five plays drive down the field and score again as Wright and Robinson connected for their third touchdown of the quarter, a 25-yarder to once again make it a 10-point game at 34-24 with 3:18 left in the third quarter.

Following a 38-point third quarter, the Seahawks would score on the second play of the fourth quarter as Hasselbeck threw his fifth touchdown of the game as he found Engram for a five-yard touchdown to make it a 17-point game again at 41-24 with 14:16 left in the 4th quarter.

Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck would throw a career-high five touchdown passes on 23-of-41 passing for 333 yards.

After an exchange of punts, the Ravens got the ball back at their 16-yard-line needed to put together a scoring drive quickly as they trailed by 17 points.

But the Ravens would be forced to punt the ball back to Seattle, only to get a break when Lucas muffed the punt, leading to a fumble that was recovered by Baltimore's Joe Maese at the Seattle 35-yard-line.

However, on the very next play, Jamal Lewis fumbled the football at the end of a six-yard-run, which was recovered by Seahawks safety Damien Robinson at the Seahawks' 32-yard-line.

The Ravens defense did not permit a 1st down and forced the Seahawks to punt the ball when Ed Reed struck as he blocked Tom Rouen's punt, then picked up the loose ball and ran it for a 16-yard touchdown to cut the Seattle lead to 41-31 with 6:41 to go in regulation.

The Seahawks would begin their next possession at their 25-yard-line where they drove to the Ravens' 31-yard-line until Ray Lewis made his presence felt as he forced and recovered a fumble after a run by Strong to give the Ravens the ball back at their 29-yard-line with 4:16 to go.

From there, Wright would lead the Ravens to the Seahawks' 39-yard-line until back-to-back sacks drove Baltimore back to their 35-yard-line where they faced a 4th & 28 as the two-minute hit.

Down 10 points, the Ravens had no choice but to go for it as Wright threw a deep Hail Mary pass that was deflected by Robinson and caught by Frank Sanders for an miraculous 44-yard gain to give Baltimore a 1st down at the Seahawks' 21-yard-line.

Three plays later, Wright connected with Robinson for a fourth touchdown as Robinson's nine-yard touchdown catch brought the Ravens to within a field goal at 41-38 with 1:12 to go in regulation.

Baltimore attempted an onside kick but it was recovered by the Seahawks' Alex Bannister at the Ravens' 42-yard-line.

Things seemed bleak for the Ravens to force overtime as they were only 71 seconds left and Baltimore had only two timeouts.

Alexander carried the ball for six yards on 1st down forcing Baltimore to burn a timeout with 64 seconds left to set up 2nd & 4.

That is when the Ravens got a break thanks to the referees.

As the Seahawks lined up for 2nd & 4, Seattle right tackle Floyd "Pork Chop" Womack lined up as an eligible receiver as Alexander ran the ball for three yards as the officials threw a flag for saying Womack failed to tell the referees that he was an eligible receiver when in fact he did.

The referees corrected the mistake and took back the penalty to set up 3rd & 1, but in the process forget to restart the clock as it had stopped with 58 seconds left because of the flag.

This resulted in the Ravens essentially getting an extra timeout but it didn't seem like it was going to matter as Seattle needed just one more yard to pull out the victory.

But Alexander was stopped inches short of the 1st down, setting up a crucial 4th & inches as the Ravens got to use their final timeout with 44 seconds left.

Holmgren decided not to punt or call on Brown to attempt a 50-yard field goal and instead went for the 1st down as Hasselbeck took the snap and tried to sneak it for the 1st down, only to be stopped short by Ravens defensive lineman Orlando Brown and Marques Douglas, giving the Ravens the ball at their 33-yard-line with 39 seconds left and a chance to drive into field goal range.

After an incomplete pass on 1st down, Wright went deep for Robinson on 2nd down where Robinson drew a 44-yard pass interference penalty on Seahawks cornerback Marcus Trufant to give Baltimore a 1st down at the Seattle 23-yard-line with 25 seconds left.

From there, Wright handed the ball off to Jamal Lewis, who picked up seven more yards, which was followed by Wright spiking the ball with four seconds left.

An illegal formation penalty would push the Ravens back five yards but it would not matter as Stover calmly made a 40-yard field goal to tie the game at 41 as time expired in regulation.

Marcus Robinson would catch seven passes for 131 yards and four touchdowns.

The Seahawks would win the overtime coin toss and began their first drive of overtime at their 27-yard-line where a sack of Hasselbeck by Ravens linebacker Peter Boulware forced Seattle to punt the ball back to the Ravens who took over at their 21-yard-line.

From there, the Ravens would run the ball on four of their next five offensive plays with Jamal Lewis carrying the ball three times for 16 yards while Wright ran for eight yards on a quarterback scramble to lead Baltimore to the Seattle 46-yard-line.

But a pair of penalties and a five-yard run by Lewis forced a 3rd & 15 at the Ravens' 49-yard-line when Wright would find his favorite target, Robinson, for 19 yards to give Baltimore a 1st down at the Seahawks' 32-yard-line.

Lewis would carry the ball three straight times for eight yards before Stover was called on to kick the game-winning 42-yard field goal to give the Ravens a 44-41 overtime win and completing what was then the greatest comeback in team history.

But for Wright the win over the Seahawks would be the highlight of his day as later that night, his wife give birth to their second child, a girl named Trinity.

The Seahawks would recover from their heartbreaking loss in Baltimore by winning their final two games of the regular season to finish with a 10-6 record and earn a Wild Card spot in the NFC Playoffs, which ended with a 33-27 overtime loss to the Green Bay Packers after Hasselbeck's infamous declaration of "We're gonna score" when Seattle won the overtime coin toss, only to have Hasselbeck throw a pick-six in the extra period.

As for Wright, he would remain the starter for the Ravens for the rest of the 2003 season, leading Baltimore a 4-1 record over its final five games to earn them a 10-6 and the AFC North Division title.

However, Wright's magic carpet ride would in the Wild Card Round as the Ravens lost to the Tennessee Titans 20-17 on a 46-yard field goal by Gary Anderson with 29 seconds left.

Wright would miss the 2004 season with a torn labrum in his right shoulder, but came back in 2005 to win the starting quarterback job back from Boller, only to be benched after posting a 2-5 record in his seven starts.

Wright would never start another NFL game again as he bounced around for three more years, being a third string quarterback on the Cincinnati Bengals and the New York Giants before ultimately retiring following the 2008 season.

Meanwhile, Robinson would leave the Ravens following the 2003 season and sign with the Minnesota Vikings, where he would catch 107 passes for 1,553 yards and 17 touchdowns before he retired in 2008 as well.

While they may have not the greatest of careers, Wright and Robinson will always be remembered fondly by Ravens fans for their performances in their amazing comeback win over the Seahawks.

College Football Old School Game of the Week: Michigan Knocks off Undefeated Penn State With Walk-off TD

Michigan wide receiver Mario Manningham catches the game-winning touchdown as time expires in Michigan's win over Penn State.

When most football fans think of the name Mario Manningham, they think of his incredible 38-yard catch on the first play of the New York Giants' game-winning touchdown drive in Super Bowl XLVI.
But if you ask a Michigan Wolverines football fan about Manningham, probably the first thing that will come to their mind is his heroics against Penn State in the middle of the 2005 season.The Wolverines were having an up-and-down season as they entered the Penn State game as they had gone through the first six games winning one game, then losing another as they stood with a 3-3 record and coming off a 23-20 loss to Minnesota.
The season was already considered a disappointment, considering they had returning starting quarterback Chad Henne, running back Mike Hart, and wide receiver Steve Breaston from a team that had played in the last two Rose Bowls.
With a Big 10 championship and a third straight trip to the Rose Bowl looking pretty grim, head coach Lloyd Carr and his Wolverines were just hoping to get a berth in a good bowl game as they prepared to host the undefeated Penn State Nittany Lions.
Penn State was having a bit of a renaissance after having four losing seasons in the past five years as they traveled to the "Big House" entering the game with a 6-0 record their best start since 1999.
The Nittany Lions were led by legendary head coach Joe Paterno and a roster which featured senior Michael Robinson at quarterback and a defense which featured All-American defensive end Tamba Hali and eventual Butkus award winner Paul Posulszny at linebacker.
Even though the Nittany Lions were riding high and the Wolverines were struggling, Penn State was not taking this game for granted as they had not defeated Michigan since 1996 and had lost their last six meetings to the Wolverines(the two teams did not play in 2003 or 2004).
The Nittany Lions got the ball to start the game and drove from their 20-yard-line to the Michigan 30-yard-line in eight plays until they were faced with a 4th & 1 situation.
Instead of attempting a long field goal, Paterno had the Penn State offense go for the 1st down which they got after running back Tony Hunt picked up seven yards on the 4th down play.
Three plays later, the Nittany Lions were be faced with another 4th & 1 situation, this time at the Michigan 14-yard-line.
Paterno sent in the field goal unit but kicker Kevin Kelly's 32-yard field goal attempt sailed wide right, giving the Wolverine the ball at their 20-yard-line midway through the first quarter.
The rest of the first quarter would be a punting contest as neither team would mount a serious scoring threat until early in the second quarter when the Nittany Lions drove from their five-yard-line to the Michigan 28-yard-line to set up a 45-yard field goal attempt by Kelly, which fell short to keep scoreless with 7:12 left to go before halftime.
Following Penn State's second missed field goal of the game, the Michigan offense put together it best drive of the game as a 23-yard run by Antonio Bass and a 21-yard pass from Henne to Jason Avant led to a 35-yard field goal by Garrett Rivas to give Michigan a 3-0 lead with 4:28 left in the second quarter.
The Nittany Lions would begin its ensuing possession at their own 23-yard-line but quickly drove to the Michigan 49-yard-line as Robinson completed three passes in a row for 28 yards.
But on the 4th play of the drive, Robinson lost the football after he was hit by Michigan linebacker Dave Harris, resulting in a fumble recovery by defensive back Brandon Harrison to give the Wolverines the football at their 39-yard-line with 2:31 left in the first half.
From there, the Wolverines would drive to the Penn State 18-yard-line until a sack by Hali for an nine-yard-loss forced the Wolverines to settle for a 45-yard field goal attempt by Rivas which fell short.
Robinson would take a knee to run out the clock as the Nittany Lions went into the halftime break down 3-0.

Penn State quarterback Michael Robinson threw for 239 yards on 19-of-34 passing and run for 67 yards on 17 carries.

Michigan got the ball to start the second half and drove 72 yards in 10 plays, primarily on the legs of Hart, who would carry the ball four times for 32 yards on the drive, including a two-yard touchdown for the game's first touchdown to increase the Wolverines' lead to 10-0 with 11:10 left in the third quarter.
After both teams punted on their ensuing possessions, the Nittany Lions got the ball at their 26-yard-line and only picked up five yards on the first two plays of the drive to set up a 3rd & 5 at their 31-yard-line when Robinson connected with Terrell Golden for 56 yards that became a 63-yard play after Michigan was called for roughing the passer to set up Penn State with a 1st & goal at the Michigan six-yard-line.
However, the Michigan defense would stiffen and force the Nittany Lions to settle for another Kelly field goal attempt, which this time he made from 25 yards out to put Penn State on the board down 10-3 with five seconds left in the third quarter.
The Penn State defense would force Michigan to punt on their next possession to give the Nittany Lions offense the ball at their 37-yard-line with 12:53 left in the 4th quarter.
That is when the fireworks began as the game turned from a defensive stalemate into a track meet.
It all began on the first play after the punt as Hunt would run for 63 yards to the Michigan two-yard-line, eventually leading to a four-yard touchdown run by Robinson that with Kelly's extra point tied the game at 10 with 11:56 left in regulation.
The Wolverines would get the ball back at their 28-yard-line for their next possession but on the first play from scrimmage, Henne would fumble the football at the end of a seven-yard-run as he was stripped of the football by Penn State cornerback Alan Zemaitis who then ran it back for a 35-yard touchdown to give the Nittany Lions their first lead of the game at 16-10.
Chaos would ensue on the extra point as the Penn State holder botched the snap, only to have Kelly pick it up and run it in for a two-point conversion to increase the Nittany Lions' lead to 18-10 with 11:39 to go in the game.
After giving up 18 straight points, the Wolverines needed a spark and got it on the ensuing kickoff as Breaston's 39-yard return gave Michigan the ball at their 45-yard-line.
It would only take the Wolverines five plays to get in the end zone as Henne connected with Manningham for a 33-yard touchdown to bring Michigan to within two at 18-16.
The Wolverines went for the two-point conversion and after Hart ran it in the end zone for a succesful two-point conversion, the game was tied at 18 with 9:32 left in regulation.
The Michigan defense would force Penn State to punt on its ensuing possession, getting the ball back at their 43-yard-line after a 25-yard return by Breaston.
From there, the Wolverines would drive 28 yards in nine plays, culminating with a 47-yard field goal by Rivas to give Michigan a 21-18 lead with 3:45 left in the fourth quarter.
Then on the second play of the Nittany Lions' ensuing possession, Michigan cornerback Leon Hall picked off a Robinson pass intended and ran it back 14 yards to the Penn State 31-yard-line to give the Wolverines a chance to put the nail in the coffin with another score or just by running out the clock.

Michigan running back Mike Hart carried the ball 23 times for 108 yards and scored a touchdown while catching four passes for 40 yards.

However a holding penalty on Hall's return pushed the Wolverines back to the Penn State 41-yard-line and after three plays netted seven yards, the Wolverines were faced with a 4th & 3 at the Nittany Lions' 34-yard-line with 2:53 to play.
Perhaps persuaded by the fact that Penn State had used all three of their timeouts, Carr decided to punt the ball and try to pin the Nittany Lions deep in their own territory.
But that did not work as Rivas' punt traveled only 15 yards giving Penn State the ball at their 19-yard-line with 2:46 left and a chance to at least tie the game with a field goal.
The drive began with a 10-yard pass from Robinson to Golden, which was followed by a 29-yard pass to Jordan Norwood to give Penn State a 1st down at the Michigan 42-yard-line.
Robinson would then hit Golden again for seven yards, then ran for six yards to give Penn State an apparent 1st down, only to have it called back because of a holding penalty setting up 2nd & 7 from the Michigan 39-yard-line.
After two straight incomplete passes, the Nittany Lions were faced with a do-or-die 4th & 7 when Robinson scrambled for eight yards and a 1st down at the Michigan 31-yard-line.
After an incomplete pass  on 1st down, Robinson hit tight end Isaac Smolko for 16 yards to give Penn State a 1st down at the Michgan 15-yard-line.
After two more incomplete passes, Penn State got a 1st & goal at the four-yard-line after Hall was called for pass interference.
That is when Robinson ran it in for the go-ahead touchdown with 53 seconds left to give Penn State a 25-21 lead.
The Wolverines would get the ball back with all three timeouts left and a chance to pull out the win if they could drive for a touchdown.
Their quest would begin with good field position as Breaston returned the ensuing kickoff 40 yards to the Michigan 46-yard-line, giving Henne 54 yards and 42 seconds to drive toward the end zone.
The drive began with a 17-yard pass to Avant to give Michigan a 1st down at the Penn State 36-yard-line which was followed by a four-yard pass to Carl Tabb as the Wolverines called timeout with 28 seconds left as they faced a 2nd & 6 situation.
Following the timeout, Henne hit tight end Tyler Ecker, who stepped out of bounds one yard short of the 1st down.
Then on 3rd & 1, the Wolverines surprised the Nittany Lions by handing the ball off to Hart, who picked up 11 yards before stepping out of bounds at the Penn State 16-yard-line with 18 seconds left.
From there, Henne fired an incomplete pass on 1st down, then found Manningham for six yards to set up 3rd & 4 at the Penn State 10-yard-line.
That is when Henne fired a pass intended for Breaston in the end zone, which fell incomplete and left one second on the clock, enough time for one more play.
Henne lined up behind center, dropped back, and fired a slant pass to Manningham in the back of the end zone for the touchdown to give Michigan the 27-25 upset and hand Penn State its first loss of the season.

The last-second loss to Michigan would be the only one of the season for Penn State as they would finish the season with 11-1 record and the school's first Big 10 championship since 1994.
But since the national championship game was being played at the Rose Bowl that season, the Nittany Lions had to travel to Miami to take on Florida State, whom they defeated 26-23 in triple overtime.
As for the Wolverines, the win over Penn State sparked a four-game winning streak which ended with a 25-21 loss to Ohio State, which was followed by a 32-28 loss to Nebraska in the Alamo Bowl as the Wolverines finished with a disappointing 7-5 record, but would bounce back the following year to finish 11-2.
As for Manningham, he would eventually became Michigan's leading receiver by his junior season in 2007 as he caught 72 passes for 1,174 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Manningham would forego his final season of eligibility and enter the 2008 NFL Draft where he was selected in the third round by the New York Giants.
Manningham's NFL career would only last seven seasons as he caught 211 passes for 2,849 yards and 19 touchdowns during his career, but he did etch his name in Super Bowl lore with his famous catch in Super Bowl XLVI.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Montana + Taylor Lead Niners to Comeback Win over Rams

49ers wide receiver John Taylor put together a historic performance against the Rams in 1989.

For a player that lined up alongside the greatest wide receiver of all time in Jerry Rice, John Taylor did not have a bad career.
In his nine-year career from 1987-95, Taylor caught 347 passes for 5,598 yards and score 43 touchdowns while being named to the Pro Bowl twice.
He also won three Super Bowl rings with the first one being the 49ers' legendary 20-16 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl XXIII where Taylor caught the game-winning touchdown pass with 34 seconds left.
Even though he caught the game-winning touchdown in the game, he was still in Rice's shadow as Rice caught 11 passes for 215 yards to earn Super Bowl MVP honors.
But one Monday night in December 1989, Taylor had the spotlight to himself as he put together a legendary performance against the Los Angeles Rams on Monday Night Football.
The 49ers were under the direction of first-year head coach George Seifert, who had taken over head coaching duties after Bill Walsh's retirement following their win in Super Bowl XXIII.
But with an offense which featured Rice, Taylor, running back Roger Craig and perhaps the greatest quarterback of all time in Joe Montana, Seifert's first year was less stressful as they entered the game with Los Angeles with a 11-2 record and one win away from their fourth straight NFC West division title and seventh in nine years.
Standing in their way of another NFC West division title were the Rams, who were 9-4 and one of only two teams who had defeated the 49ers in 1989 as they knocked off the San Francisco 13-12 in Candlestick Park in Week 4 of the season.
The Rams got off to a 5-0 start but then lost four games in a row before going on a four-game winning streak, which included a 20-17 overtime win over the New Orleans Saints where wide receiver Flipper Anderson set the NFL single game record for receiving yards as he picked up 336 yards on 15 catches.
With Anderson and quarterback Jim Everett at the helm of the offense, the Rams had the firepower to match the 49ers' legendary "West Coast Offense".
Plus, if they could pull off the win over the 49ers, they would be a game back of San Francisco with two weeks to go and would hold the tiebreaker for the division title if both teams ended the regular season with the same record.
So to say the game in Anaheim was a big deal, would be an understatement.

Joe Montana would complete 30 of 42 passes for 458 yards and throw three touchdowns, two of them to John Taylor.

The Rams got off to a hot start as they drove 75 yards in eight plays on the opening possession of the game as Everett connected with Anderson for 34 yards on the first play from scrimmage, then hit Ron Brown for 27 yards on a 3rd & 11, all leading to Greg Bell's three-yard touchdown run to give LA a 7-0 lead just 3:43 into the game.
Then after forcing a 49ers punt, the Rams would drive 66 yards in five plays with the key play being a 42-yard pass interference penalty on 49ers cornerback Daryl Pollard, leading to Everett's four-yard touchdown pass to Damone Johnson to increase the LA lead to 14-0 with 4:47 left in the opening quarter.
In a 14-point hole, the 49ers offense needed to get going but on the first play of their ensuing drive, Montana was picked off by Rams cornerback Leroy Irvin, whose 18-yard return gave the Rams the ball at the San Francisco 11-yard-line with a chance for another touchdown.
However, the 49ers defense would hold, forcing a 25-yard field goal by Mike Lansford which increased the Rams' lead to 17-0 with 2:56 left in the first quarter.
But holding the Rams to a field goal was the spark the 49ers needed as Terrence Flagler returned the ensuing kickoff 40 yards to the San Francisco 45-yard-line.
From there, Montana would complete four of his next five passes for 43 yards to set up a 1st & goal at the two-yard-line as the first quarter come to a close.
After the two teams walked down to the other end of the field, the Rams' defense would stiffen as they would not allow another yard, forcing the 49ers to settle for a 19-yard field goal by Mike Cofer to get San Francisco on the scoreboard, but trailing 17-3.
Following an exchange of punts, the Rams got the ball at their 20-yard-line but were quickly in 49ers territory as Everett hit Anderson for 38 yards to begin the drive.
The Rams would drive to the four-yard-line where they lined up to kick a 21-yard field goal, only to have holder Pete Holohan take the snap and try to run it in for a touchdown.
But Holohan was tackled one yard short of the end zone by 49ers linebacker Mike Walter, giving the 49ers the ball at their one-yard-line, but still down 17-3.
Montana threw an incomplete pass on 1st down, then hit tight end Brent Jones for seven yards to set up a 3rd & 3 when Taylor made his first big play of the game.
Montana took the snap, dropped back, and fired a pass for Taylor, who made the catch at the 49ers' 19-yard-line, then cut across the field toward the left sideline, where he faked out defensive back Anthony Newman at the San Francisco 47-yard-line, then ran down the left sideline for the remaining 53 yards to complete a 92-yard touchdown to bring the 49ers to within a touchdown at 17-10 with 2:27 left in the first half.

The 49ers defense would force the Rams to punt on their next possession to get the ball back at their 37-yard-line with 1:24 to go in the first half as Montana would complete five passes in a row to drive San Francisco to the Rams' five-yard-line where they had a 1st & goal with 17 seconds remaining before halftime.
That is when the 49ers started to go backwards as Montana threw an incomplete pass on 1st down, then was sacked for a 12-yard loss by Rams linebacker Kevin Greene on 2nd down, then lost 10 more yards on a holding penalty which wiped out a 22-yard touchdown pass to Craig, which was followed by another loss of five yards on a false start on Cofer's 49-yard field goal.
In total, the 49ers went 32 yards in the wrong direction and would come away with no points as Cofer missed a 54-yard field goal as the first half came to an end with the Rams still leading 17-10.
The 49ers got the ball to start the second half but went three-and-out, punting the ball back to the Rams, who took over at their 44-yard-line.
That is when Everett took command as he hit Holohan for 12 yards to begin the drive, then connected with Holohan again, this time for 16 yards to give LA a 1st down at the 49ers' 24-yard-line.
Everett would then connect with Buford McGee on back-to-back completions, with the second one being a 13-yard touchdown to push the Rams' lead back to double digits at 24-10 with 10:28 left in the third quarter.
After both teams punted on their next possessions, the 49ers got the ball at their 39-yard-line as they drove to the Rams' 12-yard-line in six plays with Montana accounted for all of the 49 yards on offense as he completed four passes for 34 yards and scrambled for 15 yards on two carries.
But on 1st down from the LA 12-yard-line, Montana was intercepted when his pass bounced off the hands of Craig and into the hands of Rams strong safety Michael Stewart, whose 35-yard return gave the Rams the ball at their 37-yard-line.
From there, the Rams would drive 58 yards in nine plays on a drive that would span into the 4th quarter and end with a 22-yard field goal by Lansford to increase the Rams' lead to 27-10 with 13:34 left in regulation.
Down by 17 points again, the 49ers needed "Montana Magic" if they were going to win or at least force the game into overtime.
They would get some of that magic on their ensuing possession as Montana connected with Taylor for 23 yards and then with Jones for 28 yards, leading to a seven-yard touchdown pass to Mike Wilson to cut the Rams' lead to 27-17 with just over 10 minutes to play in the 4th quarter.
But when the Rams got the ball back at their 26-yard-line for their next possession, it appeared LA was on the verge of putting the game away as they drove to the 49ers' four-yard-line where they had a 2nd & goal.
That is when Everett fumbled the snap from center which was recovered by 49ers linebacker Matt Millen at the San Francisco five-yard-line.
It would only take Montana one play to make the Rams pay as he hit Taylor in stride at the 16-yard-line, who then got away from three LA defenders as he once again cut toward the left sideline, where he ran untouched for his second 90+ yard touchdown of the game, this one for 95 yards.

However, Cofer would miss the extra point, keeping it a 27-23 game, which meant the 49ers would now need a touchdown for their next score, instead of a field goal which would have tied the game had Cofer made the extra point.
Nevertheless, the 49ers would get another gift courtesy of the Rams on the ensuing kickoff as Keith Henderson hit Brown on the kickoff, forcing a fumble which Henderson recovered to give San Francisco the ball at the Rams' 27-yard-line with 6:15 left in the game.
Taylor would strike again as he caught a 15-yard pass on 3rd & 5 from the 22-yard-line, setting up Craig's one-yard touchdown run, which gave the 49ers their first lead of the game at 30-27 with 3:42 left in regulation.
The Rams got the ball at their 20-yard-line but after Everett was sacked by 49ers defensive end Pierce Holt, LA head coach John Robinson sent in the punting unit as LA faced a 4th & 17 situation.
Dale Hatcher would get off a 42-yard punt which was returned by Taylor for nine yards, setting the 49ers shop at the LA 46-yard-line with 2:35 left and needed a 1st down to win the game.
After Craig ran for five yards on back-to-back carries and the Rams burned their two remaining timeouts, the 49ers were faced with a 3rd & 5 at the LA 41-yard-line with 2:20 to go.
That is when Montana would connect with Taylor for the 11th and final time in the game, this one for nine yards to give the 49ers a 1st down at the Rams' 32-yard-line as the two-minute warning hit.
Montana would take a knee on the next three snaps to run out the clock to complete the improbable comeback as the 49ers came away with a 30-27 win and the NFC West title as Taylor finished the game with 11 catches for 286 yards and two touchdowns.
The Rams would recover from the 49ers loss to win their last two game of the regular season to finish with a 11-5 record and earn the final Wild Card spot in the NFC while San Francisco would win their last two games to finish with a 14-2 and earn home field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs.
The Rams would go on the road and knock off the Philadelphia Eagles 21-7 in the NFC Wild Card Game, then upset the New York Giants 19-13 in overtime on Flipper Anderson's game-winning 30-yard touchdown pass.
This would set up a rematch with the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game, who demolished the Minnesota Vikings 41-13, thanks to Montana's four touchdown passes.
In the title game, Montana would complete 26 of 30 passes for 262 yards and throw two touchdowns, one of them to Taylor as the 49ers stomped the Rams 30-3 to earn their fourth trip to the Super Bowl in nine yards, where they destroyed the Denver Broncos 55-10 for their fourth Super Bowl title.