Thursday, October 29, 2020

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Marino Throws 5 Touchdowns to Lead Dolphins To Win over LA Rams

Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino completed 29 of 46 passes for 403 yards and threw five touchdown passes in the Dolphins' win over the Rams.

As the Miami Dolphins traveled to southern California to take on the Los Angeles Rams in week 15 of the NFL season, they knew their season was on the line.

Miami entered the game with a 7-7 record needing a win to keep their playoff hopes alive.

The Dolphins were lead by head coach Don Shula, who was in his 17th season at Miami, and a high-powered offense led by quarterback Dan Marino, who had rewritten the history books two years earlier to lead Miami to the Super Bowl.

While Marino had had another stellar season, with the helps of the "Marks Brothers" wide receivers Mark Clayton and Mark Duper, the Dolphins' defense had struggled ranking near the bottom of the league in points allowed and yards allowed.

The defense was so bad it gave up at least 30 points in five games, with two of those where the opponent scored at least 50, including 51 by the New York Jets in the famous 51-45 overtime shootout in Week 3(For more information, click on the highlighted link to read more about it:)

However, the Dolphins had won five of their last seven games to get back to .500 as the defense had not given up more than 30 points in the previous seven games.

The Dolphins' defense would have their hands full as they took on the Rams and running back Eric Dickerson who had run for 1,629 yards to lead Los Angeles to a 10-4 record entering their game with the Dolphins.

Despite Dickerson's excellence, the Rams were still looking for an answer at quarterback as LA possessed the NFL's worst passing attack.

After going through quarterbacks Steve Bartkowski and Steve Dils, Rams head coach John Robinson turned to rookie Jim Everett to steer the ship for the Rams.

Everett lead the Rams to a 3-1 record over his first four career starts and to the brink of the NFC West Division championship if they could beat the Dolphins.

 After the Rams went three-and-out on their opening possession of the game, the Dolphins got the ball at their 37-yard-line and quickly drove down to the LA 23-yard-line as Marino completed his first three passes for 33 yards.

But on 1st & 10 from the Rams' 23-yard-line, running back Lorenzo Hampton dropped a pitch from Marino, which was recovered by Rams cornerback Jerry Gray at the Los Angeles 18-yard-line.

The Rams would go three-and-out again on their following possession, punting the ball back to the Dolphins who took over at the 50-yard-line and once again drove down the field as a 24-yard pass from Marino to Clayton and a 14-yard run by Hampton set up 1st & goal at the LA nine-yard-line.

But for the second straight drive, the Dolphins would turn it over as on 3rd & goal, Marino's pass for Nat Moore deflected off several players before landing in the hands of Rams free safety Vince Newsome, who took a knee in the end zone for a touchback, which would allow LA to start its ensuing possession from its 20-yard-line.

That is when the Rams' offense got going as Everett completed three passes to Henry Ellard for a total of 38 yards to drive LA to the Miami 18-yard-line as the first quarter came to an end.

Everett would connect with Ellard again for 13 yards on the first play of the second quarter to set up a 1st & goal at the Dolphins' five-yard-line when Dickerson got the call.

Dickerson ran up the middle, on his way to an apparent touchdown, when he was hit at the one-yard-line by Dolphins linebacker John Offerdahl, forcing a fumble that was recovered in the end zone by Rams left guard Tom Newberry for a LA touchdown to give the Rams a 7-0 lead on the second play of the second quarter.

Rams running back Eric Dickerson ran the ball 28 times for 124 yards and scored one touchdown.


The Dolphins would begin its next possession at their 20-yard-line where after picking up one 1st down, Marino handed the ball off to Ron Davenport, who threw it back to Marino on a flea-flicker and fired a pass to Duper, who made the catch at the LA 30-yard-line and then outran the Rams defense for a 69-yard touchdown to tie the game 7-7, just 69 seconds after the Rams' touchdown.

The Rams would get the ball back at their 21-yard-line when they called on Dickerson's name to help lead them down the field as he carried the ball three straight times for 11 yards, then caught a 13-yard screen pass from Everett to give LA a 1st down at their 45-yard-line.

But that is where Dickerson fumbled the football again this time the Dolphins recovered as Miami linebacker Larry Kolic made the recovery at the Rams' 39-yard-line.

From there, the Dolphins drove 39 yards in nine plays, culminating with a six-yard touchdown pass to James Pruitt to give Miami a 14-7 lead with 7:11 left in the second quarter.

After the Rams went three-and-out on their next possession, the Dolphins got the ball at their 47-yard-line where after three straight running plays picked up 10 yards, Marino fired a 43-yard touchdown pass to Clayton to increase Miami's lead to 21-7 with 4:24 left in the second quarter.

The Rams tried to mount one more drive before halftime but could only reach the Miami 44-yard-line before having to punt back to the Dolphins who ran out the clock in the first half and went into the locker room with a 21-7 lead thanks to Marino's three 2nd quarter touchdown passes.

The Dolphins got the ball to start the second half but would go three-and-out, punting the ball back to the Rams who took over at the Miami 47-yard-line after a 30-yard punt by Reggie Roby.

Everett would connect with Ellard for 14 yards to start the drive, then handed the ball off to Dickerson who carried it twice for 15 yards, which was followed by Everett hitting Ellard for a 19-yard touchdown pass to cut the Dolphins' lead in half to 21-14 with 11:33 left in the third quarter.

The Dolphins would punt again on their ensuing possession, giving the ball back to the Rams, who took over at their 26-yard-line when Dickerson bursted for 25 yards on the 1st play of the drive to put LA in Miami territory.

Following a nine-yard pass from Everett to Tim Tyrell, Dickerson would run for four yards on 2nd & 1, then for 13 more on the next play to set up Everett's 23-yard touchdown pass to Kevin House which tied the game at 21 with 6:24 remaining in the third quarter.

The Dolphins would respond with an eight-play, 83-yard drive where Marino completed all eight of his passes, including a 40-yarder to Duper which set up a Marino-to-Duper five-yard touchdown pass that allowed for Miami to retake the lead at 28-21 with 1:35 to go in the third quarter.

The Dolphins would force the Rams to go three-and-out on their ensuing possession, getting the ball back at their 44-yard-line as the 4th quarter began.

Marino stayed hot as he completed his next five passes, including a 19-yarder to Hampton on 2nd & 11 from the Miami 43-yard-line, then hitting Moore for 24 yards on 3rd & 3 from the LA seven-yard-line.

Marino's streak of 13 straight completions would end on 3rd & goal at the one-yard-line when Rams strong safety Nolan Cromwell's safety blitz caused Marino to throw an incomplete pass forcing Shula to make a decision on whether to kick the field goal or go for the touchdown.

Shula decided to keep it safe and kick the field goal which Fuad Reveiz made from 18 yards out to increase the Dolphins' lead to 31-21 with 10:06 left in the 4th quarter.

In just his fifth career NFL start, Rams quarterback Jim Everett completed 18 of 31 passes for 251 yards and threw two touchdowns.


The Rams would begin their next possession at their 22-yard-line where it took them only four plays to drive to inside the Dolphins' red zone as Everett connected with David Hill twice for 24 yards and then House for 31 yards to put LA at the Miami 17-yard-line.

However, the Dolphins' defense would stiffen and allow only two more yards on three plays, forcing the Rams to settle for a 32-yard field goal by Ray Lansford to cut the LA deficit to a touchdown at 31-24 with 6:47 left in the 4th quarter.

The Rams would force a three-and-out to get the ball back at their 25-yard-line with 5:29 left in regulation and a chance to drive for the game-tying touchdown.

The Rams would come out throwing as Everett hit Hill for 18 yards to start the drive, then connected with Ellard for 22 yards to put LA at the Miami 35-yard-line in just two plays.

However, Everett's next two passes would fall incomplete forcing a 3rd & 10 when Everett found House for 11 yards and a 1st down at the Dolphins' 24-yard-line.

Dickerson would get the ball on 1st down and ran for five yards, which was followed by a six-yard scramble by Everett to give the Rams a 1st down at the Miami 13-yard-line.

From there, Dickerson would carry the ball four straight times for 13 yards, with the last carry being an one-yard touchdown that with Lansford's extra point tied the game at 31 with 50 seconds left in regulation.

The Dolphins would not pick up a 1st down on their ensuing possession forcing them to punt the ball back to the Rams who took a knee to run out the clock in regulation and go into overtime tied at 31.

The Dolphins would win the coin toss and elected to receive as Craig Ellis returned the overtime kickoff 22 yards to the Miami 25-yard-line.

After Marino connected with Davenport for eight yards on 1st down, Davenport would bust loose for the longest run of the game as he ran for 35 yards to the LA 32-yard-line.

But two plays later, it appeared that the Rams had dodged a bullet as LA defensive back Mickey Sutton picked off a pass that bounced off the hands of Clayton, only to have nullified by an offsides penalty on linebacker Kevin Greene, giving the Dolphins five yards and a 2nd down at the LA 27-yard-line.

Davenport would run for five yards on the next play to pick up the 1st down which was followed by a two-yard run by Hampton to set up 2nd & 8 from the Rams' 20-yard-line.

That is when Marino fired a pass toward the end zone for Duper, who lived up to his nickname of "Super Duper" and made the catch despite excellent coverage from Rams cornerback LeRoy Irvin for his third touchdown of the game, a 20-yarder to give Miami a 37-31 overtime win.

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Mark Duper makes the game-winning touchdown catch in overtime.


The win kept the Dolphins' playoff hopes alive as they moved to 8-7 while the loss dropped the Rams to 10-5, who still clinched a playoff spot thanks to a loss by the Minnesota Vikings to the Houston Oilers.

The Rams would face the San Francisco 49ers in a winner-take-all game for the NFC West which the Rams lost 24-14, giving the 49ers the division title while the Rams had to play in the NFC Wild Card Game against the Washington Redskins which they lost 19-7.

As for the Dolphins, their chances of going to the playoffs were squashed when the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers on the final Sunday of the season to clinch the final spot in the AFC playoffs as Miami would lose to the New England Patriots to end the season with a 8-8 record, the first of four straight seasons where the Dolphins would miss the playoffs.


College Football Old School Game of the Week: Buckeyes Get Revenge Win over Penn State in Happy Valley

Eddie George is hoisted up in the air by his teammates after he scored what would be the game-winning touchdown.

 On October 29, 1994, the #21 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes traveled to State College, Pennsylvania to take on the #1 ranked Penn State Nittany Lions.

The game would be a nightmare for the Buckeyes as they were destroyed by the Nittany Lions 63-14 as the Buckeyes gave up 33 1st downs and 572 yards of total offense while gaining only 214 yards of total offense and picking up only 12 1st downs.

Almost one year later on October 7, 1995 the Buckeyes would travel to "Happy Valley" looking to avenge their humilating loss from the year before.

Ohio State came into the game ranked #5 with a 4-0 record as they had knocked off Notre Dame the week before by the score of 45-26.

The Buckeyes were coached by John Cooper who was in his eighth season at Columbus and had the best offense he ever had at Ohio State, which had averaged just over 46 points per game in the first four game.

The offense was lead by senior quarterback Bobby Hoying, wide receiver Terry Glenn, and running back Eddie George, who had rushed for over 200 yards in two of the Buckeyes' first four games of the season.

It was ironic since the year before it was the Nittany Lions who had the high-powered offense with quarterback Kerry Collins, running back Ki-Jana Carter, and wide receiver Bobby Engram which averaged 47 points per game during a 12-0 season which ended with a 38-20 over Oregon in the Rose Bowl.

However, Collins and Carter were in the NFL now, with their replacements being junior Wally Richardson at quarterback and true freshman Curtis Enis at running back, though Engram had returned for his senior season.

The Nittany Lions entered the game ranked #12 but were coming off a 17-9 loss to Wisconsin the week before.

If the Nittany Lions were to defeat the Buckeyes, they were going to need their offense back on track and their defense to slow down the high flying Ohio State offensive attack.

After both teams traded punts on their opening possessions, the Nittany Lions put together a 10-play, 60-yard drive, running the ball on eight of those plays but with the two biggest plays coming through the air as Richardson hit Engram for 22 yards on 3rd & 6 from the Penn State 44-yard-line, then found Scott for 20 yards on 3rd & 9 from the Ohio State 33-yard-line.

The drive ended with a three-yard touchdown run by Jon Witman to give Penn State a 7-0 lead with 6:03 left in the first quarter.

The Nittany Lions would get another excellent scoring opportunity when George fumbled the football after catching a screen pass which was recovered by Penn State cornerback Mark Tate at the Buckeyes' 33-yard-line.

Penn State would convert the fumble into points as Brett Conway would kick a 40-yard field goal to increase the Nittany Lions' lead to 10-0 with 1:16 left in the first quarter.

Following the field goal, the Ohio State offense finally got on track as they took over at their 20-yard-line and would drive 80 yards in nine plays with the Hoying-to-Glenn connection leading the Buckeyes down the field.

First, Hoying hit Glenn for 13 yards on the final play of the first quarter, then connected with him again for 33 yards on 2nd & 12 from the Ohio State 44-yard-line, and then ending the drive with a 28-yard touchdown pass to bring the Buckeyes to within a field goal at 10-7 with 12:14 left in the second quarter.

Ohio State wide receiver Terry Glenn caught nine passes for 175 yards and scored two touchdowns.




Penn State would get the ball back at its 25-yard-line and seemed in prime position to increase their lead when Enis ran for 36 yards to the Ohio State 39-yard-line on the first play of the drive.

But an intentional grounding call on Richardson stalled the drive, forcing the Nittany Lions to punt which was downed at the Buckeyes' two-yard-line, meaning Ohio State would have to drive 98 yards for the go-ahead touchdown.

The Buckeyes would get out of the hole when Hoying hit Glenn again, this time for 13 yards on 3rd & 6 to give Ohio State a 1st down at their 19-yard-line, which was followed by a 25-yard pass to tight end Ricky Dudley to give Ohio State another 1st down at their 44-yard-line.

Five plays later, the Buckeyes were in the end zone as Hoying found Dudley for a 25-yard touchdown to give Ohio State a 14-10 lead midway through the second quarter.

Both teams would have one more possession before the halftime break, but neither could mount a scoring threat as both teams ended up punting at the end of each possession, keeping it a 14-10 game in favor of Ohio State after 30 minutes of play

The Buckeyes would take the ball to start the second half and drive 80 yards in eight plays, culminating with a 37-yard touchdown pass from Hoying to Glenn, to increase the Ohio State lead to 21-10 just three minutes into the second half.

The Nittany Lions would respond with a long drive which took 7/12 minutes off the clock and traveled 86 yards in 15 plays, with all but one of those plays coming on the ground as Enis carried the ball six times for 31 yards while Witman carried the ball five times for 22 yards, including the one-yard touchdown to bring Penn State to back within one score.

After the touchdown, Paterno decided to go for two to make it a three-point game which he got as Richardson found Joe Jurevicius for the two-point conversion to make it 21-18 with 4:24 left in the third quarter.

The Buckeyes would punt on their next possession giving the ball back to the Nittany Lions who took over at their 16-yard-line with 74 seconds left in the third quarter.

This time, the Lions would drive down the field on the arm of Richardson who first hit Mike Archie for 12 yards on 3rd & 5 to give Penn State a 1st down at their 33-yard-line as the fourth quarter began.

After two runs by Enis collected 20 yards, Richardson would find Engram for 20 yards and a 1st down at the Ohio State 27-yard-line, then hit Engram again 27 yards on 3rd & 11 to set up 1st & goal from the one-yard-line where Witman punched it in for his third touchdown of the game to give Penn State a 25-21 lead with 12:23 left in the game.

Penn State running back Jon Witman dives for one of his three touchdowns in the game.


The Buckeyes would begin its next possession at their 20-yard-line where they drove to the Penn State 47-yard-line as Hoying completed three passes in a row for 33 yards.

But a quarterback sack lead to a 3rd & 15 where Hoying was picked off by Penn State cornerback Brian Miller whose 13-yard return set the Nittany Lions up at their 34-yard-line.

However, Penn State would go three-and-out, punting the ball back to the Buckeyes who took over at their 38-yard-line as Hoying connected with Glenn for 18 yards to begin the drive and put Ohio State in Penn State territory.

Three straight runs by George gained 14 yards to give Ohio State another 1st down as Hoying's next two passes fell incomplete, which was followed by a nine-yard pass to Dudley to set up 4th & 1 at the Penn State 21-yard-line.

With a potential field goal only cutting the lead to one point, Cooper decided to go for the 1st down, but the Buckeyes would be denied as Hoying's pass for Glenn fell incomplete, giving the ball back to Penn State at their 21-yard-line with exactly five minutes to go in the game.

The Nittany Lions would go three-and-out for the second possession in a row, punting the ball away to the Buckeyes who took over at their 42-yard-line with 3:10 remaining in the game.

After two straight incomplete passes to start the drive, Hoying found Buster Tillman for 13 yards and a 1st down at the Penn State 45-yard-line.

On the very next play, Hoying connected with Dudley for 32 yards and another 1st down at the Nittany Lions' 13-yard-line.

That is when George took over as he got the ball on 1st down and ran for seven yards, then took a handoff from Hoying and ran around the left side for the six-yard touchdown to give Ohio State a 28-25 lead with 1:42 to go in the game.

Penn State would get the ball at their 19-yard-line with a chance to drive for the winning score and least a field goal that would end the game in a tie(Overtime would not come to FBS football until the following season).

The drive began with Richardson finding Freddie Scott for 18 runs, then hitting Witman for 12 yards to give Penn State a 1st down at their 49-yard-line.

Richardson's next pass would fall incomplete, which was followed by a three-yard run by Enis and then a quarterback sack by Ohio State nose guard Luke Fickell to drop Richardson for a 12-yard-loss and set up 4th & 19 from from the Nittany Lions' 40-yard-line.

Richardson's 4th down pass for Engram fell incomplete, forcing a turnover on downs and giving the ball back to Ohio State, who took two knees to run out the clock and come out of Happy Valley with a 28-25 win.

The Nittany Lions would lose only one more game during the rest of the 1995 season as they finished with a 10-3 record and top-15 ranking in both polls after they demolished Auburn 43-14 in the Outback Bowl to end the season.

As for the Buckeyes, they would win their next six games, including a 41-3 rout of Illinois which saw George ran for 314 yards on 36 carries, before their dream season was shattered when they were upset by #18 Michigan 31-23 in the final game of the regular season that not only ended their national championship hopes, but kept them out of the Rose Bowl as the loss allowed Northwestern to win the Big 10 and go to the Rose Bowl.

The Buckeyes would lose to Tennessee 20-14 in the Citrus Bowl to finish the season with a 11-2 record and top-10 ranking in both polls as George, Glenn, and Dudley would all be selected in the first round of the 1996 NFL Draft, while Hoying would go in the third round.

George finished the season with a then Ohio State record 1,924 rushing yards and scored 24 touchdowns to become the fifth Heisman Trophy winner in Buckeyes history.

Ohio State quarterback Bobby Hoying completed 24 of 35 passes for 354 yards and threw three touchdowns.



Thursday, October 22, 2020

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Bengals Beat Browns in 2nd Highest Scoring Game in NFL History

Bengals quarterback Carson Palmers completed 22 of 29 passes for 251 yards and threw four touchdown passes in the second highest scoring game in NFL history.

 The rivalry between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Cleveland Browns may not get as much attention across the country as it does in the state of Ohio primarily because of the struggles of the two franchises, especially for the Bengals during the 1990s and the Browns since their return to the NFL in 1999.

But when they get together, they produce some exciting games including a shootout for the ages in Week 12 of the 2004 NFL season.

The Bengals entered the game with a 4-6 record but having gone 3-2 over their previous five games.

Cincinnati was coached by Marvin Lewis, who was in his second year as head coach of the Bengals and nearly lead Cincinnati to their first playoff berth since 1990 as the Bengals went 8-8 in Lewis' first season.

For his second season, the Bengals replaced starting quarterback Jon Kitna with Carson Palmer, the 2002 Heisman Trophy Winner who had been selected by the Bengals with the #1 overall pick in the 2003 NFL Draft.

Palmer was seen as the quarterback of the future in Cincinnati with expectations of leading the Bengals back to the playoffs.

While the Bengals looked like they were finding their groove entering the "Battle of Ohio", the Browns were freefalling as they were on a four-year losing streak and stood with a 3-7 record.

Cleveland was coached by Butch Davis, who was in his fourth season in Cleveland and had lead the Browns to the playoffs in 2002 but had gone 8-19 since the end of that season.

The Browns would travel to Cincinnati without their starting quarterback Jeff Garcia after he sepearted his right shoulder the week before in a 10-7 loss to the New York Jets, but had backup Kelly Holcomb ready to go , who had started 10 games for the Browns in the previous two seasons, including in their 2002 AFC Wild Card Game against the Pittsburgh Steelers where Holcomb threw for 429 yards and three touchdown passes in the Browns' 36-33 loss.

So Cleveland had confidence in Holcomb to go toe-to-toe with Palmer, but little did anyone know how expolosive both offenses would be in this game.

The fireworks began on the second play of the game when Palmer was intercepted by Browns cornerback Anthony Henry whose 32-yard return set Cleveland up with a 1st & goal where Holcomb found tight end Steve Heiden for a seven-yard touchdown to give Cleveland a 7-0 lead just 25 seconds into the game.

However, it would not take long for the Bengals to strike back as they got the ball back at their 21-yard-line and following a nine-yard run by Chad Johnson, Rudi Johnson busted loose for a 52-yard run that led to Palmer's 18-yard touchdown pass to Kelley Washington which tied the game at 7 after only 1:54 of play.

The Bengals defense would force a three-and-out to give their offense the ball back at their 33-yard-line when Palmer and Chad Johnson combined for three completions totaling 62 yards, with the last one being a 48-yard touchdown to give Cincinnati a 14-7 lead for the third touchdown of the game in just 4:42.

Following the touchdown, Cleveland took over at its 30-yard-line where after it took them three plays to pick up the 1st down, Green exploded for a 46-yard run to the Bengals' nine-yard-line to give the Browns a 1st & goal.

But the Bengals' defense stiffened and did not allow the Browns into the end zone, forcing them to settle for a 23-yard field goal by Phil Dawson to cut the Cincinnati lead to 14-10 with 5:17 left in the first quarter.

Browns quarterback Kelly Holcomb completed 30 of 39 passes for 413 yards and threw five touchdown passes.


Cincinnati would take over at its 39-yard-line for its next drive but after picking up a 1st down, Palmer would be picked off for the second time in the opening quarter, this time by Browns linebacker Andra Davis who returned the pick 31 yards to the Bengals' 28-yard-line.

The Browns slowly drove into the red zone and appeared to have a 1st & goal after Holcomb connected with Heiden for a 12-yard pass to the Cincinnati one-yard-line, only to have the pass be called back because of an illegal formation penalty.

This would lead to the Browns settling for another field goal by Dawson, this time from 29 yards out to cut it to a 14-13 Bengals lead as the second quarter began.

Then a shocking thing appeared: both teams would exchange punts on their next possessions, leading to the Bengals having the ball at their 39-yard-line where they would drive 61 yards in six plays for another touchdown, a three-yard pass from Palmer to Houshmandzadeh to push the Cincinnati lead to 21-13 with 6:24 left in the second quarter.

The Bengals' defense would then force the Browns to go three-and-out on their ensuing possession, forcing a punt which was returned 49 yards by Keiwan Ratliff to the Cleveland 19-yard-line.

Rudi Johnson carried the ball two straight times for 14 yards to set up 1st & goal from the five when Chad Johnson got called for a false start pushing the Bengals five yards back to the Cleveland 10-yard-line.

Rudi would carry the ball two straight times, gaining seven yards before Palmer threw an incomplete pass on 3rd down, forcing the Bengals to settle for a 21-yard field goal by Shayne Graham which increased the Cincinnati lead to 24-13 with 1:20 left in the first half.

The Browns would get the ball back at their 25-yard-line, hoping to drive down the field and pick up some points before halftime.

The drive started off promising as Holcomb completed his first two passes for 21 yards until he threw an interception to Bengals cornerback Tory James, whose 13-yard return gave the Bengals the ball at the Cleveland 36-yard-line with a chance to increase their lead with 19 seconds left in the first half.

Palmer would found Houshmandzadeh for 11 yards, than scrambled for 11 yards, to set up Graham's 32-yard field goal to increase the Bengals' lead to 27-13 as the first half came to a close.

Those who were in the stands and watching on TV probably needed to catch their breath after all the action in the first half, but the second half would provide even more fireworks.

The Browns got the ball to start the second half as they began their opening possession from their 36-yard-line when Holcomb connected with Dennis Northcutt for 39 yards on the first play of the half to put Cleveland at the Bengals' 25-yard-line.

Following a five-yard run by Green, Holcomb found Heiden for a 20-yard touchdown to cut the Bengals' lead to 27-20 just 79 seconds into the second half.

Browns tight end Steve Heiden had seven catches for 82 yards, with three of those catches going for touchdowns.



It would only take the Bengals three plays to get back in the end zone as Palmer threw a 53-yard touchdown pass to Houshmandzadeh on Cincinnati's ensuing possession to push their lead back to two touchdowns at 34-20 with 12:15 left in the third quarter.

The Browns would get great field position on their ensuing possession as Richard Alston returned Graham's short kickoff 24 yards to the Cleveland 47-yard-line.

Holcomb would find Northcutt for 21 yards to start the drive but after the next three plays picked up nine yards, the Browns were face with a 4th & 1 at the Bengals' 23-yard-line.

The Browns were definitely in Dawson's range for a field goal but with the way the game was going, Davis decided to go for the 1st down which he got when Holcomb hit tight end Aaron Shea for 14 yards to give Cleveland a 1st & goal at the Bengals' nine-yard-line.

Then after Green was stopped for no gain on 1st down, Holcomb found Antonio Bryant for the nine-yard touchdown to make it a 34-27 game with 8:41 left in the third quarter.

Then it was the Bengals' time for a great kickoff return as Kenny Watson's 32-yard return on the ensuing kickoff gave the Bengals the ball at their 42-yard-line.

Watson would come up big for the Bengals when he ran for 15 yards on 3rd & 3 to give Cincinnati a 1st down at the Browns' 36-yard-line.

Then Palmer would find Houshmandzadeh for 20 yards and a 1st down at the Bengals' 16-yard-line.

Two plays later, the Bengals were faced with a 3rd & 1 at the Browns' seven-yard-line when Rudi Johnson took a handoff from Palmer and ran it in for the seven-yard touchdown to push Cincinnati's lead back to 14 points at 41-27 with 4:39 left in the third quarter.

It would only take the Browns two plays to get back in the end zone as Holcomb threw a 55-yard touchdown pass to Bryant to cut it to a seven-point game at 41-34 just 49 seconds after the Bengals' touchdown.

Following the ensuing kickoff, the Bengals took over at their 25-yard-line where they decided to rely on the running game to get them down the field.

It worked as the Bengals ran the ball on five of their next nine plays, picking up 33 yards to set up a 36-yard field goal by Graham which increased the Bengals' lead to 44-34 with 14:19 left in the fourth quarter.

The Browns got the ball at their 20-yard-line to start their next drive but were quickly in Bengals territory as Holcomb hit Heiden for a 30-yard pass to start the drive, then Northcutt for six yards to set up 2nd & 4 at the Cincinnati 44-yard-line.

Back-to-back false start penalties pushed the Browns back to their 46-yard-line but Holcomb would hit Bryant for 13 yards, which was followed by a five-yard run by Green to give Cleveland a 1st down at the Bengals' 36-yard-line.

A 22-yard pass to Shea, followed a pass interference penalty on Bengals linebacker Landon Johnson, lead to an one-yard touchdown run by Green to bring the Browns to within a field goal at 44-41 with 10:56 to play in the fourth quarter.

After a holding penalty negated Houshmandzadeh's 39-yard kickoff return, the Bengals took over at their 11-yard-line when disaster struck as Palmer threw his third interception of the game, this time by Browns linebacker Barry Gardner, whose 30-yard return gave the Browns a 1st & goal at the one-yard-line when on the very next play Holcomb hit Heiden for the one-yard touchdown to give Cleveland its second touchdown in 29 seconds, but more importantly a 48-44 lead.

Now down for the first time since the early minutes of the game, the Bengals needed a touchdown to retake the lead.

They caught a break as another short kickoff gave the Bengals great field position as they would begin their next possession at their 40-yard-line.

Following a three-yard-loss by Rudi Johnson on 1st down, Palmer threw three straight passes to Chad Johnson, gaining 22 yards and putting the Bengals at the Cleveland 41-yard-line.

From there, it was back to Rudi, who ran for six yards, then for 28 yards, and finally for the seven-yard touchdown to give the lead back to the Bengals at 51-48 with 6:34 left in regulation.

Bengals running back Rudi Johnson carried the ball 26 times for 202 yards and scored two touchdowns.


After an exchange of punts, the Browns had the ball at their 17-yard-line with 2:37 left in regulation.

The drive got off to an auspicious start as Holcomb was sacked by Bengals defensive tackle John Thornton for a seven-yard loss on 1st down.

Holcomb would come back with an eight-yard completion to Heiden, then a 13-yarder to Northcutt to give the Browns a 1st down at their 31-yard-line.

That is when the biggest defensive play of the game occurred when Bengals cornerback Deltha O' Neal stepped in front of a pass intended for Heiden and returned it 31 yards for a pick-six to push the Bengals' lead to double digits at 58-48 with 1:43 left in the game.

But with the way this game had gone, the Browns scoring twice in the final 1:43 was not out of the realm of possibility.

Cleveland would begin its ensuing drive at its 15-yard-line where Holcomb hit three passes in a row gaining 42 yards to put the Browns at the Bengals' 43-yard-line.

After an incomplete pass on 1st down, Holcomb, lined up in the shotgun, missed the snap from center leading to Holcomb recovering the ball but a 24-yard-loss for the Browns to set up 3rd & 34.

Holcomb would complete his next two passes for 24 yards but it wasn't enough for the 1st down and lead to a turnover on downs to give the ball back to the Bengals who took a knee to run out the clock and end the second highest scoring game in NFL history as Cincinnati came out on top 58-48.

Both teams combined for 966 yards of total offense and 106 points, with the 106 points being the second highest points scored in a NFL game behind the 113 points scored in the 1966 game between the New York Giants and the Washington Redskins which the Redskins won 72-41.

Two days later, Davis would resign as the coach of the Browns, replaced by tight ends coach Terry Robiskie for the rest of the season, who lead Cleveland to a 1-4 record over the Browns' final five games of the season to finish with a 4-12 record.

In the offseason, the Browns would hire New England Patriots defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel and traded for quarterback Trent Dilfer, who would replace Holcomb and Garcia as Holcomb signed with the Buffalo Bill while Garcia went to the Detroit Lions.

As for the Bengals, they would climb back to .500 the following week after a 27-26 win over the Baltimore Ravens, but would lose Palmer for the rest of the season when he sprained his left knee in a 35-28 loss to the Patriots as the Bengals would finish 8-8 for the second year in a row.

Palmer would lead the Bengals to the AFC Central Division title the following year, marking the first time the Bengals had made the postseason in 15 years, but had his ACL and MCL torn in his left knee after an hit by Steelers defensive tackle Kimo von Oelhoffen on his first pass of the game as the Bengals would lose that game 31-17.


Wednesday, October 21, 2020

College Football Old School Game of the Week: Michigan Scores 31 Points in 4th Quarter To Pull off Comeback Win over Minnesota

Michigan kicker Garrett Rivas(38) is mobbed by his teammates after kicking the game-winning field goal with 47 seconds in the 2003 game for the "Little Brown Jug".


In 1903, the Michigan Wolverines traveled to Minnesota to take on the Golden Gophers looking to win their 29th game in a row.

However, the Gophers tied Michigan 6-6 leading to a wild celebration that caused the Wolverines to leave the field early and leave behind a water jug that coach Fielding H. Yost used to paint the scored of the all the wins Michigan had complied during their 28-game winning streak.

The jug was given to Minnesota athletic director L.J. Cooke who had the white jug painted brown in Minnesota colors with the score of the game printed in large numbers.

Michigan and Minnesota would not meet again until 1909 when Cooke met with Yost to discuss creating a tradition where the winner of the game would carry the jug for one year.

Yost agreed and thus the rivalry for the "Little Brown Jug" began.

The rivalry would eventually become one-sided in Michigan's favor as the Wolverines got to carry the jug after many victories though the Gophers had a nine-game winning streak from 1934-42 and won the Jug six of eight years between 1960 + 1967.

Entering the 2003 game, the Gophers felt they had their best chance to win the jug since 1986, the last time they had defeated Michigan, as Minnesota entered the game ranked #17 with a 6-0 record as they hosted the #20 ranked Michigan Wolverines at the Metrodome in Minneapolis.

The Gophers were coached by Glen Mason, who was in his seventh year in Minneapolis and had built the Gophers into a contender in the Big 10 with a dominant running game that featured Marion Barber III, Lawrence Maroney, and Thomas Tapeh to lead Minnesota to its best start since 1960.

While the Gophers were riding high, the Wolverines entered the game with a 4-2 record having just lost to Iowa the week before.

Michigan was coached by head coach Lloyd Carr who was in his ninth season as the head coach of the Wolverines and were lead on offense by senior quarterback John Navarre and running back Chris Perry, who entered the game as the fifth leading rusher in the country.

Because the Gophers shared the Metrodome with the Minnesota Twins, who were currently in the MLB playoffs playing against the New York Yankees, the game was moved from Saturday afternoon to Friday night on ESPN, giving the game a big game feel as many across the country and a sold out Metrodome to watch the most highly anticipated Michigan-Minnesota game in years.

After forcing the Wolverines to punt on their opening possession of the game, the Gophers took over at their 20-yard-line where they put together a 12-play, 80-yard drive primarily on the ground as they ran the ball nine times on a drive which ended with a 20-yard touchdown run by Barber to put Minnesota on top 7-0 midway through the first quarter.

The score remained 7-0 going into the second quarter when the Gophers drove 89 yards on 10 running plays, culminating with a eight-yard touchdown run by Maroney to increase Minnesota's lead to 14-0 with 9:17 left in the second quarter.

Neither team could muster another scoring drive for the rest of the half so the Gophers went into the halftime break with a 14-0 lead.

Minnesota had held Michigan to just 77 yards of total offense in the first half while the Gophers ran for 175 yards in the first 30 minutes.

The Gophers hoped to continue this trend in the second half as they got the ball to start the final 30 minutes.

Minnesota running back Marion Barber III carried the ball 21 times for 197 yards and scored a touchdown as the Golden Gophers ran for 424 yards on 53 carries.


However, the Michigan defense would force Minnesota to punt on their opening possession of the second half to give the Michigan offense the ball at their 20-yard-line.

That is when the Wolverines put together their best drive of the game as they drove to the Minnesota 36-yard-line in six plays when they decided to go deep into their playbook and pull out a trick play as Navarre threw a backward lateral to wide receiver Steve Breaston who then threw a pass downfield for Navarre, who made the catch and ran it in for the 36-yard touchdown to put Michigan on the board and cut the Gophers' lead to 14-7 with exactly 11 minutes left in the third quarter.

Minnesota would respond by relying on not just the running game of Barber as he carried the ball three times for 21 yards, but also his receiving game as he caught two passes for 31 yards to lead Minnesota to the Michigan 38-yard-line when Maroney busted loose for a 38-yard touchdown run to push the Gophers' lead back to 14 points at 21-7 with 8:04 left in the third quarter.

Michigan would get the ball back at their 20-yard-line and immediately drive into Minnesota territory as Navarre completed three passes in a row totaling 44 yards to put the Wolverines at the Gophers' 46-yard-line.

The next three plays would pick up nine yards setting up a 4th & 1 from the Minnesota 37-yard-line when Carr decided to go for the 1st down.

However, the gamble did not pay off as Navarre's pass for Perry was incomplete, giving the ball back to the Gophers at their 37-yard-line.

The Wolverines would hold Minnesota to a three-and-out to get the ball back at their 15-yard-line only to have Navarre be intercepted on the very next play on by Minnesota cornerback Justin Isom, whose eight-yard return gave the Gophers the ball at the Michigan 26-yard-line.

Four plays later, the Gophers were in the end zone as Tapeh punched it in from two yards out to give Minnesota its largest lead of the game at 28-7 with 58 seconds left in the third quarter.

It seemed like the Gophers were on their way to snapping their 16-game losing streak to the Wolverines as they held a three-touchdown lead with a dominant running game that would take time off the clock.

However, things were about to change on the Wolverines' ensuing possession.

Going to a no-huddle offense, Navarre would lead the Wolverines from their 20-yard-line to the Minnesota 45-yard-line as he hit four different receivers on four straight passes before throwing an incomplete pass as the third quarter came to an end with the Wolverines in Golden Gopher territory.

As the 4th quarter began, Navarre continued throwing and continued hitting passes as he completed his next five passes with the last one being a 10-yard touchdown pass to Perry to cut the Minnesota lead to 28-14 just 36 seconds into the fourth quarter.

Michigan running back Chris Perry only ran for 85 yards on 20 carries, but caught 11 passes for 122 yards and scored two touchdowns.




Minnesota would get the ball back at their 20-yard-line and went to their reliable running game as they ran the ball two straight times for 11 yards to pick up a 1st down.

But on 1st & 10 from the 31-yard-line, quarterback Asad Abdul-Khaliq threw a pass that was intercepted by Michigan safety Jacob Stewart who ran it back 34 yards for a pick-six to bring the Wolverines to within a touchdown at 28-21 with 13:30 to play in the fourth quarter.

The Gophers would get the ball back at their 24-yard-line and ran the ball four straight times for 24 yards to set up a 3rd & 1 at their 48-yard-line when Abdul-Khaliq kept the ball and ran it for the 52-yard touchdown to push Minnesota's lead back to 14 points at 35-21 with 11:11 remaining in the fourth quarter.

The Wolverines would get the ball at their 21-yard-line to start their next drive where Navarre continued firing as he connected with Perry for 13 yards to begin the drive, then hit Breaston for 14 yards on 3rd & 10 to give Michigan a 1st down at their 48-yard-line.

That is when Navarre found Breaston streaking down the left sideline and fired a 52-yard touchdown pass to bring the Wolverines to back within a touchdown at 35-28 with 10:18 left in regulation, the fifth touchdown scored between the two teams in a span of 5 minutes and 40 seconds.

Hoping to slow things down, the Gophers went back to Barber on their next possession as he carried the ball three straight times for 16 yards until a false start penalty and an incomplete pass forced a Minnesota punt giving the ball back to the Wolverines, who took over at their 40-yard-line.

Michigan continued the ride the right arm of Navarre, who completed four of his next five passes for 42 yards to drive the Wolverines to the Minnesota 13-yard-line.

After a three-yard run by wide receiver Braylon Edwards, Perry would get the call on 2nd down and run 10 yards for the game-tying touchdown with 5:48 left in regulation.

With their 21-point lead gone, the Gophers needed to put together a drive for the go-ahead score but went three-and-out and had to punt the ball to Michigan who took over at its 42-yard-line and 4:12 left on the clock.

The drive began with an incomplete pass followed by a four-yard pass to Jason Avant and a five-yard run by Perry to set up 4th & 1 at the Minnesota 49-yard-line with 3:29 remaining.

Michigan could have punted the ball back to Minnesota and hoped their defense would get another stop, but Carr decided to go for the 1st down which he got when Navarre sneaked over for two yards and a 1st down at the Gophers' 47-yard-line.

Following the 4th down conversion, Navarre completed a 14-yard pass to Avant to give Michigan a 1st down at the Minnesota 33-yard-line.

An incomplete pass and an one-yard run by Perry set up a 3rd & 9 when Navarre connected with Perry for 11 yards to give the Wolverines a 1st down at the Minnesota 21-yard-line.

Perry would run the ball for two yards on 1st down then got the ball on 2nd down and ran for three yards when disaster nearly struck when Minnesota defensive back Eli Wood knocked the ball loose causing a fumble, only to have to Michigan tight end Tim Massaquoi recover the fumble at the Minnesota 14-yard-line.

Following the near turnover, the Wolverines didn't take any chances as Navarre took a knee on 3rd down to set up the potential go-ahead field goal from 33 yards out by Garrett Rivas.

Rivas calmly made the field goal to give Michigan its first lead of the game at 38-35 with 47 seconds to go in regulation.

Minnesota would take over at their 20-yard-line with 47 seconds and one timeout as the Gophers went try and drive to at least at attempt a field goal to send the game into overtime.

However, the Gophers could not get going as their chances of forcing overtime evaporated when Michigan cornerback Markus Curry picked off an Abdul-Khaliq pass to help preserve the 38-35 win for the Wolverines and complete the greatest comeback in school history.

Michigan quarterback John Navarre completed 33 of 47 passes for 353 yards and threw two touchdowns plus caught a 36-yard touchdown pass from Steve Breaston.


The comeback win over the Gophers sparked the Wolverines to a six-game winning streak that included a 35-21 win over Ohio State to give Michigan the Big 10 title and a trip to the Rose Bowl where they would lose to USC 28-14.

Meanwhile, the Gophers would finish the season with a 10-3 record after defeating Oregon in the Sun Bowl 31-30, marking the first time Minnesota had won at least 10 games since 1900.

As for the Little Brown Jug, the Gophers would not get their hands on it until 2005 when Jason Giannini kicked a 30-yard field goal with one second left to give Minnesota a 23-20 win and the Jug for the first time since 1986.

Since then, Michigan has gone 9-1 in the rivalry with the Gophers' only win coming in 2014.

 


Wednesday, October 14, 2020

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Packers Dominate Buccanners in Infamous "Snow Bowl"

 

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Green Bay Packers played their Week 13 game of the 1985 NFL season in a blizzard.

Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin is nicknamed the "Frozen Tundra" because of its notoriously cold games that are played during the winter.

That was the famous "Ice Bowl" in 1967 when the Packers beat the Dallas Cowboys for the NFL Championship with a kickoff temperature of -13 and a wind chill of -35, which was followed by the 2007 NFC Championship Game with the Giants where the kickoff temperature was -1.

Then there is the "Mud Bowl" where a mix of rain and snow which made the field muddy in the Packers' 1996 NFC Divisional Playoff win against the San Francisco 49ers.

And then there is the "Snow Bowl" a game played on December 1, 1985 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that was played in blizzard-like conditions.

The Packers entered the game with a 5-7 record, needing a win to keep their slim playoff hopes alive as they were coached by Hall-of-Fame offensive lineman Forrest Gregg, who was a part of the Packers' dynasty in the 1960s which won five NFL championships and the first two Super Bowls.

On the field, the Packers were led by quarterback Lynn Dickey, who was in his 15th and final NFL season and all-pro wide receiver James Lofton.

Meanwhile, the Buccaneers entered the game with a 2-10 record under first-year head coach Leeman Bennett, who had been hired to replace John McKay, who had retired after coaching the Bucs since their inception in 1976.

Tampa Bay had sadly secured its third straight losing season but hope was alive for the future as the Bucs had signed quarterback Steve Young from the rival United States Football League, or USFL, in hopes he would Tampa Bay back to its winning ways like it had from 1979-82 where they made the playoffs three times in four years.

But as Young and the Bucs traveled to Green Bay to take on the Packers, a blizzard hit the city the night of the game dumping nearly a foot of snow before kickoff.

With snow continuing to fall and a 25 miles per hour wind plus the fact the team was from Florida, it seemed like the Buccaneers were going to be in for a long day at the office.

If there was one thing the Bucs had going for them, it was that only about 19,000 fans showed up to Lambeau Field, leaving the stadium about two-thirds empty, so crowd noise was not going to be a big factor.

The Bucs got the ball to start the game and ran the ball three straight times with James Wilder, who gained nine yards on three carries, forcing Tampa to punt the ball to the Packers who took over at their 23-yard-line.

Unlike the Bucs, the Packers came out throwing as Dickey throw passes on the first two plays of Green Bay's drive, with the second one hitting Lofton along the left sideline, who seemed to be on his way to an easy touchdown until he fumbled the ball at midfield at the end of a 27-yard reception.

The ball was recovered by Tampa Bay linebacker Ervin Handle at exactly the 50-yard-line, but the Bucs could not pick up a 1st down and punted the ball back to the Packers who took over at their 25-yard-line after a 19-yard punt by Frank Garcia.

This time the Packers would drive 80 yards in 15 plays as Dickey completed all three of his passes on the drive for 42 yards with two of those completions going to Lofton for 31 yards to help set up a 25-yard field goal attempt by Al Del Greco.

However, Buccaneer cornerback John Holt would around the Packers' offensive line and block the kick to keep the game scoreless.

Packers wide receiver James Lofton caught six passes for 106 yards.


The Bucs would get the ball at their nine-yard-line and would pick their initial 1st down of the game when Wilder got two yards on a 3rd & 1 from the 18-yard-line, but would punt the ball again as the Packers would take over at their 39-yard-line.

Green Bay drove to the  Tampa Bay 43-yard-line until they had to punt only to have Randle run into the Packers' punter, Don Bracken, to draw a running into the kicker penalty, which gave the Packers five yards on 4th & 3 and a 1st down at the Tampa Bay 38-yard-line.

After Ivery was stopped for no gain on 1st down, Dickey connected with Lofton over the middle for 18 yards and a 1st down, then on 3rd & 12 from the 22-yard-line found tight end Paul Coffman for 19 yards to give the Packers 1st & goal at the three-yard-line.

Following a two-yard run by Jessie Clark, Dickey looked to pass on 2nd down, but found nobody open, so he decided to run it in for the touchdown to give the Packers a 7-0 lead with 7:16 left in the second quarter.

The Bucs would get good field position for their next drive as Phil Freeman returned the ensuing kickoff 20 yards to the Tampa Bay 45-yard-line, but the Bucs went three-and-out to give Green Bay the ball back at their five-yard-line with 4:55 left before halftime.

Despite the blizzard-like conditions, Dickey would complete four passes in a row totaling 47 yards to lead Green Bay to the Tampa Bay 46-yard-line until an incomplete pass on 2nd & 2, followed by a quarterback sack forced the Packers to punt the ball away to the Bucs with 1:23 left in the first half.

Once again, the Bucs would go three-and-out, giving the Packers one more chance to get points on the scoreboard before halftime as they took over at their 36-yard-line with 22 seconds left.

After an incomplete pass on 1st down, Gerry Ellis would run for 36 yards to the Tampa Bay 28-yard-line giving the Packers at a chance at a Hail Mary, since a 45-yard field goal would be next to impossible in these conditions.

Dickey would throw a pass toward the end zone intended for Phil Epps as time expired but it was incomplete keeping a 7-0 game in favor of the Packers who would get the ball to start the second half.

Ellis would return the opening kickoff of the second half 40 yards to the Packers' 45-yard-line where disaster nearly struck on the first offensive snap as Dickey fumbled the snap, only to recover it two yards back.

The next play would go much smoother as Dickey hit Coffman for 19 yards and a 1st down at the Tampa Bay 38-yard-line.

Then after Clark ran for three yards on 1st down, Ellis took the ball on a sweep to the left side and ran 35 yards for the touchdown to increase the Packers' lead to 14-0 just a little over two minutes into the second half.

Green Bay quarterback Lynn Dickey completed 22 of 36 passes for 299 yards and ran for a touchdown.



The Packers defense would force another three-and-out as Green Bay defensive end Alphonso Carreker sacked Young on 3rd down to force another punt from the Buccaneers.

Starting at his own 48-yard-line, Dickey would lead Green Bay down the field  as he completed a 12-yard pass to Clark to start the drive, then hit Preston Dennard for 10 yards on 3rd & 10 from the Tampa Bay 40-yard-line.

After Lofton drew a pass interference penalty for 17 yards, Dickey found Eddie Lee Ivery for 10 yards to give the Packers a 1st & goal at the Buccaneers' three-yard-line.

But that is when the drive fell apart as Dickey was sacked on 1st down for a nine-yard-loss, forcing the Packers to settle to try a 24-yard field goal by Del Greco, which sailed wide left and no good to keep it 14-0 with 6:06 left in the third quarter.

Another sack by Carreker lead to another  Tampa Bay three-and-out as the Packers would begin their next drive in Buccaneer territory, taking over at the Tampa 46-yard-line.

A 20-yard-pass from Dickey to Epps would give the Packers a 1st down at the Tampa Bay 20-yard-line, but Dickey would be intercepted on a pass intended for Lofton in the end zone by Buccaneers free safety Ivory Sully to give Tampa Bay the ball at their 20-yard-line.

But two plays later, the Packers had the ball again as tight end Jimmie Giles could not handle a Young pass which landed in the hands of Green Bay cornerback Tim Lewis to give the Packers the ball at the Tampa Bay 38-yard-line.

But after a nine-yard-run by Ivery on 1st down, the Packers turned it over again as Clark fumbled the ball which was recovered by the Buccaneers at their 36-yard-line.

That is when the Tampa Bay offense put together their best drive of the game which started with a 34-yard pass interference penalty on Tim Lewis to give the Buccaneers a 1st down at the Packers' 30-yard-line.

Then Young completed a 10-yard pass to Kevin House to give the Buccaneers another 1st down at the Green Bay 20-yard-line.

The next three plays would only gain four yards to force the Buccaneers into a 4th & 6 situation as the third quarter coming to a close.

Even though kicking would been very difficult and his team was down two touchdowns, Bennett decided to send in the field goal unit and have Donald Igwebuike attempt a 33-yard field goal on the first play of the fourth quarter.

But Igwebuike's kick sailed wide left to give Green Bay the ball at their 20-yard-line where Ivery ran for 11 yards to begin the drive, which was followed by a 15-yard run by Ellis on 2nd down to put the Packers at their 46-yard-line.

From there, Dickey would complete three straight passes for 34 yards to lead the Packers to the Tampa Bay 25-yard-line.

After a four-yard run by Ellis, Dickey found Epps for 18 yards to give Green Bay 1st & goal at the three-yard-line where Clark would run it for the touchdown to extend the Packers' lead to 21-0 with 9:52 left in the game.

The Bucs would drive into Green Bay territory on their next drive but two sacks by Carreker, giving him a total of four for the game, forced another Tampa Bay punt.

Packers defensive end Alphonso Carreker celebrates after one of his four quarterback sacks.


The Packers took over at their 13-yard-line but would turn it over for the fourth time in the game as Dickey was intercepted by Tampa Bay cornerback Jeremiah Castille, whose 20-yard return gave the Buccaneers the ball at the Green Bay 25-yard-line with 3:33 left and a chance to end the shutout.

But the Packers defense held the Bucs to just three yards on four plays, forcing a turnover on downs and giving Green Bay the ball at their 22-yard-line as Ivery ran the ball five times for 61 yards to run out the clock as the Packers came away with the 21-0 win.

The Buccaneers were lucky it was only 21-0 as the Packers outgained Tampa Bay 512-65 and had 31 1st downs compared to the Bucs' five.

The Bucs would not win another game for the rest of the season as they finished with a 2-14 record, earning the #1 pick in the NFL Draft which they used to pick 1985 Heisman Trophy winner Bo Jackson.

But Jackson refused to sign with the Bucs and instead went to play baseball with the Kansas City Royals as Tampa Bay forfeited their rights to him which allowed the then Los Angeles Raiders to pick him in the seventh round of the 1987 NFL Draft.

Jackson's refusal to play with Tampa Bay and Young's continuing struggles lead to another 2-14 season and the firing of Bennett as head coach.

Young would be traded to the 49ers as the Buccaneers would not have a winning season until 1997.

As for the Packers, they would win their final two games of the regular season to finish with a 8-8 record for the third straight year.

However, the Packers would win only nine more games over the next two seasons leading to Gregg resigning as head coach and taking over the SMU coaching job as they were coming off the "Death Penalty" for NCAA violations.

The Packers would not return to the playoffs until 1993 when head coach Mike Holmgren and a quarterback named Brett Favre helped bring back the glory days to Green Bay.

College Football Old School Game of the Week: Stafford Throws Walk-off OT TD to Give Dawgs Win over Bama

Georgia wide receiver Mikey Henderson catches the game-winning TD against Alabama in 2007.

When the #22 Georgia Bulldogs traveled to Tuscaloosa, Alabama to face the #16 Alabama Crimson Tide in a primetime top-25 SEC showdown, many Alabama fans were expecting a victory as they felt their beloved Crimson Tide would continue on their rise back to the top of the SEC and the country as they had hired Nick Saban away from the Miami Dolphins in the offseason.

Alabama was excepting Saban, who had led SEC rival to LSU to the 2003 national championship, to lead the Tide back to glory.

Things got off to a great start as the Tide won their first three games of the season, including a 41-38 win over Arkansas and Heisman Trophy runnerup Darren McFadden, when quarterback John Parker Wilson hit Mike Caddell for the game-winning touchdown pass with eight seconds left.

While Bama came in rolling, Georgia came in with a 2-1 record as they had been stunned by South Carolina two weeks earlier.

Led by head coach Mark Richt, the Dawgs had an offense that featured sophomore Matthew Stafford at quarterback, senior Thomas Brown at running back, and redshirt freshman Knowshon Moreno who had captured Georgia fans' eyes with his performance through the first three games of the season.

The Dawgs would need Stafford, Brown, and Moreno to put on top of their game if they were going to come out of Tuscaloosa with the win.

Georgia would get the ball at their 30-yard-line to start the game and came out throwing as Stafford would throw passes on the Dawgs' first four passes, which included a 18-yard completion to Mohammad Massaquoi on the game's first play, then hit Sean Bailey for 20 yards on a 3rd & 8 to put Georgia at the Tide 30-yard-line.

Stafford would convert on two more 3rd down situations, first connecting with Moreno for 12 yards on 3rd & 6 from the 26-yard-line, then found Brown for a 10-yard touchdown on 3rd & 8 to give the Dawgs a 7-0 lead with 9:30 left in the first quarter.

After forcing the Tide to punt on their opening possession of the game, the Dawgs got the ball at their 28-yard-line where after four straight running plays picked up 12 yards on four straight running plays to set up a 3rd & 9 from the Georgia 40-yard-line.

This time, Stafford would not convert as he was intercepted by Alabama cornerback Lionel Mitchell, whose seven-yard runback seemed to give the Tide the ball at the Georgia 46-yard-line, only for fellow defensive back Kareem Jackson be called for a personal foul penalty after the interception, pushing the Tide back 15 yards to their 39-yard-line.

The Georgia defense would force a three-and-out to get the ball back at their 15-yard-line where they held the ball for the rest of the first quarter until they were forced to punt on the second play of the second quarter, giving Bama the ball at their 27-yard-line.

The Tide would drive into Georgia territory for the first time in the game as Wilson threw passes of 11 yards to Mike McCoy and then a 20-yarder to D.J. Hall to give Bama a 1st down at the Georgia 39-yard-line.

Three plays later, the Tide were faced with a 4th & 1 situation at the Georgia 30-yard-line when Saban decided to go for it.

Saban's gamble did not pay off as Georgia defensive end Marcus Howard's rush of Wilson caused him to throw an incomplete pass to give the Dawgs the ball back at their 30-yard-line.

From there, the Dawgs would drive 42 yards in 10 plays, which included Stafford hitting Brown for 12 yards and Kris Durham for 19 yards, to set up a 45-yard field goal by Brandon Coutu to increase Georgia's lead to 10-0 with 6:21 left in the second quarter.

Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford would complete 19 of 35 passes for 224 yards and throw two touchdowns but also threw two interceptions.


It seemed like the first half was going to end with the Dawgs on top 10-0 as both teams traded punts until the Tide got the ball with 39 seconds left at their 30-yard-line when the Tide put together their best drive of the half as Wilson connected with McCoy four times for 31 yards to set up Leigh Tiffin's 40-yard field goal as time expired to cut Georgia's lead to 10-3 as the first half came to a close.

The Tide were set to get the ball to start the second half but Jonathan Lowe fumbled the opening kickoff which was recovered by Georgia linebacker Brandon Miller at the Alabama 27-yard-line, giving the Dawgs an excellent opportunity to increase their lead.

However, the Bama defense would force the Dawgs to go backwards five yards on three plays and settle for a 50-yard field goal attempt by Coutu, which was short and no good to keep it a 10-3 game.

The Tide would go three-and-out on their opening possession of the second half, but will quickly get the ball back as free safety Rashad Johnson intercepted a Stafford pass and returned it 26 yards to the Georgia 37-yard-line.

From there, the Tide handed the ball to running back Terry Grant, who ran for six yards on 1st down, then 30 yards on 2nd down, to set up Wilson's one-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 10 with 10:15 left in the third quarter.

The Dawgs would respond with a nine-play, 73-yard drive which saw Stafford complete a 33-yard pass to Bailey, leading to a six-yard touchdown run by Moreno to give Georgia a 17-10 lead with 6:08 left in the third quarter.

Following an exchange of punts, the Dawgs got the ball back at their 39-yard-line where they would drive 31 yards in nine plays to set up a 47-yard field goal by Coutu to increase their lead to 20-10 with 12:23 left in the fourth quarter.

The Tide would get the ball back at their 34-yard-line needing a score of some kind to keep their hopes of winning the game alive.

The drive got off to an auspicious start as a holding penalty on Grant pushed the Tide back 10 yards and into a 2nd & 14 situation.

However, Wilson would find Keith Brown for 22 yards and a 1st down at the Georgia 48-yard-line.

Several plays later, the Tide would be faced with a critical 4th & 7 from the Dawgs' 34-yard-line when Saban decided to go for the 1st down.

Wilson's pass for Hall fell incomplete, but Georgia defensive back Prince Miller would get called for pass interference to give the Tide a 1st down at the Dawgs' 28-yard-line.

Wilson would connect with Hall for 21 yards on the next play from scrimmage to set up 1st & goal from the seven-yard-line but would only pick up two more yards before settling for a 22-yard field goal by Tiffin to cut the Georgia lead to 20-13 with 6:30 left in regulation.

The Dawgs would pick up one 1st down on their ensuing possession before punting the ball back to  the Tide who took over at their 12-yard-line with 4:44 left on the clock and 88 yards away from tying the game.

After an incomplete pass to Hall on 1st down, Wilson connected with Keith Brown for 43 yards to give the Tide a 1st down at the Georgia 45-yard-line.

Five straight running plays gained 26 yards to set up 1st & 10 from the Georgia 19-yard-line when a 11-yard pass from Wilson to Hall was nullified by an ineligible receiver pushing the Tide back five yards to the 24-yard-line.

It didn't matter as Wilson hit Keith Brown for eight yards on the next play, which was followed by a 10-yard run by Roy Upchurch to give Bama 1st & goal from the six-yard-line.

That is when Wilson scrambled for a six-yard touchdown that with Tiffin's extra point tied the game at 20 with 1:09 left in regulation.

Alabama quarterback John Parker Wilson completed only 17 of 35 passes for 185 yards, but ran for two touchdowns.


Following a 22-yard kickoff return by Thomas Brown, the Dawgs would get the ball at their 34-yard-line with plenty of time and one timeout to get into field goal range and win the game in regulation.

The drive would begin with back-to-back completions as Stafford hit Thomas Brown for nine yards, then Bailey for eight yards to give the Dawgs a 1st down at the Bama 49-yard-line.

But two straight incomplete passes and an eight-yard run by Brown set up a 4th & 2 from the Bama 41-yard-line with 12 seconds to go.

Instead of punting the ball away and particularly guarantee the game going into overtime, Richt decided to go for the 1st down which he got when Stafford completed a 11-yard pass to tight end Tripp Chandler to give the Dawgs a 1st down at the 30-yard-line.

After Stafford spiked the ball with three seconds left, Coutu would come on to attempt a potential game-winning field goal from 47 yards out.

With two timeouts still in his pocket, Saban burned both of them in hopes of freezing Coutu.

The strategy seemed to work as Coutu's kick was long enough but sailed wide left to send the game into overtime with both teams deadlocked at 20.

Georgia won the coin toss and elected to start overtime on defense, which is the preferred move in overtime so after you know what you need in order to win or extend the game after your opponent's overtime possession.

The Dawgs would hunker down as they would not allow a yard on three plays, forcing the Tide to settle for a 42-yard field goal by Tiffin to give Bama its first lead of the game at 23-20, but meaning the Dawgs could win the game with the touchdown.

As the Georgia offense took the snap on 1st down, Stafford faked a handoff and fired a pass toward the left corner of the end zone intended for Mikey Henderson, who made an over-the-shoulder catch for a 25-yard touchdown to give the Dawgs a 26-23 overtime victory.

The loss would be the beginning of a rollercoaster season for the Tide as they would lose their next game to Florida State to drop to 3-2, then win their next three games, before losing the last four games of the regular season, including an embracing a 21-14 loss to Louisiana-Monroe, before finishing the season with a 30-24 win over Colorado in the Independence Bowl, to finish with a 7-6 record.

Meanwhile, Georgia would defeat Ole Miss the following week, but then would be routed by Tennessee 35-14, before going on a seven-game winning streak to end the season with a 11-2 record and #2 ranking.

However, the rise for Alabama would begin the following year as they would go through the regular season undefeated, including a 41-30 win over Georgia in Athens, to begin their dominance in the SEC as they have won six SEC championships and five national championships since 2009.







Friday, October 9, 2020

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Eagles Escape Pittsburgh With Win over Steelers

Eagles quarterback Randall Cunningham threw for 276 yards and ran for 48 yards and two touchdowns in the Eagles' win over the Steelers.

 The Philadelphia Eagles and the Pittsburgh Steelers have an unique history when it comes to the NFL.

Not only do they play in the same state of Pennsylvania, they came into the league at the same time as both teams began play in 1933.

They even joined forces in 1943 when a player shortage because of World War II forced the two teams to merge and become the "Steagles".

The merger lasted only one season as the two intrastate rivals played each other two times a year from 1945-66, then down one game from 1967-70, until the rivalry was grinded to a halt following the AFL-NFL merger which saw the Steelers moved to AFC to play with the AFL teams and two other NFL teams(Baltimore Colts, Cleveland Browns) while the Eagles remained in the NFC.

The Eagles and the Steelers would play twice during the 1970s but would not meet again until week 11 of the 1988 NFL season when the Eagles traveled to Three Rivers Stadium to take on the Steelers.

The Eagles entered the game with a 5-5 record, needing a win to stay afloat in the race for a spot in the playoffs, somewhere the Eagles hadn't been in seven years.

The Eagles were led by head coach Buddy Ryan, who was in his third year at the helm in Philadelphia after being defensive coordinator of the famous 1985 Chicago Bears defense, and had the dynamic Randall Cunningham at quarterback and defensive end Reggie White leading the defense.

While the Eagles had dreams of reaching the postseason, the Steelers were in the midst of a nightmare of a season as they entered their game with Philadelphia with a 2-8 record and were coming off a 42-7 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals the week before.

The Steelers were coached by Chuck Noll, who was in his 20th season as the head coach of the Steelers, but  was far removed from the glory days of the 1970s where the Steelers won four Super Bowls as the Steelers were looking at their third losing season in four years and a fourth straight playoff appearance.

Worst of all, they had lost owner Art Rooney who had died just before the season started.

While an win over the Eagles wouldn't save their season, it would still put a smile on Steeler fans' faces to beat their intrastate rival.

  After the Eagles went three-and-out on their opening possession of the game, the Steelers drove down the field behind the legs of running back Merril Hoge, who carried the ball four times for 29 yards to set up a 52-yard field goal by Gary Anderson to give Pittsburgh a 3-0 lead just a little over five minutes into the game.

.The Steelers would force the Eagles to punt again on their next possession to give their offense the ball at the Philadelphia 48-yard-line where again Hoge lead the Pittsburgh offense down the field as he ran the ball four times for 29 yards, then caught a 13-yard touchdown pass from wide receiver Louis Lipps to increase the Steelers' lead to 10-0 with 2:55 left in the first quarter.

Steelers running back Merril Hoge ran the ball 21 times for 102 yards  and caught four passes for 56 yards including a touchdown.

The Eagles' offense finally got going on their next possession as Philadelphia used their backfield of Keith Byars, Michael Haddix, and Anthony Toney to help them drive on 12-play, 72-yard drive which took up nearly seven and a half minutes and culminated with an one-yard touchdown run by Byars to cut it to a 10-7 game with 10:30 left in the second quarter.

The Steelers would begin their next possession at their 36-yard-line and drive down to the Eagles' 12-yard-line in just three plays as Warren Williams ran for 21 yards on the first play of the drive, followed by a seven-yard run by Hoge, and then a 24-yard pass from quarterback Bubby Brister to Hoge.

A holding penalty on the Eagles would give Pittsburgh a 1st & goal at the seven-yard-line, but Ryan's defense would the Steelers out of the end zone and force a 21-yard field goal by Anderson, which he made to increase the Pittsburgh lead to 13-7 midway through the second quarter.

Philadelphia would get the ball back at its 20-yard-line for its next drive where the Eagles would pick up two 1st downs thanks to Pittsburgh penalties on back-to-back 3rd down situations.

First on 3rd & 4 from the 26-yard-line, Steelers linebacker Greg Lloyd was called for offsides, giving the Eagles five yards and the 1st down, which was followed by a more egregious penalty on 3rd & 10 when Cunningham was sacked by Pittsburgh defensive end Tim Johnson, only to have Steelers linebacker Aaron Jones get called for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after throwing two punches at the helmet of Philadelphia right tackle Ron Heller, to give the Eagles a 1st down at their 38-yard-line.

From there, Cunningham would take over as he hit tight end Keith Jackson three times for 42 yards, then scrambled for a seven-yard touchdown to give the Eagles their first lead of the game at 14-13 with 2:44 left in the first half.

The Steeles would get the ball back at their 34-yard-line and quickly drive down to the Eagles' 18-yard-line as Lipps took an reverse and ran for 11 yards on the first play of the drive, then caught a 20-yard pass from Brister, who also completed a 17-yard pass to Hoge to set Pittsburgh up in the red zone following the two-minute warning.

However, the Eagles defense would stiffen once again and allow only six yards on the next three plays, forcing the Steelers to settle for Anderson's third field goal of the game, a 29-yarder to give Pittsburgh a 16-14 lead with 55 seconds left before halftime.

Following the kickoff, the Eagles would get the ball at their 19-yard-line with a chance to retake the lead before the halftime break as Cunningham would complete four of five passes for 43 yards, three of them to Haddix for 29 yards, to give Luis Zendejas a shot at a 56-yard field goal with three seconds left in the half.

But Zendejas' kick was short and the Eagles went into the locker room trailing 16-14 as the Steelers would get the ball to start the second half.

The Eagles would force the Steelers to punt on their opening possession of the first half, to give their offense the ball at their 45-yard-line where Cunningham would lead the Eagles offense down the field as he converted on two straight 3rd down situations; First, running for five yards on 3rd & 2 from the Pittsburgh 47-yard-line, then running for 14 yards on 3rd & 10 at the Pittsburgh 42-yard-line.

Cunningham would face another 3rd down, this time at the Pittsburgh 10-yard-line, only to lose seven yards, forcing the Eagles to settle for a 34-yard field goal by Zendejas to give Philadelphia a 17-16 lead midway through the third quarter.

An illegal block on the ensuing kickoff would force the Steelers to start their ensuing drive from their 10-yard-line where Hoge carried for just one yard to begin the drive.

That is when Brister dropped back and fired a pass down the right sideline for Lipps, who made the catch and then outran the Eagles defense for a 89-yard touchdown to give Pittsburgh a 23-17 lead with 7:23 left in the third quarter.

Steelers wide receiver Louis Lipps caught six passes for 171 yards and a touchdown plus threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Merril Hoge.


The Eagles turned it over on the first play of their next possession as Cunningham was intercepted on a deep pass intended for Ron Johnson by Steelers free safety Thomas Everett giving Pittsburgh the ball at their 25-yard-line.

After the Steelers punted the ball to the Eagles who took over at their eight-yard-line, Cunningham completed a ten-yard pass to Jackson, only to have Steelers linebacker Gregg Carr knock the ball loose which was recovered by fellow linebacker David Little, giving Pittsburgh the ball at the Philadelphia 16-yard-line with an excellent chance ton increase their lead.

But on 2nd & 11, Brister was picked off by Eagles cornerback Eric Allen, whose 21-yard return plus 15-yard penalty on Steelers right tackle Tunch Ilkin gave the Eagles the ball at their 41-yard-line.

The Eagles would drive down to the Steelers' 23-yard-line when it appeared Pittsburgh would get the ball as cornerback Rod Woodson picked off Cunningham, only to have it negated by a roughing-the-passer penalty on Lloyd to give the Eagles a 1st down at the Steelers' 12-yard-line.

Three plays later, the Eagles would have the lead again as Cunningham ran it in for a 12-yard touchdown to give Philadelphia a 24-23 lead with 12:14 to go in the fourth quarter.

The Steelers would go three-and-out on their next possession giving the Eagles the ball back at their 18-yard-line who drove to their 39-yard-line until Cunningham was picked off by Steelers cornerback Dwayne Woodruff, whose 19-yard return gave Pittsburgh the ball at the Eagles' 36-yard-line.

Any chance of converting the turnover into points went out the window when Eagles defensive back Terry Hoage sacked Brister for a 11-yard-loss on 3rd & 6 from the Philadelphia 32-yard-line, forcing the Steelers to punt the ball away.

However, the Steelers defense would force a three-and-out to get the ball back at their 43-yard-line where Pittsburgh caught a break on the first play of the drive as Williams fumbled the ball at the end of a five-yard run, only to recovered by Steelers offensive line John Reinstra six yards downfield to give the Steelers a 1st down at the Eagles' 46-yard-line.

Following an incomplete pass, Hoge would for run 17 yards on a draw play to give Pittsburgh a 1st down at the Philadelphia 29-yard-line.

From here, the Steelers played it conservatively and ran the ball three straight times, gaining only five yards and forcing to them to settle for a 41-yard field goal by Anderson, to give Pittsburgh a 26-24 lead with 3:06 left in the game.

After a 19-yard return by Mark Konecny on the ensuing kickoff, the Eagles would take over at their 28-yard-line with 2:59 to go and three timeouts remaining as they had a chance to drive down the field for the winning score.

Cunningham hit Byars for a six-yard pass to begin the drive, which was followed by a 17-yard pass to Jimmie Giles to give the Eagles a 1st down at the Steelers' 49-yard-line as the two-minute warning hit.

Cunningham would throw two straight incomplete passes setting up 3rd & 10 when the biggest play of the game occurred.

Cunningham took the snap, rolled right and fired a pass to a wide-open Cris Carter, who made the 41-yard reception to give the Eagles a 1st & goal at the Steelers' eight-yard-line.

From there, Byars would carry the ball three straight times, gaining seven yards but coming one yard short of the end zone as 4th down approached.

Probably tempted to go for the touchdown, Ryan wisely sent in the field goal unit as Zendejas calmly hit the 18-yard field goal to give the Eagles a 27-26 lead with 1:15 left.

Following a touchback on the ensuing kickoff, the Steelers took over at their 20-yard-line with 75 seconds left and one timeout remaining as they tried to drive down into field goal range to give Anderson a shot at winning the game.

Brister connected with Lipps for 12 yards to start the drive, then found running back Dwight Stone for nine yards as the Steelers burned their last timeout with 40 seconds to go in the game.

Two straight incomplete passes set up a do-or-die 4th & 1 where Hoge took a handoff from Brister and ran around the right side for six yards and a 1st down at the Pittsburgh 47-yard-line.

But the Steelers would go backwards as Ilkin was called for a false start penalty and Brister would be sacked by White for a four-yard-loss, forcing Brister to spike the ball to stop the clock as the Steelers were faced with a 3rd & 19 at their 38-yard-line with 12 seconds left.

That is when Brister hit Lipps for a 22-yard completion as Lipps stepped out of bounds at the Eagles' 40-yard-line with four seconds left to give Anderson a chance to win the game with a 57-yard field goal attempt.

Despite a low snap by Webster and a struggle to get a good hold by holder Harry Newsome, Anderson would get the kick away only to have it blocked by Philadelphia defensive end Clyde Simmons to preserve the 27-26 win for the Eagles.

Eagles kicker Luis Zendejas kicked the game-winning a field goal, a 18-yarder with 75 seconds left.


While the loss dropped the Steelers to 2-9, the loss did provide some momentum for the rest of the season as the Steelers would win three of their last five games to finish with a 5-11 record, but still bad enough for Pittsburgh's worst record since the 1969 season when they finished 1-13.

However, the Steelers would return to the playoffs the following year with a 9-7 record and then stunned the Houston Oilers 26-23 in the AFC Wild Card Game on Anderson's 50-yard field goal in overtime to advance to the Divisional Round, where they would fall to the Denver Broncos 24-23.

The 1989 playoff appearance marked the last time Noll would coach in the postseason as he retired following the 1991 season and was replaced by Bill Cowher, who would coach the Steelers for the next 15 years.

As for the Eagles, they would win four of their next five games to finish the season with a 10-6 record, good enough to win the NFC East and earn a trip to the postseason for the first time since 1981.

The Eagles would face the Chicago Bears in the NFC Divisional Round when a thick fog rolled over Soldier Field late in the first half, hampering the Eagles' chances to come back as they lost to the Bears 20-12.

The Eagles would make it to the playoffs the next two years but would not win a game, leading to Ryan's firing after the 1990 season.