College Football Old School Game of the Week: Plummer and Sun Devils "Slither" Their Way to Comeback Win over UCLA

Arizona State quarterback Jake Plummer accounted for 325 yards of total offense and five touchdowns in the Sun Devils' comeback win over UCLA in 1996.

 During the 1990s, there was a run of "Cinderella" teams making all the way to the Rose Bowl, starting with Wisconsin's 1993 run after a 31-year drought for the Badgers, followed by the Oregon Ducks' first appearance in the "Granddaddy of Them All" since 1957, and then followed by the most unlikeliest story of them all in Northwestern, who after 23 straight losing seasons made their first Rose Bowl appearance in 47 years.

1996 was no exception as the Arizona State Sun Devils would win the Pac-10 championship as part of an undefeated season that saw they came within an eyelash of winning the national title.

The Sun Devils' appearance in the Rose Bowl would not have been possible if not for a game in the Rose Bowl stadium two and a half months earlier as they traveled to Pasadena to take on the UCLA Bruins.

Arizona State entered the game ranked #4 with a 5-0 record which included a memorable 19-0 win over #1 Nebraska which ended the two-time defending national champion Cornhuskers' 26-game winning streak and handed Nebraska its first regular season loss since 1992.

The Sun Devils were led by senior quarterback Jake Plummer, who was nicknamed "Jake The Snake", presumably after wrestler Jake "The Snake" Roberts and a defense which featured linebacker Pat Tillman.

The Sun Devils had entered the 1996 season just hoping to qualify for a bowl game after three 6-5 seasons between 1992 and 1995 under head coach Bruce Snyder, but with their 5-0 start, the Sun Devils had now dreams of winning the Pac-10 and playing in the Rose Bowl Game for the first time in a decade.

Meanwhile, the Bruins entered the game with Arizona State with a 2-2 record under first-year head coach Bob Toledo, who was taking over for Terry Donahue, who had retired after 20 years as the UCLA head coach in which he lead the Bruins to four Rose Bowls.

Toledo had a young but promising team which included sophomore quarterback Cade McNown and fourth-year junior Skip Hicks at running back.

Despite being unranked with a 2-2 record, the Bruins were only four-point underdogs to the #4 Sun Devils who were playing their first road game of the season.

Perhaps it was the home field advantage that allowed for UCLA to get off to a fast start.

The Bruins got the ball at their 35-yard-line to start the game after Arizona State kicked the opening kickoff out of bounds and proceeded to drive 65 yards in nine plays as McNown completed all four of his passes for 46 yards on the drive, including a 11-yard touchdown pass to Tod McBride to give UCLA a 7-0 with 11:15 left in the opening quarter.

It would not take long for the Sun Devils to strike back as running back Terry Battle returned the ensuing kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown to tie the game 7-7 just 13 seconds after the UCLA touchdown.

Following an UCLA three-and-out, the Arizona State offense got the ball for the first time as they took over at their 44-yard-line and drove to the Bruins' 43-yard-line when Plummer handed the ball off to wide receiver Ricky Boyer, who stopped and threw a pass that was picked off by UCLA defensive back Abdul McCullough to give the ball back to the Bruins at their 11-yard-line.

McNown would connect with tight end Jamal Clark for a 34-yard completion on the first play after the interception, then threw a deep pass that was caught by a wide open Jim McElroy around the Arizona State 20-yard-line as McElroy ran into the end zone for a 55-yard touchdown to give UCLA a 14-7 lead midway through the first quarter.

UCLA quarterback Cade McNown completed 22 of 41 passes for 395 yards and three touchdowns.

Then the Bruins surprised everybody with an onside kick that was recovered by linebacker Brandon Ayanbadjeo to give UCLA the ball at its 47-yard-line.

While the Bruins were unable to cash in off the onside kick, they were able to pin the Sun Devils back at their three-yard-line after a punt by Chris Sailer.

The Bruins were able to force a three-and-out to get the ball back at the Arizona State 30-yard-line where it took them six plays to get back into the end zone as Hicks ran it in for a four-yard touchdown to increase the UCLA lead to 21-7 with 1:50 remaining in the first quarter.

The Sun Devils would drive from their 26-yard-line to the UCLA 39-yard-line until they were stopped on 4th down to give the ball back to the Bruins with a chance to increase their lead to three touchdowns.

The Bruins were able to do that as McNown found Derek Ayers in the end zone for a 39-yard touchdown to increase the UCLA to 28-7 with 9:35 left in the second quarter.

Having given up four touchdowns in the game's first 20 minutes, the Sun Devils would need a spark and got on the ensuing kickoff as running back J.R. Redmond's 41-yard return gave Arizona State the ball at their 41-yard-line.

That is when "The Snake" went to work as Plummer as he connected with his favorite target, wide receiver Keith Poole, three times for 50 yards on the eight-play drive which culminated with a 15-yard touchdown pass from Plummer to Poole to cut the UCLA lead to 28-14 midway through the second quarter.

The Bruins would get one more chance to increase the lead before the end of the first half as they drove 67 yards in nine plays to set up a potential 30-yard field goal by Bjorn Merten, only to have Arizona State defensive tackle Brent Burnstein block the kick to keep it 28-14 at halftime.

The Sun Devils would get the ball to start the second half as they begin their opening possession at their 20-yard-line with a 13-yard pass from Plummer to Poole for an Arizona State 1st down.

Two plays later on 3rd & 7, Plummer connected with Kenny Mitchell for a 23-yard gain and a 1st down at the UCLA 41-yard-line.

Following an one-yard run by Battle, Plummer hit Poole again, this time for 20 yards and another Sun Devils 1st down at the UCLA 20-yard-line.

Then after a three-yard-run by Redmond, Plummer found Poole in the left corner of the end zone for a 17-yard touchdown to cut the Bruins' lead to 28-21 just 2:20 into the third quarter.

Arizona State wide receiver Keith Poole caught seven passes for 112 yards and two touchdowns.

After both teams punted on their ensuing possessions, the Bruins would drive 79 yards in 11 plays, culminating with a two-yard touchdown run by Hicks, one play after a pass interference penalty on Sun Devils defensive back Marcus Soward in the end zone put the ball at the two-yard-line.

However, Merten would miss the extra point after it was pushed back 15 yards following an UCLA penalty to keep the score 34-21 with 7:28 to go in the third quarter.

The score remained 34-21 going into the fourth quarter when the Sun Devils drove to the UCLA 46-yard-line until Plummer was intercepted by defensive back Javelin Guidry to give the Bruins the ball at their 22-yard-line.

The Sun Devils would force an UCLA three-and-out to give Plummer and the ASU offense the ball back at their 31-yard-line with 8:27 remaining and needing two touchdowns to retake the lead.

That is when "The Snake" coiled up and then attacked the Bruins.

The drive started with Plummer scrambling for eight yards before handing it off to Redmond who then ran for 11 more yards and a 1st down at the 50-yard-line.

Plummer would then for 10 more yards and another 1st down, then hit Boyer for 17 yards, and finally wrapped up the five-play, 69-yard drive with a 23-yard touchdown pass to Mitchell to bring the Sun Devils to within a touchdown at 34-28 with 7:28 to go.

The Bruins would take over at their 20-yard-line hoping to put together a long drive that could produce more points and put the game out of reach.

But disaster would strike on the first play from scrimmage as Hicks dropped the handoff from McNown, leading to a fumble that was recovered by Arizona State safety Damien Richardson at the UCLA 16-yard-line.

Plummer would hand the ball off to Redmond on 1st down who was stopped for no gain to set up 2nd & 10 when the Sun Devils called "Snake Pass" a pass intended for Plummer to be the receiver not the quarterback.

As Plummer took the snap, he tossed it back to Redmond, who went to his right and then launched a pass across field for Plummer, who made the catch at the 10-yard-line, then weaved his way through UCLA tacklers before diving from the three-yard-line and into the end zone for an incredible 16-yard touchdown that with Robert Nycz's extra point, gave the Sun Devils their first lead of the game at 35-34 with 6:33 to play.

Now trailing for the first time in the game, the UCLA offense needed to get moving as they begin their next possession at their 20-yard-line.

That is when McNown fired a deep pass that was caught by McElroy for a 50-yard gain and a 1st down at the Arizona State 30-yard-line.

But on the very next play, backup running back Durell Price was hit in the backfield by Arizona State defensive tackle Jeremy Staat, causing another fumble that was recovered by the Sun Devils, this time by Burnstein to give Plummer and the ASU offense the ball at their 34-yard-line.

After using a combined 1:41 to score their last two touchdowns, the Sun Devils took their time as they drove 66 yards in 11 plays while taking off five minutes on the clock.

The drive featured big plays such as Plummer's 15-yard-pass to Lenzie Jackson on 3rd & 9 from the Sun Devils' 39-yard-line, a 17-yard run by fullback Jeff Paulk for another Arizona State 1st down at the UCLA 23-yard-line, and then a 16-yard run by Redmond on 3rd & 5 from the Bruins' 18-yard-line to set up 1st & goal from the two-yard-line.

The drive would be capped off with an one-yard touchdown run by Plummer to increase the Arizona State lead to 42-34 with 1:18 to go in regulation.

The Bruins had one last chance to save themselves but McNown ended throwing an interception on a deep pass intended for Ayers that was picked off by cornerback Jason Simmons at the Arizona State 11-yard-line, allowing the Sun Devils to run out the clock and come away with the 42-34 victory.

After the game, UCLA head coach Bob Toledo was quoted as saying "I'm sick to my stomach" after watching his team blew a second-half lead to the Sun Devils for the second year.

The Bruins would eventually finish the season with a 5-6 record but brighter days were ahead for UCLA were after a 0-2 start to the 1997 season, the Bruins reeled off 20 straight wins as they finished with back-to-back 10-2 seasons, which included a Pac-10 championship and a trip to the Rose Bowl following the 1998 season.

As for the Sun Devils, they would have another thrilling victory over a Los Angeles based team the following week as they defeated the USC Trojans 48-35 in  double overtime(Courtney Jackson retuned a fumble 85 yards for a touchdown on USC's drive in the second overtime)to move to 7-0.

The final four games of the regular season would be much easier for the Sun Devils as they won those games by a combined score of 161-44 to clinch the Pac-10 championship and earn a trip to play in the Rose Bowl Game for the first time in nine years.

It looked like the Sun Devils' magic carpet ride was going to end with a possible share of the national championship as Plummer ran for a 11-yard touchdown to give Arizona State a 17-14 lead with 1:40 left in the fourth quarter, only to have Joe Germaine drive the Ohio State Buckeyes 65 yards in 12 plays, culminating with a five-yard touchdown pass from Germaine to David Boston with 20 seconds left to hand the Sun Devils a heartbreaking 20-17 defeat.

The loss would become more devastating the following night as #1 Florida State lost to #3 Florida 52-20 in the Sugar Bowl, meaning if the Sun Devils had defeated Ohio State, they likely would have won the national championship.

But many Arizona State fans and the players of that team tend to look at the 1996 season in a positive light with the comeback win over UCLA as one of the many highlights.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Packers Clinch 1st Division Title in 23 Years With Win over Steelers

Packers quarterback Brett Favre runs with the football after Green Bay defeated Pittsburgh to clinch the 1995 NFC Central Division title.

With their six NFL championships between 1929 and 1944, then the five NFL championships and two Super Bowl titles in 1960s, the city of Green Bay gave itself the nickname "Titletown, USA" thanks to the success of their beloved Packers under head coaches Curly Lambeau and Vince Lombardi.

But after Lombardi left the Packers following their win in Super Bowl II, the nickname "Titletown" did not seem to fit Green Bay as the Packers would have 15 losing seasons between 1968 and 1991 as the team would make the NFL playoffs only twice and win one division title during that 24-year span with the division title coming in 1972.

Things began to change for the Packers in 1992 when they hired San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Mike Holmgren as head coach and traded for quarterback Brett Favre as the pair lead Green Bay to a 9-7 season in 1992.

Things only got better in the offseason as the Packers were able to sign defensive end Reggie White as as a free agent as the Packers would make the playoffs in 1993 where they won their first postseason game since Super Bowl II as they defeated the Detroit Lions 28-24 in the NFC Wild Card round, then again in 1994 with a 16-12 win in front of nearly 60, 000 fans at Lambeau Field.

The Packers entered the 1995 season with hopes of going beyond the Divisional Round, where they had been eliminated by the Dallas Cowboys in two straight years, and do that a division title would go a long way in achieving in that goal.

The Packers entered their final game of the 1995 regular season with a chance to clinch their first division title since 1972 as they played host to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Christmas Eve, who also had a lot on the line in this game.

The Packers came in with a 10-5 record, holding a one-game lead over the Detroit Lions, who held the tiebreaker over the Packers to clinch the NFC Central as the Lions had a better division record than the Packers.

If Green Bay was to secure its first division title in 23 years, they would need a big game from Favre, who was playing hurt with a high ankle sprain in his left ankle, limiting his mobility.

Meanwhile, the Steelers entered the regular season finale with a 11-4 record, having won their previous eight games to clinch the AFC Central division title.

The Steelers were led by head coach Bill Cowher, who had directed Pittsburgh to the playoffs in his first four seasons, but was looking for retribution as the Steelers had lost in the AFC Championship Game the previous season 17-13 to the San Diego Chargers as the Steelers had been stopped on 4th & goal at the Chargers' three-yard-line in the final minutes.

The Steelers had a ferocious defense led by linebackers Kevin Greene and Greg Lloyd and an offense that had become a pass-first offense under quarterback Neil O' Donnell.

Plus, the Steelers had a secret weapon in rookie quarterback Kordell Stewart, who they lined up at quarterback, running back, and wide receiver earning him the nickname "Slash".

While the Steelers had secured the AFC Central and a first-round-bye, they still needed a win over the Packers plus a Kansas City Chiefs loss to the Seattle Seahawks to clinch home field advantage throughout the AFC Playoffs.

If the Steelers were going to win, they would have to do it without their top three running backs as Erric Pegram, Bam Morris, and John L. Williams were all out with injuries, meaning Fred McAfee and Tim Lester would have to carry the load at running back.

The stakes could not be higher for both teams as they played in front of a soldout crowd at Lambeau Field on Christmas Eve where gameday temperatures was just a nudge above 20 degrees with a wind chill of 9 degrees.

Packers wide receiver Robert Brooks caught 11 passes for 137 yards and one touchdown.

The Steelers got the ball first and drove from their 19-yard-line to their 47-yard-line when O' Donnell went deep on 3rd & 5 and fired a pass for Ernie Mills, only to have Mills drop the pass and what would have been a 53-yard touchdown that would have put the Steelers on the scoreboard first.

Pittsburgh would be forced to punt to the Packers, who drove 36 yards to the their 45-yard-line before punting the ball back to the Steelers who took over at their nine-yard-line.

The Steelers would drive 54 yards in 11 plays until they were faced with a 4th & 1 situation at the Packers' 37-yard-line.

Figuring a long field goal would be difficult to make, Cowher decided to go for the 1st down as Stewart lined up as quarterback on the play.

Stewart took the snap and tossed it to McAfee, who was stopped for no gain by Packers linebacker George Koonce giving Green Bay the ball with just over two minutes to go in the first quarter.

From there, the Packers would drive to the Pittsburgh 18-yard-line as Favre completed passes of 13 + 9 yards to Robert Brooks while Edgar Bennett would run for 23 yards on the final play of the opening quarter.

As the second quarter began, Favre connected with tight end Mark Chumra for nine yards, then handed it off to Bennett who ran it in for the nine-yard touchdown to give Green Bay a 7-0 lead just 42 seconds into the second quarter.

The Packers would force a three-and-out to get the ball back at their 33-yard-line and drove to the Pittsburgh 30-yard-line as Favre completed four of five passes for 38 yards on the drive, three of those passes going to Brooks for 35 yards, until Favre was sacked on 3rd & 5 by Steelers linebacker Jason Gildon, causing a fumble that was recovered by Steelers cornerback Carnell Lake to give Pittsburgh the ball at its own 47-yard-line.

O' Donnell would complete five of six passes for 38 yards on a drive which culiminated with the Steelers' first points of the game, a 33-yard field goal by Norm Johnson to cut the Packers' lead to 7-3 with 5:03 left in the second quarter.

The Packers would begin its ensuing possession at its 18-yard-line where after a two-yard run by Bennett on the first play of the drive, Favre connected with Brooks for 14 yards, then with running back Dorsey Levens for 13 yards to give Green Bay a 1st down at its 47-yard-line.

On the very next play, disaster nearly struck as Favre's pass for Mark Ingram, appeared to be intercepted by Lake, only to have officials rule that Lake did not get both feet in bounds, thus making it an incomplete pass.

Favre took advantage of the reprieve as hit Ingram for 28 yards on the very next play to give Green Bay a 1st down at the Steelers' 25-yard-line.

Then after a six-yard run by Bennett, Favre found Brooks for a 19-yard touchdown to increase the Packers' lead to 14-3 with 1:56 left before halftime.

The Steelers would get the ball at their 30-yard-line for their next possession hoping to get some points before the end of the first half.

Going to a no-huddle offense, O'Donnell would complete back-to-back passes to Andre Hastings that totaled 29 yards to give the Steelers a 1st down at the Packers' 41-yard-line.

After an incomplete pass, O'Donnell would complete his next four passes for 33 yards to give the Steelers a 1st & goal at the Green Bay eight-yard-line as time winded down in the first half.

Following another incomplete pass, O'Donnell found Mills who in the back of the end zone, who this time held on for the eight-yard touchdown to cut the Green Bay lead to 14-10 with 20 seconds left in the first half.

Favre would take a knee to send both teams into the locker room with the Packers holding on to a 14-10 halftime lead.

Steelers quarterback Neil O' Donnell completed 33 of 55 passes for 318 yards and throw one touchdown.

After both teams punted on their opening possessions of the second half, the Packers got the ball at the Steelers' 32-yard-line where on 2nd down, Favre threw a screen pass to Levens, who turned into a 23-yard gain to give Green Bay a 1st & goal at the nine-yard-line.

After Bennett was stopped for no gain on 1st down, Favre scrambled to tried to get in the end zone, only to be crushed by Steelers strong safety Myron Bell at the one-yard-line, causing the Packers to call timeout as  Favre begin to spit out blood following the hit.

Favre would catch his breath and throw an one-yard touchdown pass to Chumra to push the Packers' lead back to 11 points at 21-10 with 9:26 left in the third quarter.

The Steelers would respond with a l2-play, 72-yard drive that took off more than six minutes off the clock and ended with a 25-yard field goal by Johnson to cut the Packers' lead to 21-13 with 3:12 remaining in third quarter.

The Packers would begin its ensuing possession at its 13-yard-line as Favre would complete his next passes for a total of 45 yards to drive Green Bay to the Pittsburgh 38-yard-line as the third quarter came to an end.

However, on the opening play of the first quarter, Favre would be knocked woozy following a hit by Greene on an incomplete pass intended for Levens.

This time, Favre would come out of the game and be replaced by Jim McMahon, who after a three-yard run by Bennett, completed a six-yard pass to Brooks, to set up Chris Jacke's 47-yard field goal which pushed the Packers' lead back to 11 points at 24-13 with 13:26 to go in the fourth quarter.

The Steelers would get the ball back at their 33-yard-line when O'Donnell connected with Yancey Thigpen for 20 yards to start the drive and give Pittsburgh a 1st down at the Green Bay 47-yard-line.

Then on 3rd & 12 from the Packers' 49-yard-line, O'Donnell hit Hastings for a 36-yard completion to put the Steelers at the Green Bay 13-yard-line.

Following two passes to Stewart that picked up 11 yards, Lester would score his first career NFL touchdown on a two-yard run to cut the Green Bay lead to 24-19.

The Steelers would go for two to try and make it a three-point game but Stewart, who lined up at quarterback, threw an incomplete pass to keep the score 24-19 with 9:49 left in the fourth quarter.

When the Packers' offense came back onto the field to begin their next possession at their 29-yard-line, Favre would come back in and complete his next three passes for 26 yards until he threw an incomplete pass on 3rd & 5 at the Pittsburgh 40-yard-line, forcing Green Bay to punt the ball back to the Steelers who took over at their 20-yard-line with over five minutes left in the game.

The drive would begin with a 11-yard pass from O'Donnell to tight end Mark Bruener for a 1st down, followed by a nine-yard completion to Mills to set up 2nd & 1 where O'Donnell's pass for Stewart would fall incomplete.

O'Donnell would look for Stewart again on 3rd down, this time hitting him for six yards and a 1st down at the Pittsburgh 46-yard-line, which was followed by a 13-yard pass to  Thigpen to put the Steelers in Green Bay territory at the Packers' 41-yard-line.

O'Donnell would hit Thigpen for five yards on 1st down, only to give the five yards back when left tackle John Jackson was called for a false start, setting up 2nd & 10 when O'Donnell found Stewart for 15 yards and a 1st down at the Green Bay 26-yard-line.

An incomplete pass, followed by a three-yard run by McAfee, and then a six-yard pass to Hastings set up a do-or-die 4th & 1 at the Packers' 17-yard-line.

That is when O'Donnell tried to sneak to pick up the 1st down, only to be met by Green Bay defensive tackles Gilbert Brown and John Jurkovic, who were convinced they stopped O'Donnell short of the 1st down.

A measurement was taken to see how far O'Donnell had made it which took several seconds as officials tried to make sure they got the spot right(Remember there was no instant replay in 1995).

The chains showed that O'Donnell had made the 1st down, though the Packers believed he had been short and that the referees gave him a generous spot, but the call stood and it was 1st & 10 at the Green Bay 16-yard-line.

Then after two more incomplete passes and a nine-yard run by McAfee, the Steelers were faced with another 4th & 1, this time at the Green Bay seven-yard-line.

There would be no need for a measurement this time as Lester picked up the 1st down after a two-yard-run to give the Steelers a 1st & goal at the Packers' five-yard-line as O'Donnell would spike the ball with 29 seconds to go.

O'Donnell tried to find Thigpen in the end zone on 2nd down, but couldn't and was forced throw the ball away to set up 3rd down when Stewart lined at quarterback in the shotgun formation.

Stewart attempted to a draw only to be dropped for an one-yard-loss by Packers strong saftey LeRoy Butler and defensive end Sean Jones, forcing the Steelers to spend their final timeout as they would face another 4th down conversion, this time needing six yards.

That is when O' Donnell dropped back and fired a pass toward the left corner of the end zone where Thigpen was wide open, only for Thigpen to juggle and drop the ball on a sure touchdown that would have given the Steelers the lead.

Instead, it fell for an incomplete pass and gave the ball back to the Packers with 11 seconds left at their six-yard-line.

Favre took a knee to run out the clock and begin the celebration at Lambeau Field as the Packers celebrated not only the 24-19 win but also their first division title since 1972.

In a postgame interview, Thigpen said "That's my Christmas present right there to Green Bay".

Thigpen was able to laugh off the drop as the Chiefs defeated the Seahawks 26-3 to clinch the #1 seed in the AFC playoffs, meaning even if the Steelers won they still wouldn't have gotten home field advantage.

But in the end, the Steelers would get home field advantage as the Chiefs were knocked out in the Divisional Round by the Indianapolis Colts in a 10-7 upset while the Steelers defeated the Buffalo Bills 40-21 to advance to the AFC Championship Game which was played in Pittsburgh as the Steelers held off the Colts 20-16 as Jim Harbaugh's "Hail Mary" pass on the final play of regulation fell incomplete(To read more about that game, click on the link which is highlighted: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2017/11/nfl-old-school-game-of-week-steelers.html).

As for the Packers, they would host the Atlanta Falcons in the Wild Card Round where they easily defeated the Falcons 37-20 to advance to the Divisional Round where they shocked the defending Super Bowl champion San Francisco 49ers 27-17 to earn a trip to the NFC Championship Game where they would fall to the Dallas Cowboys 38-28.

However, the Packers would come back the following season and win their first Super Bowl in 29 years ,which was followed by another trip to the Super Bowl in 1997 where they would fall to the Denver Broncos.

Since 1995, Green Bay has won 15 division titles, 3 NFC championships and two Super Bowls, once again living up to the town's nickname of "Titletown, USA".

Packers head coach Mike Holmgren and defensive end Sean Jones hug it out after the Packers clinched their first division title since 1972.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Bears Pull off Miracle Comeback to Beat Browns

Bears running back James Allen catches the game-tying "Hail Mary" touchdown to send the 2001  Browns-Bears game into overtime.

 In Week 7 of the 2001 NFL season, the Chicago Bears scored 15 points in the final 4:08 minutes of regulation to send their game with the San Francisco 49ers into overtime where on the first play of the extra period, Bears free safety Mike Brown intercepted a pass that had bounced off the hands of 49ers wide receiver Terrell Owens and into the rookie defensive back's hands.

Brown proceeded to run the pick back for a 33-yard touchdown to give the Bears an incredible 37-31 overtime win after having been down as many as 19 points earlier in the game.

Bears fans and players thought they would not see another comeback like that for the rest of the season, but one week after the win over the 49ers, the Bears would pull off an even more improbable comeback as they hosted the Cleveland Browns.

The Bears entered the game with the Browns on a five-game winning streak to give them a 5-1 record for the team's best start since the 1990 season when they lost won the NFC Central Divsion.

The Bears were led by head coach Dick Jauron, who was in his third season in the Windy City and had helped built one of the NFL's top defenses led by linebacker Brian Urlacher.

The offense wasn't flashy but it was efficient as it featured rookie running back Anthony Thomas and wide receiver Marty Booker, who would finish the season with exactly 100 receptions.

The Bears would enter their game with the Browns without starting quarterback Jim Miller as Shane Matthews, who had replaced Miller the previous week after Miller went out with a hip pointer, would get the start against the Browns.

As for the Browns, they were coming off a bye week after starting the season 4-2 under first-year head coach Butch Davis, who had come to Cleveland after spending six seasons resurrecting the Miami Hurricanes football program.

With Tim Couch, the team's #1 pick in 1999, entering his third year at quarterback and the team off to a hot start, Cleveland fans were thinking playoffs as their beloved Browns were off to their best start since they came back into the NFL in 1999 after the team had moved to Baltimore following the 1995 season, resulting in a fight in which the city of Cleveland would be given an expansion team, a new stadium, and allowed to keep the history of the Browns since their intial inception in 1946.

 The Bears would get great field position after Autry Denson returned the opening kickoff 37 yards to the Chicago 38-yard-line only to have disaster strike on the second play of the game when Matthews was sacked by Browns linebacker Wali Rainer, which jarred the ball loose from Matthews and lead to a fumble that was scooped up by Browns defensive end Courtney Brown, who ran it in for a 25-yard touchdown to give Cleveland a 7-0 lead just 47 seconds into the game.

The Bears would get the ball back at their 33-yard-line as it took them four plays to drive to the Browns' 37-yard-line until they turned it over again, this time on an interception by Cleveland strong safety Earl Little to give the Browns the ball at their 29-yard-line.

The Bears defense would force a punt to give their offense the ball back at the Chicago 10-yard-line as the Bears offense drove to their 47-yard-line until they turned over for the third time in the opening quarter as Matthews was picked off again, this time by Cleveland linebacker Brant Boyer to give the Browns the ball at the Chicago 41-yard-line.

Following the rash of Chicago turnovers, the game turned into a stalemate as both teams traded punts until the 2:37 mark of the second quarter when the Bears got the ball at their 37-yard-line and put together their best drive of the game thus far.

The drive started with a 16-yard pass from Matthews to Dez White, which was followed by Thomas being tackled for a seven-yard loss to push the Bears back onto their side of the field at their 46-yard-line.

But Thomas would respond with back-to-back catches that totaled 41 yards to give Chicago a 1st down at the Cleveland 13-yard-line with 1:23 before halftime.

After Thomas gained five more yards on the next two plays, Matthews completed a six-yard pass to  Booker to give the Bears a 1st & goal at the Cleveland two-yard-line.

Two incomplete passes later, Matthews handed the ball off to Thomas, who punched it in for the two-yard touchdown with 23 seconds left in the first half that with the extra point, tied the game 7-7, which was the score as the two teams went into the locker room for the halftime break.

Bears running back Anthony Thomas would carry the ball 31 times for 96 yards and catch six passes for 71 yards.

Just like the Bears did to start the first half, the Browns would get a great return on the opening kickoff of the second half as Jamel White's 31-yard return set the Cleveland offense up at thier 43-yard-line.

A three-yard run by James Jackson followed by an eight-yard pass from Couch to Dennis Northcutt gave the Browns a 1st down at the Bears' 40-yard-line, which was followed by three straight Jackson runs for nine yards setting up 4th & 1 at the Chicago 31-yard-line.

Instead of attempting a long field goal, the Browns went for the 1st down and fooled the Chicago defense as Couch completed a 28-yard pass to Quincy Morgan, which set up Couch's three-yard touchdown pass to Mike Sellers to give Cleveland a 14-7 lead with 10:30 remaining in the third quarter.

The Bears would begin their ensuing possession at their 32-yard-line as Matthews would complete passes of 12 and 16 yards to Marty Booker to lead Chicago to the Browns' 36-yard-line where five straight runs by Thomas, including one on 4th & 1 from the Clevleand 27-yard-line, gained 18 yards which put the Bears at the 18-yard-line when disaster struck as Matthews was intercepted again, this time by Raymond Jackson to give the Browns the ball back at their eight-yard-line.

James Jackson would run for 17 yards to start the drive, which was followed by an incomplete pass, then a 20-yard pass to Northcutt, and then threw a deep pass that bounced off the hands of Mike Brown at around the Bears' 25-yard-line and into the hands of Browns wide receiver Kevin Johnson, who ran it to complete the 55-yard touchdown that would increase the Browns' lead to 21-7 with 3:19 left in the third quarter.

After both teams went three-and-out on their next possessions, the game moved into the fourth quarter with the Bears at their 49-yard-line desperately needing a touchdown to get back into the game.

The drive began promising as Thomas ran the ball three straight times for 18 yards to put the Bears at the Cleveland 33-yard-line where an incomplete pass and a three-yard pass to D'Wayne Bates set up a criticial 4th & 4 at the Browns' 30-yard-line.

Knowing a field goal would do his team no good, Jauron decided to go for it only to have Matthews by sacked again by Courtney Brown for a 10-yard-loss to give the ball back to the Browns at their 40-yard-line.

The Bears defense would force a three-and-out to give their offense the ball at their 20-yard-line as the Bears would once again drive into Browns territory as it took them six plays to drive to the Cleveland 33-yard-line until a pair of five-yard penalties, a run by Thomas for zero yards, and three incomplete passes forced another turnover on downs to give the Browns the ball with 5:39 left in the fourth quarter.

At this point, many Bears fans at Soldier Field began to head toward their cars especially when a 12-yard run by Jackson to start the drive followed a few plays later a 15-yard personal foul penalty on linebacker Warren Holdman gave the Browns a 1st down at the Chicago 32-yard-line.

The Bears would not permit another 1st down as they would force the Browns to punt the ball back to Chicago who would take over at its own 20-yard-line with 1:52 left and needing two touchdowns and two extra points just to tie the game.

Despite throwing three interceptions, Bears quarterback Shane Matthews would finish with 357 yards on 30-of-50 passes and throw two touchdowns.

The drive did not get off to a promising start as Matthews' 1st down pass to running back James Allen went for only one yard, which was followed by an apparent incomplete pass as Booker was ruled not to have made the catch before he went out of bounds.

However, Booker's catch would be reviewed and instant replay showed that he had both feet in bounds and maintained control of the ball before he went out of bounds, allowing for officials to reverse the call and make a 14-yard pass to give the Bears a 1st down at their 35-yard-line.

From there, Matthews would hit White for 12 yards, then David Terrell for nine yards, and then Allen again for 17 yards to put the Bears at the Cleveland 27-yard-line with 1:02 remaining as the Bears called their second timeout of the half.

Coming out of the timeout, Matthews found White for 13 more yards, then got five free yards as the Browns were called for too many men on the field as Matthews was spiking the ball to give the Bears a 1st & 5 at the Cleveland nine-yard-line.

After an incomplete pass on 1st down, Matthews found Booker in the end zone for the nine-yard touchdown that with the extra point made it a 21-14 game with 28 seconds to go.

Everyone knew what was coming next as both teams lined up for the onside kick on the ensuing kickoff when Bears kicker Paul Edinger kicked down the left side of the field where the ball would bounce up twice before being recovered by Chicago linebacker Bobbie Howard at the Browns' 47-yard-line giving the Bears 24 seconds to get into the end zone.

Matthews would complete a four-yard pass to Allen who stepped out of bounds with 16 seconds left, then caught a nine-yard pass to give the Bears a 1st down at the Cleveland 34-yard-line as Chicago called its third and final timeout with eight seconds left.

It was here that the Bears decided to throw the "Hail Mary" as Matthews threw a pass toward the right side of the end zone that was tipped by Browns free safety Percy Ellsworth before it was caught by a diving Allen as time expired sending the remaining fans that were still at Soldier Field into a frenzy.

Edinger would come on to kick the extra point to send the game into overtime with two teams deadlocked at 21.

The Bears won the overtime coin toss and elected to receive but went three-and-out to punt the ball back to the Browns who took over at their 12-yard-line.

Couch would hit Kevin Johnson for 16 yards to start the drive, which was followed by a five-yard loss as Bears linebacker Roosevelt Colvin sacked Couch to set up 2nd & 15.

That is when Couch threw a pass that was tipped at the line of scrimmage by Bears defensive end Bryan Robinson which would land in the hands of Mike Brown, who returned the interception untouched for the 16-yard touchdown to give the Bears a shocking 27-21 overtime win.

Mike Brown prepares to run into the end zone for his second straight game-winning overtime pick-six.

The Browns would go on to finish the season with a 7-9 record as a four-game losing streak in December doomed their chances of reaching the postseason, though they would make the following year with a 9-7 record as 12 of their 16 regular season games were decided by one score or less as was their AFC Wild Card Game which they lost 36-33 to the Pittsburgh Steelers after building up a 24-7 lead.

As for the Bears, they would finish the 2001 season with a 13-3 record which earned Chicago its first division title since 1990 as the Bears entered the 2001 playoffs as the #2 seed in the NFC only to go out in the Divisional Round as they lost at home to the Philadelphia Eagles 33-19.

Below are the highlights from ESPN's NFL Primetime of the game:

College Football Old School Game of the Week: Vols Knock off Gators in "The Swamp" to Claim SEC East

Tennessee running back Travis Stephens would run for 226 yards on just 19 carries and score two touchdowns in the Volunteers' upset over the Florida Gators.

 Even though they traditionally met in September, the game between the Florida Gators and the Tennessee Volunteers would often decided who would represent the SEC Eastern Division in the SEC Championship Game as the winner of the Florida-Tennessee game ended up winning the SEC East in seven of the first nine years of the SEC Championship Game's existence.

In 2001, the game was originally scheduled to take place on September 15th but was postponed after the terrorist attacks on September 11th, pushing the game to the end of the regular season on December 1 where the #2 Gators hosted the #5 Volunteers where the winner would not only clinch the SEC East title, but hopes alive for a spot in the BCS championship game which would determine the national champion.

Florida entered the game with a 9-1 record, having lost only to the Auburn Tigers on a last second field goal, as they were would led by head coach Steve Spurrier, who was in his 12th season as the head coach of the Gators.

Since his debut back in 1990, Spurrier had revolutionized the Southeastern Conference with his pass-happy offense known as the "Fun N' Gun", which helped the Gators to six SEC East titles, five SEC championships and one national championship in 1996.

Leading the "Fun N' Gun" offense was redshirt sophomore Rex Grossman, who had thrown for 3,534 yards and 32 touchdown passes up to this point, making him a Heisman Trophy candidate.

The Volunteers also entered the game with a 9-1 record with their loss coming at the hands of the Georgia Bulldogs in the famous "Hobnail Boot" game(To read about that game, click on the link which is highlighted: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2018/09/college-football-old-school-game-of_26.html).

Tennessee was lead by head coach Philip Fulmer, who in his nine previous seasons as the Vols' head coach had defeated Florida only twice with the first win coming in 1992 and then again during the Vols' national championship season in 1998.

While Florida employed a pass-oriented offense, Tennessee was more balanced as sophomore quarterback Casey Clausen had thrown for nearly 2,500 yards and senior running back Travis Stephens had rushed for over 1,000 yards entering the Vols' showdown with the Gators.

Despite the fact that both teams entered the game ranked in the top 5, the Volunteers was listed as a 17-point underdog primarily on the fact they had never beaten Florida in Gainesville or "The Swamp" as the Gators' home stadium, Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, under Fulmer with the Vols' last win in Gainesville occurring in 1971.

However, Spurrier and the Gators would be in for a rude awakening as the game began.

Following a three-and-out by the Gators to start the game, the Volunteers got the ball at their 34-yard-line where it took them only two plays to drive into Florida territory as Clausen connected with Donte Stallworth for 18 yards, then hit Bobby Graham for 12 more yards to put Tennessee at the Florida 41-yard-line(There was a false start penalty on the Vols in between the two passes that pushed them back five yards).

Stephens would carry the ball on three of the next four plays, gaining 13 yards to set up a 4th & 1 at the Gators' 28-yard-line when Fulmer decided to go for the 1st down which the Vols converted as Stephens ran for four yards to give Tennessee a 1st down at the Florida 24-yard-line.

From there, it would take the Vols seven plays to get into the end zone as Clausen threw a two-yard touchdown pass to Troy Fleming to culminate the 14-play, 66-yard drive that took up over seven minutes and gave Tennessee a 7-0 lead with 6:22 left in the first quarter.

The Gators would begin their next possession at their 18-yard-line as they would drive to the Tennessee 49-yard-line until Grossman was picked off by Volunteers defensive back Jabari Greer to give the Vols the ball at the Florida 47-yard-line.

It appeared that the Gators were going to force a three-and-out as Clausen scrambled for three yards on 3rd & 9, only to have Florida linebacker Mike Nattiel hit Clausen as the Vols quarterback stepped out of bounds, drawing a 15-yard penalty and giving Tennessee a 1st down at the Florida 28-yard-line.

On the very next play, Clausen found Bobby Graham for 23 yards to set up 1st & goal from the Gators' five-yard-line where after losing one yard on 1st & goal, Stephens ran it in for a six-yard touchdown to increase Tennessee's lead to 14-0 with 3:03 to go in the opening period.

Tennessee quarterback Casey Clausen would complete 17 of 25 passes for 168 yards and throw one touchdown pass.

The Gators would get the ball back at their 20-yard-line as Grossman would complete four of his next five passes for 38 yards to lead the Florida offense to the Tennessee 41-yard-line as the first quarter came to a close.

Then on the opening play of the second quarter, Grossman threw deep for Reche Caldwell, who made the 40-yard catch to give the Gators a 1st & goal at the Tennessee one-yard-line.

It would take the Gators two tries to get into the end zone as Grossman would sneak it in for the one-yard touchdown to cut Tennessee's lead in half to 14-7 just 43 seconds into the second quarter.

The Vols would start their next drive at their 20-yard-line only to give right back to the Gators on the first play of the drive as Clausen connected with tight end Jason Witten for four yards, only to have Gators strong safety Guss Scott knock the ball loose causing a fumble that was recovered by free safety Todd Johnson, who scooped up the fumble and returned it eight yards to the Tennessee 16-yard-line.

Florida would drive to the Vols three-yard-line until two incomplete passes forced the Gators to settle for a 20-yard field goal by Jeff Chandler to cut the Tennessee lead to 14-10 with 11:49 remaining in the second quarter.

Tennessee seemed to shake off the turnover as Clausen would complete three of his next five passes for 21 yards to lead the Vols to their own 41-yard-line until Clausen was picked off by Nattiel, who returned the pick 25 yards to the Tennessee 21-yard-line where it only take one play for the Gators to get into the end zone as Grossman hit Jabar Gaffney for a 21-yard touchdown to give Florida a 17-14 lead with exactly nine minutes left in the first half.

When the Vols got the ball back for their next possession, they went back to Stephens who busted loose for a 49-yard run on the first play after the touchdown to give Tennessee a 1st down at the Florida 32-yard-line.

However, the Gators defense would stiffen, allowing only five more yards on the next three plays, leading to the Volunteers to settle for a 44-yard field goal attempt by Alex Walls, which sailed wide left to keep the score 17-14 with 6:54 remaining before halftime.

After the missed field goal, the Gators offense would hold the ball for almost the rest of the time remaining in the first half as they drove 63 yards in 14 plays to set up Chandler's 27-yard field goal with four seconds left to increase Florida's lead to 20-14 as the two teams would go into the halftime break with the Gators on top having scored 20 unanswered points.

Tennessee would get the ball to start the second half as the Vols offense took over at their 20-yard-line when Clausen would hit three straight passes for 45 yards, which would lead to Stephens' 35-yard touchdown run that with Walls' extra point put the Volunteers back on top 21-20 almost two minutes into the third quarter.

The Gators would take over at their 18-yard-line when Grossman would lead the Gators to the Tennessee 33-yard-line where they faced a 4th & 5.

That is when the old ball coach decided to go for the 1st down which he got as Grossman hit Taylor Jacobs for 18 yards to give Florida a 1st down at the Tennessee 15-yard-line.

However a quarterback sack by Tennessee linebacker Dominique Stevenson would stall the drive and force the Gators to settle for a 35-yard field goal by Chandler to give Florida a 23-21 lead with 5:54 left in the third quarter.

Florida quarterback Rex Grossman completed 33 of 51 passes for 362 yards and throw two touchdown passes.

The Gators' defense would force another turnover on the Vols' ensuing possession as cornerback Lito Sheppard intercepted a Clausen pass and returned it seven yards to the Florida 42-yard-line.

From there, the Gators would drive to the Tennessee 31-yard-line until they were faced with a 4th & 1 when Spurrier decided to go for the 1st down, only to have a false start penalty push the Gators back five yards to the Tennessee 36-yard-line.

Despite the penalty, Spurrier kept on his offense on the field and tried to convert the 4th & 6, which ultimately failed as Grossman was sacked for an nine-yard-loss by Tennessee defensive end Will Overstreet to give the Vols the ball at their 45-yard-line.

Three plays gained nine yards, leading to a 4th & 1 at the Florida 46-yard-line when Fulmer, just like he did on the Vols' opening possession of the game, decided to go for it which he got as Clausen kept the ball himself and ran for three yards to the Gators' 43-yard-line.

Clausen would connect with Stephens for seven yards on the next play from scrimmage, then handed the ball off to Stephens who busted loose for a 34-yard run to give the Vols a 1st & goal at the Florida two-yard-line when Jabari Davis would get the ball and punch it in for the two-yard touchdown to give Tennessee a 27-23 lead with 13:09 left in the fourth quarter.

The Vols would attempt a two-point conversion after the touchdown as Clausen could punch it on a quarterback draw to keep it a four-point game.

The Gators would get the ball back at their 22-yard-line where it took them only three plays to get into Tennessee territory as Grossman found Caldwell for 22 yards to start the drive, then after a four-yard run by Robert Gillespie, Grossman completed another 22-yard pass , this time to Gaffney to give Florida a 1st down at the Vols' 30-yard-line.

But on the very next play, Grossman would be dropped for a 10-yard-loss on a quarterback sack by Tennessee defensive end Demetrin Veal, which was followed by a five-yard pass to Gillespie and then an incomplete pass to force a 4th & 15 from the Tennessee 35-yard-line.

Needing just a field goal to retake the lead, Spurrier sent in Chandler to attempt a 52-yard field goal, which he made to cut the Tennessee lead to 27-26 with 10:30 to play in the fourth quarter.

The Vols would begin their ensuing possession at their 23-yard-line when Clausen handed the ball off to Stephens, who exploded for his longest run of the day, a 68-yard-run to give Tennessee a 1st & goal at the Gators' nine-yard-line.

From there, Davis would run the ball, picking up four yards on 1st down, then four more on 2nd down, and then punching it in for the one-yard touchdown to push the Tennessee lead to 34-26 with 8:30 left in the fourth quarter.

After both teams went three-and-out on their next offensive possessions, the Gators would get the ball at their 49-yard-line with exactly five minutes left in regulation and needing a touchdown and a two-point conversion to tie the game.

The drive began with a nine-yard pass from Grossman to Gillespie, followed by an incomplete pass, then a seven-yard run by Gillespie to give the Gators a 1st down at the Tennessee 35-yard-line.

A holding penalty would push the Gators back 10 yards to the Tennessee 45-yard-line where they had 1st & 20 as Grossman connected with Caldwell for 15 yards, then again for seven yards to give Florida a 1st down at the Vols' 23-yard-line.

Following an incomplete pass on 1st down, Grossman would find Gillespie for eight yards, then Gaffney for nine yards to give the Gators a 1st & goal at the Tennessee six-yard-line.

Grossman would connect with Caldwell again, this time for four yards, then found Carlos Perez for the two-yard touchdown to make it a 34-32 game with 70 seconds left in regulation with the all-important two-point conversion coming up.

On the two-point conversion, Grossman took the snap and looked for a receiver, before deciding on Gaffney in the back of the end zone.

However, Grossman's pass was behind Gaffney and fell incomplete keeping it a 34-32 game in favor of the Vols with the Gators needing to recover an onside kick in order to keep their SEC and national championship hopes alive.

Tennessee defensive back Buck Fitzgerald celebrates after the Gators failed to convert on a potential game-tying two-point conversion with 1:10 left in regulation.

But Tennessee tight end John Finlayson would recover the onside kick, allowing for Clausen to take two knees to rut out the clock as the Volunteers had pulled off the 34-32 upset to capture the SEC East division title and earn a trip to the SEC Championship Game.

The next day, Tennessee would climb to #2 in the AP and coaches polls as well as the BCS standings, meaning if they won the SEC Championship Game, they would play Miami in the Rose Bowl for the national championship.

However, the Volunteers would be shocked by the LSU Tigers 31-20 in the SEC Title Game, which allowed for Nebraska, despite getting blown out by Colorado 62-36 in their regular season finale, to earn the #2 spot in the final BCS standings to send the Cornhuskers to the Rose Bowl where they would be demolished by the Hurricanes 37-14.

As for the Volunteers, the loss to LSU dropped them to the Citrus Bowl, where they would play the Michigan Wolverines as the Volunteers romped to a 45-17 victory while the Gators would play Maryland in the Orange Bowl in which the Gators won 56-23 in what turned out to be Spurrier's last game as the head coach of the Gators as he jumped to the NFL to coach the Washington Redskins for the next two seasons, before returning to the college game in 2005 as he became head coach of the South Carolina Gamecocks.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Brady Leads Patriots to Comeback Win over Jets

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady completed 20 of 28 passes for 213 yards in the Patriots' win over the New York Jets.

When it comes to the New England Patriots and the beginning of their dynasty, many will point to the play in second game of the 2001 season when starting quarterback Drew Bledsoe was knocked out of action thanks to a hit by New York Jets linebacker Mo Lewis, which lead to Bledsoe being sidelined for several weeks and being replaced by Tom Brady.

Some might point to the moment when head coach Bill Belichick named Brady the starter for the rest of the season even though Bledsoe was now healthy as the moment that changed New England's fortunes.

But if you look closely at the 2001 season, you may need to pay attention to the Patriots' second meeting with Jets on December 2, 2001 as the moment the Patriots morphed into a championship team.

The Patriots came into the game with a 6-5 record in contention for a Wild Card spot but two games back of the Miami Dolphins in the race for the AFC East division championship.

New England traveled to the Meadowlands to face the Jets who also in the race to make the playoffs as they entered the game with a 7-3 record, just half a game behind the 8-3 Dolphins, meaning the winner of this game would bolster their hopes at making the playoffs and keep them in the hunt for the AFC East title.

 The Jets got the ball to start the game where after the first two plays picked up only two yards, quarterback Vinny Testaverde connected with Santana Moss for a 33-yard completion to give the Jets a 1st down at the Patriots' 38-yard-line.

Then after two short passes that gained four yards, Testaverde found Laveranues Coles for a 34-yard touchdown to give the Jets a 7-0 lead with 11:52 to go in the first quarter.

Following a New England three-and-out, the Jets got the ball back at their 45-yard-line when Testaverde hit another long pass, this time for 24 yards to Coles to give New York a 1st down at the Patriots' 31-yard-line.

From there, the Jets would drive to the Patriots' two-yard-line on the legs of running back Curtis Martin, who ran for 21 yards on four of the next six New York plays.

However, Martin's fifth carry would go for no gain as he was stopped by the Patriots' defense on 3rd & goal from the two-yard-line, forcing the Jets to settle for a 19-yard field goal by John Hall which increased New York's lead to 10-0 with 4:53 left in the first quarter.

Both teams would trade punts for the next couple of possessions until midway through the second quarter when the Jets drove 44 yards in nine plays as Testaverde completed four of six passes for 37 yards and ran for 12 yards to set up another field goal by Hall, this time from 40 yards out to increase New York's lead to 13-0.

Jets running back Curtis Martin carried the ball 20 times for 99 yards.

That would be the score after the first half came to a close with the Patriots' offense stuck in neutral as they gained only 61 yards and picked up just three 1st downs.

Things do not get any better when the Patriots got the ball to start the second half as they went three-and-out to punt the ball back to the Jets who took over at the New England 36-yard-line after Ken Walter shanked the punt as it went only 19 yards.

After dropping Richie Anderson for a three-yard-loss on 1st down, the Patriots' defense forced the first turnover of the game when linebacker Mike Vrabel picked off a Testaverde pass after it was tipped at the line of scrimmage by New England defensive end Brandon Mitchell.

Vrabel returned the pick 12 yards to the New England 43-yard-line giving Brady and the Patriots' offense their best field position of the game.

Brady would hit David Patten for seven yards on 1st down, then threw an incomplete pass for running back Antowain Smith to set up a 3rd & 3 at the 50-yard-line when Brady connected with Fred Coleman on a slant pass that picked up 46 yards to give New England a 1st & goal at the Jets' four-yard-line.

Following an incomplete pass on 1st down, Brady handed the ball off to Smith on 2nd down who ran it in for the four-yard touchdown to put the Patriots on the board and the cut Jets' lead to 13-7 with 10:19 left in the third quarter.

The Jets would be given great field position to start their next drive as Craig Yeast returned the ensuing kickoff 34 yards to the New York 48-yard-line.

From there, Martin would get the ball on the next two plays, running for 13 yards and then 17 yards to give the Jets a 1st down at the Patriots' 22-yard-line.

However, the drive would stall as Testaverde would be sacked for a nine-yard-loss by Patriots defensive lineman Bobby Hamilton and Richard Seymour, forcing the Jets to settle for another field goal by Hall, this one from 50 yards out, to push the New York lead to 16-7 midway through the third quarter.

The Patriots would begin their next drive at their 18-yard-line looking to continue the momentum they got from their previous drive which ended in a touchdown.

The drive would start with Brady hitting Troy Brown on back-to-back passes for 14 yards to give New England a 1st down at its 32-yard-line.

After the next two plays picked up only one yard, Brady threw a screen pass to Smith on 3rd & 9, who proceeded to turn the short pass into a 40-yard gain to give the Patriots a 1st down at the Jets' 27-yard-line.

From there, running back Kevin Faulk would run the ball on the next three plays, gaining 23 yards to set up fullback Marc Edwards' four-yard touchdown run to bring the Patriots to within a field goal of taking the lead as they trailed 16-14 with 2:11 left in the third quarter.

Patriots wide receiver Troy Brown caught eight passes for 59 yards.

The Jets would get the ball back at their 30-yard-line and drive into New England territory until another sack by Seymour pushed the Jets back into their own territory as they would be forced to punt when Tom Tupa's punt only went 22 yards, giving the Patriots the ball at their 33-yard-line with 12:16 to go in the fourth quarter.

The drive began with a 12-yard pass from Brady to Patten, followed by an incomplete pass intended for Patten, then two more completions to Patten that totaled 32 yards to give the Patriots a 1st down at the Jets' 23-yard-line.

Following a two-yard run by Smith on 1st down, Brady went back to the air as he connected with Brown for seven yards to set up 3rd & 1 which the Patriots converted as Edwards picked up the one yard New England needed for the 1st down.

Smith would pick up the next six yards, first on a three-yard run, then on a three-yard pass to set up 3rd & 4 at the Jets' seven-yard-line when Brady threw a short pass to Brown, only to have Brown be tackled Jets linebacker Mo Lewis two yards short of the 1st down.

Adam Vinatieri would come on to attempt a 22-yard field goal which became a 27-yard field goal following a New England false start as Vinatieri made the field goal to give the Patriots their first lead of the game at 17-16 with 6:29 remaining in the game.

The Jets would take over at their 25-yard-line and drove to the Patriots' 49-yard-line as Testaverde was able to convert on two straight 3rd down situations, first connecting with Cherbet for nine yards on 3rd & 7, then finding Moss for seven yards on 3rd & 3 at the New York 44-yard-line.

Martin would carry the ball on the next two plays, picking up five more yards to set up 3rd & 5 where Testaverde's pass intended for Cherbet fell incomplete, forcing a 4th & 5 at the Patriots' 44-yard-line with 2:07 left in the game.

With time winding down, the Jets had no choice but to go for the 1st down as Testaverde dropped back to pass and threw a pass for tight end Anthony Becht, only to have Patriots cornerback Terrell Buckley, step in front of the pass to make the interception to give New England the ball at its 33-yard-line and a chance to run out the clock with 2:02 remaining.

Patriots kicker Adam Vinatieri(right) and punter Ken Walter celebrate after Vinatieri's go-ahead field goal.

The Jets had one timeout and the two-minute warning so it was imperative that the Patriots pick up a 1st down to put the game away.

Two runs by Smith gained eight yards to set up the crucial 3rd & 2 at the New England 41-yard-line when Brady called his own number and ran it up the middle to pick up the two yards needed for the 1st down which allowed Brady to take two knees to run out the clock as the Patriots came away with the 17-16 win.

Despite the loss, the Jets would make the playoffs with a 10-6 record thanks to a 24-22 win over the Oakland Raiders on the final Sunday of the regular season as Hall made a 53-yard field goal with under a minute left in the game, only for the Jets to be eliminated the following weekend by the same Oakland Raiders as New York lost their AFC Wild Card Game 38-24.

As for the Patriots, the win over the Jets helped propelled them to the AFC East division title as they finished with a better division record(6-4) than the Dolphins(5-5) as both teams finished with identical 11-5 records with the tiebreaker going to New England which not only game them the division but also the #2 seed in the AFC playoffs.

From there, the Patriots would knock off the Raiders 16-13 in overtime in the Divisional Round in the controversial "Tuck Rule" Game, then upset the Pittsburgh Steelers 24-17 in the AFC Championship Game(Click on the highlighted link to check out my article on that game: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2017/12/nfl-old-school-game-of-week-bledsoe.html), and then wrapped their "Cinderella" run with a 20-17 win over the St. Louis Rams on Adam Vinatieri's game-winning 48-yard field goal as time expired in Super Bowl XXXVI, for the first of six Super Bowl championships for the Patriots.

College Football Old School Game of the Week: Sooners Dominate Huskers in "Game of the Century II"

 

On November 25, 1971, the #1 ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers took on the #2 Oklahoma Sooners in what was nicknamed the "Game of the Century" as the winner of the game would clinch the Big 8 conference title and play for a national championship in the Orange Bowl.

The game lived up to the hype as both teams traded the lead four times with the final lead change coming on Nebraska fullback Jeff Kinney's fourth touchdown of the game with 1:38 remaining to give Nebraska a 35-31 victory as the Huskers would go on to win the Orange Bowl as they destroyed the Alabama Crimson Tide 38-6 to claim their second straight national championship.

Nearly 16 years later on November 21, 1987, the Sooners and the Huskers meet again as the two top teams in the country in a game that was dubbed as "Game of the Century II" as #1 Nebraska hosted #2 Oklahoma where once again the winner of the game would win the Big 8 conference championship and earn a trip to the Orange Bowl.

Nebraska come into the game with a 10-0 record, bolstered by the nation's #1 offense which averaged 524 yards per game and had scored at least 30 points in every game this season while its defense had allowed a combined 15 points in the Huskers' previous five games.

While the Huskers come into "Game of the Century II" riding high, the same could not be said for Oklahoma, where two weeks prior they lost starting quarterback Jamelle Holieway for the rest of the season after he tore his ACL in his left knee as well as fullback Lydell Carr who went out with a knee injury in the same game

Holieway was replaced by redshirt freshman Charles Thompson while Carr was replaced by Rontei Anderson, as the two helped Oklahoma to a 29-10 win over Oklahoma State, which was followed by an rather lackluster performance the following week as the Sooners defeated the Missouri Tigers 17-13, causing voters to drop Oklahoma from #1 to #2 and moving Nebraska up to #1.

This led to several Nebraska players talking a lot of trash in the lead up to the Oklahoma game as quarterback Steve Taylor "The flat out truth is Oklahoma can't play with us. The Sooners aren't good enough. It might not even be close and I mean that". 

This bravado was backed up by Nebraska tight end Tom Banderas who predicted that the Huskers would win 42-10 while All-American defensive end Broderick Thomas to proclaim Memorial Stadium, the Huskers' home stadium as "our house and only we have the key".

All this talk came at the expense of Nebraska head coach Tom Osbourne, who was in his 15th season as the Huskers' head coach and had complied a 140-36-1 overall record but was 4-11-1 against the Sooners and head coach Barry Switzer, having lost the previous three game with the Sooners including two in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Before the 156th straight sellout at Memorial Stadium, the #1 9-0 Nebraska Cornhuskers hosted the #2 10-0 Oklahoma Sooners in "Game of the Century II".

Oklahoma quarterback Charles Thompson is chased by Nebraska defensive tackle Neil Smith.

 The Sooners got the ball to start the game and proceeded to drive 72 yards in 13 plays until Anderson was hit by Huskers linebacker Steve Forch, causing a fumble which was recovered by linebacker LeRoy Etienne to give Nebraska the ball at its eight-yard-line.

After both teams traded punts on their ensuing possessions, the Huskers had the ball at their 16-yard-line as Taylor lead the Nebraska offense into Sooner territory by completing a 11-yard pass to Richard Bell, then running for 16 yards on a quarterback draw, and then scrambling for 11 yards when a reverse flea flicker failed to fail the Oklahoma defense to give Nebraska a 1st down at the Sooners' 31-yard-line.

Following a holding penalty that pushed the Huskers back 10 yards to the Oklahoma 41-yard-line, Taylor handed the ball off to Keith Jones, who ran the ball on back-to-back plays for 41 yards, with the last one being a 25-yard touchdown run to give Nebraska a 7-0 lead with 1:28 left in the first quarter.

It was the first time all season that the Oklahoma defense had allowed a touchdown in the first quarter and the Sooners would make the Huskers pay for it as they did not allow Nebraska to pick up another 1st down for the rest of the first half.

Despite the Sooner defense hunkering down on the Nebraska offense, the Sooners were unable to get any points on the board in the second quarter despite three drives deep into Husker territory.

The first drive went 52 yards but ended with R.D. Lashar' 44-yard field goal attempt sailing wide right with 11 minutes left in the second quarter, which was followed by a 50-yard drive to the Nebraska 25-yard-line which included a 20-yard pass from Thompson to All-American tight end Keith Jackson, only to have end with another Anderson fumble which was recovered by Huskers linebacker Jon Marco.

The third and final wasted opportunity came late in the half as the Sooners drove from their 18-yard-line to the Nebraska 36-yard-line thanks to the legs of Thompson who ran the ball three times for 46 yards until the drive ended when Thompson was intercepted by Nebraska safety Jeff Tomjack at the Huskers' 10-yard-line, which allowed for the Huskers to run out the clock and go into the locker room with a 7-0 halftime lead.

The Huskers would get the ball to start the second half, hoping to get their offense back on track only to have disaster strike on 3rd & 10 from the Nebraska 20-yard-line when Taylor's pass intended for Dana Brinson was deflected by Oklahoma cornerback Derrick White and into the hands of Sooner safety Rickey Dixon, who returned the interception 24 yards to the Nebraska 13-yard-line.

After a two-yard run by Anderson on 1st down, Thompson ran around the right side and just before he was able to be crushed by the Nebraska defense, he pitched the ball to Anthony Stafford, who ran it in for the 11-yard touchdown that with Lashar's extra point tied the game 7-7 with 12:48 left in the third quarter

Following an exchange of punts, the Huskers would pick up their first 1st down since their touchdown drive when Jones ran for 13 yards to the Oklahoma 46-yard-line, only to have the Sooners defense stiffen and force a punt that went into the end zone for a touchback to give the Sooners the ball at their 20-yard-line.

Four straight running plays gaining 15 yards set up a 3rd & 5 at the Oklahoma 35-yard-line when Thompson pitched the ball to halfback Patrick Collins, who thanks to a key block from backup running back John Green, was able to run down the left side relatively untouched for a 65-yard touchdown run to give the Sooners a 14-7 lead with 1:39 in the third quarter.

Oklahoma running back Patrick Collins races down the sideline for his 65-yard touchdown run.

Though they were down only a touchdown, the seven-point deficit seemed insurmountable for the Huskers especially with their offense shut down.

Things did not get better for the Huskers when the fourth quarter began as Dixon made his second interception of the game on the first play of the fourth quarter to give the Sooners at the Nebraska 45-yard-line.

The Sooners appeared as if they were going to have a 1st & goal at the Nebraska eight-yard-line after wide receiver Carl Cabbiness made a spectacular catch, only to have it called back because Cabbiness stepped out of bounds before he made the catch, making him ineligible to catch the ball, forcing an Oklahoma punt.

The Sooners would force another three-and-out from the Huskers to get the ball back at their 48-yard-line when Anderson busted loose for his longest run of the game, a 28-yarder to the Nebraska 20-yard-line where at the end Anderson fumbled only to have his teammate Stafford recover it.

Three straight running plays picked up nine yards to set up a 27-yard field goal by Lashar to increase the Sooners' lead to 17-7 with 7:40 left in the game.

The Sooners would drive to the five-yard-line on their next possession only to have with another fumble which was recovered by the Huskers, who then in turn gave it right back to Oklahoma on the very next play when Taylor was intercepted by Sooners cornerback Dante Jones to give the ball back to Oklahoma at the Nebraska 20-yard-line.

Three runs only picked up two yards, forcing the Sooners to settle for a 35-yard field goal attempt by Lashar which he missed to keep it 17-7 with 1:43 left.

The Huskers would then put together their best drive since their 10-play, 84-yard touchdown drive back in the first quarter, as they drove from their own 20-yard-line to the Sooners' 20-yard-line only because Oklahoma went into a prevent defense.

The final play of the game was an incomplete pass into the end zone which summed up Nebraska's day as the Huskers fell to Oklahoma 17-7 in a loss which Osbourne said in the locker room was the most disappointing in his career.

Oklahoma defensive back Rickey Dixon would have two interceptions in the Sooners' 17-7 win in "Game of the Century II".

The game was not as close as the final score indicated as the Sooners outgained the Huskers 444-235, with 419 of those yards coming on the ground as the Sooners had three players ran for more than 100 yards as Collins lead the way with 131 yards on just 13 carries while Anderson ran for 119 yards on 24 carries and Thompson in his just his second career start running for 126 yards on 21 carries.

Plus, the Sooners picked up 23 1st downs compared to the Huskers' 11 and drove into Nebraska territory on 12 of their 14 possessions, while the Huskers only made into Oklahoma territory three times.

The win clinched the Big 8 conference title for the Sooners to send them to the Orange Bowl where they would play the Miami Hurricanes for the national championship where they entered the game #1 while Miami was #2.

The Sooners would fall to the Hurricanes 20-14 to give Miami its second national championship in five years and denying Switzer his fourth national title.

As for the Cornhuskers, they would finish with a 10-2 record following a 31-28 loss in the Fiesta Bowl.

However, the rivalry would turn in Nebraska's favor as they would beat Oklahoma the next two years and go 9-1 in Osbourne's last 10 meetings against the Sooners to improve his record against the Sooners to 13-13-1.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Ravens Win First Ever Game in Baltimore

 

64, 124 fans filled Memorial Stadium to see the Baltimore Ravens' very first NFL game on September 1, 1996.

Shockwaves went sent through the NFL on November 6, 1995 when Art Modell announced he was moving the Cleveland Browns to Baltimore, a city that had not had a NFL team since the Colts' infamous move to Indianapolis following the 1983 season.

The main reason for the move was the city of Baltimore could provide a new stadium for the Browns while the city of Cleveland could not, or at least Modell's mind.

This caused a major dispute as Cleveland tried to convince Modell and the NFL not to move the team to Baltimore, eventually leading to a settlement on February 9, 1996  when the Browns could move to Baltimore, but the Browns' name, colors, and history would remain in Cleveland until a new stadium was built in time for the 1999 season.

Essentially, the city of Baltimore would be given a new NFL franchise even though the team that made up the 1995 Cleveland Browns would playing in the Charm City beginning with the 1996 season.

The team formerly known as the Browns would become the Baltimore Ravens on March 29, 1996, thanks to a fan survey to chose the new nickname which was named after the famous poem "The Raven" by Edgar Allen Poe, who lived in Baltimore during much of his literary career.

This was all building up to the Ravens' first game on September 1, 1996 when Baltimore would host the Oakland Raiders to begin their new franchise.

The Ravens were led by head coach Ted Marchibroda, who had been the head coach of the Baltimore Colts from 1975-1979, leading to the Colts to three straight AFC East division titles during his tenure in Baltimore and was just coming off a four-year run as the coach of the Colts in which his team came within inches of catching a Hail Mary to win the 1995 AFC Championship Game just a few months before.

As for the players, the Ravens had veteran Vinny Testaverde at quarterback and two impressive rookies in offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden and middle linebacker Ray Lewis, who had been the Ravens' first two selections in the 1996 NFL Draft.

Meanwhile, the Raiders came into Baltimore without their starting quarterback as Jeff Hostetler was out with strained ligaments in his right knee, meaning that Billy Joe Hobert would get the start at quarterback for the Raiders in the season opener.

In front of a crowd of over 64,124 fans at the old Memorial Stadium(the new stadium would not be ready until 1998), the Baltimore Ravens made their NFL debut.

Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis would make two key plays in the Ravens' first ever NFL game.

The Ravens got the ball to start the game as they began their drive in team history with Testaverde completing his first four passes of the game for 30 yards as he lead the Baltimore offense to the Raiders' 35-yard-line until three incomplete passes and a pair of offensive penalties forced the Ravens to punt the ball back to Oakland.

After forcing the Raiders to punt, the Ravens got the ball back at their 15-yard-line and put together an 8-play, 85-yard drive which saw Testaverde complete passes of 48 yards to Derrick Alexander and 13 yards to Earnest Byner, setting up the first touchdown in Ravens history as Testaverde scrambled up the middle for a nine-yard touchdown run to give Baltimore a 7-0 lead with 39 seconds left in the first quarter.

The Raiders would respond with a 9-play, 79-yard drive in which Hobert went a perfect 4-for-4 on his passes as he connected with James Jett for a 33-yard completion to Oakland in Baltimore territory, then found Daryl Hobbs for a 15-yard gain on 3rd & 2 at the Ravens' 26-yard-line and then ended the drive with a seven-yard touchdown strike to Tim Brown to tie the game 7-7 with just over 11 minutes left in the second quarter.

The Raiders would be given a golden opportunity to take the lead when  the Ravens' Earnest Hunter fumbled the ensuing kickoff, which was recovered by Raiders defensive back Dan Land at the Baltimore 19-yard-line.

But just as quickly as the Raiders got the ball, they gave it right back to the Ravens as Hobert was picked off by Lewis in the end zone to give Baltimore the ball back at its 20-yard-line.

The Raiders would force a three-and-out as Testaverde was sacked on 3rd & 6 by Raiders defensive end Anthony Smith to force the Ravens to punt out of the end zone, giving possession to Oakland at Baltimore 47-yard-line.

After two runs by Napoleon Kaufman picked up only three yards, Hobert found Jett for nine yards and a 1st down at the 35-yard-line, which was followed by a 30-yard pass to tight end Rickey Dudley to give Oakland a 1st & goal at the Ravens' five-yard-line.

Following an illegal motion penalty that pushed the Raiders back five yards, Hobert hit Brown again, this time for a 10-yard touchdown to give Oakland a 14-7 lead with 6:50 left in the first half.

The two teams would trade punts for the rest of the first half as the Raiders went into the locker room with a 14-7 halftime lead and were set to get the ball to start the second half.

Raiders wide receiver Tim Brown only caught four passes for 31 yards, but two of those catches were for touchdowns.

However on the third play of the second half, Hobert would be picked off by Ravens cornerback Antonio Langham whose 28-yard return set the Baltimore offense up at the Raiders' 25-yard-line.

But the Ravens could not take advantage of the turnover as Testaverde would be sacked on 3rd & 10 for a nine-yard loss by Raiders cornerback Albert Lewis, forcing Baltimore to punt the ball back to the Raiders.

The Ravens would force a three-and-out to get the ball back at the Oakland 45-yard-line when Marchibroda decided for the Ravens to use a no-huddle offense to catch the Raiders' defense off guard.

The strategy paid off as the Ravens traveled 38 yards in eight plays to set up a 25-yard field goal by Matt Stover to cut the Oakland lead to 14-10 midway through the third quarter.

Following another Raiders punt, the Ravens got the ball at their 26-yard-line where they drove to the Raiders'  21-yard-line as Testaverde hit Brian Kinchen for 29 yards to put Baltimore in Oakland territory.

But the Ravens would lose 13 yards on an Alexander reverse which would force Baltimore to settle for another Stover field goal, this one from 37 yards out to make it an one-point game at 14-13 with 1:17 left in the third quarter.

The Raiders would get the ball back at their 20-yard-line where they drove to their 42-yard-line when they were faced with a big 3rd & 1 situation.

That is when Lewis made his second big play of the game as he tackled running back Harvey Williams for an one-yard-loss to force another Raiders punt to give the Ravens the ball back at their 17-yard-line with 12 minutes left in the 4th quarter.

It would only take the Ravens two plays to drive into Oakland territory as Testaverde connected with Michael Jackson for 27 yards to start the drive, then hit Hunter for 25 more yards to give Baltimore a 1st down at the Raiders' 31-yard-line.

Two runs by Carwell Gardner picked up nine yards to set up 3rd & 1 when Raiders defensive tackle Russell Maryland couldn't get off the field before the snap, drawing a too many men on the field penalty and giving the Ravens a 1st down at the Oakland 17-yard-line.

This was followed by a 12-yard run by Testaverde to set up 1st & goal at the five-yard-line where two straight running plays gained four yards setting up 3rd & goal from the one-yard-line when Testaverde handed the ball of Byner who punched it for the go-ahead touchdown.

The Ravens went for two to make it a seven-point game but Testaverde's pass fell incomplete to keep the score 19-14 with 7:50 left in the game.

Ravens quarterback Vinny Testaverde completed 19 of 33 passes for 254 yards and ran the ball eight times for 42 yards and one touchdown.

The Raiders would get the ball back at their 28-yard-line but a six-yard-loss on a quarterback sack by Ravens linebacker Mike Caldwell would force another three-and-out to give Baltimore the ball back at its 28-yard-line.

After both teams would go three-and-out on their ensuing possessions, the Ravens would get the ball at their 20-yard-line with 4:47 left in the game, hoping to pick up a few 1st downs to run out the clock.

The drive would begin very well for the Ravens as Testaverde ran for 16 yards to pick up a 1st down, which was followed up by a nine-yard run by Byner to set up 2nd & 1 at the Ravens' 45-yard-line.

However, Gardner would be stopped for no gain on 2nd down to set up a crucial 3rd & 1 when Testaverde handed the ball off to Byner who ran for five yards and a 1st down at the 50-yard-line.

Two offsides penalties by the Raiders gave the Ravens another 1st down and allow for Testaverde to take three knees to run out the clock as the Ravens would come away with a 19-14 victory, giving the city of Baltimore its first NFL win since December of 1983.

The win over the Raiders would be the highlight of the Ravens' inaugural season as the team managed to win only four games to finish with a 4-12 record but brighter days would so be ahead for Baltimore as four years later they would win the Super Bowl as they defeated the New York Giants 34-7 in Super Bowl XXXV, thanks to one of the greatest defenses in NFL history which was led by Lewis.

Since then, the Ravens have become an consistent winner as they have qualified for the postseason 13 time since 2000 as they have claimed six division titles, appeared in the AFC Championship Game and won two Super Bowls, the first in 2000 and the other in 2012.