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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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