NFL Old School Game of the Week: Elway to Smith Hail Mary Gives Broncos Win over Redskins

 

Broncos wide receiver Rod Smith makes the game-winning touchdown catch as time expired in the Broncos' 1995 game against the Washington Redskins.

Every NFL player remembers their first career catch, but perhaps no had a better first career catch than Denver Broncos wide receiver Rod Smith when he caught made his first career NFL reception in the Broncos' game with the Washington Redskins in week 3 of the 1995 NFL season.

The Broncos entered the game with a 1-1 record under first year head coach Mike Shanahan, who had been the Broncos' offensive coordinator during two of Denver's three trips to the Super Bowl in the late 1980s.

Denver was led by future Hall-of-Fame quarterback John Elway, who was beginning his 13th season in the NFL, still looking for his first Super Bowl ring.

Little did he know, but he had a future star lining up behind in rookie running back Terrell Davis, who would soon becoming the stud running back Elway would need to capture the Vince Lombardi Trophy which had eluded throughout his career.

The Redskins also came in with a 1-1 record under second-year head coach Norv Turner, who had been the playcaller for the Dallas Cowboys' back-to-back Super Bowls in 1992 + 93 before becoming the head coach of the Redskins.

Turner hoped he had found his quarterback of the future in second-year quarterback Gus Frerotte, who had been selected in the seventh round of the 1994 NFL draft, but beat the Redskins' first round pick, Heath Shuler, for the starting job to begin the 1995 season.

To help Frerotte, the Redskins had signed running back Terry Allen in the offseason, to give Washington a strong presence in the backfield.

While many figure that Elway, Davis, Frerotte, Allen, or even Broncos tight end Shannon Sharpe would have an huge impact on the week 3 game, nobody thought Smith was going to make a difference.

Smith had been signed by the Broncos after going undrafted following the 1994 NFL Draft where he did not catch a single pass during the entire season.

Smith made the team again in 1995 but was still at the bottom of the depth chart as the Broncos entered their Week 3 game against the Redskins in front of a sellout crowd at Mile High Stadium in Denver.

After the Broncos were forced to punt on their opening possession, the Redskins got the ball at their 17-yard-line from where they would drive to the Denver eight-yard-line as Frerotte completed his first four passes for 66 yards to set up 1st & goal.

However, the Broncos defense would hold as the Redskins to a field goal attempt by Eddie Murray from 30 yards out, only to have Murray's kick hit the right upright and no good to give Denver the ball back at its 20-yard-line with 6:49 to go in the first quarter.

From there, the Broncos would hold the ball for the rest of the first quarter as Denver would drive to the Washington four-yard-line where they had a 1st & goal as the second quarter began.

But the Redskins would hold Denver to just one yard on the next three plays, forcing the Broncos to settle for a 20-yard field goal by Jason Elam to give the Broncos a 3-0 lead with 13:14 left in the second quarter.

Broncos quarterback John Elway would complete 30 of 47 passes for 327 yards and throw two TDs.

The Redskins would be given good field position to begin their ensuing possession as return specialist Brian Mitchell returned the ensuing kickoff 37 yards to the Washington 43-yard-line.

Then after Allen ran for a combined 25 yards on two of the next three plays, Mitchell came in and ran for a 36-yard touchdown to give the Redskins a 7-3 lead with 10:53 to go in the second quarter.

The Broncos would take over at their 27-yard-line where after Davis picked up seven yards to start the drive, Elway connected with Rod Bernstine for a 38-yard gain to give Denver a 1st down at the Washington 28-yard-line.

Seven plays later, the Broncos were in the end zone as Bernstine punched it in from the one-yard line to give Denver a 10-7 lead with 5:54 remaining in the second quarter.

Following a Washington three-and-out, the Broncos got the ball at their 39-yard-line where they drove 61 yards in eight plays as Elway completed four of five passes for 47 yards on the drive, culminating with an eight-yard touchdown pass to Davis to increase the Denver lead to 17-7 with 1:50 left before halftime.

The Redskins would get the ball at their 23-yard-line with a chance to cut into the lead before halftime, only to have Frerotte be intercepted on the Redskins' first play from scrimmage as Broncos defensive end Dan Williams deflected the ball at the line of scrimmage, allowing for linebacker Elijah Alexander to come away with the pick and give Denver the ball at the Redskins' 30-yard-line.

After Elway threw an incomplete pass on 1st down, he connected with Davis for a 15-yard completion and a 1st down at the Washington 15-yard-line when Davis would get the ball on back-to-back plays, with the second carry going for a six-yard touchdown to increase the Broncos' lead to 24-7 with 44 seconds left in the first half.

The Redskins were probably thinking they would just take a knee to end the first half but after Mitchell returned the ensuing kickoff 38 yards to the Washington 39-yard-line, Turner decided to try and go for some points as the Redskins had all three timeouts left.

Frerotte would hit Henry Ellard for 11 yards to give Washington a 1st down at the 50-yard-line, then connected with Michael Westbrook on a 45-yard bomb to give the Redskins 1st & goal at the Denver five-yard-line with 18 seconds remaining.

Frerotte would then a five-yard touchdown pass to running back Marc Logan to cut the Broncos' lead to 24-14 with 11 seconds left in the first half as Elway would take a knee to run out the clock as the two teams went into the locker room for the halftime break with the Redskins set to get the ball to start the second half.

Starting at their 27-yard-line, the Redskins gave the ball to Allen, who ran for 12 yards to begin the second half, then was stopped for no gain to set up 2nd & 10 when Frerotte hit Logan for 18 yards, then found Ellard for 28 yards to give Washington a 1st down at the Broncos' 15-yard-line.

Allen would carry the ball on the next two plays for eight yards to set up 3rd & 2 when Frerotte found Leslie Shepherd for a seven-yard touchdown to bring the Redskins to within a field goal at 24-21 with 11:01 to go in the third quarter.

Following the ensuing kickoff, the Broncos would drive from their 21-yard-line to the Redskins' 46-yard-line until a holding penalty and a quarterback sack pushed the Broncos back 19 yards to their 35-yard-line as they were forced to punt the ball away.

That is when Mitchell struck again as he returned the ensuing punt 52 yards to the Denver 42-yard-line where the Redskins would begin their next possession.

Redskins return specialist Brian Mitchell had 290 all purpose yards as he returned five kickoffs for 188 yards, returned a punt for 52 yards, caught a pass for 14 yards, and ran for a 36-yard touchdown.

The drive started with a 22-yard run by Allen which was followed by five more runs by Allen for 12 yards plus an illegal contact penalty on the Broncos to set up a 20-yard field goal by Murray which tied the game at 24 with 2:52 left in the third quarter.

Having seen their 17-point lead disappear, the Broncos looked to respond on their next possession which began at their 22-yard-line as Elway would hit three passes in a row for 20 yards before handing it off to Aaron Carver who ran for 14 yards to give Denver a 1st down at the Washington 44-yard-line as the third quarter came to an end.

Three plays later, the Broncos were faced with a 4th & 2 at the Redskins' 36-yard-line when Shanahan decided to neglect a potential 53-yard field goal and go for the 1st down.

However, Elway's pass for Carver fell incomplete to give the Redskins the ball at their 36-yard-line with 13:30 left in the fourth quarter.

The Redskins would go three-and-out on their next drive, forcing them to punt the ball back to the Broncos who took over at their 20-yard-line.

Once again, Elway would begin the drive with three straight completions, this time totaling 33 yards to put the Broncos in Redskins territory where Davis would run for six yards to give Denver a 1st down at the Washington 41-yard-line.

Three plays later, the Broncos would be faced again with a 4th & 2 situation when again Shanahan would go for the 1st down.

This time, Shanahan's gamble was successful as Elway handed the ball off to Davis, who ran for seven yards and a 1st down at the Washington 26-yard-line.

From there, the Broncos would run the ball for the next five plays, ending with an one-yard touchdown run by Davis to give Denver a 31-24 lead with 4:53 left in the fourth quarter.

Broncos running back Terrell Davis would carry the ball 13 times for 68 yards and score two touchdowns, while catching seven passes for 61 yards and scoring another TD.

The Redskins would get another great return from Mitchell, who returned the ensuing kickoff 56 yards to give Washington the ball at the Broncos' 40-yard-line.

However, the Redskins' drive would get off to an auspicious start as Allen was dropped for a one-yard-loss on 1st down, which was followed by a quarterback sack by Broncos linebacker Keith Burns that dropped Frerotte for an eight-yard loss, setting up 3rd & 19 when Frerotte connected with Mitchell for 14 yards to set up a do-or-die 4th & 5.

That is when Frerotte found tight end Coleman Bell for six yards and a 1st down at the Broncos' 29-yard-line, which was followed by a 20-yard pass from Frerotte to Westbrook to give the Redskins a 1st & goal at the Denver nine-yard-line.

Frerotte would throw an incomplete pass on 1st down, then connected with Logan for eight yards to set up 3rd & goal from the one-yard-line when Frerotte fired a one-yard touchdown pass to tight end Scott Galbraith that with the extra point tied the game at 31 with 67 seconds left in regulation.

But 67 seconds plus one timeout in his pocket was just enough time for Elway to try to pull off another late game miracle.

The Broncos would get the ball at their 20-yard-line as Elway began the drive with a seven-yard completion to Davis followed by a 19-yard completion to Ed McCaffrey for a Denver 1st down at the Broncos' 46-yard-line as Elway called timeout with 46 seconds left.

Elway would then hit Davis for four yards and then Glyn Milburn for seven yards for another Denver 1st down at the Redskins' 43-yard-line when Elway spiked the ball to stop the clock with 15 seconds left.

But when Elway threw back-to-back incomplete passes, the Broncos were faced with a 4th & 10 at the Washington 43-yard-line with six seconds left.

Shanahan could have sent Elam to attempt a potential 60-yard field goal but he decided to go for the touchdown even though Sharpe, Bernstine, and Anthony Miller all were out of the game.

Enter Smith, who was sent in the game and lined up as the lone receiver on the left side where he would be covered by future Hall-of-Fame cornerback Darrell Green.

Lined up in the shotgun, Elway took the snap and evaded the Redskins' pass rush to step up in the pocket and fire a pass from the Denver 45-yard-line toward the end zone looking for Smith.

With Green on his back, Smith leapt up at the goal line to make the catch and then fell into the end zone as time expired for the 43-yard touchdown to give the Broncos a incredible 38-31 win.

The Redskins would end up finishing with a 6-10 record, giving them their third straight losing season while the Broncos would go on to finish with a 8-8 record.

However, the groundwork was set for the Broncos to future success as Denver would go 39-9 over the next three regular seasons and win back-to-back Super Bowls in 1997 + 98 with Davis as the catalyst as he would rush for over 1,500 yards those three seasons to help give Elway the Super Bowl rings he had been searching for his career.

As for Smith, he pretty much spent the rest of the 1995 season on the bench as he would catch only five more passes for 109 yards but would break out in 1997 as he would catch 70 passes for 1,180 yards and 12 touchdowns as he would go to a fantastic 12-year career, spending all 12 seasons with the Broncos, and finishing with 849 receptions for 11, 389 yards and 65 touchdowns, where he currently ranks first all-time in all three categories in Denver Broncos history.

College Football Old School Game of the Week: Edwards Leads Michigan Back from 17-Point Deficit to Beat Sparty in 3OT Classic

 

Michigan wide receiver Braylon Edwards would catch 11 passes for 189 yards and score three touchdowns in the Wolverines' memorable win over Michigan State in 2004.

When it comes to who Michigan fans and observers believe is the greatest wide receiver in school history, many will argue for 3-time All American Anthony Carter or 1991 Heisman Trophy winner Desmond Howard.

But some can make a case for Braylon Edward, who is the all-time leader in career receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns in Michigan football history.

His signature performance came in 2004 when the #12 ranked Wolverines hosted their instate rivals, the Michigan State Spartans in one of the greatest games in which the winner receives the Paul Bunyan Trophy.

Michigan came into the game with a 7-1 record, having won their previous six games after losing to Notre Dame 28-20 in their second game of the season.

The Wolverines were led by head coach Lloyd Carr, who was in his 10th season as the head coach of "Big Blue" hoping to lead Michigan back to the Rose Bowl for the second straight year and third time during his tenure.

The Wolverines were led by Edwards, who had back-to-back 1,000 yard receiving seasons going in to his senior year in 2004.

Despite the fact that he had a true freshman in Chad Henne at quarterback and freshman Mike Hart at running back, Edwards was still a force as he had caught 56 passes for 706 yards and eight touchdowns up to this point in the season.

While the Wolverines were looking at Pasadena, the Spartans were just hoping to reach any bowl game as they entered the game with a 4-3 record under second-year head coach John L. Smith.

The Spartans entered their annual showdown with Michigan as 11-point underdogs as they traveled to the "Big House" a place where the Spartans had not won since their memorable 1990 upset over then #1 Michigan.

After forcing the Wolverines to punt on their opening possession, the Spartans got the ball at their 20-yard-line and picked up a 1st down until they faced a 2nd & 13 at their 28-yard-line.

That is when quarterback Drew Stanton handed the ball off to running back Deandra Cobb, who bursted through the middle for a 72-yard touchdown run to give Michigan State a 7-0 lead just 3:35 into the game.

Michigan would respond with an eight-play, 80-yard drive, with the Wolverines passing the ball only once on the drive as Hart carried the ball five times for 42 yards, including the seven-yard touchdown which tied the game at 7 midway through the first quarter.

Michigan running back Mike Hart would carry the ball 33 times for 224 yards and one touchdown.

Back would come the Spartans as their begin their next possession at their 21-yard-line with Stanton completing a 15-yard pass to Terry Love to start the drive, then finding Eric Knott for 21 yards and a 1st down at the Michigan 43-yard-line.

Following an incomplete pass, Stanton would run for 11 yards and another 1st down, then after two runs by the quarterback that picked up six yards, Stanton connected with Agim Shabij for eight yards and a 1st down at the Wolverines' 18-yard-line.

An eight-yard pass to Knott followed by a Michigan pass interference penalty put the Spartans at the Wolverines five-yard-line when Stanton ran it in for a five-yard touchdown to give Michigan State a 14-7 lead with 2:56 left in the first quarter.

The Spartans would get an excellent opportunity to extend the lead when after forcing the Wolverines to go three-and-out, Michigan State linebacker Marshall Campbell blocked the punt to give the Spartans the ball at the Michigan 30-yard-line.

However, the Spartans would lose three yards on the next three plays, forcing them to settle for a 50-yard field goal attempt by Dave Rayner which sailed wide right and no good to keep it 14-7 as the first quarter came to an end.

Following another Michigan three-and-out, the Spartans had the ball at their seven-yard-line when Stanton connected with Knott for nine yards on 2nd & 13, then ran for 19 yards and a 1st down at the Michigan State 35-yard-line, which was followed by a 17-yard run by Jason Teague to give the Spartans a 1st down at the Michigan 48-yard-line.

It appeared that the Spartans were going to put another touchdown on the scoreboard after Stanton hit Jason Randall for 29 yards, then ran for 15 yards to set up 1st & goal at the Michigan four-yard-line.

But after Cobb picked up three yards on 1st down, Stanton was stopped for no gain on 2nd down, which was followed by Michigan linebacker LaMar Woodley dropping Cobb for a five-yard loss on third down, forcing the Spartans to settle for a 22-yard field goal by Rayner which increased Michigan State's lead to 17-7 with 9:10 left in the second quarter.

Both teams would trade punts until the Wolverines got the ball at their 45-yard-line with 3:10 left in the first half when Hart ran for 11 yards to pick up a Michigan 1st down, which was followed by back-to-back completions of 11 yards each, first to Jason Avant, and then to Edwards to give Michigan a 1st down at the Spartans' 22-yard-line.

However, the Wolverines would go backwards as a false start penalty followed by a quarterback sack pushed the Wolverines back to the Michigan State 36-yard-line to set up 2nd & 24.

An incomplete pass followed by a 19-yard pass to Edwards would set up Garrett Rivas' 34-yard field goal with 49 seconds left before halftime that cut the Spartans' lead to 17-10.

The Spartans would run out the clock to end the first half with a 17-10 lead and were set to get the ball to start the second half.

However, Stanton would not lead the Spartans in the second half as he was knocked out of the game after seprating his right shoulder toward the end of the first half and was replaced by Damon Dowdell at quarterback.

Dowdell and the Spartans would be forced to punt following their opening possession of the first half, giving the ball back to the Wolverines at their 13-yard-line.

The Wolverines would drive to the Spartans' 26-yard-line when Henne connected with Edwards for a five-yard pass, only to have Edwards lose the ball when he was hit by Spartans cornerback Jaren Hayes, leading to a fumble that was recovered by safety Eric Smith to give Michigan State the ball at its 21-yard-line.

After both teams punted on their ensuing possessions, the Spartans got the ball back at the Michigan 45-yard-line when Dowdell completed a 22-yard pass to Aaron Alexander for a 1st down at the Wolverines' 23-yard-line, which was followed by four straight running plays that picked up 14 yards as the third quarter came to an end with the Spartans still ahead 17-10.

Michigan State running back Deandra Cobb would run for 205 yards on 22 carries and score two TDs.

Two more running plays would leave the Spartans one yard short of the end zone as 4th down approached when Smith decided to send in the field goal unit as Rayner made a 19-yard field goal to increase Michigan State's lead to 20-10 with 13:30 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Then after forcing another Michigan three-and-out, the Spartans got the ball at their 27-yard-line where they picked up one 1st down before going backwards and facing a 3rd & 12 when Cobb exploded for his second long touchdown run of the game, a 64-yarder to increase the Spartans' lead to 27-10 with 8:43 left in the fourth quarter.

Following the Cobb touchdown, the Wolverines got the ball back at their seven-yard-line desperately needing a score in hopes of staging a comeback from 17 points down.

That is when Edwards, who had been held to 40 yards on four catches, took over the game.

After a four-yard run by Hart to start the drive, Edwards made a seven-yard catch to give Michigan a 1st down at its 18-yard-line.

A 13-yard run by Hart followed by a 11-yard pass from Henne to Avant put the Wolverines at their 42-yard-line when Henne connected with Edwards for a 46-yard gain to put Michigan at the Michigan State 12-yard-line.

However, the Spartans' defense would allow only five more yards on the next three plays forcing a 4th & 5 from the Michigan State seven-yard-line.

Knowing his team could still needed two scores, Carr opted for the field goal, which Rivas made from 24 yards out to cut the Spartans' lead to 27-13 with 6:27 left in the fourth quarter.

Michigan then lined up for an onside kick on the ensuing kickoff which looked it like it was going to be recovered by Michigan State's Jeremy Scott, only for him to lose control of the football, which was eventually recovered by Michigan's Brian Thompson to recover the onside kick at the Wolverines' 38-yard-line(The kick did go 10 yards by the way).

Hart would then run for 11 yards which become a 26-yard play as Spartans linebacker David Herron was called for a face mask penalty to put the Wolverines at the Michigan State 36-yard-line.

That is when Henne went deep and threw a bomb for Edwards, who outjumped Jaren Hayes in the right corner of the end zone to make the 36-yard touchdown catch to make it a 27-20 game with 6:12 remaining in regulation.

Having scored 10 points in just 15 seconds, Carr decided to kick it deep on the ensuing kickoff and was rewarded with a defensive stop as the Spartans punted the ball back to the Wolverines, who took over at the Michigan State 47-yard-line following a 16-yard return by Steve Breaston with 3:13 left in regulation.

Hart would run for 26 yards to begin the drive to give Michigan a 1st down at the Spartans' 21-yard-line when Henne went lofted a pass toward the right corner of the end zone where Edwards once again outjumped Hayes to make the catch for the touchdown that went with Rivas' extra point tied the game at 27 with 2:59 left in the fourth quarter.

With their 17-point lead evaporated, the Spartans took over at their 20-yard-line and looked to Cobb in hopes of leading Michigan State down the field for a game-winning score.

After he was dropped for a four-yard-loss on 1st down, Cobb would run for 25 yards and a 1st down at the Michigan State 41-yard-line.

A false start penalty pushed the Spartans back five yards as Cobb would carry the ball on the next two plays, gaining only four yards to set up 3rd & 11 when Dowdell's pass for Matt Trannon fell incomplete, forcing the Spartans to punt and give the Wolverines the ball at their 20-yard-line with 54 seconds left.

However, Carr decided to play conservative as Hart, would carry the ball three straight times, picking up seven yards to force a Michigan punt as the Spartans spent their last two timeouts in order to give their offense one last chance at winning the game before the end of regulation.

A short punt by Adam Finley gave the Spartans the ball at the 50-yard-line with three seconds left, just enough time to throw a "Hail Mary" pass.

That is when Dowdell threw a deep pass intended for Cobb, when the running back drew a pass interference penalty on Michigan cornerback Leon Hall to give Michigan State 15 yards and a 1st down at the Wolverines' 35-yard-line, but more importantly one untimed play allowing them to send in Rayner to attempt a game-winning 52-yard field goal.

But Rayner's kick was short as the game would move into overtime with the score tied 27-27.

Michigan quarterback Chad Henne would complete 24 of 35 passes for 273 yards and throw four touchdown passes.

The Wolverines got the ball first and got eight yards on their first two plays to set up 3rd & 2 when Hart was stopped one yard short of the 1st down by Michigan State cornerback Roderick Maples, forcing Michigan to settle for a 33-yard field goal by Rivas to give Michigan its first lead of the game at 30-27.

Now it was the Spartans' turn in overtime as they knew if they scored a touchdown they would win the game.

Cobb ran the ball twice, picking up 12 yards and a 1st down at the Michigan 13-yard-line until Dowdell threw an incomplete pass on 1st down, which was followed by a nine-yard run by Cobb to set up 3rd & 1 when Michigan linebacker Roy Manning dropped Cobb for a two-yard-loss, forcing the Spartans to settle for a 23-yard field goal by Rayner to tie the game at 30 and send it to a second overtime.

Michigan State would get the ball to start the second overtime period as Dowdell connected with Shabaj for 15 yards on 1st down to give the Spartans 1st & goal at the Michigan 10-yard-line.

That is when Teague ran the ball three straight times with the last carry being an one-yard touchdown to give the Spartans a 37-30 lead.

Needing a touchdown to stay alive, Henne connected with Avant for six yards to start the drive, then found Edwards for 11 yards and a 1st down at the Spartans' eight-yard-line.

Three plays later, Henne found Avant in the end zone for a five-yard touchdown that with Rivas' extra point tied the game at 37 and sent it into a third overtime with Michigan set to get the ball to start the third overtime session.

Two plays would pick up just one yard to set up 3rd & 9 when Henne found Edwards on a crossing route for a 24-yard touchdown to put Michigan ahead 43-37.

Then it was time to go for two as overtime rules in 2004 stated that a team must attempt a two-point conversion after they score a touchdown in the third overtime or beyond.

Henne would find Tim Massaquoi in the back of the end zone for the two point conversion to make it 45-37 in favor of Michigan.

Needing a touchdown and a two-point conversion to force a fourth overtime period, the Spartans' third overtime drive went downhill quickly as an incomplete pass and an offensive pass interference penalty pushed the Spartans back 15 yards to set up 2nd & 25 from the Michigan 40-yard-line.

Dowdell would connect with Trannon for 17 yards on 2nd down then threw an incomplete pass to set up a do-or-die 4th & 8.

Dowdell would throw a pass intended for Aaron Alexander, but the pass would fall incomplete to end the game with the Wolverines prevailing 45-37 after three overtime periods.

The Spartans never recovered from their heartbreaking loss to Michigan as they would drop three of their last four regular season games to finish with a 5-7 record while Michigan would go on to win the Big 10 conference title and earn a second straight trip to the Rose Bowl, where they would fall 38-37 to the Texas Longhorns.

As for Edwards, he would finish the season with 97 catches for 1,330 yards and 15 touchdowns which earned him the Fred Biletnikoff Award given to the best receiver in college football.

Edwards would then go on to an eight-year career in the NFL which he played for four different teams with his best season coming in 2007 with the Cleveland Browns as he caught 80 passes for 1,289 yards and scored 16 touchdowns that year.

To this day, Edwards remains the all-time leader in receptions, yards, and touchdown receptions at the University of Michigan.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Colts Upset Defending Super Bowl Champion 49ers

Colts quarterback Jim Harbaugh completed 12 of 18 passes for 175 yards and threw one touchdown in Indy's win over the 49ers in 1995.

The 1995 season for the Indianapolis Colts was a wild ride where the majority of the games would go down to the wire.

Such was the case in Week 7 when the Colts hosted the defending Super Bowl champion San Francisco 49ers.

The Colts entered the game with a 3-2 record as all five of their games had been decided by a touchdown or less with four of those games decided by a field goal or less.

Led by quarterback Jim Harbaugh, the Colts had staged memorable comeback wins over the New York Jets and the Miami Dolphins were they had to overcome 21-point deficits in each game to win in overtime on field goals by Cary Blanchard.

The 3-2 start had given Indianapolis fans hope that the Colts would make the playoffs for the first time since 1987.

While the Colts were looking to end their playoff drought, the 49ers were trying to defend their Super Bowl title from the year before as they entered their game with the Colts with a 4-1 record.

The 49ers were led by head coach George Seifert and the famous "West Coast" offense under the direction of quarterback Steve Young and wide receiver Jerry Rice.

However, the 49ers were still searching to find a replacement for running back Ricky Watters, who had left the team in the offseason to sign with the Philadelphia Eagles, as Derek Loville and William Floyd looked to fill the void left by Watters.

Despite that, the 49ers were 10 point favorites for their trip to Indianapolis to take on the Colts, a team that had not beaten San Francisco dating back to 1968 as the Colts were one of the three NFL teams to move into the AFC following the AFL-NFL merger, meaning the 49ers and Colts rarely played in the regular season, playing only three times since the merger with the 49ers winning all three.

The Colts would get the ball at their 24-yard-line to start the game as they would drive 61 yards in 15 plays on a drive which took over nine minutes and ended with a 32-yard field goal by Blanchard to give Indianapolis a 3-0 lead with 5:53 left in the first quarter.

The 49ers would start its first possession of the game at their 18-yard-line where after picking up one 1st down gave the ball back to the Colts when Young was sacked by Indianapolis defensive end Tony Bennett, causing a fumble that was recovered by fellow defensive end Bernard Whittington at the San Francisco 30-yard-line.

However, the Colts could not convert the turnover into points as Indianapolis would drive to the San Francisco 16-yard-line until Harbaugh was intercepted by 49ers free safety Merton Hanks, whose 23-yard return gave the 49ers the ball at their 40-yard-line.

The 49ers would then hold the ball for over seven minutes as they drove 60 yards in 12 plays as Young completed all seven of his passes on the drive for 53 yards, including the five-yard touchdown pass to Rice to give San Francisco a 7-3 lead with 10:53 left in the second quarter.

49ers quarterback Steve Young completed 28 of 40 passes for 229 yards and threw one touchdown, but was sacked six times in the 49ers' loss to the Colts.

After both teams went three-and-out on their next possessions, the Colts got the ball back at their 41-yard-line when Harbaugh handed the ball off to Faulk, who picked up eight yards that became a 23-yard play when 49ers defensive lineman Junior Bryant get called for unnecessary roughness, drawing a 15-yard penalty and putting Indy at the San Francisco 36-yard-line.

From there, the Colts ran the ball five straight times, picking up 14 yards until Harbaugh was sacked by 49ers defensive end Jamal Fountaine on 3rd & 8, dropping him for a six-yard loss and forcing the Colts to settle for a 46-yard field goal by Blanchard to trim the San Francisco lead to 7-6 with 2:44 left in the first half.

When the 49ers got the ball back at their 26-yard-line, they went no-huddle in hopes of getting some points before halftime.

Young hit Loville for 13 yards on the second play of the drive, then connected with Floyd for 11 more yards to convert on 3rd & 10 at the San Francisco 39-yard-line to give the 49ers a 1st down at midfield.

Following a two-yard pass to Floyd, Young found John Taylor for 21 yards and a 1st down at the Colts' 27-yard-line with 1:15 left in the half.

After two incomplete passes, Young completed a 11-yard pass to  Rice to give the 49ers a 1st down at the Indianapolis 16-yard-line as San Francisco called timeout with 55 seconds left.

A five-yard run by Loville followed by a five-yard pass to Floyd gave San Francisco 1st & goal at the Colts' six-yard-line when Young hit a two-yard pass to Loville, then tried to run in for the touchdown only to be stopped at the one-yard-line by Colts linebacker Quentin Coryatt as the 49ers used their last timeout with 25 seconds left and needing one yard to get into the end zone.

That is when Coryatt stepped up again as he stopped for Young for no gain as the 49ers tried to get the field goal unit on before time expired in the first half when they got a repreive from the referees as a second football come onto the field allowing them to stop the clock with two seconds before 4th & 1.

Instead of taking the three points, Seifert gambled and went for the touchdown as Young handed the ball to Loville only to have Colts linebacker Trev Alberts break into the backfield causing Loville to move to his left where he was dropped for a two-yard loss by Indy free safety Jason Belser as time expired in the first half with the 49ers coming away with zero points and clinging to a 7-6 lead.

The 49ers would get the ball to start the second half from their 29-yard-line but would gave it right back to the Colts when on 3rd & 4 Young was intercepted by Colts linebacker Derwin Gray, whose 10-yard return gave Indianapolis the ball at the San Francisco 34-yard-line.

From there, Harbaugh would fire a 18-yard pass to Dilger, which was followed by an one-yard run by Faulk and then a 15-yard touchdown pass from Harbaugh to Dilger to give the Colts a 12-7 lead with 11:42 left in the third quarter.

Colts tight end Ken Dilger caught seven passes for 125 yards and scored the first touchdown of his NFL career.

The Colts would go for two to try and make it a seven-point game but Harbaugh's pass was picked off in the end zone by 49ers strong safety Tim McDonald to keep it 12-7.

The 49ers would get good field position to begin its next drive as Jamal Willis returned the ensuing kickoff 38 yards to the San Francisco 45-yard-line where after Loville picked up six yards on the first two plays of the drive, Young connected with Floyd for 10 yards to give San Francisco a 1st down at the Colts' 39-yard-line.

Young would then hit J.J. Stokes for 20 yards and another 1st down at the Colts' 19-yard-line as the 49ers would run the ball on the next four plays, culminating with Loville's four-yard touchdown run to give San Francisco a 14-12 lead midway through the third quarter.

Following an exchange of punts the Colts had the ball at the 21-yard-line when Dilger made his presence felt again as he caught a 41-yard pass from Harbaugh to give Indianapolis a 1st down at the 49ers' 38-yard-line.

From there, Faulk would run the ball three straight times, picking up nine yards before the Colts called on Blanchard again, this time to make a 45-yard field goal, which he did to give Indianapolis a 15-14 lead with 91 seconds left in the third quarter.

The game would move into the 4th quarter with Indianapolis still ahead 15-14 when the 49ers got the ball back at their 20-yard-line as the drive began with Young throwing an incomplete pass intended for Rice, only to have Colts cornerback Eugene Daniel get called for pass interference, drawing a 13-yard penalty and a 1st down at the Indy 33-yard-line.

Young would then find Taylor for 15 yards and another 1st down at the Indy 48-yard-line before connecting with Loville for nine yards to put San Francisco in Colts territory where after an incomplete pass on 2nd & 1, Loville ran for six yards and a 1st down at the Indianapolis 37-yard-line.

Young would then hit Rice for eight yards and then Jones for five yards for another 1st down at the 24-yard-line until back-to-back incomplete passes and a quarterback sack by Alberts for a nine-yard-loss led to Seifert calling on Doug Brien to attempt a 51-yard field goal.

Brien successfully made the field goal to give the 49ers a 17-15 lead with 7:29 to go in the fourth quarter.

The Colts would begin its ensuing possession at their 14-yard-line when the Harbaugh-to-Dilger connection struck again as the rookie tight end caught a five-yard pass to start the drive, then made a 33-yard catch to give Indianapolis a 1st down at the 49ers' 48-yard-line.

A five-yard-loss on a Warren run and an incomplete pass lead to a 3rd & 15 where Harbaugh found Floyd Turner for 16 yards to give the Colts a 1st down at the 49ers' 37-yard-line when Harbaugh handed the ball off to Warren, who ran for 10 yards and another 1st down at the San Francisco 27-yard-line.

Three straight running plays would only pick up three more yards, forcing the Colts to call on Blanchard again to kick a 41-yard field goal that would put Indianapolis in the lead.

Blanchard's kick sailed through the uprights to give the Colts a 18-17 lead with 2:25 to go in the game, plenty of time for Young and the 49ers to drive down for the winning score.

Colts kicker Cary Blanchard made all four of his field goal attempts, including the game-winning 41-yarder late in the 4th quarter.

The 49ers got another great return from Willis as his 39-yard return put the 49ers at their 41-yard-line to begin what they would hoped to be a game-winning drive.

Young would complete a five-yard pass to Rice, then hit Jones for 10 yards to give San Francisco a 1st down at the Colts' 44-yard-line as the two-minute warning hit.

A four-yard run by Floyd followed by a seven-yard pass to Jones gave the 49ers another 1st down at the Colts' 33-yard-line when Young was hit hard by Colts defensive tackle Ellis Johnson on a pass for Loville that went for no gain.

Young was shaken up on the play causing San Francisco to spend its final timeout with 1:05 remaining in hopes of not having to take out Young of the game.

However, Young could not recover in time for 2nd down, so backup quarterback Elvis Grbac went in and threw an incomplete pass intended for Jones before Young came back into the game for 3rd down where he hit Floyd for five yards to set up 4th & 5 when the Colts called timeout with 50 seconds to go.

The Colts figured Brien would make the field goal so the Colts where trying to preserve time in order to mount a scoring drive of their own assuming Brien made the 46-yard kick that would give the 49ers the lead.

But Brien's kick sailed wide right allowing the Colts to take a knee to run out the clock and come away with the 18-17 win, giving Indianapolis its first win over the 49ers since 1968.

The 49ers would go on to finish with a 11-5 record, good enough to win the NFC West for the fourth year in a row and 12th time out of the previous 15 seasons, as well as the #2 seed in the NFC playoffs.

But the 49ers would be stunned in the Divisional Round by the Green Bay Packers 27-17, ending their season and their reign as Super Bowl champions.

As for the Colts, the emotional roller coaster known as the 1995 season was just beginning as Indianapolis finished the regular season with a 9-7 record, good enough to earn a Wild Card spot as Cary Blanchard kicked a 30-yard field goal in the fourth quarter of the Colts' 10-7 win over the New England Patriots in the regular season finale, which sent the Colts to the playoffs for the first time since 1987.

In the playoffs, the Colts would knock off the defending AFC Champion San Diego Chargers 35-20 in the Wild Card Round, then shocked the #1 seed Kansas City Chiefs 10-7 in the Divisional Round(To read about that game, click on the link which is highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2019/01/nfl-old-school-game-of-week-colts-shock.html) to advance to the AFC Championship Game, where they lost a 20-16 heartbreaker to the Pittsburgh Steelers as Harbaugh's "Hail Mary" pass for Aaron Bailey fell to the ground(To read about that game, click on the link which is highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2017/11/nfl-old-school-game-of-week-steelers.html).

Still, the 1995 season was a magical one for the Indianapolis Colts and their win over the 49ers is one of their highlights.

College Football Old School Game of the Week: Northwestern Prevails over Michigan in Wild Shootout

Northwestern wide receiver Sam Simmons runs into the end zone for what would be the game-winning touchdown in the Wildcats' win over Michigan in 2000.

While many Northwestern football fans think the Wildcats' 1995 season where they went to the Rose Bowl after 23 straight losing seasons was the greatest in school history, the 2000 season was another magical ride for the fans of the purple and black.

The Wildcats put together a number of memorable wins including the one over Michigan on November 4th in front of a sellout crowd at Ryan Field in Evanston, Illinois.

The Wildcats entered the game ranked #21 with a 6-2 record and a shot to go back to the Rose Bowl.

Under second-year head coach Randy Walker, the Wildcats had a no-huddle, spread offense predicated on the run in hopes of keeping opponents' defenses on their heels.

The scheme worked as the Wildcats stunned the Wisconsin Badgers 47-44 in double overtime in Northwestern's conference opener, then beat the Minnesota Golden Gophers 41-35 when quarterback Zak Kustok threw a 45-yard touchdown pass to Sam Simmons as time expired on a "Hail Mary" pass.

The exciting wins over Wisconsin and Minnesota plus the high-powered offense which featured running back Damien Anderson, who up to this point had already run for 1,330 yards and scored 17 touchdowns, helped draw a sellout crowd at Ryan Field as the Wildcats hosted the #12 ranked Michigan Wolverines.

Michigan also entered with a 6-2 record and were in contention for the Rose Bowl under head coach Lloyd Carr, who was in his sixth season as the Wolverines' head coach.

While maybe not as explosive as the Northwestern offense, Michigan's offense was pretty stout with quarterback Drew Henson, running back Anthony Thomas, and wide receiver David Terrell leading the Wolverines' attack.

The Michigan defense came into the Northwestern game on a roll after shutting out Indiana and Michigan State in the Wolverines' previous two game, giving them confidence that maybe they could slow down the Wildcats.

But Michigan's defense as well as the fans in Evanston and watching on TV had no idea what there were in store for.

The Wildcats got the ball to start the game at their 15-yard-line where after picking up one 1st down, Anderson got the ball and ran for 22 yards to the Northwestern 49-yard-line, which was followed by a 39-yard run to the Michigan 12-yard-line.

Four plays later, the Wildcats were in the end zone as Kustok snuck it in for a one-yard touchdown to give Northwestern a 7-0 lead just 2:17 into the game.

Northwestern running back Damien Anderson carried the ball 31 times for a total of 268 yards and scored two touchdowns.

Michigan would begin its initial possession of the game at their 33-yard-line as it took them only two plays to drive into Northwestern territory as a 21-yard pass from Henson to Marquise Walker gave the Wolverines a 1st down at the Wildcats' 39-yard-line.

The Wolverines would drive to the 10-yard-line when Henson threw an apparent touchdown pass to Terrell, only to have called it back because of an ineligible man downfield which pushed Michigan back five yards to the Northwestern 15-yard-line.

But on the very next play, the Wolverines would be given a 1st & goal as a pass interference in the end zone put the ball at the two-yard-line where it took Thomas two tries to get into the end zone as he was able to punch it in from the one-yard-line to tie the game 7-7 midway through the first quarter.

After forcing a Northwestern punt, the Wolverines got the ball back at their 20-yard-line where it took them seven plays to travel 80 yards for another touchdown as a 54-yard run by Thomas help set up Henson's 11-yard touchdown pass to Terrell to give Michigan a 14-7 lead with 3:06 left in the opening quarter.

The Wildcats would get the ball back at their 20-yard-line where a 21-yard-run by Anderson to start the drive followed by a 24-yard pass from Kustok to Sam Simmons help get Northwestern to the Michigan 16-yard-line.

But the Wolverines would hold the Wildcats to a 24-yard field goal by Tim Long which made it 14-10 as the game moved into the second quarter.

Michigan would begin its ensuing possession at their 33-yard-line as Ronald Bellamy ran for 28 yards on a reverse on to give the Wolverines a 1st down at the Northwestern 39-yard-line.

From there, Henson would take over as he completed a 21-yard-pass to Walker on 3rd & 8, then found Thomas for 16 yards on 1st & 22 after a holding penalty had pushed the Wolverines back 10 yards, then hit Terrell for a 10-yard touchdown to increase the Michigan lead to 21-10 with 11:30 left in the second quarter.

Following a Northwestern three-and-out, the Wolverines got the ball at their 40-yard-line where after Thomas ran for 10 yards on back-to-back carries, Henson was dropped for a 13-yard-loss on a quarterback sack by Wildcats defensive lineman Conrad Emmerich to set up 2nd & 23 from the Michigan 37-yard-line.

That is when Henson handed the ball off to Thomas who ran for 15 yards to set up 3rd & 8 when Henson found Walker for 16 yards and a 1st down at the Northwestern 32-yard-line.

Then after picking up another 1st down, Henson connected with Terrell for their third touchdown of the half, a 22-yarder which increased the Wolverines' lead to 28-10 with just over six minutes left in the second quarter.

Michigan wide receiver David Terrell would catch nine passes for 117 yards and score three TDs.

It seemed like the Wolverines had control of the game until the Wildcats' offense awoke on their next drive which began at the Northwestern 23-yard-line.

Kustok would hit Jon Schweighardt for 12 yards on 2nd & 8 at the Wildcats' 25-yard-line, then connected with Simmons for 18 yards and a 1st down at the Michigan 45-yard-line where Kustok handed it off to Anderson, who ran for 38 yards to set up 1st & goal the  Wolverines' seven-yard-line.

Anderson would then run it in for the seven-yard touchdown to cut the Michgian lead to 28-17 with 4:01 left in the first half as it took the Wildcats just two minutes to travel 77 yards in seven plays.

Walker would roll the dice on the ensuing kickoff as he called for a surprise onside kick that was recovered by Northwestern defensive back Harold Blackmon to give the Wildcats the ball at the Michigan 43-yard-line.

From there, the Wildcats would drive 39 yards in eight plays, with the big play being a 25-yard pass from Kustok to Schweighardt on 3rd & 14 at the Michigan 47-yard-line, to set up a 22-yard field goal by Long to cut the Wolverines' lead to 28-20 with 1:18 left before halftime.

The Wildcats would then hold to Michigan to a three-and-out to get the ball back at the Wolverines' 46-yard-line with 44 seconds and one timeout, enough time to drive down for another score.

A 12-yard pass from Kustok to Simmons helped set up Long's 43-yard field goal as time expired in the first half with the Wolverines on top 28-23 to end a wild first half which saw both teams combine for 51 points and 651 yards of total offense.

But the fun was only beginning.

Michigan got the ball to start the second half and promptly drove 71 yards in seven plays as Henson completed all four of his passes for 61 yards on the drive, culiminating with a 11-yard touchdown pass to tight end Bill Seymour to increase the Wolverines' lead to 35-23 just 2:24 into the second half.

The Wildcats would get the ball at their 21-yard-line and seem poised to respond to the Michigan touchdown with a score of their own as Anderson ran for 26 yards on the second play of the drive to give Northwestern a 1st down at its 47-yard-line.

But an illegal block pushed the Wildcats back 17 yards which was followed Kustok being dropped for a three-yard-loss to set up 2nd & 30 from the Northwestern 27-yard-line.

Kustok would run for seven yards on 2nd down, then just for six yards on 3rd down as he went out of bounds only to be hit by Michigan linebacker Eric Brackins, drawing a 15-yard penalty and giving the Wildcats an automatic 1st down at the Michigan 45-yard-line.

Following the penalty, Kustok would connect with Kunle Patrick for 30 yards on 2nd & 6 from the Michigan 41-yard-line, then hit tight end David Farman for an one-yard touchdown to make it an one-score game again.

The Wildcats would go for two but failed to convert to keep it 35-29 in favor of the Wolverines with 8:44 left in the third quarter.

Back came the Wolverines as they would drive 65 yards in 11 plays with Thomas carrying the ball eight times for 33 yards on the drive, including the one-yard touchdown to push the Michigan lead to 42-29 with 4:36 left in the third quarter.

Michigan running back Anthony Thomas would run for 199 yards on 37 carries and score three TDs.

It would only take the Wildcats less than a minute to respond as Louis Ayeni returned the ensuing kickoff 54 yards to the Michigan 46-yard-line where after an one-yard run by Kustok, Anderson busted loose for a 45-yard touchdown run to make it 42-36 with 3:40 left in the third quarter.

The Wildcats would try another surprise onside kick but this time the Wolverines would ready for it as they recover it to take over at the Northwestern 39-yard-line.

However, the Wolverines would unable to move the ball and had to settle for a 52-yard field goal by Hayden Epstein which increased Michigan's lead to 45-36 with 2:28 to go in the third quarter.

The Wildcats would get good field position to start its next drive as Epstein's kickoff went out of bounds to give Northwestern the football at its 35-yard-line.

From there, Kustok would complete three passes to Simmons that totaled 20 yards then hit Teddy Johnson for 22 yards to give Northwestern a 1st & goal at the Michigan seven-yard-line as the third quarter came to a close.

After a false start penalty pushed the Wildcats back five yards, Kustok would weave his way through the Michigan defense for a 12-yard touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter to cut the Michigan lead to 45-43.

The Wolverines would take over at their 30-yard-line when Northwestern forced the first turnover of the game when Wildcats defensive end Dwayne Missouri knocked the ball loose from Henson on a quarterback sack which was recovered by defensive tackle Javiar Collins at the Michigan 19-yard-line.

However, the Wolverines' defense would allow a 1st down, forcing the Wildcats to settle for a 41-yard field goal by Long to give Northwestern a 46-45 lead with 12:30 to go in the fourth quarter.

The Wolverines would shake off the turnover with a 11-play, 71-yard drive which saw Henson complete five of six passes for 53 yards, with three of those completions going to Terrell for 31 yards, to set up an one-yard touchdown run by Thomas to give the lead back to Michigan at 51-46 with 8:34 remaining as the Wolverines would go for two but fail as Henson's pass fell incomplete.

After an exchange of punts, the Wildcats got the ball at their 10-yard-line with 3:35 left and needing a touchdown to retake the lead.

The drive began with a 20-yard pass from Kustok to Patrick for a 1st down at the Northwestern 30-yard-line, followed by a five-yard run by Anderson, then a 21-yard run by Kustok to put the Wildcats in Michigan territory at the Wolverines' 44-yard-line.

Then after an incomplete pass and a run by Anderson for no gain to set up 3rd & 10, Kustok found Johnson for 36 yards to give the Wildcats 1st & goal at the Michigan eight-yard-line.

Northwestern quarterback Zak Kustok would complete 27 of 40 passes for 322 yards and two touchdowns while running for 55 yards on 16 carries and scoring two more touchdowns.

However, the next three plays would pick up only one yard, setting up a do-or-die 4th & goal from the seven-yard-line when Kustok connected with Johnson for an apparent seven-yard touchdown, only to have called back because of an ineligible man downfield to nullify the touchdown and push the Wildcats five yards to the Wolverines' 12-yard-line.

That is when Kustok lofted a pass for the left side of the end zone toward a wide open Anderson, only to have the running back drop the sure touchdown to force a turnover on downs to give Michigan the ball back at the Wolverines' 12-yard-line with 1:36 left.

It seemed like Anderson's drop was going to be the deciding factor in the game as the Wolverines needed one 1st down to put the game away.

Thomas got seven yards on 1st down to set up 2nd & 3 when Thomas got the ball again and broke through the middle to run past the 22-yard-line for the apparent game-clinching 1st down, only to have Wildcats safety Sean Wieber strip the ball from Thomas, leading to a fumble that was recovered by cornerback Raheem Covington, giving the Wildcats ball at the Michigan 30-yard-line with 46 seconds to go.

Kustok would connect with Anderson for five yards, then with Johnson for 14 yards to give the Wildcats a 1st down at the Michigan 11-yard-line when the Wildcats called timeout with 23 seconds left.

That is when Kustok found Simmons on a crossing route as Simmons made the catch and then ran into the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown to give Northwestern a 52-51 lead with 20 seconds left.

The Wildcats would go for two and get it when Kustok connected with Johnson in the left corner of the end zone to make it 54-51.

Now it was the Wolverines who were asking for a miracle as Walter Cross returned the ensuing kickoff 19 yards to the Michigan 36-yard-line, giving Henson 15 seconds and two timeouts to drive into field goal range.

Henson would connect with Walker for 17 yards for a Michigan 1st down at the Northwestern 47-yard-line as Michigan called timeout with eight seconds left.

Then, Henson hit Terrell for eight yards to the Wildcats' 39-yard-line as Michigan spent its last timeout with four seconds left.

With no time left to pick any more yards and stop the clock, Carr sent in the field goal unit in hopes of sending the game into overtime as Epstein would attempt a 57-yard field goal.

The year before, Epstein made a 56-yard field goal against Michigan State, so the Wolverines felt they had a chance to tie the game, especially with the way the last two minutes had gone.

But Epstein wouldn't get a chance to kick as the snap bounced off holder John Navarre' s hands, leading to a wild scramble where Navarre threw a pass to Evan Coleman, who was tackled at the Northwestern 33-yard-line to end the game with the Wildcats on top 54-51.

Northwestern fans stormed the field and tore down the goalposts after the game which featured 171 plays from scrimmage for 1,189 yards(averaging nearly seven yards per play)and 105 points.

The loss ended Michigan's hopes of making it to the Rose Bowl as they would finish the season with a 9-3 record and #10 final ranking the Coaches poll while finishing #11 in the AP poll after winning their last three games, including a 31-28 win over Auburn in the Citrus Bowl.

As for the Wildcats, they would be humbled the following week as they lost 27-17 to 2-win Iowa, which dropped them into a tie with Purdue and Michigan for the Big 10 title as all three times would finish with a 6-2 conference record with Purdue earning the trip to Pasadena because of their wins over Michigan and Northwestern. 

The Wildcats would also finish with a 8-4 record as they were demolished 66-17 by the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the Alamo Bowl.

The 2000 season would be the best season of the Randy Walker tenure as he would go 26-33 over the next five years, finishing with a winning record only once in 2005, before his untimely death in 2006.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Flipper's Walk-off OT TD Gives Rams Playoff Win over Giants

Rams wide receiver Flipper Anderson makes the game-winning touchdown catch in overtime of the Rams' 1989 NFC Divisional Playoff against the Giants.

 1989 was a magical season for Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Willie "Flipper" Anderson as he caught 44 passes for 1,146 yards during the season, broke the NFL record for most receiving yards in one game as he gained 336 yards on 15 catches in the Rams' 20-17 overtime win over the New Orleans Saints in Week 12(To read about that game, click on the link which is highlighted below: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2018/10/nfl-old-school-game-of-week-flipper.html), then became a playoff hero in the Divisional Round against the New York Giants.

The Rams finished the 1989 regular season with a 11-5 record, good enough to earn them the second Wild Card spot in the NFC playoffs, marking the sixth time in seven years the Rams had made the playoffs under head coach John Robinson.

The Rams had transformed from a run-dominated team to a pass-happy offense under quarterback Jim Everett, who threw for 4,310 yards and a league high 29 touchdowns during the regular season, with the help of Anderson and fellow wide receiver Henry Ellard, who also finished with over 1,000 receiving yards as he caught 70 passes for 1,382 yards during the 1989 season.

But it was the running game that got the Rams into the Divisional Round as running back Greg Bell carried the ball 27 times for 124 yards and scored one touchdown in LA's 21-7 win over the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Wild Card Game to earn a trip to the Meadowlands to take on the New York Giants.

The Giants entered their game with the Rams as the #2 seed in the NFC with a 12-4 record, which earned them the NFC East division title and a return to the playoffs for the first time since they won Super Bowl XXI at the end of the 1986 season.

The Giants were led by head coach Bill Parcells, who was making his fourth appearance in the NFL playoffs since becoming the head coach of the Giants in 1983.

On the field, quarterback Phil Simms led the offense which was built primarily on the run as Ottis Anderson, who four seasons where he ran for just 1,086 yards, had his first 1,000 yard rushing season since 1984 as he ran for 1,023 yards and scored 14 touchdowns in a renaissance season after rushing for over 1,000 yards in five of his first six seasons with the then St. Louis Cardinals.

The Giants also had a ferocious defense led by all-Pro linebacker Lawrence Taylor, who finished with 15 quarterback sacks after the regular season.

So that the stage was the set for the NFC Divisional Playoff where the winner would earn a trip to the NFC Championship Game to take on the defending Super Bowl  San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick Park.

The Giants got the ball to start the game where it took them only one play to drive into LA territory as Simms connected with Stephen Baker on a 27-yard pass to give New York a 1st down at the Rams' 48-yard-line.

Then Anderson would get his hands on the ball on the next four plays as he ran for 27 yards on three carries and caught a six-yard pass to push the Giants to the Rams' 15-yard-line where the drive would stall as Anderson was dropped for a three-yard loss on 2nd & 5 which was followed by an incomplete pass on 3rd down.

Raul Allegre came on and kicked a 35-yard field goal to give the Giants a 3-0 lead with 10:27 left in the opening quarter.

The Rams would get great field position for their opening possession of the game as Ron Brown returned the ensuing kickoff 38 yards to the LA 46-yard-line as the Rams would drive to the Giants' six-yard-line thanks to the running of Bell, who carried the ball four times for 27 yards while Everett completed passes of nine yards to Buford McGee and 12 yards to Henry Ellard.

But at the six-yard-line, Lawrence Taylor would make his presence felt as he not only sacked Everett on 3rd & 5, but knocked the ball loose leading to a fumble that was recovered by fellow Giants linebacker Gary Reasons at the 11-yard-line, killing the Rams' drive.

Anderson would get the call on the next three plays from scrimmage as he ran for 28 yards on three straight carries to lead the Giants to their 39-yard-line where after two straight incomplete passes, Simms connected with running back Dave Meggett for 16 yards to give New York a 1st down at the Rams' 45-yard-line.

A five-yard run by Anderson followed by a 13-yard scramble by Simms gave the Giants another 1st down at the LA 27-yard-line where the Rams' defense stiffened again and only permitted three more yards on the next plays, forcing New York to settle for a 41-yard field goal by Allegre which increased the Giants' lead to 6-0 with 55 seconds left in the first quarter.

Giants running back Ottis Anderson carried the ball 24 times for 120 yards and scored one touchdown.

Following Allegre's second field goal, the defenses would take over as both teams traded punts until 1:45 left in the first half when the Giants got the ball at their nine-yard-line and looked to put together a drive that could result in another field goal before the halftime break.

The Giants drove to their 35-yard-line until Simms threw a pass that was deflected by Rams cornerback Jerry Gray and landed in the hands of strong safety Michael Stewart, who returned the interception 29 yards to the Giants' 20-yard-line with 24 seconds left, giving the Rams just enough time to take a shot at the end zone.

On the very next play, Everett fired a 20-yard touchdown pass to Anderson that with the extra point gave Los Angeles a 7-6 lead with 17 seconds left in the first half.

Simms would take a knee to end the first half as the Giants, controlling the game for much of the first half, were down 7-6 at halftime.

The Rams got the ball to start the second half as they began their first possession of the half at their 29-yard-line where Everett would connect with Ellard for five yards to start the drive, then hit Ellard for 27 yards on the next play to give LA a 1st down at the Giants' 39-yard-line.

That is when Everett took a shot at the end zone as he threw a pass intended for Anderson, only to have it intercepted by Giants cornerback Mark Collins who stayed in the end zone for a touchback to give the Giants the ball at their 20-yard-line.

After an exchange of punts, the Giants got the ball back at their 18-yard-line when they put together their best drive since the first quarter.

The drive began with three straight runs by Anderson that picked up 19 yards before Simms threw an incomplete pass to set up 3rd & 1 where fullback Maurice Carthon got the ball and ran for three yards and the 1st down.

After an holding penalty on the Rams' Stewart gave the Giants a 1st down at their 49-yard-line, Simms would complete three of his next four passes, hitting Meggett for 11 yards to push the Giants to the Rams' 40-yard-line, then hitting Carthon for eight yards, and then finally connecting with tight end Zeke Mowatt for 23 yards to give New York 1st & goal at the LA nine-yard-line.

From there, Anderson would get the call on three straight carries picking up six, then one, and finally running it in for a two-yard touchdown to cap off the 12-play, 82-yard drive which took six and a half minutes off the clock, but more importantly gave the Giants a 13-7 lead with 1:57 left in the third quarter.

The Rams would begin their next drive at their 17-yard-line where after an incomplete pass on 1st down and a five-yard pass to Damone Johnson on 2nd down, Everett connected with Ellard for 23 yards and a 1st down at the LA 45-yard-line, which was followed by a seven-yard run by Bell to push the Rams into Giants territory as the third quarter came to an end.

Bell would get the ball to start the 4th quarter as he ran for 18 yards, which was followed by a 16-yard pass from Everett to Ellard to give the Rams a 1st down at the Giants' 14-yard-line.

However, the Giants' defense would hold and force the Rams to settle for a 31-yard field goal by Mike Lansford which cut the New York lead in half to 13-10 with 12:51 remaining in the 4th quarter.

Rams wide receiver Henry Ellard finished with eight catches for 125 yards.

Following an Giants punt, the Rams got the ball back at their 20-yard-line with 9:32 left in the 4th quarter and a chance to at least tie the game.

Everett would come out firing to start the drive as he completed back-to-back passes of five yards each, first to Bell and then to Johnson, to pick up a LA 1st down when Bell was dropped for a three-yard-loss to set up 2nd & 13.

That is when Everett went to Ron Brown, who made a 10-yard catch on 2nd down, then a 11-yard catch on 3rd & 3 to give the Rams a 1st down at their 48-yard-line.

Everett would then connect with Pete Holohan for eight yards, then with Johnson for five yards to give the Rams a 1st down at the Giants' 39-yard-line.

From there, the Rams would go to the running game as McGee ran for 14 yards and another 1st down which was followed by a 13-yard scramble by Everett for a 1st down at the New York 12-yard-line.

Bell carried the ball on the next two plays, gaining seven yards to set up 3rd & 3 at the Giants' five-yard-line when disaster nearly struck as Giants cornerback Perry Williams nearly picked off Everett's pass intended for Anderson only to have be incomplete.

Lansford would come and kick a 22-yard field goal to tie the game at 13 with 3:01 left in regulation.

The Giants would get the ball at their 31-yard-line with hopes of driving down the field and getting the winning score before the end of regulation only to have the drive began with a quarterback sack by Rams linebacker Fred Strickland to drop Simms for an eight-yard-loss.

Following an incomplete pass, Simms would connect with Lionel Manuel for 24 yards and a 1st down at the New York 47-yard-line where two incomplete passes and a pass to Anderson that went for no yards forced the Giants to punt the ball back to the Rams, who took over at their 20-yard-line with 47 seconds left and only one timeout.

A six-yard run by McGee followed by an eight-yard pass to Holohan gave the Rams a 1st down at their 34-yard-line as Everett called timeout with 20 seconds to go.

McGee would get the ball again, running for 14 yards before stepping out of bounds at the LA 48-yard-line, setting the Rams up with a shot to take a "Hail Mary".

But Everett would be forced to scramble as he ran 12 yards to run out the clock as the game would go into overtime tied at 13.

Rams quarterback Jim Everett completed 25 of 44 passes for 315 yards and threw two touchdowns.

The Rams won the coin toss and of course took the ball needing just a field goal to win the game.

Starting at his 23-yard-line, Everett would find Holohan for 12 yards and a 1st down at the LA 35-yard-line where after an incomplete pass, Everett connected with Ellard for 13 yards and another 1st down at the Rams' 48-yard-line.

Then, Everett tried to hook up with Anderson on a slant pattern, only to have Giants cornerback Sheldon White get called for pass interference to give the Rams a 1st down at the New York 25-yard-line.

Robinson planned to have Everett just hand the ball off three times before calling on the field goal unit but his thinking changed when right tackle Jackie Slater get called for a false start penalty to push the Rams back five yards to the Giants' 30-yard-line to set up 1st & 15.

Instead of just trying to set up a field goal, Robinson wanted Everett to take a shot at the end zone as Everett dropped back and fired a pass down the right side of the field for Anderson.

Anderson made the catch inside the Giants' five-yard-line and ran it for the 30-yard touchdown to give the Rams a 19-13 win just 66 seconds into overtime.

Anderson kept the ball and immediately ran toward the locker room as the fans at Giants Stadium were stunned to see their beloved Giants' season came to an end.

The Giants would get redemption the following year as they would beat the Buffalo Bills 20-19 in Super Bowl XXV for the team's second Super Bowl title in five years, thanks in large part to Ottis Anderson's MVP performance as he carried the ball 21 times for 102 yards and scored a touchdown.

As for the Rams, their Cinderella run would come to an end the following week as they were crushed by the 49ers 30-3 in the NFC Championship Game.

The Rams would not return to the playoffs for a decade as the team would have nine straight losing seasons with eight of them featuring 10 or more losses before the Rams returned to the playoffs in 1999 as the St. Louis Rams as the team had moved from Los Angeles following the 1994 season before returning to LA in 2016.

College Football Old School Game of the Week: Mississippi State State Shocks #1 Alabama in SEC Slugfest

 

The scoreboard after the Bulldogs' historic upset over #1 Alabama in 1980.

Even though they have played over 100 times, the football rivalry between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Mississippi State Bulldogs is lopsided in the favor of the Tide as they have nearly 80% of the games they have been played.

So when Mississippi State beats Alabama, it is a huge deal to Mississippi State football fans.

That was the case in 1980 when the Bulldogs hosted the Tide on November 1st in Jackson, Mississippi.

The Tide were the two-time defending national champions and came into the game ranked #1 in the country with a 7-0 record in hopes of winning an unprecedented third straight national title.

Alabama was led by head coach Paul "Bear" Bryant who was in his 23rd season as the head coach of the Crimson Tide having won six national championships and 12 SEC championships during his tenure in Tuscaloosa.

The Tide were powered by a wishbone offense that averaged 425 yards per game and 36.7 points per game while their defense had allowed only 58 points during the season with 35 of those coming in one game when the Tide defeated Ole Miss 59-35 back in September.

Having won their previous 28 games, the Crimson Tide were heavy favorites as they traveled to  Mississippi to take on the Bulldogs, who were having one of their best seasons in recent memory as they entered the Alabama game with a 6-2 record in hopes of getting to a bowl game.

The Bulldogs were coached by Emery Bellard, who was in his second season in Starkville after spending six and a half seasons in College Station as coach of the Texas A&M Aggies which he led to 48 wins during his run with the Aggies.

Bellard was the one who invented the wishbone offense, a offense that was predicated on the run with a three running back formation plus a running quarterback, which he helped led the Texas Longhorns to back-to-back national championships in 1969 + 70 as offensive coordinator before his tenure as Texas A&M head coach and Mississippi State head coach.

While the Bulldogs had improved from their 3-8 season in 1979, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that would lose to the Crimson Tide, especially since the last Mississippi State beat Alabama was back in 1957, the year before Bear Bryant became the Alabama head coach.

Even though the game was not played in Starkville, the Bulldogs still figure to have a home field advantage at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium in Jackson as Bulldog fans brought their cowbells in hopes of seeing Mississippi State shocking the world.

Mississippi State quarterback John Bond would be the game's leading rusher with 94 yards on 20 carries.

After both teams punted on their opening possessions of the game, the Bulldogs got the ball at their 20-yard-line and drove to midfield until Mississippi State running back Michael Haddix fumbled the football, which was recovered by Alabama linebacker Tommy Boyd at the 50-yard-line.

The Tide seemed poised to put the first points on the scoreboard as they were able to drive to the Mississippi State 23-yard-line until they fumbled the football Bulldogs strong safety Rob Fesmire broke into the backfield and forced quarterback Don Jacobs to toss a bad pitch to Oglive.

The loose ball was recovered by defensive tackle Tyrone Keyes to give the Bulldogs the ball at their 18-yard-line.

The Bulldogs would drive again to midfield but would be stopped by the Alabama defense to force a punt, giving the Tide the ball at their 23-yard-line when after a nine-yard-run by backup quarterback Ken Coley, Jeff Fagan fumbled the football which was recovered by the Bulldogs at the Alabama 37-yard-line.

The Bulldogs picked up five yards on the next two plays to set up 3rd & 5 as the second quarter began only to have Haddix be dropped for a seven-yard-loss by Alabama linebacker E.J. Junior, forcing Mississippi State to punt the ball away.

The Tide would pick up one 1st down before punting the ball back to the Bulldogs who took over at their 35-yard-line when they put together their best drive of the first half.

After the first two plays picked up zero yards, Bulldogs quarterback John Bond completed his first pass of the game on 3rd & 10 as he hit David Ellis for a 11-yard gain and a 1st down at the Mississippi State 46-yard-line.

Bond would keep it on the ground on the next play as he ran for 17 yards and another Mississippi State 1st down at the Alabama 37-yard-line.

Bond would run the ball three more times for 15 yards as the Bulldogs would drive to the Alabama 15-yard-line when on 3rd & 5, Bond tried to hit Ellis in the end zone, but was intercepted by Tide strong safety Ricky Tucker to kill the drive and give the football back to the Crimson Tide at their 20-yard-line.

Following another exchange of punts, the Tide got the ball at their 14-yard-line and were only able to drive seven yards before punting the ball again with 34 seconds to go before halftime.

But Mardyle McDole would muff the punt leading to a fumble that was recovered by Alabama defensive end Mike Pitts to give the Tide the ball at the Mississippi State 35-yard-line with 25 seconds left in the first half and a chance to get on the scoreboard.

The Tide could only muster three yards on the next three plays forcing the Tide to attempt a 49-yard field goal by Peter Kim, which he made as time expired in the first half with Alabama on top 3-0.

The Tide would get the ball to start the second half as they took over at their 20-yard-line and ran the ball two straight times, picking up 13 yards until Alan Gray, the Tide's third quarterback, fumbled the football after a hit by Keys, which was recovered by Mississippi State defensive back Willie Jackson to give the Bulldogs the ball at the Alabama 29-yard-line.

A pair of runs by Donald Ray King picked up 10 yards and a 1st down until the Alabama defense stiffened as they held the Bulldogs to minus one yard on the next three plays, forcing to call on Dana Moore to attempt a 37-yard field goal, which sailed through the uprights to tie the game at 3 with 11:59 left in the third quarter.

Both teams would trade punts until the Bulldogs got the ball at their 28-yard-line when they would run 12 straight running plays for 67 yards with Bond being the leading rusher as he kept himself six times for 41 yards as he picked up four 1st downs on the drive which ended with a 22-yard field goal by Moore to give Mississippi State a 6-3 lead with 13:40 left in the 4th quarter.

Mississippi State kicker Dana Moore would be responsible for all six of the Bulldogs' points

The Tide looked to get their offense going on their next possession as they took over at their 30-yard-line when after a two-yard run, Jacobs completed his first pass of the day, a nine-yarder to wide receiver Jessie Bendross for a 1st down at the Alabama 41-yard-line.

Two more running plays would pick up eight yards to set up 3rd & 2 when Coley came back in into the game as Jacobs went out with an injury, only to be stopped for no gain by Bulldogs defensive end Billy Jackson to force an Alabama punt.

It seemed like the Bulldogs had the momentum especially when Bond ran for 19 yards to give Mississippi State a 1st down at its 40-yard-line, only to have the quarterback fumble the football two plays later to give it right back to the Tide as Alabama free safety Jim Bob Harris recovered the fumble at the Bulldogs' 44-yard-line with 9:20 left in the game.

Three plays would net seven yards to set up 4th & 3 from the Mississippi State 37-yard-line when Bryant decided to go for the 1st down, only to have Jacobs, who was back in at quarterback, be sacked by Bulldogs linebacker John Miller to force a turnover on downs and give the Bulldogs the football at the Mississippi State 40-yard-line with 7:40 remaining.

A 15-yard face mask penalty on the Tide gave Mississippi State a 1st down at the Alabama 44-yard-line when five straight running plays by the Bulldogs picked up 17 yards and set up 3rd & 4 at the Alabama 27-yard-line.

That is when the Bulldogs got called for a delay of game which pushed them back five yards to the Tide 32-yard-line to make it 3rd & 9 when Danny Knight was stopped for no gain to set up 4th & 9.

Ballard called on Moore to kick a 48-yard-field goal in hopes of making a six-point lead and forcing the Tide to drive for a touchdown to win the game, but Moore's kick was blocked by Pitts and recovered by the Crimson Tide at the Mississippi State 47-yard-line with 2:14 left in the game, giving the Tide a chance to salvage a tie or win the game.

The drive got off to an auspicious start as Jacobs was dropped for a three-yard-loss on 1st down, then for seven yards on 2nd down, to force 3rd & 20 from the Alabama 43-yard-line.

That is when Jacobs connected with Oglive for a 24-yard pass, the second completed pass of the game for the Tide, to give Alabama a 1st down at the Mississippi State 33-yard-line.

Jacobs would then connect with Bendross for 14 yards for another Alabama 1st down at the Bulldogs' 19-yard-line as the clock wound down to 25 seconds when Jacobs hit tight end Bart Kreut for 15 yards to set up 1st & goal at the four-yard-line.

With no timeouts remaining, some thought Bryant would send in the field goal unit and kick a field goal to salvage a 6-6 tie since there was no overtime in college football in 1980, but Bryant kept his offense on the field and went for the win.

Jacobs would snap the ball with 14 seconds left and run to his right, hoping to toss the ball back to one of his running backs in hopes they would run into the end zone for the game-winning touchdown.

But Tyrone Keys would hit Jacobs before he pitched it back to jar the football loose which was recovered by Billy Jackson to give the ball to the Bulldogs at their two-yard-line with six seconds to go.

The over 50,000 fans were in a frenzy as it looked like the Bulldogs had pulled off the upset as they needed to do was take a knee to run out the clock.

That is when almost every Mississippi State fan and player had got a lump in their throats when Bond fumbled the snap from center which if Alabama recovered in the end zone would count for the game-winning touchdown.

However, King recovered the ball for the Bulldogs at the one-yard-line, allowing the clock to run out as Mississippi State had pulled off the 6-3 upset over #1 Alabama, the first time the Bulldogs had beaten the Crimson Tide since 1957 and ending the Tide's 28-game winning streak.

Mississippi State fans would rush the field and tear down the goalposts to celebrate the Bulldogs' historic victory as Bryant would congratulate the Bulldogs by coming into their locker room following the game.

Alabama head coach Bear Bryant would lose to Mississippi State for the first and only time during his 25 years as the head coach of the Crimson Tide.

The Tide would end up finishing the season with a 10-2 record as a 7-0 loss to Notre Dame two weeks after their shocking loss to Mississippi State ended their hopes of a third straight national championship.

The Tide would finish the season with a 30-2 win over Baylor in the Cotton Bowl to finish with a #6 ranking in both the AP and coaches polls.

As for the Bulldogs, they would go on to knock off LSU 55-31 and then beat Ole Miss 19-14 in the "Egg Bowl" to finish the regular season with a 9-2 record, good enough to earn them an invitation to the Sun Bowl where they faced the Nebraska Cornhuskers with a chance for a 10-win season which would be the first in 40 years for the Bulldogs.

However, the Bulldogs would fall to the Huskers 31-17 in the Sun Bowl to finish with a 9-3 record and #19 ranking in the AP poll.

But when Mississippi State fans think of the 1980 football season, the first thing that comes into their minds is when they beat #1 Alabama.