NFL Old School Game of the Week: Bears End Postseason Drought With OT Win over Giants in "Slush Bowl"

 

Walter Payton helped lead the Bears to the NFL playoffs with their win in the 1977 "Slush Bowl". 

If anybody had told a Chicago Bears fan that after winning the 1963 NFL Championship that the Bears would have to wait 14 years to make the playoffs they would have thought you were crazy.

But unfortunately for Bears fans following their ninth NFL title, the franchise went into decline as they would only have two winning seasons between 1964 and 1976 despite having some of the greatest players in NFL history such as running back Gale Sayers and linebacker Dick Butkus.

It did not appear that the drought would end in 1977 as the team held a 3-5 record especially after a humiliating 47-0 loss against the Houston Oilers.

However, things began to change the following week when the Bears overcame a 17-point deficit to pull out a 28-27 win over the Kansas City Chiefs(To read about that game, click on the link highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2019/12/nfl-old-school-game-of-week-bears-pull.html which kickstarted a five-game winning streak that brought Chicago to a 8-5 record entering the final week of the season(There were 14 games in 1977).

Led by running back Walter Payton, who would run for 868 yards including a then single game record 275 in a 10-7 win against the Minnesota Vikings, the Bears needed to beat the 5-8 New York Giants to secure the NFC's lone Wild Card spot in the playoffs.

However, Mother Nature would have something in mind as a mix of rain, sleet, and snow causing horrific field conditions at Giants Stadium.

Instead of a simple snow sticking to the AstroTurf, a wet slush engulfed the field leading to this game to become known as the "Slush Bowl".

With the slushy field, Payton who needed 199 yards to break O.J. Simpson's single season record for most rushing yards in a season, would have his work cut out for him if Chicago was to come out of the Meadowlands with the win.

 The Bears would get the ball to start the game as their began their initial possession at their 38-yard-line as Chicago ran the ball three straight times for five yards, forcing them to punt the ball away to the Giants, only to get it back as Jim Stienke muffed the punt, leading to a recovery by Bears wide receiver Bo Rather at the New York 14-yard-line.

But the Bears could not move forward as Payton fumbled the ball not once but twice(he recovered both)leading Bob Thomas to come in and kick a 32-yard field goal to give Chicago a 3-0 lead with 10:50 left in the first quarter.

When the Giants got the ball, they were able to drive 44 yards in nine plays, despite having New York receivers drop four passes on the drive, to set up a 38-yard field goal by Joe Danelo to tie the game 3-3 midway through the first quarter.

Following a 33-yard return by Johnny Musso, the Bears begin their next possession at the Giants' 49-yard-line as quarterback Bob Avellini completed passes of 16 yards to James Scott and 17 yards to Roland Harper to lead Chicago to the New York six-yard-line to give Thomas a chance at making a 23-yard field goal.

However, Thomas' kick would bounce off the left upright and no good to keep the game tied at 3 with 3:02 left in the first quarter.

From there, the game would turn into a stalemate as both teamed traded punts as well as interceptions as Avellini was picked off on a deep pass by the Giants' Ernie Jones while quarterback Joe Piscarik was picked off by Bears cornerback Allan Ellis until the Giants got the ball at their 20-yard-line with 3:53 left in the second quarter.

That is when the Giants drove down the field with their running game as Doug Kotar galloped for 32 yards to put New York in Bears territory followed by two runs by Larry Csonka(yes, that Larry Csonka) for 20 yards to put the Giants at the Chicago 28-yard-line as the two-minute warning hit.

From there, Piscarik completed passes of 12 yards to Gary Shirk and six yards to Willie Spencer to put the Giants at the Chicago 12-yard-line as Danelo come on to try a 29-yard field goal.

But Danelo would miss the field goal as his kick sailed wide right, allowing the Bears to run out the clock in the first half as the two teams were deadlocked at 3.

Giants running back Larry Csonka would run for 100 yards on 23 carries.

Both teams traded punts for the majority of the third quarter until the Giants got the ball at their 33-yard-line when Csonka made his presence felt as he carried the ball on seven of New York's next nine plays, running for 36 yards to put the Giants at the Bears' 21-yard-line as the third quarter came to an end.

The Giants would keep feeding Csonka as he carried the ball four straight times for a total of 17 yards until Spencer got a carry as ran for two yards to set up 3rd & goal at the Bears' two-yard-line when New York went to the air as Piscarik threw a pass intended for Spencer that the running back dropped.

Danelo come on to attempt a 19-yard field goal which he made to give the Giants a 6-3 lead with 11:39 left in the fourth quarter.

Following another exchange of punts, the Bears had the ball at the Giants' 40-yard-line when after a three-yard run by Robin Earl, Avellini would complete a 26-yard pass to Scott to give Chicago a 1st down at the New York 11-yard-line.

Avellini would hand the ball off to Earl, who ran for seven yards on 1st down, then ran it in for a four-yard touchdown on 2nd down to give the Bears a 9-6 lead.

However, Giants defensive end George Martin would  block the extra point to keep the score 9-6 with 6:02 left in regulation.

The Giants would begin their next possession at their 28-yard-line with a 12-yard pass from Piscarik to Bobby Hammond which was followed by a holding penalty that pushed the Giants back to their 30-yard-line where they faced a 1st & 20 when Piscarik completed passes of 14 yards to Jim Robinson and 16 yards to Ed Marshall to put New York at the Bears' 40-yard-line.

Kotar would get his hands on the ball on the next two plays as he caught a three-yard pass on 1st down, followed by a nine-yard run to give the Giants another 1st down at the Chicago 28-yard-line.

After an one-yard run by Hammond on 1st down, Piscarik scrambled for eight yards to set up 3rd & 1 when Csonka got the ball again, only to be stopped for no gain to force 4th & 1.

Figuring a 36-yard field goal would be too difficult on the slushy field, the Giants decided to go for the 1st down which they got when Spencer ran for three yards to give New York a 1st down at the Bears' 16-yard-line.

Following a six-yard pass to Emery Moorehead, Piscarik would throw a pass to the end zone for Ed Marshall, only to have the wide receiver drop what would have been the go-ahead touchdown which was followed by another incomplete pass to bring up 4th & 4 from the Chicago 10-yard-line.

This time, the Giants sent in the field goal unit on 4th down as Danelo would come in and kick a 27-yard field goal to tie the game 9-9 with 32 seconds left in regulation.

The Bears would get the ball one more time before the end of regulation but could not mount a drive as the game would go into overtime with Chicago needing a score of any kind in the extra period in order to make the playoffs.

Bears quarterback Bob Avellini competed 17 of 26 passes for 186 yards.

The Giants won the coin toss and took the ball to start the overtime period but would give it right back to the Bears on the second play of overtime as Chicago free safety Doug Plank picked off a Piscarik pass and ran it back 12 yards to put the Bears at the New York 27-yard-line.

Three running plays picked up nine yards to bring up 4th & 1 from the Giants' 18-yard-line when Bears head coach Jack Pardee sent in the field goal unit to attempt a 35-yard field goal that would send Chicago into the playoffs.

But a poor snap led to a bad hold and then a bad kick as Thomas' kick sailed wide left to keep the game tied 9-9 with 12:36 left in overtime.

After another exchange of punts, the Bears got the ball back at their 46-yard-line when Avellini completed a 35-yard pass to Rather to put Chicago in field goal range at the New York 19-yard-line.

Two runs by Harper for eight yards and an one-yard run by Avellini set up 4th & 1 at the Giants' 10-yard-line when Thomas was called on again to attempt a potential game-winning field goal this time from 27 yards out.

But once again the snap was bad, this time leader the holder, Avellini to try and throw a pass intended for Doug Buffone which fell incomplete to keep the game tied with less than three minutes to go in the game.

Desperately needing a stop, the Bears would force the Giants to go three-and-out to get the ball back with one last chance at winning the game as they began their ensuing possession at the New York 44-yard-line with 82 seconds left in the game.

Following an one-yard pass to tight end Greg Latta, Avellini would find Latta again, this time for 18 yards to give the Bears a 1st down at the Giants' 25-yard-line when Payton, who had been held to 47 yards on 15 carries, caught a screen pass and ran it 14 yards to the New York 11-yard-line when Pardee sent in the field goal unit to try to win the game for the third time in overtime.

This time, the kick was true as Thomas would make a 28-yard field goal with nine seconds to go to give the Bears a 12-9 win and clinch Chicago its first postseason berth since 1963.

The win over the Giants started a big celebration in Chicago that when the Bears returned home they were greeted by nearly 3,000 fans at O'Hare International Airport.

However, the Bears' trip back to the postseason would be a short one as they were trounced by the Dallas Cowboys 37-7 the following week in the Divisional Round of the NFC Playoffs which was followed one week later by the departure of Pardee who left Chicago to become the head coach of the Redskins.

Still, their win over the Giants in the 1977 "Slush Bowl"  is remembered fondly amongst Bears fans.

The Chicago Bears celebrate after their win in the 1977 "Slush Bowl".

College Football Old School Game of the Week: Bush & White Lead Trojans to Comeback Victory over Sun Devils

 

Reggie Bush ran for 139 yards and scored two touchdowns in USC's comeback win over Arizona State.

The University of Southern California has been blessed to have some of the greatest running backs in college football history such as Marcus Allen, Anthony Davis, and Charles White to name a few.

But perhaps their greatest backfield came in the form of Reggie Bush and LenDale White who were in the backfield during the glory days of the mid-2000s as the two combined to rush for over 6,000 yards and 77 touchdowns. during their time at USC.

The duo dubbed "Thunder & Lightning" would help the Trojans in their efforts against a pesky Arizona State Sun Devils team on October 1, 2005.

The Trojans were the #1 team in the country and the two-time defending national champions having split the 2003 championship with LSU and then winning it outright in 2004.

The Trojans were led by head coach Pete Carroll, who has in his fifth season as the head coach and featured a dynamic offense that had the lightning quick Bush and bruiser White in the backfield, plus 2004 Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart at quarterback.

The Trojans had started their quest of a third straight national title with a 3-0 record in which the USC offense had averaged 59 points and 615 yards per game as the men from Troy traveled to Valley of the Sun to take on the Sun Devils.

Arizona State entered their game with the defending national champions unranked with a 3-1 record under fifth-year head coach Dirk Koetter and quarterback Sam Keller who had thrown for 1,235 yards and 12 touchdowns thus far despite missing the opening game of the season.

If the Sun Devils were going to end the Trojans' 25-game winning streak, they would end another strong performance by Keller to help tire USC as the temperature at kickoff was nearly 100 degrees.

 The Sun Devils got the ball to start the game as they drove from their 20-yard-line to midfield before having to punt the ball to the Trojans, who took over at their 12-yard-line and drove to the Arizona State 47-yard-line as Leinart completed passes of 13 yards to Brandon Hancock and 23 yards to Dwayne Jarrett.

However, the drive would stall as Leinart completed only one of his next three passes forcing the Trojans to punt the ball back to Arizona State, who would go three-and-out on its ensuing possession to punt the ball back to USC.

The Trojans would drive from their 33-yard-line to the Arizona State 35-yard-line until a pair of penalties pushed the USC offense back 19 yards to their 46-yard-line to force another punt when the Sun Devils put up the first points of the game as wide receiver Terry Richardson ran the punt back 84 yards for a touchdown to give Arizona State a 7-0 lead.

The two teams would exchange punts as the game moved into the second quarter when on the first play of the quarter, Keller was intercepted by USC linebacker Oscar Lua to give the Trojans the ball at the Arizona State 13-yard-line.

But a quarterback sack of Leinart on 3rd down would force the Trojans to settle for a 36-yard field goal by Mario Danelo which cut the Sun Devils' lead to 7-3.

Following another Arizona State punt, the Trojans got the ball at their 20-yard-line and quickly drove to the Sun Devils' 40-yard-line as Leinart completed back-to-back passes to fullback David Kirtman for 19 yards and Steve Smith for 21 yards until the next three plays picked up just three yards to set up 3rd & 7.

Instead of attempting a 54-yard field goal, Carroll decided to go for the 1st down on 4th & 7 which failed as Leinart's pass intended for Smith fell incomplete to give Arizona State the ball on its 37-yard-line.

That is when the Sun Devils put together their best drive of the game thus far as Keller completed all four of his passes for 60 yards on an eight-play, 63-yard drive that culminated with Keller's seven-yard touchdown pass to Jamaal Lewis to increase the Arizona State lead to 14-3 with 6:56 left in the second quarter.

Arizona State quarterback Sam Keller would threw for 347 yards and two TDs but also threw 5 INTs.

The Sun Devils would keep the momentum going as they forced the Trojans to go three-and-out on their ensuing possession to get the ball back at their 45-yard-line as Keller completed two passes to Derek Hagan for 40 yards to set up Keegan Herring's five-yard touchdown run to give Arizona State a 21-3 lead with 4:34 remaining before halftime.

Facing their largest deficit of the season, the Trojans responded by driving from their 20-yard-line to the Arizona State 27-yard-line where they faced a 4th & 3 when Carroll again decided to go for it on 4th down.

Once again, the Trojans could not convert as Leinart's pass for Dominique Byrd fell incomplete to give the ball back to the Sun Devils who ran out the clock to go into the locker room ahead 21-3.

Even though they were down by 18 points, the Trojans still had to feel confident about their chances at winning as the week before they had been down 13-0 at halftime to the Oregon Ducks, only to score 45 unanswered points to win the game.

If USC was going to come back and win, they would need to get Bush and White going who combined to run for 86 yards in the first half with Bush accounting for 56 while White finished with just 30.

The Trojans got the ball to start the second half as Leinart completed a 13-yard pass to Jarrett on the first play from scrimmage, which was followed by two straight running plays that totaled 12 yards to pick up another 1st down.

Leinart would complete three straight passes for 23 yards to give the Trojans a 1st down at the Sun Devils' 32-yard-line when Leinart handed the ball off to White who took it up the gut and ran for a 32-yard touchdown to cut the Arizona State lead to 21-10 just 2:19 into the third quarter.

After forcing a three-and-out,  the Trojans got the ball at their 15-yard-line and drove to their 34-yard-line when Leinart completed a 22-yard pass to Jarrett, only to have the wide receiver fumble the ball which was recovered by Arizona State defensive back Maurice London, whose 14-yard return gave the Sun Devils the ball at the USC 42-yard-line.

However, the Sun Devils would give it right back to the Trojans as cornerback Justin Wyatt picked off a Keller pass to give the ball back to USC at its 36-yard-line.

After the drive began with an eight-yard pass to Jarrett, Leinart handed the ball off to White, who bursted for 27 yards to give USC a 1st down at the Sun Devils' 29-yard-line, which was followed by a White run for five yards to set up 2nd & 4.

That is when Bush made his presence felt as he took a Leinart handoff and ran 24 yards for the touchdown to bring USC to within four points at 21-17 with 8:29 left in the third quarter.

The Sun Devils would drive from their 20-yard-line to their 45-yard-line where they faced a 4th & 1 when Koetter decided to gamble and go for the 1st down.

However, the gamble would not pay off as Lua stuffed Herring for no gain to give the Trojans the ball at the Arizona State 45-yard-line with a chance to take the lead, only to have USC to go three-and-out to punt the ball back to the Sun Devils who took over at their 11-yard-line.

It seemed that the Sun Devils had regained the momentum as Keller completed his next three passes for 39 yards to drive Arizona State to the 50-yard-line when Trojans cornerback John Walker made an interception to give the Trojans the ball at their 44-yard-line with 42 seconds left in the third quarter.

USC quarterback Matt Leinart completed 23 of 39 passes for 258 yards.

Following another exchange of punts, the Trojans got the ball back at their 11-yard-line when two runs by White for 11 yards and a five-yard pass from Leinart to Byrd gave USC a 1st down at its 27-yard-line when Leinart connected with  Kirtman for a 42-yard pass that put the Trojans at the Arizona State 31-yard-line.

The Trojans would keep on the ground as White and Bush combined for 30 yards on six carries to set up Leinart's one-yard touchdown run to give USC its first lead of the game at 24-21 midway through the fourth quarter.

It seemed the game was slipping away from the Sun Devils especially as they were set to face a 1st & 25 from their 15-yard-line following a 15-yard face mask at the start of their ensuing possession.

But Keller would complete a 23-yard pass to Hagan, which was followed by a 12-yard pass to Moey Mutz to give Arizona State a 1st down at the 50-yard-line.

Keller would then complete passes of 14 yards to Mutz and 24 yards to Rudy Burgess to set up his one-yard touchdown pass to Lee Burghgeaf to give the Sun Devils a 28-24 lead with 5:57 left in the fourth quarter.

The Trojans would respond with a five-play, 80-yard drive which featured a 14-yard run by Bush to start the drive, followed by a 23-yard run by White to put the Trojans in Arizona State territory, and capped off with a 34-yard touchdown by Bush to give USC a 31-28 lead with 3:44 remaining in regulation.

The Sun Devils would get the ball back at their 20-yard-line only to have disaster strike on their second play of their ensuing possession when Keller's pass intended for Hagan slipped through his hands and landed in the arms of a diving Keith Ellison to give USC the ball at its 44-yard-line.

Three plays later, the Trojans were back in the end zone as White exploded for a 46-yard touchdown run which increased the USC lead to 38-28 with 2:22 left in regulation.

Needing a score quickly, the Sun Devils would begin its next possession at the USC 49-yard-line following a 49-yard return by Richardson on the ensuing kickoff.

Keller would hit Hagan for 11 yards to begin the drive but were soon be faced with a 4th & 17 at the USC 45-yard-line when Keller found Hagan again for 17 yards and a 1st down at the Trojans' 28-yard-line.

Back-to-back sacks pushed the Sun Devils back 12 yards to the USC 40-yard-line when Keller connected with Hagan again, this time for 23 yards and a 1st down at the Trojans' 17-yard-line.

But after completing an eight-yard pass to Randy Hill to set up 2nd & 2 at the USC nine-yard-line, Keller would throw his fifth interception of the game as Walker picked him off in the end zone to give the ball to the Trojans who ran out the clock as they would escape Tempe with a 38-28 victory to push their winning streak to 26 as White and Bush combined for 269 yards and four touchdowns in the second half with White running for 167 and Bush running for 102.

The loss to USC would be the biggest down in an up-and-down season for the Sun Devils as they would finish with a 7-5 record as the season would end with a 45-40 win over Rutgers in the Insight Bowl.

Keller would transfer to the University of the Nebraska in the offseason while Koetter would be fired following another 7-5 season in 2006.

As for the Trojans, they would run their running streak up to 34 as they finish the regular season with a 12-0 record to secure a spot in the BCS National Championship Game where they would face the #2 Texas Longhorns in the Rose Bowl.

One of the greatest games in college football history, the Trojans would fall 41-38 to the Longhorns, ending USC's dreams of a third straight national title.

White would finish his USC career as the all-time in rushing touchdowns with 52 while Bush would claim the 2005 Heisman Trophy with his 1,750 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns during the season.

However, Bush would vacate his Heisman Trophy a few years later after a NCAA investigation ruled that Bush received improper benefits during his time at USC which also led the vacation of their 2004 national title.

LenDale White finished with 198 yards and two TDs on 19 carries.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Elway & Broncos Knock off Montana & 49ers in Infamous "Snowball Game"

 Broncos quarterback John Elway threw for 215 yards and two TDs in leading Denver to a comeback win over the 49ers in 1985.

When the San Francisco 49ers traveled to Mile High Stadium to take on the Denver Broncos in week 10 of the 1985 NFL season, they knew they had a daunting task ahead of them as they would have to deal with the noise from nearly 75,000 Bronco fans.

Little did they know that one fan would have a impact on the game not by making noise but by throwing an object onto the field.

The Broncos came into the game atop the AFC Western Division with a 6-3 record while the defending Super Bowl champion 49ers came in with a 5-4 record, hoping to get a win to make up some distance on the 1st place Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Western Division.

Both teams were led by future Hall-of-Fame quarterbacks as San Francisco was led by two-time Super Bowl MVP Joe Montana while Denver had third-year sensation John Elway at the helm.

Two days before their showdown, seven inches of snow fell in Denver forcing the field crew at Mile High Stadium to try and get as much snow off the field before the Broncos' showdown with the 49ers on Monday Night Football.

The crew got the playing field clear but the stands were still filled with snow as the temperature at kickoff was 17 degrees with a wind chill of 9 degrees.

It was a scene reminiscent of the Broncos' last Monday Night Football appearance when they defeated the Green Bay Packers 17-14 in a blizzard(To read about that game, click on the link which is highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2017/08/nfl-old-school-game-of-week-broncos.html).

The 49ers got the ball to start the game as they drove from their 20-yard-line to the Denver 41-yard-line until they were forced to punt when Max Runager shanked the punt as the kick only went one yard to give the Broncos the ball at their 40-yard-line.

While the shanked punt did not immediately hurt the 49ers as the Broncos went three-and-out on their first possession of the game, it come back to haunt after the 49ers went three-and-out on their ensuing possession to give Denver the ball at the San Francisco 37-yard-line.

From there, running back Sammy Winder would carry the ball two straight times for six yards to set up 3rd & 4 when Elway found Steve Watson for 13 yards and a 1st down which was followed by two more runs by Winder for 10 yards to give Denver a 1st & goal at the 49ers' eight-yard-line.

After a two-yard run by Winder on 1st down and a three-yard catch by the running back on 2nd down, Elway found another Denver running back, Gene Lang, for a three-yard touchdown to give the Broncos a 7-0 lead with 4:47 left in the first quarter.

The Broncos would have their own special teams miscue later in the quarter when 49ers linebacker Ron Ferrari partially blocked a punt to give San Francisco the ball at the Denver 40-yard-line.

Montana would hit tight end John Frank for 14 yards to start the drive which was followed by three straight running plays that picked up 18 yards until Montana threw two straight incomplete passes to force the 49ers to settle for a 26-yard field goal on the first play of the second quarter to cut the Broncos' lead to 7-3.

49ers quarterback Joe Montana completed 17 of 40 passes for 222 yards and threw one TD.

Following an exchange of punts, the Broncos had the ball at their 42-yard-line facing a 2nd & 1 when Elway handed the ball off to Winder, who ran up to the line of scrimmage then tossed it back to Elway on a flea flicker as the third-year quarterback hit Vance Johnson for 50 yards to give Denver a 1st & goal at the San Francisco eight-yard-line.

Three plays later, the Broncos were in the end zone again as Elway connected with Watson for a six-yard touchdown to increase the Denver lead to 14-3 with 8:59 left in the second quarter.

Later in the quarter, the 49ers would be given a great opportunity to score their first touchdown of the game as center Glenn Hyde's 4th down snap went over the head of punter Chris Norman, who managed to get on the football before he was touched by Ferrari to give San Francisco the ball at the Broncos' four-yard-line.

After a two-yard run by Derrick Harmon, Montana lofted a pass to the back of the end zone intended for running back Earl Cooper, who bobbled the ball before making the catch, only to land out of bounds to make the pass incomplete and bring up 3rd down where fullback Roger Craig dropped a Montana pass to set up 4th down.

Instead of taking a 19-yard field goal to make it 14-6, head coach Bill Walsh decided to go for the touchdown as Montana handed it off to Craig who was tackled by Broncos defensive end Andre Townsend one yard short of the end zone to give the ball back to Denver at its one-yard-line.

The Broncos would drive to their 31-yard-line before they had to punt the ball back to the 49ers who took over at their 39-yard-line with 1:43 left in the first half and three timeouts.

The drive got off to a good start as Montana completed a 33-yard pass to rookie wide receiver Jerry Rice to give the 49ers a 1st down at the Broncos' 28-yard-line as the next three San Francisco plays picked up nine yards to set up a 4th & 1 at the 19-yard-line when Walsh decided to go for the 1st down.

This time, Walsh's gamble would pay off as Montana handed it off to Craig, who ran for eight yards and a 1st down at the Denver 11-yard-line.

Two incomplete passes and a nine-yard run by Craig would set up 4th & 1 at the Broncos' two-yard-line when Walsh decided to send in the field goal unit to give the 49ers some points before halftime.

That is when a Broncos fan made his or her presence felt as a snowball landed right in front of holder Matt Cavanuagh just as center Randy Cross snapped the ball distracting Cananaugh just long enough to make him bobble the snap.

The former University of Pittsburgh quarterback tried to gather himself and find an open receiver but ended up throwing an incomplete pass to give the ball back to the Broncos who took over at their two-yard-line and took a knee to run out the clock in the first half with Denver on top 14-3.

After the Broncos punted on their opening possession of the second half, the 49ers got the ball at their 32-yard-line when Montana connected with Mike Wilson for a 44-yard completion to put San Francisco at the Denver 24-yard-line as Craig ran for 11 yards on the next two plays to set up Montana's 13-yard touchdown pass to Wilson to cut the Broncos' lead to 14-10 with 10:41 to go in the third quarter.

It would not take long for the 49ers to get the ball back as Elway was intercepted by Lott on the Broncos' next play from scrimmage to give San Francisco possession at the Denver 40-yard-line.

The 49ers would run the ball five straight times, picking up 34 yards until the drive stalled at the Denver six-yard-line forcing San Francisco to settle for another field goal attempt by Wersching.

This time, no snowballs were thrown as Wersching calmly made the 22-yard field goal to cut the Denver lead to one point at 14-13 with 7:28 left in the third quarter.

The Broncos would then drive 54 yards in nine plays to set up 1st & goal from the 49ers' nine-yard-line when running back Gerald Wilhite carried the ball on three straight plays picking up eight yards to bring up 4th & goal at the one-yard-line.

Denver head coach Dan Reeves decided to go for the touchdown as Elway handed the ball off to Winder, who was stopped at the line of scrimmage by Lott to keep the Broncos out of the end zone and give the ball back to San Francisco.

The 49ers would go three-and-out to punt the ball back to the Broncos, who took over at the 49ers' 45-yard-line where Elway completed a 14-yard pass to Johnson on the final play of the third quarter, which was followed by three straight incomplete passes, forcing Denver to attempt a 48-yard field goal by Rich Karlis.

Karlis' kick was long enough but wide left and no good to give the ball back to the 49ers who took over at their 31-yard-line with 14:40 left in the fourth quarter.

Both teams would trade punts until the 49ers got the ball again at their 37-yard-line with 5:30 to go in the game when Montana completed a 13-yard pass to Craig followed by a 16-yard completion to Rice to give the 49ers a 1st down at the Denver 34-yard-line.

After the next three plays picked up six yards, Wersching was called on to attempt a 45-yard field goal, which he made to give the 49ers their first lead of the game at 16-14 with 3:36 left in the game.

Following a 25-yard return by Lang on the ensuing kickoff, the Broncos took over at their 30-yard-line as the drive began with a two-yard run by Wilhite, followed by a false start penalty and an incomplete pass to bring up 3rd & 13 from the Denver 27-yard-line.

That is when Elway scrambled around in the pocket before firing a long pass intended for Watson, only for the pass to hit the right shoulder of 49ers free safety Dwight Hicks, who was defending the Denver receiver,  and fall incomplete.

However, because Hicks never turned around until the ball hit him, he was called for face guarding or pass interference, giving the Broncos a 1st down at the 49ers' 31-yard-line following the 42-yard penalty.

Two more incomplete passes would set up another 3rd down situation for the Broncos when Elway was able to dodge a safety blitz by Lott and fire a 22-yard pass to Watson to give Denver 1st & goal at the 49ers' nine-yard-line.

The Broncos would run three more plays netting only two yards before calling on Karlis to attempt the go-ahead field goal which he made from 24 yards out to give Denver a 17-16 lead with 1:27 remaining.

Rich Karlis(3) would make the game-winning field goal in the infamous "Snowball Game".

The 49ers would get one last chance as they began their next possession at their 20-yard-line but could not pick up a 1st down as the clock ran out with the Broncos on top 17-16.

While the loss to the Broncos did not keep the 49ers out of the playoffs as they finished with a 10-6 record, it did have an effect on their seeding as San Francisco finished one game back of the Rams for the NFC West division title.

If the 49ers had defeated Denver, they would have finished in a tie with the Rams and won the NFC West based on their division record which was better than Los Angeles and would allow San Francisco to earn the #2 seed and a first round bye in the NFC playoffs.

Instead, the 49ers were forced to travel to the Meadowlands where they would fall to the New York Giants 17-3 in the NFC Wild Card Game.

As for the Broncos, they would miss the playoffs despite finishing with a 11-5 record as Denver would finish one game back of the Los Angeles Raiders for the AFC West division title and would lose out on tiebreakers for a Wild Card spot to both the New York Jets and the New England Patriots.

While the "Snowball Game" did not have an significant effect on the Broncos' season, it did change their stadium policies as the organization announced that if any fan threw a snowball onto the field, they would be ejected from the stadium and possibly be banned from attending any more Broncos games.

Three days later after the incident, an anonymous fan apologized for throwing the snowball in an article that was published in the San Francisco Examiner.

College Football Old School Game of the Week: Gaffney's Disputed TD Catch Gives Gators Win over Vols

Jabar Gaffney(10) would be at the center of controversy in the Gators' 2000 showdown with Tennessee.

For much of the 1990s and early 2000s, one of the fiercest rivalries in college football was the one between the Florida Gators and the Tennessee Volunteers.

The two programs would meet each other often in September where the winner of the game would most likely go on to win the SEC Eastern division and play in the SEC Championship Game.

The most controversial moment in the rivalry occurred in their showdown in 2000 when the #6 Gators traveled to Knoxville to take on the #11 Volunteers.

Florida was led by head coach Steve Spurrier, who in his 11th season as the head coach of the Gators, had established Florida as one of the premier college football programs in the country having won at least nine games in every season, winning five SEC championships, including four in a row from 1993-1996, and the 1996 national championship.

For the 2000 season, the Gators famed "Fun N Gun" offense would be led by senior quarterback Jesse Palmer, who after years of alternating with various other quarterbacks, was now the Gators' starting quarterback.

Palmer had at his disposal a plethora of receivers including redshirt freshman Jabar Gaffney, who had been previously kicked off the team for stealing money and jewelry from a high school football team, but was given a second chance by Spurrier.

Meanwhile, the Tennessee Volunteers were led by head coach Philip Fulmer, who had at won least eight games in every season since he became the team's head coach in 1993(Fulmer had been the team's interim head coach for the first four games of the 1992 season while Johnny Majors recovered from heart surgery).

The Vols were looking to replace the quarterback who had led them to the 1998 national title in Tee Martin to team up with running back Travis Henry in the backfield, ultimately deciding on redshirt freshman A.J. Suggs for the start of the 2000 season.

The Vols got the ball to start the game as they drove 21 yards to their 49-yard-line until Cedrick Wilson fumbled the football at the end of a 14-yard reception when he was hit by Florida linebacker Byron Hardeman, leading to a recovery by strong safety Todd Johnson.

The Gators would go three-and-out to punt the ball back to Tennessee, who took over at its three-yard-line and put together a 15-play, 76-yard drive that took nearly seven minutes off the clock and ended with a 36-yard field goal by Alex Walls go to give the Vols a 3-0 lead with 3:30 left in the first quarter.

The two teams would trade punts until the second quarter began with the Vols at the Florida 44-yard-line when Suggs completed his next three passes for 37 yards to help lead the Tennessee offense get to the Gators' four-yard-line where they had a 1st & goal.

Henry would get the call on the next two plays, picking up three yards to set up 3rd & goal from the one-yard-line when Suggs tried to sneak it in for the touchdown only to fumble the football which was recovered by Henry allowing for Tennessee to salvage a 19-yard field goal by Walls to increase the Vols' lead to 6-0 with 11:40 left in the second quarter.

Tennessee would get another golden opportunity to put points on the board when after Gators kick returner Matt Jackson muffed the ensuing kickoff, allowing to be tackled at his eight-yard-line, Florida went three-and-out to punt the ball back to the Vols, who took over at the Gators' 25-yard-line following a 21-yard return by Eric Parker.

Again, the Vols would drive to inside the Gators' 10-yard-line and again they would have to settle for another Walls field goal, this one from 29 yards out which increased the Tennessee lead to 9-0 midway through the second quarter.

Tennessee running back Travis Henry would carry the ball 37 times for 175 yards and score one TD.

That is when the Florida offense put together its best drive of the first half, an eight-play, 80-yard drive which saw Palmer complete passes of 31 yards to Alex Willis, 17 and 25 yards to Taylor Jacobs, and finally the one-yard touchdown pass to running back Earnest Graham to bring the Gators to within two points at 9-7 with 4:12 to go in the first half.

The Vols would begin their ensuing possession at their 38-yard-line as Suggs completed a 14-yard pass to Parker, before handing the ball off four straight times to Travis Stephens, who ran for a total of 27 yards until Suggs snuck for two yards on 3rd & 1 to give Tennessee a 1st down at the Florida 19-yard-line.

Suggs would complete three of his next four passes for 16 yards to put the Vols at the Florida two-yard-line where once again the Vols had to settle for another field goal by Walls, this one from 19 yards out as time expired in the first half with Tennessee ahead 12-7.

The Gators got the ball to start the second half as they drove from their 13-yard-line to the Tennessee eight-yard-line in 12 plays until the Vols defense rose up and permitted only one more yard on the Gators' next three plays, forcing them to settle for a 24-yard field goal by Jeff Chandler which cut the Vols' lead to 12-10.

Tennessee would begin its next possession at their eight-yard-line where after an incomplete pass and a seven-yard run by Henry, Suggs was picked off by Florida cornerback Lito Sheppard, who returned it for a 19-yard touchdown to give the Gators their first lead of the game at 17-12 midway through the third quarter.

After both teams went three-and-out on their ensuing possessions, the Vols got the ball at their 39-yard-line when Henry carried the ball three straight times, picking up 24 yards until Suggs completed a 23-yard pass to Donte Stallworth to give Tennessee a 1st & 10 at the Florida 14-yard-line when Henry got the ball again and ran for 10 yards to set up 1st & goal at the four-yard-line.

Two runs by Henry for three yards lead to 3rd & goal from the one-yard-line when Suggs handed it off again to Henry who leapt over the goal line for the touchdown to give the lead back to Tennessee.

The Vols would go for two which they got as Suggs found Wilson in the end zone to complete the two-point conversion and give Tennessee a 20-17 lead with 1:43 left in the third quarter.

Following another exchange of punts, the Gators had the ball at their 36-yard-line early in the 4th quarter when Palmer was intercepted by Tennessee linebacker Dominique Stephenson to give the Vols the ball at the Florida 31-yard-line.

The Vols would pick up one 1st down before having to settle for another Walls field goal, this time from 42 yards out, which increased the Tennessee lead to 23-17 with 10:42 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Florida quarterback Jesse Palmer would complete 20 of 43 passes for 290 yards and threw one TD.

The Gators would get the ball back at their 35-yard-line after the Tennessee kickoff went out of bounds as Palmer would hit Reche Caldwell for 13 yards to start the drive, which was followed by a four-yard run by Graham, then a 20-yard pass to Willis, and finally a 25-yard completion to Gaffney gave Florida a 1st & goal at the Vols' three-yard-line.

But like what Tennessee had done three times in the first half, the Gators' offense stalled inside the ten-yard-line as a couple of incomplete passes and a holding penalty pushed Florida back to the Tennessee 15-yard-line where Chandler came in to kick a 31-yard field goal to cut the Vols' lead to 23-20 midway through the fourth quarter.

Following an exchange of punts, the Vols had the ball at their 44-yard-line with 4:15 remaining and a chance to run out the clock to come away with the victory.

After an illegal shift backed the Vols up five yards, Henry ran for 14 yards on the next two plays to set up a crucial 3rd & 1 when Henry got the pitch from Suggs, only to tackled behind the line of scrimmage by Johnson and defensive tackle Buck Gurley for an one-yard loss, forcing Tennessee to punt the ball back to the Gators who took over at their nine-yard-line with 2:14 left in regulation.

The drive began with an eight-yard pass to Caldwell, which was followed by an 12-yard completion to Brian Haugabrook to give Florida a 1st down at the Gators' 29-yard-line when Palmer went deep and found Gaffney for 33 yards and a 1st down at the Tennessee 38-yard-line.

Palmer would then an incomplete pass on 1st down, then tried to hit Haugabrook on 2nd down as his pass fell incomplete, only to draw a pass interference penalty to give Florida a 1st down at the Tennessee 26-yard-line.

Following two more incomplete passes, Palmer connected with Caldwell again, this time for 21 yards to give the Gators a 1st & goal at the Tennessee five-yard-line when Palmer threw the apparent touchdown pass to Caldwell, only to have it called back because Caldwell was not lined up properly to push Florida back five yards to the 10-yard-line.

Palmer would find running back Bo Carroll for seven yards to set up 2nd & goal at the Vols' three-yard-line as the Gators called timeout with 20 seconds left in regulation.

That is when Palmer dropped back and fired a quick pass for Gaffney in the end zone, who got his arms on the football for a split second until Tennessee cornerback Willie Miles knock the ball loose from Gaffney.

However, the line judge who was just a few feet away from the play, quickly signaled touchdown, determining that Gaffney had the ball long enough to make the catch for the touchdown to give Florida a 27-23 lead with just 14 seconds left.

The Vols would have one last chance at pulling off a miracle but could not move past their 35-yard-line as time expired with Florida coming away with a 27-23 victory before a very angry crowd at Neyland Stadium.

The controversial loss to the Gators would be the first of three losses for the Vols before the middle of October as Tennessee would be stunned by the LSU Tigers, followed by a loss to the Georgia Bulldogs to drop them below .500 at 2-3.

The Vols would come back with a six-game winning streak to end the regular season as Tennessee was invited to play in the Cotton Bowl where they were defeated by the Kansas State Wildcats 35-21 as Tennessee would finish the 2000 season with a 8-4 record and #25 ranking in the final coaches poll.

Meanwhile, the Gators would go on to win the SEC Eastern Division for the seventh time in nine years as they traveled to Atlanta to take on the Auburn Tigers in the SEC Championship Game where Florida would dispatch of the Tigers 28-6 to give Spurrier his sixth SEC title and first since 1996.

The Gators would go to the Sugar Bowl where they would fall to the Miami Hurricanes 37-20 to finish the season with a 10-3 record and #10 ranking in the final AP poll while finishing #11 in the coaches poll.

As for Gaffney, he would go on to become another of the highly decorated wide receivers to come out of Florida as he would finish his career in Gainesville with 138 catches for 2,375 yards and 27 touchdowns.

He would go on to play for five different NFL teams over a 11-year career, including with the New England Patriots where he had another controversial touchdown in the Patriots' 2007 win over the Baltimore Ravens on Monday Night Football(To read about that game, click on the link highlighted here: 

He finished with 447 receptions for 5,690 yards and 24 touchdowns until his retirement following the 2012 season.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Former Bartender Kicks 5 FGs to Lead Falcons to Monday Night Upset over Rams

Tim Mazzetti(4) accounted for all 15 of the Falcons' points in their 1978 win over the LA Rams.

As the 1978 NFL season began, kicker Tim Mazzetti was not signed with any NFL team, but instead was signed with a bar in Philadelphia called Smokey Joe's where he was making $50 a night mixing drinks near his alma mater at the University of Pennsylvania.

The Brazilian-born Mazzetti's dreams of being a NFL kicker seemed fleeting especially after the former Penn Quakers kicker had unsuccessfully tried out for four teams since the beginning of the 1977 NFL season.

Mazzetti would get his chance to become a NFL kicker as he signed with the Atlanta Falcons six games into the 1978 season as Atlanta cut kicker Fred Steinfort after he made missed seven of 10 field goal attempts in the Falcons' first six games.

Mazzetti made two extra points in his NFL debut which was a 14-0 Falcons win over the Detroit Lions, then kicked the game-winning 29-yard field goal with one second to go to complete Atlanta's comeback from a 10-point deficit in a 20-17 win over the San Francisco 49ers.

Mazzetti's story would be put in the spotlight the following week as the Falcons hosted the Los Angeles Rams on Monday Night Football.

The Rams came into the game with a 7-1 record having lost their first game of the season the week before 10-3 at the hands of the New Orleans Saints.

The Rams were under the direction of first-year head coach Ray Malavasi, who had taken off the reins at head coach after Chuck Knox left Los Angeles to become the head coach of the Buffalo Bills after leading the Rams to five straight NFC West division titles, but zero trips to the Super Bowl as the Rams lost in the NFC Championship three straight times from 1974-76.

With a new coach and quarterback Pat Haden at the helm, the Rams were hoping 1978 was going to be the year they finally made it to the Super Bowl.

 Meanwhile, the Falcons come into the game with a 4-4 record with hopes of making their first postseason in franchise history.

The strength of the Falcons was their defense, the "Grits Blitz" defense which had allowed a NFL low 9.2 points per game the previous season but if Atlanta was going to make a run at the playoffs they needed their anemic offense led by quarterback Steve Bartkowski to pick up the slack and for Mazzetti to become a reliable kicker.

  After forcing a three-and-out by the Falcons on their opening possession, the Rams got the ball at their 41-yard-line where they began a drive to the Atlanta five-yard-line when on 3rd & 4, Haden found tight end Ron Jessie for a two-yard completion, only for Jessie to lose the football after he was hit by Falcons cornerback Rick Byas.

Strong safety Frank Reed would make the recovery for the Falcons and return the fumble nine yards before being tackled at the Atlanta 12-yard-line.

The two teams would trade punts for the rest of the opening quarter until Bartkowski was intercepted by Rams free safety Bill Simpson, whose 24-yard return plus an Atlanta personal foul penalty put Los Angeles at the Falcons 12-yard-line.

Following a two-yard run by Rod Phillips to end the first quarter, Haden connected with Jessie for a 10-yard touchdown to put Los Angeles ahead 7-0 just five seconds into the second quarter.

The Falcons, who did not pick up a single 1st down in the first quarter, were able to get a 1st down on their next possession, a 16-yard pass from Bartkowski to running back Haskel Stanbeck, before punting the ball back to the Rams.

The Rams were set to punt the ball back to the Falcons when Atlanta defensive end Edgar Fields blocked Glen Walker's punt to give Atlanta its best field position of the game as they took over at the LA 23-yard-line.

Four straight runs for 18 yards set up a 22-yard field goal by Mazzetti to put Atlanta on the board as the Falcons trailed 7-3 midway through the second quarter.

Following another exchange of punts, the Rams had the ball at their 41-yard-line when on 3rd & 13, Haden was picked off by Falcons cornerback Rolland Lawrence, whose 19-yard return gave the Falcons the ball at the LA 45-yard-line.

Falcons cornerback Rolland Lawrence had two interceptions in the Falcons' win.

However, the Falcons would lose their starting quarterback on the very next play when Bartkowski separated his left shoulder following a hit when trying to scramble.

Bartkowski would be replaced by June Jones, who could not lead the Falcons past the Rams' 47-yard-line, forcing Atlanta to punt the ball back to the Rams who took over at their 14-yard-line with 1:45 to go before halftime.

Two straight running plays picked up three yards to set up 3rd & 7 when Haden was intercepted again, this time by Byas, to give the Falcons the ball at the LA 28-yard-line with 71 seconds left in the first half.

Jones would attempt three passes, only completing one for nine yards, to set up another Mazzetti field goal, this one from 27 yards out to make it a 7-6 Rams lead with 27 seconds left in the first half.

Haden would be able to complete three straight passes for 45 yards to get the Rams to the Falcons' 34-yard-line as time ran out in the first half with Los Angeles still on top 7-6 and set to get the ball to start the second half.

The Rams would get the ball at their 23-yard-line and drive 45 yards in eight plays to give their kicker, Frank Corral a chance to increase the lead with 49-yard field goal.

But Corral's kick would sail wide left to keep it 7-6 in favor of the Rams and give Atlanta the ball at its 32-yard-line.

Four plays later, the Falcons were at the Rams' 42-yard-line when Jones handed the ball off to Stanbeck, who rumbled for nine yards until LA linebacker Bob Brudzinski jarred the ball loose, leading to a fumble recovery by cornerback Rod Perry to give Los Angeles the ball at its 28-yard-line.

Five plays would pick up 22 yards to set up 3rd & 1 when Phillips was stopped for no gain to set up 4th & 1 from the 50-yard-line.

Needing a few inches, the Rams decided to go for the 1st down only to Cullen Bryant be dropped for an one-yard-loss giving Atlanta the ball at the LA 49-yard-line with 4:17 left in the third quarter.

The Falcons would avoid disaster on the next play from scrimmage as Jones completed a six-yard pass to wide receiver Alfred Jackson, only for Jackson to fumble the football which was picked up by tight end Jim Mitchell, who ran for 10 yards for an Atlanta 1st down at the LA 33-yard-line.

Six more plays totaling 20 yards set up Mazzetti's go-ahead field goal from 30 yards out to give the Falcons its first lead of the game at 9-7 just four seconds into the fourth quarter.

The "Grits Blitz" defense had a good night as they held the Rams to seven points, forced five turnovers and had five quarterback sacks.

The Rams would get the ball back at its 22-yard-line as LA would pick up one 1st down before it was backed up eight yards to set up 3rd & 18 from the LA 27-yard-line when Haden was intercepted again by Lawrence on a deep pass for Jessie to give the Falcons the ball back at their 28-yard-line.

From there, the Falcons would put together their best drive of the game, a 10-play, 64-yard drive which featured a 34-yard pass from Jones to Jackson, that was capped off by a 26-yard field goal by Mazzetti to increase the Atlanta lead to 12-7 with 6:41 left in the fourth quarter.

When the Rams' offense came back onto the field for its next possession, they did so with a new quarterback as when backup Vince Ferragamo took over for Haden in hopes of sparking LA to a comeback win.

The Rams would go three-and-out to punt the ball back to Atlanta, who took over at its 25-yard-line with less than five minutes to go.

It appeared that the Rams would get the ball back after they forced a three-and-out only to have Jackie Wallace fumble the football when trying to make a return on the punt, leading to a recovery by the Falcons' Mike Esposito to give Atlanta the ball at the LA 25-yard-line.

Three straight runs for five yards put Mazzetti in position to make it a two-score game(The NFL did not have two-point conversions in 1978)which he did with a 37-yard field goal to increase the Falcons' lead to 15-7 with 2:09 left in the game leading to broadcaster Howard Cosell to say "This Philadelphia bartender won't need to mix scotch-and-waters any longer".

Ferragamo would come back out with the Rams offense on their next possession as LA frantically tried to drive down the field in hopes of getting a quick score then recover an onside kick and get another score before the 2:09 ran out.

Passes of 22 yards to Billy Waddy and 28 yards to Willie Miller gave the Rams a chance to make it a five-point game as Corral came on to attempt a 42-yard field goal with 57 seconds left.

But once again, Corral's kick sailed wide left, giving the ball back to the Falcons who took two knees to run out the clock to complete the 15-7 Atlanta win.

The Rams would rebound from the loss to finish the regular season with a 12-4 record and their sixth straight NFC West title as LA would knock off the Minnesota Vikings 34-10 in the Divisional Round before losing 28-0 to the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC Championship Game.

The Rams would eventually get past the NFC Championship the following season with Ferragamo at quarterback as he lead Los Angeles to upset wins over the Cowboys and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to send Los Angeles to Super Bowl XIV where LA was defeated by the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-19.

As for the Falcons, they would finish the regular season with a 9-7 record, good enough to earn a sport in the playoffs for the first time in team history as Atlanta would come back from a 13-0 4th quarter deficit to pull out a 14-13 win over the Philadelphia Eagles, before falling to the Cowboys 27-20 in the Divisional Round(To read about the Falcons-Cowboys game, click on the link which is highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2017/11/nfl-old-school-game-of-week-white-comes.html).

Mazzetti did not mix scotch and waters for two-and-a half years as he remained the Falcons' placekicker until he was cut during training camp of the 1981 season.

Mazzetti would then moved into the broadcasting business as was a sports reporter for an Atlanta television news station for the next two years before coming out of retirement to join the USFL's Boston Breakers, where he would be the team's kicker for the next three years before retiring for good in 1986.

College Football Old School Game of the Week: Sooners Use Passing Game to Come Back From 10-Point Deficit to Beat Nebraska for Big 8 Title

 

Oklahoma tight end Keith Jackson makes what would be the catch to set up the Sooners' game-winning field goal over Nebraska in 1986.

During head coach Barry Switzer's tenure as the head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners from 1973 through 1988, the Sooners were known for their wishbone offense and would rarely put the ball in the air as their quarterbacks often attempted only a handful of passes throughout the season.

However, the Sooners would need their passing game to defeat the Nebraska Cornhuskers in their final game of the 1986 regular season where the winner would win the Big 8 conference championship ane earn a berth to the Orange Bowl in Miami.

Oklahoma entered the game ranked #3 with a 9-1 record behind their dominant defense led by All-American linebacker Brian Bosworth that had only given up 56 points during the entire season with half of those points coming a 28-16 loss to the Miami Hurricanes.

On offense, quarterback Jamelle Holieway led the wishbone attack which featured a secret weapon in All-American tight end Keith Jackson, who had only caught 12 passes in the season, but four of them for touchdowns.

Meanwhile, the Huskers also came into the game with a 9-1 record and ranked #5 under head coach Tom Osborne, who had never lost more than three games in a season since he became the Nebraska head coach back in 1973.

Like the Sooners, Nebraska's offense was predicated on the run as it was an I-formation option offense led by quarterback Steve Taylor, which going into the Oklahoma game averaged nearly 40 points per game.

Nebraska was hoping to win the Big 8 title for the first time since 1983 when the Huskers famously went for two instead of going for the tie in their heartbreaking 31-30 loss to Miami in the 1984 Orange Bowl.

 The Huskers avoided disaster on the second play of the game when Taylor tried to pitch the ball to running back Keith Jones only to have the ball go over Jones' head and bounced toward the Nebraska end zone until Taylor was able to fall on the football before Oklahoma safety Sonny Brown could recover it at the four-yard-line.

Nebraska would be forced to punt from the four-yard-line as the Sooners would take over at the Huskers' 44 and drive 30 yards to the 14-yard-line where they faced a 4th & 1.

Switzer decided to go for the 1st down instead of kicking a 31-yard field goal which backfired on the Sooners as Holieway fumbled the snap from center leading to running back Spencer Tillman recovering it for an one-yard loss and a turnover on downs.

Nebraska would take over at its 15-yard-line where it took six plays for the Huskers just to drive to their 35-yard-line when Taylor put the ball in the air and completed a 39-yard pass to wingback Dana Brinson for a 1st down at the Oklahoma 26-yard-line.

Taylor followed this up with a 11-yard completion to Rod  Smith for another Nebraska 1st down at the Sooners' 15-yard-line.

From there, Jones would get the ball on three of the Huskers' next four plays, culminating with a two-yard touchdown to complete the 12-play, 85-yard drive to give Nebraska a 7-0 lead with 6:27 left in the first quarter.

Nebraska quarterback Steve Taylor completed nine of 20 passes for 131 yards and ran for 44 yards on 23 carries.

The Sooners would get the ball back at its 30-yard-line but seemed poised to go three & out as running back Patrick Collins was stopped for no gain on 3rd & 6, only to have Nebraska be called for a five-yard face mask penalty to give Oklahoma another chance on converting the 3rd down when Nebraska cornerback Brian Davis was called for a late hit after Sooners fullback Leon Perry was stopped for no gain, giving Oklahoma 15 yards and a 1st down at the Nebraska 46-yard-line.

After two runs for no gain, the Sooners went to the air on 3rd down as Holieway was able to find Jackson for a 29-yard completion and a 1st down at the Nebraska 17-yard-line.

Three plays later, the Sooners were in the end zone as Holieway kept for a four-yard touchdown that with the extra point tied the game at 7 with 2:36 left in the first quarter.

Both teams would trade punts as the game moved into the second quarter still tied 7-7 when the Huskers got the ball at their 28-yard-line where they put together a 12-play, 58-yard drive which saw Taylor complete three passes for 38 yards to set up a 32-yard field goal by Dan Klein to give Nebraska a 10-7 lead with 4:48 remaining in the second quarter.

Neither team would mount another scoring threat in the final minutes of the first half as Nebraska went to the locker room with a 10-7 halftime lead as the Huskers finished the first half with 164 yards of total offense, barely eclipsing the 163.7 average that the Oklahoma defense had allowed per game.

The Sooners got the ball to start the second half but were forced to punt the ball back to Nebraska who would take over at the Oklahoma 28-yard-line following a 48-yard punt return by Brinson.

Taylor would run for three yards on 1st down, then went back to the air as he fired a 25-yard touchdown pass to Rod Smith to increase the Huskers' lead to 17-7 with 10:48 left in the third quarter.

Following another Oklahoma punt on its ensuing possession, the two teams would trade turnovers as Sooners linebacker Dante Jones intercepted a Taylor pass to give Oklahoma the ball back at its 29-yard-line, only to have Holieway throw an interception to Nebraska linebacker Marc Munford, whose 15-yard return gave Nebraska the ball at the Oklahoma 40-yard-line when Bosworth made his presence felt as he jarred the ball loose from Jones, leading to a fumble recovery by Sooners defensive back Scott Garl at the Oklahoma 35-yard-line.

The Sooners would stabilize things with a 11-play,58-yard drive which did not end until 10:39 left in the fourth quarter when kicker Tim Lashar kicked a 22-yard field goal to cut the Nebraska lead to 17-10.

It looked like "Sooner Magic" was going to strike again especially after Bosworth forced another fumble when his hit of Keith Jones led to a recovery by defensive back Derrick White to give Oklahoma the ball at the Nebraska 33-yard-line with 8:36 left in the game.

However, the Sooners would give it right back to the Huskers when Holieway lost the football after he was hit by Nebraska defensive tackle Neil Smith as Munford would fall on the fumble to give the ball back to Nebraska at its 25-yard-line.

The Sooners would force a three-and-out to get the ball back at their 27-yard-line when Switzer went into his bag of tricks and called for a hook-and-ladder play as Holieway completed a pass to Derrick Shepard who was supposed to lateral the ball to running back Anthony Stafford.

But Shepard and Stafford could not make the connection leading to another Sooners fumble that was recovered by Nebraska strong safety Brian Washington at the Oklahoma 44-yard-line.

The Huskers would go three-and-out to punt the ball back to the Sooners who would take over at their six-yard-line with 4:10 and needing a touchdown plus extra point to win the Big 8 title.

Oklahoma quarterback Jamelle Holieway accounted for 222 yards of total offense and two touchdowns.

Three running plays picked up nine yards to set up a 4th & 1 at the Sooners' 15-yard-line as Switzer decided to go for the 1st down instead of punting the ball away and hoping for another stop by his defense.

Holieway kept the ball and ran around the right side for five yards until he fumbled the football which was recovered by Davis to give the ball back to the Huskers  only to have the turnover nullified by a face mask penalty on Nebraska defensive end Broderick Thomas which allowed the Sooners to keep the football and a new set of downs at their 25-yard-line.

An eight-yard pass from Holieway to Carl Cabbiness would set up 3rd & 2 from the Sooners' 33-yard-line when Holieway found Shepard for 35 yards to give Oklahoma a 1st down at the Nebraska 32-yard-line.

The Sooners would keep on the ground for the next four play totaling 15 yards to set up 2nd & 7 from the Nebraska 17-yard-line Holieway dropped back and connected with Jackson for the 17-yard touchdown to bring Oklahoma to within a point.

Knowing a tie would clinch the Big 8 title for his team, Switzer sent in the field goal unit to kick the extra point instead of potential attempting a two-point conversion which if failed would keep the Sooners out of the Orange Bowl as Lashar successfully made the kick to make it 17-17 with 1:22 left in the game.

The Huskers would get the ball back at their 20-yard-line hoping to drive down the field for a potential game-winning field goal that would send them to Miami for the Orange Bowl.

But after two runs by Taylor four yards and an incomplete pass later, the Huskers were forced to punt the ball away to the Sooners who took over at their 35-yard-line with 50 seconds left on the clock.

Holieway handed the ball off to Carr who ran for 12 yards and a 1st down at the Oklahoma 47-yard-line which was followed by an incomplete pass and a holding penalty that pushed the Sooners back 10 yards to their 37-yard-line where Holieway ran for eight yards to set up 3rd & 12 from the Sooners' 45-yard-line.

That is when "Sooner Magic" struck again as Holieway threw a pass  for Jackson, who made a spectacular one-handed catch and then ran down the sideline until he was knocked out of bounds at the Nebraska 14-yard-line with nine seconds to go.

Switzer decided not to take any chances and sent in Lashar to attempt the game-winning field goal, which the fifth-year senior calmly made to give Oklahoma a 20-17 lead with six seconds to go.

A 15-yard excessive celebration penalty on the Sooners following the field goal  plus a short kick on the kickoff that was returned 15 yards by Doug Dalton gave the Huskers the ball at the Oklahoma 42-yard-line with one second on the lock, just enough time for one last play.

However, defensive tackle Steve Bryan would sack Taylor to end the game and secure the 20-17 Oklahoma victory for the Sooners as they clinched their third straight Big 8 conference championship.

The loss to Oklahoma sent the Huskers to the Sugar Bowl where they would defeat the LSU Tigers 30-15 as Nebraska would finish the season with a 10-2 record and top 5 ranking in both the AP and Coaches polls while the Sooners would dismantle the Arkansas Razorbacks  42-8 in the Orange Bowl to finish with a 11-1 record and #3 ranking in final AP & Coaches polls.

One year later, Oklahoma would return to Lincoln to haunt the Huskers once again as the #2 Sooners defeated #1 Nebraska 17-7 in the "Game of the Century II"(To read all about that game, click on the link which is highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2021/09/college-football-old-school-game-of_15.html)to win the Big 8 conference for the 4th year in a row.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Marino Outlasts Bledsoe in Memorable Opening Day Duel

As the Miami Dolphins began the 1994 season, the biggest question was how would Dan Marino look one year after tearing his right Achilles tendon, which ended his 1993 season just five games in.

The injury was so catastrophic that it caused Marino's right calf muscle to degenerate which lead to a special shoe to be fitted for Marino's right foot.

In the preseason, Marino struggled as he was unable to put weight on his toes and push off on his right foot, leading to some wonder whether or not Bernie Kosar, the former Cleveland Browns quarterback who had been signed in the offseason, to become the Miami starter.

But legendary head coach Don Shula decided to have Marino start the season as the #1 quarterback as the Dolphins hosted the New England Patriots in week 1 of the 1994 NFL season.

While some thought Marino's best days were behind him, many thought the future was bright for Patriots quarterback Drew Bledsoe, who had been selected as the #1 overall pick of the 1993 NFL draft.

In his rookie season, Bledsoe started 12 games for the Patriots, winning five of them as New England went 5-11 in the first season under head coach Bill Parcells.

Having ended the '93 season on a four-game winning streak, hopes were high that the Patriots could take the next step and become a contender for a spot in the AFC playoffs as they traveled to Miami to take on the Dolphins.

 After the Patriots went three-and-out on their opening possession of the game, the Dolphins would get the ball at their 36-yard-line with Marino throwing as his first two passes went incomplete before connecting with Scott Miller for 16 yards and a 1st down at the New England 48-yard-line.

From there, running back Terry Kirby would run the ball three straight times for a total of nine yards setting up 4th & 1 when Shula decided to go for the 1st down as Marino handed it off again to Kirby, who lost the football after he was hit by Patriots linebacker Marty Moore as free safety Myron Guyton made the recovery at the New England 41-yard-line.

The Patriots would convert the turnover into points as they drove 59 yards in 10 plays with the drive being capped off with an one-yard touchdown run by Kevin Turner to give New England a 7-0 lead with 4:44 left in the first quarter.

Patriots quarterback Drew Bledsoe 32 of 51 passes for 421 yards and threw five touchdown passes.

The Dolphins would begin its next possession at its 30-yard-line and put together a drive that would last into the second quarter as Marino completed six of his next passes for 45 yards and even scrambled for 10 yards as Miami drove to the Patriots' two-yard-line where they had 1st & goal.

After an one-yard run by Kirby on 1st down and an illegal shift penalty pushed Miami back five yards, Marino fired a pass that bounced off the hands of running back Keith Byars and into the arms of Patriots linebacker Dwayne Sabb for the interception to give the ball back to the Patriots at their nine-yard-line.

Following an exchange of punts, the Patriots would drive from their 20-yard-line to the Miami 18-yard-line until Bledsoe was intercepted by Dolphins cornerback Troy Vincent to give the ball back to Marino at his nine-yard-line with a little over four minutes left before halftime.

Three runs by Kirby for 22 yards plus a 5-yard face mask penalty put the Dolphins at their 36-yard-line when Marino fired a deep pass for Mark Ingram who made the catch at the Patriots' 36-yard-line and then proceed to outran the New England defense to complete the 64-yard touchdown to tie the game at 7 with 2:15 left in the first half.

The Patriots would get the ball back at its 32-yard-line as Bledsoe would complete six of seven passes for 63 yards on an eight-play, 68-yard drive that culminated with a two-yard touchdown pass from Bledsoe to tight end Ben Coates to give New England a 14-10 lead with 25 seconds left before halftime.

Miami would begin its next possession at its 33-yard-line with 19 seconds left in the half and two timeouts giving Marino enough time to possibly to lead the Dolphins into field goal range.

Marino would find O.J. McDuffie for 21 yards, called timeout, and then hit Miller for 21 yards to set up a 42-yard field goal by Pete Stoyanovich as time expired in the first half with the Dolphins trailing 14-10 but set to get the ball to start the second half.

However, the Dolphins would go three-and-out on their initial possession of the second half, forcing them to punt the ball back to the Patriots, where it took them only two plays to get back into the end zone as Bledsoe hit Coates for a 62-yard touchdown to increase the New England lead to 21-10 just 2:27 into the third quarter.

After both teams went three-and-out on their ensuing possessions, the Dolphins got the ball at their 39-yard-line where it took them only one play to get into New England territory as Marino completed a 40-yard pass to former Patriots wide receiver Irving Fryar to give Miami a 1st down at the Patriots' 21-yard-line.

Two plays later on 3rd & 15, Marino fired a 26-yard touchdown pass to tight end Keith Jackson which brought Dolphins to within five points at 21-16 as Miami decided to attempt a two-point conversion which was successful as Kirby ran into it to make a three-point game at 21-18 with 8:13 left in the third quarter.

Dolphins wide receiver Irving Fryar would catch five passes for 211 yards and score three touchdowns.

The Patriots began its next possession at its 25-yard-line as Bledsoe completed back-to-back passes for 30 yards to put New England at the Miami 45-yard-line when Bledsoe was picked off by Dolphins free safety Gene Atkins to give the ball back to the Dolphins at their 35-yard-line.

But just one play later, the Patriots had the ball again as Marino fumbled the snap from center Jeff Dellenbach with New England defensive end Mike Jones making the recovery at the Miami 24-yard-line.

Five plays later, the Patriots were in the end zone again as Bledsoe found Michael Timpson over the middle for a five-yard touchdown to push the New England lead back to double digits at 28-18 with 4:27 left in the third quarter.

Back came the Dolphins as they drove 78 yards in four plays as Marino connected with Fryar a 54-yard touchdown to cut the Patriots' lead to three points at 28-25 with 3:09 remaining in the third quarter.

The Patriots would hold the ball for the rest of the third quarter before punting the ball back to the Dolphins who took over at their 46-yard-line as Kirby ran for four yards on 1st down, then took an handoff from Marino only to pitch it back to the quarterback on a flea flicker, who then found Fryar for a 50-yard touchdown to give Miami its first lead of the game at 32-28 with exactly 14 minutes left in the 4th quarter.

New England would respond with a six-play, 67-yard drive that ended with Bledsoe's fifth touchdown pass of the day, a 23-yarder to Ray Crittenden who made a diving catch in the right corner of the end zone to give the Patriots a 35-32 lead with 10:12 left in regulation.

After both teams punted on their ensuing possessions, the Dolphins got the ball back at its 20-yard-line with 7:14 left in regulation.

The drive got off to an auspcious start as Marino was sacked for a nine-yard-loss on 1st down, but would turn around as Marino hit Byars for seven yards on 2nd down then Kirby for 21 yards on 3rd & 12 to give Miami a 1st down at its 39-yard-line.

Marino would lead the Dolphins to the Patriots' 35-yard-line until they were faced with a 4th & 5 when Shula decided to go for the 1st down instead of a potential game-tying field goal.

The gamble paid off and then some as Marino fired a pass down the right sideline and connected with Fryar for a 35-yard touchdown to give the Dolphins a 39-35 lead with 3:19 left in the fourth quarter.

Marino would finish with 473 yards and four touchdowns on 23-of-42 passes.

The Patriots would get the ball back at its 20-yard-line as Bledsoe would complete two passes for 27 yards before throwing two straight incomplete passes to set up 3rd & 10 when Bledsoe found Coates for an apparent 1st down.

But as Coates ran to the Miami 30-yard-line, he lost the football following an hit by Atkins, leading to Dolphins strong safety Michael Stewart making the recovery to give the Dolphins the ball at their 26-yard-line with 1:51 left and a chance to run out the clock.

However, the Dolphins could not pick up a 1st down and were forced to punt the ball back to the Patriots who took over at their 35-yard-line with 1:18 left in the game.

Bledsoe would complete two passes to get the Patriots to the 50-yard-line until Bledsoe ran out of bullets as he fired four straight incomplete passes to end New England's chances of pulling out the win.

Marino would take a knee to run out the clock in the Dolphins' 39-35 victory which saw both quarterbacks combine for 894 yards and nine touchdown passes.

The Patriots would recover from the Week 1 loss to finish with a 10-6 record to earn New England a trip to the postseason for the first time since 1986 as Bledsoe finished the season as the NFL's leading passer in yards as he threw for 4,555 yards.

Not to be outdone, Marino would finish the season with 4,453 yards and 30 touchdown passes as the future Hall-of-Famer would win the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year award as he led the Dolphins to an identical 10-6 record, but good enough to win the AFC East division title as they swept the season series with the Patriots(Miami defeated New England 23-3 in Week 9)as Miami would knock off the Kansas City Chiefs 27-17 in the Wild Card round then would fall to the San Diego Chargers 22-21 in the Divisional Round.