NFL Old School Game of the Week: Morten's Shocking FG Miss Paves Way for Jaguars to Clinch Playoff Berth

Wide receiver Keenan McCardell leaps into the arms of defensive end Tony Brackens after the Jaguars secured thier first playoff berth in just the team's second year of existence.

If you had told anybody that the Jacksonville Jaguars would be on the cusp of a postseason berth in just their second year of existence, you probably would have been laughed at.

But that was the case as the 1996 NFL regular season came to an end as the Jaguars needed to defeat the Atlanta Falcons in the final week of the regular season to clinch a playoff spot.

The Jacksonville Jaguars joined the NFL in 1995 as one of the two new expansion teams with the other being the Carolina Panthers and went 4-12 in their inaugural season and hoped to improve on that record in 1996.

By the time Thanksgiving rolled around, the Jaguars had matched their win total of the year before but a playoff berth seemed out of the question as they stood with a 4-7 record.

That is when the Jaguars, led by head coach Tom Coughlin, released wide receiver Andre Rison and replaced him with Jimmy Smith to join Keenan McCardell as the other starting wide receiver as the pair would catch passes from quarterback Mark Brunell.

The move seemed to spark the Jaguars as the two combined for 238 yards on 17 catches as Jacksonville knocked off the Baltimore Ravens 28-25 in overtime, kickstarting a four-game winning streak to push the Jaguars' record to 8-7, needing just one more win to secure a spot in the postseason .

All the Jaguars had to do was defeat the lowly Falcons, who entered the game with a 3-12 record after starting out the season 0-8.

The '96 season had been a nightmare for the Falcons as the team had cut quarterback Jeff George following an argument he had with head coach June Jones during Atlanta' 33-18 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in week 4.

Bobby Hebert would take over the reins at quarterback  but that did not solve all of the Falcons problems as the defense gave up 442 points through the first 15 weeks of the season, an average of 29.4 points per game.

With all the dysfunction in Atlanta and success in Jacksonville, the Jaguars were nearly 10 point favorites to beat the Falcons and move on to the playoffs.

However, the Jaguars would be in for a struggle with the Falcons in a game that would not be decided until the final seconds.

After the Falcons went three-and-out to start the game, the Jaguars got the ball at their 23-yard-line as Brunell would complete a 14-yard pass to Smith to start the drive, then connected with Willie Jackson for 13 yards, and then McCardell for 17 yards to help put Jacksonville at the Atlanta 28-yard-line.

From there, running back Natrone Means would run the ball four straight times, gaining 17 yards to set up an 11-yard touchdown run by Brunell to give Jacksonville a 7-0 lead midway through the opening quarter.

The two teams would trade punts until early in the second quarter when the Falcons were able to drive from their 43-yard-line to the Jacksonville 20-yard-line until a quarterback sack by cornerback Aaron Beasley forced a 46-yard field goal by Andersen to cut the Jaguars' lead to 7-3 with 12:25 to go in the second quarter.

The Jaguars would get the ball back at their 25-yard-line as Brunell would complete five of his next seven passes for 51 yards to help lead Jacksonville drive to the Falcons' five-yard-line where they faced a 2nd & 1.

However, the Jaguars could not convert as Means would be stopped for no gain on back-to-back carries, leading to Jacksonville to settle for a 23-yard field goal by Mike Hollis to push the Jaguars' lead back to seven points at 10-3 with 6:12 left in the second quarter.

Following an Atlanta three-and-out, the Jaguars would drive from their 14-yard-line to the Falcons' eight-yard-line as Means ran the ball four times for 25 yards while Brunell would complete three passes for 38 yards while scrambling for 16 yards to set up Jacksonville with a 1st & goal situation.

But the Jaguars could not punch it in for a touchdown as two incomplete passes and a Brunell run that went for no gain forced Jacksonville to settle for a 26-yard field goal by Hollis to increase the Jacksonville lead to 13-3 with 42 seconds left before halftime.

The Falcons would drive to midfield as time expired in the first half with the Jaguars ahead 13-3 and set to get the ball to start the second half.

Jacksonville would start its initial possession of the second half at their 20-yard-line with two runs by Means for eight yards to set up 3rd & 2 when Brunell connected with Smith for 23 yards and a 1st down at the Falcons' 49-yard-line.

The Jaguars would once again drive to inside the Falcons' 10-yard-line but would once again have to settle for a field goal as Hollis would come on to kick a 22-yard field to end the 13-play, 76-yard drive that took nearly seven minutes off the clock and increased the Jacksonville lead to 16-3.

Jaguars quarterback Mark Brunell would complete 18 of 29 passes for 222 yards while running for 28 yards on four carries.

After an 18-yard return by Roell Preston on the ensuing kickoff, the Falcons would start their ensuing possession at their 28-yard-line having with a 14-yard pass from Hebert to running back Richard Huntley, which was followed by an 11-yard run by Craig  "Ironhead" Heyward and then a 15-yard scramble by Hebert to put Atlanta at the Jacksonville 32-yard-line.

Six plays later, the Falcons were in the end zone as Hebert found Eric Metcalf for a four-yard touchdown to cut the Jaguars' lead to 16-10 with 2:34 left in the third quarter.

The Jaguars would get the ball back at their 26-yard-line as Brunell would complete three of four passes for 36 yards, with two of those passes going to tight end Derek Brown for 24 yards, to set up another Hollis field goal, this one from 42 yards out to increase the Jacksonville lead to 19-10 with 13 minutes to go in the fourth quarter.

The Falcons would start their next possession at their 23-yard-line as running back Jamal Anderson would carry the ball twice for 12 yards to start the drive which was followed by Hebert completing five of six passes for 53 yards to lead Atlanta to the two-yard-line where Heyward punched it in for a two-yard touchdown to make it a one-possession game at 19-17 with 5:39 left in the game.

Needing a few 1st downs to run out the clock, the Jaguars would go three-and-out to punt the ball back to the Falcons, who took over at their 30-yard-line with 3:57 left and needing just a field goal to win.

The drive would begin with an one-yard run by Anderson followed by a four-yard pass from Hebert to Tyrone Brown to set up 3rd & 5 when Anderson ran for 14 yards to give Atlanta a 1st down at the Falcons' 49-yard-line.

After Anderson ran for three yards on 1st down, Hebert found Brown again, this time for 23 yards for another 1st down at the Jaguars' 25-yard-line.

Heyward would carry the ball on the next two plays, picking up five yards as the Jaguars burned their last two timeouts in hopes of preserving enough time for Jacksonville assuming the Falcons scored.

Anderson would get the ball on 3rd & 5 and run for seven yards to pick up another 1st down at the Jacksonville 13-yard-line, easily in field goal range for Andersen.

The Falcons would run two more plays before calling on Andersen to come and kick a 30-yard field goal with 11 seconds to play.

It looked like the Falcons were going to break the Jaguars' hearts as Andersen had not missed a field goal of 30 yards or shorter since 1989 or 59 consecutive field goals.

The only hope for the Jaguars was for one of the Jaguars to block the kick or hope that the holder would botch the snap.

But none of those were needed as Andersen shockingly pushed the kick wide left and no good, allowing for the Jaguars to take a knee to run out the clock as Jacksonville came away with the 19-17 win and their first ever playoff berth in just their second year of existence.

One day after the loss to Jacksonville, Jones was fired as head coach and replaced by Dan Reeves who helped lead the Falcons to the Super Bowl two years later.

As for the Jaguars, they earned a trip to Buffalo take on the Bills in the AFC Wild Card round as Means ran for 175 yards to lead Jacksonville to a 30-27 upset to advance to the Divisional Round where the Jaguars would shock the Denver Broncos 30-27 in what is considered one of the greatest upsets in NFL history.

However, the Jaguars' Cinderella run would come to an end one week later as they fell to the New England Patriots 20-6 in the AFC Championship Game.

College Football Old School Game of the Week: #1 Iowa Holds off Michigan State Thanks to Long's QB Bootleg TD

 

Iowa quarterback Chuck Long would complete 30 of 39 passes for 380 yards and throw four touchdowns in the Hawkeyes' win against the Spartans.

On November 10, 1984, the Iowa Hawkeyes lost to the Michigan State Spartans 17-16 when quarterback Chuck Long was ruled to fall short of the goal line when he tried to dive into the end zone on a quarterback option with 44 seconds to go.

The loss ended Iowa' s hopes of winning the Big 10 championship and earning a trip to the Rose Bowl as the Hawkeyes finished the 1984 season with a 8-4-1 record.

Eleven months after their heartbreaking loss to the Spartans, the Hawkeyes would get a shot at redemption when they hosted the Spartans in Iowa City as the #1 team in the country.

Following the 1984 season, Long announced he would be returning to Iowa for his fifth and final year of eligibility under head coach Hayden Fry, who had since his arrival in 1979 had turned Iowa from the one of the worst programs in college football to a top 25 program as the Hawkeyes had gone 42-28-1 after 19 consecutive losing seasons from 1962 through 1980.

With Long at quarterback to lead a offense which featured running back Ronnie Harmon and All-American linebacker Larry Station to lead the defense, the Hawkeyes entered the 1985 season as the #5 team in the country and the favorite to win the Big 10 and go to the Rose Bowl for the second time in five years.

After three blowout victories where the offense averaged 54.3 points per game, the Hawkeyes propelled to the #1 ranking as the month of October was set to begin.

Their first opponent as the #1 team in the country would be Michigan State who came into the game unranked with a 2-1 record under third-year head coach George Perles, who was an defensive assistant on the Pittsburgh Steelers during their 1970s dynasty.

On offense, their best weapon was sophomore running back Lorenzo White, who had run for 438 yards on 98 carries through the Spartans' first three games while redshirt freshman Bobby McAllister was still trying to get comfortable as he threw for a total of just 99 yards in his first two starts(McAllister did not start the first game of the season).

If the Spartans were going to upset the Hawkeyes, they would need a strong passing game from McAllister who future NFL wide receivers Mark Ingram and Andre Rison to go to.

  The Spartans got the ball to start the game as they drove from their 18-yard-line to inside Hawkeyes territory on the right arm of McAlister as he completed passes of 19 yards to tight end Butch Rolle and 11 yards to tight end Veno Belk to put Michigan State at the Iowa 45-yard-line.

But the drive would stall and the Spartans would be forced to punt to the Hawkeyes, who took over at their 21-yard-line as two runs by Harmon picked up five yards and Long completed two passes for 14 yards tobset up a 2nd & 2 at the Iowa 40-yard-line.

That is when Long went deep for wingback Robert Smith, who made the catch at the Spartans' 15-yard-line and proceeded to run it in to complete the 60-yard touchdown to give Iowa a 7-0  lead with 10:23 left in the first quarter.

When the Spartans got the ball back at their 24-yard-line, they used White to help them get down the field as the sophomore carried the ball six times for 30 yards to help set up a 51-yard field goal attempt by Chris Caudall.

However, Caudall's kick was short and no good, allowing for the Hawkeyes to take over at their 34-yard-line.

After an exchange of punts, the Hawkeyes got the ball at their 32-yard-line as they drove 68 yards in seven plays using a mix of run and pass as Harmon carried the ball three times for 31 yards while Long was a perfect 3-for-3 for 33 yards with his last completion being a 17-yard touchdown pass to Mike Flagg(The other play was a four-yard run by Smith) to increase the Iowa lead to 13-0 early in the second quarter as kicker Rob Hougthlin missed the extra point.

Iowa tight end Mike Flagg(86)would account for 14 points as he caught two touchdowns and a two-point conversion 

The Spartans would begin their next possession at their 36-yard-line as an incomplete pass and a four-yard run by White would set up 3rd & 6 when McAllister went deep and completed a 52-yard pass to Mark Ingram to give Michigan State a 1st & goal at the Iowa eight-yard-line.

However, the Hawkeyes defense would rise to the occasion as they pushed the Spartans back seven yards on the next three plays, forcing Michigan State to settle for a 32-yard field goal by Caudell to cut the Iowa lead to 13-3 with 11:34 remaining in the second quarter.

Following an Iowa three-and-out, the Spartans would drive 63 yards in just three plays as McAllister completed a short pass to Rison, who then ran down the left sideline and was able to get into the end zone for a 50-yard touchdown to cut the Hawkeyes' lead to 13-10 with 9:15 left in the second quarter.

The two teams would trade punts until late in the second quarter when the Spartans got the ball at their 19-yard-line with 2:27 left before halftime and quickly drove to inside Iowa territory as White ran for 26 yards to start the drive and then ran for 13 more to put Michigan State at the Hawkeyes' 42-yard-line.

After McAllister was dropped for a five-yard-loss, he completed consecutive passes to Rison that totaled eight yards to give Caudell a shot at a 56-yard field goal that would tie the game.

Caudell's kick was long enough but it sailed wide left and no good as the first half came to an end with Iowa ahead 13-10.

The Spartans would get the ball to start the second half  as they had deferred the opening coin toss as they would begin their opening possession of the second half at their 29-yard-line.

The drive would begin with White carrying the ball four straight times picking up a total of 16 yards before McAllister put the ball in the air as he completed a six-yard pass to Rolle that got five yards added on thanks to a face-mask penalty to put the Spartans at the Iowa 44-yard-line.

Two more runs by White for five yards and a four-yard pass to Rolle set up a 4th & 1 when Perles decided to go for the 1st down which he got when McAllister ran a quarterback bootleg for 12 yards to give Michigan State a 1st down at the Iowa 23-yard-line.

That is when White took a pitch from McAllister and broke four Iowa tacklers on his way to a 23-yard touchdown to give Michigan State a 17-13 lead with 12:30 remaining in the third quarter.

Iowa would start its initial drive of the second half at their 20-yard-line as Long completed passes of 16 yards to Flagg and 18 yards to Bill Happel to lead the Hawkeyes to the Michigan State 47-yard-line until Long was picked off by Spartans safety Phil Parker to give Michigan State the ball back at its 29-yard-line.

Four runs by White for 33 yards would put the Spartans at the Iowa 37-yard-line when McAllister connected with Ingram for a 36-yard pass to give Michigan State a 1st & goal at the one-yard-line.

After McAllister was stopped for no gain on 1st down, he tossed to White, who took it around the left side for the one-yard touchdown to increase the Spartans' lead to 24-13 with 7:01 to go in the third quarter.

Michigan State running back Lorenzo White would carry the ball 39 times for 226 yards and score two touchdowns.

Having given up 24 straight points, the Hawkeyes needed a score of some kind as they began their next possession at their 37-yard-line.

Following two incomplete passes to start the drive, Long would find Happel for 24 yards and then connected with Harmon on a screen pass that totaled 37 yards to give the Hawkeyes a 1st & goal at the three-yard-line when Long rolled to his left and hit Smith for the three-yard touchdown to make it 24-19.

The Hawkeyes decided to go for the two-point conversion which they got when Long found Flagg in the back of the end zone to cut the Michigan State lead to 24-21 with 6:16 to play in the third quarter.

Iowa would force the Spartans to go three-and-out on their ensuing possession to get the ball back at the Michigan State 46-yard-line as Long hit Scott Helverson for 21 yards and a 1st down at the Spartans' 25-yard-line as two passes for five yards would bring up 3rd & 5 when Harmon carried the ball for eight yards and a 1st down at the Spartans' 12-yard-line.

That is when Long hit a wide open Flagg in the right corner of the end zone for the 12-yard touchdown to give Iowa a 28-24 lead with 3:21 left in the third quarter.

The two teams would trade punts as the game moved into the fourth quarter when Iowa got the ball at their 20-yard-line as three straight running plays for 24 yards set up a 2nd & 6 when Long connected with Harmon a 54-yard screen pass only to have negated because of a clipping penalty.

Two plays later, Long was intercepted by Michigan State cornerback Todd Krumm to give the ball back to the Spartans at their 11-yard-line with 9:20 remaining in the game.

The drive would get off to an auspicious start as White came off the field limping following an one-yard loss as the sophomore left the game with a sprained right ankle and was replaced by freshman Craig Johnson.

Johnson would get the ball on the next four plays, running for 26 yards before McAllister connected with Ingram for 12 yards to give Michigan State a 1st down at the Spartans' 48-yard-line when Johnson got the ball again and ran for 21 yards for a Spartans 1st down at the Iowa 31-yard-line.

After two more runs by Johnson for six yards to set up 3rd & 4, the freshman would take up the gut and run for a 25-yard touchdown to cap off the 10-play, 89-yard drive in which Johnson ran for 78 yards on eight carries.

More importantly he gave the Spartans a 31-28 lead with 4:06 to go in the game.

Following a 17-yard return by Harmon on the ensuing kickoff, the Hawkyes would get the ball at their 22-yard-line hoping to have their Heisman Trophy candidate lead them down the field for at least a potential tie or victory.

Long hit Helverson for 12 yards to begin the drive then after an incomplete pass, went back to Helverson for nine yards to set up 3rd & 1 when Harmon got the call as he carried for two yards and a 1st down at the Iowa 45-yard-line.

Long would go back to the air as he found Helverson for eight yards then threw an incomplete pass to bring up 3rd & 2 when Long handed the ball off to Harmon, who carried for four yards and a 1st down at the Michigan State 43-yard-line.

That is when Long found Happel for 20 yards, then went back to Helverson for 12 more yards to give the Hawkeyes a 1st down at the Spartans' 11-yard-line.

Harmon would get the ball on the next two plays as he ran for nine yards to set up a crucial 3rd & 1 at the two-yard-line with 31 seconds left when Iowa called timeout.

With both teams probably getting a feeling of deja vu from what happened the year before,Long conferred with Fry who told Chuck to fake a handoff to Harmon, then ran around the right side on a bootleg that they hoped would result in a touchdown.

When the Iowa offense came back up into the field, they lined up in their goalline formation as did the Spartans defense.

Long took the snap then faked the ball to Harmon, who proceeded to leap over the pile of players while Long ran in untouched and holding the ball in his right hand for the two-yard touchdown that with Houghtlin's extra point gave Iowa a 35-31 lead with 27 seconds to go.

Michigan State would get one last chance to pull off the upset as they got the ball back at their 38-yard-line as McAllister completed a 16-yard pass to Ingram, then scrambled for seven yards to set up a Hail Mary attempt from the Iowa 39-yard-line with three seconds left.

However, the Spartans' prayers were not answered as McAllister's pass fell incomplete, ending the game with the Hawkeyes on top 35-31.

The Spartans would drop their next two games, which included a 31-0 drubbing at the hands of arch rival Michigan, before going on a five-game winning streak to end the regular season with a 7-4 record, earning them an invitation to play in the Hall of Fame Classic in Birmingham, Alabama against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.

Michigan State would lose that game 17-14 as White finished the season with 2,066 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns as he finished 4th in the Heisman Trophy race.

Two years later, White would run 1.572 yards and 16 touchdowns as he along with McAllister, Rison, and Perles would lead Michigan State to the Rose Bowl.

As for the Hawkeyes, they would remain #1 through the month of October as they won their next three games, including the legendary 12-10 win over #2 Michigan on Houghtlin's 29-yard game-winning field goal as time expired(To read about that game, click on the link which is highlighted here:(https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2021/12/college-football-old-school-game-of.html) until they fell to Ohio State 22-13 in the first week of November.

Iowa would recover to win its remaining three games of the regular season to secure the Big 10 championship and earn a spot to the Rose Bowl for the second time in five years as they faced the UCLA Bruins on New Year's Day.

The Hawkeyes would be defeated by the Bruins 45-26 to finish the season with a 10-2 record and #9 ranking in the final coaches poll and #10 ranking in the final AP poll.

Long would finish his career with 10.461 yards and 74 touchdown passes as he finished the ' 85 season with 2,978 yards and 26 touchdown passes to finish 2nd in the Heisman Trophy race, 45 points behind eventual winner Bo Jackson.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Cardiac Pack is Born as Packers Overcome 3 TD Deficit to Beat Saints

 

Packers quarterback Don Majkowski would complete 25 of 32 passes for 354 yards and throw three touchdown passes in the Packers' win over the Saints.

The 1970s and 1980s are considered the dark days for the Green Bay Packers as the team from "Titletown USA" achieved only four winning seasons and made the playoffs two times with one of those playoff appearances coming in the 1982 season which was shortened to nine games because of a players strike.

But in 1989, the fans of Green Bay would be treated to a magical season as the "Cardiac Pack" would bring a renaissance to Green Bay football.

The Packers were led by head coach Lindy Infante who was in his second season as the Green Bay head coach after serving as the offensive coordinator of the Cleveland Browns for the 1986 + 87 seasons.

The Packers would go 4-12 in Infante's first season as the offense struggled averaging only 15 points per game as the team went back-and-forth at quarterback between Randy Wright and Don Majkowski aka the "Majik Man".

Infante would name Majkowski as the starter for the 1989 season as the "Majik Man" would lead an offense which featured second-year running back Brent Fullwood and wide receiver Sterling Sharpe who had caught 55 passes for 791 yards in his rookie season.

However, the season would not get off to a good start as the Packers fell to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23-21 as Majkowski threw three interceptions in the loss.

Majkowski and the Packers hoped to bounce back as they prepared to host the New Orleans Saints in Week 2.

The Saints came into the game with Green Bay with a 1-0 record after having defeated the Dallas Cowboys 28-0 in their season opener.

New Orleans was led by head coach Jim Mora, who had seemingly done the impossible as he had directed the Saints to a winning season in 1987 as New Orleans made the playoffs for the first time in team history with a 12-3 record.

The Saints proved that the '87 season was no fluke as they went 10-6 in 1988 thanks in large part to the "Dome Patrol" linebacking corps which featured future Hall of Famers Rickey Jackson and Sam Mills as well as perennial Pro Bowlers Vaughn Johnson and Pat Swilling.

With the "Dome Patrol" and Bobby Hebert at quarterback, the Saints hoped for a third consecutive winning season as well as a return appearance to the postseason as they had missed the playoffs in 1988.

 The Saints got the ball to start the game as their initial possession of the game almost ended in disaster when on the third play of the game, Toi Cook fumbled the ball at the end of an eight-yard catch after a hit by Green Bay free safety Ken Stills.

Packers defensive back Tiger Greene picked up the football but lost it when he collided with his teammate defensive end Robert Brown leading to a recovery by Saints wide receiver Floyd Turner to give New Orleans a 1st down at its 40-yard-line.

Five plays later, the Saints were on the scoreboard as Hebert hit a wide open Lonzell Hill for a 32-yard touchdown to give New Orleans a 7-0 lead with 10:25 left in the first quarter.

Following a Green Bay three-and-out, the Saints got the ball back at their 44-yard-line as they drove 56 yards in eight plays, culminating with a three-yard touchdown run by running back Dalton Hilliard to increase New Orleans' lead to 14-0 with just over five minutes remaining in the opening period.

The Packers would begin their ensuing possession at their eight-yard-line as Green Bay picked up a couple of 1st downs to move the ball to their 41-yard-line until Majkowski was intercepted by Saints free safety Dave Waymer, whose 22-yard return gave New Orleans the ball at the Packers' 31-yard-line.

It would take the Saints six plays to drive into the end zone as Hebert tossed an one-yard touchdown pass to tight end Hoby Brenner on the second play of the second quarter to push the New Orleans lead to 21-0.

Saints quarterback Bobby Hebert threw for 282 yards and three touchdown passes on 23-of-32 passing.

The Packers would drive into New Orleans territory on its next drive, thanks in large part to a 31-yard pass from Majkowski to tight end Ed West, only to have the drive stall at the Saints' 41-yard-line as Green Bay would punt it back to the Saints' offense who had scored touchdowns on all three of their possessions thus far.

That is when the Packers' defense was able to force to a three-and-out to give their offense the ball back at the Saints' 32-yard-line as Majkowski completed passes of 12 yards to Perry Kemp and 20 yards to West in a seven-play drive that ended with an one-yard touchdown run by Fullwood to give Green Bay its first points of the game and make it a 21-7 game with less than five minutes to play in the second quarter.

The Saints would respond with a 11-play, 60-yard drive which featured Hebert completing five of seven passes 47 yards to set up Morten Andersen's 38-yard field goal with 14 seconds left in the first half to increase the New Orleans lead to 24-7.

The Packers would run one more play before the end of the first half, a 38-yard run by Fullwood, as Green Bay went to the locker room down 17 points but set to get the ball to start the second half.

Green Bay would begin their first possession of the second half at their 20-yard-line as Fullwood ran for five yards on 1st down only to have the Packers lose that yardage as Majkowski was sacked by Saints nose tackle Jim Wilks for a six-yard loss to bring up 3rd down & 11.

That is when Majkwoski found Kemp for 14 yards and a 1st down at the Green Bay 33-yard-line as the Packers would end up taking nearly nine minutes off the clock as they drove 80 yards in 14 plays with the drive being capped off with a four-yard touchdown run by Fullwood to bring the Packers to within 10 points at 24-14 just over six minutes to go in the third quarter.

After the Saints went three-and-out on their ensuing possession, the Packers got the ball back at their 36-yard-line as Majkowski would complete all five of his passes for 40 yards on the six-play, 64-yard drive that ended with a three-yard touchdown pass from Majikwoski to West to make it a three-point game at 24-21 with 58 seconds left in the third quarter.

The Saints would start its next drive at their 30-yard-line as two runs by Paul Frazier for five yards brought an end to the third quarter with New Orleans holding on to a 24-21 lead.

That is when Hebert would hit Eric Martin across the middle for a 13-yard completion and a 1st down at the Saints' 48-yard-line as Hebert would then connect with Martin again this time for 28 yards, then with Hill for a 24-yard touchdown to push the Saints' lead back to 10  points at 31-21 just 96 seconds into the fourth quarter.

The Packers would get the ball back at their 22-yard-line as Majkwoski would find Sharpe for a 39-yard completion to start the drive which was followed by another completion to Sharpe, this time for 11 yards and a 1st down at the Saints' 28-yard-line.

Majikowski would then complete three straight passes to West with the last completion being a 17-yard touchdown to cut the deficit to three points at 31-28 with 10:35 left in regulation.

The Saints would begin its next possession at their 16-yard-line as they would once again drive down the field primarily on the right arm of Hebert, who completed five straight passes for 57 yards to lead New Orleans to the Packers' 25-yard-line with a little over five minutes to go.

However the drive would stall as the Packers would hold the Saints to a 23-yard field goal by Andersen which made it 34-28 in favor of New Orleans with 2:21 left in the game.

After a touchback on the ensuing kickoff, the Packers would get the ball at their 20-yard-line with a chance to win the game if they could drive for a touchdown.

The drive would get off to a great start as Majiwoski hit Jeff Query for a 35-yard completion to give the Packers a 1st down at the Saints' 45-yard-line as Majikwoski would then an incomplete pass on the next play, his first incompletion after completing 18 passes in a row.

Second down was almost a disaster for the Packers as Majikowski lost the football after he was sacked by Saints cornerback Milton Mack, though it was recovered by left tackle Ken Ruettgers back at the Green Bay 48-yard-line.

Another incomplete pass would bring up a do-or-die 4th & 17 when Majikowski fired a pass for Query, who  made the catch in front of the left sidelines at the Saints' 29-yard-line with his left foot inbounds while his right foot was dragging.

The side judge, Doyle Jackson, ruled the pass was incomplete while head referee Ben Dreith ruled the pass was incomplete and that Query had gotten his right foot inbounds.

The play would be reviewed by instant replay official Cal Lepore who ruled in favor of the Packers, giving Green Bay a 1st down at the New Orleans 29-yard-line with 1:48 to go.

Majikwoski would then go back to Query as the two connected for a 11-yard completion, then again for 15 yards to give the Packers a 1st & goal when the "Majik Man" found Sharpe in the end zone for a three-yard touchdown that with Chris Jacke's extra point gave Green Bay its first lead of the game at 35-34 with 1:26 to play.

Sterling Sharpe would catch eight passes for 107 yards, including the game-winning TD pass.

The Saints would get the ball back at its 13-yard-line with a chance to drive into field goal range and escape with the win, only for Hebert to be intercepted by Packers cornerback Van Jakes, allowing for Green Bay to run out the clock and come away with the 35-34 win.

The shocking loss to the Packers would begin a four-game losing streak for the Saints as New Orleans would go to finish with a 9-7 record, good enough for their third straight winning season but not good enough for the playoffs.

As for the Packers, the win against the Saints would be the first of four one-point victories during the 1989 season as Green Bay would finish with a 10-6 record as 10 of the Packers' 16 games would be decided being a touchdown or less with Green Bay going 7-3 in those games.

Despite that, the Packers would not make the playoffs as they lost a tiebreaker to the Minnesota Vikings for the NFC Central Division title and were one game behind the Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Rams for the two Wild Card spots.

Even though they did not make the postseason, the "Cardiac Pack" is remembered fondly in Green Bay for the thrills they provided in 1989.

College Football Old School Game of the Week: Auburn Makes Statement With Upset Win over A&M and Johnny Football

Auburn quarterback Nick Marshall would account for 336 yards of total offense and four TDs in leading Auburn to an upset over Texas A&M.

When Auburn Tigers fans think of the 2013 football season, the first thoughts that often come into their minds is the memorable "Prayer at Jordan-Hare" win over Georgia which was followed two weeks later by Chris Davis' "Kick-Six" at the end of the Iron Bowl against Alabama.

While those two games are what is best remembered for the 2013 Auburn Tigers, there is a win that occurred one month prior that should take another look as on October 19th, the Tigers traveled to College Station, Texas to take on the Texas A&M Aggies and 2012 Heisman Trophy Winner Johnny Manziel.

Auburn came into the 2013 season with relatively low expectations as the Tigers were coming off their worst season in nearly 60 years as the team went 3-9 and failed to win a single SEC conference game.

This led to the firing of head coach Gene Chizik, who had just a few years later helped lead the Tigers to the 2010 National Championship with Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Cam Newton.

Chizik was replaced by Arkansas State head coach Gus Mahzaln, who was the offensive coordinator on that national championship winning-team, to help Auburn back to respectability.

With the help of quarterback Nick Marshall and running back Tre Mason, the Tigers jumped out to a 5-1 start with their only blemish being a 35-21 loss to LSU, as Auburn entered the AP and coaches polls as the #24 ranked team in the country as the Tigers prepared for to face the "12th Man" in College Station.

Texas A&M also came into the game with a 5-1 record but were ranked #7 in the country as the Aggies had gotten a good preseason ranking because of their 2012 season, their first in the SEC, where A&M went 11-2, upset #1 Alabama 29-24 in Tuscaloosa, and finished #5 in the country under first-year head coach Kevin Sumlin.

The main reason for the Aggies' success was quarterback Johnny Manziel, who became the 2nd player in Texas A&M history to win the Heisman Trophy Award as "Johnny Football" threw for 3,706 yards and 26 touchdown while running for 1,410 yards and 21 touchdowns to became the first freshman to ever win the Heisman.

Despite being suspended for the first half of the Aggies' regular season opener, Manziel threw for 1,835 yards and threw 14 touchdown passes in the Aggies' first six games of the 2013 season with his primarily target being wide receiver Mike Evans, who had caught 32 passes for 737 yards and five touchdowns.

Manziel added 438 rushing yards and five touchdown runs during that span as the Aggies entered their top 25 showdown with Auburn as two-touchdown favorites.

A&M got the ball to start the game as it took the Aggies only six plays to drive 67 yards and score the game's first touchdown as Manziel connected with Evans for a 26-yard touchdown pass to give A&M a 7-0 lead just 1:41 into the game.

Auburn would get the ball at its 14-yard-line for its opening possession as the Tigers would drive 86 yards on 10 plays, with seven of the ten plays being run plays including the final play which was a 16-yard touchdown run by Marshall to tie the game at 7 with 10:14 left in the first quarter.

A 39-yard pass from Manziel to Evans put the Aggies back in Auburn territory only to have Manziel be picked off by Tigers defensive back Ryan Smith a few plays later to give the Tigers the ball at its 38-yard-line.

From there, the Tigers would drive 53 plays in seven plays with the drive culminating with a 27-yard field goal by Cody Parkey to give Auburn a 10-7 lead with 5:40 to go in the first quarter.

It would only take 26 seconds for the Aggies to retake the lead as Manziel found Evans for a 64-yard touchdown to give A&M a 14-10 lead, which they had a chance to increase after defensive back Howard Matthews forced a fumble that was recovered by linebacker Steven Jenkins to give A&M the ball at the Auburn 49-yard-line.

Texas A&M Mike Evans caught 11 passes for a school-record 287 yards and four TDs.

The Aggies would drive to the Auburn 24-yard-line until Manziel was picked off by Tigers defensive back Ryan White to give the Auburn offense the ball back at their four-yard-line.

After two runs by Mason for eight yards, Marshall hit fullback Jay Prosch for a 56-yard pass that put the Tigers in A&M territory at the Aggies' 32-yard-line which was followed by a 19-yard run by Marshall as the first quarter came to an end.

Three straight running plays would pick up nine yards to set up 4th & 1 at the A&M four-yard-line when Malzahn decided to go for it as Mason ran for three yards to give Auburn a 1st & goal at the one-yard-line when the Tigers started going backwards as a false start penalty and an quarterback sack forced a 3rd & goal from the 13-yard-line.

That is when Marshall found Quin Bray for a 13-yard touchdown to cap off the 12-play, 96-yard drive as Auburn retook the lead at 17-14 with 10:46 left in the second quarter.

After both teams went three-and-out on their next possessions, the Aggies would drive 49 yards in nine plays to set up a 37-yard field goal by Josh Lambo tied the game at 17 with 5:38 to go in the second quarter.

The two teams would trade punts until there were 24 seconds left in the half when Evans caught his third touchdown pass of the first half, a 42-yarder that allowed A&M to take a 24-17 lead as the first half came to a close.

Texas A&M wide receiver Mike Evans caught 11 passes for 287 yards and four touchdowns.

Both teams would trade punts to start the second half until the Tigers drove from their 35-yard-line to the Aggies' 43-yard-line when Marshall hit Sammie Coates for a 43-yard touchdown to tie the game at 24 midway through the third quarter.

Back came the Aggies with a nine-play, 82-yard drive that ended with another Manziel-to-Evans touchdown connection, this one for 33 yards to put A&M back on top 31-24 with 4:06 to go in the third quarter.

The Aggies would force a three-and-out to get the ball back at their 22-yard-line as Manziel led the A&M offense to the Auburn 10-yard-line as the third quarter came to an end with the Aggies on the doorstep of increasing their lead.

As the fourth quarter began, Manziel ran for eight yards to set up 3rd & goal when Manziel fell to the ground in pain, grasping his right arm in pain.

Manziel would go to the sidelines as Matt Joeckel came onto to play quarterback on 3rd down as the junior threw an incomplete pass to bring up 4th down as the Aggies settled for a 20-yard field goal by Lambo to increase the A&M lead to 34-24 with 14:17 left in the fourth quarter.

As Manziel went to the locker room, the Tigers would drive 75 yards in seven plays, culminating with a 13-yard touchdown run by Marshall to bring Auburn back to within a field goal at 34-31 with 11:44 to go in regulation.

When the A&M offense came back onto the field, Joeckel remained at quarterback as the Aggies would go three-and-out to give the back to Auburn who took over at its 31-yard-line with a chance to tie the game or take the lead.

Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel threw for 484 yards and four touchdowns while running for 48 yards and another score.

Two straight running plays picked up nine yards to set up 3rd & 1 when Mason exploded for a 53-yard run to give Auburn a 1st & goal at the A&M seven-yard-line as Marshall kept the ball himself for a five-yard run to set up 2nd down when Cameron Artis-Payne punched it in for a two-yard touchdown to give the Tigers a 38-34 lead with 9:06 left in the game.

Manziel would return to the game when A&M began its next possession at their 25-yard-line as Manziel completed a 26-yard pass to Evans to give the Aggies a 1st down at the Auburn 49-yard-line.

From there, the Aggies would drive the remaining 49 yards in 11 plays as Manziel ran it in for an one-yard touchdown that allowed A&M to retake the lead at 41-38 with 5:05 to go in regulation.

The Tigers would start their ensuing possession at their 25-yard-line as Auburn would drive to the A&M 39-yard-line where they faced a 3rd & 9 with 1:46 to go in regulation.

That is when Marshall completed a 27-yard pass to Marcus Davis to give Auburn a 1st down at the A&M 12-yard-line as Mason would get the ball on the next two plays with the last one being a five-yard touchdown run to give Auburn a 45-41 lead with 79 seconds left in the game.

Following a 35-yard kickoff return by Trey Williams, the Aggies would begin their ensuing possession at their 35-yard-line, needing a touchdown to win the game.

The drive would begin with a 19-yard pass from Manziel to Evans to give A&M a 1st down at the Auburn 46-yard-line.

After a six-yard run by Manziel, the 2012 Heisman Trophy winner found Evans again, this time for 22 yards and another 1st down at the Auburn 18-yard-line with 43 seconds to go.

It looked like Manziel and the Aggies were going to break the Tigers' hearts when the Auburn defense rose up as on 2nd & 10(following an incomplete pass), defensive end Dee Ford sacked Manziel for an eight-yard loss to bring up 3rd & 18.

Manziel got some of the yardage back as he ran for five yards to set up a do-or-die 4th & 13 when the Auburn pass rush forced Manziel to scramble so far back that when he was tackled by Ford, he was 22 yards behind the line of scrimmage.

The sack forced a turnover on downs and allowed Auburn to take a knee to run out the clock as the Tigers came away with the 45-41 win.

Auburn running back Tre Mason finished with 178 yards on 27 carries and one touchdown.

The Aggies would finish the season with a 9-4 record and #18 ranking in the final AP and coaches polls as Manziel would leave A&M after the 2013 season and go to the NFL where he was selected with the #22 overall pick by the Cleveland Browns.

Unfortunately for Manziel, his NFL career would be nowhere near as successful as his college career as he was cut by the Browns after just two seasons.

As for the Tigers, the win in College Station was the turning point in their season as Auburn would win the last five games of their regular season to win the SEC West division title and a spot in the SEC Championship Game where Auburn defeated the University of Missouri 59-42 thanks to a 304-yard rushing performance by Mason.

That win coupled with an Ohio State loss in the Big 10 Championship Game paved the way for Auburn to play Florida State in the National Championship Game where the Tigers lost a heartbreaker 34-31 as the Seminoles won the game on a two-yard touchdown pass from Jameis Winston to Kelvin Benjamin with 13 seconds left.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: McMahon Does It Again As He Comes Off Bench To Lead Bears To Comeback Win Over Bucs

 

Jim McMahon completed 17 of 24 passes for 195 yards and threw one TD in leading the Bears to a comeback victory against the Buccaneers.

In Week 3 of the 1985 season, Chicago Bears quarterback Jim McMahon came off the bench to throw three touchdown passes to lead Chicago to a 33-24 victory over the Minnesota Vikings(To read about that game, click on the link highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2017/10/nfl-old-school-game-of-week-mcmahon.html).

Two years later, McMahon would accomplish a similar feat when the Bears traveled to Tampa Bay to take on the Buccaneers in Week 7 of the 1987 NFL season.

The Bears came into the game with the Buccaneers with a 4-1 record though it would be the first time since Week 2 that the regular players would be playing as a 24-day players strike during the season had the cancellation of one week of NFL games and led owners to use replacement players for three straight games.

The time off during the strike allowed for McMahon to get closer to game shape as he was healing from a torn rotator cuff in his throwing shoulder which was made worse after Green Bay Packers defensive lineman Charles Martin's infamous cheap shot on McMahon from the following season.

While McMahon was now healthy enough to play, head coach Mike Ditka decided to start Mike Tomczak for the Bears' game against the Bucs with McMahon in the backup role as many assumed Chicago would rely on their running game of second-year running back Neal Anderson and future Hall-of-Famer Walter Payton, who was set to retire after the season, to beat Tampa Bay.

The Buccaneers came into the game with something to prove as the team had a 3-2 record with two of those wins coming courtesy of the replacement players.

The Bucs were led by head coach Ray Perkins, who was in his first season in Tampa Bay after spending the previous four at the University of Alabama taking over for Bear Bryant.

Perkins was hired in hopes of turning the Bucs' fortunes around as the team had encountered four consecutive losing seasons, all with at least 10 losses.

A win against the Bears would go a long way in putting Tampa on the right track.

The Bucs got the ball to start the game as they drove from their 20-yard-line to the Chicago 46-yard-line until they were forced to punt when Tampa Bay got a reprieve as Bears linebacker Jim Morissey ran into punter Frank Garcia, drawing a running into the kicker penalty and give the Bucs a 1st down at the Bears' 41-yard-line.

From there, quarterback Steve DeBerg would complete four of his next five passes for 38 yards, with his last completion being a seven-yard touchdown pass to tight end Calvin McGee to give Tampa Bay a 7-0 lead with 9:13 left in the first quarter.

After forcing the Bears to punt on their opening possession, the Bucs got the ball back at their 27-yard-line as a false start penalty and an one-yard run by Wilder set up 2nd & 14 when DeBerg completed a 37-yard pass to McGee to give Tampa Bay a 1st down at the Chicago 40-yard-line.

Two plays later, the Bucs pulled out a trick play as DeBerg pitched the ball out to running back Jeff Smith, who then handed the ball off to wide receiver Gerald Carter on a reverse, only to have Carter toss it back to DeBerg who fired a pass down the left side for Smith, who made the catch for the 28-yard touchdown to increase the Bucs' lead to 14-0 with 4:47 to go in the opening period.

It looked like the Bears were going to have great field position for their next drive following Dennis Gentry's 59-yard kickoff return, but it was nullified by an illegal block penalty on Maurice Douglass, which forced the Bears to start their ensuing possession at their nine-yard-line.

Things would go from bad to worse for the Bears when Tomczak fumbled the football after a hit by Bucs defensive end Ron Holmes leading to a recovery by linebacker Winston Moss in the end zone for a Tampa touchdown to increase the Bucs' lead to 20-0 as Chicago defensive end Al Harris blocked the extra point.

Buccaneers quarterback Steve DeBerg threw for 249 yards and two touchdown passes.

The extra point block seemed to spark the Bears as running back Thomas Sanders returned the ensuing kickoff 31 yards to the Chicago 33-yard-line where the Bears would start their next possession as they drove to the Tampa Bay 43-yard-line as the first quarter came to an end.

But on the first play of the second quarter, the Bears turned it over again when Dennis McKinnon lost the football after he was hit by Bucs cornerback Ricky Reynolds leading to a recovery by fellow cornerback Rod Jones to give Tampa Bay the ball at its 48-yard-line.

The Bucs would go three-and-out as DeBerg threw three straight incomplete passes to force a punt by Garcia, which only traveled 13 yards as the Bears would begin its next possession at their 35-yard-line.

After an incomplete pass on 1st down, Tomczak connected with Willie Gault for 20 yards, then with Anderson for seven yards to set up 2nd & 3 when Anderson took a pitch from Tomczak around the left side for a 38-yard touchdown to put Chicago on the board as they cut the Tampa lead to 20-7 with 12:37 left in the second quarter.

The Bears would force the Bucs to punt on their next possession when McKinnon would atone for his fumble earlier in the quarter by returning the punt 65 yards for a touchdown to cut the Bucs' lead to 20-14 with 9:10 still to go in the second quarter.

The Bucs would turn to Wilder on their next possession as he carried the ball five times for 29 times on the Bucs' 12-play, 52-yard drive that took over seven minutes and ended with a 46-yard field goal by Donald Igwebuike which increased the Tampa lead to 23-14 with 1:56 left before halftime.

Tampa would be given a golden opportunity to increase their lead on the first play of the Bears' ensuing drive when Payton lost the football after a hit by Bucs defensive end John Cannon which was recovered by linebacker Scot Brantley at the Chicago 24-yard-line with 96 seconds left in the first half.

However, the Bucs could not capitalize as three quarterback sacks and a pair of holding penalties pushed the Bucs all the way back to their 48-yard-line as the first half ended with Tampa on top 23-14.

Mike Tomczak was benched after a first half where he threw for only 45 yards on 6-of-10 passing.

When the Bears' offense came onto the field to start the second half, they did so with McMahon at quarterback for the first time in 11 months as Ditka hoped McMahon could do what he did two years earlier in Minnesota.

After the first two plays picked up only two yards, McMahon scrambled for eight yards on 3rd & 8 to pick up a 1st down which got the Chicago offense going as passes of 12 yards to Gault and 25 yards Ron Morris put the Bears at the Tampa Bay 25-yard-line.

But the drive would stall and the Bears looked to Kevin Butler to put some points on the board with a 47-yard field goal, only for it to sail wide left and no good to keep the score 23-14 in favor of the Bucs.

The Bucs would take over at their 29-yard-line and proceed to drive to the Chicago 19-yard-line, with the biggest play on the drive being a 33-yard pass from DeBerg to McGee, to help set up a 37-yard field goal by Igwebuike which increased Tampa's lead to 26-14 with 6:01 to go in the third quarter.

The Bears would start their next possession at their 33-yard-line as it took Chicago four plays to drive to the Tampa Bay 45-yard-line when they started to go backwards as Anderson was dropped for a seven-yard loss on 1st down, which was followed by McMahon being sacked by Cannon to force 3rd & 24 when McMahon was intercepted by Bucs free safety Rick Woods to give Tampa the ball back at the Bears 47-yard-line.

The two teams would trade punts as the game moved into the fourth quarter with the Bucs still on top 26-14 when the Bears had the ball at their 15-yard-line with 9:50 left to play.

That is when the Bears put together a 10-play, 85-yard drive primarily on the right arm of McMahon who completed six of eight passes for 74 yards on the drive which culminated with McMahon punching it in for an one-yard touchdown to make it an one-posssession game.

However, Butler would miss the extra point to keep the score 26-20 with 5:31 left in the game.

The Bucs would begin its next possession at their 17-yard-line as Tampa hoped to pick up a few 1st downs and bleed the clock so they could escape with the victory.

The drive got off to a good start as DeBerg hit McGee for 17 yards to give Tampa a 1st down at its 34-yard-line as a four-yard run by Wilder and an incomplete pass set up 3rd & 6 when DeBerg threw another incomplete pass only to have Bears defensive end Richard Dent get called for an illegal hands to the face penalty which gave the Bucs an automatic 1st down at their 43-yard-line.

The Bucs would run three more plays which picked up eight yards before having to punt the ball back to the Bears who took over at their 29-yard-line with 2:44 left on the clock and needing a touchdown and extra point to take the lead.

Bears running back Neal Anderson would touch the ball 13 times for 97 yards and scored two TDs.

The drive would start with a 19-yard pass from McMahon to Gault to give the Bears a 1st down at their 48-yard-line as McMahon completed a six-yard screen pass to Anderson to put the Bears in Bucs territory at the Tampa Bay 46-yard-line.

McMahon would then hit Morris for 19 yards and then Gault again, this time for 16 yards to put the Bears at the Tampa Bay 11-yard-line as the two-minute warning struck.

McMahon would go back to Anderson for a five-yard screen pass to set up 2nd & 5 when the second-year running back caught another swing pass from McMahon at the six-yard-line, then jumped over two defenders to get into the end zone for the six-yard touchdown to tie the game at 26.

Butler would come on to make the extra point to give Chicago its first lead of the game at 27-26 with 1:28 remaining as the Bears had traveled 71 yards in six plays as McMahon had gone a perfect 6-of-6 on the drive to give the Bears the lead.

The Bucs would get the ball back at its 20-yard-line with a chance to drive down the field for a game-winning field goal but the Bears defense would not allow it as they did not allow a 1st down as Dent sacked DeBerg on 4th down to give Chicago the ball at the Tampa 12-yard-line as the Bears ran out the clock to come away with the 27-26 win.

Following the gut-wrenching loss to the Bears, the Bucs defeated the Green Bay Packers 23-17 the following week, then took on the St. Louis Cardinals where Tampa Bay blew a 28-3 fourth quarter lead to lose 31-28.

The collapse against the Cardinals would begin an eight-game losing streak as the Bucs would finish the season with a 4-11 record to earn Tampa its fifth straight losing season.

As for the Bears, they would go on to win the NFC Central division for the fourth straight year as they finished with a 11-4 record good enough to earn the #2 seed in the NFC and a home playoff game in the Divisional Round.

But for the second straight year the Bears would be eliminated by the Redskins, this time 21-17 ending the Bears' season and the career of Payton.

McMahon would remain with the Bears for one more season, helping them to the NFC Championship Game where they were defeated by the San Francisco 49ers 28-3, before a falling out with Ditka and the front office led to McMahon being traded to the San Diego Chargers.

McMahon would bounce around the league for eight more seasons, playing for five different teams until his retirement after the 1996 season where he served as the backup to Brett Favre on the Green Bay Packers' Super Bowl championship team.

College Football Old School Game of the Week: Penn State Clinches Big 10 Title + Rose Bowl Berth with "The Drive"

 

Brian Milne lunges for what would be the game-winning touchdown in Penn State's win over Illinois in 1994.

When football fans think of "The Drive", most think of John Elway leading the Broncos on an epic 15-play, 98-yard touchdown drive in the fourth quarter of the 1986 AFC Championship Game which helped Denver advance to the Super Bowl.

However, when Penn State fans think of "The Drive" they think of a 14-play, 96-yard drive in the fourth quarter of the Nittany Lions' game against Illinois towards the end of the 1994 regular season.

Penn State was ranked #2 in the country with a 9-0 record under legendary head coach Joe Paeterno, who was in his 29th season as head coach of the Nittany Lions.

While Paterno had led Penn State to two national championships before 1994, many felt the '94 version of the Nittany Lions was the best in school history thanks in large part to high-powered offense which featured quarterback Kerry Collins, running back Ki-Jana Carter, and wide receiver Bobby Engram.

Though their first eight games of the season, the Lions had averaged 48.4 points per game, with their lowest single game input being 31 in a 31-24 win over Michigan(To read about that game, click on the link highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2017/10/college-football-old-school-game-of_18.html) while complying an average of 533.5 yards per game.

The Lions were on the brink of winning their first Big 10 championship as they had joined the league one year prior and a trip to the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1923, but standing in their way were the Illinois Fighting Illini and one of the stingiest defenses in the country.

The Illini were 6-3 but unranked under third-year head coach Lou Tepper, who had served as the Illinois defensive coordinator from 1988-1991 before being promoted to head coach where he continued to remain in charge of the defense where in 1994 featured one of the greatest linebacking corps in college football history.

Making up the Illinois linebacking corps was John Holocek, an All-American in 1992, Dana Howard, an All-American in 1993, Simeon Rice, who came into the Penn State game as the nation's sacks leader with 16, and Kevin Hardy, the quiet man whose best days were yet to come as he would be an All-American in 1995.

This set of linebackers would help the Illini hold their opponents to average off 11.2 points per game in the nine games, with 22 points being the most they had given up in one game, leading up to their showdown with Penn State.

So it was a case of the unstoppable force against the immovable object on a cold, blustery day in Bloomington, Illinois with a trip to the Rose Bowl and national championship implications on the line for Penn State.

The Nittany Lions got the ball to start the game but quickly gave it right back to the Illini when on the third play of the game, Carter lost the football after he was hit by defensive tackle Jason Edwards as Rice would fall on the loose ball to give Illinois possession at the Penn State 24-yard-line.

Running back Ty Douthard would carry the ball five straight times with his last carry being an one-yard touchdown to give Illinois a 7-0 lead just three-and-a-half minutes into the game.

Illinois running back Ty Douthard carried the ball 35 times for  172 yards and scored two TDs.

After an exchange of punts, the Illini defense forced its second turnover of the game when defensive back Tyrone Washington intercepted a Collins pass intended for Engram, to give the Illinois offense the ball at the Penn State 23-yard-line.

Five plays later, the Illini were back in the end zone as quarterback Johnny Johnson connected with tight end Ken Dilger for an one-yard touchdown to increase the Illinois lead to 14-0 with 6:21 left in the first quarter.

The Illini would be forced to punt on their next offensive possession but a 49-yard punt by Brett Larsen pinned the Lions at their three-yard-line where the Illinois defense forced a three-and-out to get the ball back at the Penn State 40-yard-line.

After the first two plays of the drive picked up four yards, Johnson connected with Dilger for 22 yards and a 1st down at the Lions' 14-yard-line as the next two plays would totaled two yards to set up 3rd & 8 when Johnson scrambled around until he found Shane Fisher in the end zone for a 12-yard touchdown and a shocking 21-0 lead with 12 seconds left in the first quarter.

To say that the Penn State offense was sputtering would be an understatement as the Lions failed to pick up a single 1st down on their opening six possessions as Collins completed only one of his first nine passes.

The Illini smelled blood in the water when with under ten minutes to play in the second quarter, the Lions had the ball pinned back at their one-yard-line.

That is when the Penn State offense started to click as fullback Jon Whitman picked up five yards to start the drive which was followed by a 14-yard run by Carter for the Lions' initial 1st down of the game.

From there, Collins would find his game as he connected with tight end Kyle Brady three times for 60 yards to set up an one-yard touchdown run by fullback Brian Milne to end the 11-play, 99-yard drive and put Penn State on the scoreboard with 5:26 remaining in the second quarter.

Then after linebacker Phil Yeboah-Kodie partially blocked a Larsen punt to give Penn State the ball at the Illinois 38-yard-line, Collins would fake a reverse handoff to Engram and fire a pass down the middle to a wide open Freddie Scott for a 38-yard touchdown to bring Penn State to within a touchdown at 21-14 with 3:35 left in the first half.

Illinois would start its next possession at its 20-yard-line as the Illini would drive 80 yards in six plays as back-to-back passes from Johnson to Dilger that totaled 51 yards would set up a five-yard touchdown run by Douthard to push the Illinois lead back into double digits at 28-14 as the first half came to a close.

The Illini would get the ball to start the second half but would go three-and-out, forcing them to punt the ball back to the Lions who took over at their 41-yard-line.

Collins would find Engram for 22 yards and a 1st down at the Illinois' 37-yard-line to start the drive which was followed by a 22-yard run by Carter on 3rd & 1 from the Illini 28-yard-line, and then a four-yard touchdown run by Carter to end the six-play, 59-yard drive and to bring Penn State to within a touchdown at 28-21 almost three and a half minutes into the second half.

Ki-Jana Carter had 22 carries for 110 yards and one touchdown.

The Illini would respond with a 14-play, 71-yard drive that took nearly seven minutes off the clock as Douthard carried the ball nine times for 49 yards on the drive which ended with a 27-yard field goal by Richardson to increase the Illinois lead to 31-21 with 4:46 to go in the third quarter.

The Lions would strike back quickly as Collins would complete a 47-yard pass to Mike Archie to give Penn State a 1st down at the Illinois 13-yard-line.

However, the Illini defense would hold and push the Lions back three yards on the next three plays, forcing them to settle for a 33-yard field goal attempt by Brett Conway, which sailed wide right and no good to keep the score 31-21 in favor of the Illini as the game moved into the fourth quarter.

Following an Illinois punt, the Lions got the ball at their 46-yard-line as Collins would find Scott for 13 yards to start the drive which was followed by three plays netting eight yards to bring up a 4th & 2 at the Illinois 33-yard-line.

Needing two scores, Paterno decided to go for the 1st down which he got as Collins completed a 17-yard pass to Engram to give Penn State a 1st down at the Illinois 16-yard-line.

After two runs by Carter picked up 11 yards, Collins handed the ball off to Milne, who ran it in for the five-yard touchdown to bring the Lions to within a field goal at 31-28 with 7:59 to play in the fourth quarter.

The Nittany Lions seemed poised to tie or take their first lead of the game as their defense were hold Illinois to a three-and-out, forcing another Larsen punt which thanks to a stiff wind behind him, went 67 yards until it rolled dead at the Penn State four-yard-line with 6:07 left in the game.

As the offense huddled up to begin the drive, Collins came in and told his teammates "Ninety-six yards, fellas. Let's go. Let's do it".

The drive would begin with a run by Carter that only went one yard followed by a six-yard run by Milne to set up 3rd & 3 when Collins found Brady for seven yards and a 1st down at the Penn State' 18-yard-line.

Collins would go back to the air on the next play as he hit Engram for 11 yards which got 15 yards added to the catch as Illinois cornerback Rod Boykin was called for a face mask penalty to put Penn State at its 44-yard-line.

Carter would get his hands on the ball on the next two plays as he caught a five-yard screen pass from Collins on 1st down, then ran for seven yards to pick up another 1st down at the Illinois 44-yard-line.

A three-yard run by Milne on 1st down and a six-yard pass to Brady on 2nd down would set up a 3rd & 1 when Carter picked up the one yard to give Penn State a fresh set of downs at the Illini 34-yard-line with 2:25 left in the game.

Collins would go back to the air on the next play as he connected with Engram for 16 yards and a 1st down at the Illinois 18-yard-line which was followed by a Carter for no gain to bring up 2nd down where Collins found Engram for nine yards to set up 3rd & 1 when Milne took up the gut for seven yards and a 1st & goal at the Illinois two-yard-line with exactly one minute to play.

Tepper called timeout in hopes of getting his defense a few seconds of rest before preparing for a possible goal line stand.

However, it would take only one more play for the Lions to get into the end zone as Milne punched it in for the two-yard touchdown to complete the 14-play, 96-yard drive and give Penn State a 35-31 lead with 57 seconds to go.

Kerry Collins would complete 13 of 15 passes for 122 yards in the fourth quarter including a perfect 7-for-7 for 60 yards on "The Drive".

Illinois would get the ball back at its 20-yard-line with one last chance at pulling off the upset as Johnson completed a 21-yard pass to Douthard to start the drive, then connected with Jasper Strong on back-to-back passes totaling 33 yards as the Illini moved to the Penn State 31-yard-line with two seconds left, enough time for one shot into the end zone.

Johnson would fire a pass toward the end zone but it was intercepted by Lions free safety Kim Herring as time expired with Penn State coming away with the 35-31 win to clinch the Big 10 championship and secure the Lions a trip to the Rose Bowl.

Following the heartbreaking loss to Penn State, the Illini would drop their regular season finale 19-13 to Wisconsin to finish the regular season at 6-5 but good enough to earn an invitation to the Liberty Bowl where they shut out East Carolina 30-0 as the Illinois defense held the Pirates to 271 yards of total offense and forced five turnovers.

Howard would be recognized as the nation's best linebacker by winning the Butkus Award for the 1994 season which was followed by Hardy winning the award in 1995 marking the first and thus far only time that the Butkus Award has been won by two players from the same university in back-to-back seasons.

As for the Nittany Lions, they would easily win their last two games of the regular season to finish 11-0 as Penn State traveled to Pasadena to take on the University of Oregon on January 2nd, 1995.

The Lions would set the tone on their offensive play of the game when Carter exploded for a 83-yard touchdown run, propelling Penn State to a 38-20 win to finish the season 12-0.

However, the Lions would finish #2 in both the AP and coaches polls behind Nebraska as the Cornhuskers were voted #1 in both polls and was awarded the national championship.

Still, the 1994 Penn State football team is remembered fondly in Happy Valley, thanks in large part to "The Drive".

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Falcons Spoil Carolina's NFL Debut

 

On September 3, 1995, two new teams joined the National Football League as the Jacksonville Jaguars and Carolina Panthers made their debuts.

While the Jaguars hosted the Houston Oilers, the Panthers would travel down I-85 to face what would be their closest rival in the Atlanta Falcons.

Carolina was under the direction of head coach Dom Capers, who had been given the opportunity as the Panthers' first head coach thanks to his three-year stint as the defensive coordinator of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

On the field, the Panthers would be led by quarterback Frank Reich who had spent his entire 10-year NFL career as the backup quarterback of the Buffalo Bills, who was really just a placeholder for 1st round pick Kerry Collins, who was seen as the quarterback of the future in Carolina.

While the Panthers were just getting their feet wet in the NFL, the Atlanta Falcons were entering their thirtieth season in the league which up to this point had included only six winning seasons and four playoff appearances.

The Falcons were led by second-year head coach June Jones, who had installed the "Run & Shoot" offense which was an offense that was built on the passing game, not the running game.

Atlanta had gone 7-9 in Jones' first season which saw wide receiver Terance Mathis catch a team record 111 passes for 1,342 yards and 11 touchdown receptions with most of their passes being thrown by quarterback Jeff George, who had been acquired by the Indianapolis Colts in a trade.

With the addition of the versatile Eric Metcalf to the backfield, the Falcons hope to reach the NFL playoffs for the first time since 1991.

After the Falcons went three-and-out to start the game, the Panthers got the ball at their 35-yard-line as Reich would complete all five of his passes for 62 yards on an eight-play, 65-yard drive that culminated with an eight-yard touchdown pass from Reich to tight end Pete Metzelaars for the first touchdown in Carolina Panthers history and a 7-0 lead almost six minutes into the game.

Carolina would get a chance to extend the lead after the ensuing kickoff when linebacker Paul Butcher knocked the ball loose from Falcons returner Roell Preston leading to a recovery by Vince Workman to give the Panthers the ball at the Atlanta 22-yard-line.

However, the Falcons defense would allow only one yard on the next three plays, forcing Carolina to settle for a 39-yard field goal by John Kasay to increase the Panthers' lead to 10-0 midway through the opening quarter.

Preston would make up for his fumble by returning the ensuing kickoff 44 yards to the Atlanta 44-yard-line to give the Falcons a short field for their next possession which would be a seven-play, 47-yard drive which featured a 36-yard pass from George to Metcalf to set up a 27-yard field goal by Morten Andersen to cut the Panthers' lead to 10-3 with 3:23 left in the first quarter.

The Panthers would start their next possession at their 20-yard-line with a 11-yard pass from Reich to Willie Green followed by a 46-yard bomb to Mark Carrier to put Carolina at the Atlanta 23-yard-line.

That is when the drive would stall as Reich would throw two incomplete passes and running back Randy Baldwin would be stopped for no gain, leading to Carolina to settle for another Kasay field goal, this one from 41 yards out to push the Panthers' lead back to 10 points at 13-3 with 1:17 to go in the first quarter.

Panthers quarterback Frank Reich would complete 23 of 44 passes for 329 yards and throw two touchdowns, but would be sacked nine times.

After both teams traded punts on their ensuing drives, the Falcons were pinned down at their two-yard-line when George went deep and found Bert Emanuel for 46 yards to give Atlanta a 1st down at its 48-yard-line.

From there, George would complete six of his next eight passes for 39 yards with his last completion being a 12-yard touchdown pass to J.J. Birden to end the Falcons 11-play, 98-yard drive to cut the Carolina lead to 13-10 midway through the second quarter.

Following a Carolina three-and-out, the Falcons got the ball at their 21-yard-line as George would hit Emanuel for 13 yards to start the drive, then connected with Terance Mathis twice for 21 yards to set up another Andersen field goal, this one from 51 yards out to tie the game at 13 with 1:41 left in the first half.

After a touchback on the ensuing kickoff, the Panthers would drive from their 20-yard-line to the Atlanta 45-yard-line until Reich was sacked by Falcons defensive ends Chuck Smith and Chris Doleman as time expired in the first half with the game tied 13-13.

Carolina would get the ball to start the second half but would go three-and-out to punt the ball back to the Falcons who would take over at their 42-yard-line when George found Mathis for 23 yards to start the drive and give Atlanta a 1st down at the Carolina 35-yard-line.

Then after the next two plays picked up only two yards, George connected with Metcalf for 19 yards and another 1st down at the Carolina 14-yard-line.

Two plays later, George would find Emanuel in the back of the end zone for a five-yard touchdown to give the Falcons their first lead of the game at 20-13 with just under 10 minutes to go in the third quarter.

From there, the game would turn into a defensive stalemate as both teams would trade punts until midway through the fourth quarter when Falcons running back Craig "Ironhead" Heyward fumbled the football after a hit by Panthers linebacker Lamar Lathon leading to a recovery by strong safety Brett Maxie to give Carolina the ball at the Atlanta 22-yard-line.

However, the Falcons defense would not only hold, they were push the Panthers out of field goal range as an incomplete pass and back-to-back sacks by defensive end Chris Doleman and defensive tackle Jumpy Geathers would push Carolina back to the Atlanta 44-yard-line where they would punt the ball back to the Falcons who took over at their 16-yard-line hoping to run out the clock.

The Falcons would pick up one 1st down but would be forced to punt the ball back to the Panthers, who would take over at their 20-yard-line with 1:15 left in regulation and needing a touchdown.

Falcons quarterback Jeff George would complete 27 of 45 passes for 290 yards and throw two touchdown passes.

The drive would get off to a good start as Reich would connect with fullback Bob Christian for 23 yards to give Carolina a 1st down at its 43-yard-line which was followed by two straight incomplete passes to bring up 3rd down when Reich found Willie Green for 13 yards and a 1st down at the Falcons' 44-yard-line with 35 seconds to play.

That is when Reich went deep and threw a pass down the left sideline for Green, who bobbled the ball at the Falcons' three-yard-line before cradling the ball to make the catch for the 44-yard touchdown to bring Carolina to within a single point at 20-19 with 26 seconds to go in regulation.

The assumption was that the Panthers would kick the extra point to tie the game but instead Capers kept the offense in and had them for a potential two-point conversion.

However, right tackle Derrick Graham would jump offside, drawing a five-yard false start penalty, which led to Capers to abandon the two-point try and settle for the extra point which Kasay made. 

Ron George would return the ensuing kickoff 16 yards to the Falcons' 36-yard-line, giving Jeff George a chance to hit a few passes to get into field goal range and give Andersen a chance at a game-winning field goal.

George would complete passes of 13 yards to Emanuel and 11 yards to Metcalf to put the Falcons at the Carolina 40-yard-line allowing for Andersen to come on to attempt a potential 58-yard field goal with three seconds to go.

Andersen's kick had the distance but it sailed wide left of the uprights as time expired with the score still tied at 20 as the two teams prepared for overtime.

Carolina would win the coin toss and elected to receive as they would start their overtime possession at their 20-yard-line as the Panthers would move 22 yards on four plays to set up a 3rd & 2 situation when Reich was sacked and stripped of the ball by Falcons defensive end Lester Archambeau who also made made the recovery to give Atlanta the ball at the Carolina 31-yard-line.

After a two-yard run by Heyward on 1st down, George would connect with Metcalf for four yards and then Emanuel for five yards to give the Falcons a fresh set of downs at the Carolina 20-yard-line as two straight running plays picked up four yards to set up 3rd & 6 when Jones sent in Andersen and the field goal unit.

This time, Andersen's kick would sail through the uprights for a successful 35-yard field goal to give the Falcons a 23-20 overtime win over the Panthers.

Morten Andersen would hit the walk-off field goal in the Falcons' overtime win over the Panthers.

Led by Emanuel, Mathis, and Metcalf who would all finish with over 1,000 receiving yards for the season, the Falcons would go 9-7 which was good enough to earn them a spot in the playoffs where they would be one-and-done as they would fall to the Green Bay Packers 37-20 in the NFC Wild Card Round.

As for the Panthers, they would lose their next four games before Carolina would claim its first ever NFL victory as they defeated the New York Jets 26-15 in week 7.

From there, the Panthers would win six of their last 10 games to finish with a 7-9 record, with thier last win being a 21-17 win over the Falcons, as Carolina finished with the best record for an NFL expansion team in its first season.

The following season, the Panthers would go 12-4 to win the NFC West division title and defeat the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC divisional round to earn a trip to the NFC Championship Game where they would fall to the Packers.