College Football Old School Game of the Week: SMU's Pony Express Completes Undefeated Season with Cotton Bowl Victory

SMU quarterback Lance McIlhenny runs for what would be the only touchdown in the 1983 Cotton Bowl.

When it comes to the 1982 college football national championship, the majority of experts and fans will recognize the Penn State Nittany Lions as the national champions as they were voted #1 in the final AP and Coaches polls after their win in the Sugar Bowl against #1 Georgia.

But if you ask anyone associated with the SMU football program, they will tell you they should have been voted national champions and will point to their win in the 1983 Cotton Bowl over the Pittsburgh Panthers as part of their argument.

The Mustangs came into the game ranked #4 in the country with a 10-0-1 record with their only blemish of the season coming in their regular season finale whey played the Arkansas Razorbacks to a 17-17 tie.

The Mustangs were led by head coach Bobby Collins, who was in his second season as the SMU head coach after taking over from Ron Meyer, who had left to become the head coach of the NFL's New England Patriots following the 1980 season.

Collins inherited a team which featured the famous "Pony Express" backfield in running backs Eric Dickerson and Craig James, who had combined to run for over 2,500 yards during the 1982 regular season as Dickerson finished the 1982 season with 1,617 yards and 17 touchdowns to finish 3rd in the Heisman Trophy race while James ran for 938 yards.

At quarterback was junior Lance McIlhenny, who had taken over as the SMU starting quarterback since midway through the 1980 season when the Mustangs switched from a pro-style offense to a triple option attack,t he Mustangs did not have to travel far from their home in Dallas to play in the school's first Cotton Bowl since 1966 after winning the Southwest Conference championship for the second year in a row(They did not play in a bowl game in 1981 because they were on NCAA probation).

Standing in their way were the #6 Pittsburgh Panthers who having to salvage their season after they were unble to fulfill their national championship expectations.

The Panthers had finished the previous two seasons as the #2 team in the country and were seen as national title contenders as they were ranked #1 in the preseason AP and coaches poll.

The Panthers were led by quarterback Dan Marino, who had thrown for 34 touchdown passes in 1981 and defensive end Chris Doleman on a team which had 18 starters returning from the season before for first-year head coach Foge Fanzio, who had been promoted from defensive coordinator to head coach after Jackie Sherill's departure for Texas A&M following the '81 season.

Pitt would win their first seven games of the season before falling to Notre Dame 31-16 in the first week of November then would lose to Penn State 19-10 in the final game of the regular season to finish the regular season with a 9-2 record as they earned an invitation to take on the Mustangs in Dallas on New Year's Day.

While Pitt was hoping to finish the season with their fourth straight 10-win season, the Mustangs were looking to complete an undefeated season for the first time since 1947 as the two teams meet on a cold, windy day in Dallas which featured some sleeting during the game.

 Pitt would get the ball to start the game as they would drive from their 28-yard-line to inside SMU territory until the Panthers were faced with a 4th down at the Mustangs' 38-yard-line.

Lined up to punt, the Panthers ran a fake as the ball was snapped to the upback, Rick Duckovich, who ran 11 yards to the SMU 27-yard line to give Pitt a fresh set of downs.

On the very next play, Marino completed a screen pass to fullback Joe McCall that went for 26 yards to put the Panthers at the SMU one-yard-line where they had a 1st & goal only for disaster to strike when McCall fumbled the ball when he tried to leap over a pile to get into the end zone.

SMU strong safety Wes Hopkins would make the recovery to end the Pitt scoring threat and give the Mustangs offense the ball at their two-yard-line.

From there, the SMU offense would launch a 22-play, 91-drive that took over nine minutes off the clock as the "Pony Express" drove to the Pitt seven-yard drive which was aided by four penalties for 40 yards by the Panthers' defense which included two personal fouls.

But just like the Panthers on their first drive of the game, the Mustangs would turn it over as McIlhenny fumbled the football when he was hit by Pitt cornerback Tim Lewis as nose guard JC Pelusi would make at the Pittsburgh 14-yard-line to end the SMU scoring threat.

Pitt quarterback Dan Marino would complete 19 of 37 passes for 187 yards.

The game was still scoreless late in the second quarter when the Panthers would force another turnover when free safety Tom Flynn knocked the ball loose from James which was recovered by fellow defensive back Dan "Peep" Short to give Pitt the ball at their 36-yard-line with 2:35 left before halftime.

Marino would complete four passes to get the Panthers down to the SMU 10-yard-line where Eric Schubert would attempt a 26-yard field goal only for the kick to sail wide left and no good as the first half would end in a scoreless tie, the first time that happened in a Cotton Bowl since 1961.

After SMU punted the ball following their opening possession of the second half, the Panthers took over at their 38-yard-line as Marino would complete his next five passes for 28 yards to lead Pitt to the SMU 19-yard-line when Mustangs nose guard Michael Carter sacked Marino for a nine-yard-loss.

The Panthers would end up settling for a 43-yard field goal by Schubert to end the 13-play, 36-yard drive to give Pitt a 3-0 lead with 4:34 left in the third quarter.

The Mustangs would begin their next possession at their 20-yard-line as Dickerson got to carry the ball twice to start the drive as he ran for 12 yards to give SMU a 1st down at its 32-yard-line when McIlhenny was dropped for a six-yard loss by Pelusi to make it 2nd & 16.

Dickerson would run for three yards to set up 3rd & 13 when McIlhenny put the ball in the air as he completed a 20-yard pass to flanker Bobby Leach to give the Mustangs a 1st down at their 49-yard-line.

Just when it seemed like the Mustangs' offense had it moving, Leach would be dropped for a 11-yard los on an end around by Doleman and Short to bring up 2nd & 21 at the SMU 38-yard-line.

That is when McIlhenny went deep and fired a pass for Leach down the right sideline who would make an over-the-shoulder catch as he was knocked out of bounds at the Pitt 20-yard-line after a 42-yard completion.

The Mustangs would go back to Dickerson as he would carry the ball on the next two plays to pick up nine yards and set up 3rd & 1 when James got the ball as he ran for two yards to pick up the 1st down at the Pitt nine-yard-line.

McIlhenny would then fake a handoff to Dickerson, ran to his right and fake a pitch to James, took up the middle and broke a tackle attempt to Pitt linebacker Yogi Jones, to run into the end zone for a nine-yard touchdown to complete the 11-play, 80-yard drive and give SMU  7-3 lead with 13:49 left in the fourth quarter.

The Panthers would begin their ensuing possession at their 26-yard-line as Marino would complete a 19-yard pass to split end Keith Williams, then hit running back Bryan Thomas for 11 yards on a 4th & 3 at the SMU 33-yard-line which was followed by a 15-yard run by Thomas to give Pitt a 1st & goal at the Mustangs' seven-yard-line.

After a McCall run that went for no gain on 1st down, Marino tried to hit Williams again but overthrew him in the end zone to set up 3rd & goal when Marino fired a pass before he was hit by SMU linebacker Clarence McDade that was intended for Dwight Collins in the end zone.

But Hopkins would get in front of the pass to deflect it as SMU free safety Blane Smith would make  the interception to give the ball back to the Mustangs with 8:08 left in the game and SMU still ahead 7-3.

The Pitt defense would force the Mustangs to punt to give the ball back to Marino and the Panthers offense at their 38-yard-line with 4:29 left to play as Panther fans hoped Marino could pull off a game-winning touchdown in the final minutes just like he did in the Sugar Bowl one year earlier.

The drive would begin with an eight-yard run by Thomas that was followed by a one-yard run by McCall which got 15 yards added on to it as Carter was called for a late hit penalty to give Pitt a 1st down at the SMU 37-yard-line.

An incomplete pass followed by a one-yard run by Marlon McIntyre followed by another incomplete pass set up 4th & 9 when Marino fired a low pass for a diving Dwight Collins at the SMU 26-yard-line that Collins dropped, the sixth such drop for the Pitt offense, to turn the ball over on downs and give the Mustangs a chance to run out the remaining 2:11 on the clock.

Dickerson would pick up two 1st downs to milk the remaining time in the game as the Mustangs came away with the 7-3 victory, their first Cotton Bowl win since 1949 and their 11th victory of the season to finish with a 11-0-1 record.

Despite the loss, the Panthers would still finish the season ranked in the top 10 as they earned the #9 ranking in the final coaches' poll and #10 ranking in the final AP poll as Marino would go on to a Hall-of-Fame career as he would play 17 seasons with the Miami Dolphins.

As for SMU, despite being the only college football team not to lose a game in 1982, they would finish ranked #2 in both the final AP and coaches poll behind Penn State, who was voted #1 in both polls after defeating #1 Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.

The Mustangs would remain a national power for the next two seasons as they would finish with back-to-back 10-2 seasons until they finished with two straight 6-5 seasons in 1985 + 1986 before the program was banned from playing for two seasons after receiving the infamous "Death Penalty" for repeated NCAA violations in 1987.

Eric Dickerson ran the ball 27 times for 124 yards.

The Pitt defense would force the Mustangs to punt to give the ball back to Marino and the Panthers offense at their 38-yard-line with 4:29 left to play as Panther fans hoped Marino could pull off a game-winning touchdown in the final minutes just like he did in the Sugar Bowl one year earlier.

The drive would begin with an eight-yard run by Thomas that was followed by an one-yard run by McCall which got 15 yards added on to it as Carter was called for a late hit penalty to give Pitt a 1st down at the SMU 37-yard-line.

An incomplete pass followed by a one-yard run by Marlon McIntyre followed by another incomplete pass set up 4th & 9 when Marino fired a low pass for a diving Dwight Collins at the SMU 26-yard-line that Collins dropped, the sixth such drop for the Pitt offense, to turn the ball over on downs and give the Mustangs a chance to run out the remaining 2:11 on the clock.

Dickerson would pick up two 1st downs to milk the remaining time in the game as the Mustangs came away with the 7-3 victory, their first Cotton Bowl win since 1949 and their 11th victory of the season to finish with a 11-0-1 record.

Despite the loss, the Panthers would still finish the season ranked in the top 10 as they earned the #9 ranking in the final coaches poll and #10 ranking in the final AP poll as Marino would go on to a Hall-of-Fame career as he would play 17 seasons with the Miami Dolphins.

As for SMU, despite being the only college football team not to lose a game in 1982, they would finished ranked #2 in both the final AP and coaches poll behind Penn State, who was voted #1 in both polls after defeating #1 Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.

The Mustangs would remain a national power for the next two seasons as they would finish with back-to-back 10-2 seasons until they finished with two straight 6-5 seasons in 1985 + 1986 before the program was banned from playing for two seasons after receiving the infamous "Death Penalty" for repeated NCAA violations in 1987.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Chiefs Stun Raiders with Last Second TD Pass from Grbac to Rison

Andre Rison would catch eight passes for 162 yards including the game-winning touchdown in the Chiefs' 1997 game with the Raiders.

 One of the most intense rivalries in the history of the National Football League between the Oakland(now Las Vegas) Raiders and the Kansas City Chiefs with one of their most thrilling chapters coming in the second week of the 1997 NFL season when the Chiefs traveled to the bay area to take on the Raiders on Monday Night Football.

The Chiefs came into the game with a 0-1 record as they had lost their season opener to the Denver Broncos 19-3.

Kansas City was looking to return to the NFL playoffs after missing out in 1996 following a six-year streak of making the playoffs under head coach Marty Schottenheimer who became the Chiefs head coach before the 1989 season.

The Chiefs had a new starting quarterback for the '97 season as Elvis Grbac had been signed as a free agent after serving as Steve Young's backup with the San Francisco 49ers for four seasons.

Grbac joined an offense which featured former Raiders running back Marcus Allen as well as wide receiver Andre Rison, who had also signed with the Chiefs as a free agent prior to the start of the '97 season.

Their opponent, the Oakland Raiders, also came into the game with a 0-1 record as they had lost their regular season opener, a 24-21 overtime loss to the Tennessee Oilers in the first ever NFL game played in the state of Tennessee(To read about that game, click on the link which is highlighted https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2017/09/nfl-old-school-game-of-week.html )

The Raiders were also ushering in a new starting quarterback as Jeff George had been signed as a free agent after his tumultuous exit with the Atlanta Falcons as Oakland owner Al Davis hoped that George along with first-year head coach Joe Bugel could lead the silver & black back to the postseason for the first time since they moved back to Oakland in 1995.

The Chiefs would get the ball to start the game as they were drive from their 20-yard-line to their 45-yard-line before punting the back to the Raiders who would take over at their 19-yard-line.

The Raiders would ride the right arm of George down the field as he would complete four of five passes for 55 yards on the drive with his only incompletion being a throw away as the drive would end with running back Napoleon Kaufman would punch it in for a 10-yard touchdown to give Oakland a 7-0 lead.

The Chiefs would begin their next drive at their 25-yard-line as a 43-yard run by Kimber Anders would put Kansas City in Raiders territory as Kansas City would drive to the Oakland six-yard-line before settling for a 23-yard field goal by Pete Stoyanovich to cut the Raiders' lead to 7-3 with 2:14 left in the first quarter.

The two teams would trade punts as the game moved into the second quarter until the Chiefs got the ball at the Raiders' 44-yard-line as it would take Kansas City six plays to get into the end zone as Grbac would throw a five-yard touchdown pass to Anders to give the Chiefs a 10-7 lead midway through the second quarter.

The two teams would go back to trading punts until the Raiders got the ball at their 10-yard-line with 3:52 left in the second quarter as the drive would begin with a three-yard loss for Kaufman which was followed by a 13-yard pass from George to wide receiver Tim Brown to give Oakland a 1st down at its 20-yard-line.

After an incomplete pass on 1st down, George would connect with Brown on back-to-back completions that totaled 33 yards to put the Raiders at the Kansas City 47-yard-line as the two-minute warning hit.

George would hit Brown one more time on the drive, this time for nine yards, as the Raiders would move to the Chiefs' 13-yard-line until Oakland had to settle for a 32-yard field goal by Cole Ford to tie the game at 10 with 1:03 left before halftime.

Chiefs quarterback Elvis Grbac would complete 21 of 35 passes for 312 yards and throw two touchdowns.

The Chiefs would start their ensuing possession at their 10-yard-line with a 43-yard pass from Grbac to Rison to put Kansas City at the Oakland 47-yard-line with 45 seconds left as the Chiefs spent a timeout.

Following the timeout, Allen would run for six yards followed by a 10-yard pass from Grbac to Brett Perriman to give the Chiefs a 1st down at the Oakland 31-yard-line with 23 seconds left as KC spent its last timeout.

Grbac would hit Rison again, this time for 19 yards which was followed by an Oakland penalty to give the Chiefs a 1st & goal at the Oakland seven-yard-line as Grbac would throw an incomplete pass, leaving enough time for Stoyanovich to come on and kick a 24-yard field goal to tie the game at 10 at the end of the first half.

The Raiders would get the ball to start the second half as it would take only take Oakland two plays to drive into Kansas City territory as Brown would run for 12 yards which was followed by a 22-yard pass from George to tight end Ricky Dudley to put the Raiders at the Chiefs' 42-yard-line.

An offsides penalty on the Chiefs would move the Raiders to the Kansas City 37-yard-line when George fired a pass for Dudley, who made the catch at the KC 15-yard-line and then ran it in to complete the 37-yard touchdown to give Oakland a 17-10 lead just 1:57 into the second half.

The Chiefs would get good field position to start their next possession as Tamarick Vanover returned the ensuing kickoff 42 yards to the Kansas City 39-yard-line as the Chiefs would drive to the Oakland 49-yard-line until Allen fumbled the football after a hit by Raiders defensive end Larry Johnstone as defensive tackle Chester Mcglockton would make the recovery at the Oakland 46-yard-line.

A seven-yard pass from George to Jett would put the Raiders in Kansas City territory as Kaufman ran for 41 yards on the next play to play Oakland at the Chiefs' 16-yard-line when George connected with Dudley again for a 16-yard touchdown to increase the Silver & Black's lead to 24-10 with 10:23 to go in the third quarter.

Things would go from bad to worse for the Chiefs on the ensuing kickoff when Vanover lost the football at the end of a 17-yard return as Oakland linebacker Rob Holmberg would recover the fumble at the Kansas City 16-yrd-line to give the Raiders a chance to perhaps put the game out of reach.

However, Oakland could not take advantage as George threw three straight incomplete passes, leading the Raiders to settle for a 34-yard field goal by Ford which increased Oakland's lead to 27-13 with 9:50 left in the third quarter.

Having given up 17 points in a span of 3 minutes and 13 seconds, the Chiefs needed a score as they would begin their next drive at their 34-yard-line after a 34-yard return by Vanover on the kickoff.

On the next play from scrimmage, Grbac would hit Rison for 23 yards to put the Chiefs at the Raiders' 43-yard-line as Grbac would complete a 15-yard pass to Anders to give Kansas City a 1st down at the Oakland 28-yard-line.

After an Anders run which lost two yards, Grbac would complete a 16-yard pass to Rison to give the Chiefs a 1st & 10 at the Raiders' 14-yard-line as running back Greg Hill would catch a seven-yard pass which was followed by two runs by Hill for two yards to set up 4th & 1.

Schottenheimer would settle for the field goal as Stoyanovich would come on and kick a 23-yard field goal to cut the Raiders' lead to 27-16 with 5:26 to go in the third quarter.

Following an exchange of punts, the Raiders got the ball back at their 45-yard-line when George tried to hit Dudley on a shovel pass only for Chiefs defensive back Darren Anderson intercept the pass and run it back for a 55-yard pick-six to cut the Oakland lead to 27-22.

Raiders wide receiver Tim Brown would catch 11 passes for 155 yards.

The Chiefs would go for two but it would be unsuccessful as Grbac's pass for Rison fell incomplete to keep the score at 27-22 in favor of the Raiders with 65 seconds left in the third quarter.

After another exchange of punts, the Raiders would get the ball back at their six-yard-line as George would complete back-to-back passes to Brown for a total of 25 yards to help Oakland move to its 44-yard-line until George was intercepted again, this time by cornerback Dale Carter, whose nine-yard return give Kansas City the ball at the Raiders' 43-yard-line.

But the Oakland defense would rise to the occasion as Grbac would be sacked by defensive tackle Darren Russell for a 12-yard loss to force Kansas City to punt the ball back to the Raiders who would take over at their 26-yard-line with 4:33 left in the game.

The drive would get off to an auspicious start as Kaufman would be dropped for a four-yard loss on 1st down to set up 2nd & 14 when George completed a 17-yard pass to Brown to give the Raiders a 1st down at their 39-yard-line.

Two runs by Kaufman would cost the Raiders three yards as the Chiefs spent their last two timeouts as Oakland prepared to face a 3rd & 13 situation with 3:16 to go in the game when George completed a short pass to Kaufman who turned it into a 26-yard gain to give the Raiders a 1st down at the Kansas City 39-yard-line.

Needing one more 1st down to win the game, the Raiders would give the ball to backup running back Joe Aska who gained three yards on the next two plays to set up a 3rd & 7 as the two-minute warning hit.

The Raiders would go back to Kaufman in hopes of picking up the 1st down only for him to be dropped for a three-yard loss as Oakland would punt the ball back to the Chiefs who would take over at their 20-yard-line with 58 seconds left on the clock and Kansas City needing a touchdown to win.

Grbac would hit tight end Lake Dawson for 21 yards to start the drive to put the Chiefs at their 41-yard-line as Dawson would catch another pass but would go for no gain on 1st & 10 which was followed by an incomplete pass to bring up 3rd & 10 when Grbac found Perriman for a 27-yard gain to put Kansas City at the Raiders' 32-yard-line as Grbac would spike the ball to stop the clock with 11 seconds to go.

That is when Grbac fired a pass toward the left corner of the end zone where Rison would make the catch for the shocking 32-yard touchdown to give the Chiefs a 28-27 lead with just three seconds to go.

The Raiders would get one last chance at winning the game as Desmond Howard would return the ensuing kickoff 25 yards before being tackled by Chiefs linebacker Anthony Davis to end the game with Kansas City on top 28-27.

Following the heartbreaking loss, the Raiders would go on to have their worst season since 1962 as Oakland would go on to finish the season with a 4-12 record which result in Bugel's firing as head coach after just one season.

As for the Chiefs, they would go on to finish with the best record in the AFC as they would finish the regular season with a 13-3 record to earn home field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs.

However, the Chiefs would be one-and-done as they would lose to the Denver Broncos 14-10 in the Divisional Round which ended up being Kansas City's last playoff appearance under Schottenheimer as the Chiefs would not return to the postseason until 2003.

College Football Old School Game of the Week: Ole Miss Beats Oklahoma on Walk-Off FG in Independence Bowl

In what was the final college football game of the 20th century, the Ole Miss Rebels took on the Oklahoma Sooners in the Independence Bowl in Shreveport, Louisiana on the night of December 31, 1999.

The Rebels were making their second straight appearance in the Independence Bowl as they had defeated the Texas Tech Red Raider 35-18 in what was David Cutcliffe's debut as the Ole Miss head coach.

Cutcliffe had been the offensive coordinator at the University of Tennessee from 1993 through 1998 where he had coached Peyton Manning, son of former Ole Miss great Archie Manning, and helped the Vols win two SEC titles and the 1998 national title.

Cutcliffe's arrival in Oxford would bring forth the successful recruitment of Peyton's younger brother Eli to Ole Miss who sat out the 1999 season as he was redshirted.

Eli would watch Romaro Miller serve as the team's starting quarterback that along with running back Deuce McAllister led Ole Miss to a 7-4 record as the combined amount of the losses for the Rebels was 15 points.

The Rebels accepted an invitation to once again play in the Independence Bowl where they would face off with the Sooners who were making their first postseason appearance since 1994.

The Sooners' football program had been in decline since Barry Switzer's resignation following the 1988 season as NCAA penalties greatly affected the program as the Sooners did not have a winning season from 1994 through 1998.

The Sooners hired Bob Stoops, the defensive coordinator during the Florida Gators' 1996 national championship season, prior to the 1999 season in hopes of returning the Oklahoma program to glory.

Stoops hired Mike Leach as offensive coordinator, who installed his "Air Raid" pass-happy offense with junior quarterback Josh Heupel at the helms as starting quarterback.

Led by Heupel's 3.460 yards and 30 touchdown passes, the Sooners went 7-4 during the regular season as Oklahoma looked to cap off Stoops' first season in Norman with the team's first bowl win since 1993.

 After the Rebels punted on their opening possession of the game, the Sooners got the ball at their 45-yard-line and quickly drove into the Ole Miss red zone as running back Quentin Griffin ran for 14 yards to start the drive which was followed by back-to-back passes by Heupel that totaled 25 yards.

But the drive would stall as Heupel would throw three straight incomplete passes, forcing the Sooners to bring on Tim Duncan to attempt a 35-yard field goal, whose kick sailed wide left to keep the game scoreless as Ole Miss would take over at its 20-yard-line.

A seven-yard pass from Miller to Toward Sanford followed by a three-yard run by Joe Gunn give Ole Miss a 1st down at its 30-yard-line when Miller found wide receiver Maurice Flournoy for 45 yards to put the Rebels at the Oklahoma 25-yard-line when Miller hit McAllister coming out of the backfield for a 25-yard touchdown to give the Rebels a 7-0 lead with 9:09 left in the first quarter.

The Sooners would start their next drive at their 21-yard-line as Heupel would complete three straight passes for 18 yards until the southpaw quarterback completed a short pass to Jarrail Jackson, who fumbled the football after a hit by Ole Miss defensive back Tim Strickland as linebacker Amzie Williams would make the recovery to give the Rebels the ball at the Oklahoma 40-yard-line.

The Rebels seemed poised to increase their lead after McAllister caught a 22-yard pass from Miller to start the drive only to have it followed by a quarterback sack and then an interception as Sooners defensive end 

Corey Heinicke, whose 51-yard return gave the Oklahoma offense the ball at the Ole Miss 20-yard-line as McAllister made the tackle to save a touchdown.

The Sooners could only move three yards in three plays as Duncan would come on to attempt a 34-yard field goal, which this time he made, to put Oklahoma on the scoreboard and cut the Ole Miss lead to 7-3 with 5:22 left in the first quarter.

Ole Miss running Deuce McAllister would account for 239 all-purpose yards.

Ole Miss would begin its next drive at its 21-yard-line as two plays gained 14 yards to give the Rebels a 1st down at its 35-yard-line when Miller was intercepted by Oklahoma defensive back William Bartee to give the Sooners offense the ball at the Rebels' 29-yard-line.

However, the Sooners could not cash in on the turnover as Heupel would fumble a snap from center as Ole Miss defensive tackle Kendrick Clancy would make the recovery at the Rebels' 24-yard-line.

The Rebels would go three-and-out to punt the ball back to the Sooners who took over at their 37-yard-line and drove to the Ole Miss 38-yard-line when Oklahoma lined up to punt, only to run a trick play as Patrick Fletcher, the Sooners' backup quarterback, lateraled the ball to wide receiver Brandon Daniels, who then threw a pass downfield intended for Antwone Savage.

But Ole Miss' Cory Peterson would knock down the pass to give the ball back to the Rebels at their 38-yard-line just 58 seconds into the second quarter.

The Rebels would drive 62 yards in 12 plays as Miller would complete all five of his passes on the drive for 38 yards with his last completion being a nine-yard touchdown pass to tight end Adam Bettis to increase the Ole Miss lead to 14-3 with 8:13 left in the second quarter.

The Sooners would begin their next possession at their 31-yard-line as a 31-yard pass from Heupel to Savage help lead Oklahoma to the Ole Miss nine-yard-line until Heupel was intercepted in the end zone by Strickland on a pass intended for Damian Mackey to give the Rebels the ball back at their 20-yard-line with a chance to extend their lead before halftime.

It would take the Rebels only one play to get into the end zone as Miller handed the ball off to McAllister, who turned a draw play up the middle into a 80-yard touchdown to push the Ole Miss lead to 21-3 with 4:05 left in the first half.

Oklahoma would begin its next drive backed up at its nine-yard-line as Heupel would complete seven of his next nine passes for 71 yards to help put the Sooners at the Ole Miss' nine-yard-line with four seconds to go in the half as Duncan and the field goal unit came as they lined up to attempt a short field goal.

But once again, the Sooners would try to trick the Rebels as the holder Fletcher tried to throw a pass only to be sacked by Ole Miss defensive backs Ronnie Heard and Syniker Taylor for a 17-yard loss as the first half came to an end with the Rebels on top 21-3.

The Sooners would get the ball to start the second half as Heupel would lead Oklahoma on a nine-play, 73-yard drive that ended with Oklahoma's first touchdown of the game as Heupel threw a three-yard touchdown pass to Jackson to cut the Ole Miss lead to 21-10.

The two teams would trade punts until midway through the third quarter when the Sooners got the ball at their 20-yard-line as Heupel would complete six passes in a row with the last completion being a 41-yard touchdown to Daniels to make the score 21-16 as Oklahoma would go for two following the touchdown.

The two-point conversion would be successful as Heupel found tight end Chris Hammons in the end zone to cut the Rebels' lead to 21-18 with 3:58 left in the third quarter.

Oklahoma quarterback Josh Heupel completed 39 of 53 passes for 390 yards and threw three touchdown passes.

The Rebels would respond with their longest drive of the game, a 14-play, 70-yard journey that took nearly eight minutes off the clock and did not end until Les Binkley made a 29-yard field goal to push the Ole Miss lead to 24-18 with 11:18 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Oklahoma would get the ball back at its 36-yard-line as Heupel completed his next four passes for 42 yards to help lead the Sooners to the Ole Miss 24-yard-line until Heupel was sacked by Rebels defensive end Shane Elam to force a fumble that was recovered by defensive tackle Anthony Sims to give Ole Miss the ball at its 20-yard-line with 6:52 to go in the game.

The Rebels would turn to McAllister to milk the clock as Deuce would run the ball four straight times, picking up 14 yards before Miller threw an incomplete pass on 3rd & 7 to force an Ole Miss punt as Heupel would get the ball back at his 21-yard-line with 4:15 left on the clock.

After the drive began with an ineligible receiver downfield, Heupel would throw an incomplete pass, then hit Daniels for 12 yards to set up 3rd & 3 when the Rebels jumped offsides to give the Sooners a 1st down at their 33-yard-line.

The very next play saw Heupel hand the ball off to Griffin who busted loose for a 24-yard run to put Oklahoma in Ole Miss territory at the Rebels' 43-yard-line as the freshman running back would then catch a four-yard pass to bring up 2nd & 6 when Heupel hit Daniels for 22 yards and a 1st down at the Ole Miss 17-yard-line.

That is when Heupel found Griffin for a 17-yard touchdown that with Duncan's extra point gave the Sooners their first lead of the game at 25-24 with 2:17 to go in the game.

Needing at least a field goal to win the game, the Rebels would get great field position to start their ensuing possession as McAllister returned the ensuing kickoff 42 yards to the Ole Miss 43-yard-line.

The drive would begin with two straight runs by McAllister that totaled 17 yards and put Ole Miss at the Oklahoma 40-yard-line as Miller would throw an incomplete pass, then hit L.J. Taylor for eight yards to set up 3rd & 2 with 65 seconds to go.

That is when the Sooners were called for having too men in the field as they had huddled with 12 men which drew a five-yard penalty and gave the Rebels a 1st down at the Oklahoma 27-yard-line.

Clearly in field goal range, the Rebels would not put the ball back in the air as two straight running plays picked up five yards to set up a 39-yard field goal attempt by Binkley with three seconds to go.

The Sooners called timeout in hopes of icing Binkley but it was to no avail as the junior kicker would calmly make the 39-yard field goal as time expired to give the Rebels a 27-25 win and their second straight Independence Bowl win.

The win would propel Ole Miss into the final rankings as they voted in at #22 in both the final AP and coaches polls with their 8-4 record while Oklahoma finished the season unranked with a 7-5 record.

McAllister would return for his senior season in 2000 as the Rebels would go 7-5 and lose to West Virginia in the Music City Bowl as Manning would be inserted in the game in the 4th quarter and lead Ole Miss to 22 straight points as Eli would become the Ole Miss starting quarterback for the next three years.

As for the Sooners, they would return to prominence as Heupel would throw for 3,392 yards and 20 touchdown passes in leading Oklahoma to a 13-0 season and its first national championship since 1985.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Manning Gets The Best of Marino in Quarterback Duel

 

Colts quarterback Peyton Manning completed 23 of 29 passes for 260 yards in leading Indianapolis to a Week 14 win over the Miami Dolphins.

Every once in a while in sports, the past meets the future when a great athlete towards the end of his or her career goes up against an athlete who seems poised for greatness.

That was the case in Week 14 of the 1999 NFL season as Dan Marino, who was in his 17th NFL season faced with off second-year quarterback Peyton Manning as the Miami Dolphins hosted the Indianapolis Colts.

The Colts came into the game with a 9-2 record which was a remarkable turnaround for Indianapolis as the Colts had had back-to-back 3-13 seasons in 1997 + 98.

In his second year since being selected with the #1 overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft, Manning had thrown for 2,952 yards and 21 touchdown passes up to this point in the 1999 NFL season as the Colts traveled to Miami, hoping to extend their seven-game winning streak.

While Manning's career was on the upswing, Marino was clearly in the twilight of his career as the 38-year-old had missed five games of the '99 season because of a bone spur in his throwing shoulder.

Marino returned for the Dolphins' Thanksgiving showdown with the Dallas Cowboys where Marino was benched after throwing five interceptions in a 20-0 loss to the Cowboys to drop the Dolphins to 8-3 and one game behind the Colts in the AFC East.

Many in the media thought it was a possibility that Marino would not start and that Damon Huard, who had the Dolphins to a 4-1 record during his time as the Miami starting quarterback, would get the start in the Dolphins' showdown with the Colts.

But head coach Jimmy Johnson said that Marino would start as Miami fans hoped that Marino could do against the Colts what he had done eight weeks earlier as he lead Miami to a 34-31 win when he threw the game-winning touchdown pass with 27 seconds to go in the game.

However, that finish did come with controversy when an apparent Marino fumble with 1:22 left in the game was overturned to an incomplete pass which allowed the Dolphins to continue on their game-winning drive.

If Miami defeated Indianapolis, the two teams would be tied for the AFC East division with identical 9-3 records but the Dolphins would hold the tiebreaker as they had swept the season series with the Colts.

After the Dolphins went three-and-out to start the game, the Colts would get the ball at their 46-yard-line as Manning handed the ball off to rookie running back Edgerrian James three straight times as the rookie running back gained 22 yards on the three runs to put Indianapolis at the Miami 32-yard-line.

Manning would then throw his first pass of the game, a 15-yard pass to tight end Ken Dilger to give Indianapolis a 1st down at the Miami 17-yard-line when James get another carry as he ran for six yards, only to have it called back because of an illegal crack block on wide receiver E.G. Green.

The penalty pushed the Colts back 15 yards as Indianapolis wound up settling for a 44-yard field goal by Mike Vanderjagt to give Indy a 3-0 lead midway through the first quarter.

The Dolphins would respond with a 11-play, 55-yard drive that took over five minutes to complete and did not end until Olindo Mare kicked a 31-yard field goal to tie the game at 3.

The Colts would start its ensuing possession at its 21-yard-line and appeared it was going to be a three-and-out as Manning threw an incomplete pass on 3rd & 3 only to have Dolphins linebacker Zach Thomas get called for holding to give Indianapolis a fresh set of downs at its 33-yard-line.

On the very next play, Manning would find Dilger for 26 yards to put the Colts in Miami territory as James would then run it in for a 41-yard touchdown to give Indianapolis a 10-3 lead with 42 seconds left in the first quarter.

Colts running back Edgerrian James ran for 120 yards on 23 carries and scored two touchdowns.

It would not take long for the Colts to get back into the end zone as on the opening play of the Dolphins' ensuing possession, cornerback Jeff Burris stripped running back J.J. Johnson of the ball at the end of a seven-yard run, leading to a scoop and score by strong safety Chad Cota for a 25-yard touchdown to increase the Indianapolis lead to 17-3 with just 19 seconds to go in the opening quarter.

Things went from bad to worse for the Dolphins on their next drive when Marino was intercepted by the Colts' other starting cornerback in Tyrone Poole, whose 36-yard return put Manning and the Indy offense at the Miami 33-yard-line.

The Colts would drive to the Miami 19-yard-line until a snap from center Larry Moore went over the head of Manning as the second-year quarterback would fall on the ball after a 22-yard loss, forcing Indianapolis to punt the back to the Dolphins who would get the ball back at their 12-yard-line.

Miami picked up one 1st down before facing a 3rd & 17 at their 17-yard-line when Marino fired a deep pass for Tony Martin which fell incomplete but a drew 43-yard pass interference penalty on Colts defensive back Tony Blevins to give the Dolphins a 1st down at the Indianapolis 40-yard-line.

Three plays later, the Dolphins were in the end zone as Marino fired a 24-yard touchdown pass to Oronde Gadsden to cut the Colts' lead in half to 17-10 with 5:16 left in the second quarter.

The Colts would respond with an eight-play, 68-yard drive which saw Manning complete all four of his passes for 53 yards which culminated with an one-yard touchdown run by James to push the Indianapolis lead back to two touchdowns at 24-10 with just 57 seconds left before halftime.

The Dolphins tried to muster a drive to get some points before the end of the first half but would go three-and-out as Manning would take a knee to run out the remaining nine seconds as the Colts went into the halftime break ahead 24-10 and set to get the ball to start the second half with a chance to extend their lead.

However on the second play from scrimmage, Manning threw a pass that bounced off the hands of wide receiver Marvin Harrison and into the arms of Dolphins cornerback Sam Madison who returned the interception back for a 21-yard touchdown to cut the Colts' led to 24-17 just 49 seconds into the second half.

Manning would shake off the pick-six on the first play of the Colts' ensuing possession as he hit Harrison on a 36-yard bomb to give Indianapolis a 1st down at the Miami 38-yard-line.

After a James run that lost two yards, Manning went back to Harrison on the next two plays as the two connected for a six-yard gain on 2nd & 12 then after a holding penalty pushed the Colts back three yards, connected again this time for 13 yards on 3rd & 9 to give Indianapolis a fresh set of downs at the Dolphins' 24-yard-line.

Manning would then complete a 17-yard pass to Dilger to give the Colts a 1st & goal where James ran for two yards to set up 2nd & goal when Peyton found Terence Wilkins for the five-yard touchdown to push the Colts' lead back to 14 points at 31-17 midway through the third quarter.

Following an exchange of punts, the Dolphins got the ball at their 43-yard-line when Marino completed a 24-yard pass to Martin which was followed by a 33-yard touchdown from Marino to Martin to cut the Colts' lead to 31-24 with 3:53 remaining in the third quarter.

The Colts would get the ball back at their 20-yard-line and seemed poised to increase their lead back to two touchdowns as Manning completed a 19-yard pass to Harrison which was followed by two runs by James that totaled 24 yards to put Indianapolis at the Miami 37-yard-line when Manning was picked off by the Dolphins' other starting cornerback, Patrick Surtain, whose 28-yard return gave Marino and the Miami offense the ball at their 49-yard-line.

After two incomplete passes, Marino would find Yatil Green for 26 yards to give the Dolphins a 1st down at the Colts' 25-yard-line as Marino would complete a one-yard pass to Stanely Pritchett, before hitting Gadsen on back-to-back passes for 23 yards to give Miami a 1st & goal at the one-yard-line.

That is when Marino threw a one-yard touchdown pass to Pritchett that with the extra point tied the game at 31 with 13:07 to go in regulation.

Dan Marino bounced back from a five-interception game to throw for 313 yards and three touchdowns in a losing effort to the Colts.

The Miami defense would force a three-and-out to give their offense the ball back at their 35-yard-line as two runs by Johnson collected two yards to set up 3rd & 8 when Marino was sacked by Colts linebacker Cornelius Bennett, knocking the ball loose as Mike Peterson recovered the fumble to give Indianapolis the ball at the Miami 32-yard-line.

However, the Colts could not take advantage of the turnover as Manning was sacked by Dolphins defensive end Trace Armstrong for a nine-yard loss, knocking the Colts out of field goal range and forcing them to punt the ball back to the Dolphins, who would take over at their five-yard-line.

The Dolphins would pick up one first down before punting the ball back to the Colts, who would take over in Miami territory after Wilkins returned the ensuing punt 27 yards to the Miami 37-yard-line.

Two runs by James gained nine yards to set up 3rd & 1 when Manning handed the ball off one more time to James, only to dropped for a three-yard loss by Thomas, forcing the Colts to settle for a 48-yard field goal by Vanderjagt to give Indianapolis with 4:24 left in the fourth quarter.

Miami would get the ball back at its 20-yard-line as the Dolphins hoped that Marino would do what he did two months earlier against the Colts and lead Miami to the winning score.

Marino would come out firing as he would complete a 23-yard pass to Gadsden to start the drive which was followed by a 15-yard pass to Martin to put Miami in Indianapolis territory at the Colts' 42-yard-line.

JJ Johnson would get his hands on the next two plays as he caught a seven-yard pass on 1st down, then ran for two yards on 2nd down to set up 3rd & 1 when Marino completed a three-yard pass to Green to give Miami a fresh set of downs at the Colts' 30-yard-line.as the two-minute warning struck.

After a 10-yard pass to Martin, Marino would hand the ball off to Johnson who gained just one yard to set up 2nd & 9 when Marino threw a five-yard pass to make it 3rd & 4 when Marino throw an incomplete pass to bring up 4th down as Mare would come on to kick a 32-yard field goal to tie the game at 34 with 36 seconds left in regulation.

That was enough time for the Colts to try and get into field goal range especially with the fact that they had all three timeouts left in their pocket as Manning would get good field position as Wilkins returned the ensuing kickoff 32 yards to the Indianapolis 30-yard-line.

Manning would go to his most trusted receiver as Harrison as two connected for a 16-yard completion to start the drive that was followed by a 18-yard completion to put the Colts at the Dolphins' 34-yard-line with 17 seconds to go.

Manning would then hand the ball off to James in hopes of making the field goal attempt a little shorter but James would be dropped for an one-yard loss as head coach Jim Mora sent in Vanderjagt to attempt a 53-yard field goal with six seconds to go.

Vanderjagt's kick was straight but the distance was a question mark as it appeared it might fall short of the goal posts.

But the kick would barely pass the crossbar as time expired as Vanderjagt's 53-yard field goal gave the Colts a 37-34 win and a two-game lead in the AFC Eastern Division.

Marvin Harrison caught eight passes for 125 yards including two for 34 yards on the game-winning drive.

Marino and the Dolphins would win only one more game during the regular season as Miami finished with a 9-7 record but earned a Wild Card spot in the AFC playoffs thanks to winning a tiebreaker over the Kansas City Chiefs as the Dolphins had a better record against common opponents they had with the Chiefs.

In the playoffs, Marino would lead the Dolphins to a 20-17 upset win over the Seattle Seahawks only to be eliminated the following week by the Jacksonville Jaguars 62-7 in one of the most lopsided losses in NFL playoff history.

Two months later, Marino announced his retirement from the NFL after 17 seasons in which he threw for 61,361 yards and 420 touchdown passes in a Hall-of-Fame career which unfortunately featured zero Super Bowl rings.

As for Manning and the Colts, they would go on to win the AFC East division title, the first division title in 12 years, as Indianapolis finished the regular season with a 13-3 record and the #2 seed in the AFC playoffs.

But the Colts would be stunned by the Tennessee Titans 19-16 in the Divisional Round of the AFC playoffs, ending the greatest single season turnaround when it comes to wins and losses in NFL history.

Manning would go a spectacular 18-year NFL career in which he threw for 71, 940 yards and 539 touchdown passes as he led the Colts to a Super Bowl title in 2006 and then the Denver Broncos in 2015 which was Peyton's final season.

Six years later, Manning would join Marino in the Pro Football Hall-of-Fame.

College Football Old School Game of the Week: Clemson Comes Back From 28 Points Down to Beat Virginia

 

Clemson kicker Nelson Welch(2) and linebacker John McMakin(45) raise their arms in celebration of Welch's game-winning field goal.

On October 10, 1992, the Clemson Tigers traveled to Charlottesville, Virginia to take on the Virginia Cavaliers in a top-25 showdown between two old ACC foes.

The Tigers came into the game ranked #25 in the country despite having a 2-2 record as they had lost to the Florida State Seminoles 24-20 and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 20-16 earlier in the season.

The Tigers were led by head coach Ken Hatfield, who was in his third season as the Clemson head coach after stops at the Air Force Academy and the University of Arkansas.

The story going into the Virginia game is who would be the starting quarterback as junior quarterback Richard Moncrief had suffered a hip pointer in the Tigers' 54-3 win against Chattanooga the week before.

Moncrief would get the start as the Tigers traveled to Virginia to take on the #10 ranked Cavaliers, who came into the game with a 5-0 record under head coach George Welsh who had turned the Virginia football program from one of the worst in the ACC to the one of the best upon his arrival in 1982.

Under Welsh's leadership, the Cavaliers had complied eight winning seasons, played in five bowl games winning two of them, an ACC championship in 1989 and a #1 ranking during the 1990 season.

1992 was looking to be another banner year for the Cavaliers has won their first five games thanks in large part to an offense that had averaged 44.4 points per game under the guidance of quarterback Bobby Goodman and running back Terry Kirby, who was the leading rusher in the ACC up to this point.

The Cavs looked to ride their offense to a win over Clemson, something that Virginia had only accomplished once in school history in 32 meetings with the Tigers.

 The Cavaliers would get the ball to start the game as they were able to drive from their 30-yard-line to the Clemson 24-yard-line until Goodman was sacked by Tigers linebackers Kenzil Jackson and Ashley Sheppard for a eight-yard loss to force Virginia to punt the ball away.

The Tigers would pick up one 1st down before punting the ball back to the Cavaliers, who took over at their 34-yard-line as Goodman would complete a 10-yard pass to fullback Charles Way which was followed up by a 14-yard run by the junior quarterback.

Those two plays would help set up Goodman's 33-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Tyrone Davis to give Virginia a 7-0 lead with 6:26 left in the first quarter.

The two teams would trade punts as the game moved into the second quarter when the Cavaliers began a possession in plus territory at the Clemson 49-yard-line as two runs by Kirby netted just three yards to set up 3rd & 7 when Goodman completed a nine-yard pass to tight end Aaron Mundy for a 1st down.

On the very next play, Goodman went deep and found Davis again for a 36-yard touchdown that increased the Cavaliers' lead to 14-0 with 12:05 left in the second quarter.

When the Clemson offense came back on the field, they did so with a new quarterback as Louis Solomon took over for Moncrief as it was clear that the hip pointer was still bothering Moncrief.

Solomon's insertion did not improve things for the Tigers as they would go three-and-out to give the ball back to the Cavaliers, who took over at their 37-yard-line as a 29-yard pass from Goodman to Kirby would lead to a 20-yard touchdown pass from Goodman to Patrick Jeffers to make it a 21-0 lead for Virginia.

Down by three touchdowns, the Tigers would get desperate on their next possession when they would go for the 1st down on 4th & 1 from their 44-yard-line only to have Solomon fumble the snap from center as Virginia linebacker Randy Neal would recover the ball to give the Cavalier offense the football at the Clemson 45-yard-line.

For this drive, the Cavaliers would rely on Kirby's legs as he ran the ball four times for 36 yards to set up Goodman's four-yard touchdown pass to Terrence Tomlin to push the Virginia lead to 28-0 with 3:54 to go in the second quarter.

Virginia quarterback Bobby Goodman throw for four touchdown passes all in the first half.

Even though there was still over a half of football to play, it seemed like the game was over as the Virginia offense was rolling while the Clemson offense was going nowhere as it had complied just 53 yards of total offense up to this point.

But the Tigers would get a glimmer of hope on their next offensive possession as Solomon would keep the ball on a quarterback option to the left side and ran untouched for a 64-yard touchdown to put Clemson on the scoreboard and cut the Virginia lead to 28-7 with 1:53 remaining before halftime.

The touchdown seemed to give Clemson some momentum after the ensuing kickoff when Ed Hauggen recovered a fumble to give the Tigers the ball at the Virginia 45-yard-line.

However, two sacks of Solomon would force the Tigers to punt the ball back to the Cavaliers who took over at their 42-yard-line with 27 seconds left and a chance to extend their lead before the end of the first half.

The Cavs would move to the Clemson 47-yard-line giving Goodman a chance at a Hail Mary in the final seconds but it fell incomplete to end the first half with Virginia on top 28-7.

Clemson would get the ball to start the second half as the Tigers would drive from their 20-yard-line to the Virginia 18-yard-line, thanks in large part to three runs by running back Rodney Blunt for 33 yards and a 22-yard pass from Solomon to wide receiver Terry Smith.

But the drive would end with a turnover as Blunt lost the football at the end of a four-yard run as Cavaliers defensive back Keith Lyle recovered the fumble at the Virginia 18-yard-line.

Virginia would pick up one 1st down before punting the ball back to Clemson who would take over at its 37-yard-line as a 19-yard run by Blunt and a 34-yard run by Rudy Harris put the Tigers at the Cavaliers' one-yard-line where they faced a 4th & goal.

The Tigers would go for the touchdown which they got when Howard Hall punched it in for an one-yard touchdown to trim the Virginia lead to 28-14 with 6:52 left in the third quarter.

Following a Virginia three-and-out, the Tigers would get the ball back at their 45-yard-line as Solomon would run for 14 yards on two carries and complete a 13-yard pass to Smith to help set up a 37-yard field goal attempt by Nelson Welch.

However, Welch would miss on his attempt to cut into the Virginia lead as the Cavaliers would take over at their 20-yard-line still ahead by two touchdowns.

The Clemson defense would force a three-and-out to give their offense the ball at their 39-yard-line as an one yard run by Solomon and a seven-yard pass to Larry Ryans set up 3rd & 2 when Solomon handed it off to Blunt on a sprint draw as the junior running back would run for a 53-yard touchdown to make it a 28-20 game as Welch's extra point attempt would bounce off the left upright.

The two teams would trade punts as the game moved into the fourth quarter when the Tigers got the ball at their 35-yard-line as Harris would run for 10 yards to start the drive and pick up a 1st down.

Three plays would pick up five yards to set up 4th & 5 at the 50-yard-line when the Tigers decided to go for the 1st down which they got when Solomon kept the ball himself on a quarterback option and ran for 10 yards to the Virginia 40-yard-line.

Following an incomplete pass and a run for no gain, Solomon would run for 13 yards on a quarterback draw to put Clemson at the Virginia 27-yard-line when Solomon handed it off to Harris who would then run it in for a 27-yard touchdown to bring the Tigers to within two points of tying the game.

Clemson would go for two but an illegal procedure penalty followed by a Harris run that would go nowhere would keep the score at 28-26 in favor of Virginia with 5:31 to play in the game.

Clemson quarterback Louis Solomon would only throw for 88 yards on 5-of-14 passes, but would run for 116 yards on 16 carries.

With their four-touchdown lead nearly evaporated, the Cavaliers were hoping their offense could turn the momentum as they began their next possession at their 26-yard-line.

A 28-yard pass from Goodman to Davis would put Virginia in Clemson territory but the drive would end in disaster as Goodman would be intercepted by Clemson defensive back Darnell Stephens to give the Tigers the ball at their 35-yard-line with 3:53 left in the game.

Three straight running plays would pick up 11 yards to give Clemson a 1st down at its 46-yard-line when Solomon went deep and hit a diving Ryans for a 45-yard completion to give the Tigers a 1st & goal at the Virginia nine-yard-line.

A holding penalty on tight end Franklin Thomas would push the Tigers back to the Virginia 22-yard-line as three more running plays gained seven yards before Hatfield called on Welch and the field goal unit to take the lead.

After missing a field goal and an extra point, Welch would get redemption as he would make a 32-yard field goal to give Clemson its first lead of the game at 29-28 with 55 seconds to play.

The Cavs would get a chance to save themselves as they would begin their next possession at their 27-yard-line as Goodman completed three straight passes to pick up 18 yards before a pass interference penalty on the Tigers put Virginia at the Clemson 40-yard-line.

Following two incomplete passes, Goodman would throw a Hail Mary into the end zone only for it fall incomplete as time expired with the Tigers on top 29-28 to complete the greatest comeback in Clemson football history.

The collapse against the Tigers would send the Cavaliers' season into a downward spiral as they would lose three of their final five games to finish the season with a 7-4 record as the Cavs would not play in a bowl game for the first time since 1988.

As for the Tigers, their comeback win against Virginia was the highlight of their season as they would finish the season with a 5-6 record, the first losing season for the Clemson football program since 1976.

However, the win over the Cavaliers remains the greatest deficit Clemson has ever overcome to win a football game.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Manning Leads Broncos Back From 24-Point Halftime Deficit to Win over Chargers

Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning would throw for 309 yards and three touchdown passes in the Broncos' comeback win over the Chargers.

 On March 20, 2012, the Denver Broncos signed quarterback Peyton Manning to a five-year contract with the hopes that he would the Broncos back to the Super Bowl.

However, his first season got off to a rough start as the Broncos went 2-3 over the first month of the 2012 season as they traveled to San Diego to take on their division rivals, the San Diego Chargers on Monday Night Football.

The Chargers came into the game with a 3-2 record under head coach Norv Turner, who was under pressure to get the Bolts back to the playoffs after a two-year absence as the two old AFL rivals prepared to face off for the 105th time.

The first break of the game would go to the Chargers when the Broncos' Trenton Holliday muffed a punt which was recovered by San Diego backup tight end Dante Rosario at the Denver 17-yard-line which would lead to a 32-yard field goal by Nick Novak to give the Chargers a 3-0 lead.

Though the Broncos dodged that bullet, disaster would strike on the ensuing kickoff when Omar Bolden lost the football when he was hit by Chargers defensive back Darrell Stuckey which was recovered by Corey Lynch to give San Diego the ball at the Denver 19-yard-line.

Ryan Matthews would run for four yards to set up 2nd & 6 when quarterback Philip Rivers found tight end Antonio Gates for a 15-yard touchdown to give the Chargers a 10-0 lead with 8:16 left in the first quarter.

The score was still 10-0 in favor of San Diego when Rivers was intercepted by Broncos defensive back Jim Leonhard on a deep pass intended for Gates to give Denver the ball back at its five-yard-line.

Two plays later, Manning hit a wide open Eric Decker who appeared on his way to an 85-yard touchdown only to trip over his feet at the San Diego 40-yard-line and get tackled 10 yards later as Denver would have a 1st down at the Chargers' 30-yard-line.

A four-yard run by Willis McGahee and an incomplete pass would set up 3rd & 6 at the Chargers' 26-yard-line when Manning was picked off by San Diego cornerback Quentin Jammer who return the interception 80 yards for a touchdown to increase the Chargers' lead to 17-0 with six minutes left in the second quarter.

After Denver would go three-and-out on its next possession, the Chargers would get the ball back at their 34-yard-line when they put together their best drive of the first half as they would drive 66 yards in 10 plays, culminating with a 11-yard touchdown pass from Rivers to gates to make it a 24-0 game in favor of San Diego with 24 seconds to in the first half.

Manning would take a knee to rule out the clock as the Broncos went into the locker room down 24 points but set to get the ball to start the second half.

Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers would throw for 241 yards and two touchdowns but also throw four interceptions.

Starting at his 15-yard-line, Manning would complete a 11-yard pass to Joel Dressen, then handed the ball off to McGahee who would only pick up two yards to set up 2nd & 8 when Manning found Dressen again this time for 19 yards to give the Broncos a 1st down at their 47-yard-line.

After a pass to McGahee gained zero yards, Manning completed passes of 14 yards to Decker and 10 yards to Dressen to put the Broncos at the Chargers' 29-yard-line when Manning found Demaryius Thomas for a 29-yard touchdown to put Denver on the board to cut the San Diego lead to 24-7 with just over 11 minutes left in the third quarter.

The Chargers appeared unfazed by the touchdown as they drove from their 15-yard-line to the Broncos' 33-yard-line with a chance to increase their lead as they were faced with a 3rd & 8 situation.

That is when Broncos defensive end Elvis Dumervil sacked Rivers to knock the ball loose which was recovered by defensive back Tony Carter who returned the fumble 65 yards for a touchdown to cut the Chargers' lead to 24-14 with 4:41 left in the third quarter.

The Chargers would go three-and-out on their ensuing possession to give the ball back to the Broncos who took over at their 45-yard-line as two runs by McGahee for 11 yards give Denver a 1st down at the San Diego 44-yard-line.

An nine-yard pass from Manning to Dressen would set up 2nd & 1 when McGahee was stopped for no gain to bring up 3rd & 1 when the Broncos went backwards on a false start penalty and a holding penalty to force 3rd & 16 as the third quarter came to an end.

The fourth quarter would begin with Manning completing a 25-yard pass to tight end Jacob Tamme to give the Broncos a 1st down at the San Diego 25-yard-line as two more runs by McGahee for 11 yards gave Denver another 1st down at the Chargers' 14-yard-line as Manning would complete a seven-yard pass to Decker, then hit Decker again for a seven-yard touchdown to make it a three-point game at 24-21 with 13:33 left in the fourth quarter.

Needing to turn the momentum back in their favor, the Chargers would drive from their 15-yard-line to their 31-yard-line when Rivers was picked off again, this time by Carter, who returned the interception 15 yards to give the Broncos the ball at the 50-yard-line.

From there, Manning would complete two passes to Brandon Stokley for 15 yards to go along with a nine-yard run by McGahee and a five-yard offsides penalty on the Chargers to put Denver at the San Diego 21-yard-line.

That is when Manning lofted a pass for Stokley in the right corner of the end zone who would outleap Chargers defensive back Marcus Gilchrist to make the catch for the 21-yard touchdown to give the Broncos their first lead of the game at 28-24 with 9:03 to go in the fourth quarter.

Having seen their lead disappeared, the Chargers would get the ball back at their 32-yard-line as Rivers would complete passes of 13 yards to Gates and six yards to Malcolm Floyd to put the Chargers in Denver territory at the Broncos' 49-yard-line.

However four plays later, Rivers would be intercepted again, this time by Broncos cornerback Chris Harris give Denver the ball back at its 34-yard-line.

The Broncos would pick up one 1st down before punting the ball back to the Chargers who would take over at their 14-yard-line with 3:52 left in the game, needing a touchdown to retake the lead.

Two passes to Floyd for 21 yards and two runs by Ronnie Brown for 10 yards would put San Diego at its 45-yard-line when Rivers would throw his fourth interception of the game as Harris would step in front of a pass intended for Eddie Royal and run it back for a 46-yard pick-six to increase the Broncos' lead to 35-24 with 2:05 left in the game.

Broncos wide receiver Brandon Stokley catches the go-ahead touchdown pass.

The Chargers would start their next drive at their 20-yard-line as Rivers would complete three passes for 27 yards to put San Diego at its 47-yard-line until Rivers was sacked by Broncos linebacker Von Miller for a six-yard loss on 1st down, which was followed by two straight incomplete passes to force a 4th 7 16 when Rivers was sacked again by Dumervil to give the ball back to Denver at the San Diego 33-yard-line with 52 seconds to go in the game.

Manning would come and take two knees to run out the clock as the Broncos would come away with the 35-24 victory, equaling the greatest comeback in Denver Broncos history as well as Monday Night Football history.

The loss to the Broncos would send the Chargers' season into a spiral as they would lose six of their next eight games as San Diego would finish the season with a 7-9 record marking the first losing season for the Chargers since 2003 which resulted in the dismissal of Turner as head coach after six seasons.

As for the Broncos, their comeback victory against the Chargers would be the first win of a 11-game winning streak as Denver finished the season with the league's best record at 13-3 to earn home field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs.

But the Broncos would go out in the Divisional Round as they were stunned by the Baltimore Ravens, thanks to the "Mile High Miracle" a game-tying 70-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Joe Flacco to Jacoby Jones with 31 seconds left in regulation as the Ravens would go on to win the game 38-35 in double overtime.

Manning would come back with a vengeance the following season as he would throw for 5,477 yards and 55 touchdown passes to lead the Broncos to the Super Bowl where they would be destroyed by the Seattle Seahawks 43-8 to hand Denver its fifth loss in the Super Bowl.

However two years later, Manning, with help from the Broncos' defense, would lead Denver to its third Super Bowl title as the Broncos would knock off the Carolina Panthers 24-10 in Super Bowl 50 in what would be the final game in Manning's 18-year NFL career.

College Football Old School Game of the Week: Notre Dame Remains Unbeaten Thanks to Overtime Goalline Stand

Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o meets Stanford running back Stepfan Taylor at the goal line at the end of the 2012 matchup between the Irish and the Cardinal.

 There are moments during a football season when fans realize that this could be a special season.

For the fans of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, that moment came during the end of their game against the Stanford Cardinal where the Notre Dame defense put together a goal line stand for the ages.

The Irish came into the game ranked #7 in the country with a 5-0 record thanks in large part to their defense which led by middle linebacker Manti Te'o had given up just 39 points up to this point in the season and had not given up a touchdown in their previous three games.

On offense, the Irish were led by quarterback Everett Golson who been named the starting quarterback by head coach Brian Kelly before the season as Tommy Rees, the team's starting quarterback from the previous season, had been suspended for the first game of the season after an offseason arrest at an off campus party.

Golson and the Irish looked to remain unbeaten as they hosted the #17 ranked Stanford Cardinal from the Pac-12 who came into the game with a 4-1 record having just come off a 54-48 overtime win over Arizona the previous week.

Stanford was led by second-year head coach David Shaw, who had taken over as head coach of the Cardinal after Jim Harbaugh left to become the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers before the 2011 season.

Shaw's first year was successful as the Cardinal went 11-2 to finish the season #7 ranked in the country as Stanford played in its second straight BCS Bowl game.

But for 2012, the Cardinal would have to rely on a new quarterback as Andrew Luck, the team's starting quarterback for the previous three seasons had also left for the NFL as he was selected by the Indianapolis Colts with the #1 overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft.

Josh Nunes had been given the difficult task of taking over for Luck as he helped Stanford knock off #2 USC three weeks earlier as the Cardinal hoped he could lead Stanford to an upset of Notre Dame on a rainy Saturday in South Bend.

 After the Cardinal went three-and-out to start the game, the Irish got the ball at their 25-yard-line and proceeded to drive to the Stanford 49-yard-line until quarterback Everett Golson fumbled the snap from center as Stanford defensive back Usua Amanam recovered the ball at the Notre Dame 47-yard-line.

A 14-yard pass from Nunes to tight end Zach Ertz and three running plays that totaled 13 yards put Stanford at the Irish 20-yard-line when Nunes lofted a pass intended for wide receiver Kodi Whitfield only to have it intercepted by Irish cornerback Bennett Jackson to give the ball back to Notre Dame at their one-yard-line.

The two teams would trade punts until late in the first quarter when Irish defensive back Matthias Farley picked off a Nunes pass and returned it 49 yards to the Stanford 16-yard-line to help set up a 29-yard field goal by Kyle Brindza to give Notre Dame a 3-0 lead with 36 seconds left in the first quarter.

The Cardinal would begin their next possession at their 25-yard-line as it appeared to go three-and-out as Nunes threw an incomplete pass on 3rd & 10 only for Irish defensive tackle Stephen Tuitt get called for roughing the passer to give Stanford a 1st down at its 40-yard-line.

A 22-yard pass from Nunes to Ertz would help the Cardinal drive down to the Notre Dame eight-yard-line to set up a 25-yard field goal attempt by Jordan Williamson when Tuitt made up for his mistake earlier in the drive as he would block the kick to keep the score at 3-0 in favor of the Irish with 9:46 left in the second quarter.

Manti Te'o would finish the game with a game high 11 tackles.

After another exchange of punts, the Irish got the ball back at their 10-yard-line as a quarterback sack and an incomplete pass would bring up 3rd & 16 when disaster struck as Golson was hit in the end zone by Stanford defensive end Ben Gardner to cause a fumble that was recovered by linebacker Chase Thomas for a touchdown to give the Cardinal a 7-3 lead with 6:06 to go in the second quarter.

The Irish would get the ball back at their 13-yard-line as they quickly drove into Stanford territory as running back Theo Riddick would run for 12 yards to start the drive which was followed by a 20-yard pass from Golson to wide receiver T.J. Jones and then a 23-yard run by Golson to put Notre Dame at the Cardinal 32-yard-line.

Six plays later, the Irish would bring on Brindza to attempt a 27-yard field goal but a bad snap would force the Irish to abandon the field goal attempt and give Stanford the ball back at its 26-yard-line with 1:34 left before halftime.

The Cardinal would go into their hurry-up offense as Nunes would complete four of five passes for 41 yards on a drive which would end with a 48-yard field goal by Williamson as time expired in the first half with Stanford ahead 10-3.

The defenses would dominate the early part of the third quarter as both teams would go three-and-out on their first two possessions of the second half until the Irish used their running game to drive from their 13-yard-line to the Stanford 37-yard-line when Golson took off and run for 20 yards until he was hit by Cardinal cornerback Alex Carter to jar the ball loose as Gardner would make the recovery to give Stanford the ball at its 17-yard-line.

The Irish defense would force a three-and-out to give their offense the ball at their 48-yard-line as a 23-yard pass from Golson to Riddick would help Notre Dame drive to the Stanford 16-yard-line until a pair of false start penalties on right guard Mike Golic Jr pushed them back 10 yards.

A pair of runs which gained only two yards would set up 3rd & 18 when Golson connected with tight end Tyler Eifert for a 24-yard touchdown on the second play of the fourth quarter that with the extra point tied the game at 10.

The Cardinal would begin its next possession at their 25-yard-line as they would drive down the field on the right arm of Nunes who would complete four of six passes for 52 yards on a 16-play, 68-yard drive that took over eight minutes off the clock and culminated with a 27-yard field goal by Williamson to give Stanford a 13-10 lead with 6:12 remaining in regulation.

The Irish would get the ball back at their 16-yard-line as running back Cierre Wood would carry the ball three straight times, picking up 23 yards to set up 3rd & 4 when Golson found Jones for 14 yards to give Notre Dame a 1st down at the Stanford 47-yard-line.

An illegal block penalty would push the Irish back to their 47-yard-line when Golson was struck with a helmet-to-helmet hit by Amanam at the end of a four-yard run to draw a 15-yard penalty and give Notre Dame a 1st down at the Stanford 34-yard-line.

However, Golson would have to leave the game with a concussion as Rees would come on to replace Golson with 3:24 left in regulation and the Irish needing at least a field goal.

A run for no gain and a false start penalty would push the Irish back five yards to set up 2nd & 15 when Rees connected with Eifert to bring up 3rd & 4 when Rees try to hit the tight end again only for Cardinal cornerback Terrence Brown get called for pass interference to give Notre Dame a 1st down at the Stanford 13-yard-line.

From there, the Irish kept the ball on the ground as Wood would run for three yards followed by a five-yard run by Riddick on 2nd down to set up 3rd & 2 when Riddick was stopped for no gain to bring up 4th & 2 as Kelly would send in the field goal unit to try and tie the game.

Brindza would come to kick a 22-yard field goal to tie the game at 13 with 20 seconds left in regulation as Stanford would take a knee to run out the clock and send the game into overtime as the Cardinal would win the overtime coin toss and elected to play defense to start the extra period.

Tommy Rees would complete all four of his passes for 43 yards in relief of Everett Golson.

Things got off to an auspicious start for the Irish as Rees would be sacked by Stanford linebacker Trent Murphy for a seven-yard loss to force a 2nd & 17 from the Cardinal 32-yard-line.

However, Rees would recover as he would complete a nine-yard pass to wide receiver DaVaris Daniels to set up 3rd & 8 when Rees hit Reddick for 16 yards and a 1st down at the Stanford seven-yard-line.

That is when Rees found Jones for a seven-yard touchdown that with the extra point gave Notre Dame a 20-13 lead as its defense would come onto the field hoping to keep the Cardinal out of the end zone and ending the game.

Much like Notre Dame, the Stanford offense would go backwards on its first play of their overtime possession as running back Stepfan Taylor would be dropped for a five-yard loss to set up 2nd & 15 when Nunes would scramble for 13 yards which was followed by a 13-yard run by Taylor to give the Cardinal a 1st & goal at the Irish four-yard-line.

Two more runs by Taylor for three yards would bring up 3rd & goal from the one-yard-line when Taylor was stopped for no gain to bring up a do-or-die 4th & goal when the Cardinal went back to Taylor one more time to get into the end zone and extend the game.

But Taylor would be stopped once again as Jackson and linebacker Carlo Calabarese would stop his progress as Notre Dame came away with the 20-13 victory, though Stanford believed that Taylor had gotten into the end zone after his initial progress had been stopped but to no avail.

While the loss would drop them from #17 to #22 in the polls, the Cardinal would recover as they would not lose another game for the rest of the season as they would go on an eight-game winning streak which included a 17-14 overtime win over 10-0 Oregon, a 27-24 win over UCLA in the Pac 12 Championship Game and a 20-14 win over Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl as Stanford would finish the season with a 12-2 record.

As for the Irish, they would ride their defense to an undefeated regular season which included in another memorable goal line stand in their regular season finale against USC which resulted in a 22-13 win to clinch a spot in the BCS National Championship Game as Te'o would finish second in the Heisman Trophy voting behind Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel.

However, the Irish would get steamrolled by Alabama as the Crimson Tide won 42-14 to give the Tide its second straight national championship and third in four years.