NFL Old School Game of the Week: Chargers Keep Playoff Hopes Alive with Win over Buccaneers

 

Rolf Benirschke kicks the game-winning field goal for the Chargers in their 1981 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Week 15 meeting between the San Diego Chargers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers had playoff implications for both teams even though they were in different conferences.

The Chargers came into the game with a 8-6 record, one game behind the Denver Broncos in the race for the AFC West division title, which San Diego had won the previous two seasons.

The Chargers were led by head coach Don Coryell, whose pass-oriented offense was lead the NFL in passing yards every year since Coryell became the Chargers' head coach early in the 1978 season.

At the controls of the "Air Coryell" offense was quarterback Dan Fouts who was in the middle of his third straight 4,000 yard passing offense, whose targets featured tight end Kellen Winslow, wide receivers Charlie Joiner and Wes Chandler, and running backs James Brooks and Chuck Muncie, help lead San Diego to an average of 32 points per game up to this point in the '81 season.

Despite their dominant offense, the chargers' defense was one of the worst in the league having given up an average of 25.5 points per game.

If the Chargers were going to win the AFC West for the third year in a row, they would some help from their defense to go along with their high-powered offense.

While the Chargers were trying to stay alive in the race for the NFL postseason, the Buccaneers were just one win away from clinching a playoff spot as a win over San Diego would give the 8-6 Buccaneers the NFC Central division title.

The Buccaneers were led by head coach John McKay, who had been the Buccaneers' head coach since their inception in 1976 which started with Tampa Bay losing its first 26 games of their existence, before McKay turned it around and help lead Tampa Bay to the NFC Championship Game after a 10-6 season in 1979 where the Bucs won the NFC Central division title.

The Buccaneers' strength was their defense which led by All-Pro defensive end Lee Roy Selmon and rookie linebacker Hugh Green, as Tampa Bay gave up an average of 16.2 points per game through the first 14 weeks of the 1981 NFL season.

On offense, the Buccaneers were led by quarterback Doug Williams, who had thrown for 3,070 yards up to this point in the season with his favorite target being wide receiver Kevin House who had caught 52 passes for 1,031 yards and eight touchdowns.

After both teams went three-and-out to start the game, the Chargers would get the ball at their 48-yard-line as two runs by Muncie for 16 yards and a nine-yard pass from Fouts to Joiner moved San Diego to the Tampa Bay 27-yard-line when Fouts fired a 27-yard touchdown pass to tight end Eric Seivers to give the Chargers a 7-0 lead.

The Buccaneers would start their next possession at their 27-yard-line as they overcame a 3rd & 12 situation when Williams scrambled for 17 yards to give Tampa Bay a 1st down at their 42-yard-line.

That is when Williams completed a short pass to wide receiver Theo Bell, who caught the ball at the Tampa Bay 46-yard-line, then outran the Chargers defense for a 58-yard touchdown that with the extra point tied the game at seven with 7:03 left in the first quarter.

The two teams would exchange punts until early in the second quarter when the Chargers took over at their 10-yard-line as they would drive down the field behind the Fouts-to-Joiner connection.

The drive would begin with Fouts hitting Joiner for 22 yards as the two would hook up again on 3rd & 11 for 16 yards to put San Diego at its 47-yard-line.

The Chargers would drive to the Tampa Bay 29-yard-line when Fouts find Joiner on back-to-back plays, totaling 21 yards to set up a eight-yard touchdown run by running back John Cappelletti to cap off the 12-play 90-yard drive and give San Diego a 14-7 lead midway through the second quarter.

Following a Tampa Bay punt, the Chargers got the ball back at their three-yard-line with 5:03 to go before halftime as they would once again drive down the field with Fouts' favorite target on this drive being  Chandler as the two hooked up on four completions for 57 yards to help San Diego advance to the Buccaneers' 15-yard-line.

However, the Chargers could not punch into the end zone as Fouts would be intercepted by Buccaneers free safety Cedric Brown to end the 17-play, 82-yard drive as Tampa Bay would take over at their 20-yard-line with 35 seconds left in the first half.

The Buccaneers would drive to the Chargers' 40-yard-line until time ran out in the first half with San Diego still ahead 14-7 but with Tampa Bay set to get the ball to start the second half.

Buccaneers quarterback Doug Williams completed 22 of 35 passes for 321 yards and threw one touchdown but two interceptions.

Tampa Bay would start their initial possession of the second half at its 29-yard-line as a 17-yard pass from Williams to House was the longest play of the 10-play, 41-yard drive that culminated with a 49-yard field goal by Bill Capece that cut the Chargers' lead to 14-10 with 10:17 left in the third quarter.

After both teams punted on their ensuing possessions, the Chargers got the ball back at their 20-yard-line as they moved to the Tampa Bay 42-yard-line until Brooks fumbled the football which was recovered by Brown to give the Buccaneers the ball at their 38-yard-line.

Tampa Bay would advance to the San Diego 39-yard-line until running back James Owens fumbled the football as Chargers free safety Glen Edwards would make the recovery as San Diego would take over at its 33-yard-line with 31 seconds to go in the third quarter.

From there, the Chargers would drive 67 yards in seven plays as passes of 22 yards to Dwight Scales and 20 yards to Chandler would help set up a two-yard touchdown run by Brooks to extend San Diego's lead to 21-10 with 11:52 to go in the fourth quarter.

Needing a touchdown, the Buccaneers would move down the field on the right arm of Williams who would complete five straight passes for 72 yards to set up James Wilder's eight-yard touchdown run to cut the Chargers' lead to 21-16 as Capece would miss the extra point which would prove costly when it came to the outcome of the game.

The Chargers would get the ball back at their 24-yard-line as Fouts would throw his second interception of the game as linebacker Dave Lewis would pick off the pass and return it 10 yards to the San Diego 23-yard-line.

It would take the Buccaneers one play to cash in on the turnover as Williams pitched the ball to Wilder, who took around the right side for a 23-yard touchdown, his second in a span of 27 seconds, that with Capece's extra point gave Tampa Bay its first lead of the game at 23-21 with 8:06 left in the fourth quarter.

It seemed like the control of the game was now in the hands of the Buccaneers, especially after Lewis recovered a Cappelletti fumble to gave Tampa Bay the ball at the San Diego 36-yard-line with a chance to put the game out of reach with 6:28 to go in the fourth quarter.

But after a two-yard run by Jerry Eckwood, disaster would strike for the Buccaneers as Williams completed a pass to Jimmie Giles, only for Edwards to pop the ball into the air when he made contact with the tight end leading to an interception by Chargers linebacker Woodrow Lowe to give San Diego the ball back at its 29-yard-line and 5:39 left on the clock.

Following an incomplete pass to start the drive, Fouts would find Winslow for 10 yards and a 1st down as a three-yard run by Brooks and an incomplete pass would set up 3rd & 7 when Fouts completed a 15-yard pass to Joiner to give the Chargers a fresh set of downs at the Tampa Bay 43-yard-line.

A seven-yard pass from Fouts to Winslow followed by two runs by Cappelletti for two yards would set a 4th & 1 when Coryell decided to go for the 1st down which he got when Fouts found Winslow for three yards and a 1st down at the Tampa Bay 31-yard-line.

After Brooks was dropped for an one-yard loss on 1st down, Fouts would complete two straight passes to Winslow for a total 14 yards to put the Chargers at the Tampa Bay 18-yard-line and in range for a potential game-winning field goal by Rolf Benirschke.

San Diego would go conservative as they ran the ball three straight times, picking up seven yards before calling on Benirschke to attempt a 29-yard field goal that would give the Chargers the lead.

Benirschke's kick would just sneak past the right upright to end the 16-play, 60-yard drive and give San Diego a 24-23 lead with just 45 seconds to go in the game.

Chargers quarterback Dan Fouts completed 33 of 49 passes for 351 yards and throw one touchdown to go along with two interceptions.

The Buccaneers would get the ball back at their 29-yard-line as they could only move eight yards before Williams fired a desperation Hail Mary pass on the final play of the game which was intercepted by Edwards to seal the 24-23 win for the Chargers and deny Tampa Bay's chances of clinching the NFC Central division title on this day.

Despite the loss, the Buccaneers would get a reprieve on wining the NFC Central division title as the following week they defeated the Detroit Lions 20-17 in a winner-take-all game to earn Tampa Bay its second trip to the NFL Playoffs in three years(To read about that game, click on the link which is highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2023/10/nfl-old-school-game-of-week-bucs-beat.html).

However, the Buccaneers would be eliminated in the divisional round of the NFC Playoffs by the Dallas Cowboys in a 38-0 rout.

As for the Chargers, they would end up winning the AFC West for the the third year in a row as a 23-10 win over the Oakland Raiders coupled with a 35-24 loss by the Broncos to the Chicago Bears in the final week of the regular season, caused San Diego and Denver to finish with identical 10-6 records, with the tiebreaker going to the Chargers as they finished with a better division record than the Broncos.

The Chargers would play the Miami Dolphins at the Orange Bowl in one of the greatest games in NFL history as they would Benirschke would kick a 29-yard field goal in overtime to give San Diego a 41-38 win in the "Epic in Miami" as the Chargers advanced to the AFC Championship Game for the second consecutive year.

But the Chargers' Super Bowl dreams would end in the "Freezer Bowl" as they lost 27-7 to the Cincinnati Bengals in a game where game-day temperature was nine degrees below zero with a wind chill of -59.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Steelers Prevail over Browns in OT Shootout

 

Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw completed 30 of 44 passes for 364 yards in Pittsburgh's win over the Browns.

The Pittsburgh Steelers of the 1970s were one of the greatest dynasties in NFL history thanks in large part to their defense nicknamed the "Steel Curtain" which featured five Hall-of Fame players on a unit that often finished near the top in numerous defensive categories.

But the offense should not be overlooked as it also featured five Hall-of-Fame players as the offense evolved from a conservative, ball control offense into one of the most explosive in the NFL as it finished as the #1 scoring offense in 1979.

The Steelers' high-powered offense would be on full display in Week 13 of the 1979 NFL season when the Steelers hosted their division rivals the Cleveland Browns in a key AFC Central showdown.

The Steelers came into the game with a 9-3 record under head coach Chuck Noll who had led Pittsburgh to three Super Bowl titles in the previous five years including one the previous year as the Steelers defeated the Dallas Cowboys 35-31 in Super Bowl XIII.

At the helm of the Pittsburgh offense was quarterback Terry Bradshaw, who entered the Browns game having thrown 2,575 yards and 21 touchdowns a year removed from a career high 2,915 yards and 28 touchdown passes in his MVP season.

Bradshaw was surrounded by the backfield of Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier to go along with his dynamic wide receivers in Lynn Swann and John Stallworth as Terry would take snaps from center Mike Webster.

While the offense was much more explosive than it was earlier in the decade, the "Steel Curtain' were still stout as the unit led by defensive tackle "Mean Joe" Greene and linebacker Jack Lambert gave up an average of 15 points per game and had a four-game stretch earlier in the season where they gave up a combined 20 points.

With their dynamic offense to go along with their dominant defense, the Steelers had dreams of a fourth Vince Lombardi trophy in their minds as they prepared to host the Browns at Three Rivers Stadium.

The Browns came into the game with an 8-4 record under head coach Sam Rutgliano, who was in his second season as Cleveland head coach as he had already matched his win total from the previous year where Cleveland finished with an 8-8 record.

On the field, the Browns were led by quarterback Brian Sipe, who up to this point in the season had thrown for 2,897 yards and 23 touchdown passes as he had led the Browns to six victories by a touchdown or less as Cleveland was beginning to get the reputation of winning close games that will soon give them the nickname the "Kardiac Kids".

Cleveland came into Pittsburgh hoping to defeat the Steelers for the first time since 1976 and for the first time since the Steelers moved into Three Rivers Stadium in 1970 as the two teams met for the second time in the '79 season, seven weeks after they played in the highest scoring game in the history of their rivalry as the Steelers knocked off the Browns 51-35 that Sunday in Cleveland.

The Browns would get the ball to start the game as they were able to drive down the field behind the pass connection of Sipe and wide receiver Dave Logan.

The two hooked up on two passes for 25 yards to help drive Cleveland into Pittsburgh territory until a quarterback sack by Steelers linebacker Jack Ham and a delay of game penalty forced a 3rd & 25 situation from the Browns' 39-yard-line.

The Browns would convert as Sipe hit Logan for 33 yards to give the Browns a fresh set of downs at the Pittsburgh 28-yard-line as three plays later, Sipe would find tight end Ozzie Newsome for a 21-yard touchdown to give Cleveland a 7-0 lead.

The Browns would get a golden opportunity to make it a two-touchdown lead as Steelers kick returner Larry Anderson fumbled the football after a hit by Browns defensive back Ricky Jones as Clinton Burrell would scoop up the ball and run it down to the Pittsburgh three-yard-line.

However, the "Steel Curtain" defense would rise and keep the Browns out of the end zone as Cleveland settled for a 20-yard field goal by Don Cockroft to extend the Browns' lead to 10-0 before the Steelers' offense had gotten their hands on the football.

The Steelers would begin their opening possession of the game at their 31-yard-line as Bradshaw threw a bomb for Stallworth that would go for 34 yards and give Pittsburgh a 1st down at the Cleveland 35-yard-line.

Two straight running plays picked up seven yards before Bradshaw overthrew running back Rocky Bleier on 3rd & 3 as the Steelers would settle for a 45-yard field goal by Matt Bahr to make it 10-3 in favor of the Browns with 4:47 left in the first quarter.

The Browns would hold the ball for the rest of the quarter as they drove from their 44-yard-line to the Steelers' 15-yard-line until Cockroft came on to kick a 32-yard field goal on the second play of the second quarter to push the Cleveland back to double digits at 13-3.

The Steelers would get the ball back at their 27-yard-line for their next possession as they drove to the Cleveland 21-yard-line before calling on Bahr to attempt a 39-yard field goal which sailed wide right of the uprights to keep the score at 13-3 with exactly 10 minutes to go in the second quarter.

After a three-and-out by the Browns, the Steelers got the ball back at their 38-yard-line as Pittsburgh went to the running game to drive down the field as they ran the ball six straight times for a total of 45 yards before Bradshaw put the ball in the air as he found tight end Bennie Cunningham, who had his hands on the football until Cleveland strong safety Clarence Scott stripped him of the ball to make it an incomplete pass.

Following another incomplete pass, the Steelers called on Bahr to attempt a 34-yard field goal which he made to cut the Browns' lead to 13-6 with 5:06 remaining in the second quarter.

The Browns would get the ball back at their 37-yard-line as a 30-yard pass to running back Calvin Hill help lead Cleveland to the Pittsburgh 16-yard-line when Sipe lofted a pass toward the end zone that looked like was going to be picked off by Steelers cornerback Ron Johnson, only for Logan to rip the ball away from him to make the catch for the touchdown to give the Browns a 20-6 lead with 2:14 left before halftime.

Pittsburgh would go to a no-huddle offense for its ensuing possession as Bradshaw hit Cuningham for 10 yards then handed the ball off to Harris who ran for six yards before Bradshaw completed four straight passes for 52 yards to give the Steelers a 1st & goal at the Cleveland eight-yard-line with 44 seconds to go in the first half.

After Harris ran for six yards on 1st & goal, the veteran running back would catch a screen pass from Bradshaw, then dive it in for the two-yard touchdown to cut the Browns' lead to 20-13 with just 18 seconds to go in the half.

Sipe would take a knee to run out the clock in the first half with the Browns ahead 20-13 as the Steelers would set to get the ball to start the second half.

Browns quarterback Brian Sipe would throw for 333 yards and three touchdown passes on 23-of-33 passes.

The Steelers would start their initial possession of the second half at their 26-yard-line as they drove to the Cleveland 29-yard-line until a holding penalty helped kill the drive as Pittsburgh would punt the ball to the Browns who would take over at their 20-yard-line.

The drive would begin with a 20-yard pass from Sipe to Logan which was followed a few plays later by an 18-yard pass from Sipe to Logan on a 3rd & 11 to give the Browns a 1st down at the Pittsburgh 43-yard-line.

Sipe would then hit Reggie Rucker for 18 yards to put Cleveland at the Steelers' 25-yard-line as the Browns would go backwards to the Pittsburgh 33-yard-line when on 3rd & 18, Sipe found Logan again this time for 23 yards to give Cleveland a 1st & goal at the Pittsburgh 10-yard-line.

After an incomplete pass and a seven-yard pass to running back Mike Pruitt, Sipe would throw a three-yard touchdown pass to Hill to push the Browns' lead back to 14 points at 27-13 with 4:10 left in the third quarter.

The Steelers would get the ball back at their 11-yard-line as they would drive 89 yards in 10 plays with the bulk of the yardage coming on a 47-yard pass from Bradshaw to tight end Randy Grossman to help set up Harris' one-yard touchdown run on the first play of the fourth quarter to cut the Browns' lead to 27-20.

Following a three-and-out by the Browns on their next possession, the Steelers got the ball at their 19-yard-line as Harris would begin the drive with a nine-yard run, then run for eight yards on the next play until he lost the football as Scott would recover the fumble to give Cleveland the ball at the Pittsburgh 43-yard-line.

The Browns would move the ball to the Pittsburgh 22-yard-line until a quarterback sack by Ham stopped Cleveland's progress and forced them to settle for a 40-yard field goal by Cockroft which pushed the Browns' lead back to double digits at 30-20 with 9:44 left in the fourth quarter.

The Steelers would begin their next possession at their 37-yard-line as Bradshaw completed passes of 16 yards to Cunningham and seven yards to Bleier before handing the ball off to Harris who ran for four yards to pick up a 1st down at the Cleveland 36-yard-line.

A 13-yard pass to Harris followed by a 26-yard pass to Cunningham gave the Steelers a 1st & goal at the Cleveland one-yard-line when Bradshaw was sacked by Browns defensive end Mike St. Clair and linebacker Clay Matthews for a 13-yard-loss.

Bradshaw would connect with Stallworth for 11 yards on 2nd down before handing the ball off to Harris who punched it in for the three-yard touchdown to make it a three-point game at 30-27 in favor of the Browns with 4:42 left in regulation.

The Browns would get the ball back at their 18-yard-line as a 17-yard pass from Sipe to Newsome followed by a 15-yard facemask penalty on Steelers linebacker Robin Cole put Cleveland at its 48-yard-line until two quarterback sacks by Pittsburgh defensive end L.C. Greenwood force a Cleveland punt as the Steelers' offense would take over at the 50-yard-line following a 27-yard punt return by Theo Bell.

With 2:08 left in regulation, Bradshaw would complete a 14-yard pass to Swann then hand the ball off to Harris who gained three yards to set up 2nd & 7 when Bradshaw completed a nine-yard pass to Bleier to give the Steelers a 1st down at the Cleveland 24-yard-line.

Following a three-yard run by Harris, Bradshaw would hit Stallworth for 13 yards to give Pittsburgh a 1st & goal at the Cleveland eight-yard-line with 63 seconds left and a chance for the Steelers to score the go-ahead the touchdown.

But the Steelers could not punch it in as two incomplete passes and a five-yard run by Harris would set up 4th & goal from the three-yard-line when Bahr was called on to kick 21-yard field goal that tied the game at 30 with 24 seconds left in regulation.

Sipe would take a knee to run out the clock in regulation as the game would go into overtime tied at 30 as Cleveland would win the coin toss to get the ball first to start the fifth quarter.

The Browns would begin the overtime period with the ball at their 27-yard-line as Sipe would run for 34 yards that with a five-yard penalty on the Steelers, put Cleveland at the Pittsburgh 34-yard-line after just one play.

A run by Pruitt for no gain followed by a quarterback sack by Greenwood and linebacker Jack Lambert forced a 3rd & 17 for the Browns when Sipe was picked off by cornerback Mel Blount on a deep pass intended for Newsome as the Steelers would get the ball at their four-yard-line.

The Steelers would rely on the running game as they ran the ball nine straight times for 40 yards before Bradshaw threw his first pass of the overtime period as he hit Stallworth for 11 yards to give Pittsburgh a 1st down at the Browns' 45-yard-line.

Pittsburgh would overcome a pass interference penalty on Swann as Bradshaw completed two straight passes to Harris that totaled 22 yards and gave the  Steelers a 1st down at the Cleveland 33-yard-line when Bradshaw's pass for Swann was intercepted by Browns cornerback Ron Bolton to give Cleveland the ball at its 12-yard-line.

Steelers running back Franco Harris would carry the ball 32 times for 151 yards while catching the ball nine times for 81 yards as he scored three touchdowns.

The Browns would pick up one 1st down before another sack by Greenwood would force Cleveland to punt the ball back to the Steelers who would take over at their 17-yard-line with 3:43 left in the game as the game seemed destined to end in a 30-30 tie.

The drive would begin with a six-yard pass from Bradshaw to Bleier followed by a one-yard run by Harris to set up 3rd & 3 when Bradshaw completed a 10-yard pass to Harris to give the Steelers a 1st down at their 34-yard-line.

Two plays later, the Steelers were faced with a 3rd & 10 when Bradshaw scrambled for 28 yards to give Pittsburgh a 1st down at the Browns' 38-yard-line with 1:23 to go in the game.

Harris would get his hands on four of the next five plays as he caught an eight-yard pass from Bradshaw then ran the ball three times for 11 yards to put the Steelers at the Cleveland 19-yard-line when Bahr was called on to attempt a game-winning field goal with just 13 seconds to go in the game.

Bahr would come on and make the 37-yard field goal to give the Steelers a 33-30 overtime win on a day where Pittsburgh complied 606 yards of total offense at the time the second most yards the Steelers had ever had on offense behind the 683 they gained in a 38-21 against the Chicago Cardinals in 1958(since this game, this performance has dropped to 4th place on most yards of total offense in a Steelers game).

The Browns would end up finishing the season with a 9-7 record, one game behind the Denver Broncos for the final spot in the AFC playoffs as Cleveland would finish with a 7-5 record in games decided by seven points or less.

The following season, the Browns would go 10-2 in games decided by a touchdown or less as the "Kardiac Kids" would go 11-5 to win the AFC Central division and return to the postseason for the first time since 1972(To read about the Browns' division clinching win, click on the link which is highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2024/01/nfl-old-school-game-of-week-kardiac.html).

As for the Steelers they would go to finish the regular season with a 12-4 record as the offense would finish with a then team record 416 points as they averaged a league high 26 points per game.

In the playoffs, the Steelers would knock off the Miami Dolphins 34-14 in the Divisional Round, then beat the Houston Oilers 27-13 in the AFC Championship Game to return to the Super Bowl where Bradshaw would throw for 309 yards and two touchdowns in a MVP performance as Pittsburgh defeated the Los Angeles Rams 31-19 to give the Steelers their fourth Super Bowl title in six years.

 

College Football Old School Game of the Week: Penn State Completes Undefeated Season with Rose Bowl Triumph

Penn State running back Ki-Jana Carter ran for 156 yards on 21 carries and scored three touchdowns.

The 1995 edition of the Rose Bowl featured two teams that had not been there in generations as the Penn State Nittany Lions faced off with the Oregon Ducks with an undefeated season on the line for the Nittany Lions.

Penn State was led by head coach Joe Paterno, who in his 29th season as the Nittany Lions' head coach, had led Penn State to the Rose Bowl in just their second season as a member of the Big 10 conference and playing in Pasadena for the first time in 72 years after the Nittany Lions played in the ninth edition of the "Granddaddy of Them All" as they lost 14-3 to the USC Trojans.

The Nittany Lions in 1994 were an offensive juggernaut as they averaged 47.8 points per game and 520 yards per game with quarterback Kerry Collins, running back Ki-Jana Carter, and wide receiver Bobby Engram leading the way for Penn State.

Penn State won all 11 of its regular season games which included a 31-24 win over Michigan in the "Big House"(To read about that game click on the link which is highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2017/10/college-football-old-school-game-of_18.html) and a 35-31 win over Illinois to clinch the Big 10 title where the Nittany Lions drove 96 yards in 14 plays for the game-winning touchdown(To read about that game click on the link which is highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2023/09/college-football-old-school-game-of_13.html).

If the Nittany Lions, who were ranked #2 in the country, could knock off Oregon in the Rose Bowl, many felt that Penn State should at least share the national championship with #1 Nebraska Cornhuskers, who had completed a 12-0 season the night before with a 24-17 win over the Miami Hurricanes in the Orange Bowl.

Standing in their way were the Oregon Ducks, who had stunned the college football world by winning the Pac-10 championship to earn their first trip to the Rose Bowl in 37 years.

The Ducks were led by head coach Rich Brooks who in his 19th season as the Ducks' head coach had led Oregon to a 9-3 regular season after Oregon got off to a 1-2 start to start the '94 season.

While the Nittany Lions' strength was their offense, the Ducks were led by their defense, the "Gang Green" defense which gave up 17.6 points per game and helped secure a 31-20 upset win over Washington with "The Pick" a 97-yard pick-six by cornerback Kenny Wheaton in the final seconds(To read about that game, click on the link which is highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2018/10/college-football-old-school-game-of_10.html).

On offense, the Ducks were led by quarterback Danny O'Neil, who threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to running back Dino Philyaw in the fourth quarter of Oregon's 17-13 win over Oregon State in the regular season finale to clinch the Ducks' spot in the Rose Bowl(To read about that game, click on the link which is highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2024/09/college-football-old-school-game-of_11.html).

If the Ducks were to have any chance of upsetting the Nittany Lions, they would need a big day from O'Neil as Penn State came into the game as a 17-point favorite.

Oregon got the ball to start the game as they would drive from their 19-yard-line to the Penn State 49-yard-line before punting the ball to the Nittany Lions who would take over at their 17-yard-line for their first drive of the game.

That is when Collins pitched the ball to Carter, who ran to his right and broke a tackle from Ducks cornerback Herman O'Berry at the line of scrimmage as the Heisman runner-up would outrun the rest of the Oregon defense for an 83-yard touchdown to give Penn State a 7-0 lead.

Oregon would begin its ensuing possession at their 20-yard-line as O'Neil would hit tight end Josh Wilcox for 18 yards, then complete a 28-yard screen pass to Philyaw, and then a 33-yard pass to Wilcox to put the Ducks at the Penn State one-yard-line.

O'Neil would find Wilcox in the back right corner of the end zone for the one-yard touchdown that with the extra point tied the game at seven just 45 seconds after Carter's touchdown run.

The "Gang Green" defense would force the Nittany Lions to punt on their next possession to give their offense the ball back at their 42-yard-line as O'Neil continued his hot streak as he completed three straight passes to put Oregon at the Penn State 34-yard-line.

However, O'Neil would throw an interception as he overthrew Cristin McLemore as Penn State safety Chuck Penzenic would make the pick as his 14-yard return would give the Nittany Lions the ball at their 23-yard-line.

The Nittany Lions would go three-and-out to give the ball back to the Ducks who took over at their 49-yard-line as the Ducks would drive to the Penn State six-yard-line to set up a 24-yard field goal attempt by Matt Belden that would give Oregon the lead.

But Belden's kick would sail wide right to keep the score tied at seven as Penn State would take over at their 20-yard-line with 2:29 left in the first quarter.

Oregon quarterback Danny O'Neil set numerous Rose Bowl records as he completed 41 of 61 passes for 456 yards and threw two touchdowns.

Penn State would then drive 51 yards in 10 plays to set up a 46-yard field goal attempt by Brett Conway, which would fall short of the uprights as the game remained tied at seven as Oregon would get the ball back at their 29-yard-line with 12:26 left in the second quarter.

The two teams would trade punts until 5:54 left in the second quarter when Oregon linebacker Reggie Jordan knocked the ball loose from Carter as defensive end Troy Bailey recovered the fumble to give Oregon the football at the Penn State 33-yard-line.

However, the Ducks could not pick up a 1st down as Bolden would come to attempt a 44-yard field goal which like his earlier miss would sail wide right as the Nittany Lions would take over at their 27-yard-line.

From there, Collins would complete back-to-back passes to Engram that totaled 30 yards before an incomplete pass and a two-yard-loss by fullback Jon Witman set up a 3rd & 12 situation when Collins hit wide receiver Joe Jurevicius for a 44-yard gain to give Penn State a 1st & goal at the Oregon one-yard-line.

After Witman was stopped for no gain on 1st down, Collins handed the ball off to fullback Brian Milne who would punch it in for the one-yard touchdown to give Penn State a 14-7 lead with 1:26 left before halftime.

The Ducks would start their ensuing possession at their 18-yard-line with one timeout in their pocket and 86 seconds left in the first half for Oregon drive down the field and pick up some points.

O' Neil would complete four straight passes to four different receivers for a total of 58 yards before scrambling for one yard to go out of bounds at the Penn State 23-yard-line with 30 seconds to go in the first half. 

O'Neil would then hit Wilcox for 12 yards before spiking the ball at the Penn State 11-yard-line as O'Neil would then complete a two-yard pass to McLemore, causing the Ducks to spend their final timeout with 11 seconds to go.

Instead of sending in Belden to attempt a field goal, Brooks decided to get one more play off as O'Neil would complete a four-yard pass to McLemore, who was tackled inbounds at the Penn State five-yard-line as the Ducks could not stop the clock as the first half came to an end with the Nittany Lions on top 14-7.

Following an exchange of punts to start the second half, the Nittany Lions got the ball at their 40-yard-line as Collins completed two passes to Mike Archie for 28 yards to help set up a 42-yard field goal attempt for Conway which would sail wide right to give Oregon the ball at their 25-yard-line.

The Penn State defense would force a three-and-out to give their offense the ball at their 21-yard-line as three completions by Collins for 29 yards plus a three-yard run would put the Nittany Lions at the Oregon 47-yard-line when Collins was intercepted by Jordan, whose 38-yard return gave the Ducks offense the ball at the Nittany Lions' 17-yard-line.

After Dwayne Jones was stopped for no gain, O'Neil threw a pass toward the left corner of the end zone where McLemore made a leaping catch for the 17-yard touchdown that with the extra point tied the game at 14 with 4:54 left in the third quarter.

It looked like the Ducks had the Nittany Lions on the ropes until the ensuing kickoff when sophomore running back Ambrose Fletcher returned the kick 72 yards to the Oregon 21-yard-line as Carter would run for four yards on 1st down, then take up the middle for a 17-yard touchdown to give Penn State a 21-14 with 3:53 to go in the third quarter.

Oregon would start its next possession with a 20-yard pass from O'Neil to Philyaw to put the Ducks at their 40-yard-line when O'Neil overthrew McLemore and was intercepted by Penzenic, who returned the pick 44 yards to the Oregon 13-yard-line.

Three plays later, the Nittany Lions were back in the end zone as Carter ran it in from three yards out for Penn State's second touchdown in a span of 76 seconds and extend their lead to 28-14.

Now facing their largest deficit of the game, the Ducks would drive from their 20-yard-line to the Penn State 28-yard-line as O'Neil would complete five of nine passes for 52 yards on the drive to set up another field goal attempt for Belden, this time from 44 yards out.

The third time would not be the charm for Belden as his kick bounced off the right upright and no good to keep the score at 28-14 in favor of Penn State with 14:11 left in the fourth quarter.

The two teams would exchange punts until the Ducks drove to the Penn State 35-yard-line when on 4th & 14, Brooks decided to go for the 1st down as his team needed two scores to salvage at least a tie.

However, O'Neil's pass for McLemore would fall incomplete to give the ball to the Nittany Lions who would take over at their 35-yard-line with 8:57 remaining in the game.

From there, the Nittany Lions would drive 39 yards in six plays to set up a 43-yard field goal attempt by Conway which me made to extend Penn State's lead to 31-14.

Penn State head coach Joe Paterno is surrounded by his Penn State players including quarterback Kerry Collins(12) after the Nittany Lions' win in the Rose Bowl.

Oregon would take over at its 18-yard-line as three plays gained five yards to set up 4th & 5 when the Ducks again went for the 1st down and once again failed to convert as O'Neil was sacked by Penn State linebacker Phil Yeboah-Kodie for a nine-yard loss to give the Nittany Lions the ball at the Oregon 13-yard-line.

Wittman would then carry for four yards on 1st down then run it in for the nine-yard touchdown to push the game out of reach as Penn State now had a 38-14 lead with 4:24 to go in the game.

The Ducks would then drive 75 yards in 12 plays as O'Neil completed five of nine passes for 48 yards on the drive which was capped off with a three-yard touchdown run by Ricky Whittle to make it a 38-20 game as Oregon failed to convert on the two-point conversion.

The Ducks attempted an onside kick only for to Engram to recover it as the Nittany Lions ran the ball six straight times for 33 yards to run out the clock and come away with the 38-20 victory to complete the fifth undefeated season in Paterno's career.

Despite the loss, the Ducks would finish #11 in both the final AP and coaches polls with a 9-4 record as one month later, Brooks would resign as the Oregon head coach to become the head coach of the St. Louis Rams in the National Football League.

Brooks would be replaced with offensive coordinator Mike Belotti, who would lead the Ducks for 14 seasons as he would go 116-55 during his tenure as the Oregon head coach.

As for Penn State, their win over Oregon did not impress many voters as the Nittany Lions finished #2 in both the AP and coaches polls behind Nebraska, who would win its first national championship since 1971.