NFL Old School Game of the Week: Titans Hold Off Rams Rally in Super Bowl Preview

Titans quarterback Steve McNair would throw two touchdown passes while running it for another touchdown in Tennessee's victory over the Rams.

On October 31, 1999, the St. Louis Rams traveled to Nashville, Tennessee to take on the Tennessee Titans in a Week 8 showdown that would end by a preview of the Super Bowl XXXIV.

The Rams were the biggest story going on in the NFL at that time as they had jumped out to a 6-0 start behind head coach Dick Vermeil, who was in his third season as the St. Louis head coach following a 14-year hiatus after a seven-year stint with the Philadelphia Eagles which included an appearance in Super Bowl XV and quarterback Kurt Warner who just a few years earlier was bagging groceries at a Hy-Vee store in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

Following an ninth straight losing season, the Rams made some changes in the offseason as they signed quarterback Trent Green to become St. Louis' new starter while acquiring running back Marshall Faulk from the Indianapolis Colts and using their first round pick to select wide receiver Torry Holt who was to be paired up with all-pro wide receiver Isaac Bruce.

With all these pieces on offense and a new play caller in offensive coordinator Mike Martz, the Rams felt confident they could be a dark horse to make the playoffs for the 1999 season.

However in the third game of the preseason, Green tore the ACL in his left knee following a low hit by San Diego Chargers strong safety Rodney Harrison, knocking him out for the season as many experts believed that the Rams were destined for a 10th straight losing season.

But like what Vermeil said in his press conference following Green's injury the Rams rallied around Warner and played good football as they won their first six games by average of almost 25 points per game as Warner throwing for 1,531 yards and 18 touchdowns to direct an offense which averaged 36 points per game, coining the offense to be known as the "Greatest Show on Turf".

While the Rams were dominating their competition, the Titans were finding ways to win in their 5-1 start to the season, which was seen as a rebirth for their franchise in more ways than one.

Prior to the 1996 season, Houston Oilers owner Bud Adams announced he was moving the franchise to Tennessee with the goal of having a new stadium ready to go in the city of Nashville by the start of the 1999 NFL season.

The Oilers spent the 1997 season in Memphis(To read about their first game, click on the link which is highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2017/09/nfl-old-school-game-of-week.html)but after low attendance, the team played their games for the 1998 stadium at Vanderbilt University in Nashville before moving into their brand new stadium on the east bank of the Cumberland River for the 1999 season.

That wasn't the only change for the franchise as the team changed its nickname from Oilers to Titans as new uniforms and colors were also introduced for the 1999 season.

The first official game as the Tennessee Titans was a 36-35 comeback win over the Cincinnati Bengals,  before a sellout crowd at the 69,213 seas Adelphia Coliseum as quarterback Steve McNair threw for 341 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Titans to victory.

But after the win over the Bengals, the Titans would lose McNair for several weeks as he underwent surgery to repair an inflamed disk in his back.

Neil O'Donnell would fill in for McNair and with the help of running back Eddie George, the Titans would go 4-1 over the next six weeks which included narrow wins over the Jacksonville Jaguars, Baltimore Ravens and New Orleans Saints.

As the Titans prepared for their showdown against the Rams, head coach Jeff Fisher kept a tight lip on whether or not McNair would get the start at quarterback as it was not revealed until a hour before kickoff that McNair would get the nod.

Rams running back Marshall Faulk would run for 90 yards on 16 carries while catching six passes for 94 yards and a touchdown.

The Titans would get the ball to start the game as McNair would complete a 15-yard-pass to Yancey Thigpen on the first play from scrimmage, then run for 13 yards on a 3rd & 7 to give Tennessee a 1st down at the Rams' 49-yard-line.

Two plays later, McNair would find tight end Frank Wycheck for a 13-yard completion and another Tennessee 1st down at the St. Louis 35-yard-line as runs by George for 19 yards and McNair for 11 yards would lead to a 1st & goal at the Rams' one-yard-line.

That is when McNair threw an one-yard touchdown pass to fullback Lorenzo Neal to cap off the 11-play, 80-yard drive to give the Titans an early 7-0 lead.

After both teams punted on their ensuing possessions, the Rams had the ball at their 28-yard-line when Warner was sacked by Titans linebacker Joe Bowden, who stripped Warner of the ball, as fellow linebacker Baron Wortham would recover the fumble and return it 8 yards to give Tennessee the ball at the St. Louis 18-yard-line.

On the next play from scrimmage, McNair would complete a screen pass to George, who would run into the end zone for the 17-yard touchdown that would increase Tennessee's lead to 14-0 with 2:41 to go in the opening quarter.

It would go from bad to worse for the Rams on their next possession when Warner collided with fullback Jeff Robinson which led to another fumble recovery by Wortham to give the Titans the ball back at the Rams' 26-yard-line.

This time it would take Tennessee two plays to get into the end zone as McNair completed a 16-yard -pass to Kevin Dyson then ran it up the middle for the 10-yard touchdown to give the Titans a shocking 21-0 lead with 1:24 left in the first quarter.

Following the Titans' two touchdowns in a span of 77 seconds, the game turned into a defensive stalemate as both teams traded punts until there was 1:07 left before halftime when Warner scrambled for 22 yards to give the Rams a 1st down at the Tennessee 33-yard-line as St. Louis was hoping to get on the scoreboard before the end of the first half.

The drive would stall however as the Rams would be forced to settle for a 54-yard field goal attempt by Jeff Wilkins, which fell short of the uprights and no good to keep the score at 21-0 in favor of the Titans after the first 30 minutes of play.

St. Louis would get the ball to start the second half as Ron Carpenter returned the opening kickoff of the second half 37 yards to the Rams' 43-yard-line where Warner and the offense would begin their next possession.

After throwing an incomplete pass on 1st down, Warner connected with Faulk on a swing pass for a 57-yard touchdown to cut the deficit to 21-7 just 27 seconds into the third quarter.

Following a Titans punt, the Rams got the ball back at their 41-yard-line as Faulk would run for two yards to begin the drive, which was followed by a roughing the passer penalty on Tennessee defensive tackle Josh Evans to give St. Louis a 1st down at the Titans' 42-yard-line.

Warner would then hit Az-Zhair Hakim for 11 yards then Bruce for 21 yards to give the Rams a 1st & goal at the Titans' 10-yard-line as an incomplete pass and a seven-yard run by Faulk would set up 3rd & goal from the three-yard-line when Warner found Bruce in the end zone for the touchdown to make it a 21-14 game with 7:55 remaining in the third quarter.

Rams quarterback Kurt Warner would complete 29 of 46 passes for 328 yards and throw three touchdown passes.

The Titans would respond with a nine-play, 65-yard drive that took four minutes off the clock as McNair would complete passes of 17 yards to George and 34 yards to Thigpen to help set up a 27-yard field goal by Al Del Greco which pushed Tennessee's lead back to double digits at 24-14.

After an exchange of punts, the Rams took over at their 32-yard-line as the fourth quarter began with Warner completing an eight-yard pass to Faulk which was followed by Marshall running for three yards and a 1st down at the St. Louis 43-yard-line.

However, the drive would end with another St. Louis fumble as Faulk would be stripped of the ball by Titans defensive back Steve Jackson as Bowden would fall on the loose football to give Tennessee the back at the Rams' 46-yard-line.

The Rams' defense would force the Titans to go three-and-out as both teams would again trade punts until the 7:15 mark of the fourth quarter when St. Louis took over at its 20-yard-line, needing two scores.

The drive would begin with a 14-yard pass from Warner to Holt for a 1st down at the Rams' 34-yard-line as a quarterback sack by Evans would force a 2nd & 16 when Warner hit Ricky Proehl for 18 yards and a 1st down at the St. Louis 46-yard-line.

A six-yard pass to Hakim followed by a seven-yard run by Faulk would give the Rams a 1st down at the Titans' 41-yard-line when another quarterback sack and a holding penalty would bring up a 3rd & 21 situation when Warner connected with Hakim again, this time for 25 yards to give St. Louis a fresh set of downs at the Tennessee 27-yard-line.

After an incomplete pass, Warner would complete a 12-yard pass to Faulk to give the Rams a 1st down at the Titans' 15-yard-line when Warner found running back Amp Lee for the 15-yard touchdown that with Wilkins' extra point cut the lead to 24-21 with 2:14 left in regulation.

Having spent all of their timeouts, the Rams had no choice but go for the onside kick in hopes that they could recover it and drive down for at least a potential game-tying field goal.

It worked as linebacker Lorenzo Styles would fall on the football to give the Rams the ball at their 42-yard-line with 2:09 remaining for them to keep their undefeated season going.

Following a false start that pushed the Rams back five yards, Warner would complete a four-yard pass to Faulk followed by a 15-yard pass to Holt to give St. Louis a 1st down at the Tennessee 44-yard-line.

Three plays later, the Rams were faced with a do-or-die 4th & 10 when Warner found Hakim for 15 yards and a 1st down at the Titans' 29-yard-line as Warner would then spike the ball to stop the clock with 59 seconds remaining.

Warner would then complete passes of five yards to Hakim and four yards to Proehl to bring up a 4th & 1 at the Titans' 20-yard-line when Vermeil sent in the field goal unit to try and tie the game to send it into overtime.

However, Wilkins' 38-yard kick would sail wide right and no good, allowing the Titans to take a knee to run out the clock on their 24-21 victory to hand the Rams their first loss of the season while Tennessee improved to a 6-1 record.

Titans running back Eddie George had 17 carries for 68 yards while catching three passes for 35 yards and a touchdown.

The Rams would recover from the loss to finish the season with a 13-3 record which not only clinched the team's first playoff berth in 10 years but also earned them the #1 seed in the NFC playoffs thanks in large part to Warner's MVP season while the Titans would also finish the season with a 13-3 record but had to play in the Wild Card round of the AFC playoffs as they finished one game behind the Jacksonville Jaguars for the top seed in the AFC.

In the playoffs, the Titans stunned the Buffalo Bills 22-16 in their Wild Card game with a game-winning kickoff return by Kevin Dyson in the final seconds that would become known as the "Music City Miracle" as Tennessee would then knock off the Indianapolis Colts 19-16 in the Divisional Round and then beat the Jacksonville Jaguars for the third time in the 1999 season as the Titans' 33-14 victory clinched their trip to the Super Bowl in team history.

Meanwhile, the Rams knocked off the Minnesota Vikings 49-37 in a Divisional Round shootout behind Warner's six touchdown passes then won a 11-6 slugfest over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC Championship Game to send the Rams to the Super Bowl for the first time in 20 years.

In Super Bowl XXXIV, the Rams would jump out to a 16-0 lead, only to have the Titans rally and tied the game with 2:12 to go in regulation to which St. Louis responded with a 73-yard touchdown pass from Warner to Bruce to put the Rams back on top at 23-16 with 1:48 to play.

The Titans would drive from their 12-yard-line to the St. Louis10-yard-line where on the final play of regulation, McNair completed a slant pass to Kevin Dyson, who was tackled at the one-yard-line by Rams linebacker Mike Jones as time expired with the Rams claiming their first Lombardi trophy with the 23-16 win.

College Football Old School Game of the Week: Notre Dame Nips Texas A&M in Cotton Bowl

You couldn't blame the Notre Dame Fighting Irish or its fans for being angry that they had to play the Texas A&M Aggies in the Cotton Bowl Classic on New Year's Day in 1994 as they felt, especially their head coach Lou Holtz, that they should be playing for the national championship.

Late in the '93 regular season, the #2 ranked Irish defeated #1 Florida State 31-24 in the "Game of the Century" to claim the #1 ranking with a 10-0 record(If you want to read about that game, click on the link which is highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2018/11/college-football-old-school-game-of.html).

The experts felt that a rematch should occur in that year's Fiesta Bowl if the Irish and the Seminoles won out for the rest of the regular season.

But one week after their win over Florida State, the Irish would be upset by #17 Boston College 41-39 as the Eagles won the game on a 41-yard field goal by David Gordon as time expiered, which would drop Notre Dame from #1 to #4.

The shocking loss also derailed the chances of a Florida State-Notre Dame as the Seminoles would win their final two games of the regular season to finish the season as the #1 team in the country which earned them an invitation to play #2 Nebraska Cornhuskers for the national championship in the Orange Bowl.

This led to the Irish accepting an invitation to return to Dallas to play in the Cotton Bowl where some of the Irish faithful hoped that a decisive victory over the Aggies could sway voters in the AP or Coaches Poll to vote Notre Dame #1 after all the bowl games.

The Irish were led by senior quarterback Kevin McDougal, who only become the Irish's starting quarterback when incoming freshman Ron Powlus broke his collarbone one week before the start of the 1993 season.

McDougal led a run-oriented offense that averaged 260.7 yards per game and featured a stable of running backs including Lee Becton, who rushed for 1,044 yards during the season while on defense, the Irish were led by All-American free safety Jeff Burris and cornerback Bobby Taylor that a unit that allowed 17.6 points per game.

The Irish were favored by a touchdown over their opponents, the Texas A&M Aggies, who came into the game ranked #6 in the coaches poll and #7 in the AP poll with a 10-1 record, their only loss being a 44-14 beatdown by the Oklahoma Sooners in the second game of the season.

A&M was led by R.C. Slocum, who had led the Aggies to their third straight Southwest Confernce championship and third straight trip to the Cotton Bowl

Under Slocum, the Aggies became known for their defense nicknamed the "Wrecking Crew" which led the nation in total defense in 1991 and was strong again in 1993 as the "Crew" led by All-American defensive lineman Sam Adams and cornerback Aaron Glenn allowed just 10.8 points per game during the regular season.

But if the Aggies were going to upset the Irish they were going to need a strong performance from their offense which scored a total of just five points in A&M's previous two Cotton Bowl appearances, including a 28-3 loss to the Irish one year before.

 Notre Dame would get the ball to start the game as they would drive 91 yards in 13 plays with all but one of those plays being a run as McDougal would keep it himself on a quarterback option for a 19-yard touchdown that put the Irish on top 7-0.

Not to be outdone, the Aggies would also drive for a touchdown on their opening possession of the game as A&M would drive 79 yards in 10 plays as quarterback Corey Pullig completed passes of 21 yards to Thomas, nine yards to tight end Greg Schorp, and 18 yards to running back Clif Groce, to set up an eight-yard touchdown run by running back Greg Hill, the first touchdown A&M had scored in a Cotton Bowl since their win over the Irish six years earlier.

Following a Notre Dame punt, the Aggies would get the ball back at their 40-yard-line as A&M would quickly drive to the Irish 22-yard-line as Hill busted loose for a 20-yard run which was followed by an 18-yard pass from Pullig to wide receiver Brian Mitchell.

However, the drive would stall as Pullig would throw three straight incomplete passes, forcing the Aggies to call on Terry Venetoulias to attempt a 39-yard field goal which would be blocked by Notre Dame cornerback Bobby Taylor to keep score at 7-7 as the first quarter came to an end.

Notre Dame running back Lee Becton ran for 138 yards on 26 carries.

The two teams would exchange punts at the beginning of the second quarter until the Aggies took over at their 23-yard-line as they would put together a drive that would last over seven minutes which included two 4th down conversions.

The first one came at the A&M 44-yard-line as Pullig sneaked for two yards to pick up the 1st down on a 4th & inches and the second one come on a 4th & 1 at the Notre Dame 15-yard-line as Pullig found running back Detron Smith wide open for the touchdown to give the Aggies a 14-7 lead with 2:56 left before halftime.

The Irish would hold the ball for over two minutes before punting it back to the Aggies who ran out the clock to go into the halftime break up 14-7 and set to get the ball to start the second half.

But the Aggies would go three-and-out on their opening possession of the second half which was compounded by a 12-yard punt by Kevin Bennett which gave the Irish great field position as they would begin their ensuing possession at their 49-yard-line.

From there, the Irish would drive 51 yards in eight plays, all of them runs, as Becton carried the ball four times for 32 yards on the drive, which culminated with a two-yard touchdown run by fullback Ray Zellers that help tied the game at 14 with 10:21 to play in the third quarter.

The Aggies would respond with a 10-play, 80-yard drive which saw running back Leeland McElroy run for 21 yards on the first play of the drive and then for 16 yards later in the drive to set up Rodney Thomas' one-yard touchdown run to put A&M back in front at 21-14 with 6:50 left in the third quarter.

Back came the Irish as they would move 65 yards in seven plays on a drive where Becton ran the ball three times for 30 yards and McDougal completed a 18-yard pass to Zellers, all leading up to a two-yard touchdown run by fullback Marc Edwards that with the extra point tied the game once again, this time at 21 with 3:48 remaining in the third quarter.

After both teams punted on their next possessions, the Aggies got the ball back at their 36-yard-line as A&M would overcome a 3rd & 17 situation as Pullig completed a 24-yard pass to wide receiver Tony Harrison to give the Aggies a 1st down at the Notre Dame 47-yard-line.

But two plays later, the Aggies would turn it over as Notre Dame linebacker Pete Bercich made a diving interception to kill the A&M drive and give the Irish the ball at their 45-yard-line.

It was a bit of redemption for Bercich as he had a potential interception slip through his fingers on Boston College's eventual drive for the game-winning field goal.

The Irish would advance to the A&M 43-yard-line before punting it back to the Aggies, who took over at their 10-yard-line as they would go three-and-out as they would be forced to punt and give Notre Dame great field position for their next drive.

The field position would become even greater as Michael Miller would return the punt 38 yards to the A&M 22-yard-line where the Irish would take over with 3:55 left in the game and a short field to drive for the go-ahead score.

Becton would run for eight yards on 1st down but would lose a yard on 2nd down to set up 3rd & 3 where Zellars picked up just one yard to bring up 4th & 2 as the Irish lined up to go for the 1st down only to call timeout with 2:22 left as an attempt to draw the Aggies offsides failed.

On came Kevin Pendergast, who would come on and kick a 31-yard field goal that split through the arms of a diving Glenn, who was attempting to block the kick, and just inside the right upright for a successful kick to give the Irish a 24-21 with 2:17 to go in the game.

The Aggies would begin their ensuing possession at their 31-yard-line with a chance to drive down for a potential game-tying field goal or game-winning touchdown, only to turn it over on the first play from scrimmage as at the end of an 11-yard run by Thomas, Irish free safety Jeff Burris would hit Thomas so hard it jarred the ball loose.

Taylor wound up recovering the fumble to give Notre Dame the ball at the Aggies 42-yard-line, giving the Irish a chance to run out the clock and clinch the victory.

However, the Aggies would force a three-and-out as they would spend their last two timeouts as A&M would start their next possession at its 20-yard-line with 1:10 remaining.

Pullig would give the Aggies hope for a miracle as he completed a 32-yard pass to Schrop to give A&M a 1st down at the Notre Dame 48-yard-line only to be followed up with a quarterback sack and an incomplete pass to force a 3rd & 17 at the Aggies 41-yard-line.

That is when Pullig connected with Harrison for a 24-yard completion that the junior wide receiver hoped to make a bigger play as he tried to lateral the ball to McElroy on a hook-and-ladder play which was disrupted by Taylor whose hit on Harrison caused him to pitch the ball over McElroy's head and into the arms of Notre Dame defensive lineman Renaldo Wynn.

Wynn's recovery allowed the Irish to take a knee to run out the clock as Notre Dame would come away with the 24-21 win for their second straight win in the Cotton Bowl.

The loss would only drop the Aggies one place in the final Coaches poll and two places in the final AP poll as they would finish #8 and #9 respectively in what would be their final trip to the Cotton Bowl as members of the Southwest Conference as the conference would dissolve following the 1995 season as A&M would join the Big 12 conference in 1996.

As for the Irish, they would finish #2 in both the AP and coaches' polls despite Holtz's campaigning that Notre Dame be voted #1 as Florida State would defeat #2 Nebraska 18-16 in the Orange Bowl as the Seminoles be declared the national champion for 1993 despite their loss to the Irish.

Kevin Pendergast looks on as to see to his game-winning field goal sail through the uprights.

The Aggies would begin their ensuing possession at their 31-yard-line with a chance to drive down for a potential game-tying field goal or game-winning touchdown, only to turn it over on the first play from scrimmage as at the end of an 11-yard run by Thomas, Irish free safety Jeff Burris would hit Thomas so hard it jarred the ball loose.

Taylor wound up recovering the fumble to give Notre Dame the ball at the Aggies 42-yard-line, giving the Irish a chance to run out the clock and clinch the victory.

However, the Aggies would force a three-and-out as they would spend their last two timeouts as A&M would start their next possession at its 20-yard-line with 1:10 remaining.

Pullig would give the Aggies hope for a miracle as he completed a 32-yard pass to Schrop to give A&M a 1st down at the Notre Dame 48-yard-line only to be followed up with a quarterback sack and an incomplete pass to force a 3rd & 17 at the Aggies 41-yard-line.

That is when Pullig connected with Harrison for a 24-yard completion that the junior wide receiver hoped to make a bigger play as he tried to lateral the ball to McElroy on a hook-and-ladder play which was disrupted by Taylor whose hit on Harrison caused him to pitch the ball over McElroy's head and into the arms of Notre Dame defensive lineman Renaldo Wynn.

Wynn's recovery allowed the Irish to take a knee to run out the clock as Notre Dame would come away with the 24-21 win for their second straight win in the Cotton Bowl.

The loss would only drop the Aggies one place in the final Coaches poll and two places in the final AP poll as they would finish #8 and #9 respectively in what would be their final trip to the Cotton Bowl as members of the Southwest Conference as the conference would dissolve following the 1995 season as A&M would join the Big 12 conference in 1996.

As for the Irish, they would finish #2 in both the AP and coaches' polls despite Holtz's campaigning that Notre Dame be voted #1 as Florida State would defeat #2 Nebraska 18-16 in the Orange Bowl as the Seminoles be declared the national champion for 1993 despite their loss to the Irish.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Vikings' First NFL Game is a Dominant Win over Bears

 

On January 28, 1960 the National Football League announced that they would be added a new franchise in Minneapolis, Minnesota that would begin play in 1961 and become to be known as the Minnesota Vikings.

For their first season, the Vikings hired Norm Van Brocklin as their first head coach despite the fact the former NFL quarterback who had no coaching experience as he had just retired after the 1960 season in which he led the Philadelphia Eagles to the NFL championship.

With the head coach vacancy being fulfilled, the Vikings began to fill out a roster through free agency, the expansion draft and NFL draft as Minnesota would sign quarterback George Shaw, the man Johnny Unitas replaced as starting quarterback in Baltimore, and acquire running back Hugh McElhenny from the San Francisco 49ers, who had run for 4,288 yards and caught 195 passes for 2,666 yards during his nine seasons with the Niners.

In the collegiate draft, the Vikings would easy the #1 overall pick to select running back Tommy Mason from Tulane, the first of a class of 20 players that included in the third round, the selection of quarterback Fran  Tarkenton from the University of Georgia.

Tarkenton would serve as the backup to Shaw as the Vikings prepared to host the Chicago Bears at Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington, Minnesota on September 17, 1961 for the first ever NFL game played in the state of Minnesota.

The Bears entered the 1961 season hoping to bounce back from a losing season the year before as they finished with a a 5-6-1 record for only the sixth losing season since their inception back in 1920.

Led by head coach George Halas, the Bears came into the game with the Vikings as a two-touchdown favorite as many experts believed Chicago would easily dispatch of Minnesota to get the '61 season off to a good start for the "Monsters of the Midway".

 The Vikings would begin their first offensive possession in team history at their 24-yard-line with an incomplete pass that would become a 23-yard gain as Bears cornerback J.C. Caroline was called for pass interference to give Minnesota a 1st down at their 47-yard-line.

From there, the Vikings would drive to the Chicago four-yard-line until Mike Mercer came on to kick a 12-yard field goal(The goalposts were at the goal line in 1961)to give Minnesota a 3-0 lead.

The Bears get the ball at their 26-yard-line for their first drive of the game as they drove to the Vikings' 30-yard-line until a comedy of errors would push Chicago backwards.

First, Gallimore fumbled a handoff from Brown which resulted in a fumble which was recovered by the quarterback but not after a loss of 11 yards to set up 2nd & 21 when Brown was sacked for a 10-yard loss which was followed by a two-yard loss by Casares that would force the Bears to punt on 4th & 33 where  center Mike Pyle's snap sailed over the head of punter John Adams and was recovered by the Vikings at the Chicago 14-yard-line, giving Minnesota a golden opportunity to increase their lead.

However, the Vikings could only muster three yards on three plays, forcing them to settle for a 18-yard field goal by Mercer which would sail wide left of the goalposts and no good as the Bears would get the ball back at their 20-yard-line.

But just one play later, the Vikings would have the ball back as linebacker Clancy Osborne intercepted a Brown pass to give Minnesota the ball at the Chicago 20-yard-line to give the Vikings another chance to get into the end zone.

The Vikings would drive to the Bears' one-yard-line where they would face a 4th & goal when Van Brocklin decided to go for the touchdown instead of kicking a field goal as Shaw tried to sneak into the end zone only to be stopped for no gain to keep the score at 3-0 as the first quarter came to an end.

Following a Chicago three-and-out, the Vikings would take over at the Bears' 31-yard-line when Van Brocklin took out Shaw and inserted Tarkenton in as quarterback.

Fran Tarkenton would come off the bench to complete 17 of 23 passes for 250 yards and throw four touchdown passes while running it for another touchdown.

The change at quarterback would pay off as Tarkenton would complete a 15-yard pass to fullback Mel Trippett on 2nd & 8 which was followed by a 14-yard touchdown pass to Bob Schnelker, the first in Vikings history, to increase Minnesota's lead to 10-0 just 87 seconds into the second quarter.

The Bears would begin their next drive at their 34-yard-line where they would advance to the Vikings' 26-yard-line when on 4th & 6, Halas decided to go for the 1st down, which he got when Brown connected with wide receiver Johnny Morris for a 23-yard completion to give Chicago a 1st & goal at the Minnesota three-yard-line.

After he was stopped for no gain on 1st down, Casares would punch it in for a three-yard touchdown to cut the Vikings' lead to 10-6 as the extra point would not be attempted as holder Dick Norman would fumble the snap from center.

Following an exchange of punts, the Vikings would get the ball back at their 42-yard-line as a 26-yard pass from Tarkenton to Jerry Reichow and an nine-yard run by the rookie quarterback put Minnesota at the Bears' 23-yard-line until Tarkenton fumbled the football which was recovered by Chicago linebacker Roger LeClerc to end the drive and allow the Bears to run out the clock in the first half with the Vikings on top 10-6.

The Bears would get the ball to start the second half as they would start their ensuing possession at their 20-yard-line only for Gallimore to lose the football on the first play from scrimmage as Vikings linebacker Rip Hawkins would make the hit that would force the fumble that was recovered by strong safety Rich Mostardi to give Minnesota the ball at the Chicago 27-yard-line.

Tarkenton would complete two passes to McElhenny for 13 yards to give Minnesota a 1st down at the Chicago 14-yard-line when an incomplete pass followed by a quarterback sack by Bears linebacker Joe Fortunato for a 15-yard loss would set up 3rd & 25.

That is when Tarkenton connected with Reichow for a 29-yard touchdown that would increase Minnesota's lead to 17-6 with 12:37 to go in the third quarter.

After forcing the Bears to punt on their ensuing possession, the Vikings got the ball back at their 29-yard-line as four plays took Minnesota into Chicago territory to the Bears' 49-yard-line when Tarkenton hit Reichow again, this time for a 48-yard completion to give the Vikings a 1st & goal at the one-yard-line.

Three running plays that resulted in a cumulative loss of one yard would set up 4th & goal when the Vikings decided to go for the touchdown which they got when Tarkenton completed a swing pass to McElhenny, who was able to get into the end zone for two-yard touchdown to push the Minnesota lead to 24-6 with 3:10 left in the third quarter.

Things would go from bad to worse for the Bears on their next drive as Brown would be intercepted again, this time by Vikings free safety Charlie Sumner to give Minnesota the ball at the Chicago 49-yard-line.

Seven plays later, the Vikings were back in the end zone as Tarkenton ran it in for a three-yard touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter to extend the Vikings' lead to 31-6.

Halas would insert Billy Wade at quarterback on the Bears' next possession which lasted only two plays as Wade would be intercepted by Vikings cornerback Jack Morris, whose 25-yard return gave Minnesota the ball at the Chicago 17-yard-line.

A pass interference penalty would push the Vikings back 15 yards to the Chicago 32-yard-line where they would face a 1st & 25 when Tarkenton found Dave Middleton for a 24-yard completion to set up 2nd & 1 where a three-yard run by Triplett gave Minnesota a 1st & goal at the Bears' five-yard-line.

Two runs by Doug Mayberry for three yards and an incomplete pass would bring up 4th & goal when Van Brocklin again went for the touchdown instead of the field goal as Tarkenton would find Middleton in the back of the end zone for the touchdown to push the Vikings' lead to 37-6 with 10:28 to go in the game.(The extra point was blocked by the way).

The Vikings celebrate in the locker room following their historic upset over the Bears.

The Bears would get into the end zone one more time before the end of the game, a 10-yard touchdown pass from Wade to Gallimore, as the Vikings came away with a stunning 37-13 win in their first game in team history.

The Bears would bounce back from the embarrassing loss to have a winning season as they would finish with an 8-6 record which included a 52-35 win over the Vikings in the final week of the regular season.

As for the Vikings, their win over the Bears would be the highlight of their inaugural season as they would finish with a 3-11 record as Minnesota would have only one winning season during Van Brocklin's tenure as head coach which lasted through the 1966 season.

Van Brocklin would be replaced by Bud Grant, who in his 19 seasons in Minnesota, would lead the Vikings 11 division titles and four trips to the Super Bowl, with Tarkenton as the quarterback for three of those four Super Bowl appearances.

College Football Old School Game of the Week: Iowa State Beats Iowa in Triple Overtime Thriller

Iowa State players hold up the CyHawk trophy after their win over Iowa in 2011.

While most college football rivalries often have their annual meeting towards the end of the season, the rivalry between the Iowa Hawkeyes and Iowa State Cyclones occurs at the beginning of the season as the two schools separated by 127 miles have met annually in September since the renewal of the series back in 1977(They played in November in 2001 because of the 9/11 attacks and did not play in 2020 because of the Covid-19 pandemic).

Their game on September 10, 2011 is regarded as one of the best in the series as the Cyclones played host to their intrastate rival at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames with the winner set to receive the CyHawk trophy.

Iowa came into the game on a three-year winning streak in the rivalry having held the Cyclones to just 15 points over the previous three meetings.

Iowa was led by head coach Kirk Ferentz, who was in his 13th season as the Hawkeyes' head coach having led the Hawkeyes to bowl games in nine of his 12 seasons in Iowa City after taking over for the legendary Hayden Fry before the 1999 season.

The Hawkeyes were looking to improve off a 8-5 season the previous year as they returned running back Marcus Coker who had run for 219 yards in Iowa's 27-24 win over Missouri in the 2010 Insight Bowl, along with wide receiver Marvin McNutt, who lead the team with 54 catches and 861 yards in 2010 to go along with new starting quarterback James Vanderburg.

The Hawkeyes easily dispatched of Tennessee Tech 34-7 in their regular season opener before traveling to Ames to take on the Cyclones who looking to beat their intrastate rival for the first time since 2007.

Iowa State was led by head coach Paul Rhoads, who was in his third season as the Cyclones' head coach having led Iowa State to a bowl game in his first season in 2009 only to go 5-7 in 2010 and not make it to the postseason.

Like the Hawkeyes, the Cyclones had a new starting quarterback in junior Steele Jantz, who led Iowa State a narrow 20-19 win over Northern Iowa as he scored the game-winning touchdown with a one-yard run with 40 seconds left in the game.

If Iowa State was going to beat Iowa, they would need a better performance from Jantz, who overcome three interceptions to lead the Cyclones to victory the previous week.

The Cyclones got the ball to start the game as they would drive from their 26-yard-line to the Hawkeyes' five-yard-line in 10 plays to set up a 1st & goal when center Tom Farniok's shotgun snap went over Jantz's head and was recovered by Iowa defensive end Broderick Binns at the 18-yard-line to end Iowa State's first drive of the game.

The Hawkeyes would then put together a 12-play, 82-yard drive that over six minutes to complete as Vanderburg completed passes of 32 yards to Keenan Davis and 12 yards to Marvin McNutt that would move Iowa down into Cyclone territory where Vanderburg found Kevon Martin-Manley for a six-yard touchdown to give Iowa a 7-0 lead.

Following an Iowa State three-and-out, the Hawkeyes got the ball back at their 25-yard-line as their second drive of the game began with a 24-yard pass from Vanderburg to tight end C.J. Fiedorowicz  which was followed by five straight runs by Coker for 24 yards to put Iowa at the Cyclones' 27-yard-line as the first quarter came to an end.

As the second quarter began, Vanderburg would throw the ball on three straight plays, only completing one of those passes for four yards, forcing the Hawkeyes to settle for a 42-yard field goal by Mike Meyer to extend their lead to 10-0.

Iowa running back Marcus Coker(34) would carry the ball 35 times for 140 yards two touchdowns.

After an exchange of punts, the Cyclones drove to the Iowa 12-yard-line only to turn it over again as running back Shontrelle Johnson fumbled the football after a hit by Hawkeyes defensive lineman Thomas Nardo which was recovered by linebacker Tyler Nelsen Iowa the ball back at their five-yard-line.

But two plays later, the Hawkeyes would give it right back to the Cyclones as Coker would be stripped of the football by cornerback Leonard Johnson as linebacker Jake Knott would recover the fumble to give Iowa State the ball at the Iowa 12-yard-line.

Two runs by running back James White gained only one yard to set up 3rd & 9 when Jantz found wide receiver Darius Reynolds for a 11-yard touchdown to put the Cyclones on the board and the cut the Iowa lead to 10-7 midway through the second quarter.

The Iowa State defense would force the Hawkeyes to punt on their ensuing possession to give their offense the ball back at their 43-yard-line as Jantz completed three of four passes for 23 yards while running for 13 yards on four carries to set up a 54-yard field goal by Grant Mahoney, the fifth time he had made a field goal of more than 50 yards in his collegiate career, to tie the game at 10 with 41 seconds left in the first half.

The Hawkeyes would go three-and-out to start the second half but would pin the Cyclones back to their five-yard-line thanks to a 59-yard punt by Eric Guthrie as Iowa State would make it to its 18-yard-line until the Cyclones fumbled the football for the third time in the game as tight end Reid Branderhorst would lose the football following a jarring hit by Iowa linebacker Christian Kirksey, who would also make the recovery at the Iowa State 21-yard-line.

Iowa would move to the Iowa State two-yard-line thanks to passes of 12 yards to Davis and eight yards to Martin-Manley to help set up a 20-yard field goal by Meyer to give the Hawkeyes a 13-10 lead.

The Cyclones would get great field position to start their next drive as Josh Lenz returned the ensuing kickoff 51 yards to the Hawkeyes' 44-yard-line as Iowa State would drive 20 yards in six plays to set up a 42-yard field goal attempt by Mahoney, only for the kick to sail wide left and no good to keep the score at 13-10 in favor of Iowa.

From there, the Hawkeyes would drive to the Cyclones' 32-yard-line thanks to two passes from Vanderburg to Davis that totaled 28-yards and a 15-yard face mask penalty on Iowa State cornerback Jeremy Reeves, which would lead to a 50-yard field goal by Meyer which increased Iowa's lead to 16-10 with 3:58 left in the third quarter.

The Cyclones would begin their next drive at their 27-yard-line as a 57-yard pass from Jantz to wide receiver Aaron Horne, the longest pass play for Iowa State in six years, would help set up Jantz's eight-yard touchdown pass to Lenz that with the extra point gave the Cyclones their first lead of the game at 17-16 with 1:52 to go in the third quarter.

Following an Iowa three-and-out, the Cyclones would get the ball back at their nine-yard-line as Iowa State would take five minutes off the clock as they drove to the Hawkeyes' 20-yard-line when Zach Guyer would come on to attempt a 38-yard field goal.

However, Guyer's kick would sail wide right to keep the score at 17-16 as the Hawkeyes would take over at their 20-yard-line.

The Hawkeyes would drive 80 yards in 11 plays as Vanderburg connected with McNutt for 14 yards to start the drive and later in the drive for 29 yards to set up an one-yard touchdown run by Coker that with a two-point conversion where Vanderburg completed a pass to Davis in the end zone, gave Iowa a 24-17 lead with 5:50 left in regulation.

Iowa State quarterback Steele Jantz would complete 25 of 37 passes for 279 yards and throw four touchdown passes to go along with 42 yards on 16 carries.

Another long kickoff return, this time by Johnson for 40 yards, gave the Cyclones great field position as they begin their next drive at their 41-yard-line.

A false start penalty followed by two plays that picked up zero yards would set up 3rd & 15 from the Iowa State 36-yard-line when Jantz hit Horne for 19 yards and a 1st down at the Iowa 45-yard-line.

Two plays later, the Cyclones were faced with a 3rd & 10 when Jantz scrambled long enough for him to fire an apparent 45-yard touchdown pass to Chris Young only for a holding penalty to be called which negated the touchdown and pushed Iowa State 10 yards back to its 45-yard-line where they would face a 3rd & 20 situation.

That is when Jantz fired a deep back-shoulder pass that was caught by Reynolds for 40-yard gain to give Iowa State a fresh set of downs at the Iowa 15-yard-line.

An incomplete pass followed by a nine-yard pass to Darius Darks followed by a run by Jantz for no gain would set up a 4th & 1 when Jantz was able to run for two yards to pick up the 1st down and give the Cyclones a fresh set of downs at the Iowa four-yard-line.

Following two straight incomplete passes, Jantz would scramble around in the pocket before firing a four-yard touchdown pass to Darks that with the extra point tied the game at 24 with 1:17 remaining in regulation.

The Hawkeyes would take over at their 20-yard-line with two timeouts in their pocket 77 seconds to drive into Iowa State territory and maybe attempt a game-winning field goal in the final seconds.

Instead, Coker would run the ball twice for six yards to run out the clock and send the game into overtime, the first time in CyHawk series history that the game had gone into overtime.

Iowa would get the ball to start the overtime period as Vanderburg completed a six-yard pass to McNutt on the Hawkeyes' first play of the extra period which was followed by four straight runs by Coker with the last run being for four yards and a touchdown to give Iowa a 31-24 lead.

Needing a touchdown to extend the game, the Cyclones' overtime drive would begin with a 14-yard run by Johnson that along with a horse collar tackle on Hawkeyes free safety Micah Hyde gave Iowa State a 1st & goal at the Iowa five-yard-line.

But after two runs by Jantz gained only one yard followed by an incomplete pass, the Cyclones were faced with a do-or-die 4th & goal at the Iowa four-yard-line.

That is when Jantz would find Reynolds in the back corner of the end zone for a four-yard touchdown that with the extra point tied the game at 31 and send it into a second overtime period.

It would take the Cyclones seven plays to get back into the end zone as a 13-yard run by Jantz on a 3rd & 9 at the 14-yard-line would set up an one-yard touchdown run by White which would give Iowa State a 38-31 lead.

It would only take the Hawkeyes two plays to get back into the end zone as Vanderburg connected with Davis for a 23-yard touchdown that with the extra point tied the game at 38 and sent it to a third overtime period.

Iowa would be unable to move the football on their third overtime possession as Vanderburg completed only one of three passes for four yards leading to Ferentz to send in the field goal unit to attempt a 39-yard field goal only for Iowa State get called for an illegal substitution penalty that moved ball yards forward to make it 4th & 1.

Instead of gambling to try and convert the 1st down, Ferentz sent in the field goal unit as Meyer would go on to kick a 34-yard field goal to give Iowa a 41-38 lead but giving the Cyclones a chance to win the game if they could score a touchdown on their ensuing possession.

Iowa State running back James White scores the game-winning touchdown.

A five-yard pass from Jantz to Lenz followed by a three-yard run by White would set up 3rd & 2 at the Iowa 17-yard-line when Jantz found Darks for nine yards to give the Cyclones a 1st down at the Hawkeyes' eight-yard-line.

Jantz would keep the ball and run for four yards on 1st & goal to put Iowa State at the four-yard-line when Steele tossed the ball to White on a quarterback option play to the right side as the sophomore running back who would run it for the game-winning touchdown to give the Cyclones a 44-41 triple overtime victory and the CyHawk trophy to Iowa State for the first time in four years.

The loss to Iowa State would begin up-and-down season for the Hawkeyes as they could never gain consistency during the regular season as they wound up going 7-5 and back to the Insight Bowl where they would play the Oklahoma Sooners where Bob Stoops, a former Iowa defensive back, would lead the Sooners to a 31-14 victory over his alma mater.

As for the Cyclones, they would win their next game over UConn to improve their record to 3-0 only to go on a four-game losing streak to fall behind .500.

Iowa State would then win its next three games, including a 37-31 overtime upset over #2 Oklahoma State to improve to 6-4, which was followed by two straight losses to end the regular season with a 6-6 record as the Cyclones would be invited to play Rutgers in the Pinstripe Bowl where they would fall 27-13 to end the season with a 6-7 record.

College Football Old School Game of the Week: East Carolina's Un"Believe"able Peach Bowl Comeback

East Carolina players hold up the Peach Bowl trophy after their comeback win over the Wolfpack

In 1987, the East Carolina Pirates knocked off the North Carolina State Wolfpack 32-14, marking the third time in five years that the Pirates had defeated the Wolfpack in a series which began in 1970.

Following the Pirates' victory which ECU fans tore down the goal posts of Carter-Finley Stadium, the home stadium of the Wolfpack, the rivalry was terminated by NC State which was a blow to East Carolina as they were a small independent while the Wolfpack played in the ACC.

Over four years later, the two programs separated by 85 miles would travel down to Atlanta Fulton County Stadium where they would face off in the 1992 Peach Bowl on New Year's Day to cap off the 1991 college football season.

The '91 season was a magical one for the Pirates as they went 10-1 in the regular season with their only loss being a 38-31 heartbreaker to Illinois in their season opener when ECU's rally from a 28-point deficit fell short.

Led by third year head coach Bill Lewis and senior quarterback Jeff Blake, the Pirates would not lose again during the regular season as they climbed to #12 in the polls after 4th quarter comeback wins over Syracuse, Pittsburgh, and Virginia Tech, leading to ECU fans to adopt the slogan "I Believe".

The Pirates would be invited to play in the Peach Bowl, marking the first time East Carolina had played in a bowl game since 1978 as nearly 20,000 fans would make the drive down to Atlanta to see their beloved Pirates take on the Wolfpack.

NC State came into the game ranked #21 in the country with a 9-2 record under head coach Bill Sheridan who was about to finish his sixth season as the Pack's head coach having led them to their fifth bowl appearance since his tenure began in 1986.

The Wolfpack were led by a strong running game which featured the stable of Anthony Barbour, Gary Downs, and Greg Mainor as the Pack ran for at least 200 yards in six of their 11 games during the season.

NC State welcomed back quarterback Terry Jordan for the Peach Bowl as he broke his left collarbone in the team's fourth game of the season as the Wolfpack looked to win their 10th game which would be the first time in school history that the Pack had achieved that feat.

 After the Pirates went three-and-out to start the game, the Wolfpack would begin their first possession of the game at their 32-yard-line as they would attempt only one pass on a 12-play, 68-yard drive that culminated with a two-yard touchdown run by Downs to give NC State a 7-0 lead.

Following a 35-yard return by Dion Johnson on the ensuing kickoff, the Pirates would drive 57 yards in six plays as Blake would complete all four of his passes for 42 yards on the drive with the last completion being a five-yard touchdown to running back Cedric Van Buren to help tie the game at seven with 5:22 to go in the first quarter.

The Pirates would force the Wolfpack to punt on their next possession to give their offense the ball back at their 40-yard-line as they would convert on a 3rd & 23 as Blake hit wide receiver Hunter Gallimore for a 33-yard completion to give ECU a 1st down at the 50-yard-line.

However on the next play, Blake would be picked off by NC State cornerback Sebastian Savage, whose 14-yard return would give the Wolfpack the ball at their 46-yard-line.

From there, the Wolfpack would run the ball six straight times to drive to the East Carolina four-yard-line when Jordan put the ball in the air and completed a four-yard touchdown pass to tight end Todd Harrison to give NC State a 14-7 lead just 50 seconds into the second quarter.

After both teams went three-and-out on their ensuing possessions, the Pirates would get the ball back at their 30-yard-line when they would rely on the running game to drive down the field as Van Buren carried the ball five times for 49 yards to lead ECU to a 27-yard field goal by Anthony Brenner to cut the NC State lead to 14-10 with 6:41 left in the second quarter.

The Pirates would take their first lead of the game with 1:39 left before halftime when Blake threw a bomb down the left sideline that was caught by Gallimore for a 55-yard touchdown to give ECU a 17-14 lead which they would hold after the first 30 minutes of play.

East Carolina quarterback Jeff Blake would complete 31 of 51 passes for 378 yards and four touchdown passes while running it for another touchdown.

NC State would get the ball to start the second half as they would drive 58 yards in 10 plays for the go-ahead touchdown as Jordan threw a short screen pass to wide receiver wide receiver Robert Hinton who would dodge two ECU defenders for the 14-yard touchdown to give the Wolfpack a 21-17 lead.

The Wolfpack defense would force the Pirates to go three-and-out on their ensuing possession to give their offense the ball back around midfield only to give it right back to ECU as linebacker Robert Jones would intercept a Jordan pass and return it 20 yards to give East Carolina the ball at the NC State 31-yard-line.

But the Wolfpack defense would allow only two yards on three plays to force a 46-yard field goal attempt by Brenner, which he missed to keep the score at 21-17 in favor of NC State as the Wolfpack offense would take over at their 29-yard-line.

From there, the Wolfpack would drive 71 yards in eight plays as Jordan completed two passes to wide receiver Charles Davenport for 39 yards to help set up an one-yard touchdown run by Manoir to increase the NC State lead to 10 points at 27-17 as the extra point would be blocked by Jones.

The score was still 27-17 as the game moved into the fourth quarter when Gallimore would muff a NC State punt that was recovered by wide receiver Shad Santee to give the Wolfpack the ball at their 49-yard-line as Jordan would lose one yard on a quarterback option run to set up 2nd & 11 at the NC State 48-yard-line.

That is when Jordan threw a backyard pass to running back Ledel George who then threw a deep pass for Davenport, who made the catch around the East Carolina 10-yard-line and then ran into the end zone for the 52-yard touchdown that with the extra point extended NC State's lead to 34-17 with 13:01 to go in the fourth quarter.

Things seemed hopeless for the Pirates especially after their ensuing possession ended in an interception when Blake threw a deep pass that was picked off by NC State defensive back Mike Reid.

But the Pirates would catch a break after they forced the Wolfpack to punt which ended up being a disaster for NC State as Tim Kilpatrick would shank the kick as it traveled only 10 yards to give ECU the ball at the Wolfpack 32-yard-line with 8:41 to play.

Lining up in the shotgun formation, Blake would start the drive with a nine-yard completion to Johnson followed by an eight-yard completion to Van Buren to give ECU a 1st down at the NC State 15-yard-line.

After throwing an incomplete pass, Blake would find Fisher for 13 yards to give the Pirates a 1st & goal at the two-yard-line as Blake would threw two straight incomplete passes to set up a 3rd & goal when the quarterback ran it in for a two-yard touchdown to cut the NC State lead to 34-24 with 7:26 to go in the game.

The East Carolina defense would force a three-and-out to give their offense the ball back at their 20-yard-line as Blake would complete eight of 10 passes for 77 yards on the drive that was capped off with a 17-yard touchdown to Johnson to make it an one-score game at 34-30 with 4:18 remaining.

The Pirates would go for two after the touchdown but would fail to convert as Blake was stripped of the ball by NC State linebacker Tyler Lawrence to keep the score at 34-30, meaning that ECU needed a touchdown to win the game.

Hoping to pick up a few 1st downs to run out the clock, the Wolfpack went to their bag of tricks on the opening play of their next possession as they attempted an end around with the ball ending up in the arms of Davenport, only for the receiver to be dropped for a nine-yard loss by Pirates linebacker Jerry Dillon which ultimately killed the drive and forced another NC State punt.

Making up for his muffed punt earlier in the 4th quarter, Johnson would return the punt 27 yards to the NC State 41-yard-line where the Pirates would take over with 2:37 to go in the game.

The drive would begin with Blake hitting Johnson for eight yards to set up 2nd & 2 when disaster nearly struck for the Pirates as Fisher was stripped of the ball following another completion only for Van Buren to recover the fumble to give ECU a 1st down at the NC State 30-yard-line.

An incomplete pass and an eight-yard completion to Fisher would set up 3rd & 2 when Blake found Fisher again at the 15-yard-line who then split the NC State defense and dove into the end zone for the 22-yard touchdown that with the extra point gave East Carolina a 37-34 lead with 1:32 to play as Blake had completed 15 of 21 passes for 158 yards on the Pirates' last three drives.

Tight end Luke Fisher dives for what would be the game-winning touchdown.

Despite having given up 20 points in a span of 5 minutes and 54 seconds, the Wolfpack had a chance to win the game as they would begin their next drive at their 29-yard-line with all three timeouts left in their pocket.

Jordan would complete three straight passes to running back Chris Williams for 23 yards then would find Davenport for 12 more yards to put NC State at the ECU 36-yard-line when the Wolfpack burnt their first timeout with 26 seconds to go.

The timeout helped the Pirates more than it did the Wolfpack as ECU defensive lineman Zaim Cunmulaj and Derek Taylor chased Jordan out of the pocket and dropped for a quarterback sack which resulted in a 17-yard-loss for NC State as it was forced to spend its second timeout with 15 seconds to go.

Facing a 2nd & 27 situation, Jordan would complete a 23-yard pass to Hinton to put NC State at the ECU 32-yard-line as the Wolfpack would spend their final timeout with six seconds remaining.

Instead of attempting a Hail Mary to win the game, Sheridan would send in the field goal unit as Damon Hartman would come on to attempt a 49-yard field goal that salvage a tie for the Wolfpack(There was no overtime in FBS Football in 1991).

However, Hartman's kick would sail wide right as time expired with the Pirates on top 37-34 as many of the 20,000 East Carolina fans rushed onto the field to celebrate their Pirates' record 11th win of the season.

East Carolina would finish the season ranked #9 in both the AP and coaches polls while the Wolfpack would finish #24 in the AP and #25 in the coaches poll.

Almost a week after the Pirates' win in the Peach Bowl, Lewis would leave Greenville to become the head coach of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets where he lasted only two and a half seasons as he resigned following a 1-7 start during the 1994 season while Blake would go on to a 14-year NFL career which was highlighted by his 1995 + 1996 seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals where he there for over 3,500 yards in each season.

As for the rivalry between the Pirates and the Wolfpack, it has not become an annual affair but it has been played 14 time since their meeting in the 1992 Peach Bowl with both teams winning seven games each during that span.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Packers Clinch Division Title on Rodgers-to-Cobb 4th & 8 TD Pass

Packers wide receiver Randall Cobb catches the game-winning touchdown pass in Green Bay's 33-28 win over the Chicago Bears.

 In the final week of the 2013 NFL regular season, the Green Bay Packers faced off with their arch nemesis, the Chicago Bears, in a game where the winner would clinch the NFC North division title to earn a spot in the NFL postseason while the loser would have their season ended.

After the first two months of the season, it did not look like there would be a winner-take-all game for the NFC North as the Packers jumped out to a 5-2 start thanks to quarterback Aaron Rodgers who threw for 2,191 yards and 15 touchdowns during that span.

But in the first quarter of the Packers' week 9 game with the Bears, Rodgers fractured his right collarbone after he landed on his shoulder following a quarterback sack by Chicago linebacker Shea McClellan.

Rodgers would be lost for two months as the Packers would go on a five-game winless streak as they fell to 5-6-1 as the month of December rolled around.

But comeback wins over the Atlanta Falcons and Dallas Cowboys would keep the Packers in the race for the NFC North title as Green Bay fell to the Pittsburgh Steelers 38-31 in their penultimate game of the regular season to as the Packers prepared to travel to the Windy City to take on the Bears in their 2013 regular season finale with a 7-7-1 record.

The Bears had endured an up-and-down season in 2013 as they came into the final week of the regular season with a 8-7 record under first year head coach Mark Trestman who was brought in from the Canadian Football League in hopes of improving the Chicago offense.

With an lineup that featured quarterback Jay Cutler, running back Matt Forte, and wide receivers Brandon Marshall and Alton Jeffrey, the Bears' offense did improve as they scored 417 points up to this point, the first time the Bears had scored at least 400 points in a season since their run to the Super Bowl in 2006.

However, the Bears' defense had collapsed having given up an average of 29.6 points per game, a massive increase from the year before where they had given up just 17.3 points per game.

To make matters worse for the Bears' defense, Rodgers would be returning as the Packers' starting quarterback as the two old rivals prepared to meet for the 188th time with the NFC North division on the line.

In his first game in two months, Aaron Rodgers completed 25 of 39 passes for 318 yards while throwing two touchdowns and two interceptions.

The Bears would get the ball to start the game as all-world kick returner Devin Hester returned the opening kickoff 39 yards that with a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty on Packers linebacker Victor Aiyewa put Chicago at the Green Bay 42-yard-line.

However, the Packers defense would force a three-and-out to give their offense the ball at their 20-yard-line as Rodgers looked sharp in his first game action in two months as he completed six of his first seven passes for 39 yards to lead Green Bay to the Chicago five-yard-line.

But the Packers could not punch into the end zone as on 3rd & goal, Rodgers would be picked off by Bears free safety Chris Conte in the end zone to give Chicago the ball back at its 20-yard-line.

From there, the Bears would drive 80 yards in eight plays as Cutler connected with Brandon Marshall on two passes for 50 yards to help set the quarterback's four-yard touchdown pass to Forte to give Chicago a 7-0 lead with 2:12 to go in the first quarter.

The Packers would begin their next possession at their 19-yard-line as running back James Starks carried the ball three times for 16 yards plus caught a seven-yard pass to advance Green Bay to its 42-yard-line as the first quarter came to an end.

Rodgers would then hit Jordy Nelson for 32 yards to begin the second quarter as the Packers had a 1st down at the Bears' 26-yard-line when Rodgers was intercepted again, this time by cornerback Tim Jennings to end the drive and give Chicago the ball at their 20-yard-line.

The Bears would go three-and-out to give the Packers got the ball back at their 36-yard-line as a 26-yard pass from Rodgers to Nelson would help set up a 33-yard field goal by Mason Crosby to put Green Bay on the board and cut the Chicago lead to 7-3 with 8:04 left in the second quarter.

After another Chicago three-and-out, the Packers would start their next drive in Bears territory at the Chicago 41-yard-line as five plays for 24 yards put Green Bay at the 17-yard-line when the strangest play of the game occurred.

Rodgers would drop back to pass as Bears defensive end Juilus Peppers came in and hit Rodgers just as he was about to throw the ball, causing the ball to fly forward to the Chicago 15-yard-line as most assumed that it was an incomplete pass.

Packers wide receiver Jarrett Boykin would pick up the football and run into the end zone as the officials never blew the whistle as they ruled that Peppers had hit Rodgers' arm before the ball went forward, making it a fumble and a touchdown for Green Bay.

The Bears would challenge the ruling but replays confirmed what the officials had ruled as the Packers took a 10-7 lead with 3:34 left before halftime.

The Bears would begin its next possession at their 15-yard-line as three straight running plays picked up 15 yards until Cutler put the ball in the air and completed a 12-yard pass to Alshon Jeffrey only for Packers cornerback Tramon Williams to hit Jeffrey and force a fumble that was recovered by strong safety Morgan Burnett to give Green Bay the ball at the Chicago 28-yard-line and 1:47 left in the first half.

A three-yard run by Eddie Lacy and a 16-yard pass from Rodgers to Nelson would put the Packers at the Bears' nine-yard-line with a 1st & goal as two incomplete pass and a run by Lacy that went for no gain would force Green Bay to settle for a 27-yard field goal by Crosby to extend their lead to 13-7 with seven seconds to go before halftime.

The ensuing kickoff would run out the remaining time in the first half as the Packers went to the locker room ahead 13-7 and set to get the ball to start the second half.

The Packers would go three-and-out on their initial possession of the second half to punt the ball back to the Bears when Hester struck again as his 49-yard return gave the Chicago offense the ball at the Green Bay 30-yard-line.

The Bears would then ride the legs of Forte as he carried the ball five straight times with his last carry being a five-yard touchdown that with the extra point gave Chicago a 14-13 lead with 10:51 to go in the third quarter.

The Packers would get the ball back at their 20-yard-line as the drive began with a 17-yard run by Lacy followed by four straight runs by Starks for 51 yards to put Green Bay at the Bears' 12-yard-line when Rodgers completed a five-yard pass to James Jones, then found Randall Cobb, who was playing in his first game since Week 6 when he broke his right fibula, for a seven-yard touchdown to give the lead back to the Packers at 20-14 with 7:32 left in the third quarter.

The Bears would start their ensuing possession at their 26-yard-line as Forte would run twice for six yards to set up 3rd & 4 when Cutler went deep and hit Jeffrey for a 67-yard completion to put Chicago at the Green Bay one-yard-line where Forte would punch it for the touchdown to put the Bears back on top 21-20 with 5:07 remaining in the third quarter.

Bears running back Matt Forte carried the ball 22 times for 110 yards and scored two touchdowns while catching four passes for 47 yards and scoring another touchdown.

After the Packers punted on their next possession, the Bears got the ball back at their 32-yard-line as Cutler would hit Marshall for nine yards before handing the ball off to Forte on back-to-back plays which gained 18 yards to put Chicago at the Green Bay 41-yard-line.

Forte would then catch a 33-yard pass from Cutler to put the Bears at the Packers' eight-yard-line as two runs by Forte for three yards would set up 3rd & goal for Chicago as the third quarter came to an end.

The final 15 minutes would begin with Cutler finding Marshall in the right corner of the end zone for the five-yard touchdown to extend the Bears' lead to 28-20.

The Packers would get the ball back at their 23-yard-line as they would 77 yards in six plays as Rodgers completed passes of 34 yards to Nelson, 12 yards to Jones, and 22 yards to Andrew Quarless to help set up a six-yard touchdown by Lacy to cut the Bears' lead to 28-26.

Interestingly, McCarthy did not go for two and instead had Crosby kick the extra point to make it 28-27 in favor of the Bears with 11:43 left in the fourth quarter.

The Bears would hold the ball for over five minutes as they drove from their 26-yard-line to the Green Bay 45-yard-line before punting the ball back to the Packers, who would take over at their 13-yard-line with 6:24 left in regulation and needing just a field goal to retake the lead.

The drive would begin with Lacy running for two yards followed by the rookie running back catching a seven-yard pass from Rodgers before being stopped for no gain to set up 4th & inches when McCarthy decided to go for the 1st down instead of punting the ball back to the Bears.

The gamble paid off as fullback John Kuhn picked up the yardage needed to give the Packers a fresh set of downs at their 23-yard-line with 4:18 left to play.

Rodgers would then complete a seven-yard pass to Jones which was followed by an incomplete pass to set up 3rd & 3 when Rodgers scrambled for five yards to pick up another 1st down at the Green Bay 35-yard-line.

A seven-yard pass to Nelson followed by two runs by Lacy for two yards would set up another 4th & 1 this time as the two-minute warning hit.

Once again the Packers would go for the 1st down and once again they would convert as Rodgers hit Nelson for six yards to give Green Bay a fresh set of downs at the 50-yard-line.

A run by Lacy for two yards and two incomplete passes would set up a 4th & 8 at the Bears' 48-yard-line with 46 seconds and the Packers needed to convert their third 4th down of the drive.

Facing an all-out blitz, Rodgers would fire the ball downfield when he found Cobb wide open at the Bears' 10-yard-line, who would then run into the end zone for a shocking 48-yard touchdown to give Green Bay a 33-28 lead with 38 seconds to go as the Packers would go for two and failed to convert.

The Packers would have to survive another return by Hester as his 24-yard return gave the Bears the ball at their 40-yard-line with 31 seconds left to pull out a miracle.

After completing a 15-yard pass to Marshall, Cutler would throw two straight incomplete passes to set up 3rd & 10 from the Packers' 45-yard-line with ten seconds to go when he fired a desperation pass for Jeffrey in the end zone only for Green Bay cornerback Sam Shields to intercept it as time ran out to secure the 33-28 win for the Packers and the NFC North division championship.

Two weeks after the heartbreaking loss to the Packers, the Bears fired their defensive line and linebackers coaches in hopes of improving the defense.

However, things did not improve as the defense gave up over 6,000 yards of total offense and allowed 442 points including back-to-back weeks where their opponents scored at least 50 points as the Bears finished with a 5-11 record which resulted in Trestman's dismissal.

As for the Packers, their season would come to an end one week following their incredible win over the Bears as they fell to the San Francisco 49ers 23-20 in the wild card round of the NFC playoffs as Phil Dawson made a 33-yard field goal as time expired to eliminate Green Bay.