College Football Old School Game of the Week: Boise State Outlasts Nevada in Shootout

Boise State running Ian Johnson ran for 205 yards on 28 carries while catching four passes for 51 yards as he accounted for three touchdowns.

On October 14, 2007, the Nevada Wolfpack traveled up to Boise, Idaho to take on the Boise State Broncos in a game that at the time was the highest scoring game in FBS(Football Bowl Subdivision)history.

Boise State came into the game with a 4-1 record led by second year head coach Chris Peterson, who had led the Broncos to a 13-0 season the year before that ended with the Broncos' improbable 43-42 win over the Oklahoma Sooners in the Fiesta Bowl in which the Broncos used a number of trick plays to help them pull off the upset.

Returning from that team was their leading rusher Ian Johnson, who had proposed to his girlfriend after the game, but not starting quarterback Jared Zabransky, who had graduated following the 2006 season with his replacement being senior Taylor Tharp, who had helped design the "Statue of Liberty" play that was the game-winning two point conversion in the Fiesta Bowl.

The Broncos' strength at this point of the 2007 season was their defense as they came into the game having allowed just 61 points and an average of 231.2 yards per game, good for #3 in total defense in the country.

Little did the Broncos know that their defense would be carved up by the Nevada Wolfpack, who came into the game with a brand new starting quarterback in Colin Kaepernick.

The redshirt freshman had taken over for an injured Nick Graziano the week before in which Kaepernick threw for 384 yards and four touchdowns in a losing effort for the Wolfpack as they came into the Boise State game with a 2-3 record.

The Wolfpack's head coach was Chris Ault, who was in the fourth season of his second tenure as the Nevada head coach as he directed the Wolfpack from 1976-1995 winning 170 games.

Since his return to the sidelines in 2004, Ault had used the "pistol formation" in which the running back lines up directly behind the quarterback who is in the shotgun formation which allows the quarterback to read the defense better and determine whether or not he should hand the ball off to the running back or keep it himself if he is a threat as a runner.

With Kaepernick at quarterback and sophomore Luke Lippincott as the running back, the Wolfpack hoped to use the pistol to help pull off an upset of the Broncos on the blue turf of Boise as Boise State had lost only two home games since the beginning of the 1999 season.

 Boise State would get the ball to start the game as the Broncos would drive 64 yards in eight plays as Johnson carried the ball four times for 31 yards on the drive that ended with Jeremy Avery running it in from nine yards out to give Boise State an 7-0 lead.

Following an exchange of punts, the Wolfpack had the ball at their 10-yard-line when Kaepernick began to find his rhythm throwing the ball as he completed passes of 18 and 26 yards to wide receiver Marko Mitchell on the 12-play drive that culminated with Kaepernick connecting with tight end Junior Pakula on a 16-yard touchdown that would tie the game at 7 with 1:10 left in the first quarter.

The Broncos would begin their ensuing possession at their 32-yard-line as two runs by Tharp gained 11 yards for a Boise State 1st down where Tharp appeared to have completed a 30-yard pass to wide receiver Jeremy Childs only for it to be nullified because of a pass interference penalty on Childs which pushed the Broncos back 15 yards to their 28-yard-line.

That is when Tharp handed the ball off to Johnson who took off on the longest run of his career, a 72-yard touchdown to give the Broncos a 14-7 lead just 35 seconds into the second quarter.

After another Nevada punt, the Broncos would get the ball back at their 38-yard-line as they would drive down to the Wolfpack 33-yard-line when they lined up for a field goal only for holder Tanyon Bissell to throw a pass for tight end Ryan Putnam, who had lined up all by myself near the sideline, who took it into the end zone for a 33-yard touchdown that extended Boise State's lead to 21-7 with 6:06 to go in the second quarter.

The Wolfpack would get the ball back at their 33-yard-line as the first two plays of the drive lost two yards to set up 3rd & 12 when Kaepernick completed a short pass to Mitchell, who then dodged a tackle attempt from Boise State cornerback Orlando Scandrick, and ran it down the field until he was tackled at the Broncos' nine-yard-line after a 58-yard gain.

Three plays later, the Broncos were in the end zone as Lippincott punched it in from one yard out to cut the Wolfpack deficit in half to 21-14 with 4:27 remaining before halftime.

The Broncos would respond with a 5-play, 66-yard drive as Tharp completed all three of his passes for 60 yards on the drive with the last completion being a 25-yard touchdown to tight end Sherm Blaser to push the Boise State lead back to 14 points at 28-14 with 2:33 to go in the first half.

It would not take long for the Wolfpack to get back into the end zone as Kaepernick completed passes of two yards to Lippincott and 14 yards to Adam Bishop before firing a 58-yard touchdown to Mitchell to make an one-possession game at 28-21 with 1:15 to go in the half.

Boise State seemed poised to add some points before the end of the half as they began their ensuing possession at their 42-yard-line only for Tharp to be intercepted by Nevada defensive tackle Mundrae Clifton to give the Wolfpack the ball at the Broncos' 48-yard-line.

However, the Wolfpack could not take advantage of the turnover as the clock ran out in the first half with Boise State ahead 28-21 as Nevada would get the ball to start the second half.

In his first collegiate start, Colin Kaepernick threw for 243 yards and three touchdowns while running for 177 yards and two touchdowns.

The Wolfpack's opening possession of the first half would begin with a 32-yard run by Lippincott that with a 15-yard face mask penalty on Boise State safety Austin Smith to give Nevada a 1st down at the Broncos' 33-yard-line.

After three straight runs by backup running back Brandon Fragger gained 22 yards, Lippincott would carry for six yards before punching it in for a five-yard touchdown that with the extra point tied the game at 28.

The Broncos would get the ball back at their 41-yard-line as they looked to recapture the lead as they drove down to the Nevada 18-yard-line until a holding penalty would help kill the drive and force Boise State to settle for a 40-yard field goal by Kyle Brotzman to give Boise a 31-28 lead midway through the third quarter.

After forcing the Wolfpack to punt on their ensuing possession, the Broncos would hold the ball for nearly six-and-a-half minutes as they drove 53 yards in 13 plays to set up a 31-yard field goal by Brotzman which extended Boise State's lead to 34-28 with 13:18 to go in the fourth quarter.

Nevada looked like it was going to have to punt it again as they faced a 3rd & 8 at their 31-yard-line when Kaepernick kept the ball himself and 28 yards to give the Wolfpack a 1st down at the Boise State 41-yard-line.

On the very next play, Kaepernick would connect with wide receiver Mike McCoy on a 41-yard touchdown that would tie the game at 34 as Nevada was set to take the lead when Boise State defensive tackle Dan Gore blocked the extra point to game tied.

The blocked extra point would come back to haunt the Wolfpack later in the game.

The Broncos would respond with a five-play, 63-yard drive as Tharp completed three of four passes for 60 yards on the drive which ended with a 32-yard touchdown pass from Tharp to Johnson to put Boise State back on top at 41-34 with 10:37 left in the fourth quarter.

It would only take the Wolfpack 25 seconds to get back into the end zone as Kaepernick started the ensuing drive with a 55-yard run, then ran it in for a nine-yard touchdown to tie the game once again at 41.

The Broncos would get the ball back at their 39-yard-line as it took them three plays to drive into Nevada territory until Johnson lost the football at the end of a 10-yard run as Wolfpack linebacker Ezra Butler forced and recovered the fumble to give the Wolfpack the ball at their 31-yard-line.

The Wolfpack would not put the ball back into the air as they ran the ball nine straight times for 51 yards to set up a 35-yard field Brett Jaekle that would give Nevada its first lead of the game at 44-41 with 3:40 to go in regulation.

Boise State would get great field position to start its next drive as Rashaun Scott would return the ensuing kickoff 55 yards to the Nevada 44-yard-line as the Broncos decided to bleed the clock as they drove down the field as they advanced all the way to the 10-yard-line before sending in the field goal unit to try and send the game into overtime with three seconds to go.

Nevada called timeout in hopes of freezing the kicker but to no avail as Brotzman would calmly make the 27-yard field goal to tie the game at 44 as time expired in regulation, sending the game into overtime.

Broncos quarterback Taylor Tharp completed 26 of 35 passes for 340 yards and threw four touchdown passes.

The offensive fireworks would continue in the extra period as it would take the Wolfpack only one play to get into the zone as Lippincott ran it for a 25-yard touchdown to give Nevada a 51-44 lead.

Not to be outdone, the Broncos only needed one play to score a touchdown as Tharp fired a 25-yard touchdown pass to Blaser to tie the game at 51 and send it to a second overtime period.

Once again, the Broncos would score a touchdown on the first play of their ensuing drive as Tharp found Childs for the 25-yard touchdown to give Boise State a 58-51 lead.

The Wolfpack would actually waste a play before scoring a touchdown as Kaepernick would throw an incomplete pass on 1st down then run it from 25 yards out on 2nd down to tie the game at 58 and send it to a third overtime period.

Lippincott would run for 16 yards to begin the third overtime period when the Boise State defense finally rose up and helped make a stop as Kaepernick would throw two incomplete passes, forcing the Wolfpack to settle for a 27-yard field goal by Jaekle to give Nevada a 61-58 lead.

Needing a touchdown to win the game, the Broncos would advance to the Nevada 10-yard-line on two runs by Avery for 15 yards until the freshman running back was dropped for a two-yard-loss which was followed by an incomplete pass to bring up 4th down when Bortzman came on to kick a 29-yard field goal to force a fourth overtime period with the game tied at 61.

It would take the Broncos five plays to get back into the end zone as Johnson would punch it in for a one-yard touchdown which was followed by Tharp completing a swing pass to Avery, who then took into the end zone for the two-point conversion, which was required if a team scored a touchdown beyond the third overtime period, to give Boise State a 69-61 lead.

After an incomplete pass to start the drive, the Wolfpack would keep the ball on the ground as Lippincott carried the ball twice for 11 yards, followed by a seven-yard run by Kaepernick and then a seven-yard touchdown run by Lippincott to make it 69-67 as the Wolfpack prepared to attempt a two-point conversion that if successful would force a fifth overtime period.

That is when Boise State linebacker Tim Brady was able to sack Kaepernick on the two-point conversion to end the game with the Broncos on top 69-67 in a game that featured a combined 136 points and 1,266 yards of total offense.

 Boise State would go on to win its next five games until the regular season finale when the Broncos lost to the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors 39-27 to end Boise State's run of five straight WAC conference championships as the Broncos would finish the season with a 41-38 loss to East Carolina in the Hawaii Bowl to finish with a 10-3 record.

As Nevada, they would keep Kaepernick as the team's starting quarterback as he helped lead the Wolfpack to a third straight bowl appearance, a 23-0 loss to New Mexico in the New Mexico Bowl, to finish the season with a 6-7 record.

However, brighter days were ahead for the Wolfpack as Kaepernick remain as the starting quarterback for the next three seasons which included a historic 2009 season in which he, Lippincott, and Vai Taua would all run for at least 1,000 yards, the first time in FBS history that three players from the same team had crossed the 1,000 yard rushing mark.

Then in 2010, the Wolfpack would get a matter of revenge for their 2007 loss as Kaepernick would lead Nevada to a 34-31 overtime victory over the Broncos in the final game of the regular season, which handed Boise State its first loss and ended their hopes of playing for a national championship.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: "The Hit" Propels Giants to Victory over Broncos

During the 1980s, the most famous New York Giants linebacker was Lawrence Taylor who almost single-handily transformed the Giants from a bottom feeder into a winner as New York ended a 18-year absence from the postseason in Taylor's rookie year which was followed five years later with the Giants winning their first Super Bowl.

Taylor was not the only Giants linebacker as he played alongside future Hall-of-Famer Harry Carson as well as all-pro Brad Van Pelt in the early part of the 80s and then Carl Banks in the later part of the decade.

Another name in the Giants' linebacker corps as Gary Reasons, who had been selected in the fourth round of the 1984 NFL Draft out of Northwestern State, who would go to be a member of the Giants' two Super Bowl championship squads in 1986 + 1990 as he played 122 games for the Giants with 80 of those as a starter.

Reasons' most famous moment would come in week 14 of the 1989 regular season when the Giants traveled to Denver to take on the Broncos on a snowy day in Denver where Reasons would etch his name in New York Giants lore.

The Giants came into the game with a 9-4 record but had lost three of their previous four games to fall behind the Philadelphia Eagles in the race for the NFC East division title.

The Giants were led by head coach Bill Parcells, who was in his seventh season as the New York head coach having led the Giants to their first NFL title since 1956 as he help guide New York to a win in Super Bowl XXI, ironically over the Broncos in a 39-20 triumph thanks in large part to quarterback Phil Simms MVP performance in which he completed 22 of 25 passes for 268 yards and threw three touchdowns.

However, ever since that win in January of 1987, the Giants had not made the playoffs as they finished with a losing record in 1987 then had their playoff hopes for 1988 dashed in the final game of the regular season as the New York Jets eliminated their crosstown rival from playoff contention(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-jets-derail.html).

The Giants would go into the game with the Broncos a wounded animal as Taylor would be sidelined because of back spasms while running back Ottis Anderson was recovering from hemorrhoid surgery, though he would give it a go.

On the other side of the field were the Denver Broncos with a 10-3 record who were looking to secure the #1 seed in the AFC playoffs if they could defeat the Giants.

Led by one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL in John Elway, the Broncos were hoping to return to the postseason after missing the playoffs in 1988 following two straight trips to the Super Bowl which both ended in defeat.

Strangely in 1989, it was not Elway that was the biggest reason for Denver's success as rookie running back Bobby Humphrey had given the Broncos the running game they had lacked in previous seasons as well as one of the top defenses in the league with the addition of another rookie in safety Steve Atwater.

With the absence of Taylor and the limitation of Anderson, the Giants were given a difficult task in defeating the Broncos which was made even more challenging with the game would be played in a steady snow with temperatures at 23 but with a wind chill of near zero.

The Broncos would get the ball to start the game as they would drive from their 25-yard-line to the Giants' 44-yard-line until they were forced to punt the ball to the Giants who would begin their opening possession of the game at their 15-yard-line.

Following a four-yard run by Anderson to start the drive, fullback Maurice Carthon would carry the ball on the next three plays as he gained 31 yards to move the Giants to the 50-yard-line as Anderson would catch a seven-yard pass from Simms to set up 3rd & 1 when Carthon get the ball again as he run for three yards to pick up a New York 1st down at the Denver 40-yard-line.

A holding penalty would push the Giants back to their 49-yard-line as Carthon would catch two straight passes for 16 yards to set up 3rd & 5 when Simms hit wide receiver Stephen Baker for 11 yards to move the sticks and give New York a 1st down at the Denver 24-yard-line.

Three straight runs by Anderson totaled 10 yards to give the Giants another 1st down as Lewis Tillman would carry the ball on the last play of the first quarter as he gained one yard to bring up a 3rd & 9 at the Broncos' 13-yard-line.

Simms would then complete a 10-yard pass to George Adams to give the Giants a 1st & goal situation when Anderson punched it in for a three-yard touchdown to end the 15-play, 85-yard drive that took nearly nine minutes off the clock and give New York a 7-0 lead early in the second quarter.

After forcing the Broncos to go three-and-out on their ensuing possession, the Giants got the ball back at their 46-yard-line as a 24-yard pass from Simms to Mark Ingram would put the Giants in Denver territory only for the drive to stall as Simms was sacked by Broncos defensive end Alphonso Carreker for a seven-yard loss that would force the Giants to punt the ball back to the Broncos.

The drive began with an apparent 50-yard run by Humphrey which was called back because of a holding penalty on left tackle Gerald Perry that would push the Broncos back 10 yards as they would go three-and-out to punt the ball back to the Giants, who would get great field position as rookie Dave Meggett returned the ensuing punt 26 yards to the Broncos' 36-yard-line.

However, the Giants would go backwards as a tripping penalty on center Bart Oates plus a quarterback sack by defensive end Ron Holmes that dropped Simms for a 12-yard-loss would put the Giants in a 3rd & 31 situation or as Parcells said after the game "3rd & Arkansas".

Seemingly content to punt the ball back to the Broncos, Simms threw a screen pass in the left flat for Meggett, who made the catch despite bobbling the ball at his 45-yard-line, then got two key blocks by Oates and left guard William Roberts to help spring Meggett loose as he dodged the tackle attempts of Atwater and Tyrone Braxton on his way for a stunning 57-yard touchdown that increased the Giants' lead to 14-0 midway through the second quarter.

The Broncos would get the ball back at their 23-yard-line for their next possession as it took Denver one play to get into Giants territory as Elway completed a 42-yard pass to Vance Johnson to give Denver a 1st down at the New York 35-yard-line.

After the next three plays netted five yards, the Broncos were faced with a 4th & 5 at the Giants' 30-yard-line when Reeves decided to go for the 1st down as he felt a field goal from 47 yards out would be difficult in the snowy conditions.

The gamble would not pay off as Elway would throw an incomplete pass to give the ball back to the Giants at their 30-yard-line with 4:14 left before the end of the first half.

It seemed that the Broncos had forced a three-and-out as the Giants lined up to punt at their 39-yard-line when Reasons had his first big moment of the game as he had the ball snapped to him on a fake punt that only gained two yards but enough for a 1st down at the New York 41-yard-line as the two-minute warning hit.

From there, the Giants would drive to the Broncos' 30-yard-line when with one second left, Parcells would send in the field goal unit in hopes of increasing the lead to 17 points after thirty minutes of play.

But Bjorn Nittmo's kick would sail wide right of the uprights to keep the score at 14-0 in favor of the Giants as the first half came to an end.

The third quarter would begin with the two teams traded punts until the Broncos got the ball at their 28-yard-line when they put together their best drive of the game as they drove to the Giants' 10-yard-line thanks to four straight 3rd down conversions as Denver seemed poised to get on the scoreboard.

An eight-yard run by Humphrey on 1st & goal would put the Broncos at the Giants' two-yard-line as fullback Mel Bratton tried to dive it into the end zone from the two-yard-line, picking up one yard to set up 3rd & 1 when Humphrey was stopped by Reasons for no gain to force a 4th & 1 at the one-yard-line.

The Broncos would go try for the touchdown as Elway would take the snap and handed off to Humphrey, who tried to dive into the end zone, only to be met mid-air by Reasons as the rookie running back was stopped in his tracks for an one-yard loss but more importantly gave the ball back to the Giants with their 14-0 still intact.

The Giants would go three-and-out to punt the ball back to the Broncos as a 18-yard return by Ricky Nattiel would put Denver at the New York 32-yard-line as the fourth quarter got underway.

After two straight incomplete passes, Elway would threw a 32-yard touchdown pass to Michael Young to finally put Denver on the scoreboard as they cut the Giants' lead to 14-7 just 31 seconds into the fourth quarter.

The two teams would exchange punts until 5:27 remained in regulation when the Broncos took over possession at their 20-yard-line hoping for Elway to deliver another 4th quarter comeback.

The drive would began with Elway completing a 10-yard pass to Johnson, which was followed by an incomplete pass and then two consecutive completions to Johnson for 15 yards to put the Broncos at their 45-yard-line as Elway would hit tight end Clearance Kay for 13 yards to move Denver into Giants territory with a 1st down at the New York 42-yard-line.

Elway would then two passes to Humphrey for 24 yards to move the Broncos to the Giants' 42-yard-line as a three-yard run by Bratton would set up a 2nd & 7 as the two-minute warning hit.

Two incomplete passes later, the Broncos were faced with a 4th & 7 at the Giants' 15-yard-line when Elway threw a pass intended for Johnson in the end zone only for running back Steve Sewell to mistakenly think the pass was intended for him as he tried to catch the ball but ended being unsuccessful as Denver turned it over on downs.

Needing one 1st down to end the game, the Giants would go three-and-out as the Broncos spent all three of their timeouts to preserve as much time as possible as New York would punt the back to Denver who would take over at their 23-yard-line with 1:15 left in regulation.

After two incomplete passes to begin the drive, Elway would hit Young for 22 yards to give the Broncos a 1st down at their 45-yard-line as a five-yard run by Elway and a spike to stop the clock would set up 3rd & 5 at the 50-yard-line when Elway found Mark Jackson for 16 yards and a Denver 1st down at the Giants' 34-yard-line.

From there, Elway would threw two passes into the end zone but neither of them connected for what would be the game tying touchdown as time expired with the Giants on top 14-7 in what Parcells called one of the greatest wins he had ever had since he became the New York head coach.

Despite the loss, the Broncos would clinch home field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs with a 37-0 rout of the Phoenix Cardinals in the penultimate week of the season as Denver would finish the regular season with a 11-5 record while the Giants would win their remaining two games of the regular season that cupped with a Eagles loss, gave the NFC East to New York with a 12-4 record.

In the divisional round of the NFL playoffs, the Broncos would slip past the Pittsburgh Steelers 24-23 while the Giants would be eliminated by the Los Angeles Rams 19-13 in overtime on Jim Everett's game-winning 30-yard touchdown pass to Flipper Anderson(To read about that game, click on the link which is highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2021/10/nfl-old-school-game-of-week-flippers.html).

The Broncos would go on to defeat the Cleveland Browns 37-21 in the AFC Championship Game to earn Denver its third trip to the Super Bowl in four years where they would be destroyed by the San Francisco 49ers 55-10 in the most lopsided game in Super Bowl history.

As for the Giants, they would redeem themselves one year later as they would win they second Lombardi Trophy in five years thanks in large part to a key contribution from Reasons in the Giants' 15-13 upset win over the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game as Reasons ran for 30 yards on a fake punt to set up a key field goal by Matt Bahr.

Reasons would be cut by the Giants after the 1991 season as the linebacker played one more season in the NFL with the Cincinnati Bengals before ultimately retiring following the 1992 season after a nine-year career.

College Football Old School Game of the Week: BYU Wins Holy War on Beck-to-Harline Walk Off Touchdown

 

Jonny Harline raises his rams in celebration after catching the game-winning touchdown in BYU's victory over Utah in 2006.

What makes college football so unique is that a player or players could earn a place in their school's football history with a singular play or moment in that can occur in a rivalry game.

Such is the case for BYU quarterback John Beck and tight end Jonny Harline for what they did on the final play of the Cougars' 2006 game against the Utah Utes that would become known as the "Answered Prayer" by BYU fans.

The Cougars came into their annual showdown with their rivals from Salt Lake City with a 9-2 record, the team's first winning season since 2001 as BYU had already wrapped the Mountain West conference championship and had accepted an invitation to play in the Las Vegas Bowl after the regular season.

The Cougars were led by head coach Bronco Mendenhall, who was in his second season as the BYU head coach after serving as the team's defensive coordinator in 2003 + 2004, and featured one of the country's most explosive offenses which averaged 37 points per game through the first 11 games of the season under the leadership of Beck, who had thrown for 3,135 yards and 26 touchdowns up to this point the season.

Beck's favorite target was Harline who had caught 42 passes for 636 yards and scored eight touchdowns in helping BYU go on an eight-game winning streak to earn the Cougars a #21 ranking in the AP and coaches polls as prepared for the 2006 version of the "Holy War".

Utah came into the game unranked with a 7-4 record in a up-and-down season under coach Kyle Wittingham, who was in his second season as Utah head coach after taking over for Urban Meyer who had led the Utes to a 12-0 season and Fiesta Bowl win in 2004.

On the field, the Utes were led by senior quarterback Brett Ratliff, who one year earlier made his first career start against BYU which he led Utah to a 41-34 overtime victory, and all-American cornerback Eric Weddle, who led the team with six interceptions.

Weddle and Ratliff were hoping to finish their college careers undefeated against BYU as the Utes was on a four-game winning streak in the "Holy War" as Utah hoped to make it five in a row in front of nearly 45,000 raucous fans at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City.

  BYU would get the ball to start the game as Beck come out firing as he would complete four of five passes for 83 yards on the 10-play, 83-yard drive that ended with a one-yard touchdown by running back Manase Tonga to give the Cougars a 7-0 lead.

After the Utes punted on their opening possession of the game, the Cougars got the ball back at their 19-yard-line when Beck threw a chest pass to wide receiver Zac Collie for a 21-yard gain to begin the drive.

After Curtis Brown was dropped for a two-yard loss on the next play from scrimmage, Beck hit tight end Daniel Coats for a 26-yard completion to put the Cougars in Utah territory when Beck connected with Harline for a 36-yard touchdown to extend BYU's lead to 14-0 with 6:48 left in the first quarter.

The two teams would exchange punts as the game moved into the second quarter when the Utes marched into BYU territory for the first time in the game when they drove from their 35-yard-line to the Cougars' 47-yard-line until they lined to punt on 4th & 6.

But the Utes would not punt the ball as kicker Louie Sakoda kept the ball and ran 18 yards for a Utah 1st down at the BYU 29-yard-line.

Two plays later, the Utes would once again go into their bag of tricks as defensive back Eric Weddle lined up at quarterback and threw a 18-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Brent Casteel to cut the Cougars' lead to 14-7 with 9:18 remaining in the second quarter.

Following a BYU three-and-out, the Utes got the ball back at their 48-yard-line as they were able to drive to the Cougars' 17-yard-line until a pair of incomplete passes and a quarterback sack pushed Utah back to the BYU 24-yard-line where Sakoda would come on to try a 41-yard field goal.

However, Sakoda's kick would sail wide left to keep the score at 14-7 in favor of BYU who would begin its next possession at its 24-yard-line.

Beck would throw three straight incomplete passes to force a BYU punt as Utah would take over at its 28-yard-line with 1:51 left before halftime.

The Utes would move to their 40-yard-line when it appeared disaster had struck as Ratliff appeared to fumble the ball after a hit by BYU linebacker Aaron Wagner as fellow linebacker Bryan Kell picked up the ball and ran it back for a touchdown.

However, the replay booth showed that Ratliff's arm was moving forward, making it an incomplete pass, as the call was overturned which allowed Utah to keep the football.

From there, Ratliff would lead the Utes to the BYU six-yard-line to set up a 24-yard field goal attempt by Sakoda, which he made as time expired to trim the deficit to four points at 14-10 as the first half came to an end.

Utah wide receiver Brent Casteel caught five passes for 100 yards and scored two TDs.

Utah would get the ball to start the second half as it only took the Utes one play to get into Cougar territory as Ratliff completed a 47-yard pass to wide receiver Brian Hernandez to put Utah at the BYU 26-yard-line.

The Utes would advance to the BYU seven-yard-line when on 4th & 1 they decided to go for the 1st down only for Ratliff to be stopped for no gain on a quarterback sneak as Utah would turn it over on downs.

After forcing the Cougars to punt on their ensuing possession, the Utes got the ball back at their 43-yard-line when Ratliff threw a pass for wide receiver Marquis Wilson, who made the catch at the BYU 40-yard-line and then outran the Cougar defense for the 57-yard touchdown to give Utah its first lead of the game at 17-14 with 8:24 left in the third quarter.

Following a BYU three-and-out, the Utes would begin their next possession at their 34-yard-line as two critical BYU penalties, a pass interference penalty on defensive back Ben Criddle and a roughing-the passer penalty on linebacker Kelly Poppinga, helped Utah moved down the field to set up its four-yard touchdown pass from Ratliff to tight end Colt Sampson to extend its lead to 24-14 with 1:41 to go in the third quarter.

Facing their biggest deficit of the year, the Cougars desperately needed a good drive to turn the momentum back in their favor after giving up 24 unanswered points.

Beck would complete his next three passes for 25 yards to lead the Cougars to the Utah 45-yard-line when facing a 3rd & 24, Beck threw a deep pass for Harline in the end zone where he drew a pass interference penalty on Utah free safety Steve Tate that would give BYU an automatic 1st down at the Utes' 30-yard-line.

From there, the Cougars would draw an offsides penalty on the Utes for a free five yards which was followed by a 23-yard pass from Beck to Collie to give BYU a 1st & goal at the Utah two-yard-line.

After Fui Vakapuna was dropped for a two-yard loss on 1st down, Beck found Harline in the end zone for the four-yard touchdown to cut the Utes' lead to 24-20 as the extra point would be blocked with 13:15 left in the fourth quarter.

Utah would pick up two 1st downs before punting the ball back to the Cougars, who took over at their 10-yard-line when they put together their longest drive of the game as they drove 90 yards in 13 plays on a drive that took up six minutes and thirty-seven seconds on the clock.

Beck would complete six of seven passes for 48 yards on the drive that culminated with a two-yard touchdown pass from Beck to Coats to give BYU a 27-24 lead with 3:23 to go in regulation.

BYU quarterback John Beck would complete 28 of 43 passes for 375 yards and throw four touchdowns.

Needing at least a field goal to tie, the Utes would begin their next possession at their 17-yard-line with an incomplete pass followed by a 16-yard pass from Ratliff to running back Daryl Poston that was  wiped out because of a holding penalty to push Utah back to its nine-yard-line where they faced a 2nd & 18 situation.

Two passes to wide receiver Derrek Richards for 16 yards set up a do-or-die 4th & 2 when Ratliff scrambled for six yards to give Utah a fresh set of downs at their 31-yard-line.

On the next play from scrimmage, Ratliff would hit Casteel for 37 yards to move the Utes to inside BYU territory as they had a 1st down at the Cougars' 32-yard-line.

Ratliff would then complete two more passes to Richards for 13 yards to put Utah at the BYU 19-yard-line when Ratliff completed a short screen to Casteel, who managed to zigzag his way through the BYU defense to get into the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown and give the Utes a 31-27 lead with 1:19 to go in the game.

Curtis Brown would return the ensuing kickoff 25 yards to the Utah 25-yard-line as Beck and the BYU offense would come onto the field needing to score a touchdown instead of a field goal because of the blocked extra point earlier in the 4th quarter.

The drive would begin with a 15-yard pass from Beck to wide receiver Bryce Mahiuka to give BYU a 1st down at its 40-yard-line as Beck would complete one of his next three passes for six yards to set up a 4th & 4 situation at the Cougars' 46-yard-line.

That is when Beck found Harline for a 17-yard completion to give BYU a 1st down at the Utah 37-yard-line as Beck and Harline would connect again on the next play from scrimmage, this one for seven yards as the Cougars called timeout with 17 seconds to go and 30 yards away from the end zone.

Beck would then hit McKay Jacobsen for 19 yards and a 1st down at the Utah 11-yard-line when Beck was able to spike the ball and stop the clock with seven seconds to play.

With at best two chances to get into the end zone, Beck would throw a fade for Harline in the right corner of the end zone only for Utah cornerback Brice McCain to break up the pass as the ball fell to the ground with three seconds to go.

Lined up in the shotgun, Beck would take the snap as he drifted toward his left as he tried to point his receivers to find an open spot in the end zone until Utah linebacker Joe Jiannoni forced Beck to scramble back to the right side where he fired a pass across his body to a wide open Harline in the left corner of the end zone.

Falling to his knees, Harline would make the catch for what would be the game-winning touchdown to end the Cougars' four-game losing streak in the "Holy War" and give BYU a shocking 33-31 victory.

The heartbreaking loss to BYU would drop the Utes to a 7-5 record but still good enough to earn an invitation to play Tulsa in the Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth, Texas where the Utes defeat the Golden Hurricane 25-13 to finish the season with an 8-5 record.

As for the Cougars, they would face the Oregon Ducks in the Las Vegas Bowl where Beck would throw for 375 yards and two touchdowns with Harline catching nine passes for 181 yards and a touchdown to lead BYU to a 38-8 rout to finish the season with a 11-2 record and #15 ranking in the final AP poll and #16 ranking in the final coaches poll.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Chargers Knock off Dolphins in Another Playoff Thriller

 

Chargers cornerback Dwayne Harper celebrates after his team overcome a 15-point halftime deficit to beat the Dolphins in the 1994 Playoffs.

On January 2, 1982, the San Diego Chargers and the Miami Dolphins participated in one of the greatest games in NFL history as the Chargers came away with a 41-38 overtime victory in the divisional round of the AFC playoffs in a game had a combined 1,036 yards of total offense and push both teams to the brink of complete exhaustion under the hot, muggy conditions of south Florida.

Thirteen years later, the two teams participated in another postseason classic as the Dolphins traveled to San Diego to take on the Chargers once again in the divisional round of the AFC Playoffs.

The Dolphins were coming off a 27-17 win over the Kansas City Chiefs the week before as Miami quarterback Dan Marino completed 22 of 29 passes for 257 yards and threw two touchdowns in the game.

Marino, who was coming off a career-threatening Achilles tendon injury one year earlier, was hoping to lead the Dolphins back to the Super Bowl for the first time in a decade who would become the first team in Super Bowl history to play the championship game in their home stadium as Joe Robbie Stadium was set to host the Super Bowl that year.

Standing in their way were the Chargers, who were the #2 seed in the AFC playoffs with a 11-5 record which earned them the AFC West division title, the second division championship since Bobby Ross became the San Diego head coach in 1992.

On the field, the Chargers offense was led by quarterback Stan Humphries, who had arrived in San Diego the same time as Ross did, and running back Natrone Means who ran for 1,350 yards and scored 12 touchdowns during the regular season.

The defense was led by all-pro linebacker Junior Seau, who led the team in tackles with 155(124 of them solo), and defensive end Lesile O'Neal who led the team in sacks with 12.5 as San Diego won their first six games of the '94 season before going 5-5 during the rest of the season.

The Chargers were also looking for revenge as it was the Dolphins who had eliminated the Chargers two years earlier in the divisional round of the AFC playoffs as Miami defeated San Diego 31-0 to end the Chargers' first trip to the postseason in a decade.

The Dolphins would start the game on offense as it took Miami just one play to get into Chargers territory as Marino completed a 31-yard pass to tight end Keith Jackson to give the Dolphins a 1st down at the San Diego 35-yard-line.

But the Dolphins would move no further as two incomplete passes and a quarterback sack would force them to punt the ball to the Chargers, who would take over at their 20-yard-line.

After both teams went three-and-out, the Chargers got the ball back at their 14-yard-line as three runs by Means for 33 yards and a pair of completions by Humphries would move San Diego to the Miami 32-yard-line until Means caught a six-yard pass only to fumble when he was hit by Miami defensive end Marco Coleman as linebacker Jesse Soloman would make the recovery for the Dolphins at their 21-yard-line.

From there, the Dolphins would travel 79 yards in nine plays as Marino completed two passes to Irving Fryar for 37 yards on the drive which ended with an eight-yard touchdown pass to Jackson to give Miami a 7-0 lead with 2:24 to go in the first quarter.

The Chargers would get the ball back at their 26-yard-line as they hold the ball for nearly seven minutes as they drove 72 yards in 14 plays to set up a 20-yard field goal by John Carney that put San Diego on the scoreboard to make it a 7-3 game with 10:36 remaining in the second quarter.

The Dolphins would get great field position for their next possession as O.J. McDuffie would return the ensuing kickoff 42 yards to the Miami 48-yard-line as Marino would go a perfect 5-of-5 on the six-play drive which ended with another touchdown pass to Jackson, this one from nine yards out to extend the Dolphins' lead to 14-3 midway through the second quarter.

The Chargers next drive would start at their 27-yard-line as Humphries would complete a nine-yard pass to Mark Seay which was followed by two straight carries by Means for 38 yards to put San Diego at the Miami 26-yard-line.

Eric Bieniemy would give Means a breather as he carried the ball on the next two plays, gaining a total of 20 yards to give the Chargers a 1st & goal at the Dolphins' six-yard-line.

However, the Chargers could not punch into the end zone as they settle for another 20-yard field goal by Carney that cut the Dolphins' lead to 14-6 with 2:47 left before halftime.

The Dolphins would begin their next possession at their 30-yard-line as Marino would complete six of eight passes for 66 yards on the nine-play, 70-yard drive that culminated with Marino's third touchdown pass of the first half, a 16-yarder to wide receiver Mike Williams with 27 seconds left in the half to push Miami's lead back to double digits at 21-6.

The Chargers would try to get some more points before the end of the half but Humphries would be picked off by Miami defensive back Frankie Smith to end the first half with the Dolphins on top 21-6.

Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino completed 17 of 24 passes for 206 yards and threw three touchdowns in the first half.

San Diego would get the ball to start the second half as the Chargers would drive from their 28-yard-line to the Miami 25-yard-line until they were faced with a 4th & 7 situation when Ross decided to gamble and go for the 1st down.

The gamble would work as Humphries would complete a 15-yard pass to give the Chargers a 1st & goal at the Miami 10-yard-line as San Diego would advance all the way to the one-yard-line when they were faced with another 4th down situation as Ross once again went for it.

But this time the gamble would not pay off as Means would take it outside and get pushed out of bounds by Coleman and strong safety Michael Stewart to end the Chargers' 15-play, 71-yard drive that took nearly eight minutes off the clock only to result in zero points.

However, the Chargers would get two points on the Dolphins' next play from scrimmage as defensive tackle Reuben Davis would tackle running back Bernie Parmalee in the end zone for a safety to cut the Miami lead to 21-8 but more importantly give the ball right back to the Chargers following the Dolphins' free kick.

Starting at their 46-yard-line, the Chargers would drive to the Miami 24-yard-line until Means took a handoff from Humphries around the right side, broke through a few Miami tackles, then carried Dolphins cornerback J.B. Brown for the last seven yards into the end zone for an amazing 24-yard touchdown run that with the extra point cut the Dolphins' lead to 21-15 with 2:42 left in the third quarter.

The Chargers caught a break on the touchdown as replays showed that Means had stepped out of bounds at the two-yard-line but with no instant replay in the NFL in 1994 the touchdown stood.

After both teams traded punts, the Dolphins had the ball at their 15-yard-line when the most bizarre play of the game occurred as Marino completed a 20-yard pass to Jackson, who while being dragged down by Charger defenders, tried to lateral the ball to Fryar, only for the ball go forward and be recovered by the Chargers.

But instead of getting the ball in Miami territory with a chance to drive for the go-ahead touchdown, the officials ruled that Jackson had thrown an illegal forward pass which negated the fumble and allowed the Dolphins to keep the ball after a five-yard penalty and loss of down.

The Dolphins would end up punting the ball back to the Chargers who took over at their 19-yard-line with 8:03 left in the game and needing seven points to take the lead.

The drive would begin with two runs by Means for 13 yards followed by Humphries completing three of his next four passes for 31 yards to move San Diego to the Miami 37-yard-line when the game's next controversy occurred.

Humphries would threw deep for Shawn Jefferson in the end zone, who would make the catch and get both feet in bounds for an apparent touchdown only for the officials to say he did not get both feet in bounds to make the pass incomplete and bring up 2nd & 10 at the Miami 37-yard-line.

That is when disaster struck for the Chargers as Humphries would be picked off as Miami cornerback Troy Vincent would tip a pass intended for Martin that ended up in the hands of Stewart to give the Dolphins the ball at their 24-yard-line with 4:24 left on the clock and a chance to milk some time off the clock.

However, the Chargers' defense would force a three-and-out to give their offense the ball back at their 39-yard-line with 3:16 left to go in the game and all three timeouts in San Diego's pocket plus the two-minute warning.

Chargers running back Natrone Means ran for 139 yards on 24 carries and scored one touchdown.

The drive would begin with a nine-yard pass from Humphries to Ronnie Harmon, followed by a three-yard-run by Means to pick up a San Diego 1st down and then a 10-yard pass from Humphries to Martin for another Chargers 1st down at the Miami 39-yard-line as the two-minute warning hit.

Humphries would then complete a six-yard pass to Harmon on 1st down, throw an incomplete pass on 2nd down, and then hit Martin for 15 yards to give San Diego a fresh set of downs at the Dolphins' 18-yard-line with a little over a minute to go.

Harmon would get his hands on the ball on the next two plays, first catching a eight-yard pass from Humphries and then running for one yard to set up a 3rd & 1 when Means got the call as he was able to pick up the needed yard to give San Diego a 1st & goal at the Miami eight-yard-line.

That is when Humphries hits a wide open Seay, who catches the ball at the four-yard-line, then runs in untouched for the eight-yard touchdown that with Carney's extra point gave the Chargers their first lead of the game at 22-21 with just 35 seconds left in the game.

The Dolphins would get one last chance to win the game as Carney would squib the ensuing kickoff to give Miami good field position as they would take over possession at their 38-yard-line.

After an incomplete pass on 1st down, Marino would throw deep for Fryar, who drew a pass interference penalty on Chargers defensive back Eric Castle, resulting in a 32-yard gain to give Miami a 1st down at the San Diego 30-yard-line with 17 seconds remaining.

The Dolphins would travel no further as Marino would throw two straight incomplete passes before Shula sent in Pete Stoyanovich to go and try to win the game with a 48-yard field goal.

The snap from center Jeff Dellenbach was high but holder John Kidd was able to catch it and get a good hold for Stoyanovich, whose kick was long enough but sailed wide left and no good as the Chargers would come away with the 22-21 victory and advance to the AFC Championship Game for the first time in 13 years.

One week later, the Chargers' magical season would continue with a 17-13 upset over the Pittsburgh Steelers as linebacker Dennis Gibson would knock down Steelers quarterback Neil O' Donnell's pass intended for running back Barry Foster on 4th & goal late in the game to preserve the San Diego victory and send the Chargers to first ever Super Bowl.

However, the Chargers would be unable to lift the Lombardi Trophy as they were crushed by the San Francisco 49ers 49-26 in Super Bowl XXIX behind 49ers quarterback Steve Young's record six touchdown passes.

College Football Old School Game of the Week: Byars' Historic Performances Leads Buckeyes To Comeback Win

Keith Byars, with his shoe off, runs for his one of his five touchdowns during Ohio State's comeback win over Illinois in 1984.

Most of the college football media and college football fans would agree that Boston College quarterback Doug Flutie was the rightful winner of the 1984 Heisman Trophy.

But if you were in or around Columbus, Ohio, they would tell you the best player in college football in 1984 was Ohio State Buckeyes running back Keith Byars, who finished second in the Heisman Trophy race behind Flutie as Byars ran for a then school record 1,764 yards and scored 22 touchdowns while catching 42 passes for 472 yards and two touchdowns to help lead Ohio State to the Rose Bowl.

Byars' finest performance would come midway through the '84 season when the #8 ranked Buckeyes hosted the Illinois Fighting Illini in front of nearly 90,000 fans at Ohio Stadium.

Ohio State entered the Illinois game with a 4-1 record as they been upset by the Purdue Boilermakers 28-23 one week earlier, despite a 30-carry, 191-yard two touchdown performance by Byars which caused the Buckeyes to drop from #2 to #8 in the country.

The Buckeyes were led by head coach Earle Bruce, who was in his sixth season as the Ohio State head coach after taking over for Woody Hayes who had been fired after punching a Clemson player toward the end of the 1978 Gator Bowl to end his 28-year run in Columbus where Hayes led the Buckeyes to eight Rose Bowl appearances and three national championships.

While the Buckeyes made it to Pasadena in Bruce's first season in 1979, they had not returned to the "Grandaddy of them all" as they had complied four straight 9-3 seasons.

But led by Byars, who ran for 728 yards and eight touchdowns while catching 22 passes for 212 yards in the Buckeyes' first five games, and the additions of freshman wide receiver Cris Carter and linebacker Chris Spielman, the Buckeyes looked to end their mini-drought from the Rose Bowl.

On the other side were the Fighting Illini, who came into the Ohio State game with a 4-2 record and unranked as Illinois hoped to return to the Rose Bowl for the second year in a row after ending a 20-year absence the year before.

Illinois was led by head coach Mike White, who has in his fifth season as the Illini head coach, as he had turned the Illinois football program with a strong passing attack, which went against the old "three yards and a cloud of dust" that the Big 10 Conference had been built on.

Pulling the trigger at quarterback was Jack Trudeau, who had thrown for 2,446 yards and 18 touchdowns the year before, with his favorite target being wide receiver David Williams who caught 59 passes for 870 touchdowns in his freshman season in 1983.

Trudeau, Williams, and the Illini traveled to Columbus to take on the Buckeyes in hopes of defeating the Buckeyes for the second straight year after losing their previous 15 meetings dating back to 1968.

The Buckeyes got the ball first as they begin their initial possession at their 30-yard-line with three straight runs by Byars for 12 yards before two other running plays gained only two yards forcing Ohio State to punt to the Illini.

Illinois would then move 80 yards in 12 plays, the biggest play being a 38-yard run by running back Thomas Rooks, with the drive being capped off with a three-yard touchdown pass from Trudeau to wide receiver Randy Grant to give the Illini a 7-0 lead with 10:32 to go in the first quarter.

After an Ohio State three-and-out, the Illini got the ball back at their 34-yard-line as Trudeau completed passes of 17 yards to running back Ray Wilson and 23 yards to Grant on a nine-play, 57-yard drive that ended with a 26-yard field goal by Chris White to extend Illinois' lead to 10-0.

Ohio State would get the ball back at their 20-yard-line but would give the ball right back to the Illini as Tomczak would be picked off by Illinois cornerback Mike Heaven on a pass intended for Carter to give Illinois the ball at the Ohio State 21-yard-line.

Three plays later, Trudeau would find Williams in the end zone for the nine-yard touchdown to extend Illinois' lead to 17-0 with 1:39 left in the first quarter.

Things would go from bad to worse for the Buckeyes on the first play of their ensuing possession as Byars dropped a pitch from Tomczak which was recovered by Illinois safety Craig Swoope at the Ohio State 21-yard-line.

It would take the Illini six plays to get back into the end zone as Trudeau would throw his third touchdown pass of the game, an 8-yarder to tight end Cap Boso on the second play of the second quarter to increase Illinois' lead to a seemingly insurmountable 24-0.

Illinois quarterback Jack Trudeau completed 32 of 52 passes for 313 yards and threw four touchdown passes.

The one thing going for the Buckeyes was that still had time to mount a comeback as they were nearly three quarters of football to play.

Taking over at their 12-yard-line, the Buckeyes would drive to the Illini 13-yard-line, thanks in large part to two passes from Tomczak to wide receiver Mike Lanese for 39 yards, until the drive stalled as two runs by Byars gained zero yards which was followed by an incomplete pass to set up a 4th & 10 situation.

Instead of kicking a field goal to get on the board, Bruce went for the 1st down which the Buckeyes could not covert as Tomczak would throw an incomplete pass to end the drive and give the Illini the ball at their 13-yard-line.

Illinois seemed poised to make a 31-0 lead as a 36-yard pass from Trudeau to Grant help moved the Illini to the Ohio State 31-yard-line until a clipping penalty would kill the drive and force Illinois to punt the ball to the Buckeyes, who would begin their next possession at their nine-yard-line.

Ohio State would then ride the right arm of Tomczak to help them drive down the field as he would complete three straight passes for 68 yards, the biggest one being a 36-yard completion to Carter, to move the Buckeyes to the Illinois 23-yard-line.

After a holding penalty pushed the Buckeyes back 10 yards, Tomczak would complete a 17-yard pass to Carter which was followed by a 16-yard touchdown run by Byars to put Ohio State on the scoreboard and cut the Illinois lead to 24-7 with 4:13 left in the second quarter.

Thanks to an late hit penalty on Swoope on the touchdown, the Buckeyes would kick off from the Illinois' 45-yard-line when they attempt an onside kick which was recovered by linebacker Joe Jenkins to give Ohio State the ball at the Illinois 31-yard-line.

After an one-yard run by Byars on 1st down, Tomczak would throw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Carter that for the Buckeyes' second touchdown in 50 seconds to trim the deficit to 10 points at 24-14.

Illinois looked to stop the Buckeyes' rally before it could get going as the Illini traveled 27 yards on the first three plays of their ensuing possession until Trudeau would be intercepted by Ohio State cornerback Sonny Gordon to give the Buckeyes the ball back at their 38-yard-line with 2:03 left before halftime.

The Buckeyes would then drive 62 yards in 10 plays with Tomczak completing five of eight passes for 47 yards to help set up Byars' four-yard touchdown run to make it an one-possession game at 24-21 with 23 seconds to go in the first half.

Illinois would take a knee to end the first half as they would set to get the ball to start the second half with hopes of stopping the Buckeyes' momentum.

But the Illini would fumble the opening kickoff of the second half as Wilson lost the football after a hit by cornerback William White as Scott Leach would make the recovery to give Ohio State the ball at the Illinois 26-yard-line.

After riding the passing game to get back in the game, the Buckeyes would rely on Byars on the ground attack for this drive as he carried on all four plays of the drive  with the last carry being an one-yard dive into the end zone to give Ohio State a 28-24 lead just 73 seconds into the second half.

Having seen their 24-point lead evaporated, the Illini would begin their next possession at their 20-yard-line as Trudeau would complete passes of 14 yards and 15 yards to David Boatright to help move Illinois to the Ohio State 29-yard-line until the drive stalled as the Illini would settle for a 46-yard field goal by White to cut the Buckeyes' lead to 28-27.

The Buckeyes would get the ball back at their 23-yard-line as Byars would carry the ball two straight times gaining 15 yards until an illegal procedure penalty pushed Ohio State back five yards to their 33-yard-line where they would face a 2nd & 11 situation.

That is when Tomczak handed the ball off to Byars who took around the right side toward the sideline before cutting it back to the middle of the field where around the Illinois 40-yard-line where Byars would lose his left shoe but still outran the Illini defense for a 67-yard touchdown that would increase Ohio State's lead to 35-27 with 8:57 left in the third quarter.

Following an exchange of punts, the Illini would put together a 10-play, 63-yard drive that would end with a nine-yard touchdown pass from Trudeau to Wilson to bring Illinois to within two points at 35-33 as they decided to go for the two-point conversion which they converted as Trudeau would keep the ball himself and run it into the end zone to tie the game at 35 with 1:03 to go in the third quarter.

The Buckeyes would begin their next possession at their 21-yard-line as Byars would carry the ball seven times for 30 yards on a 14-play, 49-yard drive that culminated with a 47-yard field goal by Rich Spangler to give Ohio State a 38-35 lead with 10:21 remaining in the fourth quarter.

The Illini would get the ball back at their 22-yard-line for their next drive which would last nearly seven minutes as Illinois would convert on four straight 3rd down conversion to move to the Ohio State seven-yard-line where they had a 1st & goal as Rooks would carry the ball on the next two plays, gaining six yards to set up a 3rd & goal at the one when Rooks was stopped for no gain to bring up a 4th & goal situation.

Instead of trying to get into the end zone that would give them the lead, the Illini settled for the game-tying field goal, which White made from 18 yards out to tie the game at 38 with 3:18 to go in the game.

After a touchback on the ensuing kickoff, the Buckeyes would start their next drive at their 20-yard-line with a chance to drive down the field for at least a field goal that could give them the win.

Following an incomplete pass to begin the drive, Tomczak would hand the ball off to Byars, who would run for 23 yards to give the Buckeyes a 1st down at their 43-yard-line.

From there, Byars alternated carries with John Woolridge as the Buckeyes would advance all the way to the Illinois three-yard-line when Tomczak pitched it Byars, who took it in for his fifth touchdown of the game but more importantly give Ohio State a 45-38 lead with just 32 seconds to go in the game.

Ohio State wide receiver Cris Carter would catch seven passes for 134 yards and scored one TD.

Illinois would have one last chance to at least salvage a tie as they took over at their 21-yard-line as Trudeau would complete a 19-yard pass to Grant which unfortunately for the Illini would be followed by four straight incomplete passes to end the game as Ohio State completed what was then the greatest comeback in school history to win the game 45-38 thanks in large part to Byars who finished with a school record 274 yards and five touchdowns on 39 carries.

Illinois would win three of their four remaining games of the regular season to finish the season with a 7-4 record but not enough to earn an invitation to a bowl game as there were just 18 bowl games in 1984.

As for Ohio State, they would go 4-1 over the last month of the regular season to finish with a 9-2 overall record as they would finish first in the Big 10 conference to earn the Buckeyes their first trip to the Rose Bowl in five years which they lost 20-17 to the USC Trojans.

Byars would return to Ohio State for his senior season but his chances of winning the Heisman Trophy would before the season even began as he broke the fifth metatarsal bone in his right foot causing him to miss the first five games of the 1985 season.

Byars would return to the field only to reinjure his foot in his second game back which caused him to miss the rest of the regular season as the Buckeyes would be invited to play the BYU Cougars in the Citrus Bowl where he reaggravated the injury again.

Byars would recover from the injury to have a 13-year NFL career as he played for four different teams, with his longest tenure being with the Philadelphia Eagles from 1986-1992, as he would become a prolific pass catcher out of the backfield as he finished his career with 610 catches for 5,661 yards and 30 touchdowns to go along with his 3,109 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Seahawks Take Down Bucs in "Expansion Bowl"

Seahawks quarterback Jim Zorn 11 of 27 passes for 167 yards and one touchdown in Seattle's win in the "Expansion Bowl".

 For the 1976 season, the National Football League introduced two new franchises in the Seattle Seahawks and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The two teams would meet for the first time during Week 6 of the 1976 NFL season in a game that was dubbed by the media as the "Expansion Bowl" as both teams were seeking their first ever NFL victory.

The Seahawks were led by head coach Jack Patera, who had spent the previous seven seasons as the defensive line coach of the Minnesota Vikings which featured the famous "Purple People Eaters" that led Minnesota to three Super Bowl appearances during Patera's time with the Vikings.

Despite his background in defense, Patera was having a difficult time in building the Seattle defense as the Seahawks gave up a combined 153 points over the team's first games or 31 points per game.

If the Seahawks were going to get into the win column, they most likely would need a big day from  quarterback Jim Zorn and his favorite target, rookie wide receiver Steve Largent.

On the other side were the Buccaneers, who were led by John McKay, who became the Tampa Bay head coach after a 16-year reign as tenure as the USC Trojans' head coach in which he led USC to four national championships.

While the Seahawks' problems in their first year were mainly on defense, the Buccaneers' issues were on offense as the unit led by future Florida Gators head coach Steve Spurrier had scored just 26 points over their first five games including three shutouts.

After the Seahawks went three-and-out to start the game, the Buccaneers would begin their first drive of the game at the 50-yard-line as a 18-yard pass from Spurrier to running back Louis Carter would be the longest play of Tampa Bay's eight-play, 29-yard drive that ended with a 38-yard field goal by Dave Green to give the Bucs a 3-0 lead.

Following an exchange of punts, the Seahawks took over at their 14-yard-line as Zorn completed a 26-yard pass to tight end Ron Howard to help Seattle drive to its 46-yard-line before lining up to punt the ball back to the Bucs early in the second quarter.

So it was bad on bad as the Buccaneers' putrid offense took on the Seahawks' horrific defense on a hot muggy afternoon in Tampa Bay, Florida.

However, punter Rick Engles took the snap in the punt formation and then ran it 13 yards that with a five-yard face mask penalty on the Bucs gave Seattle a 1st down at the Tampa Bay 36-yard-line.

On the very next play from scrimmage, Zorn hit wide receiver Steve Largent for a 30-yard completion to put the Seahawks at the Tampa Bay six-yard-line as after a one-yard run by Sherman Smith on 1st down, Seattle appeared to have a touchdown as Zorn connected with Largent in the end zone.

But a holding penalty on Seattle right tackle Gordon Jolley would nullify the touchdown and push them back 10 yards to the Tampa Bay 15-yard-line when Zorn was able to find wide receiver Sam McCullum for the touchdown which this time stood as the Seahawks took a 7-3 lead just 1:45 into the second quarter.

The Bucs would drive from their 20-yard-line to the Seattle 41-yard-line until a holding penalty would push them back into their own territory as they would punt the ball back to the Seahawks, who would take over at their four-yard-line.

The Tampa defense would force a three-and-out to give their offense the ball at the Seattle 35-yard-line as the Bucs would move to the six-yard-line until another holding penalty pushed them back 10 yards as the drive would stall.

The Bucs lined to attempt a 36-yard field goal but Green's kick would be partially blocked by Seattle defensive back Lyle Blackwood to keep the score at 7-3 as the Seahawks would take over at their 20-yard-line for their next possession.

The drive would begin with a 24-yard pass from Zorn to McCullum followed by a seven-yard completion between the two to put Seattle in Tampa Bay territory as Smith carried the ball on the next two plays with the second carry being a 16-yard run to give the Seahawks a 1st down at the Bucs' 32-yard-line.

Zorn would then complete a 19-yard pass to Howard followed by a 11-yard pass to McCullum to put the Seahawks at the Tampa Bay two-yard-line where they would have a 1st & goal.

But a holding penalty would help slow the Seahawks down as they wound up settling for a 25-yard field goal by John Leypoldt which increased Seattle's lead to 10-3 as the two-minute warning hit.

Buccaneers quarterback Steve Spurrier completed 18 of 30 passes for 170 yards.

Tampa Bay would begin its ensuing possession at its 31-yard-line but a holding penalty to go along with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on McKay for arguing which push the Bucs back to their 12-yard-line as they would punt the back to the Seahawks with 57 seconds left in the first half.

A 16-yard punt return by Blackwood would put the Seahawks at the Tampa 30-yard-line as an eight-yard pass from Zorn to Smith would set up a 39-yard field goal by Leypoldt which increased Seattle's lead to 13-3 with only 18 seconds to go before halftime.

The Bucs would run out the clock to end the first half, trailing 13-3 after a first half which featured a combined 21 penalties in a flag fest that would continue throughout the second half.

The Bucs would begin the second half on offense at their 20-yard-line as another holding penalty and a quarterback sack by Seattle defensive tackle Richard Harris would force Tampa to go three-and-out as the Seahawks would get the ball back at the Tampa Bay 34-yard-line with an excellent chance to increase their lead.

However, the Seahawks could not take advantage of the opportunity as Zorn would be intercepted by Tampa Bay strong safety Mark Cotney on a pass intended for McCullum to give the Bucs the ball at their seven-yard-line.

Tampa Bay would pick up two 1st downs before punting the ball to the Seahawks, who took over at their 45-yard-line, when Smith fumbled the football as Buccaneers linebacker Richard Wood would recover the fumble to give the Bucs the ball back at their 46-yard-line.

The Bucs would drive down to the Seattle one-yard-line aided by a crucial penalty on the Seahawks as they were called for offsides that nullified a quarterback sack of Spurrier that would have set up a 3rd & long situation.

After two runs fail to get into the end zone, Spurrier would hand the ball off to Carter who was stopped at the line of scrimmage only for him to shovel the ball to wide receiver Morris Owens, who managed to get into the end zone for the first ever home touchdown in Tampa Bay Buccaneers history and cut the Seahawks' lead to 13-10 with 2:02 to go in the third quarter.

Following the Tampa Bay touchdown, the game turned into a defensive stalemate as neither team could mount a drive into the other's territory.

At one point, Patera took out Zorn and replaced him with Bill Munson for two Seahawks drives which resulted in two Seattle punts.

That all changed with 2:37 to go in regulation as a 30-yard punt return by Buccaneers cornerback Danny Reece gave Tampa Bay the ball at its own 47-yard-line as a six-yard run by Rod McNeil put the Bucs at the Seattle 47-yard-line.

However a holding penalty, the 19th penalty for the Bucs, pushed them back 10 yards to their 43-yard-line as Spurrier would complete a 13-yard pass to Owens, which was followed by an eight-yard run by Owens to give Tampa Bay a fresh set of downs at the Seahawks' 36-yard-line.

Spurrier then completed a 14-yard pass to tight end Bob Moore for a Tampa Bay 1st down at the Seattle 22-yard-line as Spurrier would throw the ball out of bounds to stop the clock with 1:18 to go in regulation.

A four-yard run by Owens and an incomplete pass later, the Bucs were faced with a 4th & 6 as McKay sent in the field goal unit to try and tie the game with 46 seconds to go.

But Green's 35-yard attempt would be blocked by Seahawks linebacker Mike "Mad Dog" Curtis, who famously played for the Baltimore Colts from 1965-1975, as the ball wound up in the hands of Seattle free safety Dave Brown, who took a late hit from Buccaneers tight Fred Pagac for Tampa Bay's 20th and final penalty.

Linebacker Mike "Mad Dog Curtis" would block the Buccaneers attempt a game-tying field goal.

Zorn would then take two knees to run out the clock as the Seahawks had come away with their first victory in team history, a 13-10 game that featured a combined 35 penalties.

It would be well over a year before the Buccaneers would taste victory as the team lost its first 26 games in team history before scoring a 33-14 win over the New Orleans Saints in the penultimate game of the 1977 NFL season(To read about that game, click on the link which is highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2017/11/nfl-old-school-game-of-week0-26-bucs.html).

As for the Seahawks, they would win one more game during the 1976 season, a 30-13 win over the Atlanta Falcons, to finish their inaugural season with a 2-12 record as the franchise would have its first winning season two years later with a 9-7 season in 1978.

College Football Old School Game of the Week: Miami Stops 2-Point Conversion to Preserve Win over FSU

The rivalry between the Miami Hurricanes and the Florida State Seminoles really took off in the late 1980s and early 1990s as both teams ascended to national championship contenders as Miami won four national championships between 1983 + 1991 while Florida State finished 14 straight seasons ranked in the top 5 starting in 1987.

So when the two teams met in the 1980 season, it was not a big game on a national level as it was not shown on live television but that did not mean nothing on the line as the two teams prepared to face off for the 24th time since 1951.

Miami came into the game with a 3-0 record under head coach Howard Schellenberger, who was beginning his second season as the Miami head coach after two stints as the offensive coordinator of the NFL's Miami Dolphins, including being the OC during their undefeated 1972 season.

With sophomore quarterback Jim Kelly leading the offense, Schellenberger was hoping to get Miami to a bowl game in the second year of his five-year plan which at the end he believed Miami would win a national championship.

On the other side were the Seminoles, who also came into the game 3-0 but ranked #9 in the country as they began the 1980 season ranked #13 following a undefeated regular season in 1979 as FSU would lose the Orange Bowl game 24-7 to the Oklahoma Sooners to finish the season with a 11-1 record.

The Seminoles were led by head coach Bobby Bowden, who was in his fifth season as the Florida State head coach after leading FSU back from the doldrums after winning just one game during the 1973 + 74 seasons.

On the field, the Seminoles' strength was their defense, led by All-American nose tackle Ron Simmons and All-American defensive back Bobby Butler, that had given up just one touchdown over the first three games of the season.

The Seminoles hoped that their defense would lead the way to another victory over the Hurricanes as the Noles had won the previous two meetings.

  After both teams punted on their initial possessions of the game, the Hurricanes would get the ball at their 36-yard-line as Kelly would complete passes of 19 yards to tight end Andy Baratta and 19 yards to wide receiver Pat Walker to help set up a 47-yard field goal attempt by kicker Dan Miller.

But Miller's kick would sail wide left and no good to keep the game scoreless as the Seminoles would take over at their 20-yard-line.

The Canes would force the Seminoles to go three-and-out to get the ball back at their 20-yard-line as they advanced to their 41-yard-line when Kelly completed a seven-yard pass to running back Chris Hobbs only for him to fumble when he was hit by FSU linebacker Paul Piurowski as defensive tackle James Gilbert would recover the ball to give the Noles possession at the Miami 48-yard-line.

The two teams would trade punts until early in the second quarter when running back Michael Whiting lost the football after a 10-yard catch as Miami defensive back John Swain would make the recovery to give the Hurricanes the football at the Florida State 37-yard-line.

Miami seemed poised to cash in the turnover into points as they moved to the FSU 15-yard-line until fullback Gregory Anderson dropped a pitchout from Kelly as Seminoles defensive end Jarvis Coursey would fall on the football at the Florida State 22-yard-line.

The game was still scoreless when the Hurricanes took over at their 24-yard-line with 2:28 to go before halftime as three running plays for 26 yards put Miami at the 50-yard-line when Kelly threw a bomb intended for wide receiver Larry Brodsky, who collided with Florida State free safety Gary Henry as the pass went over Brodsky's head to fall incomplete.

However, Henry would be called for pass interference which in 1980 was a spot foul penalty meaning that the Hurricanes would get the ball at the Florida State one-yard-line where Kelly would sneak it for the touchdown for the only points of the first half as Miami would go into the halftime break up 7-0.

Jim Kelly completed 13 of 22 passes for 172 yards and ran for one touchdown.

Following an exchange of punts to start the second half, the Seminoles got the ball at their 41-yard-line when they drove into Miami territory for the first time in the game as quarterback Rick Stockstill completed four of six passes for 47 yards on a 10-play, 48-yard drive that culminated with a 26-yard field goal by Bill Capece to put Florida State on the scoreboard and cut the Hurricanes' lead to 7-3 midway through the second quarter.

The Hurricanes would start their next possession at their 20-yard-line as Kelly would complete passes of 22 yards to wide receiver Jim Joiner, 15 yards to Walker, and 11 yards to running back Mark Rush on a drive to the Florida State five-yard-line that would end with a 22-yard field goal by Miller to push the Miami lead back to seven points at 10-3 with 2:08 left in the third quarter.

Miami would get a golden opportunity to increase their lead when on the first play of the Seminoles' ensuing possession Stockstill would be picked off by Hurricanes linebacker Mike Scott Nichols to give Miami the ball at the FSU 30-yard-line.

The Hurricanes would only move two yards on three plays as they would call on Miller to kick a 45-yard field goal only for the kick to sail wide left and no good to keep the score at 10-3 as Florida State would begin their next possession at their 28-yard-line.

However, the Seminoles would turn it over on the first play from scrimmage as Stockstill would fumble the football following a sack by defensive end Mike Goedeker as Charles Cook would make the recovery to give Miami the ball at the Florida State 19-yard-line.

But for the second time in a row, the Hurricanes could not convert the turnover into points as Miller would miss another field goal attempt, this one from 35 yards out, as the game moved into the fourth quarter with Miami still ahead 10-3.

The two teams would trade punts until there was 4:32 to go in the fourth quarter when the Seminoles took over at their 45-yard-line with Florida State needing a touchdown.

After a seven-yard pass from Stockstill to wide receiver Hardis Johnson started the drive, the Seminoles would gain no yards on the next two plays to set up a do-or-die 4th & 3 when Stockstill completed a 11-yard pass to Dennis McKinnon to give Florida State a 1st down at the Miami 37-yard-line.

A holding penalty would push the Seminoles back 15 yards to their 48-yard-line to set up 1st & 25 as Stockstill would find Johnson for 17 yards which was followed by an one-yard pass to Whiting to make it 3rd & 7 when Stockstill connected with Johnson again, this time for 15 yards to put Florida State at the Miami 19-yard-line.

Following an incomplete pass on 1st down, Stockstill would complete an eight-yard pass to Whiting to give FSU a 3rd & 2 at the Miami 11-yard-line when Stockstill found a wide open Sam Childers in the end zone for the touchdown to bring the Seminoles to within a point at 10-9 with 39 seconds to go in the game.

Bowden now had a decision to make as the game would most likely end in a 10-10 tie if he sent in the kicking unit to make the extra point as there was no overtime in college football in 1980 or he could keep the offense on the field and go for a two-point conversion that would give Florida State a 11-10 lead.

Bowden decided to go for the win as Stockstill took the snap, dropped back and threw a pass intended for wide receiver Phil Williams, only for the ball to bounce off Miami nose tackle Jim Burt's helmet to fall incomplete and keep the score at 10-9 in favor of the Hurricanes.

Despite a bruised shoulder, FSU quarterback Rick Stockstill(11) completed 19 of 30 passes for 182 yards and threw one touchdown.

The Seminoles would attempt an onside kick on the ensuing kickoff but Miami would recover the kick as Kelly took two knees to run out the clock as the Hurricanes would come away with the 10-9 victory.

Florida State would recover from the Miami loss to upset the Nebraska Cornhuskers 18-14 in Lincoln one week later as the Seminoles would win the remaining games of the regular season to finish with a 10-1 record as they would earn a second straight invitation to play Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl for the second year in a row.

The Seminoles would fall to the Sooners 18-17 as Oklahoma quarterback J.C. Watts threw a 11-yard touchdown pass to Steve Rhodes, then hit Forrest Valora with the two-point conversion with 1:33 to go in the game as Florida State would finish the season ranked #5 in both the AP and coaches poll with a 10-2 record.

As for Miami, they would lose their next three games before going a four-game winning streak to end the regular season as the Hurricanes would be invited to play Virginia Tech in the Peach Bowl in Atlanta.

Behind Kelly's 11-of-22 for 179 yards and one touchdown performance, the Hurricanes would knock off the Hokies 20-10 to finish the 1980 season with a 9-3 record as Miami would be ranked #18 in both the AP and Coaches polls.

Schellenberger would lead the Hurricanes to the national championship in 1983, the fifth season of his tenure as the Miami head coach.