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: Buckeyes Explode for 31 Points in 10 Minutes to Knock off Notre Dame

 

Ohio State running back Eddie George ran for 207 yards and scored two TDs on 32 carries in the Buckeyes' win over Notre Dame.

On September 30, 1995, the Ohio State Buckeyes played host to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish as the two historic programs for only the third time in history and first since 1936.

The Buckeyes came into the game ranked #7 with a 3-0 record thanks to their explosive offense which featured quarterback Bobby Hoying, running back Eddie George, and wide receiver Terry Glenn that had averaged 525 yards and just over 40 points per game to start the season.

The fast start had Ohio State fans not only dreaming of going to the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1984 but maybe a chance at a national title for the first time since 1968.

Meanwhile, the Fighting Irish entered the game having already lost a game as they were stunned by the Northwestern Wildcats 17-15 in their season opener.

The Irish bounced back to win their next three games as they was led by sophomore quarterback Ron Powlus, who former ESPN commentator Beano Cook said would win the Heisman Trophy at least two times, to enter their showdown with the Buckeyes ranked #15 in the country as nearly 90,000 fans filled the "Big Horseshoe" to see the historic meeting between Notre Dame and Ohio State.

 After both teams punted on their opening possessions of the game, the Buckeyes got the ball at their 43-yard-line when Hoying connected with Glenn for a 26-yard completion to give Ohio State a 1st down at the Notre Dame 31-yard-line.

Hoying would then find Buster Tillman for 10 yards which was followed by a 10-yard run by George to give the Buckeyes a 1st & 10 at the Irish 11-yard-line.

Three straight runs by George for a total of eight yards set up 4th & 2 when the Buckeyes decided to go for it as Hoying rolled to his right and threw an incomplete pass intended for tight end Rickey Dudley to give the ball back to Notre Dame with 7:11 left in the first quarter.

The Irish would hold the ball for the rest of the opening period as they drove 95 yards in 15 plays with the drive culminating a 19-yard field goal by Kevin Kopka on the second play of the second quarter to give Notre Dame a 3-0 lead.

Following an Ohio State three-and-out, the Irish got the ball at their 39-yard-line when they drove 61 yards in seven plays, all of them runs, as Powlus who had scrambled for 30 yards on one play earlier in the drive, ran it in for a three-yard touchdown to increase the Notre Dame lead to 10-0 with 11:32 to go in the second quarter.

Now trailing by double digits, the Buckeyes needed a spark which they got on the second play of their ensuing possession as Hoying hit a short pass to Tillman who turned into a 51-yard completion to put Ohio State at the Notre Dame 28-yard-line.

Five plays later, the Buckeyes had their first touchdown of the game as Hoying found Glenn on a slant pass in the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown to trim the Irish's lead to 10-7 with just over eight minutes to go in the second quarter.

The Irish would respond with an eight-play, 65-yard drive that ended with another three-yard touchdown run, this time by running back Randy Kinder to push the Notre Dame lead back to double digits at 17-7 with just about 4 and 1/2 minutes to go before halftime.

Notre Dame quarterback Ron Powlus threw for 263 yards despite completing only 13 passes.

The Buckeyes would begin their next drive at their 24-yard-line as Hoying would lead the Ohio State offense down to the Notre Dame 27-yard-line where they faced a 4th & 2.

Once again, the Buckeyes decided against the field goal and go for the 1st down which they got as Hoying connected with Glenn for 10 yards to give Ohio State a 1st & 10 at the Irish 17-yard-line.

After throwing an incomplete pass on 1st down, Hoying would find Dimitrious Stanley in the right corner of the end zone for a 17-yard touchdown to cut the Buckeyes' deficit to three points at 17-14 with 44 seconds left in the first half.

The Buckeyes would force the Irish to go three-and-out on their next possession before taking a knee to run out the clock in the first half with Notre Dame on top 17-14 and set to get the ball to start the second half.

The Irish would hold the ball for nearly six minutes as they drove 78 yards in 14 plays until they faced a 3rd & goal at the Ohio State two-yard-line when fullback Marc Edwards was hit in the backfield by Buckeyes defensive end Mike Vrabel which caused a fumble that Edwards was able to recover, allowing the Irish to settle for a 21-yard field goal by Kopka to increase their lead to 20-14.

Ohio State would get the ball back at its 22-yard-line as the Buckeyes' offense would drive to their 47-yard-line before punting the ball away when the turning point of the game occurred as Notre Dame's punt returner Emmett Mosley muffed the punt allowing for Ohio State's long snapper, Dean Kruzer, to recover the fumble at the Irish 19-yard-line.

After two runs picked up four yards, Hoying would find Dudley for a 16-yard touchdown pass that along with the extra point gave the Buckeyes their first lead of the game at 21-20 with 5:06 left in the third quarter.

The Irish would get the ball back at their 12-yard-line as Powlus would fire a 56-yard pass to Derrick Mayes to give Notre Dame a 1st down at the Ohio State 32-yard-line, only to have Powlus be intercepted by Ohio State cornerback Shawn Springs three plays later to give the ball back to the Buckeyes who took over at their 11-yard-line.

Two runs by George for seven yards set up a 3rd & 3 when Hoying hit Glenn on a curl route who then turned upfield and outran the Notre Dame defense for an 82-yard touchdown to increase the Buckeyes' lead to 28-20 with 80 seconds to go in the third quarter.

Terry Glenn caught four passes for 128 yards and scored two touchdowns.

Things only got worse for Notre Dame as Powlus fumbled the snap of the first play of the Irish's ensuing possession, giving the Buckeyes the ball at the Notre Dame 15-yard-line.

Three straight runs by George with the last one being a five-yard touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter for the Buckeyes' third touchdown in just over five minutes that pushed Ohio State's lead to 35-20.

The Irish needed a touchdown on their next drive which they got as Kinder ran it in for a 13-yard touchdown to cap off a six-play, 65-yard drive to cut the Ohio State lead to 35-26.

The Irish would go for two only to have Powlus be stopped on a quarterback keeper by three Ohio State defenders to keep it 35-26 with 12:55 left in the game.

The Buckeyes would get the ball back at their 20-yard-line as George would get the ball on 1st down to run for a 61-yard gain to put Ohio State back in the red zone at the Notre Dame 19-yard-line.

Three plays later, George would punch it in for a three-yard touchdown to push the Buckeyes' lead to 42-26 with 11:24 remaining.

Notre Dame would begin its next possession at its 11-yard-line as the Irish would pick up one 1st down before lining up to punt from their 26-yard-line on 4th & 6 when Edwards took the ball on a fake punt and almost ran for a 1st down as he was knocked out of bounds one yard shy of the 1st down to give the ball back to the Buckeyes at the Irish 31-yard-line.

George would run the ball six straight times for 13 yards to set up Josh Jackson's 35-yard field goal to increase Ohio State's lead to 45-26 with just over six minutes left in the game.

Following a Notre Dame three-and-out, the Buckeyes would get the ball at their 34-yard-line with 4:56 to go in the game as Ohio State proceeded to run out the clock as they ran the ball 10 straight times for 48 yards until the clock ran out with the Buckeyes on top 45-26.

Ohio State quarterback Bobby Hoying threw for four touchdowns on 14-of-22 passing for 272 yards.

Notre Dame would bounce back from the loss in Columbus with a six-game winning streak to end the regular season which allowed the Irish to secure a berth in the Orange Bowl where they fell to the Florida State Seminoles 31-26 to end their season with a 9-3 record to finish just outside the top 10 in the final polls as the Irish would finished #11 in the AP poll and #13 in the Coaches Poll.

As for Ohio State, they would follow up their win over Notre Dame with a come-from-behind 28-25 win at Penn State(Click on the link here to read about that game: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2020/10/college-football-old-school-game-of_29.html) to move the Buckeyes into the top 5 as they climbed as high as #2 until they were stunned by the Michigan Wolverines 31-23 in their regular season finale which not only ended their undefeated season but sent Northwestern to the Rose Bowl instead of Ohio State.

The Buckeyes would have to settle for a berth in the Citrus Bowl which they lost 20-14 to the Tennessee Volunteers led by Peyton Manning to finish the season with a 11-2 record and #6 ranking in the AP poll and #8 ranking in the coaches poll.

When it comes to the Heisman Trophy, Powlus would never come close to winning the prestigious award as he finished his career with 7,062 passing yards and 52 touchdown passes while George would win the 1995 Heisman as he ran for  1,924 yards and scored 24 touchdowns.

College Football Old School Game of the Week: Buckeyes Get Revenge Win over Penn State in Happy Valley

Eddie George is hoisted up in the air by his teammates after he scored what would be the game-winning touchdown.

 On October 29, 1994, the #21 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes traveled to State College, Pennsylvania to take on the #1 ranked Penn State Nittany Lions.

The game would be a nightmare for the Buckeyes as they were destroyed by the Nittany Lions 63-14 as the Buckeyes gave up 33 1st downs and 572 yards of total offense while gaining only 214 yards of total offense and picking up only 12 1st downs.

Almost one year later on October 7, 1995 the Buckeyes would travel to "Happy Valley" looking to avenge their humilating loss from the year before.

Ohio State came into the game ranked #5 with a 4-0 record as they had knocked off Notre Dame the week before by the score of 45-26.

The Buckeyes were coached by John Cooper who was in his eighth season at Columbus and had the best offense he ever had at Ohio State, which had averaged just over 46 points per game in the first four game.

The offense was lead by senior quarterback Bobby Hoying, wide receiver Terry Glenn, and running back Eddie George, who had rushed for over 200 yards in two of the Buckeyes' first four games of the season.

It was ironic since the year before it was the Nittany Lions who had the high-powered offense with quarterback Kerry Collins, running back Ki-Jana Carter, and wide receiver Bobby Engram which averaged 47 points per game during a 12-0 season which ended with a 38-20 over Oregon in the Rose Bowl.

However, Collins and Carter were in the NFL now, with their replacements being junior Wally Richardson at quarterback and true freshman Curtis Enis at running back, though Engram had returned for his senior season.

The Nittany Lions entered the game ranked #12 but were coming off a 17-9 loss to Wisconsin the week before.

If the Nittany Lions were to defeat the Buckeyes, they were going to need their offense back on track and their defense to slow down the high flying Ohio State offensive attack.

After both teams traded punts on their opening possessions, the Nittany Lions put together a 10-play, 60-yard drive, running the ball on eight of those plays but with the two biggest plays coming through the air as Richardson hit Engram for 22 yards on 3rd & 6 from the Penn State 44-yard-line, then found Scott for 20 yards on 3rd & 9 from the Ohio State 33-yard-line.

The drive ended with a three-yard touchdown run by Jon Witman to give Penn State a 7-0 lead with 6:03 left in the first quarter.

The Nittany Lions would get another excellent scoring opportunity when George fumbled the football after catching a screen pass which was recovered by Penn State cornerback Mark Tate at the Buckeyes' 33-yard-line.

Penn State would convert the fumble into points as Brett Conway would kick a 40-yard field goal to increase the Nittany Lions' lead to 10-0 with 1:16 left in the first quarter.

Following the field goal, the Ohio State offense finally got on track as they took over at their 20-yard-line and would drive 80 yards in nine plays with the Hoying-to-Glenn connection leading the Buckeyes down the field.

First, Hoying hit Glenn for 13 yards on the final play of the first quarter, then connected with him again for 33 yards on 2nd & 12 from the Ohio State 44-yard-line, and then ending the drive with a 28-yard touchdown pass to bring the Buckeyes to within a field goal at 10-7 with 12:14 left in the second quarter.

Ohio State wide receiver Terry Glenn caught nine passes for 175 yards and scored two touchdowns.

Penn State would get the ball back at its 25-yard-line and seemed in prime position to increase their lead when Enis ran for 36 yards to the Ohio State 39-yard-line on the first play of the drive.

But an intentional grounding call on Richardson stalled the drive, forcing the Nittany Lions to punt which was downed at the Buckeyes' two-yard-line, meaning Ohio State would have to drive 98 yards for the go-ahead touchdown.

The Buckeyes would get out of the hole when Hoying hit Glenn again, this time for 13 yards on 3rd & 6 to give Ohio State a 1st down at their 19-yard-line, which was followed by a 25-yard pass to tight end Ricky Dudley to give Ohio State another 1st down at their 44-yard-line.

Five plays later, the Buckeyes were in the end zone as Hoying found Dudley for a 25-yard touchdown to give Ohio State a 14-10 lead midway through the second quarter.

Both teams would have one more possession before the halftime break, but neither could mount a scoring threat as both teams ended up punting at the end of each possession, keeping it a 14-10 game in favor of Ohio State after 30 minutes of play

The Buckeyes would take the ball to start the second half and drive 80 yards in eight plays, culminating with a 37-yard touchdown pass from Hoying to Glenn, to increase the Ohio State lead to 21-10 just three minutes into the second half.

The Nittany Lions would respond with a long drive which took 7/12 minutes off the clock and traveled 86 yards in 15 plays, with all but one of those plays coming on the ground as Enis carried the ball six times for 31 yards while Witman carried the ball five times for 22 yards, including the one-yard touchdown to bring Penn State to back within one score.

After the touchdown, Paterno decided to go for two to make it a three-point game which he got as Richardson found Joe Jurevicius for the two-point conversion to make it 21-18 with 4:24 left in the third quarter.

The Buckeyes would punt on their next possession giving the ball back to the Nittany Lions who took over at their 16-yard-line with 74 seconds left in the third quarter.

This time, the Lions would drive down the field on the arm of Richardson who first hit Mike Archie for 12 yards on 3rd & 5 to give Penn State a 1st down at their 33-yard-line as the fourth quarter began.

After two runs by Enis collected 20 yards, Richardson would find Engram for 20 yards and a 1st down at the Ohio State 27-yard-line, then hit Engram again 27 yards on 3rd & 11 to set up 1st & goal from the one-yard-line where Witman punched it in for his third touchdown of the game to give Penn State a 25-21 lead with 12:23 left in the game.

Penn State running back Jon Witman dives for one of his three touchdowns in the game.

The Buckeyes would begin its next possession at their 20-yard-line where they drove to the Penn State 47-yard-line as Hoying completed three passes in a row for 33 yards.

But a quarterback sack lead to a 3rd & 15 where Hoying was picked off by Penn State cornerback Brian Miller whose 13-yard return set the Nittany Lions up at their 34-yard-line.

However, Penn State would go three-and-out, punting the ball back to the Buckeyes who took over at their 38-yard-line as Hoying connected with Glenn for 18 yards to begin the drive and put Ohio State in Penn State territory.

Three straight runs by George gained 14 yards to give Ohio State another 1st down as Hoying's next two passes fell incomplete, which was followed by a nine-yard pass to Dudley to set up 4th & 1 at the Penn State 21-yard-line.

With a potential field goal only cutting the lead to one point, Cooper decided to go for the 1st down, but the Buckeyes would be denied as Hoying's pass for Glenn fell incomplete, giving the ball back to Penn State at their 21-yard-line with exactly five minutes to go in the game.

The Nittany Lions would go three-and-out for the second possession in a row, punting the ball away to the Buckeyes who took over at their 42-yard-line with 3:10 remaining in the game.

After two straight incomplete passes to start the drive, Hoying found Buster Tillman for 13 yards and a 1st down at the Penn State 45-yard-line.

On the very next play, Hoying connected with Dudley for 32 yards and another 1st down at the Nittany Lions' 13-yard-line.

That is when George took over as he got the ball on 1st down and ran for seven yards, then took a handoff from Hoying and ran around the left side for the six-yard touchdown to give Ohio State a 28-25 lead with 1:42 to go in the game.

Penn State would get the ball at their 19-yard-line with a chance to drive for the winning score and least a field goal that would end the game in a tie(Overtime would not come to FBS football until the following season).

The drive began with Richardson finding Freddie Scott for 18 runs, then hitting Witman for 12 yards to give Penn State a 1st down at their 49-yard-line.

Richardson's next pass would fall incomplete, which was followed by a three-yard run by Enis and then a quarterback sack by Ohio State nose guard Luke Fickell to drop Richardson for a 12-yard-loss and set up 4th & 19 from from the Nittany Lions' 40-yard-line.

Richardson's 4th down pass for Engram fell incomplete, forcing a turnover on downs and giving the ball back to Ohio State, who took two knees to run out the clock and come out of Happy Valley with a 28-25 win.

The Nittany Lions would lose only one more game during the rest of the 1995 season as they finished with a 10-3 record and top-15 ranking in both polls after they demolished Auburn 43-14 in the Outback Bowl to end the season.

As for the Buckeyes, they would win their next six games, including a 41-3 rout of Illinois which saw George ran for 314 yards on 36 carries, before their dream season was shattered when they were upset by #18 Michigan 31-23 in the final game of the regular season that not only ended their national championship hopes, but kept them out of the Rose Bowl as the loss allowed Northwestern to win the Big 10 and go to the Rose Bowl.

The Buckeyes would lose to Tennessee 20-14 in the Citrus Bowl to finish the season with a 11-2 record and top-10 ranking in both polls as George, Glenn, and Dudley would all be selected in the first round of the 1996 NFL Draft, while Hoying would go in the third round.

George finished the season with a then Ohio State record 1,924 rushing yards and scored 24 touchdowns to become the fifth Heisman Trophy winner in Buckeyes history.

Ohio State quarterback Bobby Hoying completed 24 of 35 passes for 354 yards and threw three touchdowns.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Colts Beat Titans in Battle for First Place in AFC South

Peyton Manning completed 22 of 34 passes for 228 yards in the Colts' win over the Titans.

Throughout the 2003 NFL season, the Indianapolis Colts and the Tennessee Titans were not only locked up in a tight race for the AFC South Division title, but their quarterbacks, Indianapolis' Peyton Manning and Tennessee's Steve McNair were in a neck-and-neck race for the NFL MVP race.
It seemed that both races would come to a head as the two teams meet in Nashville in week 14 of the season.
Both teams entered with identical 9-3 records, but the Colts had defeated the Titans 33-7 back in Week 2, which meant if the Colts won in Nashville, they would essentially hold a two-game lead over the Titans as they held the head-to-head tiebreaker.
So whoever won the game would not only have the upper hand in the race for the division title, but the NFL MVP race as well as Manning and McNair were seen by the media as the two frontrunners for the award.
Through the first 12 games of the season, Manning entered the game leading the league in passing yards(3,383), touchdowns(23), and completion percentage(66.7)while McNair had the highest quarterback rating in the league at 103.5
The Titans got the ball to start the game as they drove 44 yards in eight plays with the biggest play being a 26-yard run by Eddie George to set up a 40-yard field goal by Gary Anderson to give Tennessee a 3-0 lead with 10:29 to go in the first quarter.
The Colts would be given a short field thanks to a 29-yard return by Dominic Rhodes on the ensuing kickoff to give Indy the ball at their 45-yard-line.
Manning would complete three of four passes for 35 yards on a nine-play, 52-yard drive that would end with a 21-yard field goal by Mike Vanderjagt to tie the game at 3 with 6:50 left in the first quarter.
The Titans would respond with a nine-play, 80-yard drive which saw McNair complete all three of his passes for 45 yards on the drive which ended with a two-yard touchdown run by the quarterback to give Tennessee a 10-3 lead with 1:49 remaining in the first quarter.
The score was still 10-3 early in the second quarter when the Colts defense forced the first turnover of the game when cornerback David Macklin stripped Titans tight end Shad Meier at the end of a 16-yard catch, leading to a fumble that was recovered by Macklin at the Tennessee 43-yard-line.
The Colts would drive to the Titans 17-yard-line primarily on the running game as Manning only completed one pass during the drive which ended with a 35-yard field goal by Vanderjagt to cut the Titans' lead to 10-6 with just over nine minutes left in the second quarter.
After forcing a three-and-out, the Colts would get the ball back at their 15-yard-line as Indianapolis would drive 67 yards in 12 plays only to end up with another Vanderjagt field goal, this one from 36 yards out to make it a 10-9 game with just 1:53 left before halftime.

Edgerrian James ran the ball 25 times for 97 yards and scored two touchdowns.

However, the Colts would get the ball right back on the ensuing kickoff as strong safety Mike Doss knocked the ball loose from Titans kick returner Eddie Berlin, leading to a fumble that was recovered by Robert Mathis to give Indianapolis the ball at the Tennessee 29-yard-line with 1:39 left in the half.
Manning would hit three passes in a row, gaining 20 yards before handing the ball off to Edgerrian James three straight times including on a 4th & 1 at the six-yard-line which James converted to give Indianapolis a 1st & goal with just 13 seconds left.
That was enough time for Manning to take a few shots at the end zone but both of his passes fell incomplete, forcing the Colts to settle for another field goal, which Vanderjagt made from 23 yards out to give Indianapolis a 12-10 lead as the first half came to a close.
The Colts would get the ball to start the second half and just like their first drive of the game would be given a short field as Rhodes returned the kick 44 yards to the Colts' 46-yard-line.
From there, it would take the Colts nine plays to drive 56 yards and finally get in the end zone as James punched it in for a two-yard touchdown to extend Indianapolis' lead to 19-10 with 9:39 left in the third quarter.
Lightning would strike twice on the ensuing kickoff as the Colts forced Berlin to fumble the football again, this time with Mathis providing the hit that knocked the ball loose and Ricky Williams(not that Ricky Williams)recovering the fumble at the Titans' 15-yard-line.
But once again, the Colts could only convert the fumble into three points as the Titans defense did not permit a 1st down and forced Indianapolis to settle for its fifth field goal of the game, a 26-yarder by Vanderjagt which increased the Colts' lead to 22-10.
The Titans would respond with a 10-play, 54-yard drive which ended with a 40-yard field goal by Anderson to cut the Colts' lead to 22-13 with 2:44 left in the third quarter.
The Colts got the ball back at their 32-yard-line and after Manning hit Marvin Harrison for 16 yards to start the drive, Harrison would make one of the most brilliant catches of his career as Manning threw a deep pass that seemed that went over Harrison's head, only to have Marvin dive and catch it with his right arm for a 42-yard gain and a 1st down at the Titans' 10-yard-line.

From there, Manning handed the ball off to James on two straight plays, with the latter being a five-yard touchdown to increase the Colts' lead to 29-13 with 40 seconds left in the third quarter.
Things looked bleak for the Titans as they needed two touchdowns and two two-point conversions to tie the game with just over a quarter left to play.
But the Titans would not quit as they put together a 12-play, 69-yard drive which saw McNair account for all but six of the yards on the drive as he ran the ball twice for 18 yards and completed seven of nine passes for 45 yards with the last completion being a one-yard touchdown to running back Robert Holcombe to make it 29-19.
The Titans would attempt a two-point conversion to try and make it a one-score game, which they were able to do as McNair ran it in for the two points to make it 29-21 with 9:29 left in regulation.
The Titans defense would force a three-and-out to give their offense the ball at thier 23-yard-line, but were unable to go past the Tennessee 42-yard-line before punting the ball back to the Colts who took over at their 10-yard-line.
The Colts were able to pick up two 1st downs before having to punt the ball back to the Titans only to have Hunter Smith shank the punt which went only 18 yards to give the Titans the ball at the Colts' 48-yard-line with 2:40 left and a chance to tie the game.
On the first play of the drive, McNair would connect with Justin McCariens for 29 yards to Indianapolis 19-yard-line, then after two straight incomplete passes, McNair would hit McCariens again, this time for 18 yards to give Tennessee a 1st & goal at the one-yard-line.
Holcombe was dropped for an one-yard loss on 1st down, which was followed by an incomplete pass, setting up 3rd & goal when McNair found Derrick Mason for the two-yard touchdown to make it a two-point game at 29-27.
Now come the all important two-point conversion which the Titans needed to tie the game.
Lined up in the shotgun, McNair fired a pass intended for Mason, only to have defensive end Dwight Freeney tip the pass and making it fall incomplete to keep it 29-27 in favor of the Colts with 1:52 left in the game.
With two timeouts in his pocket, Fisher decided against the onside kick and instead kicked it deep as the Colts would take over at their 19-yard-line.
The Tennessee defense would do its job by forcing a three-and-out as the Titans were set to get the ball back as the Colts would punt it away with 50 seconds left.

Steve McNair accounted for 255 yards of total offense and three touchdowns.

This time, Smith didn't shank it as his punt went 52 yards before it was caught by McCariens, who caught it at his own 29-yard-line and ran it back to the Titans' 40-yard-line, only to have the Colts' Clifton Crosby poke the ball loose which was recovered by teammate Anthony Floyd, the third special teams fumble recovery by the Colts of the game.
Manning would come on and take a knee to run out the clock as Indianapolis won the game 29-27, but more importantly were now in 1st place by themselves with a 10-3 record while the Titans fell to 9-4.
The Colts' season sweep of the Titans would ultimately decide the AFC South as both teams finished with 12-4 records with the division going to the Colts because of the head-to-head tiebreaker.
The Titans would have to go on the road to play the Baltimore Ravens in the Wild Card Round where Anderson made the game-winning field goal from 46 yards out with 29 seconds left to give Tennessee a 20-17 win.
As for the Colts, they would make it all the way to the AFC Championship Game as Manning completed 44 of 56 passes for 681 yards and eight touchdowns in Indianapolis' two playoff wins over the Denver Broncos(49-24 in the Wild Card Round) and the Kansas City Chiefs(38-31 in the Divisional Round).
But both teams' seasons would end at the hands of the New England Patriots, who eliminated the Titans 17-14 in the Divisional Round, then picked off Manning four times in a 24-14 win in the AFC Championship Game as the Patriots would go on to win their second Super Bowl title.
And for the MVP race, it would end up in a tie as Manning and McNair were named co-MVPs for the 2003 season.