NFL Old School Game of the Week: Giants Clinch Playoff Spot With Overtime Win over Eagles

 

The Giants celebrate after Matt Bryant's overtime field goal put New York in the playoffs.

Heading into the final week of the 2002 regular season, the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Giants both had reasons to play for in their matchup in the Meadowlands.

For the Eagles, a win would give them home field advantage through the playoffs while the Giants needed one more win to clinch a spot in the playoffs.

The Giants came into the game with a 9-6 record under head coach Jim Fassel who following a 17-3 loss to the Eagles in Week 8 took over the playcalling duties from offensive coordinator Sean Payton after a 3-4 start which New York averaged 12.7 points per game.

With Fassel calling the plays for an offense that featured quarterback Kerry Collins, running back Tiki Barber, wide receiver Amani Toomer, and rookie tight end Jeremy Shockey, the Giants' offense averaged 27.7 points per game as New York won six of their next eight games to put the Giants on the brink of a playoff berth.

While the Giants were trying to get into the playoffs, the Eagles were already in as they came into the game with New York with a 12-3 record, which was remarkable considering the fact Philadelphia had lost their top two quarterbacks to injury.

In a week 11 win over the Arizona Cardinals, quarterback Donovan McNabb threw four touchdown plays despite suffering a broken right fibula on the third play of the game.

McNabb would be out for the rest of the regular season and was initially replaced by Koy Detmer, who threw for 226 yards and two touchdown passes in the Eagles' 38-10 win over the San Francisco 49ers until he dislocated his left elbow late in the third quarter.

Detmer would be replaced by A.J. Feeley, who helped lead the Eagles to four straight wins to put the Eagles one win away from the #1 seed in the NFC playoffs as Philadelphia hoped to return to the NFC Championship Game after losing to the St.Louis Rams 29-24 in the NFC title game the year before.

The Eagles got the ball first as they began their initial possession of the game at their 33-yard-line with running back Duce Staley being dropped for three yards and a false start penalty to push Philadelphia back to its 25-yard-line.

Facing 2nd & 18, Feeley connected with tight end Jeff Thomason for 20 yards and a 1st down at the Philadelphia 45-yard-line when Feely threw a screen pass to Staley who turned the play into a 35-yard gain to put the Eagles at the New York 20-yard-line.

That is when Feely handed the ball off to wide receiver Freddie Mitchell, who then handed it off to wide receiver James Thrash on a double reverse as Thrash would run it in for the 20-yard touchdown to give the Eagles a 7-0 lead just 2:24 into the game.

Eagles quarterback A.J. Feeley completed 13 of 25 passes for 150 yards.

Following a 38-yard return by Delvin Joyce on the ensuing kickoff, the Giants had the ball at their 48-yard-line as Collins found Shockey for 22 yards to start the drive which was followed by a 22-yard run by Barber to give New York a 1st & goal at the Eagles' eight-yard-line,

Barber would run for two yards to set up 2nd & goal from the six-yard-line when Collins was intercepted in the end zone by Eagles defensive back Michael Lewis on a pass intended for Shockey to end the drive and give the ball back to the Eagles.

The two teams would trade punts until midway through the second quarter when the Giants got the ball at their 29-yard-line and drove to the Eagles' six-yard-line as Collins completed passes of 13 yards to Barber, 24 yards to Toomer, and 24 yards to Shockey.

On 2nd & goal, Collins had an apparent touchdown pass as he found fullback Charles Stackhouse for a six-yard touchdown only to have it nullified because of a holding penalty which pushed the Giants back 10 yards to the Eagles' 16-yard-line.

An illegal contact penalty on the Eagles would give New York a fresh set of downs from the 11-yard-line as Collins hit Daryl Jones for eight yards to set up 2nd & 2 when Barber lost the football after a tackle by Eagles linebacker Levon Kirkland leading to a recovery by defensive end Brandon Whiting at the three-yard-line with 3:34 left in the first half.

Both teams would have one more possession before halftime but neither team could mount a scoring threat as the Eagles went into the locker room with a 7-0 lead.

The Giants would get the ball to start the second half as they drove from their nine-yard-line to their 41-yard-line when Barber had an eight-yard run until he fumbled the football again as Kirkland would make the recovery at the 50-yard-line.

Tiki Barber would run for 203 yards on 32 carries and catch eight passes for 73 yards, but had three fumbles.

The Eagles would drive to the Giants' 32-yard-line when on 3rd & 7 Feeley connected with Thrash for a 20-yard completion, only to have it wiped out because of an offensive pass interference penalty to push the Eagles back 10 yards to the New York 42-yard-line as Feeley would throw an incomplete pass on 3rd & 17 to force another Philadelphia punt.

The Giants would take over at their 12-yard-line as Barber got his hands on the football on three of the next four plays as he ran it twice for 13 yards and caught an eight-yard pass to put New York at its 40-yard-line when Barber exploded for 39-yard run to give the Giants a 1st down at the Eagles' 21-yard-line.

A delay of game penalty and two incomplete passes would force the Giants to settle for a 36-yard field goal attempt by Matt Bryant which sailed wide right and no good to keep the score at 7-0 with 3:42 left in the third quarter.

The Eagles would drive to the New York45-yard-line until they punted the ball back to the Giants, who took over at their 20-yard-line as Collins completed a four-yard pass to Dan Campbell to end the third quarter with the Giants still trailing 7-0.

Collins would complete passes of four yards to Barber and five yards to Shockey to give New York a 1st down at its 33-yard-line when an clipping penalty pushed the Giants back 15 yards to their 18-yard-line where they faced a 1st & 25.

New York would get most of the yardage back when Collins connected with Shockey for 20 yards to set up 2nd & 5 when Eagles defensive end Hugh Douglas was called for an illegal use of hands to draw a five-yard penalty which was added to a two-yard run by Barber to give the Giants a 1st down at their 45-yard-line.

After the next three plays picked up 12 yards, the Giants had a 1st down at the Eagles' 43-yard-line when Collins connected with Toomer for a 43-yard touchdown only to have it wiped out because of a holding penalty which pushed the Giants back to their 47-yard-line where they would face 1st & 20.

That is when Collins hit running back Ron Dayne for eight yards which was followed by a 19-yard pass to Barber to give New York a fresh set of downs at the Eagles' 26-yard-line.

Two runs by Barber for 17 yards gave the Giants a 1st & goal at the Eagles' nine-yard-line as Dayne got the carry on 1st down and picked up two yards to set up 2nd down when Collins lofted a pass toward the left corner of the end zone for Shockey, who snatched the ball away from Eagles free safety Brian Dawkins for the seven-yard touchdown.

Giants tight end Jeremy Shockey catches what would be the game-tying touchdown.

Bryant would come on to kick the game-tying extra point to end the 14-play, 80-yard drive as the Giants had tied the game at 7 with 8:15 left in the fourth quarter.

Following another Philadelphia punt, the Giants got the ball at their seven-yard-line as Collins completed an eight-yard pass to Barber on 1st down which was followed by a handoff to Barber who for nine yards until he was hit by Dawkins to force another fumble that Lewis recovered to give the Eagles the ball at the New York 26-yard-line.

Six consecutive runs by Staley would set up a 35-yard field goal attempt by David Akers would give the Eagles a 10-7 lead but the kick would sail wide right and no good to keep the game tied with 1:12 left in regulation.

The Giants could not mount a drive to set up a potential game-winning field goal, forcing the game to go into overtime with the two teams deadlocked at 7.

The Eagles won the coin toss and elected to receive to start the extra quarter as Brian Mitchell would return the overtime kickoff 32 yards to the Philadelphia 45-yard-line.

A quarterback sack by defensive end Kenny Holmes followed by a 11-yard pass from Feely to Freddie Mitchell set up 3rd & 5 when Feeley was picked off by Giants strong safety Shaun Williams at the New York 37-yard-line giving the Giants a chance to drive down for the winning field goal.

A seven-yard run by Barber would became a 22-yard play as Eagles cornerback Troy Vincent was called for a late hit to give the Giants a 1st down at the Philadelphia as Barber got the ball on the next three plays, running for 21 yards to put New York at the Eagles' 20-yard-line.

That is when disaster nearly stuck as Collins botched the handoff to Barber which the running back recovered at the Eagles' 23-yard-line as the Giants would run one more play as Barber ran for one yard before Fassel called on Bryant to try and win the game.

Bryant would atone for his miss in the third quarter by calmly making the 39-yard field goal to end the game with the Giants on top 10-7 to clinch a spot in the NFC playoffs.

Despite the loss, the Eagles would still get the #1 seed in the NFC thanks to a loss by the Packers to the New York Jets as Philadelphia would knock off the Atlanta Falcons 20-6 in the Divisional Round to earn a second straight trip to the NFC Championship Game where the Eagles would fall to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27-10.

As for the Giants, their season would came to an devasting end as they would blow a 24-point lead and lose to the San Francisco 49ers 39-38 in the Wild Card round.

Fassel would coach the Giants for one more season as New York would end the 2003 season on an eight-game losing streak to finish the season with a 4-12 record leading to Fassel's dismissal after seven seasons in New York.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Cunningham Leads Vikings Back From 16 Points Down to Stun Giants in Wild Card Game

Randall Cunningham lead the Minnesota Vikings to their first postseason victory in nine years.

Following the 1995 NFL season, Randall Cunningham retired following an 11-year stint with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Cunningham would spend the next year working as a television analyst until he was coaxed out of retirement by Minnesota Vikings head coach Dennis Green for the 1997 season.

Cunningham would serve as the backup quarterback to Brad Johnson until the 13th game of the season when Johnson was lost for the rest of the season due to a neck injury.

Cunningham would start the next three games going only 1-2 but securing a playoff spot with a 39-28 win over the Indianapolis Colts in the final week of the regular season.

The Vikings would travel to the Meadowlands to take on the New York Giants in a NFC Wild Card Game with Cunningham starting his first playoff game in five years.

The Vikings came into the 1997 NFL playoffs with a 9-7 record under head coach Dennis Green, who was making his fifth appearance in the playoffs since taking over as the Vikings' head coach in 1992.

However, Green's playoff record was 0-4 which included two home losses to the Washington Redskins in 1992 and Chicago Bears in 1994.

With a cast that featured wide receiver Cris Carter and defensive tackle John Randle, the Vikings hoped to break their postseason losing streak as they faced the Giants, a team that had eliminated the Vikings in 1993.

The Giants seemed to be a team on the rise under first-year head coach Jim Fassel who had led New York to a 10-5-1 record and the NFC East division title to send the Giants to the postseason for the first time in four years.

The Giants had a young nucleus in quarterback Danny Kanell, running back Tiki Barber, cornerback Jason Sehorn, and defensive end Michael Strahan who were all in their mid-to-late 20s.

Despite the Giants' playoff inexperience compared the Vikings' experience, New York was a five-point favorite as they hosted the Vikings at Giants Stadium, a place where the Giants never lost a postseason game entering their Wild Card clash with Minnesota.

 After an exchange of punts to start the game, the Giants would get the first break of the game when Cunningham collided with fullback Charles Evans leading to a fumble that was recovered by defensive tackle Bernard Holsey to give New York the ball at the Vikings' 23-yard-line.

However, the Giants could not pick up a 1st down and were forced to settle for a 43-yard field goal by Brad Daluiso to give New York a 3-0 lead midway through the first quarter.

David Palmer would return the ensuing kickoff to the 50-yard-line to give the Vikings offense great field position only to have Cunningham fumble the football again which was recovered by Strahan to give the Giants the ball at the Minnesota 46-yard-line.

A 27-yard pass from Kanell to Charles Way help set up Daluiso's 22-yard field goal which increased the Giants' lead to 6-0 with 2:20 left in the first quarter.

Following a Vikings punt, the Giants got the ball back at their 44-yard-line as two running plays gained six yards to set up 3rd & 6 when Kanell connected with Barber for 11 yards and a 1st down at the Minnesota 39-yard-line.

That is when Kanell found David Patten for a 37-yard reception to set up 1st & goal at the Vikings' two-yard-line as two straight runs by Hampton netted zero yards to force 3rd down when Kanell found tight end Aaron Pierce in the end zone for a two-yard touchdown to push the New York lead to 13-0 with 11:33 left in the second quarter.

Giants quarterback Danny Kanell completed 16 of 32 passes for 199 yards and threw one touchdown.

After another exchange of punts, the Vikings had the ball at their 34-yard-line when Cunningham was intercepted by Sehorn, whose 36-yard return gave the ball to the Giants at the Minnesota 47-yard-line.

The Giants would drive 23 yards before settling for another Daluiso field goal, this one from 41 yards out to increase the New York to 16-0.

The Giants defense would then force a three-and-out to seemingly got the ball back only to have Amani Toomer fumble the football after a short return which was recovered by Duane Butler to give the Vikings the ball at the Giants' 26-yard-line.

A 19-yard pass from Cunningham to Carter gave the Vikings a 1st & goal at the Giants' seven-yard-line but Minnesota would travel no further and would settle for a 24-yard field goal by Eddie Murray to put the Vikings on the scoreboard as they trailed 16-3 with 1:47 left before halftime.

The Giants would begin its next possession at their 40-yard-line following the kickoff which went out of bounds as New York would travel to the Minnesota 29-yard-line until three incomplete passes plus a false start penalty forced the Giants to settle for another field goal by Daluiso, this one from 51 yards out to make it 19-3 as the first half came to a close.

Despite the fact that Cunningham completed only five of 16 passes for 51 yards and committed three turnovers, he and the Vikings had to feel lucky they were only down 16 points as the Giants had to settle for four field goals in the first half.

The Vikings would get the ball to start the second half as they would drive 20 yards before punting the ball back to the Giants, who took over at their 20-yard-line.

Following a two-yard run by Barber on 1st down, Tiki got the ball again on 2nd down when Vikings defensive tackle Tony Williams jarred the ball loose leading to a recovery by Jerry Ball to give Minnesota the ball at the Giants' four-yard-line.

It would take only one play for the Vikings to get into the end zone as LeRoy Hoard punched it in for the four-yard touchdown to cut the Giants' lead to 19-10 with 10:26 left in the third quarter.

After a Giants three-and-out, the Vikings got the ball back at their 30-yard-line as a 33-yard pass from Cunningham to Jake Reed would help set up a 48-yard field goal attempt by Murray, which fell short of the goal posts to keep the score 19-10 with 5:10 remaining in the third quarter.

The Vikings would force another three-and-out to get the ball back at their 40-yard-line as Minnesota used the running game to help drive down to the Giants' eight-yard-line as the third quarter came to an end.

Two incomplete passes would force the Vikings to settle for another field goal attempt, which this time Murray made from 26 yards out to cut the Giants' lead to 19-13 just 15 seconds into the fourth quarter.

With their 16-point lead down to six points, the Giants needed to put together a drive that would result in some points as they began their ensuing possession at their 20-yard-line.

Kanell hit Patten for eight yards to start the drive only to lose those yards when Barber was dropped for a seven-yard loss on 2nd down to set up 3rd & 8 when Kanell found Patten again this time for 18 yards and a 1st down at the New York 40-yard-line.

Kanell would connect with Chris Calloway for 21 yards on the next play to put the Giants in Minnesota territory at the Vikings 39-yard-line when Barber carried the ball twice for six yards to set up 3rd & 4 when Kanell connected with Calloway again this time for four yards and a 1st down at the Minnesota 29-yard-line.

A 16-yard pass to Patten on 2nd & 11 would put the Giants at the Vikings' 14-yard-line as Kanell would find Calloway for seven yards plus a two-yard run by Way would set up Daluiso's 22-yard field goal which pushed the New York to 22-13 following a drive that took nearly eight minutes off the clock.

Brad Daluiso made accounted for 16 of the Giants' 22 points as he made five field goals and one extra point.

Following a Minnesota punt, the Giants got the ball at their 16-yard-line with a chance to put the game away.

However, the Vikings' defense would force a three-and-out to get the ball back at the Giants' 49-yard-line with 2:06 left on the clock and needing two scores to win.

After an incomplete pass to start the drive, Cunningham hit Carter for 19 yards and a 1st down at the New York 30-yard-line as Cunningham would spike the ball to stop the clock to set up 2nd down.

That is when Cunningham went deep and hit Reed in the end zone for a 30-yard touchdown that with Murray's extra point brought the Vikings to within two points at 22-20 with 90 seconds left in the game.

Every one knew what was coming next as the Vikings would attempt an onside kick in hopes of recovering and driving for a potential game-winning field goal.

The Giants had their "Hands" team in anticipation of the onside kick as Murray's kick would bounce in the direction of Calloway, who could not handle the bouncing ball leading to Minnesota's Chris Walsh to recover the onside kick and give the Vikings the ball at their 39-yard-line with 85 seconds left and a chance to win the game.

The drive got off to an auspicious start with a false start penalty and an incomplete pass to force 2nd & 15 when Cunningham hit Andrew Glover for 11 yards to bring up 3rd & 4 when Cunningham connected with Carter for 21 yards and a 1st down at the Giants' 34-yard-line.

Following an incomplete pass on 1st down, Cunningham looked for Reed on 2nd down only to draw a pass interference penalty on Giants cornerback Philippi Starks to give the Vikings 13 yards and a 1st down at the Giants' 21-yard-line.

That is when the Vikings surprised the Giants as Cunningham handed the ball off to Robert Smith, who ran up the middle for 16 yards to set up 1st & goal at the New York five-yard-line as the Vikings called time out with 13 seconds left to send Murray onto the field to attempt the game-winning field goal.

Murray, who had missed a potential game-winning field goal in the final seconds of the Detroit Lions' 24-23 defeat to the San Francisco 49ers in the 1983 NFC Divisional Playoffs, would calmly make the 24-yard kick to give the Vikings their first lead of the game at 23-22 with 10 seconds to go.

The Giants would get one last chance at pulling off a miracle as they got the ball back at their 37-yard-line with seven seconds left only to have Kanell's "Hail Mary" pass fall incomplete to end the game with the Vikings on top 23-22.

The Vikings celebrate after Eddie Murray made his game-winning field goal in the final seconds.

The Giants would fall back into mediocrity as they went 8-8 and 7-9 the following two seasons before putting together a surprise run to the Super Bowl in 2000 where they would be defeated by the Baltimore Ravens 34-7 in Super Bowl XXXV.

Fassel would coach the Giants for three more seasons after that which included another trip to the playoffs in 2002 when the Giants blew a 24-point lead against the 49ers to lose 39-38 in a NFC Wild Card game.

As for the Vikings, they would be eliminated the following week as they were defeated by the 49ers 38-22 in the Divisional Round.

Cunningham would return to the bench to start the 1998 season only to become the Vikings' starting quarterback following a ankle injury to Johnson.

With the help of Carter, Smith, Reed, and rookie wide receiver Randy Moss, Cunningham would have the best season of his NFL career as he threw for 3,704 yards and threw for 34 touchdowns in leading the Vikings to a 15-1 season in which they scored 556 points.

However, the Vikings' dream season would end in the NFC Championship Game when they were stunned by the Atlanta Falcons 30-27 in overtime as Gary Anderson, the Vikings' kicker who had missed a field goal or an extra point, would miss a crucial field goal late in the fourth quarter which provided the spark for the Falcons to come back and win.

Cunningham would go into the 1999 season as the Vikings' starter but would be benched in favor of Jeff George after six games and would leave Minnesota in the offseason as he would serve as the backup quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys in 2000 and Baltimore Ravens in 2001 before retiring for good in the offseason.

College Football Old School Game of the Week: By Inches, Virginia Hands Florida State First Ever ACC Loss

Virginia fans swarmed the field at Scott Stadium after their Cavaliers upset the Florida State Seminoles.

When the Florida State Seminoles joined the Atlantic Coast Conference in 1992, they grabbed a stranglehold on the conference over their first three seasons as they went 24-0 and won the ACC outright all three seasons.
The 1995 season seemed to be another forgone conclusion that FSU would win the ACC, especially after starting the season 7-0 and defeating their opponents by a combined score of 393-123 as the offense under the direction of senior quarterback Danny Kanell and junior running back Warrick Dunn was averaging nearly 55 points per game as the Seminoles were ranked #2 in the country.
The Seminoles, who had finished with at least 10 wins in the top 5 every season since 1987, seemed poised to be on their way to an appearance in the national championship game which would take place in the Fiesta Bowl at the end of the 1995 season.
That is until they hit a roadblock in Charlottesville, Virginia on the first Thursday night in November.
Virginia.
The Cavaliers entered the FSU game with a 6-3 record that could have easily been 9-0 as their three losses were by a combined seven points.
Two of their losses had come on the last play of the game with the first one coming in their season opener against Michigan as the Cavaliers blew a 17-0 lead to lose 18-17 and had just 12 days prior to their game with the Seminoles, lost 17-16 to Texas when Longhorns kicker Phil  Dawson hit a 50-yard field goal as time expired.
Despite their three losses, Virginia was ranked #24 in the country and featured senior quarterback Mike Groh, son of future Virginia head coach Al Groh, as well as the Barber twins, junior running back Tiki and junior defensive back Ronde.
In front of a sellout crowd at Scott Stadium and a national television audience on ESPN, the Cavaliers hoped to do what no ACC team had done to Florida State in their previous 29 ACC games: beat the Seminoles.
Both teams would trade punts to start until a Virginia fumble that was recovered by FSU defensive lineman Reinard Wilson gave the Seminoles the football at the 50-yard-line.
Five plays later, the Seminoles were in the end zone as Kanell connected with Phillip Riley for a 35-yard touchdown to give FSU a 7-0 lead with 8:05 to go in the first quarter.
On their ensuing possession, the Cavaliers would strike back with a 64-yard touchdown run by Barber to tie the game 7-7 with 6:09 to go in the opening quarter.
After forcing a three-and-out, the Cavaliers would get the ball back at their 49-yard-line and seemed to poise to take the lead as they drove to the Seminoles' 14-yard-line until Groh had a pass tipped by FSU defensive lineman Andre Wadsworth which would be intercepted by defensive back James Colzie at the Seminoles' six-yard-line.
From there, the Seminoles would drive 94 yards in seven plays in a drive which took only two minutes and three seconds as Kanell completed four of five passes for 85 yards on the drive, with the last completion being a 14-yard touchdown to Dunn to put FSU back on top 14-7 with just 1:14 left in the first quarter.

Florida State quarterback Danny Kanell completed 32 of 67 passes for 454 yards and threw three touchdowns passes but also three interceptions.

Virginia would respond with an eight-play, 68-yard drive which culminated with an one-yard touchdown run by Barber early in the second quarter to tie the game at 14.
The Seminoles would get the ball back at their 35-yard-line but were stopped on 3rd & 1, forcing them to call on the punting unit.
But Virginia linebacker James Farrior would block the punt which was picked up by Bryan Owen at the FSU 33-yard-line and returned it 12 yards to give the Cavaliers the ball at the Seminoles' 21-yard-line.
However, the Seminole defense would not permit a 1st down forcing the Cavaliers to settle for a 35-yard field goal which gave Virginia a 17-14 lead with 11:16 to go in the first half.
Following the field goal, the Seminoles would get the ball back at their 33-yard-line but quickly drove to the Virginia five-yard-line as Kanell hit E.G. Green for two big completions, the first for 34 yards and the other for 23 yards.
But on 2nd & 3 from the five-yard-line, Kanell would be intercepted by Virginia defensive back Percy Ellsworth at the two-yard-line, killing the Seminoles' drive and preserving the Cavaliers' 17-14 lead.
The Cavaliers would punt the ball back to the Seminoles, who took over at their 38-yard-line and drove to the Virginia 17-yard-line where they faced a 4th & 2, presumably setting up a field goal attempt.
But head coach Bobby Bowden gambled and decided to go for the 1st down, only to have the 4th down play fail as Dunn attempted to throw a halfback pass only to be sacked Adrian Burnim, giving Virginia the ball back at their 20-yard-line.
After pickup a 1st down thanks to two runs by Barber for 10 yards, Groh was sacked on 1st down for a seven-yard loss, which was followed by a five-yard pass to tight end Bobby Neely, setting up 3rd & 12 from the Virginia 28-yard-line.
That is when Groh fired a deep pass for Demetrius Allen, who made the catch around the FSU 40-yard-line and then the rest of the way untouched for a 72-yard touchdown to increase the Virginia lead to 24-14 with 3:05 left before halftime.
The Seminoles would go no-huddle on their ensuing possession as they drove 80 yards in six plays in just 52 seconds as Kanell found Green for a 36-yard touchdown to trim the Virginia lead to 24-21 with 2:13 left in the first half.
That was still enough time for Virginia to get in field goal range as Groh hit Barber on a 38-yard screen pass to set up a 48-yard field goal by Garcia to push the Virginia lead to 27-21 with 59 seconds left in the first half.
The Seminoles would back to the no-huddle in hopes of getting at least a field goal before the half ended but on the 2nd & 10 from the FSU 25-yard-line Kanell was picked off by Farrior, giving the Cavaliers the ball at the FSU 30-yard-line with 50 seconds left in the first half.
But on the very next play, Groh would be intercepted as his pass for Germaine Crowell was picked off by Byron Capers at the one-yard-line.
The Seminoles would run out the clock and go into the locker room trailing 27-21.
Virginia would get the ball to start the second half and would put together their most time-consuming drive of the game as they ran 13 plays for 58 yards in a drive that took up nearly 4 1/2 minutes as Barber's six carries for 26 yards and Groh's three completions for 35 yards set up a 41-yard field goal by Garcia to increase the Cavaliers' lead to 30-21.
The rest of the third quarter would be a defensive stalemate as both teams traded punts for the rest of the quarter as Virginia took a 30-21 lead into the final 15 minutes with a chance to hand FSU its first ever ACC loss.

Virginia running back Tiki Barber carried the ball 31 times for 193 yards and scored two touchdowns(one rushing, one receiving).

With 13:44 left in the 4th quarter, the Cavaliers had the ball at the FSU 48-yard-line when Groh connected with Owen for two completions totaling 34 yards to give Virginia a 1st & 10 at the FSU 14-yard-line.
But on 3rd & 7 from the 11-yard-line, Groh would throw his third interception of the game, this time with Orpheus Roye coming up with the pick and returning it 20 yards to the FSU 32-yard-line.
However, the Seminoles could do nothing with the turnover as they went three-and-out, punting the ball back to Virginia.
After both teams traded punts on their next possessions, the Cavaliers got the ball at the Seminoles' 34-yard-line where they drove 18 yards to set up Garcia's fourth field goal of the game, a 35-yarder to increase their lead to 33-21 with 6:57 left in the game.
The Seminoles would respond quickly with a four-play, 80-yard drive which saw Dunn take a pitch from Kanell and throw a 33-yard pass to Andre Cooper, which was followed by two straight passes to Green for 40 yards, which was followed by a seven-yard touchdown run by Dunn to make it a five-point game at 33-28 with 6:13 still to play.
After the Cavaliers ran the ball four straight times before punting the ball back to FSU, the Seminoles had the ball at their 15-yard-line with a chance to drive for the go-ahead touchdown.
But on the fourth play of the drive, Kanell was intercepted by Ellsworth, who gave the ball back to Virginia the ball at the FSU 49-yard-line with 2:36 left and a chance to run out the clock.
However, the Seminoles would force the Cavaliers to go three-and-out to get the ball back at their 20-yard-line with 1:37 to play and one timeout in their pocket.
After an incomplete pass to start the drive, Kanell hit Riley for 15 yards, then found Cooper for 11 yards, putting FSU at their 46-yard-line.
Then after an incomplete pass, Kanell completed a 12-yard pass to Cooper to put the Seminoles in Virginia territory at the Cavaliers' 42-yard-line with 45 seconds left.
Following another incompletion, Kanell would hit Cooper for nine yards, then Dunn for 20 yards, to give the Seminoles a 1st & 10 at the Virginia 13-yard-line with 13 seconds to go.
As Kanell spiked the ball to stop the clock, Virginia was caught with too many men on field, allowing for FSU to move half the distance to the goal line as they now had 2nd down at the six-yard-line with nine seconds to play.
Kanell dropped back to throw, but threw an incomplete pass that went out of the end zone, leaving four seconds on the clock and one play left for Florida State to win their 30th straight ACC game or for Virginia to pull off the biggest win in school history.
Kanell lined up in the shotgun with Dunn on his left side as the snap went to Dunn instead of Kanell.
Dunn met a mob at about the three-yard-line then dove for the end zone as he was met by Burnim and Anthony Pondexter as time expired.
At first look, it looked like the ball had crossed the goal line as Dunn stretched the ball out in attempt to get it in for the score.
But officials ruled that he was short, giving Virginia the 33-28 win and sending the Scott Stadium crowd into a frenzy as Virginia fans come onto the field on tore down the goal posts.
Did Dunn get the ball to break the goal line before his knee touched the ground? You be the judge:

After suffering their loss since joining the ACC, the Seminoles would drop four spots to #6, as they would finish the regular season with a 9-2 record and having to share the ACC title for first time since they joined the conference as the Seminoles finished with a 7-1 conference record, same as Virginia whose upset of FSU allowed the Cavaliers to share the ACC title for the second time in school history.
The Seminoles would defeat Notre Dame 31-26 in the Orange Bowl to finish the season 10-2 and #4 in the final AP poll and #5 in the final coaches poll, the ninth consecutive season in which FSU won at least 10 games and finished in the top 5 of the final polls.
Meanwhile, Virginia would go to the Peach Bowl where they held off Georgia 34-27 to finish the season with a 9-4 record and #16 ranking in the final AP poll and #17 ranking in the final coaches poll.