College Football Old School Game of the Week: Holy Buckeye! Ohio State Pulls Out Win Over Purdue

Michael Jenkins makes the "Holy Buckeye" touchdown catch which gave Ohio State a win over Purdue, preserving their undefeated season.

After a college football team wins a national championship, the team and its fans usually look back and pick one moment from the season that showed that they were destined to be that year's national champion.
For the 1980 Georgia Bulldogs, its the game-winning 93-yard touchdown pass from Buck Belue to Lindsay Scott with over a minute left to give them a 26-21 win over Florida.
For the 1998 Tennessee Volunteers, its when defensive tackle Billy Ratliff recovered a fumble from Arkansas quarterback Clint Stoerner when it appeared the Razorbacks were on their way to victory, only to have the Vols drive down the field for the winning touchdown.
That leads us to the 2002 Ohio State Buckeyes, whose moment of destiny came in their 10th game of the season on a play which lead ABC broadcaster Brent Musberger to yell "Holy Buckeye!".
The Buckeyes entered the 2002 season as the #13 ranked team in the country as they were set to begin their second season under head coach Jim Tressel, who had led the Buckeyes to a modest 7-5 record the year before but included a win over Michigan in Ann Arbor, the first time the Buckeyes had defeated the Wolverines in Ann Arbor since 1987.
Despite their high preseason ranking, the Buckeyes needed replacements for starting quarterback Steve Bellisari and running back Jonathan Wells.
They found those replacements in junior quarterback Craig Krenzel and freshman running back Maurice Clarett who helped lead Ohio State to a 10-0 record as they traveled west to West Lafayette, Indiana to face the Purdue Boilermakers.
The Boilermakers entered their game with Ohio State with a 4-5 record, but with all five of their losses coming within a touchdown or less.
Coached by Joe Tiller, who had led Purdue to the Rose Bowl with quarterback Drew Brees during the 2000 season, the Boilermakers were hoping an upset of Ohio State could be the highlight of otherwise mediocre season.

Ohio State freshman sensation Maurice Clarett would carry the ball 14 times for 56 yards before leaving the game with an injury in the second half.

 The Boilermakers got the ball to start the game and behind the right arm of quarterback Kyle Orton drove from their 20-yard-line to the Buckeyes' 15-yard-line as Orton completed his first six passes for 55 yards.
But on 3rd & 7 from the Ohio State' 15-yard-line, Orton was picked off in the end zone by Buckeyes cornerback Dustin Fox, ending the Purdue scoring threat and keeping the game scoreless.
After both teams punted on their ensuing possessions, the Buckeyes took over at their nine-yard-line and were able to drive to their 41-yard-line until Krenzel was intercepted by Purdue linebacker Niko Koutouvides, whose 21-yard return set up the Boilermakers offense at the Ohio State 23-yard-line.
Two straight completions by Orton totaling 17 yards set up a 1st & goal at the six-yard-line, but the Boilermakers only picked up two more yards on the next three plays, forcing to settle for a 21-yard field goal by Berin Lacevic to give Purdue a 3-0 lead with 42 seconds left in the first quarter.
After forcing another Ohio State punt, the Boilermakers got the ball at their 20-yard-line and quickly drove into Buckeye territory as Orton hit running back Joey Harris for a 30-yard gain to give Purdue a 1st down at the Ohio State 39-yard-line.
Harris would carry the ball on the next three plays picking up nine yards, setting up a 4th & 1 at the 30-yard-line when Tiller decided to go for the 1st down.
Orton handed the ball off to Jerod Void, who ran for just two yards, but enough to pick up the 1st down.
Orton would complete his next two passes to set up 3rd & 1 when Orton's pass for Taylor Stubblefield fell incomplete.
This time, Tiller sent in the field goal unit to attempt a 36 yard field goal but Lacevic's kick sailed wide left, keeping the score 3-0 with 9:50 left in the second quarter.
Ohio State took over at its 20-yard-line and drove to the Boilermakers' 33-yard-line where they had a 3rd & 1 when Clarett was dropped for a two-yard loss, forcing the Buckeyes to punt the ball back to the Boilermakers who took over at their 15-yard-line with less than five minutes to go before halftime.
The Purdue offense only got to their own 30-yard-line when Orton was intercepted by Ohio State linebacker Matt Wilhelm, giving the Buckeyes the ball at the  Boilermakers' 41-yard-line with 3:15 to go in the first half.
The Buckeyes would drive down the field with their running game as Clarett carried the ball three straight times for 11 yards to begin the drive, which was followed by two straight Krenzel runs, the last being a 15-yard run to the Purdue 13-yard-line, when Krenzel put the ball in the air for the first time on the drive, only to have the pass fall incomplete.
Two more runs picked up eight more yards to set up a 22-yard field goal by Mike Nugent, which he made as time expired in the first half, tying the game 3-3 after 30 minutes of play.

Ohio State quarterback Craig Krenzel would complete 13 of 20 passes for 173 yards and throw one touchdown.

The game was still tied 3-3 when wide receiver Michael Jenkins blocked a Purdue punt, giving the Buckeyes the ball at the Boilermakers' 37-yard-line with 2:53 left in the third quarter.
However, a quarterback sack by Boilermakers defensive end Shaun Phillips took the Buckeyes out of field goal range and forced them to punt the ball back to Purdue as the third quarter came to a close with the score still 3-3.
After another exchange of punts, the Boilermakers got the ball at their 20-yard-line with 12:08 left in the 4th quarter.
That is when Brandon Kirsch, who had taken over for Orton at quarterback during the second half, connected with wide receiver Ray Williams for a 58-yard pass completion to give Purdue a 1st down at the Buckeyes' 22-yard-line.
From there, Brandon Jones would carry the ball five straight times, gaining 18 yards, to set up a 3rd & 3 from the four-yard-line, when Kirsch was dropped for a six-yard-loss by Wilhelm and was followed by a false start penalty, forcing the Boilermakers to settle for a 32-yard field goal by Lacevic to break the 3-3 tie and give Purdue a 6-3 lead with 7:50 left in the 4th quarter.
Ohio State begins its ensuing possession at their 20-yard-line and were quickly at the 50-yard-line thanks to three straight pass completions by Krenzel, the first two to Jenkins for 23 yards and the last to Bam Childress for seven yards.
But after Maurice Hall was stopped after a one-yard gain on 2nd & 3, disaster nearly struck for the Buckeyes as Krenzel fumbled the ball while trying to run for the 1st down, only to have Hall recover the ball for the Buckeyes, forcing a Ohio State punt which pinned the Boilermakers down at their eight-yard-line with 4:50 to go.
The Ohio State defense forced a three-and-out to get the ball back at the Purdue 46-yard-line with a chance to tie or take the lead with 3:10 remaining in regulation.
The drive got off to an auspicious start as Krenzel was sacked for a four-yard loss on 1st & 10, which was followed by an incomplete pass.
Then on 3rd & 14, Krenzel hit Ben Hartsock for 13 yards, setting up a critical 3rd & 1 at the Purdue 37-yard-line with less than two minutes to play.
With time running out and the Buckeyes out of field goal range, Tressel had no choice but to go for the 1st down.
Expecting a run, the Boilermakers were surprised when Krenzel dropped back and threw a bomb that was caught by Jenkins in the end zone for a shocking 37-yard touchdown to give Ohio State its first lead of the game and lead ABC broadcaster Brent Musburger to make his famous call.

After Nugent successfully made the extra point, the Buckeyes had a 10-6 lead with just 1:36 left in the game.
The Boilermakers took over at their 20-yard-line and Tiller inserted Orton back into the game at quarterback in hopes of leading Purdue on a game-winning touchdown drive.
Orton completed two out of three passes for 19 yards before throwing his third and final interception of the game, this time by Ohio State cornerback Chris Gamble on a deep pass at the Buckeyes' 11-yard-line with 45 seconds left.
The Buckeyes were able to run out the clock and escape West Lafayette with a 10-6 win to extend their record to 11-0 while the Boilermakers fell to 4-6 with all six of their losses decided by a touchdown or less.
Purdue would win their final two games of the regular season to earn them a trip to the Sun Bowl where they defeated the Washington Huskies 34-24 to finish the season with a 7-6 record.
As for the Buckeyes, they stave off another upset attempt the following week as they defeated the Illinois Fighting Illini 23-16 in overtime then defeat their arch-rivals, the Michigan Wolverines 14-9 to earn them a spot in the BCS National Championship Game as they faced off with the defending national champion Miami Hurricanes in the Fiesta Bowl.
Aided by a controversial pass interference penalty on Miami in overtime and a goalline stand in the second overtime period, the Buckeyes would end the Hurricanes' 34-game winning streak with a 31-24 double overtime win to give Ohio State its first national championship in 34 years.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Steelers Score 36 Straight Points To Win Shootout Over Bengals

Steelers quarterback Neil O' Donnell would throw complete 24 of 31 passes for 377 yards and throw three touchdowns in the Steelers' comeback win over the Bengals.

Sometimes football is a lot like basketball as one team gets on a run to break open a game and come back from a huge deficit.
That's exactly what happened in the 1995 Week 12 matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cincinnati Bengals, where the Steelers put together a dominating run in the second half.
Pittsburgh entered the game with a 6-4 record, but on a three-game winning streak, which began one week after an embarrassing 27-9 loss to the Bengals at home in Three Rivers Stadium.
The Steelers were led by head coach Bill Cowher and quarterback Neil O' Donnell, who along with the rest of the Steelers were on a mission to get to the Super Bowl after they had fallen three yards short of the game-winning touchdown in their heartbreaking 17-13 loss to the San Diego Chargers in the previous year's AFC Championship Game.
While the Steeelers were looking toward the Super Bowl, the Bengals were hoping just get into the playoffs as they entered the game with Pittsburgh with a 4-6 record.
Ever since their last playoff appearance in 1990, the Bengals' fortunes had turned for the worse as they had encountered three seasons where they went 3-13 and another where they went 5-11.
Cincinnati was under the direction of David Shula, son of the NFL's all-time winningest head coach Don, whose in his fourth season, but looked to have found his franchise quarterback in Jeff Blake, who had become the Bengals starter after an 0-7 start during the 1994 season, replacing former 1st round pick David Klinger.
With Blake at the helm, Cincinnati fans had a glimmer of hope of ending their playoff drought if they get on a winning streak to end the season.
What proceeded was a game of two halves as both teams held control for one half of play and combined for 80 points and 821 yards of total offense.
The fireworks began on the game's opening kickoff when the Bengals' return man David Dunn received the kickoff, ran seven yards, then threw a backwards lateral across the field to Jeff Hill, who proceeded to run 55 yards before being knocked out of bounds by Steelers kicker Norm Johnson, giving Cincinnati the ball at the Pittsburgh 35-yard-line.
Six plays later, the Bengals had the first touchdown of the game as Blake hit Darnay Scott from four yards out to give Cincinnati a 7-0 lead just 1:39 into the game.
The Steelers would get good field position for their first drive of the game as Ernie Mills returned the ensuing kickoff 34 yards to the Pittsburgh 40-yard-line.
But on 3rd & 2 from the Steelers' 48-yard-line, O' Donnell connected with Mills for an apparent 1st down, only to have Mills fumble the football, which was recovered by the Bengals' Todd Kelly at the Cincinnati 47-yard-line.
The Bengals could not take advantage of the turnover as they went three-and-out, punting the ball back to the Steelers who took over at their 42-yard-line after punter Lee Johnson shanked his kick, which went only 21 yards.
The Steelers would drive to the Bengals' 20-yard-line until a sack by Bengals linebacker Andre Collins forced the Steelers to attempt a 50-yard field goal which Johnson made, cutting the Bengals lead to 7-3 with 7:04 left in the first quarter.
The Bengals responded with an eight-play, 68-yard drive which saw running back Harold Green carry the ball four times for 26 yards and Blake hit Scott for a 23-yard gain, that ended with Blake running it in from one yard out to extend the Cincinnati lead to 14-3 with 2:40 to go in the first quarter.

Bengals quarterback Jeff Blake accounted for all four touchdowns(three passing, one rushing) that Cincinnati scored.

On their next possession, the Steelers drove from their 30-yard-line to the Bengals' 38-yard-line where they faced a 4th & 1 situation.
Cowher decided to go for it but a false start penalty on right tackle Leon Searcy pushed the Steelers five yards back and force them to punt the ball back to the Bengals who took over at their nine-yard-line.
That is when the Blake-to-Pickens connection got going as Blake hit Pickens for 25 yards on the first play of the drive which was also the last play of the first quarter.
The two connected again on 2nd & 2 from the Cincinnati 42-yard-line for a 11-yard gain and another 1st down, which was followed by an offsides penalty on Steelers linebacker Greg Lloyd and then a 26-yard pass from Blake to Pickens to give the Bengals a 1st down at the Steelers' 16-yard-line.
Three plays later, the Bengals were faced with their own 4th & 1 situation when Shula decided to go for it.
Blake was able to drop back and lofted a pass for Pickens in the end zone which fell incomplete, only to have Steelers strong safety Carnell Lake get called for pass interference, to give the Bengals a 1st & goal at the one-yard-line.
On the very next play, Blake connected with Pickens for a one-yard touchdown to extend the Cincinnati lead to 21-3 with 11:28 left in the second quarter.
Down by the same margin as their prior defeat to the Bengals, things were not looking promising for the Steelers, especially when they had to start their next drive at their 12-yard-line, only for center Dermontti Dawson get called for illegal use of hands, pushing the Steelers offense back to their six-yard-line.
That is when O' Donnell got rolling as he completed four passes in a row for a total of 30 yards, which was followed by a 22-yard run by Bam Morris that put the Steelers in Bengals territory at the Cincinnati 42-yard-line.
Then on the next play from scrimmage, O' Donnell hit Mills for a 42-yard touchdown to make it a 21-10 game midway through the second quarter.
The Bengals responded with a pair of runs by Green totaling 15 yards, then followed by a 45-yard pass interference penalty on Lake to give the Bengals a 1st & 10 at the Steelers' 13-yard-line.
However, the Steelers defense would only allow three more yards, forcing the Bengals to settle for a 27-yard field goal by Doug Pelfrey to make it a two-touchdown game at 24-10 with 4:33 left in the first half.
Before the first half came to a close, O' Donnell would complete five of six passes for 61 yards, with the big play being a 33-yard completion to Charles Johnson, to set up a 26-yard field goal by Norm Johnson to make it 24-13 after 30 minutes of play.
The Steelers got the ball to start the second half but turned it over on the third play of the drive as running back Erric Pegram fumbled the ball after a pass, which was recovered by Bengals strong safety Bracy Walker, whose nine-yard return set up the Cincinnati offense with the ball at the Pittsburgh 33-yard-line.
This would lead to Blake throwing his third touchdown pass of the game, a 20-yarder to Tony McGee to push the Bengals' lead back to 18 points at 31-13 with 10:31 to go in the third quarter.

Steelers linebacker Greg Lloyd(95) would lead a Pittsburgh defense that limited the Bengals to just 84 yards of total offense and one touchdown in the second half.

It seemed that the Bengals were on their a season sweep of the Steelers as the Pittsburgh defense could not stop the Cincinnati offense and the Steelers had been settling for field goals instead of touchdowns.
But like basketball, football could turn 180 degrees in a matter of minutes and that's exactly what would happen starting with the Steelers' ensuing possession.
After Mills returned the ensuing kickoff 31 yards to the Pittsburgh 38-yard-line, the Steelers got into Bengals territory on the very next play as Bengals cornerback Roger Jones was called for pass interference, resulting in a Pittsburgh 1st down at the Bengals' 42-yard-line.
Then O' Donnell would hit Mills for 18 yards on 3rd & 7 for a 1st down at the Cincinnati 21-yard-line, which was followed by a nine-yard completion to Yancey Thigpen, and two runs by Pegram totaling 11 yards, all leading to an one-yard touchdown run by Morris, which cut the Bengals' lead to 31-20 with 6:46 left in the third quarter.
After forcing a three-and-out, the Steelers got the ball at their 17-yard-line and drove 83 yards in nine plays, culminating with a 15-yard touchdown pass from O' Donnell to Andre Hastings.
Cowher decided to go for two and brought in backup quarterback Kordell Stewart, who had spent the season lining up at various times at quarterback, running back, and wide receiver, earning him the nickname "Slash", to get the two points to make it a field goal game.
Stewart ran a quarterback option and pitched it out to Pegram who ran it in for the two-point conversion to bring Pittsburgh to within three points at 31-28 with 99 seconds left in the third quarter.
The Steelers' defense kept the momentum going as they forced another three-and-out and seemed to get the ball in Bengals territory when Hastings returned the ensuing punt 47 yards to the Bengals' 26-yard-line, only for an illegal block get called on Tim Lester, meaning the Steelers had to start from their 16-yard-line.
Morris would ran for five yards on the last play of the third quarter, which was followed by O' Donnell connecting with Mills for eight yards to give Pittsburgh a 1st down at their 29-yard-line.
That is when Stewart re-entered the game, lined up as wide receiver, and proceeded to run a seam pattern down the middle the field where he caught O' Donnell's pass for him at the Bengals' 40-yard-line.
Stewart would run into the end zone untouched for a 71-yard touchdown to give the Steelers their first lead of the game at 35-31 and third touchdown in a span of 7 minutes and 21 seconds.
But the Pittsburgh scoring barrage was not over.
The Steelers' defense would force the Bengals a third consecutive three-and-out, which included a 13-yard loss on a quarterback sack by linebacker Jason Gildeon, which lead to the Steelers getting the ball back at the Bengals' 39-yard-line after a 31-yard punt by Lee Johnson.
For this drive, the Steelers would go back to their traditional running game as Morris carried the ball five times for 23 yards, with the  last one being a three-yard touchdown to extend the Pittsburgh lead to 42-31 with 9:33 left in the game.

Kordell Stewart, or Slash, would catch his first career touchdown, a 71-yard TD that gave the Steelers the lead for good.

Needing to get their offense back on track, the Bengals decided to go for it on 4th & 4 at their own 31-yard-line when Blake hit Pickens for 22 yards for a Cincinnati 1st down at the Steelers' 47-yard-line.
Then after a seven-yard pass to running back Eric Bieniemy, Blake was sacked by Greg Lloyd, fumbling the football, which was recovered by Steelers defensive lineman Bill Johnson at the Pittsburgh 43-yard-line.
With a chance to put the nail in the coffin, the Steelers pulled out a gadget play as they called a reverse on 2nd & 7 from the 46-yard-line, where Mills ran for 20 yards and another Steelers 1st down at the Bengals 36-yard-line.
Then after a four-yard run by Morris and 10-yard holding penalty on left guard led to a 2nd & 16 at the 40-yard-line, O' Donnell would throw his final pass of the game, which turned out to be a 32-yard completion to tight end Jonathan Hayes setting up a 1st & goal at the Bengals eight-yard-line.
Morris would score his third touchdown of the game on the very next play to make it 49-31 with 4:09 to go as the Steelers had turned a 18-point deficit into a 18-point lead.
David Klinger would come in the game on the Bengals' next drive, replacing Blake, and hit his first two passes for 15 yards, until he was picked off by Steelers defensive end Ray Seals, allowing for the Steelers to run out the clock and leave Cincinnati with a 49-31 victory.
The Bengals would finish the season with a 7-9 record as Blake and Pickens would go to the Pro Bowl thanks to Blake's 3,822 passing yards and 28 touchdowns, 17 of those caught by Pickens on 99 catches for 1,234 yards.
With Blake and Pickens, Bengals fans had high hopes for the 1996 season, but a 1-6 start lead to Shula's firing, and being replaced by offensive coordinator Bruce Coslet, who lead the Bengals to a 7-2 record for the rest of the season.
As for the Steelers, their win over the Bengals kept their winning streak alive which they would extend to eight games, earning them their their third AFC Central Division title and the #2 seed in the AFC playoffs.
The Steelers would knock off the Buffalo Bills 40-21 in their Divisional Playoff, then hold off the Indianapolis Colts 20-16 in the AFC Championship Game when Jim Harbaugh's Hail Mary pass on the final play of the game fell incomplete, earning the Steelers their first trip to the Super Bowl in 16 year.(To read more about the game, click on the link here: NFL Old School Game of the Week: Steelers Survive Colts Hail Mary Attempt To Win AFC Title).
However, the Steelers would fall to the Dallas Cowboys 27-17 as O' Donnell threw two costly 2nd half interceptions which set up two touchdown runs by Dallas running back Emmitt Smith.
O' Donnell would leave Pittsburgh in the offseason to sign a 5-year, $25 million contract with the New York Jets, but lasted only two years there before being released and leading him to sign with the Bengals for the 1998 season, where he played only one year, before ending up with the Tennessee Titans, backing up Steve McNair for five years until O' Donnell retired from the NFL after the 2003 season.

College Football Old School Game of the Week: "The Pick" Completes Oregon Upset Over Washington

Oregon defensive back Kenny Wheaton races toward the end zone to complete his 97 yard interception return for a touchdown that would become known as "The Pick" by Oregon fans.

Almost every major college football program has a play that shapes its history.
For Boston College, its Doug Flutie's game-winning 48-yard touchdown pass to Gerald Phelan as time expired to give them a win over Miami in 1984 and sealing Flutie's Heisman Trophy winning season.
For the Auburn Tigers, it's the "Kick-Six" where Chris Davis returned a missed field goal 109 yards for the game-winning touchdown as time expired to give Auburn a shocking win over Alabama in the 2013 Iron Bowl, propelling them to the national championship game.
But for the Oregon Ducks, they have a play that not only propelled to greater heights, it also changed the fortunes of their program.
Oregon entered their contest with the Washington Huskies unranked with a 4-3 record, but with a 2-1 record in the Pac-10, an upset over the Huskies could put the Ducks in the thick of the Pac-10 title chase and a trip to the Rose Bowl.
However, the Ducks had not been to the Rose Bowl since the 1957 season and had won only 42% of their games in the past 30 years.
The Ducks would coached by Rich Brooks, who had been the Oregon head coach since 1978 and had complied only six winning seasons during his tenure in Eugene.
Despite their bad history, the Ducks felt they had a good chance to pull off the upset thanks to a strong defense nicknamed "Gang Green" since the Ducks were green uniforms, that had held opponents to about 14 points per game entering their game with the Huskies which would be played at home in Autzen Stadium.
Washington entered the game ranked #9 with a 5-1 record which included a 38-20 win over the Miami Hurricanes in the Orange Bowl ending the Hurricanes' 58-game winning streak at the Orange Bowl.
Despite having a strong team which featured quarterback Damon Huard and running back Napoleon Kaufman, who was averaging 167.3 yards per game up to this point, the Huskies were ineligible for the Pac-10 title or the postseason as players had received improper benefits during the 1992 season, leading NCAA sanctions that banned Washington from playing in a bowl and competing for the Pac-10 championship for the 1993 and 1994 seasons.
This led to the resignation of head coach Don James, who had lead the Huskies to six Rose Bowl appearances, winning four of them, and sharing the 1991 national championship with Miami, just weeks before the 1993 season began.
James was replaced by his longtime defensive coordinator Jim Lambright who directed the Huskies to a 7-4 season in 1993.
With nothing to lose, the Huskies hoped to squash Oregon's dreams of making a run to the Rose Bowl as they traveled to Eugene to take on the Ducks, a team that Washington had defeated 17 out of their previous 20 meetings.

Washington running back Napoleon Kaufman would carry the ball 23 times for 101 yards.

The Huskies got the first scoring opportunity of the game after forcing the Ducks to go three-and-out on their opening possession to get the ball at the 50-yard-line and drove to the Oregon 29-yard-line to set up a 46-yard field goal attempt by John Wales which sailed wide left, keeping the game scoreless.
Most of the first quarter would be a defensive stalemate as neither team was able to put together a drive into scoring position until Kaufman busted loose for a 37-yard run to the Oregon' 24-yard-line near the end of the first quarter.
The long run would set up another field goal attempt for Wales, which this time he made from 38 yards out on the second play of the second quarter to give the Huskies a 3-0 lead.
On the ensuing kickoff, Oregon running back Ricky Whittle give the Ducks a jolt as he returned the kick 88 yards to the Huskies' 13-yard-line, which two plays later would lead to the Ducks' first touchdown a eight-yard run by Dino Philyaw to give Oregon a 7-3 lead with 13:50 left in the second quarter.
Washington would return the ensuing kickoff to their 23-yard-line, but on 2nd & 9 Huard would be intercepted by Oregon cornerback Alex Molden who returned the pick to the Huskies' 19-yard-line.
Then after Oregon quarterback Danny O'Neil hit wide receiver Dameron Ricketts for 17 yards to give Oregon a 1st & goal at the two-yard-line, Whittle punched it for the Ducks' second touchdown in 77 seconds to extend their lead to 14-3 with 12:33 to go in the first half.
It would only take the Huskies 31 seconds to make a one-score game again as Huard connected with wide receiver Eric Bjornson for a 51-yard touchdown to cut the Oregon lead to 14-10 with 12:02 left before halftime.
After both teams combined for 24 points in a span of 2 minutes and 48 seconds, things settled down a bit as both teams exchanged punts until the Huskies got the ball at their 44-yard-line midway through the second quarter.
Following two straight incomplete passes, Huard found Dave Janoski for a 43-yard gain to give the Huskies a 1st & 10 at the Oregon 13-yard-line.
However, the "Gang Green" defense held the Huskies to just one more yard and forcing a 29-yard field goal by Wales which he made to cut the Oregon lead to just one point, 14-13 with 3:19 left in the first half.
From there, the defenses would control the game as neither team would mount another scoring threat for the rest of the half leaving the game at 14-13 in favor of the Ducks after 30 minutes.

Washington quarterback Damon Huard threw for 254 yards on 20-of-39 passing and one touchdown, but was also intercepted twice.

The defensive stalemate continued throughout the second half with the exception of a short drive by the Ducks in the middle of the second quarter where they drove 24 yards in nine plays to set up a 45-yard field goal by Matt Belden to increase the Oregon lead to 17-13 with 6:06 remaining in the third quarter.
The Ducks kept their 17-13 lead going into the 4th quarter until O' Neil was intercepted when a pass intended for Dwayne Jones, bounced off his hands and into the arms of Washington cornerback Reggie Reser, whose 21-yard return gave the Huskies offense the ball at the Oregon 29-yard-line.
Washington would be able to convert the interception into points as fullback Richard Thomas punched it in for a 10-yard touchdown to give the Huskies a 20-17 lead with 7:44 to go in the game.
It looked like the Ducks were going to get the ball at their 20-yard-line following the ensuing kickoff after Oregon defensive lineman Troy Bailey threw a punch following the extra point, drawing a 15-yard personal foul penalty, meaning the Huskies would kick from the 50-yard-line.
But the kick was short and caught by Pat Johnson, who slipped and fell at his two-yard-line, meaning the Ducks would have to drive 98 yards for a potential go-ahead touchdown.
That is when O'Neil, who had struggled mightily throughout the game as he had only completed six of 16 passes for 61 yards up to this point, dropped back and fired a pass toward Ricketts, who made the catch at the Oregon 18-yard-line and proceeded to run downfield until he was tackled 20 yards later at the Ducks' 38-yard-line for a 36-yard gain, the longest play from scrimmage for the Oregon offense.
Then on 3rd & 8 from the 40-yard-line, O'Neil connected with Johnson, atoning for his fall, for a 10-yard gain and another 1st down at the 50-yard-line.
On the very next play, O'Neil connected with Rickets again, this time for 21 yards to put the Ducks at the Huskies' 29-yard-line and another 1st down.
Then on another 3rd & 8, O'Neil used his legs to get the 1st down, as he scrambled for the eight yards to give the Ducks one more 1st down at the Washington 19-yard-line.
Following his scramble, O' Neil handed it off to Whittle, who picked up seven yards on 1st down, but was stopped for no yards on 2nd down, setting up a critical 3rd & 3 at the Huskies' 12-yard-line.
That is when O'Neil gave the ball to fullback Dwayne Jones, who went straight ahead for the 12-yard touchdown to complete the 11-play, 98-yard drive and gave the Ducks a 24-20 lead with 2:40 left in the game.

Oregon quarterback Danny O'Neil completed all four of his passes for 68 yards and ran for eight yards on Oregon's 11-play, 98-yard touchdown drive which gave the Ducks the lead.

After Kaufman returned the ensuing kickoff 15 yards, the Huskies had 75 yards and 2:33 left on the clock to drive for the winning touchdown and escape the upset.
The drive began with a seven-yard pass from Huard to wide receiver Eric Bjornson, which was followed by Huard avoiding a sack on 2nd down and completing a 23-yard pass to Bjornson to give the Huskies a 1st down at the Ducks' 45-yard-line.
But after Huard threw three staright incomplete passes, the Huskies were faced with a do-or-die 4th & 10.
That is when Huard found Bjornson for the third time on the drive, this time for 14 yards to give the Huskies a 1st down at the Oregon 31-yard-line with 1:49 to go.
Following two more incomplete passes, Huard would scramble for 11 yards and another 1st down at the 20-yard-line, which was followed by a 12-yard pass to tight end Mark Bruener to give the Huskies a 1st & goal at the eight-yard-line with 1:05 left to play.
With his defense on the ropes, Brooks called timeout in hopes of calming the "Gang Green" defense down and giving them a chance to rise up and keep the Huskies from breaking the Ducks' hearts with a touchdown.
That is when it happened.
Huard dropped back three steps and fired a pass toward the left side of the field, intended for Bjornson, only to have Wheaton jump in front of the Huskies wide receiver to make the interception at the three-yard-line.
Wheaton ran down the sideline until he made a cut at the Oregon 40-yard-line where he split though Huard and Bruener, who made a futile diving attempt at a tackle and ran untouched for the 97-yard touchdown to make a 31-20 lead with 49 seconds to go in a play that will forever be known by Oregon fans as "The Pick".

Washington would drive into Oregon territory in the final seconds but would not score again as Oregon fans ran out onto the field to tear down the goal posts at Autzen Stadium as the Ducks completed the 31-20 upset over #9 Washington.
Following the loss to Oregon, the Huskies would go 2-2 for the rest of the season to finish the season with a 7-4 record for the second year in a row and out of the final AP and Coaches Poll rankings.
With the sanctions lifted for conference championships and postseason play, the Huskies would share the Pac-10 title in 1995 with the USC Trojans, but would ended up playing in the Sun Bowl, instead of the Rose Bowl, thanks in large part to another loss to Oregon.
Lambright would be fired after the 1998 season complying a 44-25-1 record but a 1-3 record in bowl games which did not include the Rose Bowl.
As for the Ducks, the win over Washington spring-boarded the Ducks' run to the Pac-10 championship as they would win their next four games to win the Pac-10 title and earn a trip to the Rose Bowl for the first time in 37 years.
The Ducks' Cinderella season would come to a screeching end as they were steamrolled by the Penn State Nittany Lions 38-20 in the Rose Bowl, which was Brooks' last game as the Ducks head coach as he left to become the head coach of the St.Louis Rams as Oregon offensive coordinator Mike Belotti would become the Ducks' head coach.
But if ever one play changed a program's fortunes, "The Pick" did that for Oregon.
Since 1995, the Ducks have had only two losing seasons and have played in the postseason in 20 seasons, including three more trips to the Rose Bowl, including wins in 2011 and 2014.
Oregon has also complied 10 seasons where they won at least 10 games and have twice played in the national championship game(2010, 2014) and produced a Heisman Trophy Winner in quarterback Marcus Mariota in 2014.
Even today, "The Pick" is still celebrated by Oregon fans as video of the play is played on the jumbotron before every home game at Autzen Stadium.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Vikings Score 4 TDs in Last 8 Minutes to Stun Eagles

Vikings wide receiver Anthony Carter caught five passes for 124 yards and two touchdowns in the Vikings' epic comeback win over the Eagles.

When the Philadelphia Eagles went into the 4th quarter of their Week 13 matchup with the Minnesota Vikings holding a 23-0 lead, many fans left Veterans Stadium while those on television turned the game off assuming the Eagles had the game won.
If they had kept with the game, they would have seen a 4th quarter for the ages.
The Minnesota Vikings entered the game with a 5-7 record and on a three-game losing streak.
The Vikings were coached by Bud Grant, who had come out of retirement to replace Les Steckel who had been fired after leading Minnesota to a 3-13 record the year before.
After a 3-1 start, the Vikings began to fall apart as they lost six of their next eight games to fall out of contention for a playoff spot.
With starting quarterback Tommy Kramer out with an injured knee, backup Wade Wilson got the call to start the game in Philadelphia against the Eagles.
If the Vikings were going to pull off the win, Wilson was going to need help from their biggest offensive weapon, wide receiver Anthony Carter, who had joined the team in 1985 after spending three years in the United States Football League or the USFL, the professional football league that launched in the spring of 1983, where Carter caught 160 passes for 3,042 yards and 27 touchdowns during his three-year tenure in the league.
While the Vikings were falling, the Eagles were rising having won five of their last seven games to enter their game with Minnesota with a 6-6 record.
Led by third-year head coach Marion Campbell and veteran quarterback Ron Jaworski, the Eagles were hoping for another win to keep their slim playoff hopes alive.
The Eagles scored first as Paul McFadden kicked a 29-yard field goal to end a 12-play, 60-yard drive which saw running back Earnest Jackson carry the ball six times for 25 yards and Jaworski hit all four of his passes for 37 yards to set up the field goal which gave Philadelphia a 3-0 lead with 8:13 left in the first quarter.
The Eagles got into the end zone on their next drive as Jackson picked up 22 more yards on five carries and a 25-yard catch-and-run from Jaworski to Mike Quick help set up a 28-yard touchdown pass from Jaworksi to tight end John Spagnola to increase the Philadelphia lead to 10-0 with 1:54 left in the first quarter.
The Vikings' offense got moving early in the second quarter as they drove 72 yards to the Eagles' one-yard-line as Minnesota and appeared to be on the doorstep of cutting the lead to 10-7,
However, running backs Ted Brown and Alfred Anderson were stopped for no gain on back-to-back plays, forcing the Vikings to settle for what seemed an automatic three point as future Hall-of-Fame kicker Jan Stenerud came on to attempt to a 18-yard field goal.
But Stenerud missed the kick, keeping the score 10-0 in favor of the Eagles.

Eagles quarterback Ron Jaworski would complete 13 of 18 passes for 204 yards and threw two touchdowns in a dominant first half for Philadelphia.

That lead would be extended later in the quarter when Jaworski connected with Kenny Jackson for 28 yards and Quick for 22 more on back-to-back completions to set up another field goal by McFadden, this one from 33 yards out to push the lead to 13-0 with 4:08 left in the first half.
Then after forcing the Vikings to punt, the Eagles would drive 76 yards in nine plays, culminating with a pair of passes from Jaworksi to Quick, first for 26 yards on a 3rd & 10 situation, then again for a nine-yard touchdown to make it a 20-0 lead with 57 seconds left before halftime.
Minnesota would not mount a scoring threat as the first half came to an end with the Eagles on top 20-0.
With the offense stagnant and Wilson only completing six of his 14 passes for 44 yards, Grant inserted rookie Steve Bono at quarterback in hopes of sparking his offense.
The move didn't work as Bono was even worse than Wilson as the rookie only completed one pass for five yards in 10 attempts.
Meanwhile, the Eagles extended their lead to 23-0 as Jaworski completed three passes in a row for 50 yards to set up another McFadden field goal, this one from 25 yards out midway through the third quarter.
After that score, the Eagles offense was unable to move the ball as they gained only 16 yards and one 1st down on their next four possessions.
The Eagles should have had a 1st down early in the 4th quarter when running back Herman Hunter dropped a pass on 3rd down, forcing the Eagles to punt the ball.
Little did anyone know that Hunter's drop would be the beginning of an epic collapse or unbelievable comeback depending on your point of view.
When the Vikings got the ball at their 42-yard-line with 11:43 left in the 4th quarter, Wilson was reinserted into the game replacing an inffective Bono.
After gaining only 84 yards of total offense to this point, the Vikings drove 58 yards in seven plays, with Wilson connecting with Carter on two passes for 41 yards, setting up a seven-yard touchdown pass from Wilson to running back Allen Rice to give Minnesota its first points of the game and make it 23-7 with 8:23 left in the fourth quarter.
The Vikings' touchdown seemed to awaken the Eagles offense as they drove to the Minnesota 31-yard-line when Jaworksi decided to call a quarterback bootleg around the left side.
As Jaworski turned the corner, he was met by Vikings defensive tackle Keith Millard, knocking the ball loose and causing a fumble that was picked up by Vikings cornerback Willie Teal, who ran it back all the way for a 65-yard touchdown to cut the deficit into single digits at 23-14 with 6:01 to go in the game.
Now facing some pressure, the Eagles needed to put together a drive to squash the Vikings' hopes of a comeback and allow Philadelphia to escape with the win.
On 3rd & 6 from the 27-yard-line Jaworski threw to Spagnola, who made the catch at the 35-yard-line and then turned upfield only to be met by Vikings linebacker David Howard and safety Joey Browner.
While trying to escape the clutches of the two Viking defenders, Spagnola fumbled the football
which was recovered by Vikings safety Joey Browner, giving Minnesota the ball at the Eagles' 36-yard-line.
After two plays netted zero yards, Wilson went deep and found a wide open Carter for a 36-yard touchdown to bring the Vikings to within one score at 23-21 with 3:58 remaining.

After getting benched at halftime, Vikings quarterback Wade Wilson returned in the 4th quarter and completed seven of 13 passes for 133 yards and threw three touchdowns in the final 11 1/2 minutes.

Needing a long drive more than ever, the Eagles could not get a 1st down and were forced to punt the ball back to the suddenly hot Vikings offense.
Carter returned the punt 22 yards to the Minnesota 40-yard-line giving Wilson 2:17 to get the Vikings the winning score.
After an incomplete pass, Wilson hit Ted Brown 13 yards on a screen pass to give the Vikings a 1st down at the Eagles' 47-yard-line.
Wilson connected with Brown for five more yards on another screen pass, but then Brown dropped what would have been a 1st down on 3rd down when Wilson threw a pass to the running back at the Eagles' 35-yard-line, setting up a 4th-and-5 from the Eagles' 42-yard-line with 1:17 to go.
Wilson took the snap and again looked for Brown on another screen pass, only to have Brown covered.
Wilson then saw Carter, wide open again along the right sideline, and lofted a pass just a split-second before he got drilled by Eagles defensive end Thomas Struthers.
The ball eluded the outstretched hands of Eagles Brenard Wilson and fell into the hands of Carter, who made the catch inside the five-yard-line and then strolled for the go-ahead touchdown to give the Vikings a 28-23 lead, their first lead of the game with 1:11 to play.
Trying to save themselves from humiliation, the Eagles drove from their 36-yard-line to the Vikings' 17-yard-line where they had a 1st down with 20 seconds to go.
Needing a touchdown to win, Jaworski fired a pass intended for Gregg Garrity, who was in the right corner of the end zone, waiting for the ball to arrive.
But Vikings safety Keith Nord was able to swipe the ball away just as it hit Garrity's hands to force an incompletion.
Then on 2nd down, Jaworski threw a pass for Quick only to have Teal knock the ball down before it could reach Quick.
Jaworski threw one last pass intended for Jackson, but the pass was short, ending the game and giving the Vikings a shocking 28-23 win.
The Eagles' 4th quarter collapse ended their chances of capturing a playoff spot as they would go on to lose their next two games which led to the front office firing Campbell before the last game of the regular season, which ironically was a 37-35 win over the Vikings.
The Eagles would hire Bears defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan as their next head coach and with Randall Cunningham taking over the starting quarterback job and the arrival of Reggie White from the USFL, the Eagles would put together five straight winning seasons from 1988-92.
As for the Vikings, they would finish the season 7-9 as Grant retired for good in the offseason, being replaced by offensive coordinator Jerry Burns.
Along with Wilson and Carter, Burns would lead the Vikings to three straight playoff appearances from 1987-89 including a trip to the NFC Championship Game in 1987.
Wilson would be released by Minnesota following the 1991 season and bounced around the league for eight more years, playing for four different teams, including the Dallas Cowboys where he picked up a Super Bowl ring in 1995, before ultimately retiring after the 1999 season following two years with the Oakland Raiders.
Carter would remain with Minnesota though the 1993 season until his release from the team leading him to return to Michigan where he played with the Detroit Lions for two more years before he retired from the league, finishing with 486 receptions for 7,733 yards and 55 touchdowns.

College Football Old School Game of the Week: Superman Play Carries Oklahoma To Win Over Texas

Roy Williams(38) makes his famous "Superman Play" in the 2001 Oklahoma-Texas game.

It was a bird, it was a plane, no it was Oklahoma All-American safety Roy Williams leaping over the Texas offensive line in a single bound to make the defining play of the 2001 edition of the Red River Rivalry between the Oklahoma Sooners and the Texas Longhorns that would forever be known as the "Superman Play".

Williams was a big part of the reason why the Sooners won their first national championship in 15 years as he recorded 12 tackles for loss as he part of a defense that allowed only 194 points during the season, including just two points in the National Championship Game against Florida State.

Oklahoma entered the game ranked #3 and were the defending national champions in head coach Bob Stoops' second year in Norman.
With All-American linebacker Torrence Marshall and All-American free safety J.T. Thatcher gone, Williams was going to have to step up his play if the Sooners were going to repeat as national champions in 2001.
The Sooners won their first four games of the season as their entered their annual showdown with the Texas Longhorns in the Cotton Bowl, who also entered the game ranked in the top 5, coming in at the #5 spot.
Texas was led by head coach Mack Brown and junior quarterback Chris Simms, son of former New York Giants quarterback and Super Bowl XXI MVP, Phil Simms, who was named the starting quarterback during 2001 spring practice, sparking a major controversy amongst Longhorn fans as he was replacing Major Applewhite, who had led Texas to 23 wins over the past three seasons and thrown for nearly 8,000 yards and 57 touchdown passes.
Even though Simms and the Longhorns looked impressive in their first four wins of the season, it was going to take a win over Oklahoma for Simms to quiet the critics.

Texas quarterback Chris Simms would threw four interceptions, three of them in the 4th quarter.

 After both teams punted on their opening possessions of the game, the Longhorns took over at their 20-yard-line and were able to drive to the Sooners' 45-yard-line thanks to a pair of completions from Simms to Texas' own Roy Williams that totaled 41 yards.
However, the drive to start to deteriorate from there as a holding penalty and a quarterback sack led to a 3rd & 20 where Simms was intercepted by Oklahoma defensive back Andre Woolfolk(who had been a wide receiver the year before)whose 39-yard return gave the Sooners an excellent scoring opportunity as they took over at the Longhorns 23-yard-line.
But the Texas defense did not allow a 1st down, forcing a 42-yard field goal attempt by Tim Duncan whose kick sailed wide left and no good keeping the game scoreless with 2:35 left in the first quarter.
The Longhorns would get the next great scoring opportunity when Sooners punter Jeff Ferguson shanked a 2nd quarter punt that only went 27 yards giving Texas the ball at the Oklahoma 47-yard-line.
A pass interference penalty and a 14-yard pass from Simms to Tony Jeffrey gave the Longhorns a 1st down at the Sooners' 18-yard-line, only to have the Oklahoma defense force a 35-yard field goal attempt by Dusty Mangum, which was blocked by Woolfolk and landed in the lands of Williams, whose 18-yard return gave Oklahoma the ball at their 39-yard-line with 10:30 left before halftime.
After two straight incomplete passes to start the drive, quarterback Nate Hybl connected with Mark Clayton for 11 yards and a 1st down at the 50-yard-line as Texas defensive tackle Marcus Tubbs nailed Hybl after the pass was thrown.
Hybl would leave the game and not return, replaced by sophomore quarterback and future Heisman Trophy winner Jason White.
Following a four-yard run by Griffin on 1st down, White connected with Clayton for a eight-yard gain and a 1st down at the Texas 38-yard-line, which was followed by a five-yard loss by Griffin.
White would then hit Clayton on back-to-back completions totaling 13 yards and setting up a 4th & 2 situation from the Longhorns' 30-yard-line when Stoops decided to go for it.
The gamble paid off as Griffin ran for 17 yards to give Oklahoma a 1st down at the Texas 13-yard-line.
Then after a 11-yard run by White, Griffin punched it in for a two-yard touchdown to give the Sooners a 7-0 lead with 5:56 left in the first half.
The Longhorns would begin their next drive from their 20-yard-line but in five plays would be in Sooner territory at the Oklahoma 36-yard-line after Simms completed four passes in a row, the last being a 25-yard completion to tight end Bo Scaife.
Victor Ike would pick up the next 15 yards on two straight running plays after Ike caught a four-yard pass on 3rd & 4, the Longhorns had a 1st & 10 at the 11-yard-line with under a minute to go.
But the Longhorns could not get into the end zone as a one-yard run by Ike and two straight incomplete passes led to a 27-yard field goal by Mangum to make a 7-3 game in favor of the Sooners as the first half came to a close.

Oklahoma quarterback Jason White would come off the bench and account for 146 yards of total offense(108 passing, 36 rushing).

Most of the third quarter would be a defensive stalemate as both teams traded punts and combined for only two 1st downs until the Sooners took over at their 42-yard-line with 3:22 left in the quarter and put together the best drive of the second half.
The drive began with a 18-yard pass from White to Griffin to give the Sooners a 1st down at the Texas 40-yard-line.
Then after Griffin was dropped for a four-yard loss on 1st down, White would hit Clayton for 10 yards on 2nd down, then Antwone Savage for five yards on 3rd down for another Oklahoma 1st down.
White picked up another Oklahoma 1st down when he kept the ball on a quarterback sneak on a 3rd & 1 at the Texas 20-yard-line as the third quarter came to a close.
After a seven-yard run by Griffin on 3rd & 1, the Sooners had a 1st & goal at the Texas three-yard-line with a chance to push the lead into double digits.
However, the Longhorns defense rose up and dropped Griffin for a four-yard loss on 1st down, then forced White to throw two straight incomplete passes, leading to seemingly what would be a chip-shot 24-yard field goal by Duncan.
But Duncan's kick sailed wide left and the Longhorns escaped still trailing 7-3 with the ball at their 20-yard-line and 13 minutes to go in the game.
Simms and the Longhorns would drive to the Sooners' 34-yard-line until Simms was picked off on a end zone pass by defensive back Antonio Perkins, ending the Texas scoring threat and giving Oklahoma the ball at their 20-yard-line.
The Sooners would able to drive deep into Texas territory primarily on the legs of White, who ran the ball five times for 36 yards on the drive and completed a 13-yard pass to Savage as well.
However, the drive stalled at the Longhorns' 27-yard-line as the Sooners faced a 4th & 16 with just over two minutes to go.
Conventional wisdom suggested a field goal to extend the lead to a touchdown, but with Duncan having missed field goals of 42 and 27 yards earlier in the game, Stoops did not have a lot of confidence in Duncan making a field goal.
But Stoops sent the field goal unit where it appeared they were lining up for a 44-yard field goal attempt only to have White, the holder, pitch the ball to Duncan who pooched punted the ball in an attempt to pin the Longhorns deep in their own territory.
The plan worked perfectly as Texas strong safety Nathan Vasher, thinking it was a pass, caught the ball at his own three-yard-line, meaning the Longhorns would have to drive 97 yards for a potential game-winning touchdown with 2:06 left.
But the drive never really got started as on the first play from scrimmage following the punt, Simms dropped back to threw a pass, only to have Williams jump over Texas running back Brett Robin and hit Simms' left arm just as he was about to throw, causing the ball to flutter into the hands of linebacker Teddy Lehman for a shocking touchdown to extend the Sooners' lead to 14-3 with 2:01 to go in the game.

One play after the ensuing kickoff, Williams would strike again as he would pick off Simms the Sooners the ball at their 47-yard-line with 1:46 left and a chance to run out the clock.
However, the Texas defense would force a three-and-out and after using all three timeouts, got their offense the ball back at their 15-yard-line with 74 seconds left to pull off a miracle.
But that miracle would not come as the Longhorns could not get a 1st down as Simms was sacked twice, forcing a turnover on downs, and giving Oklahoma the ball with 35 seconds left.
And after White took a knee, the Sooners had a 14-3 win, their 18th in a row.
Three weeks later, the Sooners' winning streak would end at 19 as they lost 20-10 to their other arch rival, the Nebraska Cornhuskers, then would be shocked by the Oklahoma State Cowboys 16-13 in the last game of the regular season, paving the way for Texas, who had not lost since their meeting with the Sooners, the Big 12 South title and a spot in the Big 12 Championship Game against Colorado.
With a chance to get into the BCS National Championship Game against Miami with a win, the Longhorns fell to the Buffaloes 39-37 as Simms' four 1st half turnovers put Texas in a 29-10 hole they could not get out of.
Both teams would finish the season with identical 11-2 records though Texas finished one spot ahead of Oklahoma in the final AP poll(Texas #5, Oklahoma #6) despite the loss to the Sooners.
As for Williams, he would win the Bronko Nagurski Trophy giving to the best defensive player in the country as well as the Jim Thorpe award given to the best defensive back for his 2001 season.
Williams entered the 2002 NFL draft and was selected with the #8 overall pick by the Dallas Cowboys, where he played for seven seasons at free safety and strong safety, being named to the Pro Bowl five years in a row(2003-2007).
Williams would be released by the Cowboys after the 2008 season, leading him to sign with the Cincinnati Bengals where he would play for two years before hanging up his cleats after nine seasons in the NFL.
Even though he went on to have a stellar career in the NFL, Williams is still best remembered for the "Superman Play" in the 2001 edition of the Red River Rivalry.
In fact, a plaque of the play is on the wall of the Roy Williams Strength & Speed Complex on the campus of the University of Oklahoma.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Colts Comeback To Beat Patriots + Win AFC East

Colts quarterback Bert Jones threw for 340 yards and three touchdown passes in leading the Baltimore Colts to their third straight AFC East division championship.

When most fans think of the rivalry between the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts,
they think of the numerous duels between quarterbacks Tom Brady and Peyton Manning and the now
infamous “Deflategate” saga.
But believe it or not, this rivalry goes back all the way to the year 1970 when the then Baltimore Colts
and then Boston Patriots were put together in the AFC Eastern Division after the AFL-NFL merger.
However, the series between the two teams was not all that memorable as the neither team could attain
the success of the Miami Dolphins of the early 1970s and mid 1980s or the Buffalo Bills of the early 1990s.
But on the last Sunday of the 1977 season, the two teams did play a significant game and is as memorable
as some of the games from the recent series.
The Colts were the two-time defending AFC East Champions and were led by head coach Ted Marchibroda
and quarterback Bert Jones.
Baltimore seemed poised for another AFC East title and a trip to the playoffs after going 9-1 in their first 10
games, but a three-game losing streak had them on the brink of missing out on the playoffs as the Miami Dolphins
as well as the Patriots.
The New England Patriots had been to the playoffs the year before as a wild card team but were eliminated
by the eventual Super Bowl champion Oakland Raiders after a controversial roughing the passer penalty gave
the Raiders new life and a chance to score the winning touchdown.
The Patriots were under the helm of head coach Chuck Fairbanks and quarterback Steve Grogan and after going
5-4 in their first nine games of the season, the Patriots had won their last four games to put them at 9-4 and
in a three-way-tie with the Colts and the Dolphins for the AFC East title.
With only one wild card spot available and already taken by the Raiders, the only way, the Colts, Dolphins, or
Patriots could get into the playoffs was to win the AFC East.The day before the Patriots and the Colts were to met in Baltimore,
the Dolphins defeated the Buffalo Bills 31-14, eliminating the Patriots and meaning the Colts had to beat
New England in order to win the division since they held the tiebreaker over the Dolphins by beating Miami in the games
Baltimore had with them.

Patriots quarterback Steve Grogan accounted for 166 yards of total offense(129 passing, 37 rushing) and two touchdowns(1 passing, 1 rushing).

After both teams punted on their opening possessions, the Colts were able to drive from their own 25-yard-line
to the Patriots’ 21-yard-line to set up a 38-yard field goal attempt by Toni Linhart.
But Linhart’s kick sailed wide left and New England took over at the 21, then drove to the Colts’ 47-yard-line
where it appeared the drive stalled when Grogan threw an incomplete pass on a 3rd down, only to have Baltimore
defensive tackle Mike Barnes be called for roughing the passer, giving the Patriots an automatic 1st down
and keeping the drive alive.
Six plays later, Grogan found tight end Russ Francis for a 5-yard touchdown that put the Patriots on the
scoreboard with a 7-0 lead, 47 seconds into the second quarter.
After another exchange of punts, the Colts went 61 yards in 11 plays, which included a 31-yard pass play
from Jones to tight end Raymond Chester, to set up another field goal attempt for Linhart, this time from 28
yards out.
Linhart’s kick was good to make it a 7-3 game with five and a half minutes before halftime.
Following a 30-yard kickoff return by Doug Beaudoin, the Patriots would go 69 yards on 12 plays, 10 of them
running plays, for their second touchdown of the game.
Cunningham did most of the damage as he carried the ball six times for 40 yards, but it was Grogan who get
the touchdown as he snuck it in from the one-yard-line, to increase the Patriots’ lead to 14-3 with 28 seconds
left in the first half.
The Colts drove into Patriots territory in the final seconds but run out of time before they could attempt
another field goal, which kept the deficit at 11 points, 14-3 at halftime.
The Patriots looked to keep the momentum going as they received the opening kickoff of the 2nd half.
They did that and more as Raymond Clayborn ran the kick back 101 yards for his 3rd return touchdown of the
season, and to increase the New England lead to 21-3(sound familiar Colt and Patriot fans) just 22 seconds
into the second half.

Patriots running back Sam Cunningham carried the ball 16 times for 66 yards and caught 4 passes for 41 yards.

Now down 18 points, the Colts needed a touchdown quickly on their chances of a 3rd straight AFC East title
would go down in smoke.
They got that touchdown as Jones connected with Glenn Doughty for a 14-yard touchdown on a 5-play,
60-yard drive that took only 2 minutes and 2 seconds, that cut the deficit to 21-10.
After another exchange of punts, the Patriots got the ball at their own 48-yard-line and drove 40 yards in nine
plays to set up a 30-yard field goal by John Smith to make it a two-touchdown game at 24-10 with 4:19 left in
the third quarter.
The Colts’ next drive seemed doomed from the start as Jones was sacked on the first play of the drive,
then threw an incomplete pass, setting up a 3rd-and-18 from the Baltimore 22-yard-line.
That is when the Patriots decided to use a safety blitz, only to have Jones make them pay for it, as he found
a wide open Chester at the Patriots’ 30-yard-line, who made the catch and ran in untouched for a shocking
78-yard touchdown that had Baltimore on the brink of making it a one-score game.
However, Linhart’s extra point was blocked by Patriots safety Tim Fox to keep it 24-16 with 3:34 left in the
third quarter and with no two-point conversion on the table, the Colts would have to get at least two scores to win the game, .
instead of scoring a touchdown, then kicking the extra point and taking their chances in overtime.It appeared that the Colts would get that extra score after a short Patriots punt gave the Colts the ball at theNew England’ 37-yard-line, setting up a potential 45-yard field goal by Linhart after three plays gained nineyards. But Linhart’s kick was short and wide to the left, keeping it a 24-16 game in favor of the Patriots.As the fourth quarter began, the Patriots were trying to add to their lead as they faced a 3rd-and-8 at their own 44-yard-line.That is when cornerback Norm Thompson intercepted a pass intended for Russ Francis at the Baltimore 34 andmade a 20-yard return, giving the Colts the ball at the New England 46-yard-line.Five plays later, Jones threw his third touchdown pass of the game, this one to Freddie Scott from 12 yards outand after Linhart’s extra point the Colts were within one point, 24-23 with 11:27 to play in the game.Needing a stop to give their offense the ball back, the Colts’ defense rose up and forced a three-and-out onlyto have punter Mike Patrick’s kick go 64 yards to be downed at the Colts’ one-yard-line with 8:50 remaining.

Colts running back Lydell Mitchell carried the ball 23 times for 83 yards and caught five passes for 51 yards.

Once again, it seemed the Colts were headed for certain doom until Jones connected with Doughty
for a 57-yard completion to put Baltimore in New England territory at the Patriots’ 39-yard-line.
The Patriots defense tried their best to stop the Colts as they forced three 3rd down situations, but gave up a
1st down each time, twice on penalties and the other on a 18-yard pass from Jones to Mitchell.
Suddenly, the Colts had a 1st-and-goal at the Patriots’ six-yard-line in prime position to take their first lead
of the game.That is when the most controversial call of the game happened.
Before the snap, Jones audibled from a passing play to a run, so he dropped back to hand the ball off,
but no Colt running back was there, and he was hit by linebacker Steve Zabel, jarring the ball loose which
was recovered by fellow linebacker Sam Hunt.
As Hunt started to run down the field for an apparent game-icing touchdown, whistles starting to blow.
It turned out that referee Fred Silva had blown the whistle before the ball came out, keeping the ball with
the Colts at the six-yard-line.
Then after a three-yard run by Mitchell, Jones handed the ball to McCauley who rambled in from three yards
out for the go-ahead touchdown and after Linhart’s extra point, the Colts had their first lead of the game at
30-24 with 2:44 to play.
Trying to avoid another runback by Clayburn, the Colts kicked it short, giving the Patriots, great field
position at their own 45-yard-line after a 16-yard return by Rod Shoate.
New England gained 14 yards on three plays until Thompson intercepted Grogan again, and his subsequent
19-yard return gave the Colts the ball at their own 42-yard-line with 1:50 to go.
However, the game was not over as the Patriots still had all three timeouts in their pocket, so the Colts
needed a 1st down to ice the game.
After two runs by Mitchell gained only three yards and two timeouts spent by the Patriots, the Colts were
faced with a 3rd-and-7 with 1:39 to go.
That is when Baltimore caught a break when linebacker Pete Barnes was called for offsides, moving the
Colts five yards closer to a potential game-winning 1st down with a 3rd-and-2.
And when fullback Roosevelt Leaks ran up the middle for 39 yards, the game was over and the Colts were
AFC East Champions for the third straight year with a 30-24 win.
The Colts hoped to use the magic from this comeback victory into the playoffs but they were eliminated
six days later by the Oakland Raiders 37-31 in double overtime in a game that featured the famous
“Ghost to the Post” play.
After their loss to the Raiders, the Colts would not return to the playoffs for a decade and by then had moved
to Indianapolis.
Meanwhile, the Patriots would go on to win the AFC East the next year, but went on to win the division only
four more times before realignment in 2002 split up the Colts and the Patriots into separate divisions.
The Patriots remained in the AFC East with the Dolphins, Bills, and Jets while the Colts moved to the
AFC South with the Tennessee Titans, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Houston Texans.
However, since 2003, the two teams have met each other in the regular season every year except one(2013)
and faced each other five times in the playoffs, with the Patriots winning four of them.