The College Football Blog: Best Games of 2010 by Conference

Remembering the Best Games of the 2010 College Football Season

So this entry is the result of both my obsession with sports and my obsessive compulsiveness. These are (much) more detailed recaps of the games that I selected as the “best games” of the season in my awards entry. It’s separated by conference at first. Some conferences have more games than others because there were a number of ties. Read on if you dare.

ACC

Week 9: FSU @ NC State. A big Thursday night game with major conference implications. Two of the better QB’s in the conference faced off in this one, with both scoring more TD’s than they threw (Christian Ponder had a TD pass and 2 rushing TD’s; Russell Wilson had a TD pass and 3 rushing TD’s). The home team scored 1^st and led 7-0 after 1, but FSU scored 3 consecutive TD’s in the 2^nd quarter to take a 21-7 lead to the half. NC State stormed in the 3^rd quarter, scoring 2 TD’s to tie it up at 21-21 heading to the 4^th.

FSU retook the lead on a FG with 9:07 remaining in the 4^th. NC State finally went back in front, 28-24, on a TD pass by Russell Wilson on 4^th and goal from the 1 with 2:40 to play. The Noles marched right down the field, but on 2^nd and goal from the 4 they fumbled and NC State recovered with 45 seconds left to save the win. For a while it looked like this game might determine the winner of the ACC Atlantic, but a loss at Maryland in the season finale cost the Wolfpack a spot in the conference title game.

Week 10: UNC @ FSU. A back and forth shootout. TJ Yates threw for 439 yards and 3 TD’s, while Christian Ponder threw for 264 yards and 3 TD’s, but the Noles were done in by a couple of failed FG attempts. The two teams traded blows in the first half, with FSU taking a 28-21 lead to the break. UNC outscored the Noles 10-0 in the 3^rd quarter to take a 31-28 lead, and they added a FG early in the 4^th to extend their lead to 6.

The Heels sent the ensuing kickoff out of bounds and the Noles marched inside UNC’s red zone. FSU had a 3^rd and 1 from the 17, but a holding penalty killed the drive and they settled for a 42-yard FG attempt by Dustin Hopkins. Hopkins missed wide right and UNC got the ball back with 7:51 to play, but disaster occurred moments later when the Heels attempted to punt on 4^th and 12 from their 41. The ball was snapped over punter CJ Feagles’ head, and nearly reached the end zone. Feagles chased after it and when he reached the ball at the 2-yard line he kicked out of the back of the end zone, thinking a safety would be preferable to giving FSU the ball at the goal line. This seemed like a good idea, except that kicking the ball intentionally is not allowed. The result was that the ball was ruled dead at the 2 and was then moved half the distance to the goal for an illegal kick. FSU scored from the 1 on the next play to take a 35-34 lead with 5:49 on the clock.

Now trailing by a point, the Heels got the ball back at their own 23 following the kickoff. In 8 plays they moved all the way down inside the 10 and had a 1^st and goal at the 9. On 2^nd and goal from the 4, FSU stuffed Anthony Elzy for no gain and called their first timeout with 1:05 remaining. Yates lost a yard on 3^rd down, and the Heels sent out Casey Barth, who hit a 22-yard chip shot to put North Carolina back in the lead, 37-35, with 55 seconds to play. The Seminoles still had a couple of timeouts in their pocket and they still had Greg Reid, who returned the ensuing kickoff back 50 yards, taking it all the way to the UNC 45, where the Noles took over with 44 seconds left.

Needing only a FG to win, the Seminoles did not need to rush anything, but considering that Hopkins had missed from 42 earlier in the quarter, it seems (in hindsight) like they could have done more to make the kick as short as possible. On the first play, Ponder completed a pass over the middle to Taiwan Easterling, but the play gained just 3 yards and took 17 seconds off the clock. On 2^nd and 7, Ponder fired complete to Willie Haulstead on a slant that picked up 9 yards for a 1^st down at the 33. Ponder spiked it to stop the clock with 17 ticks left. Ponder then went back to Haulstead for a gain of 13 yards and another 1^st down at the 20. Haulstead got out of bounds to stop the clock with just 10 seconds to go, but for some reason the Noles called their 2^nd timeout. Ponder then took the snap and moved the ball to the center of the field before taking a knee at the 22 for a 2 yard loss. The Noles called their final timeout with 7 seconds on the clock. It was left up to Hopkins to hit a 40-yarder for the win. UNC called a timeout to freeze the kicker. It may have worked, because Hopkins was again wide right. Yates took a knee and the Heels hung on for a 37-35 win. It was the 2^nd straight heartbreaker for FSU and the 2^nd week in a row that they were done in by an unforced error in the closing seconds. At the time, it looked like this 2-week stumble might end up killing Florida State, but they would rebound, winning their final 4 games to take the Atlantic Division title.

Week 12: NC State @ UNC. With NC State needing a victory to stay alive in the ACC Atlantic race, the Heels looked to play spoiler against their in-state rivals. TJ Yates threw for 411 yards and 2 touchdowns, but the Heels could not put the Wolfpack away, and NC State came up with a handful of incredible plays to get the win and keep their hopes of a trip to the conference championship game alive.

North Carolina moved into NC State territory on their 2^nd possession of the game. On 2^nd down from the 41, Yates completed a pass to Ed Barham for 13 yards, but Barham fumbled and the Pack recovered at their own 28. On the next UNC possession, the Heels came back from a 2^nd and 23 on the way to an 81 yard TD drive. Leading 7-0 after 1, the Heels were inside NC State territory again on their next possession. A false start penalty on 2^nd and 5 from the NC State 35 stalled the drive, and 2 incomplete passes later the Heels punted on 4^th and 10 from the 40. The Wolfpack then went on an 87 yard TD drive to tie the game. On the next NC State possession, Russell Wilson was picked off and UNC took over at the Wolfpack 39 with 7:52 remaining in the half. The Heels drove for a 1^st and goal at the 10, but it turned into 3^rd and goal at the 9. UNC picked up 7 yards on 3^rd down to bring up 4^th and goal from the 2 and they settled for a FG to make it 10-7.

The two teams traded FG’s and UNC took a 13-10 lead to the half. North Carolina’s 1^st possession of the 2^nd half began at the Wolfpack 39. They converted on 4^th and 3 from the 32 to keep the drive alive, and eventually had a 1^st and goal at the 7. But it turned into 4^th and goal from the 4 and they had to settle for another FG to make it 16-10. UNC’s next possession started at their own 13, but 11 plays later they were at the NC State 21, facing a 2^nd and 5. The drive stalled, and on 4^th and 4 from the 20 they settled for yet another Casey Barth FG to make it a 2 score game with less than a minute remaining in the 3^rd.

The Wolfpack moved into UNC territory on their next possession but they faced 3^rd and 18 at the 42. Wilson dropped back to throw on 3^rd down and had to dodge a guy coming from his right. He rolled right, turned up field and froze a defender right in front of him with a pump fake. He crossed the line of scrimmage, stiff armed a guy, and cut back across the middle of the field, picking up the first down along the way, and eventually going out of bounds at the 8 after a pickup of 34. A late hit on the Heels made it 1^st and goal at the 4. However, UNC’s defense stiffened, and 3 plays later the Pack were looking at 4^th and goal from the 2.

NC State trailed 19-10 but there was more than a full quarter left in the game. Still, Tom O’Brien elected to go for it and Wilson took the snap in the shotgun. He was pressured immediately from his right and had to spin to avoid a sack. He moved out of the pocket towards his right but several defenders closed in. Wilson moved steadily closer to the sideline and further away from the end zone before finally letting the ball fly at the 20 while falling back with a man all over him and another in his face. With just a flip of the wrist Wilson was able to get an absurd amount on the throw, which was lofted into the back right corner of the end zone where a large crowd of players from both teams had congregated. Wilson had actually gotten a bit too much on the throw, and as UNC safety Da’Norris Searcy jumped up to bat the ball down he was actually falling out of the end zone. Searcy didn’t know where he was, and on desperation heaves—which this clearly was—defensive players are taught to knock the ball down. In this instance, Searcy would have been better off letting the ball get in on him and trying to catch it. NC State WR Darrell Davis went for the ball with his back turned to the QB, and he was right in front of Searcy and would have been out of bounds if he had been able to reach the ball first. Searcy was in position to make the play and he jumped up and got to the ball first, but instead of the ball being batted to the turf it ricocheted off of Davis and into the field of play. The ball went past another defender and receiver who were engaged at that moment. The ball had been thrown over the head of WR Owen Spencer but he turned his back to the line of scrimmage and moved towards the back of the end zone as the ball came down and it happened to come back towards him after the deflection. A normal person would have watched it land in front of them before the thought even registered, but Spencer’s reflexes allowed him to dive and pull the ball in before he fell on his stomach for a TD.

Almost no one was aware what had happened for several moments. The game was telecast by one of those local southeast cable sports channels and their coverage of the play was pretty humorous. At the end of the play, the play-by-play guy paused and then said “incomplete,” and the camera pulled up from the action and focused on the stands right by the end zone for no particular reason. After a moment or two they cut to a shot of Russell Wilson celebrating. Co-announcer Dave Archer started to explain that there had actually been a tipped pass caught by an NC State player, but the lead announcer cut him off by loudly proclaiming “touchdown.” Archer was then able to finish explaining to the rest of us what the hell had happened. The lead announcer then stated “And now we’re gonna have a penalty for excessive celebration.” Thankfully, Archer was there to set us straight, as the camera man (along with the lead announcer) had missed the action again. In the confusion after the play, two players had gotten into a scuffle, and UNC LB Kevin Reddick had thrown a punch. Archer was still trying to clean up the rest of the broadcast team’s mess when the lead announcer began to talk loudly about Wilson and instruct us to “watch the ball now” as the replay began.

Anyway, the altercation resulted in both Reddick and NC State WR Jarvin Williams being tossed from the game. With less than a minute remaining in the 3^rd, NC State was within 2, down 19-17. The Heels got it back and started out at their own 41 following the kickoff. They moved across midfield and got a 1^st down at the Wolfpack 43, but on 2^nd and 10, Yates was sacked for a loss of 6 on the final play of the 3^rd quarter. On the 1^st play of the 4^th, Yates was sacked on 3^rd down for a loss of 7 back at the UNC 44.

On 4^th and 23, CJ Feagles came on to punt and got off a kick without much loft that TJ Graham caught at the 13. Graham received the kick at the left hash and went ahead and to his left immediately. By the time he had reached the 25 he was just a few feet from the sideline. I mention this because when a guy is that close to the boundary that early in a return he is almost always going to get knocked out of bounds at some point unless he tries to cut back. But Graham didn’t cut back, and remarkably, he was never touched. Most of the punt coverage team either lost contain by heading towards the middle or got blocked. There was one Tar Heel who was in perfect position to knock Graham out of bounds or trip him up. Unfortunately for Carolina, that player happened to be punter CJ Feagles. As Graham reached the NC State 43 he was still 2 feet from the sideline. At this point, Feagles was 5 yards ahead at the 48 and was 3 feet from the sideline. It seems like Feagles should have been able to cover the foot of distance between them on the y-axis before Graham was able to cover the 5 yards between them on the x-axis. Yet contact never occurred between the two. Feagles dove and whiffed, and Graham was already on the other side of the midfield stripe at the 48 as Feagles face planted into the thick white out of bounds stripe on the NC State sideline. He was gone, 87 yards for the touchdown to put NC State ahead for the first time in the game.

The Seminoles now trailed 24-19 and they appeared to be a bit shaken, as they went 3-and-out on their next possession. NC State got it back at their own 37 after the punt and there was still 14 minutes left in the game. The Wolfpack moved back into FSU territory and inside the red zone. With a 1^st and goal at the 9, NC State had a chance to put the game away, and Mustafa Greene ran up the middle for 6 yards to bring up 2^nd and goal at the 3. But a false start backed NC State up to the 8 and Wilson was stopped after a gain of a yard on the next play. On 3^rd and goal from the 7, Wilson went to Spencer but he was brought down at the 2. NC State took a delay of game and on 4^th and goal from the 7 they settled for a short FG to make it 27-19. That kept it a one score game, but NC State had been able to take 6:19 off the clock, leaving UNC 5:41 to tie the game.

The Heels had to start their next drive at their own 21 but they quickly moved down the field. Anthony Elzy caught a pass for 17 yards on the first play, taking the ball out to the 38. On the next play, Elzy got the ball on a screen and went 42 yards, taking it all the way to the 20. But moments later UNC faced 4^th and 2 from the 12. Yates completed a pass to Josh Adams for 4 yards and a 1^st and goal at the 8. But on the next play, Yates was dropped for a sack and a loss of 8. UNC tried to setup a screen on 2^nd down but the pass was incomplete. On 3^rd and goal from the 16, Yates hit Erik Highsmith right in front of the goal line for 15 yards, bringing up 4^th and goal at the 1. On 4^th down, TE Christian Wilson snuck through and came out the wash wide open in the back of the end zone, where Yates found him for the TD. Now they needed the conversion. Yates dropped to throw but was quickly pressured and had to throw while running to his right. He sent the pass to the same spot that Wilson had gone to on their improbable TD, but NC State broke it up to maintain a 27-25 lead with 1:04 to go.

UNC had to go for the onsides kick and NC State recovered at their own 39. However, the Heels still had 3 timeouts, and they forced one of the quickest 3-and-outs in history. NC State had taken the lead when UNC’s punter failed to make a play. Now NC State’s punter Jeff Ruiz would make the lead stand up. On 4^th and 10 from the 39, Ruiz got off a 57 yard boot that was downed at the UNC 4 with just 49 seconds remaining. On 2^nd and 5 from the 9, Yates was sacked in the end zone by Terell Manning for a safety. UNC was not quite dead, as they still had a chance for an onsides kick, but the Pack recovered at the 30. Wilson took a knee to finish off the 29-25 win. The victory put NC State in position to take the Atlantic Division title with a win at Maryland the next week, but they came up short, and Florida State went to the conference championship game.

Big XII

Week 5: Texas A&M @ Oklahoma State. A Thursday night battle between a pair of surprising 3-0 teams still looking to prove themselves. Questions would still remain about both teams after this night, as they combined for 8 turnovers (5 by the Aggies) during the evening. Turnovers hurt the Cowboys early, as the Aggies took a 21-7 lead to the half. It was just the opposite in the 2^nd half, as the Cowboys took advantage of A&M mistakes to storm back and take a 35-21 lead in the 4^th quarter. However, yet another turnover kept the door open a crack for A&M, and the Aggies scored a pair of quick TD’s to tie the score 35-35 with 2:54 remaining. To the surprise of no one, it was one final pick in the final minute that set up Oklahoma State for the win. Dan Bailey’s 40 yard FG at the buzzer gave Oklahoma State the game, 38-35.

This was a huge victory for Oklahoma State, as most were skeptical of their 3-0 start, and when they fell down early in the game it looked like reality was setting in. However, the Cowboys were for real. They pulled this one out and went on to complete the greatest season in Oklahoma State history, going 11-2.

If this win propelled the Cowboys to greatness, it had the opposite effect on the Aggies, as the loss started them on a 3-game losing skid that wiped out their 3-0 start. But there is another way to look at this loss. It was the careless play of Jerrod Johnson that ultimately cost the Aggies in this game and he would continue to struggle over the next few weeks. In A&M’s 7^th game, on the road at Kansas, Johnson split time with Ryan Tannehill and was outplayed. Johnson would not play again during the season, and the Aggies would not lose again until the Cotton Bowl. So in a sense, the game against Oklahoma State was the turning point for the Aggies as well.

Week 10: Nebraska @ Iowa State. Could it happen again? In 2009, Iowa State used an 8-0 edge in the turnover battle to beat the Cornhuskers 9-7 for their first win in Lincoln since 1977. It was following that game that one of the all-time great post game celebrations was captured on film. You scratch your head and try to figure out why anyone would want to go to school in Ames, Iowa, even if they were going there for football. Then you watch that video and no longer wonder. The Cyclones had won at Texas and against Kansas in the two weeks prior to this one and they needed only one more victory to get bowl eligible for a 2^nd straight season. Nebraska was 7-1 and still at least on the fringe of the National Championship hunt.

This time the game was at Ames and had a different feel, as Nebraska won the turnover battle 3-2, and the two teams combined for 61 points. It was scoreless after 1 but the Cyclones led 10-7 at the half. The tables turned on Iowa State in the 2^nd half as Nebraska made a run thanks to ISU turnovers. The Cornhuskers led 24-10 at the start of the 4^th, but a Nebraska turnover helped get the Cyclones back into it, and by the 10:40 mark the score was tied. The Cyclones had a chance to win it in regulation but Grant Mahoney couldn’t hit a 55-yard FG and the game went to OT.

Nebraska scored easily on their first possession, and the Cyclones responded with an equally easy TD on their first possession. Paul Rhodes then made a ballsy decision, calling for a fake on the ensuing PAT. Backup punter Daniel Kuehl was in as the holder and he stood up as soon as he got the snap. Mahoney headed to the left as if to run the option with Kuehl, but the play was really a pass to the guy on the left end of the ISU line. Without a doubt, it was there, but in his attempt to be sure and make a good pass, Kuehl took his time and then soft tossed it, and this allowed for alert Nebraska linebacker Eric Hagg to step in front and intercept to save the Cornhuskers.

Ultimately, the 31-30 OT win allowed Nebraska to take the Big XII North, as they finished with the same record as Mizzu and had the head-to-head tiebreaker. For the Cyclones, this heartbreaking loss was only the start. They would lose at Colorado the next week and then at home against Mizzu in the season finale, finishing the year 5-7 and out of the bowl picture.

Week 13: Oklahoma @ Oklahoma State. Bedlam. This time the Big XII South title was at stake. The game lived up to its name, as the Sooners amassed 588 yards of offense, the Cowboys ran back a pick and a punt for scores, and each team turned it over 3 times. Despite Oklahoma’s struggles on the road and Oklahoma State coming into the game with a 10-1 record, early on it looked like the Sooners would again roll over the Cowboys. But Okie State hung around and they were down just 24-17 at the half. They tied the game on their opening possession of the 2^nd half and it stayed tied into the 4^th.

The Red Heads self destructed at this point, but again the Sooners could not put the game away, getting 3 field goals to make it a 33-24 game. The game ended with a flurry of big plays and scores. The Cowboys cut it to 33-31 with 4:01 remaining, but the Sooners got an 86 yard TD on their next possession to seemingly put the game away. However, Okie State returned the ensuing kickoff 89 yards for a score, essentially negating Oklahoma’s long TD. But then the Sooners got a 76 yard TD to once again go up by 9. The Cowboys kicked a FG with less than a minute to play to make it a one possession game but the Sooners recovered the onsides kick to hang on for a 47-41 win.

The victory for the Sooners meant a 3-way tie for the Big XII South title. And in reality, it meant that the Sooners were going to the conference title game, as it would all come down to the BCS standings, and barring some sort of organized movement amongst the voters, there was no way that Oklahoma wouldn’t be ranked highest as long as they won.

Big East

Week 14: Connecticut @ South Florida. Going into the final week it seemed like every team in the Big East still had a shot at the conference title and a trip to a BCS game. The simplest answer was that if the Huskies beat South Florida they would be the champs and grab the BCS bid, because they would eliminate the Bulls and they held the tiebreaker over both Pittsburgh and West Virginia.

This one was a bit of an ugly game, and that was actually fitting, as it was an ugly year in the conference. Connecticut gained just 232 yards of total offense, but they won the turnover battle 3-2, and got a couple of huge kicks late in the game to pull it out. With the score tied 3-3, USF intercepted at midfield with 1:22 remaining in the first half. But on the very next play, Lawrence Wilson picked off a pass and took it 55 yards to the house to give the Huskies a 10-3 lead at halftime.

A 50-yard FG by Dave Teggart early in the 4^th gave UConn a 16-6 lead, but a fumble by the Huskies star running back Jordan Todman turned the game around. The Bulls took over in Connecticut territory and got a touchdown to cut the deficit to 3. With all the momentum on their side, the Bulls had a 1^st and goal at the 5 with less than 2 minutes to play, but they had to settle for a FG that tied the score at 16-16 with 1:16 remaining. The Huskies then put together a championship drive and Teggart came through again, drilling a 52-yarder to put Connecticut on top with just 17 seconds on the clock. The Huskies hung on to win 19-16, claiming the conference title and securing a bid in a BCS game.

Big Ten

Week 10: Illinois @ Michigan. You might say this one was all about offense. But it would probably be more accurate to say that this one was not at all about defense. The two teams combined for 1237 yards, with Michigan outgaining Illinois 676-561. Illinois had a 5-1 edge in the turnover department but it isn’t enough in the end. Michigan scored a 75 yard TD on the first play of the game. That set the tone. However, this game wasn’t all about offensive success. Denard Robinson threw a pick later in the 1^st quarter, Illinois fumbled it back, Robinson threw another pick, Illinois kicked a FG, Michigan fumbled the kickoff, and Illinois scored a TD and got the 2-point to take a 14-7 lead. Michigan tied it up at 14-14 but Illinois scored on a 62 yard TD on the first play of the ensuing possession to retake the lead 21-14. It went to the half tied at 31-31.

Michigan took a 38-31 lead to the 4^th, but Illinois tied it up on the first play of the 4^th quarter. With Robinson out of the game with yet another injury, Tate Forcier took over at QB and fumbled on the first play of the ensuing possession. Illinois scored to go up 45-38. Forcier then led Michigan on an 80 yard drive to tie it at 45-45 with 1:40 on the clock. Michigan then forced a stunning 3-and-out, but Forcier fired a pick. Illinois played it cautiously and the game went to OT tied up at 45-45.

Michigan scored a TD on their first possession of overtime, but Illinois responded, with Mikel Leshoure scoring on 4^th and goal from the 1. Illinois scored on the first play of their next possession. Michigan answered to tie it at 59-59. In the 3^rd OT session Michigan scored again and they had to go for 2. Forcier hit Junior Hemingway for the conversion to make it 67-59. Leshoure scored from 3 yards out on the next Illinois possession to bring them within a 2-point conversion of tying it again. But Michigan’s defense finally held, breaking up a pass on the 2-point try to end the game with the Wolverines winning 69-67 in 3 overtimes.

Conference-USA

Week 1: Tulsa @ East Carolina. A typical Conference USA shootout, but a brutal way for Tulsa to start the season and a great way for ECU to start the Ruffin McNeil era. Neither defense showed up, as the two teams combined for 1117 yards (Tulsa outgained ECU 579-538). But it was certainly entertaining, as there were 12 lead changes. In his first game with ECU, Dominique Davis threw for 5 TD’s and ran for another. GJ Kinne threw 5 TD’s for Tulsa. This game didn’t start out looking like a shootout and it really didn’t turn into one until well into the 3^rd. There were 33 points scored over the first 37 minutes—not exactly a defensive struggle but not a high total for this conference—and 67 points scored over the final 23 minutes.

A fumble setup ECU’s first TD and Tulsa had a FG try blocked. The Pirates held a 10-7 lead midway through the 2^nd. Tulsa scored to take a 13-10 lead but then lined up in one of those exotic (Pop Warner league) formations on the extra point, splitting up the offensive line and then snapping it directly to a running back who was stopped short of the goal line. It seemed a strange call at the time, but this was only the beginning. The Pirates scored a TD to retake the lead, 17-13, and then Tulsa kicked a FG with 1:13 left in the half to get within a point. The ensuing kickoff went out of bounds but ECU threw a pick and the game went to the half with ECU on top 17-16.

Early in the 3^rd quarter Tulsa was picked off deep in ECU territory, but with 8:00 minutes left in the 3^rd they scored to retake the lead, 23-17. The Pirates responded with a TD to go back up by a point. Then Tulsa scored again, and again they lined up in a gimmick formation and tried to go for 2. This time it was a pass but Kinne rushed his throw and it went incomplete to leave the score 29-24. The Pirates scored early in the 4^th to go back on top 31-29. Tulsa scored on a 75 yard TD to retake the lead but once more they went for 2 out of a silly formation and another incompletion left the score at 35-31. ECU responded with a TD to go ahead by a FG, but Tulsa drove back down the field and scored on a ball tipped high into the air in the end zone and then caught for a touchdown. This time they kicked the PAT to make it 42-38.

The Pirates drove for a TD to make it 45-42 with 6:05 left but that hardly felt safe. The Hurricane went down and scored a TD to take a 49-45 lead with just 1:22 remaining. The Pirates moved fairly quickly to Tulsa’s 46 but they had to burn their last timeout with 34 seconds left. They got a 1^st down at the 33 and spiked it to stop the clock. Davis fired a pair of incompletions to bring up 4^th down and 10 from the 33 with just 5 seconds left. Tulsa called timeout, and one can’t help but wonder how things might have been different if they hadn’t given the Pirates a chance to catch their breath and talk things over. Perhaps it would have made no difference. In any event, on the final play of the game, Davis threw a high ball into the right corner of the end zone, where the Tulsa secondary had somehow allowed not one but two ECU receivers to post up in front of them and the ball came down in the arms of Justin Jones for a Hail Mary touchdown at the buzzer.

The score was 51-49 East Carolina with no time left on the clock. Inexplicably, ECU was flagged for excessive celebration (just how restrained were the Zebra-Machines expecting ECU to be after scoring on a GAME WINNING Hail Mary with NO TIME ON THE CLOCK?) and then forced to lineup and snap the ball for the extra point try from the 18 yard line. The Pirates sanely defused the situation by hiking the ball and taking a knee. The referees now allowed the teams to leave the field with ECU still having won 51-49. For the Pirates, the win got them started on what turned out to be a surprisingly successful year following the departure of Skip Holtz. For Tulsa, the toughest part about losing a game like this right off the bat, was that they knew there was a chance it could really come back to haunt them in the end. And it did. Assuming that everything else played out the way it did, that Hail Mary touchdown ended up costing Tulsa the C-USA West division title and a shot at the conference championship.

Week 6: ECU @ Southern Miss. A huge early C-USA East battle turns into one of the wildest, weirdest games of the season. And it was heated. It got ugly at times, in more ways than one. The two teams combined for 24 penalties that amassed a total of 229 penalty yards. East Carolina committed 9 penalties for 76 yards, while Southern Miss was hit with an outrageous 15 penalties for 153 yards. 6 personal fouls and 1 unsportsmanlike conduct were called (2 personal fouls on ECU, 4 personal fouls and 1 unsportsmanlike conduct on Southern Miss). Both teams had players ejected (Southern Miss MLB Korey Williams at the 11:24 mark of the 2^nd; ECU SS Bradley Jacobs at the 14:54 mark in the 4^th). Amazingly, only 1 player on either side was called for more than 1 penalty (Southern Miss CB CJ Bailey was hit with 2 pass interference penalties and a personal foul).

Despite the typically high score for a C-USA game, this was not really what you would call a display of offensive fireworks. The offenses went a combined 7 for 27 on 3^rd down (3 for 4 on 4^th down). The two teams combined for a modest 742 yards (Southern Miss outgained ECU 404-338) and no player really had a huge game statistically. Southern Miss kicker/punter Danny Hrapmann was probably the player of the game, as he went 5 for 5 on FG tries (28, 39, 39, 49, 49) and 4 for 4 on extra points for 19 total points in the game. He also had a kickoff for a touchback, booted his only punt of the game 55 yards, and picked up 19 yards on an enormous fake punt run late in the game.

The Golden Eagles must have had a hard time figuring out how they managed to lose this one, as they had a 4-0 edge in the turnover battle and a 37:42-22:18 edge in time of possession. They also had a 20-0 lead after the 1^st quarter of play. But ECU turned the tables in the 2^nd quarter, outscoring Southern Miss 17-0. From the 13:25 mark in the 2^nd quarter to the 4:10 mark in the 3^rd quarter the Pirates outscored Southern Miss 38-10. The Golden Eagles went on 13-0 run after that but ECU had the last score, as the teams combined for 50 points in a wild 2^nd half.

Early on the Pirates could do nothing. They got the ball first, and after losing 2 yards on their first play of the game, they fumbled on the 2^nd play and Southern Miss recovered at ECU’s 37. The Golden Eagles turned it into 7 points for the early lead. On their 2^nd possession, ECU went 3-and-out, losing 2 yards total, and got just a 24 yard punt to give Southern Miss the ball at the Pirates 46. The Golden Eagles got a 49-yard FG from Hrapmann for a 10-0 lead. The Pirates’ 3^rd possession yielded just 3 yards, as they went 3-and-out again. A 28 yard punt gave Southern Miss the ball at the ECU 48. Southern Miss converted it into 7 this time to make it 17-0. The Pirates returned the ensuing kickoff 66 yards to the Southern Miss 40, but after the return, they called their 2^nd timeout of the quarter, ran for a yard, and then got picked off at the 30. The Golden Eagles added a 39-yard FG to take a 20-0 lead into the 2^nd quarter.

While ECU was getting dominated offensively and was down 20-0, Southern Miss hadn’t been that great on offense all things considered. The Pirates just needed to do something on offense and it was on the very first play of the 2^nd quarter that the switch was flipped. Facing a 3^rd and 4 in their own territory, the Pirates converted for their first 1^st down of the game. Then they picked up a 1^st down on 3^rd and 7. On the next play, Dominique Davis threw a 46 yard TD to cap an 80-yard drive and get the Pirates on the board. Now it was Southern Miss’s turn to struggle, as they gained only 6 yards and went 3-and-out on their next possession. ECU got the ball back at their own 36 and the Golden Eagles started to lose their poise. A pass interference penalty moved the Pirates to the 49 of Southern Miss. Then Korey Williams threw a punch and was ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct. A personal foul penalty on the Golden Eagles moved the ball to the 16. On 3^rd and 10 from the 16, Southern Miss jumped offsides to make it 3 and 5 at the 11. Yet another personal foul on the Golden Eagles made it 1^st and goal at the 6. Somehow Southern Miss managed to force a FG that made it 20-10.

That hold to limit the Pirates to 3 points began a period of the game when the two defenses took over for a while. But the Golden Eagles would continue to appear rattled. The ensuing kickoff looked like it might go out of bounds but instead the Southern Miss return man fielded it right by the sideline and was called out at the 5. The Golden Eagles gained just 6 yards on 3 plays and had to punt. ECU took over at their own 35, but a personal foul on Southern Miss on the first play moved the ball to the 50. Southern Miss forced a huge 3-and-out and then almost gave it back with a muffed punt but they recovered their own fumble at the 16. This possession lasted only 5 plays and gained just 14 yards and they had to punt. The Pirates went 3-and-out, losing 4 yards. Then Southern Miss lost 4 yards during a 3-and-out. After 5 consecutive empty possessions between the two teams, East Carolina put together a 69-yard TD drive to cut the Southern Miss lead to a FG at the half.

The Golden Eagles got the ball first in the 3^rd quarter and they came up with a huge 68-yard scoring drive. On 4^th and 1 from the ECU 46, the Golden Eagles got a 32 yard pass completion for a 1^st down at the 12, and they went on to score a TD that pushed their lead back to double digits at 27-17. That ended the 17-0 run by the Pirates. But ECU was in the game to stay, and they needed just 3 plays to respond, with Dominique Davis hitting Lance Lewis on a 46 yard TD pass to make it 27-24. The Golden Eagles came back with a 49-yard FG by Hrapmann.

On the ensuing kickoff, Hrapmann booted the ball to the 1, and Dwayne Harris began to bring it back, crossing the 10 before turning and throwing it back across to Jonathan Williams who returned it 89 yards the rest of the way for a touchdown to give the Pirates their first lead of the day, 31-30. A penalty on Southern Miss forced them to start their next drive at the 13, and they would go 3-and-out, losing 8 yards during the series. The punt was returned to the Southern Miss 30, and the Pirates needed just 4 plays to get into the end zone. Stunningly, ECU had gone from down 20-0 to up 38-30.

The Golden Eagles had to do something now and they were able to go down and kick a 39-yard FG to cut the deficit to 38-33. Still, the Pirates looked to take complete control on their next possession. But on 1^st and 10 at their own 48, ECU was picked off at the Southern Miss 24, and the game went to the 4^th quarter with the home team down only 5 and holding the ball. Early in the final period, Southern Miss went for it on 4^th and 2 from the ECU 27 and picked up the 1^st down thanks to a pass interference call. However, ECU held, forcing a short field goal that only got Southern Miss within 2 with 9:13 to play in the game.

Settling for FG’s had Southern Miss in danger of seeing their 11-game home win streak come to an end. On the ensuing East Carolina possession, the Golden Eagles defense took settling for a FG out of the equation. On 2^nd and 14 from ECU 35, Davis tried a shovel pass and it was intercepted by Jaime Collins in the backfield and returned 32 yards for a touchdown. It was a huge play, but the Golden Eagles made a costly mistake following the TD. They called a timeout to setup a 2-point play, but a false start penalty moved them back to the 8 and they ended up just kicking the PAT to make it 43-38 with 7:43 left in the game.

ECU got the ball back and moved down the field, eventually facing 4^th and 2 from the Southern Miss 27. A false start penalty looked to be a crucial mistake, as it was now 4^th and 7 from the 32. But ECU went for it any way, setting up a screen to Michael Brown, and he went all the way for a TD to put the Pirates back on top with 4:36 left. ECU went for 2 to make it a 3-point lead but the pass was broken up and the score remained 44-43. Southern Miss then made another mistake on the kickoff, as Tracy Lampley fielded the ball in the end zone and only managed to make it out to the 10. The Golden Eagles began their drive with 4:31 on the clock and 2 timeouts. They couldn’t get a drive started and faced 4^th and 4 from their own 16. They lined up to go for it, trying to draw ECU offsides but they ended up with a delay of game penalty, making it 4^th and 9 at the 11 with just 3:04 remaining.

At this point Larry Fedora made an extremely ballsy call. Hrapmann came on to punt from his own end zone but instead of kicking it he took off running right. He made it all the way to the 30 for a pickup of 19 and a 1^st down. It was an outrageously big play. However, Southern Miss couldn’t turn it into a game winning play. The drive soon stalled again and they faced 4^th and 10 from their 49 yard line. ECU sacked Davis back at the 36 and took over possession with 1:55 remaining. The Pirates picked up 5 yards over 2 running plays, as the Golden Eagles used their last 2 timeouts. It was now 3^rd and 5 from the 31 with 1:41 on the clock. Williams, who had made the biggest play of the game with his kickoff return, now made the final play, running the ball to the 26 for a gain of 5 and a 1^st down. The Pirates kneeled it twice to run out the clock and hang on for a 44-43 victory. They moved to 3-0 in the conference, 1.5 games ahead of the 1-1 Golden Eagles, and also holding the head-to-head tiebreaker.

Week 9: UAB @ Southern Miss. An unexpectedly entertaining shootout between 2-5 UAB and 5-2 Southern Miss. As you might expect there were some silly offensive numbers in this game. The two teams combined for 1046 yards (Southern Miss outgained UAB 582-464) and 61 first downs (UAB had a 31-30 edge) and they each converted 3 out of 4 attempts on 4^th down. However, this game was at least as much of a comedy of errors as it was a shootout. UAB won the turnover battle 4-3. Southern Miss began 9 different possessions at their own 31 or better, and 6 possessions at their own 40 or better, including 3 inside UAB territory. And for most of the game it was strangely low scoring for a C-USA matchup. The teams combined for just 10 points in each of the first 2 quarters (UAB outscored Southern Miss 7-3 in the 1^st and 2^nd quarters). Just 28 total points had been scored through the first 42 minutes of play, but the two teams combined for 42 points over the final 17:23, and 29 more points were scored in two rounds of overtime. The biggest lead of the game for either team was 14 points and that score held for less than 2 minutes. During the rest of the game neither team led by more than 7 points at any time.

UAB got the ball first and went 77 yards for a TD. Danny Hrapmann kicked a 54-yard FG on Southern Miss’s first possession. That was followed by UAB kicker Josh Zahn somehow missing from 22 yards out. With that missed chip shot the comedy of errors began. 2 plays after the missed kick, Southern Miss completed a 32 yard pass to the UAB 31 but the play ended with a fumble recovered by UAB. One play later the Blazers had a 1^st down at the Southern Miss 40 but the drive stalled and they punted it into the end zone. With 21 seconds left in the 1^st, Southern Miss got off a 16 yard punt that gave UAB the ball at the 30. But on the next play, UAB was picked off at the 5.

The mistakes continued early in the 2^nd as the Golden Eagles lost a fumble at the UAB 38. 2 plays later, UAB was picked off at their own 44. The Golden Eagles got another field goal to make it a 1-point game. UAB drove into Southern Miss territory and went for it on 4^th and 2 from the 37 but an incomplete pass gave it over to the Golden Eagles. On 2^nd and 15 from the UAB 29, Southern Miss was intercepted at the goal line. 3 plays later, UAB was picked off at their own 43. Southern Miss went 3 and out and the Blazers took over at their own 20 with 2:03 left in the half. They went on an 80-yard TD drive to make it 14-6. Following the ensuing kickoff, Southern Miss took over at their own 43 with 51 seconds on the clock and 2 timeouts. They moved the ball to the 1 and called their 2^nd timeout with 12 seconds left. On 2^nd and goal, Austin Davis was stopped for no-gain on a sneak and the Golden Eagles called their last timeout with 8 seconds left. On 3^rd down from the 1, Desmond Johnson got the handoff and was stopped for no gain and the clock ran out with the ball at the 1 and the Golden Eagles down 14-6.

Southern Miss did get the ball first in the 3^rd quarter and they drove for a TD, scoring on a 25-yard run, and then completing a pass for the 2-point conversion to tie the game at 14-14. On Southern Miss’s 2^nd possession of the 3^rd quarter they had a 3^rd and 1 at the UAB 29, but Davis was picked off by Jaime Bender at the 20 and he returned it 52 yards to the Southern Miss 28. The Blazers turned it into 7, scoring with 2:17 left in the 3^rd to take a 21-14 lead. It took Southern Miss just 1:12 to tie it again at 21-21.

Early in the 4^th quarter, UAB went for it on 4^th and 1 from the 3, and Pat Shed ran in for a TD to make it 28-21. On the ensuing Southern Miss possession they had a 4^th and 1 from the UAB 41. They ran a reverse to Johdrick Morris that went for a loss of 9 and gave the Blazers the ball at midfield. Again the Blazers turned it into 7, and though they only had to go 50 yards for the score, they managed to take 3:28 off the clock. They had their biggest lead of the day, 35-21, with 7:13 to play. Southern Miss returned the ensuing kickoff 45 yards to the UAB 41, but they soon faced 4^th and 7 from the 38. Davis completed a pass for 15 yards and a 1^st down and the Golden Eagles went on to score, taking just 1:34 off the clock, to make it a 1 score game with 5:25 left.

UAB went 3-and-out and Southern Miss got the ball back at their own 17 with 3:51 to go and 2 timeouts. The Golden Eagles marched down the field, but in a familiar sight, 1^st and goal at the 6 turned into 4^th and goal from the 8 and they had to call their 2^nd timeout with just 33 seconds remaining. On 4^th down, Davis hit Kevin Bolden for the game tying TD with 28 seconds left. Fittingly, Hrapmann then kicked the ball out of bounds to give UAB the ball at their own 40 with 28 seconds and 2 timeouts to play with. The threat was quickly defused by an offensive pass interference penalty on 1^st down. The Blazers then took a knee and the game went to overtime with the score locked at 38-38.

UAB went on offense first and needed just 4 plays to score to make it 42-35. The Golden Eagles went on offense next and would once again struggle near the goal line, as 2^nd and goal from the 2 turned into 4^th and goal from the 2. Then things got worse, as a false start penalty made it 4^th and goal from the 7. But Davis came through again, firing a TD to Quentin Pierce to even the score up again at 42-42. Southern Miss was right back on offense. It seems like defenses often lose a bit of their fight after having a chance to win the game in overtime and then having to go right back at it. The Golden Eagles needed just 3 plays to score this time, and after 60 minutes and 1.5 rounds of overtime, Southern Miss had their first lead of the game,49-42. It wouldn’t hold up. UAB needed to answer and on 1^st down from the 13 Shed ran it into the end zone to make it a 1-point game. The Blazers called timeout and decided to go for the win. Bryan Ellis then hit TE Jeffery Anderson in the end zone for the 2-point conversion and the 1-point win in double overtime, 50-49. Anderson did not catch a pass the entire game outside of the game winning 2-point conversion. This was the 2^nd of 2 crippling 1-point home losses that would keep Southern Miss’s season from being great.

Week 13: Southern Miss @ Tulsa. Another shootout in the C-USA, this one in the regular season finale. By the time this game got under way, Tulsa knew they couldn’t win the West Division. Southern Miss needed a win to stay alive for the East Division title, but they also knew that their chances were slimmer than slim, as Central Florida only needed to beat Memphis to clinch the title. Maybe this loosened everybody up, because this turned into a true shootout. This was a barn burner from start to finish. The two teams combined for 1197 yards, with Tulsa outgaining Southern Miss 634-563. Each team turned the ball over 3 times. There were 7 scoring plays of at least 36 yards. GJ Kinne had an enormous day for Tulsa, throwing for 406 yards and 4 touchdowns, and also rushing for 48 yards and 2 scores.

Kinne’s big day began early, as he hit Ricky Jordan for a 40 yard TD on Tulsa’s first possession. It did not take Southern Miss long to respond, as Francisco Llanos returned the ensuing kickoff 87 yards for the touchdown to tie the game. Tulsa scored on a 46 yard run to retake the lead. Southern Miss then fumbled it back to Tulsa, and 2 plays later they were in the end zone again to make it 21-7. The Golden Eagles got a FG to make it 21-10 after 1, but early in the 2^nd they missed a 27 yarder and the Golden Hurricane went on an 80-yard TD drive to make it 28-10. With a pair of TD passes and a rushing TD, Kinne had put Tulsa on the verge of turning it into a rout, but his mistakes would allow Southern Miss to get back in it. Deron Wilson picked Kinne off and returned it 36 yards for a touchdown to change the momentum. The Golden Eagles had scored 17 points without an offensive touchdown, but on their next possession they went on an 81-yard drive to get into the end zone and make it a 28-24 game with 1:24 left in the half. The Golden Hurricane got the ball back and looked to stifle some of the momentum before the break, but instead Kinne was picked off inside Southern Miss Territory. The Tulsa defense then picked off a Golden Eagle pass to ensure that they would retain the 4-point advantage at the midway point.

Southern Miss looked to take their first lead of the game early in the 2^nd half, as they had a 1^st and 10 at the Tulsa 40 on their first possession of the 3^rd quarter. But the Golden Hurricane recovered a fumble to kill the drive and then they moved into Golden Eagles territory (confused yet?). However, on 2^nd and 6 from the Southern Miss 27, Tulsa fumbled it back to the Golden Eagles. Now Southern Miss did take the lead for the first time on a 28-yard TD run. They had scored 21 straight. But here the Golden Hurricane answered, with Kinne hitting Willie Carter on a 67 yard TD pass to make it 35-31 Tulsa.

Southern Miss got a FG to make it a 1-point game heading to the 4^th, but on the first play of the final period, Kinne and Carter hooked up again to make it 42-34. Southern Miss answered quickly enough that they didn’t need to go for 2 and the score was 42-41 with still over 10 and a half minutes to play. At this point in the game it started looking a bit like Arena League. Willie Carter scampered 41 yards for a Golden Hurricane TD to make it 49-41 with still 8:23 on the clock. Less than a minute later, Quentin Pierce caught a 67 yard TD pass from Austin Davis to again bring the Golden Eagles within a 2-point conversion of tying it.

There was plenty of time left (7:36). That really wasn’t the issue at this point. The issue was simply that Southern Miss needed to get this thing tied up because they couldn’t stop Tulsa. And why would anyone have expected Tulsa to stop the Golden Eagles on the 2-point try anyway? But they did, breaking up a pass to keep it a 49-47 score. Now Southern Miss was in deep trouble. When Kinne scored at the other end from 3 yards out to make it a 2-possession game with just 3:46 to play, it looked like the Golden Eagles were dead. But this is not the SEC, it’s the C-USA, and it’s not over until it’s over.

The Golden Eagles moved into Tulsa territory with ease. When they found themselves facing 4^th and 8 from the 27 with 2:14 to play they called their last timeout. The timeout situation was almost irrelevant, because even if they had 10 timeouts they would still have had better odds of recovering an onside kick than stopping Tulsa. Needing 2 scores, they made the right call and got a 44-yard FG to make it a 6-point game with 2:11 on the clock. But when they couldn’t recover the onsides kick, this wild, back and forth shootout came to a crashing halt. Tulsa kneeled it 3 times to kill the clock, with the final score 56-50.

In the end, this game meant nothing in terms of determining the conference title, as SMU had already won to clinch the West, and Central Florida would crush Memphis the next day to win the East. The interesting thing is that both teams were basically violated, robbed, and left dying in the gutter by the East Carolina Pirates. As already mentioned, assuming everything else stayed the same, Tulsa would have won the West if not for the loss to ECU on a Hail Mary in the season opener. However, they also would have won the West if ECU had not lost to SMU in overtime in the season finale. Southern Miss lost at home in week 6 to East Carolina by 1 point. Then in week 9 they lost at home to UAB by 1 point in double overtime. That same day, ECU lost to Central Florida. If Southern Miss had beaten ECU, and Central Florida had lost to ECU, the Golden Eagles would have won the tie-breaker over both teams and won the East.

Week 13: SMU @ East Carolina. A shootout in the regular season finale that went into OT. East Carolina’s regular season began with a heart pounding win and ended with a heart breaking loss. Both teams played the game with hopes of earning a spot in the conference championship game. It was a long shot for East Carolina, as they not only had to win, but hope that Southern Mississippi beat Tulsa later that night, and—most improbable of all—hope that Memphis somehow beat Central Florida the next day. SMU’s chances were better and much simpler. All they needed was a win to earn the West Division title.

This was a game that shifted back and forth from one side to the other. ECU scored 14 points over the first 10:10 of the game, but from the 10:50 mark of the 2^nd quarter to the 9:10 mark of the 4^th quarter the Mustangs outscored the Pirates 38-10. However, ECU ended regulation the way they started, scoring 14 points in the final 5:12 to send it to OT. The two teams combined for 902 yards (ECU outgained SMU 452-450) but it really didn’t turn into a shootout until the 2^nd half. Just 24 points were scored in the first half, but the teams combined for 24 in the 3^rd quarter alone and then 28 more in the 4^th.

Things went ECU’s way early on. They went 97 yards for a TD on their first possession. On SMU’s 2^nd possession they fumbled and the Pirates turned it into 7 points to take a 14-0 lead at the end of 1. The Mustangs got going in the 2^nd quarter, getting on the board with a FG, and then scoring their first TD of the game with 1:09 left in the half. The Pirates missed a 50 yard FG try to send it to halftime with ECU ahead 14-10. The Mustangs scored a TD on their first possession of the 3^rd quarter to take their first lead of the game, 17-14. Then Ja’Gared Davis returned a fumble 33 yards for a score to make it a 24-0 run for the Mustangs and a 10-point lead. The Pirates stopped the bleeding momentarily with a FG, but SMU scored on a 53-yard pass to take a 2-TD lead into the 4^th. The Pirates finally got back in the end zone to cut the deficit in half, but SMU responded with yet another score to make it 38-24 with 9:10 remaining.

It did not look good for the Pirates, as they had now allowed 28 points over the last 22 minutes of play. But ECU was not done. Dominique Davis scored on a 9-yard run to make it a 1-score game with 5:12 to go and the defense forced a 3-and-out to get the ball back. The Pirates converted on a 4^th and 4 to keep hope alive, and then on 3^rd and goal from the 7 with no timeouts left, they had the guts to go with a screen pass and it went for the game tying touchdown with just 12 seconds remaining. With the score tied up at 38-38, the game went into overtime.

SMU went on offense first and scored without much trouble. Now it was ECU’s turn, and the Pirates had a 1^st and 10 at the 14, but Richard Crawford intercepted a quick pass over the middle by Davis at the 12. Just like that it was all over. With a 45-38 win, the Mustangs were going on to the conference title game.

MAC

Conference Championship Game: Miami (Ohio) vs. Northern Illinois. A disappointing result for the conference, but a good game with an exciting ending. Northern Illinois had dominated the conference all season, going 8-0 in MAC games, winning all 8 by at least 7 and by an average of 32 points. They were 10-2 overall and had won 9 straight. They were 18.5 point favorites over Miami of Ohio. The RedHawks had also had a very good season in conference, going 7-1, but they were 8-4 overall and only won by an average of 5 points a game within the MAC. They had been blown out by Ohio at home and they had squeaked by some very weak teams. They were also playing with a backup QB. But they had won their last 4, including a win over Temple by 19 points.

The RedHawks outgained NIU by nearly 60 yards, had more 1^st downs, had the ball for 7 more minutes, and won the turnover battle 1-0. The biggest lead in this game at any point would be 6 points, although NIU would never lead by more than a point. After combining for 27 points in the 1^st quarter, the teams scored just 20 points over the final 3 quarters. Neither team ever scored twice in a row. Miami focused on NIU’s star RB Chad Spann and they did a good job controlling him, as he ran for just 54 yards on 17 carries (average 3.2). Chandler Harnish was also held down a bit but he did throw for 3 TD’s. Miami’s backup QB Austin Boucher had a big night, throwing for 333 yards and a TD. Armand Robinson had a huge day, making 14 catches for 176 yards and a touchdown.

Northern Illinois had the ball first but they got only 1 first down and had to punt. Miami’s first drive was impressive. They went 80 yards for a score, with Tim Merriweather scoring on 4^th and goal from the 1 to put the RedHawks on the board first. The PAT was blocked to keep it 6-0, and on the 3^rd play of the ensuing NIU possession, Harnish hit Martel Moore for a 69 yard TD to put the Huskies ahead 7-6. But Miami’s 2^nd possession was even more impressive than their first, as they went 77 yards in just 6 plays and 2:48 to retake the lead 13-7. Northern Illinois got it back and marched right back into Miami territory. On 3^rd and 2 from the 27 Harnish and Moore hooked up for another TD to make it 14-13 NIU at the end of a quarter.

In the 2^nd, NIU stopped the RedHawks for a 3 and out and got the ball after a punt at the Miami 41. The Huskies had a 3^rd and 1 at the 32 but Spann was stopped for no gain. They went for it on 4^th and 1 and he was stopped for a 2 yard loss. Very late in the half the RedHawks moved into NIU territory and they were able to setup for a last second FG, but the 42-yard try was blocked and NIU took a 1-point lead into the half.

Miami got it first in the 2^nd half and they went on another impressive drive, letting everyone know that they were here to compete to the final whistle. They went 82 yards in 10 plays to take a 20-14 lead. On the 2^nd play of NIU’s first drive of the 3^rd quarter, Moore caught a pass for a decent gain but fumbled and Miami recovered at the NIU 44. On the first play after the change of possession the RedHawks got a 35 yard pass completion for 1^st and goal at the 9. But it turned into 4^th and goal at the 5. Then Haywood made a highly questionable call, passing up what amounted to an extra point that would have given Miami a 2 score lead, and running a fake FG. The holder was backup QB Mike Scherpenberg, and he gave a good effort but was stopped at the 2. NIU never moved the ball and they had to punt from the back of their end zone. Miami got it back at the 35. NIU forced a 3-and-out and got it back at the 11.

The Huskies were trailing at the end of 3, but on the first play of the 4^th they retook the lead on a 39 yard TD pass from Harnish to Willie Clark. That capped a 9 play, 89 yard drive that gave the Huskies a 21-20 lead. Miami went 3-and-out, and on the next Huskies drive they came back from a 2^nd and 25 to extend the possession. But the drive stalled at Miami’s 44. The punt was a touchback. Miami’s drive then stalled at midfield, but they downed the punt at the 3, and NIU took over again near their own end zone with just 3:47 remaining.

Once again they were stuck at the 3 and had to punt from the back of the end zone. This time Miami took over at their own 48 with 2:48 and 1 timeout. They trailed by a point. Boucher was sacked for a loss of 10 on 2^nd down and on 3^rd down he threw incomplete. Miami called their last timeout to talk things over with 1:51 to go and 4^th and 20 from their own 38 coming up.

It was at this point that the crucial, and extremely lucky play occurred. Boucher took the shotgun snap and was flushed to his left. He was running for his life and he fired downfield for his running back Merriweather. The pass was basically into the middle of nowhere and LB Tyrone Clark--who had the RB covered--leapt up to intercept but it bounced off of his hands. DB Rashaan Melvin--who was coming up from behind--jumped at about the same time and got flipped head over heels when he hit Merriweather’s shoulder’s. The ball bounced off Clark’s hands and grazed Merriweather’s foot as it went by and fell into the arms of Chris Givens who had not been targeted on the play. He made the catch but was quickly run down. The play picked up 31 yards for a 1^st down at the NIU 31.

The game was 100% over if they hadn’t gotten a 1^st down. Not only did they get a 1^st down, they had the ball at the 31 and they only needed a FG to take the lead. NIU managed to drop Boucher for a sack back at the 33 on the next play and the RedHawks had to go no-huddle on 2^nd and 12. Considering the fact that Miami’s kicker had already had a PAT and a FG blocked, it’s a bit curious that NIU’s defense was so aggressive on the next play. It’s as if they were in desperation/do or die mode, risking everything to try and get a sack that would knock them back to the 40 and out of range.

With the clock running, Miami lined up with 2 receivers to either side and an RB in the backfield to Boucher’s left. NIU was in a typical nickel set with 4 down linemen, 2 LB’s inside, 4 DB’s head up on the receivers and a safety on the defensive right. Then, about a second and a half before Boucher would snap the ball, Melvin moved off of Robinson--who he was head up on in the slot on the defensive left—taking a few steps to his right and forward. A half second before Boucher would snap the ball, both LB’s took a couple quick steps towards the line. Boucher had called blocking assignments and scanned quickly from right to left before calling for the snap as the clock hit 39. The wideout on the offensive left and the DB head up on him jammed each other about 3 yards past the line of scrimmage. The wideout on the offensive right ran a fly down the right side with the DB covering him going with him. The DE on the defensive right rushed around the outside and the left tackle went out and blocked him. The DE on the defensive left dropped a few steps back into coverage. The tackle on the defensive left rushed the QB and basically went through the line free as the center really didn’t block anyone. The tackle on the defensive right dropped back into coverage and the guard on the offensive left really didn’t block anyone. The linebacker on the defensive left blitzed and was picked up head-on by the guard on the offensive right. The linebacker on the defensive right faked a blitz and then stopped. The DB lined up in the slot on the defensive right never gave away his assignment until the ball was snapped. He then came on a blitz from the offensive left and was picked up by the RB Merriweather (although because he did not get a good jump he never even reached the RB). Left alone, the receiver in the slot on the offensive left ran down the left seam going deep.

Melvin—the DB on the defensive left who had moved off of Robinson about a second and a half before the snap—came on a blitz to the offensive right and was picked up by the right tackle. Now, left alone, Robinson—who was in the slot on the offensive right—jogged up and in at an angle towards the middle of the field and just sort of drifted in there. The safety—who had lined up on the defensive right, began sort of shuffling to his left towards the middle at the snap of the ball, but then the slot was going deep up the seam and the safety kind of stopped in what turned out to be no man’s land. Finally, Boucher took the snap with his body tilted a little bit towards his right. He knew Melvin was coming and that Robinson would be open. All he had to do was wait a few ticks for the view to clear up. He knew he had to get rid of it pretty quickly, but instead of throwing it right at Robinson he did lead him a little, up and more towards the center and not too hard. When Robinson caught the ball he was at the 24 yard line in the middle of the field. The LB and linemen who had dropped into coverage were at the 33 yard line. There was no one close to Robinson’s right and the safety was on the opposite hash. Robinson caught the ball and sprinted into the end zone untouched and with no one within 10 yards of him.

On the replay, you can see the NIU coaches frantically waving their arms on the sideline (the DC was several yards onto the field at the snap of the ball) and motioning. At first I thought they were trying to call timeout and that seemed to make sense. But that’s not what they were doing. I’m still not sure what exactly they were doing but they may have been trying to get the safety to get across to the other side. I’m really not sure it would have mattered, because if he had simply raced over to the other side then the slot on the offensive left that had gone deep up the seam would have been wide open. If Boucher had seen him it would have been a touchdown to him. Perhaps the coaches thought they might be able to get to the QB before he could go deep to that guy. Boucher was so deep in the shotgun and he got the ball away so quickly that it really didn’t matter that much about the blocking. They would never have gotten to him.

If it was a busted play, that’s really unfortunate. If the defense was run correctly, I have to give credit to Miami, and wonder if the threat of a FG was worth that big of a risk for NIU. Robinson scored with 33 seconds on the clock to put Miami ahead 26-21. The RedHawks went for 2 and recovered their own fumble in the end zone. It was ruled an illegal touch and the try was no good.

After the kickoff, NIU had the ball at their own 30 with 26 seconds left and 2 timeouts. 3 straight completions gave NIU a 1^st down at the Miami 32 but they used up both of their timeouts and there were just 10 seconds left. Harnish threw incomplete on the next play. On the final play of the game, Harnish dropped back and tried to buy time for his guys to get down field and then he moved up in the pocket and then for some inexplicable reason he crossed the line of scrimmage without ever throwing the ball and was brought down at the 30 by Austin Brown. That was the game. The RedHawks were 26-21 winners.

Mountain West

Week 11: San Diego State @ TCU. Undefeated TCU receives a bigger test than expected against upstart San Diego State. At the time, I thought this game was a bit of a letdown for TCU, as they did not dominate the way everyone expected, and this had been their last chance to shine because their only remaining game was against wretched New Mexico. But in reality, San Diego State was a legitimately good team, and it was actually a good win for the Horned Frogs. It was just a little bit surprising because they had won their first 6 conference games by at least 27 points, including a 47-7 asskicking of Utah the week before. And sometimes the final score doesn’t accurately reflect the play on the field. Certainly San Diego State had a chance to win at the end when they cut the score to 5 with almost 5 minutes left. But overall San Diego State got dominated.

TCU had a gigantic 27-7 edge in 1^st downs and a near 41-19 minute edge in time of possession. TCU outgained San Diego State 466-300, including 226-38 on the ground. The Aztecs were just 2 for 11 on 3^rd downs. The turnover battle was even. Andy Dalton threw 4 touchdowns for TCU. 3 of those TD’s went to Jeremy Kerley, who had 8 catches for 85 yards and a 43 yard punt return. Vincent Brown was the man for San Diego State, catching 4 passes for 167 yards and 2 TD’s.

The Horned Frogs got in trouble when they fell behind early—perhaps suffering a letdown from the previous week’s big win—as San Diego State scored the game’s first 14 points. But the Horned Frogs then went on a 37-0 run (outscoring the Aztecs 21-0 in the 2^nd quarter) that seemingly put the game away. However, San Diego State outscored TCU 21-6 in the 2^nd half. They finished the game the way they had started it, scoring 14 straight points to put a scare in TCU. If TCU’s offense was asleep early, the defense may have letup late. SD State also made the most of a few big plays and TCU did not always make the most out of some great opportunities. The Horned Frogs also did not get much help from their kicking game. In between the start and finish of the game, TCU absolutely dominated, but they had to come back early on and hang on late to win it.

TCU got the ball first. They lost 2 yards on their first play and then got sacked for -11 yards and had to punt after a 3-and-out. The Aztecs took over at their own 46, and on 2^nd and 6 from midfield Ryan Lindley hit Vincent Brown for 49 yards and 1^st and goal at the 1. They scored on the next play to go up 7-0. TCU’s 2^nd possession began with a false start and they again went 3-and-out. The Aztecs again began at their own 46 but this time they went 3-and-out and had to punt. TCU had to begin at the 8 this time. They fumbled on the first play and had to fall on it for a loss of 2. On 3^rd and 12 from the 6, Andy Dalton was sacked, fumbled, and San Diego State fell on it in the end zone to take a 14-0 lead just 4 minutes and 53 seconds into the game.

TCU faced a 4^th and 5 at the San Diego State 38 on their next drive, and Dalton hit Kerley for a TD to cut the deficit in half. The drive was 80 yards on 11 plays and lasted 5:33. While San Diego State had gotten the defensive TD for their second score, they had gone 3-and-out on their last possession and that started a string of 10 consecutive possessions where they did not achieve a 1^st down. On TCU’s next possession they got a big punt return and then went 40 yards in 5 plays to score the TD, but Ross Evans missed the PAT, and TCU was still down a point at the end of the 1^st quarter.

On the next TCU possession, Evans missed a 47 yard FG. TCU went 63 yards in just 6 plays on their next drive and got into the end zone to take their first lead, 20-14. They went 73 yards in just 7 plays on their next drive, with Dalton hitting Kerley for the score to make it 27-14. TCU got it back one more time with 1:19 left, and needed just 6 plays and 55 seconds to go 60 yards for the score. Kerley caught his 3^rd TD pass to make it 34-14 at the half.

The Aztecs went 3-and-out once again on their first possession of the 2^nd half and TCU kicked a FG to make it a 37-0 run. On the 2^nd play of the ensuing SD State drive, Lindley was picked off and TCU got it back at their own 49. It had turned into the blowout that everyone had expected. However, Ross missed another kick, this one from just 25 yards. SD State went 3-and-out again, but TCU went 3-and-out and the Aztecs got it back at their own 24 with 3:13 left in the 3^rd.

The Aztecs were down 23 points and had not made a 1^st down since their opening possession of the game. But on their 12^th possession they converted a 3^rd and 6 and that got them going. A 50-yard completion to Brown got the Aztecs close and 2 plays later they scored to make it 37-21. They went 76 yards in only 6 plays and 2:12 to end the 37-0 run. Early in the 4^th, TCU had to punt it back to San Diego State after a 2^nd straight 3-and-out. On the first play of the ensuing SD State possession Lindley was picked off and TCU returned it to the Aztecs’ 12.

Now it was over. But TCU had to settle for a FG to make it 40-21 with still 13:06 to play. The Aztecs went 3-and-out on their next possession and TCU returned the punt to the SD State 29. Okay, now it was over. But on 2^nd and 9 from the 13, Dalton was picked off and the Aztecs took over at the 12. They were down 19 with only 9:05 to play. There was little reason for TCU to be nervous, but they hadn’t been able to put up the impressive score that they so easily could have. Maybe it was that realization that allowed TCU to let up a bit.

San Diego State moved into TCU territory, and on 3^rd and 7 from the 33, Brown hauled in a TD to make it a 12-point game with 6:43 to play. No one could have predicted SD State would go 88 yards in 6 plays over just 2:21. The game wasn’t yet in the bag. The Horned Frogs went 3-and-out on their next possession and the punt was returned 29 yards to the TCU 35. That’s where the Aztecs took over with 4:58 to go. On the first play after the change of possession, Vince Brown grabbed his 2^nd TD to make it a 5-point game with still 4:50 on the clock. They were very much alive, with 2 timeouts in their pocket. But TCU returned the ensuing kickoff 44 yards to their 45. 7 straight rushing plays used up SD State’s 2 timeouts and setup a 3^rd and 1 from their 24 with 1:20 to play. Waymon James picked up 5 for a 1^st down at the 19 and Dalton took a knee to kill the remainder of time, as TCU held on for a 40-35 win.

Pac-10

Week 6: USC @ Stanford. The Stanford Indians stun the Trojans for the 3^rd time in 4 seasons. In 2007, Stanford pulled off the biggest upset I have ever witnessed, beating USC in Los Angeles 24-23 as 41-point underdogs. Last year Stanford was a 10-point dog when they blew out the Trojans 55-21 at the Coliseum. This season it was USC that was a 10-point underdog on the road, coming off of a heartbreaking defeat to Washington. Stanford was also coming off of their first loss of the year, a 52-31 defeat at Oregon.

Each team’s season might have gone in another direction if the ending of this game had been different, and it very easily could have been. USC put up 498 yards of offense and had a 3-1 edge in the turnover department, but Stanford put up 478 yards of their own and had an 88-yard kick return. Matt Barkley threw for 390 yards and 3 TD’s while rushing 5 times for 33 yards. Stanford could not contain Robert Woods, who made 12 catches for 224 yards and 3 scores. But Andrew Luck played an almost perfect game, completing 20 of 24 passes for 285 yards and 3 TD’s, and also rushing 6 times for 40 yards.

After a Stanford punt, USC scored on their first possession, but Stanford answered with a TD to tie the score at 7-7. Later in the quarter Stanford had a 1^st and 10 at the USC 15 when Luck made his only mistake of the game, fumbling on a sack, and USC recovered at the 21. The 1^st quarter ended with the score still 7-7. The ensuing USC drive ended in a very similar fashion. On 1^st and 10 from the Stanford 15, USC fumbled and the Indians recovered and returned the ball to the 16. Stanford drove 84 yards for a score to go ahead 14-7. The Trojans answered with a TD to tie the game at 14-14.

Late in the half, Stanford faced 3^rd and 14 from the USC 34 when Luck made his most memorable play of the game. Stepfan Taylor fumbled and Shareece Wright scooped it up at the 38 and began bringing it back the other way. Suddenly, Luck entered the picture and leveled Wright. The ball was jarred lose but USC fell on it at their own 45. It was an impressive play because it was such a hard hit, but it was a big play because the ball was close to midfield and there were just 38 seconds left in the half. It ended up being a huge play, as USC ran out of time, with the last play of the half being an incomplete pass on 3^rd and 6 from the 37.

The Trojans got the ball first in the 2^nd half and punted to pin Stanford at their own 7. The Indians then went on a 14 play, 93-yard drive for a TD, taking 7:27 off the clock and taking a 21-14 lead. USC answered moments later on a 61-yard bomb to Woods. It was still tied at 21-21 at the end of the 3^rd quarter, but on the 2^nd play of the 4^th, Stanford scored to finish off an 82 yard drive and retake the lead 28-21. On the ensuing USC possession, the Trojans faced a 4^th and 2 at the Stanford 6. Barkley hit Woods in the end zone for the 3^rd time in the game to tie it up again at 28-28. Chris Owusu returned the ensuing kickoff 88 yards to the 12 and a personal foul penalty on USC gave Stanford a 1^st and goal at the 6. On 3^rd and goal from the 7, Luck hit Doug Baldwin for the TD to put Stanford back ahead. However, Nate Whitaker missed the extra point, leaving the score 34-28.

The Trojans got the ball back and drove for a 1^st and 10 at the Stanford 32, but 4 straight incompletions gave it back to the Indians with 6:54 left. It looked like Stanford had things in control, but on 1^st and 10 from the 50, Stepfan Taylor fumbled again and USC recovered at their own 49, trailing by 6, with 4:17 to go. On 4^th and 2 from the Stanford 43, Barkley hit Stanley Havili for 15 yards and a 1^st down at the 28. Moments later, Allen Bradford scored from 3 yards out to give USC a 35-34 lead with 1:12 remaining on the clock. Stanford returned the kickoff to the 26.

Luck and the offense took the field down a point with 1:08 on the clock and 2 timeouts. On the first play, Luck hit Doug Baldwin for a harmless 4 yard completion, but USC LB Chris Galippo was called for a bogus late hit on Baldwin. Suddenly the Indians had a 1^st and 10 at their 45. Luck then threw completions for 11 and 13 yards, and Taylor redeemed himself (kind of) with a clutch run of 16 yards for a 1^st down at the 15. Stanford took their 2^nd timeout with 16 seconds left. Then Taylor picked up 5 more yards and got out of bounds at the 10. Luck took a knee to start the clock again and Stanford called their last timeout with 4 seconds left. Whitaker went from goat to hero, booting the 30-yard FG up and good to give Stanford the 37-35 win.

Week 12: Washington @ Cal. Washington goes for the win to keep their bowl hopes alive and end Cal’s season. There was a lot on the line for these two teams who were trying to get bowl eligible. Washington came in 4-6, needing to win this one and the Apple Bowl against Wazu next week to get bowl eligible at 6-6. Cal was 5-6 and had to have this game or else their season would be over. It turned out to be a defensive struggle. Washington had a 349-283 advantage in total yards, but Cal had a 3-2 edge in turnovers and a big defensive TD. The game very nearly went to the half scoreless, but Cal kicked a long FG to take a 3-0 lead. The teams would trade scores the rest of the way and it went down to the wire. Neither team ever led by more than 4 points.

The game began with 3 consecutive punts. Cal was stopped on downs at the Washington 34 on their 2^nd possession. After 2 more punts, Washington fumbled at the Cal 29, and on the very next play Washington intercepted at their own 35 to get the ball back. Moments later, Jake Locker went deep and was picked off in the end zone. Four consecutive punts followed and Cal took over at their 35 with 17 seconds left in the half and the game still scoreless. They were able to drive to the Washington 36 and call a timeout with 1 second on the clock. Gior Tavecchio came on and hit a 53-yard FG to send Cal to the half with a 3-0 lead. Cal also had the ball first in the 3^rd quarter but they had to punt.

On Washington’s first play of the 2^nd half, Jake Locker went for a bomb and hit D’Andre Goodwin for an 80-yard TD to put the Huskies on top 7-3. Three punts later, Locker was hit and fumbled deep in his own territory and Cameron Jordan returned the fumble 21-yards for a score to put Cal back ahead 10-7. Washington returned the ensuing kickoff 57 yards to the Cal 40 and ended up getting a 37-yard FG by Erik Folk to tie it at 10-10 going to the 4^th. The Bears drove into Washington territory and Tavecchio hit a 47-yarder to put Cal back in front 13-10 with 10:53 to play. Washington was stopped on their next drive and had to punt it back to Cal, but the defense forced a punt and the Huskies got it back down 3 at their own 21 with 4:39 remaining and all 3 of their timeouts.

Facing 3^rd and 2 from the 29, Washington ran a direct snap to Chris Polk and he picked up 5 yards for a 1^st down at the 34. On the next play, Locker hooked up with Jermaine Kearse for 46 yards and a 1^st down at the California 20. 2 plays later, Locker ran for 8 yards and a 1^st and goal at the 7. Cal took a timeout with 1:37 to go. On the next play, Locker took it himself again and got down to the 1. Cal called their last timeout with 1:29 remaining, hoping to leave some time for an answer if Washington scored. The way things worked out, Cal’s best chance would have been if Locker had scored a TD on 1^st down to put Washington ahead 17-13 with 1:29 left. That would have given the Bears a minute and a half and one timeout to score a game wining TD. But obviously they had no idea how things would turn out. On 2^nd and goal from the 1, Locker ran a sneak and was stopped for no gain. Washington called their first timeout with 44 seconds left. On 3^rd and goal Locker ran a sneak again and again he was stopped for no gain. The Huskies let the clock run down to 2 seconds before calling timeout.

It was 4^th and goal from the 1. This would either be the last play of regulation before going to overtime or the last play of the game. The Huskies decided to pass up the 18-yard FG for the tie and go for the win. Polk got the handoff and forced his way into the end zone on 4^th and goal from the 1 to give the Huskies a 16-13 win. The loss ended Cal’s season at 5-7. Washington would go on to beat their rivals in the season finale and then get revenge on Nebraska in the Holliday Bowl to finish the season with a winning record.

SEC

Week 13: Auburn @ Alabama. Auburn comes back from a 24-point deficit to shock their arch rivals and keep the dream season alive. This was perhaps the best game of the year in all of college football. There was much controversy surrounding Cam Newton but instead of this game being his downfall, it solidified him as the game’s best player. Auburn was 11-0 but they found themselves 5.5-point underdogs on the road at their instate rivals, the defending national champion Alabama Crimson Tide.

This was Bama’s chance to save what had been a disappointing season and spoil everything for their hated rivals. Alabama fans could hardly have scripted a better start, as the Tide jumped out to a 24-0 lead. The Tigers, their undefeated hopes, and the SEC’s streak of consecutive national titles looked to be dead. But Bama left some points on the field and Auburn found themselves in the second half. This was an extremely exciting game, during which the two teams combined to go 5 for 6 on 4^th downs. Alabama outgained Auburn 446-324 and had a 6 minute edge in time of possession. However, Auburn had a 2-1 edge in the turnover department and Alabama was hurt by a few penalties.

Cameron Newton was 13 of 20 for 216 yards and 3 TD, and he rushed for 29 yards and a TD, but stats don’t begin to tell the story of how he played. Nick Fairley’s stats also fail to explain his impact on the game, even though he was credited with 4 tackles, 2 sacks (-15), a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Julio Jones was the offensive star for Alabama, making 10 catches for 199 yards and a score. Essentially forgotten after the game was the performance turned in by Courtney Upshaw, who recorded 10 tackles, 3 sacks (-19 yards), and 2 forced fumbles. Alabama led 21-0 after 1 quarter and had a 24-0 lead with barely 5 minutes to go in the 1^st half. From that point on, Auburn outscored the Tide 28-3.

Alabama was ready for this one and it showed early. They got the ball first and went 71 yards in 7 plays over just 3:26 for a score, with Mark Ingram going in from 9 yards out for the TD. They did not face a 3^rd down during the drive. Auburn went 3-and-out on their first possession, and on the 2^nd play of the ensuing Tide drive, Greg McElroy hit Julio Jones for a 68-yard TD to make it 14-0 just like that.

Auburn was unable to answer on their 2^nd possession, going 3-and-out again, with Newton being sacked on back to back plays. After the punt, Bama drove back into Auburn territory. On 3^rd and 8 from the Auburn 36, Fairley sacked McElroy back at the 47 for a loss of 11. It looked like Auburn’s defense had come up with a huge stop to keep the Tigers in the game, but Fairley’s reputation as a “dirty player” came back to bite at this point. Fairley went into a seemingly mild celebration following what was after all a huge play, and the officials called him for unsportsmanlike conduct. This was clearly an overreaction based on the player in question. In fact, it was almost certainly a call made before the game; in other words, “the first time Fairley does anything even close to being worthy of a penalty we are going to call it.” This sort of officiating is unfortunate, but to be fair, Fairley probably got away with a number of late shots this season that he wasn’t called for.

The penalty moved the ball all the way back up to the 32. Instead of 4^th and 19 from the 47—a surefire punting situation—the Tide had a 4^th and 4 from the 32. They went for it and McElroy hit Marquis Maze for 9 yards and a 1^st down at the 23. 3 plays later, McElroy threw a touchdown pass to make it 21-0. Despite Auburn’s prolific offense, the game already seemed close to over with 2 minutes still to play in the 1^st quarter.

Auburn went 3-and-out again on their next possession, and early in the 2^nd quarter Alabama drove from their own 17 to the 40. On 1^st and 10, McElroy got the ball to Ingram and he broke it down the right side for another big play. There were over a dozen huge plays in this game, and one of the biggest occurred here. Though it did not immediately turn things around, I believe this was probably the 2^nd biggest play of the entire game. Ingram was out in front of everyone, running down the sideline inside the Auburn 30, but Antoine Carter was chasing him down. The play had already gone for 41 yards as Carter reached Ingram at the 19. Rather than merely knocking Ingram out of bounds, Carter gambled and attempted to pop the ball free from behind. He succeeded, knocking the ball free and towards the end zone. Several things had to happen for Carter to be able to make this a big play. First, he had to catch Ingram and knock the ball free without knocking Ingram out of bounds. Then—and in my mind this was the flukiest part of the whole play--the ball had to stay inbounds and land in bounds and then not roll out of bounds at any point. Then Auburn had to recover the fumble, which they did, as Demond Washington recovered in the end zone for a touchback.

Had Alabama gone in for a touchdown here it would have been 28-0. More importantly, this was the first of several points where Alabama had a chance for a TD and came away with less or no points at all. Auburn was still alive but not at all well, as they began their 4^th possession at their own 20 following the fumble. They finally got their first 1^st down of the game, but the drive soon stalled and they had to punt. Alabama got it back at midfield. On 3^rd and 5 from the Auburn 45, McElroy hooked up with Jones for another huge play. This one went for 42 yards and gave Alabama a 1^st and goal at the 3.

Now came another of the biggest plays of the game, although it didn’t look like much at the time. On the next play, McElroy dropped back and threw out to his left for Trent Richardson who was crossing to his left, wide open at the goal line. It hit off his hands and fell incomplete. It was a straight up dropped touchdown, but it didn’t seem like a big deal at the time, because Alabama had a 21-0 lead at home, Auburn had only 1 first down so far, and it was only 2^nd and goal. Bama picked up a yard on 2^nd down, and on 3^rd and goal from the 2, McElroy’s pass was broken up to bring up 4^th and goal at the 2. Bama decided to settle for a 20-yard FG, giving them a stunning 24-0 lead with 8:01 still to play in the half.

The Tigers had gotten their first 1^st down on their last drive, and on their 5^th drive they finally got going, although it wasn’t easy. They took over at their own 20 with just under 8 minutes to go in the half. On 3^rd and 5 from the 25, Newton hit Kodi Burns for 19 yards and an absolute must 1^st down at the 44. On 1^st and 5 from the 49, Newton was sacked again by Upshaw and this time he lost the ball, but it rolled out of bounds to keep Auburn in possession. Auburn faced another must convert on 3^rd and 9 from the 47. Again Newton found Burns, this time for 13 yards and a 1^st down at the Alabama 40. A couple plays later, Auburn finally flashed their quick scoring abilities, as Newton hit Emory Blake for a 36-yard score on 2^nd and 6 to get Auburn on the board with 5:08 remaining in the half.

Getting a TD before halftime was essential for Auburn to have a chance at a comeback. Now their defense had to get a stop. Auburn would get the ball first in the 2^nd half, so if they could hold Alabama here they might be able to get back in the game. But Auburn had been unable to contain Alabama so far, as the Tide had scored on 4 of 5 possessions, with Ingram’s fumble resulting in their only empty possession. This was a must stop for the Tigers defense. But they couldn’t do it. Alabama needed just 7 plays to move 70 yards, setting up a 1^st and goal at the 7. Once again, the Tide was knocking on the door. On 1^st and goal, Ingram was stopped for a loss of 1 and Auburn called a timeout with 1:02 on the clock, hoping to save time for a response before halftime.

Following the stoppage of play, Nick Fairley came up with what has to be considered the biggest play of the game, if not the season. McElroy dropped back to throw and Alabama tried to protect him from the big nose guard but Fairley would not be denied. He got to McElroy for the sack and managed to force a fumble. The ball lay on the ground, all by itself, for what seemed like 5 seconds, before the big man himself fell on top of it at the 12 yard line.

Auburn was saved for the moment, as Alabama had once again wasted an opportunity to put the game away. However, the Tigers were still down by 17, and with that in mind, they tried to move the ball despite being backed up inside their own 15 with just 54 seconds to play. They managed to get a first down, but on 3^rd and 10 from the 32, Upshaw got to Newton again for a sack and a loss of 8. Bama called timeout with 12 seconds remaining to force Auburn to punt and sent everyone after it, but Auburn got the punt away and the half ended. The Tigers had been dominated and they were down 17 points, on the road, against one of the best teams in the country, but they were not dead.

Auburn had scored on their 2^nd to last drive of the 1^st half, but it had still been a tough task. On just the 2^nd play after the half, Auburn got back in the game for good. Newton and Terrell Zachery hooked up on a 70-yard TD to make it a 24-14 game. But now came the big question: could Auburn’s defense slow down Alabama? They didn’t get any help when the ensuing kickoff went out of bounds to give Bama the ball at their own 40. Moments later, Alabama faced 4^th and 1 from their 49. McElroy ran a QB sneak and picked up a yard to keep the drive alive.

Obviously, Nick Saban and company could sense that momentum had swung, and they had to take some chances to stem the tide. If Bama could go down and score a TD here, it might be enough to break Auburn’s back. But the drive soon stalled and Alabama had to punt it back to Auburn. The Tigers took over at their own 17. They were able to move it out to the 40 before the drive stalled and they had to punt. However, Auburn’s defense had found itself. Alabama’s early game energy had worn off and they had found themselves in a fight. They would no longer control the line of scrimmage. For the first time in the game, Alabama went 3-and-out, and punted it back to Auburn.

Now Auburn’s offensive line would establish itself, as the Tigers went 75 yards on 8 plays in just 3:14, with Newton going in from a yard out to make it a 24-21 game with 4:25 to play in the 3^rd quarter. The Tide absolutely had to come up with an answer now, but Auburn had all the momentum, and once again Bama went 3-and-out. They had to punt from their own 23, and Auburn stood to get the ball back in good field position with a chance to tie or take the lead.

However, Upshaw came through again and delivered what might have been the biggest play of the game had things gone differently in the end. Quindarius Carr received the punt at the 35 and picked up a yard before Upshaw drilled him and popped the ball loose. After a mad scramble, Dre Kirkpatrick recovered for Alabama at the 27 yard line. Bama had made a play, gotten a break, and with the crowd back alive, they had another chance.

If Bama could score here it wouldn’t put the game away, but it would make Auburn’s comeback a lot harder. They had 2^nd and 5 from the 7, but McElroy threw incomplete, and then a false start penalty made it 3^rd and 10 from the 12. On 3^rd down, McElroy held the ball too long and was dropped at the 15 for a sack. The Tide had to settle for a 32-yard FG, extending the lead to 27-21, but keeping Auburn and Cam Newton within a score of taking the lead.

Early in the 4^th quarter, Auburn had moved the ball into Alabama territory and faced a 3^rd and 3. Newton fired incomplete and Auburn called a timeout with 13:49 remaining when Bama’s defense didn’t jump on a hard count. Auburn made the ballsy decision to go for it on 4^th and 3 from the Bama 47. If Bama could get a stop here they would be just a few plays away from hitting a FG that would make it a 2-score game. Auburn put it in Newton’s hands, and rather than trying to run for it, he put it in the air and hit Darvin Adams on the sideline at the 38 for a 9-yard gain and a humongous 1^st down. Auburn moved inside the red zone and faced a 3^rd and 4 from the 7. This time Auburn set up a brilliant play, and Newton found Phillip Lutzenkirchen open for a TD to tie the game. The PAT put Auburn ahead for the first time in the game, 28-27, with 11:55 remaining in the 4^th quarter.

Despite all of the momentum being with Auburn, the Tide was only down a point with a ton of time remaining. The problem was that their offense had done very little in the 2^nd half. They began their next drive at their own 31, and this time they were able to get something going, moving across midfield. Facing 3^rd and inches from the Auburn 48, Bama called timeout with 9:00 minutes remaining. However, an illegal shift coming out of the timeout made it 3^rd and 5. McElroy hit Maze for 4 yards to setup a 4^th and 1 from the 48 of Auburn. They couldn’t afford to give it back to Newton and the Tigers. On 4^th down, McElroy ran a sneak and picked up 2 yards for a huge 1^st down at the 46. Bama got a 1^st down at the 34, and needing just a FG to take the lead, they were just a few yards from scoring position. But on the next play, Ingram was dropped for a loss of 2, and after an incomplete pass, Bama faced a huge 3^rd and 12 from the 36.

McElroy had been falling into his habit of hanging on to the ball too long, and on 3^rd down he again stayed in the pocket for longer than he could expect his line to hold up. T’Sharvan Bell got to him and slung him to the ground back at the 40. McElroy was laid out on the field and the Alabama crowd had several minutes for the reality of the situation to sink in. Bama would have to punt, still trailing by a point, with less than 5 and a half minutes remaining, and if they did get the ball back, they might have to attempt their last second score without their senior quarterback.

After the punt, Auburn took over at their own 27 with 5:18 to play. It was on the upcoming series that Newton equaled all Heisman Trophy QB’s who had come before him in recent seasons, as the game, the undefeated season, and the national championship were placed entirely on his back. On 1^st down he ran for a yard. He ran for 5 yards on 2^nd down. On 3^rd and 4, Newton picked up 3 yards, setting up 4^th and 1 from the 36. Incredibly, Auburn lined up and snapped the ball on 4^th down from inside their own territory leading by just a point. Newton took the ball and picked up 3 yards for a back breaking 1^st down. He carried yet again on the next play and lost 2. Alabama used their final timeout with just 2:53 to go. Auburn ran twice more and used up every second they could, calling their last 2 timeouts. They punted the ball away on 4^th down and Bama got it back at their own 19 with just 51 seconds and no timeouts. Worst of all, they had no Greg McElroy. AJ McCarron had to take over. He did not fare well, throwing 4 straight incompletions to turn the ball over on downs just where Bama had started. Auburn took a knee and the game was over. The Tigers had come from behind to win 28-27 and finish the year 12-0. The national championship was still within reach.

SBC

Week 14: Middle Tennessee State @ Florida International. The Blue Raiders upset conference champion FIU in season finale to get bowl eligible. Following a 10-3 season last year, MTS was supposed to be the class of the SBC this season, but Dwight Dasher’s suspension derailed those plans. Florida International was supposed to be improved, but going into this game they had already clinched a share of the conference title. MTS needed a win to get bowl eligible, while FIU had a chance to earn sole possession of the SBC title.

The SBC is kind of a strange league, and this was a bit of a strange game. FIU had a 414-369 edge in total yards, a 20-13 edge in 1^st downs, and a 7.5 minute edge in time of possession, despite going 1 for 11 on 3^rd down. Middle Tennessee did have a 2-1 turnover edge. The teams combined for 16 penalties and 133 penalty yards. Florida International jumped out to a 14-0 lead and they held that lead until the very end of the 1^st quarter, when MTS began a 21-3 run to take the lead into the 4^th quarter. FIU went on a 10-0 run to take the lead back, but Middle Tennessee scored last and came away with a 1-point win.

A short kickoff, a decent return, and a penalty gave FIU the ball at the MTS 33 to start their first possession. The Panthers needed just 4 plays to get into the end zone for a 7-0 lead. Middle Tennessee State went 3-and-out on their first possession but they were able to pin Florida International back at the 9 with a punt. The Golden Panthers then went 91 yards in 11 plays over 5:48, converting a 4^th and 1 along the way, and getting into the end zone again for a quick 14-0 lead.

It looked like it might be an easy win, but later in the 1^st quarter a short punt gave MTS the ball at the FIU 45. 5 plays later, the Blue Raiders scored a TD on the final play of the opening quarter to cut the deficit in half. On the next MTS possession, the Blue Raiders marched 56 yards in 8 plays over just 2:56 to score a TD that tied the game at 14-14 with still 8 minutes left in the half. Late in the 1^st half, the Panthers drove for a 1^st and 10 at the MTS 18, but they ended up with a 3^rd and 33 at the 41. They got a completion for 8 yards to the 33 and called timeout with 3 seconds left in the half. Jack Griffin then nailed a 50-yarder at the gun to give FIU a 17-14 lead at the half.

However, Middle Tennessee State got the ball first in the 2^nd half, and they went 69 yards in just 2:19 for a TD to take their first lead of the game, 21-17. Midway through the 3^rd, FIU drove inside the MTS red zone and faced 4^th and 1 at the 10. They got a run of 3 yards for a 1^st and goal at the 7, but they ended up settling for a FG to make it a 1-point game heading to the 4^th.

On the next FIU drive, the Panthers moved to midfield but fumbled and MTS recovered at the FIU 49. The Blue Raiders had a 1^st and goal at the 8, but they lost 2 yards on 1^st down, and on 2^nd and goal from the 10, Dasher was picked off at the goal line. Florida International marched 79 yards in just over 3 minutes to get into the end zone and retake the lead, 27-21 with 10 minutes to play. The Raiders drove into scoring position but faced a 4^th and 5 at the FIU 20. Dasher hit a receiver for 17 yards, setting up a 1^st and goal at the 3. The Raiders scored on the next play and kicked the PAT to take a 1-point lead with 7 and a half minutes on the clock.

The two teams traded 3-and-outs and punts and FIU took over at their 36 with 3:43 remaining. They only needed a FG but starting QB Wesley Carroll had been injured and had to be replaced by Willie Younger. Younger drove the Panthers to the very edge of Griffin’s range. On 1^st and 10 from the MTS 35, Younger hit T.Y. Hilton with a pass that put them squarely inside FG range, but Hilton fumbled and the Raiders recovered at their own 27 with just over 2 and a half minutes on the clock. Florida International had burned a timeout coming out of the 3^rd quarter break, and thus had only 2 remaining. They called one here after 1^st down and MTS milked the clock as far as they could after 2^nd down and called their 2^nd timeout with 1:35. On 3^rd and 7, Dasher dropped to throw and then took off running, picking up 47 yards all the way down to the FIU 23. FIU called their last timeout but it was no use, as MTS was able to run out the clock without picking up a 1^st down, hanging on for the 28-27 upset.

WAC

Week 13: Boise State @ Nevada. Boise State’s hopes of crashing the national championship game come to a stunning end on a cold night in Reno, as the Wolf Pack come back to trip the Broncos in perhaps the best game of the season. If the Auburn-Alabama game wasn’t the best game of the year in college football, this one was, and it began just hours after the SEC rivalry ended. You can imagine that the Broncos had to be somewhat disappointed that Auburn had come back to win, because for a while it looked as though the #2 spot in the BCS standings was going to open up. But Auburn and Oregon still faced tests in the coming weeks, and if Boise State could win this one they would be virtually home free in terms of finishing undefeated and be first in line to take the place of one of the top two teams if they lost.

Everyone knew what kind of team Boise State would have this season. From the moment that people started looking at the schedule and looking towards the season, everyone had the same opinion: if the Broncos got by Virginia Tech in the opener and Oregon State in week 3, their only other test would be the week 13 matchup against Nevada. It worked out just that way, as Boise State breezed through the season following wins over VT and Oregon State, and came into the game with Nevada 10-0. Still, I don’t think anybody really thought that Nevada might win. They had certainly come closer to beating Boise State than any other WAC team over the last few years, but Boise State had won 10 straight over Nevada, 22 straight within the conference, and they were 14-point road favorites.

Nevada came into the game 10-1, but if you just looked at each team’s performance against the other two decent teams in the WAC—Fresno State and Hawaii—it didn’t look good for the Wolf Pack. Nevada had lost to Hawaii and beaten Fresno State by a point. Boise State had won 42-7 over Hawaii and 51-0 over Fresno State. The only stipulation was that Nevada had played both of those games on the road, while Boise State had hosted Fresno State and Hawaii.

For all that people might say about Boise State suffering a letdown after Auburn came back to win or coming into a hostile environment to play a good team that was looking at this game as its Super Bowl, the fact of the matter is that Boise State had this game going just the way everyone expected for nearly 3 quarters. They scored the first 17 points and led 24-7 at the half. They were still ahead by 17 points with just 16 and a half minutes remaining, but the Wolf Pack then went on a 17-0 run in just over 11 minutes of time to tie the game up. Even then, Boise State responded immediately to retake the lead, and Nevada needed a last second touchdown and a lot of luck the rest of the way to come out on top. You can talk about Boise State racking up 70 yards in penalties, or Nevada amassing 528 yards and 28 1^st downs, or the Wolf Pack possessing the ball for nearly 10 minutes more and holding the Broncos to 4 of 10 on 3^rd down. But Boise State’s biggest sin was allowing Nevada to stay in the game. In reality, the Broncos did enough to win anyway. And they really should never have lost. I mean let’s be honest: the nerves of a solid, experienced kicker are really not something that can be accounted for in advance.

There were stars on both sides of this game. Kellen Moore threw for 382 yards, 2 TD’s and no picks. Doug Martin carried 24 times and gained 152 yards and 2 TD’s for the Broncos, also catching 3 passes for 78 yards and a TD. Titus Young grabbed 6 balls for 129 yards and a TD and also returned several kickoffs. Colin Kaepernick threw for 259 yards, 1 TD, and 1 pick, while rushing 10 times for 45 yards and a score. Vai Taua carried 32 times for 131 yards and a TD, and also had 2 catches for 24 yards. Rishard Matthews had an enormous day, hauling in 10 passes for 172 yards and a TD, and carrying once for a 44 yard TD.

Nevada started the game on offense and drove to the Broncos 38, but Kaepernick was picked off by George Iloka at the 17. Boise State drove into Wolf Pack territory and had a 1^st and 10 at the 22, but on 3^rd and 2 from the 14, Martin caught a pass and lost 2 yards to bring up 4^th and 4 from the 16. Kyle Brotzman came on and calmly drilled a 33-yarder to make it 3-0. Nevada moved into Boise State territory again on their next possession, but on 3^rd and 1 from the Broncos 48, they were stopped on a run for a loss of a yard, and they punted on 4^th and 2 to pin Boise State at their 13.

The 1^st quarter ended with the score just 3-0 Broncos. However, Boise State went on a 13 play, 87 yard drive, taking 6:45 off the clock, their best drive of the game. They were 2 for 2 on 3^rd down along the way and scored to take a 10-0 lead. Once again Nevada moved the ball across midfield on their next possession. They had a 1^st and 10 at the Broncos 48 but they ended up in a 3^rd and 31 from their own 31. After an incompletion on 3^rd down they punted and Boise State returned it to the Nevada 48. The Broncos needed just 6 plays and 2:27 to score, with Moore hitting Young on a 26-yard TD pass to make it 17-0 with just 5:47 remaining in the half.

Nevada came right back. On the 1^st play of their next possession, Kaepernick hit Matthews for 47 yards and a 1^st down at the Broncos 23. 3 plays later, Taua scored from 5 yards out to cap a 70 yard drive that had taken just 4 plays and 1:27. That cut the deficit to 17-7 with 4:20 left in the half. But Boise State struck back quickly. They went 85 yards in 3 plays, taking just 1:23 off the clock, with Martin going 51 yards for the score to make it 24-7 with 2:59 to go in the half. This was how it was supposed to go. On the ensuing Nevada drive, the Wolf Pack had a 3^rd and 3 from their 43 and came up a yard shy of the 1^st. On 4^th and 1 from the 45 they decided to punt. Boise State ran out the rest of the clock and went to the half with a 24-7 lead.

The Broncos would have a chance to put the game away, as they got the ball first in the 2^nd half. They had a 1^st and 10 at the Nevada 47, but the drive stalled, and on 4^th and 9 from the 46 they punted, and Brotzman put it in the end zone for a touchback. The Wolf Pack moved into Boise State territory on their first possession of the 3^rd. They faced 4^th and 1 from the Boise State 34 and picked up 2 yards for a 1^st down to extend the drive. They had a 1^st down at the 21, but on 3^rd and 6 from the 17, Kaepernick threw incomplete and they had to settle for a 35-yard FG try. Anthony Martinez’s kick was blocked. Nevada had gone 63 yards over 15 plays, using up 7:06 of clock, and they had come away with nothing.

It looked like Boise State was in complete control, but Nevada’s domination in time of possession would have an impact later in the game. The Broncos should have taken over at the 31, but they were called for illegal batting, and had to start at their own 16. On 3^rd and 10 from the 28 Moore threw incomplete and they had to punt it right back to Nevada. Brotzman’s punt sent the Wolf Pack to their 27, but kick catch interference on Boise State moved the ball up to the 42. On 4^th and 2 from the Boise State 36, Kaepernick threw incomplete and it looked like they might be done for good, but pass interference was called and the Wolf Pack had a 1^st down at the 21. On 3^rd and 7 from the 18, Kaepernick ran all the way for the score to get Nevada back in the game, down 24-14, with 1:23 remaining in the 3^rd.

Boise State was called for another careless penalty, getting called for tripping on the extra point. This led to a touchback on the ensuing kickoff and the Broncos went 3 and out. Nevada got the ball back after a punt at their 32. They were down 10 going to the 4^th but they had some life. Right away Nevada faced 3^rd and 2 from their 40. A false start made it 3^rd and 7 from the 35. But then Taua caught a pass for 13 yards and a 1^st down at the 48. 2 plays later, Matthews got the end around and went 44 yards for a TD, bringing the score to 24-21 and sending the crowd into a frenzy.

It was at this point that you started to entertain some real thoughts that something could happen here. There were still 13 minutes to go, but Young took the ensuing kickoff back 45 yards to midfield, giving the Broncos great field position. Give Boise State some credit: every time it looked like Nevada had all the momentum, the Broncos responded. However, on 2^nd and 1 from the Nevada 42, Moore threw incomplete, and on 3^rd down the Broncos lost a yard.

On 4^th and 2 from the 43, Moore hit a pooch punt and backed the Wolf Pack up at their 7. Still, they had the ball, down only 3, with 11:21 to play. And on the first play of the drive Taua went for 26 to give them immediate breathing room. On 3^rd and 2 from the 41, Taua picked up 4 for a 1^st down at the 45. The Wolf Pack drove inside the Boise State red zone. On 3^rd and 1 from the 10, Taua picked up 2 for 1^st and goal at the 8. Here the Broncos defense held. On 3^rd and goal from the 6, Kaepernick fired incomplete to bring up 4^th down. Martinez kicked the 23-yarder and we had a tie game, 24-24, with 5:14 remaining in the 4^th.

The Broncos defense was simply worn down. Nevada had been patient and stayed in the game and now it was paying off, as they went 87 yards in 15 plays over 6:13 to tie the game. The Broncos got the ball back at their own 21 with 5:08 on the clock. They would need mere seconds to untie the game. Moore got the ball to Martin and he went 79 yards for the touchdown to make it 31-24 with 4:53 remaining.

In hindsight, it would have been better if he had gone down at the 10, and Boise State had ran a few more plays to get into the end zone. But there’s no guarantee they would have gotten in, and you can’t really control those types of things. Still, a tired Broncos defense—that hadn’t had to get a stop with their backs to the wall since September 6^th—had to go right back on the field.

The Wolf Pack started their next drive at their own 21 with 4:47 to go. They called their 2^nd timeout with 4:08 on the clock, facing a 3^rd and 7 from their 24. Kaepernick hit Virgil Jones for a gain of 14 yards and a 1^st down at the 38. On 3^rd and 1 from the 47, Taua picked up 2 for a 1^st down at midfield. Nevada moved into Boise State territory and then inside the red zone. They had a 1^st and goal at the 7 as they called their final timeout with just 21 seconds to play. Kaepernick threw incomplete on 1^st and goal, but on the next play he threw a TD to Matthews and the extra point tied the game again at 31-31 with just 13 seconds remaining. They had gone 79 yards on 14 plays in just 4:38 against one of the best defenses in the country.

It looked like the remainder of the drama would take place in overtime. That’s certainly what Nevada was hoping. And in hindsight, I wonder if Boise State and their fans wish that’s what had happened. Titus Young returned the ensuing kick to the 38. Boise State had a timeout but there were only 9 seconds to go. The Broncos took a shot, as Moore fired one down the middle of the field for Young. The secondary just couldn’t stay with Young and he ran down the pass, dove, and made perhaps the greatest catch of the season, hauling it in at the 9. The clock ran out but the refs ruled that the Broncos had called for the timeout and put 2 seconds back on the clock.

Nevada could not call a timeout to try and ice the kicker. However, there was a somewhat lengthy review to determine if the ball had been caught and if the Broncos had gotten the timeout and where the ball should be placed. Eventually, Kyle Brotzman came on to attempt the chip shot FG to win the game. Because of the way the previous play had occurred, the ball was spotted dead center in the middle of the field. It was a 26-yard attempt. To put it in perspective, an extra point is from 20 yards out. Brotzman was now 11 for 12 on kicks of less than 50 yards this season.

All Brotzman had to do was hit this 26-yarder and the Broncos would essentially be guaranteed of an undisputed WAC championship, a 3^rd straight undefeated regular season, a 2^nd straight BCS bowl, and quite possibly a spot in the BCS National Championship Game. But Brotzman let the moment get to him and pushed it wide right. (In an odd twist, Nevada’s tiny stadium also happens to have unusually short goal posts. Consequently, even this chip shot field goal actually went over the top of the right upright. Therefore, even though it was very, very close, by rule it could not be reviewed. Watching live, I thought he missed because it was going right from the moment it left his foot and so when it was ruled no good I didn’t question. However, there appeared to be at least some doubt as to whether the correct call was actually made. Only one camera angle—shot from the perspective of the end zone seats—has been shown. In addition, the statement made by the head of WAC officials during the following week was so unconvincing that it almost seemed like he was intentionally trying to feed into the idea that the kick was actually good!) The crowd that had been ready to leave, went bonkers. We were headed to OT.

Unfortunately for Brotzman, the Broncos were on offense first. Right away they faced 3^rd and 9 from the 24, but Moore hit Jeremy Avery for 16 yards and a 1^st and goal at the 8. They couldn’t get in from there, losing 4 yards over the next 3 plays, and on 4^th and goal from the 12 Brotzman had to come right back out and try another kick. This one was from just 29 yards out. As you might expect, Brotzman over corrected, and hooked this one wide left. And folks, this one was not even close. He missed it by a mile.

The Broncos were stunned. The Wolf Pack had a chance and they did not let the moment get to them. Taua ran for 4 on 1^st down, and after an incomplete pass, Taua picked up 4 more to set up 4^th and 2 from the 17. Nevada brought on Anthony Martinez. He had already had a kick blocked in this game and was just 8 for 12 on the season. This one was from 34, and Martinez calmly drilled it right down the middle to give Nevada the greatest win in program history, and deal Boise State a heartbreaker to last a lifetime. Just like that, Boise State’s dream season went down the tubes. It was hard to believe.