This one's for all the marbles
01/08/2003
Codding Home / Sports Channel / Bullz-Eye Home
In any close game of any competitive endeavor, whether we're talking about football, baseball, hockey or water polo, there's almost always one play, one moment, that clinches victory for the winner and seals defeat for the loser.
Sometimes, it's a spectacular play like "The Catch," orchestrated by Dwight Clark and the great Joe Montana in San Francisco's last-minute win over the Dallas Cowboys in the 1981 NFC Championship game.
Sometimes, it's a simple play that someone nonetheless botches, like the dribbler to first during game six of the 1986 World Series that somehow snuck through the legs of Boston's Bill Buckner, allowing the game-winning run to score.
Sometimes, it's a controversial play like the "Immaculate Reception," Franco Harris' notorious 60-yard touchdown catch-and-run that gave the Pittsburgh Steelers a late 13-7 victory over the Raiders in a 1972 playoff game.
Of course, these are some of the most memorable moments in sports history, flashes of time that are forever immortalized in highlight reels, hardcover books and the memories of fans who will never forget. But oftentimes, the plays that permanently alter the course of a game or even a season don't receive much fanfare because they simply don't carry enough historical significance by themselves. They don't show up in books like "And the Crowd Goes Wild," a must-buy for any sports junkie. You may not even see them on "SportsCenter" later that evening. But they still stand as game-altering moments that were vital to one team's success and another team's failure, and in the following days and weeks, the players, coaches and fans will look back on those moments with either a smile or a scowl, knowing that that's where the game was decided.
Three such moments occurred last weekend during two NFL playoff games and the Fiesta Bowl between Ohio State and Miami. All three games went down to the wire, all three games had fans across the country holding their breath, and all three games could have produced different outcomes had three pivotal plays gone the other way.
But they didn't, and the Buckeyes, Steelers and 49ers emerged victorious.
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They said it couldn't be done. They said they didn't have a chance. They said the Ohio State defense was no match for Ken Dorsey, Willis McGahee, Andre Johnson and the potent Hurricanes' offense. They said an 11.5-point spread was still far too generous.
Rrriiiiight.
Behind Craig "Krazy Legs" Krenzel and a defensive unit that forced five turnovers, the Buckeyes held a 17-7 lead midway through the third quarter and a 17-14 lead until Miami's Todd Sievers hit a 40-yard field goal on the final play of regulation.
Bring on overtime.
Miami scores first on a seven-yard touchdown pass from Dorsey to Kellen Winslow II, who hauled in 11 catches for 122 yards on the night. Perhaps the biggest play of the drive, though, was Jarrett Payton, filling in for the injured McGahee, running for eight yards on third-and-one, giving the 'Canes a first down at the eight.
On OSU's ensuing possession, Krenzel leads his team to the 12-yard line following a 17-yard pass to Michael Jenkins on fourth-and-14. But after an incomplete pass, a seven-yard run and another incompletion, the Bucks are faced with fourth-and-three at the five.
And here comes our moment.
Krenzel drops back and lobs a pass to receiver Chris Gamble, who lets the ball slip through his hands and harmlessly fall to the ground. Game over. 'Canes past and present rush the field. Fireworks explode. The state of Ohio hangs its head in disappointment.
But there's a flag in the endzone... a late flag. Celebration halted. Pass interference is the call on freshman corner Glenn Sharpe. First-and-goal. New life for the Bucks. And two plays later, Krenzel slips across the goal line for a game-tying touchdown plunge.
One Maurice Clarett five-yard score and a stop by the OSU defense later, and the Buckeyes are national champs.
Looking back on the entire game, there certainly were other crucial plays that helped lead Jim Tressel's team to its first national title since 1968 -- the fourth-and-12 conversion was simply huge -- but for a few brief seconds, the Hurricanes were back-to-back champs. Tressel was ready to walk across the field to congratulate Larry Coker on his accomplishment. The upset of the year had fallen just short.
But then field judge Terry Porter tossed his yellow flag onto the field and everything changed. From a heartbreaking 13-1 to a euphoric 14-0 thanks to what many who, ironically, were wearing green and orange labeled a questionable call.
Fortunately for those of us sporting the scarlet and gray, though, Porter made the right call -- check the full replay.
One play that sent the Buckeyes home as champions. One play that sent the Hurricanes home in second place.
For the Cleveland Browns on Sunday afternoon in Pittsburgh, victory looked eminent as the Steelers trailed 27-14 early in the fourth quarter. Backup Kelly Holcomb, filling in for the injured Tim Couch, was putting together a historical performance, a display that would end with 429 passing yards and three touchdowns for the Tennessee native. But Tommy Maddox started to rally his team.
A three-yard touchdown pass to Jerame Tuman -- 27-21.
A five-yard score to Hines Ward following another Holcomb touchdown strike -- 33-28.
A three-yard touchdown run for Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala and a two-point conversion -- 36-33.
Game over. What the hell happened? The Browns held leads of 14-0, 24-7, 27-14 and 33-21. How did they manage to just give the game away?
Of course, allowing 22 points in the fourth quarter isn't exactly a solid defensive effort, and Holcomb's final 16-yard completion to Andre King that ended with the receiver unable to get out of bounds in time to stop the clock didn't help, but the Browns could've sealed the victory before Pittsburgh even took the lead.
And here comes our moment.
With just under three minutes to go in the game and the Browns leading 33-28, Cleveland is faced with a third-and-12 on their own 21 after a three-yard run by William Green, a Holcomb incompletion and a five-yard penalty. Their inability to run all game (38 net yards rushing) makes it difficult for the Browns to simply milk the clock against the Pittsburgh defense, but if they can just move the chains here the Steelers, left with only one timeout, will likely suffer another home playoff loss.
Holcomb drops back, looks left and flings the ball to an open Dennis Northcutt, the speedy receiver who finished the game with six catches for 92 yards, two touchdowns and an electrifying 59-yard punt return.
But as most Browns fans know, Northcutt's hands are questionable at best, and as he reaches up to grab Holcomb's throw just past the first-down marker, the ball slides off his fingers and falls incomplete. Fourth down. Time to punt. No pass interference call here -- 'Cutt was wide open, the pass was on-target, but he simply dropped the ball, preventing the Browns from moving the chains and coasting to victory over the hated Steelers.
Again, there were several other important plays throughout the game -- Fuamatu-Ma'afala's touchdown, a sure-fire interception dropped by Cleveland's Anthony Henry deep in Cleveland territory with about five minutes to go in the game, Antwaan Randle El's 66-yard punt return for a touchdown in the second quarter -- but if the Browns convert that third down, they likely run out the clock.
One play that sent the Steelers into the second-round of the playoffs. One play that sent the Browns home early.
Little did the Browns and their fans know that they would soon have some company in Heartbreak Hotel. With their own playoff game tied at 14-14 in the second quarter, the Giants and 49ers appeared to be locked in a classic postseason battle. But with just three minutes to go before halftime, San Fran's Cedric Wilson fumbles a Matt Allen punt at his own 12-yard line, and the Giants' Johnnie Harris recovers. On the very next play, Kerry Collins hits Amani Toomer for an eight-yard touchdown pass.
Then, with just about two minutes left in the half, Jeff Garcia gets picked off by New York cornerback Jason Sehorn, a turnover that ultimately translates into another Collins-to-Toomer score just before halftime.
Suddenly, the Giants are up 28-14.
In the third, the Giants get a touchdown from Tiki Barber and a field goal from Matt Bryant to extend their lead to 38-14. It's about this time that I, still steaming over the Browns loss, decide to take a nap. Hey, this game's in hand, right?
Eventually, I wake up after a 14-yard touchdown run by Garcia and the subsequent two-point conversion and can't believe my eyes -- 38-30? Excuse me? Exactly how long had I slept?
Later in the quarter, Jeff Chandler hits a 25-yard field goal to pull the 'Niners even closer at 38-33, and then with a minute to go Garcia hits Tai Streets for what looks to be a game-winning 13-yard touchdown.
But the Giants, who still have two timeouts remaining, get a big kickoff return from Delvin Joyce out to their 48-yard line. Collins gets to the San Francisco 42 with a 10-yard pass to Ron Dixon, and after an incompletion and a five-yard penalty, he again finds Dixon, this time for a 19-yard gain all the way down to the 28-yard line.
Time out with 15 seconds remaining. The Giants are within Bryant's shaky field goal range.
Collins throws another incompletion before gaining five more yards on a pass to Toomer, down to the 23.
And here comes our moment.
Bryant, who hit just 26 of his 32 attempts this season and had already missed a 42-yarder thanks in part to a bad snap from Trey Junkin, trots onto the field. The Giants, once up by 24 points, now need this 40-yard field goal to salvage a two-point win with just six seconds on the clock.
The 49ers call a timeout hoping to freeze the New York kicker, but he wouldn't even figure into the play. Junkin, signed earlier that week, again botches the snap, forcing Matt Allen to roll out and throw the ball downfield to an offensive lineman who's ruled as being ineligibly downfield. Despite an obvious case of pass interference by San Fran's Chike Okeafor on the play, the refs announce that the game is over because of the penalty on New York.
A 24-point lead, gone. A potential Super Bowl run for the G-Men, gone.
Only it shouldn't have been. The NFL's director of officiating, Mike Pereira, said earlier this week that pass interference should have been called on the 49ers and that, together with the ineligible man downfield call, the two penalties should've offset, giving the Giants another shot at the game-winning kick.
The result? An apology to Jim Fassel and his team from commissioner Paul Tagliabue along with a promise to improve the system. That's great, though it doesn't really do much for the Fassel now.
One play that handed the 49ers an unbelievable victory. One play that robbed the Giants of a chance to win the game.
Athletes and coaches are forced to live with the consequences of whatever transpires on the field of play. It's the nature of sport. All they can do is hope that, when those final seconds tick off the clock or that last out is made, they've done enough to emerge victorious.
Sadly, no matter how well they perform throughout a particular game, a win can quickly turn into a loss at any moment, on any play. Often, the difference between victory and defeat lies in how a team or a player responds when that pivotal moment presents itself.
Three plays that pushed the Buckeyes, Steelers and 49ers to victory.
Three plays that forced the Hurricanes, Browns and Giants to defeat.
But as they say, there's always next year... and fortunately, there's always another play to be made.
In the Bullz-Eye
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb. After missing nearly two months with a broken ankle, the former All Pro will return to the Eagles huddle just in time for their opening-round playoff battle against Michael Vick and the Atlanta Falcons. It'll be very interesting to see how well McNabb can move a Philly offense that seemed much more dynamic with A.J. Feely running the show -- #5 is still the team leader but the less mobile Feely got more people involved in the offense than McNabb, who loves to tuck the ball and run when he's in trouble.
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