I wish that media days were held in mid-August, because listening to coaches talk about the upcoming season makes me anxious to see what’s going to unfold on the gridiron.
Unfortunately, the 2015-’16 campaign doesn’t kick off for a few more weeks.
With that in mind, it’s time to enjoy some memorable plays from seasons past. Here are seven more of my favorite:
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7. Tretola’s Touchdown Toss (UAB at Arkansas, 2014)
Let’s call this one the anti-Carlton Banks play, in that it’s so unusual.
Up 21-0, Arkansas opted to go for it on fourth and goal from the UAB six. The Hogs lined up in a strange formation, with offensive guard Sebastian Tretola lined up at quarterback. Much to the shock of the entire stadium, he took the snap and rolled to the right. Just when it looked like he was going to be tackled in the backfield, Tretola threw back to the other side field to a wide open Alan D’Appollonio for a touchdown.
How’s that for a little trickeration?!
6. Keith Jackson’s Reverse (Nebraska at Oklahoma, 1985)
In last week’s installment, I featured Jamelle Holieway’s home run ball to tight end Keith Jackson. During the replay in that clip, the commentators mentioned that while it was Jackson’s longest catch of the year, it wasn’t his longest scoring play of the season.
This nifty 88-yard reverse was what they were referring to.
Oklahoma set this up perfectly. Nebraska was clearly expecting the triple option and had its defenders in place to make the stop. However, instead of pitching the ball to the halfback, Holieway handed it to Jackson, which caught the Husker D completely by surprise. With a wall of blockers in front of him, Jackson sprinted 88 yards to the end zone to give the Sooners a 7-0 lead.
Oklahoma would go on to win the game, 27-7.
5. Scooby’s Snag
If we’ve learned anything about Scooby Wright over the last two seasons, it’s that he’s always in the right place at the right time. Whenever the Arizona Wildcats’ defense needs a big play, he’s there to make it.
This video clip proves that point perfectly. On the first snap from scrimmage, Oregon’s Marcus Mariota fired the ball to Bralon Addison, who had trouble hanging on to the pass because of the wet conditions. At that point, it looked like a harmless incompletion.
But, it wasn’t. Cornerback Shaquille Richardson never gave up on the play, deflecting the errant pass back into the field of play. Wright alertly snatched the ball out of the air, astutely keeping his feet in bounds before returning it to the Duck 45.
Wright’s timely pick set the tone for the entire contest. Arizona would race out to a 28-9 halftime lead en route to a 42-16 victory, sending the Ducks to the Alamo Bowl.
4. RG3’s Ricochet to Wright (Oklahoma at Baylor, 2011)
Joe Tessitore hit the nail on the head when he said, “Sometimes you’d rather be lucky than good.”
Baylor was both on this play.
On second and 13, Robert Griffin III threw across the middle to Tevin Reese for an apparent first down. But, the ball hit Reese in the helmet for what looked like an incomplete pass. However, instead of falling harmlessly to the ground, the pigskin went 20 yards downfield into the hands of Kendall Wright, who was well behind every Oklahoma defender. He turned on the jets and raced into the end zone untouched, knotting the score at 24.
This good fortune was a sign of good things to come for the Bears that evening. Baylor would win the game, 45-38, marching 80 yards in 43 seconds for the deciding touchdown. Griffin would win the Heisman Trophy a few weeks later, in large part because of his heroics on the final drive.
3. Ed Reed’s Strip Six (Miami at Boston College, 2001)
Although this happened 14 years ago, I remember it like it was yesterday.
Boston College had a first and goal on the Miami 9-yard line with a chance to knock off the No. 1 Hurricanes. With just 30 seconds remaining, the Eagles chose to throw the ball over the middle. UM defensive lineman Matt Walters came up with the interception and began to lumber towards the BC end zone. Just as the Eagles were about to bring Walters down, Ed Reed alertly stripped the ball out of his hands. After regaining his balance, Reed raced down the field and across the goal line, giving the ‘Canes an insurmountable 18-7 lead.
This clutch play saved Miami’s season. If BC had scored, the Hurricanes might not have played in the BCS National Championship Game.
2. War Damn Miracle (Alabama at Auburn, 2013)
While there’s no disputing his wizardry on offense, Gus Malzahn doesn’t get enough credit for some of the other innovations that he brings to college football.
Just look at how this contest ended. When Nick Saban sent the field goal unit on the gridiron, he had to have been thinking, “Okay, the worst that can happen is that he can miss and we go into overtime.” The commentators in this clip certainly thought so, as they wondered why Chris Davis was standing in the end zone.
We all know how things turned out. Davis fielded the ball one yard short of the end line, raced to the left sideline, and galloped into the end zone as time expired. This surprise score gave Auburn the SEC West championship, and propelled the Tigers into the BCS National Championship Game.
It also encouraged coaches to send in a return man for long field goal attempts… another Malzahn innovation.
1. The Play
All of the plays on this list are things that clearly don’t happen very often.
With that in mind, I’m going to conclude this installment with the most bizarre play I’ve ever seen. After all, how many times does the opposing team’s band throw the game-winning block?
Amazingly, that’s what happened here. Up 20-19, Stanford squib kicked, hoping to make a quick tackle to end the contest. The Cardinal coverage unit was in position to do just that, surrounding upback Kevin Moen almost immediately.
Yet, the Bears would not be denied. Moen pitched the ball Richard Rodgers, who promptly tossed it to Dwight Garner. Garner ran to the midfield stripe and was nearly brought to the ground (sorry, Rodney Gilmore, he wasn’t down). However, he got rid of the ball at the last second, lateraling it back to Rodgers, who pitched it to Mariet Ford. Ford took the ball into the Cardinal band, and looked like he was going to be stopped at the 27.
But, he wasn’t. Five laterals after fielding the kick, the ball ended up back in the capable mitts of Moen. With the unwitting help of the Stanford band, he raced across the goal line for the game-winning score.
