These Seven Plays Helped Bcs Picture Develop Ranging From Irish Field Goal To Ou’S Marshall Interception
Call them the Magnificent Seven - the plays, in chronological order, that most shaped the pairings for the Bowl Championship Series.
1. The kicker who could, Sept. 16. Purdue’s Drew Brees had just thrown a touchdown pass to Vinny Sutherland for a 21-20 lead at Notre Dame with 3:39 to play. That’s when Gary Godsey, a 6-6 sophomore tight end masquerading as a quarterback, went to work. Godsey converted three third-down plays and calmly drove the Irish into field-goal range.
Nick Setta was summoned, and he kicked a 38-yard field goal as time expired, giving Notre Dame a 23-21 win. The victory made the Irish believe in themselves, sparking them to a 9-2 finish and a BCS bowl.
“Kicking the winning field goal at Notre Dame is better than at any place else,” Setta says. “Everyone in the whole world is watching.”
2. Never say die, Oct. 7. Miami planned to show the nation it was back, but Florida State’s Chris Weinke wasn’t cooperating. Playing on a bad ankle, Weinke completed 29 of 58 passes for 496 yards and three touchdowns, the last of which gave FSU a 24-20 lead with 1:37 to play.
But the Hurricanes rallied, driving 68 yards in seven plays. Ken Dorsey hit tight end Jeremy Shockey with a 13-yard touchdown pass with 46 seconds left to give Miami a 27-24 lead. Dorsey completed 6 of 7 passes on the drive.
The victory was sealed when Florida State’s Matt Munyon missed wide right on a 49-yard field-goal attempt in the final seconds.
“I just wanted to get back on the field to prove something to all those writers who said we would lose this game because I was a sophomore and had never played in a game like this,” Dorsey says.
3. Pick and roll, Oct. 28. Florida trailed Georgia, 17-9, and the Bulldogs were driving for another score late in the first half. Georgia’s Quincy Carter dropped back to pass, looking for Damien Gary. Florida cornerback Lito Sheppard intercepted the ball at the Gators’ 21 and juked his way 63 yards to the Georgia 26 to set up the tying touchdown just before halftime.
The Gators rolled to a 34-23 win. A young defense that still was learning needed plays like that to win the SEC. “I really didn’t want to go down,” Sheppard says. “I was able to get my little crease and go through it.”
4. The pain within, Oct. 28. It happened just before halftime of a 37-34 win against Pittsburgh. That’s when Virginia Tech’s Michael Vick was clutching at his right ankle after being sacked by Panthers linebackers Amir Purifoy and Gerald Hayes. It was sprained badly. Vick didn’t play the rest of the game, and worse, the unbeaten Hokies had a date in Miami the next week.
Backup quarterback Dave Meyer and running back Lee Suggs saved the Hokies against Pittsburgh, but Tech needed Vick against the Hurricanes. Meyer started, but Vick played. Vick wasn’t himself, and Virginia Tech lost, 41-21. It was the Hokies’ only loss, and it cost them another shot at a national title.
5. Never say die II, Oct. 28. Washington, after leading Stanford 24-6 with 5:57 to play, found itself trailing 28-24 with 53 seconds remaining. Then Washington’s Marques Tuiasosopo saved the day, hitting Justin Robbins for a 22-yard touchdown with 17 seconds left in the Huskies’ 31-28 victory. Tuiasosopo set up the score with a 27-yard pass to Todd Elstrom and a 31-yarder to Will Hooks. Robbins, who ran a streak pattern, juggled the ball in the end zone before making the winning catch.
The Huskies improved to 7-1, keeping alive their Rose Bowl dreams. “Just catch it, don’t drop it,” Robbins says he told himself.
6. Hide and seek, Nov. 4. It was a play-action pass. Receiver Snoop Minnis streaked down the field. Standing in his end zone and hiding the ball on his hip for what seemed like forever, Florida State’s Weinke threw to Minnis for a 98-yard touchdown against Clemson. Minnis caught the ball near the FSU 35 and outran everyone. The play gave FSU a 10-0 lead on its way to a 54-7 win and solidified the team’s notion that it was special and could overcome any situation.
7. Perfect timing, Nov. 11. Oklahoma’s perfect record and national title hopes were in danger at Texas A&M’s Kyle Field. The Sooners trailed 31-28 midway through the fourth quarter, and Texas A&M had the ball. With 7:18 left, OU linebacker Torrance Marshall stepped in front of Mark Farris’ pass and ran it back 41 yards, providing the winning touchdown in a 35-31 victory. OU remained 9-0 and No. 1 in the nation. “I was lucky to catch it,” Marshall says. Just call it Sooners magic.