OT: Best "Your Season Is On the Line" Plays
I've had this topic on my mind since Quinnipiac knocked off Minnesota in the Frozen Four Championship game. Trailing 2-1, Quinnipiac scored a goal with under three minutes remaining to tie the game. Then, in OT (about as season on the line as it comes), the Bobcats had a beautiful set play to score a championship-winning goal 10 seconds into OT.
While there are some crazy, miraculous season-on-the-line plays (BU vs Miami in the 2009 Frozen Four Championship Game comes to mind), Quinnipiac's goal was a well-designed, well-practiced play.
For Michigan, Jordan Poole's buzzer beater comes to mind. In the NFL, Malcom Butler's interception against Russel Wilson in the Super Bowl is a prime example. Butler had studied and practiced that exact play multiple times in the run up to that game.
So what are some of the best-planned season-on-the-line moments (both Michigan and non-Michigan) that you can think of?
August 23rd, 2023 at 7:46 PM ^
Philly special from the 1/2 yard line with the two time consecutive Joe Mora OL available.
Am I doing this right?
August 24th, 2023 at 8:48 AM ^
Was it the half yard line? I thought it was the 2 yard line. Either way, it was horrible
August 23rd, 2023 at 7:51 PM ^
Let's pinch-hit the crippled guy who can't even run to 1st base, against the 2nd place Cy Young pitcher, for the most important single at bat of the most important single game (momentum for the Series to come) of the sport's Championship Series.
August 23rd, 2023 at 8:19 PM ^
An amazing moment and, as everyone knows, the 2nd greatest home run he ever hit.
Here's the first:
August 23rd, 2023 at 9:26 PM ^
It's funny ---- I grew up in Detroit, I now live in LA. Kirk Gibson became an all-time Dodgers legend with that HR, he is undeniably part of Dodgers royalty. LA fans claim Gibson as their own.
But --- as we Detroiters know, Gibson is first-most ours. He's Michigan-born, Michigan-bred, Tigers-royalty.
And I have to correct you - to us, that Dodger HR is the THIRD most important World Series HR he ever hit. Also in Game 5, 1st pitch he saw, BAM, it's 2-0 Tigers before San Diego has recorded a 2nd out.
Also, that photograph!!! What a shot!!!
------------
On a side note, an under-appreciated part of Gibson's Dodger HR. He hits the ball out to RF, and you can see a pair of brake lights suddenly appear above the RF bleachers!
Those are your stereo-typical "gotta go and beat traffic" Dodgers fans. But they're listening on radio and have their "oh shit!!!" moment when they hear Don Drysdale calling the home run!
Then again: I was at Malace at the Palace. Except that I wasn't, I left with 6:00 to go.
August 24th, 2023 at 12:00 PM ^
I LOVE seeing those brake lights turn on!
August 24th, 2023 at 1:57 PM ^
I've had Dodger dugout club seats a few times - the inside of the club has various paintings of Dodger moments on the walls. 2 paintings of Gibson's HR:
- One from behind home plate, Gibson making contact with the ball, the scoreboard in right field (8:41 PM) still showing the 4-3 A's lead.
- The second showing the RF bleachers, the ball about to land, the fans going crazy. And yes, the brake lights outside the stadium!
Love both those paintings, capture the moment pefectly.
August 23rd, 2023 at 11:04 PM ^
That was an amazing moment. You can't write a script like that!
That said, Gibby was a Spartan.
August 23rd, 2023 at 7:57 PM ^
Give the ball to Michael Jordan
Let David Ortiz hit
ohio state punting to Desmond and Charles
The Don
August 23rd, 2023 at 8:14 PM ^
Boise State's hook-and-ladder play followed by their Statue of Liberty play in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl against Oklahoma stick out to me.
August 23rd, 2023 at 8:38 PM ^
A little recency bias, but Money Moody:
- @Nebraska 2021: FG at 3:00 to tie, then at 1:24 to take the lead
- Illinois 2022: FG at 3:14 to shrink the lead to 1, then at 0:09 to take the lead
Hard to make the CFP with either of those losses.
August 23rd, 2023 at 8:38 PM ^
Jared Goff to Penei Sewell for the win.
August 23rd, 2023 at 8:40 PM ^
I wouldn't include Jordan Poole's shot, which left him way too far away from the bucket to constitute a "brilliantly-designed-and-executed" play. That was pure individual magic (and a fair amount of "thank-God-almighty" luck).
I'm old enough and a huge enough fan of Anthony Carter to believe the "just throw it to him and maybe he can score" play against Indiana could qualify, but at the end of the day it, too, probably qualifies more as individual magic.
The Music City Miracle, however, might qualify. I suppose Duke over Kentucky in the Elite Eight might qualify. Though, for basketball, nothing will ever beat the barking-dog play (which apparently has worked at least twice).
(Re-reading your post, I see you're talking specifically about season-on-the-line plays, and less about "game on the line" and "amazingly designed final plays." Ah well.)
August 23rd, 2023 at 9:01 PM ^
Recency bias abound, but Sainristil’s pass breakup on Stover for sure.
If OSU scores that TD, they can bring it within a field goal, that stadium would go berserk, and all the momentum would sway back their way. Stover looks like he’s about to catch what should be a layup for a TD, but Sainristil covers so much ground in getting over to him and playing that ball absolutely flawlessly. He could not have played it better. OSU then settles for a sad field goal, and the rest is history.
I’m not convinced Michigan’s next series goes the way it did without Sainristil having done what he did.
Runner Up Non-Michigan Answer? Martin St. Louis scoring the biggest goal of his life, and maybe in Lightning history, in overtime, Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Very controversial ending, I’m not entirely convinced Calgary hadn’t already scored the game winning goal earlier that got taken off the board, but sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good. But he buries that puck in the net, saves the Lightning’s season, and then it shifts back to Tampa for Game 7 where Nikolai Khabibulin plays the game of his life to deliver the Lightning their first title.
August 23rd, 2023 at 9:17 PM ^
Jim Knowles' call immediately after Klatt explains that he must call his best series yet.
Recency bias, I know, but I really enjoyed that "season on the line" call.
August 23rd, 2023 at 10:09 PM ^
Ohio State punting on 4th and 4 in Michigan territory. Also failing to execute the fake punt. Both masterful.
August 23rd, 2023 at 10:15 PM ^
Everyone (of a certain age) here of course remembers the 1997 Detroit Red Wings.
An under-appreciated part of the run. It's the Colorado series, Wings lose Game 1 in Denver. Game 2, Wings dominate the 1st 2 periods (30-11 shot edge).
But it's 2-1 Avs because Patrick Roy is being Patrick Roy and Claude Lemieux ----- of all f***ing rat bastards, how on Earth does this dirty playing, cheap-shot turtling ass-hole also keep scoring key playoffs goals against us for a 3rd f***ing straight year, what the hell God, what f***ing nonsense is this?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! ----- has one of the Avs goals.
Shit, it's 1996 all over again! Get down 2-0 to these guys and Roy, how the hell can you win 4 of 5? We all felt good about March 26, but who the hell cares about beating the Avs up in some fights if you can't beat the Avs where and when it really counts, on the ice and in the playoffs?
And then the 3rd Period:
- Quickly, Wings PP, picture-perfect pass from Yzerman to Federov down low. Tied at 2!
- 4:30 left, Yzeman end-to-end, dodges 3 Avs, shot, blocked, get the rebound, bank it in. Wings lead!
- But 90 seconds later: Puck gets by Vernon and Avs get a easy knock-in opportunity to tie it. Except Lidstrom from nowhere - incredible play & keeps it out. No breaks in the action for a minute, before McCarty (I'll match your goal Claude, and what a flash-back to how March 26 finished!) gets a break-out opportunity and cashes it in. 4-2, game over.
8 games and 7 wins later, the Wings raised the Cup. But that night (not March 26) was the night they truly won the Cup.
August 23rd, 2023 at 11:05 PM ^
I was only 11 at the time, and that Cup run solidified me as a Wings fan for life.
August 23rd, 2023 at 10:31 PM ^
Catch 42, also known and the Escape and the Helmet Catch from Eli Manning to David Tyree, Super Bowl XLII, 02/03/2008.
Yes, I know it denied our Tom Terrific a deserved ring and an undefeated season. But. The Jints were down, a little more than 2 minutes remained in the game. Eli's scramble and Tyree's impossible catch defined the season for two great teams.
August 23rd, 2023 at 11:53 PM ^
Four plays stand out and they are all from the NCAA tournament:
Michigan vs. Illinois 1989 Final Four.
Valpariso, Drew hitting the three to win the game at the buzzer.
Tyus Edny for UCLA going coast to coast with under 4 seconds left.
NC State Derrick Wittenburg throwing it up and Lorenzo Charles throwing it down to win it all against Houston.
Finally, as a Twins fan, you can’t beat game 6 of the 91 World Series. Kirby Puckett’s catch against the wall to prevent a go ahead run and then in the bottom of the inning “…and we’ll see you tomorrow night”.
August 24th, 2023 at 2:12 AM ^
Just baseball ones - I watched the Joe Carter home run when I was 7 years old. It truly cannot get bigger than that - except maybe Bill Mazeroski, but I figure most of us weren't alive then.
Or maybe, everything the Cardinals did in game 6 of the 2011 world series.
August 24th, 2023 at 12:02 AM ^
Other than the guy that mentioned BSU in pretty sure nobody read the OP.
August 24th, 2023 at 12:10 AM ^
Hard to top the 1994 Urbana Pee-Wee Football championship game when the Little Giants defeated the Cowboys on a 99-yard "Annexation of Puerto Rico" fumblerooski as time expired.
August 24th, 2023 at 12:28 AM ^
morrison 1996 or langfeld 1998
the band is on the field
kick six (2013 Iron Bowl)
montana to clark
byu v smu 1980
UTL1
stevie y from the blue line
would say gibby but already mentioned
August 24th, 2023 at 1:20 AM ^
Obligatory
August 24th, 2023 at 2:01 AM ^
Erick All, LOTS of running room
Samantha Findlay in the 9th inning
Air Jourdan
Myles Amine in the 2022 Big Ten Wrestling Championships. Gave Aaron Brooks his only loss of the year by a takedown with 25 seconds left in the match, and then another one for the win 15 seconds into OT - to give Michigan the Big Ten team championship
August 24th, 2023 at 2:28 AM ^
Dibu Martinez saving Kolo Muani’s shot at the end if extra time in the World Cup Final.
August 24th, 2023 at 8:55 AM ^
While it did not win them the game (won in OT), Trey Burke's 3 pointer vs. Kansas was as clutch as you can get!
August 24th, 2023 at 1:40 PM ^
Henson's keeper on 4th & goal to win in Columbus
August 24th, 2023 at 5:55 PM ^
The Catch. Elvis to Desmond v ND.
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