There are few things in sports quite as exciting as a Hail Mary, walk-off victory in a football game.
Walk-offs in baseball, even home runs, have become pretty passé — deep blast, admire work, waltz around bases, get mobbed at home plate. Rinse and repeat.
But Hail Marys are still rare enough in football that when you see a good one, you immediately let out a “Holy [bleep]!” even if you don’t care who wins.
We got a good one on Saturday as Nebraska trailed Northwestern, 24-21, with four seconds left in the Big Ten contest. The Wildcats had gone ahead with 1:20 left in the game on a 21-yard field goal.
It looked like the Cats’ defense had done its job, forcing a fourth-and-15 from Nebraska’s own 24-yard line. But Ron Kellogg III found Ameer Abdullah for a 16-yard completion and a first down. The Huskers picked up 11 more yards, but again it looked like the Cats had done their job with the ball at their 49-yard line and just four seconds left.
That’s where the video above picks up.
Kellogg unleashed a 50-yard bomb into the end zone, which was tipped into the air and caught by Jordan Westerkamp for the game-winning score. Game over. Nebraska wins, 27-21.
Kellogg immediately flipped out and sprinted for the opposite end zone. All of the Nebraska defenders in the end zone collapsed in utter despair. Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini looked angry (maybe just confused?) for some reason.
Northwestern fell to 4-5 on the season after losing their fifth straight since ESPN’s “College “Gameday” visited. And now they have ranked foes Michigan and Michigan State up next on the schedule. This year really got out of hand in a hurry.
Follow Metro New York Sports Editor Mark Osborne on Twitter @MetroNYSports. He knows you KNOCK IT DOWN!
