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A Brief History of the Fumbled Kneeldown; or The Double Miracle at the Boone

Promoted from FanPosts - Sam

Well, that was some kind of game last night. I think that everyone could say that they have never seen anything quite like that. I think John Madden would say that too if he could take the Turducken leg out of his mouth for a moment to both speak and take in life-sustaining oxygen. A fumbled victory formation snap followed by a fumble recovery from the team you just fumbled the victory snap to on the very next play. It got me thinking: has this ever happened before? Could OSU have pioneered this kind of agonizing ineptitude instead of the transcendent defensive takeaway and successful kneeldown that ultimately occurred? After an extensive search (a 2 yr old message board asking, 'has there ever been a botched kneeldown leading to a comeback win for the other team?') I found that only one other game comes close, and not really even that close, to the unrelenting mindfuck that we witnessed from the Cowboys last night. Let's see how last nights "The Double Miracle at the Boone" trumps 1978's singular "The Miracle at the Meadowlands".

The Miracle at the Meadowlands:

Year:1978

Place: East Rutherford, NJ

Philadelphia Eagles v. New York Giants

Favored Team: Philadelphia Eagles

What Happened:  Giants quarterback Joe Pisarcik led his team to a seemingly 17-12 underdog victory thanks to a late game turnover by the Eagles.  With 31 seconds left, Pisarcik has a third and two after a second down kneel and is given a running play by old guard ("kneeldowns are for pussies!") offensive coordinator Bob Gibson instead of another kneeldown.  Pisarcik takes a hard snap, bobbles the ball to fullback Larry Csonka who watches as Eagles cornerback Herman Edwards takes it back for the score. Game ends, and the Eagles win 19-17.

The Double Miracle at the Boone:

Year: 2010

Place: Stillwater, OK

Troy Trojans v. Oklahoma State Cowboys

Favored Team: Oklahoma State Cowboys

What Happened: After a game filled with turnovers from both sides, Oklahoma State turns two quick third quarter touchdowns and a critical forth quarter fumble recovery into a sustainable three point lead with about a minute left. Troy with only one timeout remaining and Oklahoma State with 4 downs to go, victory felt inevitable. Hell, I started to think about beating the crowd out of the stands. However, an awry snap caused a fumble that was recovered by Troy linebacker Daniel Sheffield.  Miracle #1 (for Troy).  On the very next play, OSU linebacker Justin Gent rocks Troy QB Corey Robinson who fumbles BACK to OSU. Miracle #2 (for us). OSU completes a successful kneel and wins 41-38.

Now, I know what you're thinking. The Meadowlands game wasn't a botched kneeldown, it was a fumble recovery on a running play that should have been a kneeldown.  So that may make OSU the first. Which is kind of cool (only because we still won), but also really frustrating.  As Cowboy fans we all feel that the breaks are sometimes hard to come by, but as football realists we have to know that on a kneeldown the only thing in the world you have to concentrate on is a 18" toss and catch.  Weeden said it himself in a post game interview when he said the snap was "stuff you learn in elementary P.E.".

Boone Trumps Meadowlands, Why?

  1. The Boone had two miracles in one game. Boom! There you go Meadowlands bitch. You only have one miracle.
  2. Our Miracle was on a fumble during the most fundamental, benign football play there is. Then we totally got the ball back on the very next play! Really, wrap your head around that mindgouge.
  3. The Meadowlands just got dozed this summer. Suck on that Meadowlands, you don't even exist anymore. Lewis Field at Boone Pickens, since 1913 and still going strong! And never in that time did we allegedly have dead bodies buried in our 50 yard line.

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