3 days ago
ESPN names controversial Ohio State football play as one of the 25 best since 2000
ESPN names controversial Ohio State football play as one of the 25 best since 2000
As an Ohio State football fan, there are likely a dozen or so plays etched in fans' memory banks, plays that they'll remember forever. There's the "85 yards through the heart of the south" play against Alabama in the CFP semifinal, and two plays from this past season alone on the way to a College Football Playoff national championship.
We all remember Captain Jack's scoop and score against Texas and the "Third and Jeremiah" long pass play against Notre Dame to seal the national title in Atlanta. Going back further, "Holy Buckeye" was my generation's play when quarterback Craig Krenzel connected with Michael Jenkins for a go-ahead touchdown and ultimately winning score against Purdue. Ohio State doesn't win the 2002 BCS national championship without it.
But what if you aren't an Ohio State fan, but just a college football fan in general? What plays would make the cut if we went back to, say, 2000, and started to rank them? Luckily for all college pigskin fans, ESPN attempted to do just that by identifying the top 25 college football plays since 2000, and there is one memorable, seismic play that may have altered two programs' national trajectories.
The play ESPN ranked as No. 10 is the pass interference call against Miami (FL) when Chris Gamble went up and tried to haul in a pass from Krenzel on fourth down in the corner of the end zone. Talk to a Buckeye fan, and it was clearly interference, but talk to a 'Canes fan or other fans that loathe the colors Scarlet and Gray, and it was questionable at best, especially since the flag came out after what seemed like an eternity.
Here's what ESPN's Andrea Adelson said about the play.
Perhaps the most questionable pass interference call in college football history, the penalty on Miami's Glenn Sharpe in overtime in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl prevented the Hurricanes from repeating as national champions and cementing their dynasty. With one play left to keep their season alive, Ohio State quarterback Craig Krenzel dropped back to pass on fourth-and-3 from the 5-yard line, throwing for Chris Gamble in the end zone. The pass fell incomplete, and Miami players and staff ran onto the field in celebration. Except ... Terry Porter, the field judge, threw a flag several seconds after the play ended, a delay that added to the mass confusion that followed and resulted in the widespread second-guessing of the call (for those outside Columbus, Ohio, that is).
The officials huddled and called pass interference on Sharpe. With a fresh set of downs, Ohio State scored to send the game into a second overtime and won the game 31-24.
OSU fans may be a little upset due to the fact that the heading of the play is titled "Champions*," yes, with an asterisk.
History will show that this play will forever be a controversial one, and how you view it likely depends on your rooting interests. They call that confirmation bias, and it is as prevalent in college football as it is in our politics these days. But hey, Ohio State landed on the positive side of this one and brought home its first national championship in 34 years at the time, so we'll take it.
