And so, even after taking four points off the board with missed kicks, and failing to score a touchdown on first and goal at the two, the cat was in the bag and the bag was well down the Clark Fork River.
NDSU was in deep trouble, fourth and long, deep in their own territory, forced to punt, with only about four minutes left in the game. And we had a seven point lead.
But suddenly, thanks to an uncharacteristic special teams blunder in an area that is Hauck's specialty, the NDSU punter found open green to to his left, raced well up the field for a first down, then inexcusably got hit out of bounds, which tacked on another 15.
Of course NDSU would go on to score. This is NDSU. This is a proud program with one of the greatest streaks in modern sports history. Of course they would force overtime. And of course they would score the go-ahead touchdown on one play in OT. The crowd was hushed. I was depressed.
Because "The Greatest Game in the History of WaGriz" was about to become "The Greatest Collapse in the History of Montana Football."
Except for one thing: The character of our kids.
Facing down the fabled NDSU defense, and with "Ol' Mo" now on the other side, our kids battled back. The now legendary Junior Bergen got loose down the sideline to tie the game. Our kicker, off two missed kicks, and certainly mindful of the way NDSU had beaten the Bobs on a blocked extra point, made it when it counted. When we scored first in the second OT, and made the two-point conversion, the pressure was now on NDSU. Of course they scored. They're NDSU.
But now our kids had earned a break--and they got it. NDSU will rue for a long time the play design of that last try for two. I dreaded a run right up the gut behind that huge O-Line, with our kids likely gassed. But when I saw their QB abandon the pocket and race for the sidelines in a wild scramble, I leapt out of my chair, as a prelude to scaring the hell out of my wife with a thunderous yell. Our kids had come through.
Character Baby!
NDSU was in deep trouble, fourth and long, deep in their own territory, forced to punt, with only about four minutes left in the game. And we had a seven point lead.
But suddenly, thanks to an uncharacteristic special teams blunder in an area that is Hauck's specialty, the NDSU punter found open green to to his left, raced well up the field for a first down, then inexcusably got hit out of bounds, which tacked on another 15.
Of course NDSU would go on to score. This is NDSU. This is a proud program with one of the greatest streaks in modern sports history. Of course they would force overtime. And of course they would score the go-ahead touchdown on one play in OT. The crowd was hushed. I was depressed.
Because "The Greatest Game in the History of WaGriz" was about to become "The Greatest Collapse in the History of Montana Football."
Except for one thing: The character of our kids.
Facing down the fabled NDSU defense, and with "Ol' Mo" now on the other side, our kids battled back. The now legendary Junior Bergen got loose down the sideline to tie the game. Our kicker, off two missed kicks, and certainly mindful of the way NDSU had beaten the Bobs on a blocked extra point, made it when it counted. When we scored first in the second OT, and made the two-point conversion, the pressure was now on NDSU. Of course they scored. They're NDSU.
But now our kids had earned a break--and they got it. NDSU will rue for a long time the play design of that last try for two. I dreaded a run right up the gut behind that huge O-Line, with our kids likely gassed. But when I saw their QB abandon the pocket and race for the sidelines in a wild scramble, I leapt out of my chair, as a prelude to scaring the hell out of my wife with a thunderous yell. Our kids had come through.
Character Baby!
