2001 GMAC Bowl, blast from the past

I was combing through the espn video files and I noticed that they are doing this little 12 bowls of christmas, counting down the 12 most memorable bowl games of the past decade or so. (i'm not exactly sure what the criteria is). Anyway, they did a pretty good job too, not just giving you a 3 minute recap but a full on 20 minute summary.

Anyway, the 2001 GMAC bowl pitted Marshall vs East Carolina and incidently Byron Leftwich vs David Garrard the future Jacksonville teammates. This game had everything, I actually remember staying up past midnight and watching it live. East Carolina was having their way with the Herd in the first half, they must have been up by at least 4 touchdowns at one point. But they couldn't keep the shackles on an already gimpy and lead footed leftwich, who really could zing the old pigskin around back then, and Marshall was always going to be within striking distance for the latter stages of the game.

The end of regulation of this game is one of my favorites in college football. Marshall kicks a field goal to make it a 6 point game with about 2 minutes left. They stop ECU, use all their timeouts, and get the ball back in their own territory with about 30 seconds left and no timeouts. This game should be a blueprint of how not to defend a last second drive, and the constant closeup of the East Carolina defensive coordinator, head in hands, inconsolable as if he knows whats going to happen before the drive even starts, is priceless. Anyway, Leftwich is brilliant, he doesn't panic, and he uses that awesome rule of the clock stopping to move the chains to perfection, and actually scores with 7 seconds so spare to tie the game at 51.

BUT THEN, just when we think its over, this kicker comes along and hits a gross, low extrapoint that misses wide to the right. This was his 7th missed extra point of the year. uhhh, thats not a very good stat to have. Marshall goes on to win the game in OT, but what a classic, crazy fourth quarter that exemplifies the bowl season at its finest.