Looking back (Nov. 1-7) | NFL: Washington REdskins, 22, Dallas Cowboys, 19
In another installment of the legendary NFL rivalry between the Washington Redskins and the Dallas Cowboys, it was the Redskins who managed a 22-19 victory after one of the most bizarre endings of any football game all season.
The entire game was a wild ride for both teams, played at FedEx Field in Landover, Md., on Nov. 5. Washington drew blood first, tackling Dallas RB Julius Jones in the end zone for a safety in the first quarter. Then, after the Redskins added a field goal to go ahead 5-0, Cowboy QB Tony Romo threw a touchdown pass to WR Terry Glenn but failed to convert a two-point conversion pass play, leaving Dallas only up one point 6-5.
The game continued on as Washington and Dallas traded scores. However, with his team up 19-12 in the third, Dallas WR Terrell Owens dropped a catchable ball that would likely have put his team up two touchdowns. Later, Redskin quarterback Mark Brunell connected with TE Chris Cooley for a touchdown early in the fourth to knot the game at 19-19.
With the game clock winding down under a minute, Washington kicker Nick Novak badly missed a field goal attempt from 49 yards out, giving Dallas the ball. After a key catch by Dallas TE Jason Witten with six ticks left, kicker Mike Vanderjagt took the field to ice the game for the Cowboys. However, the Redskins were not resigned to lose as Troy Vincent blocked Vanderjagt's 35-yard attempt, and Sean Taylor retrieved the ball and returned it to the Dallas 45.
While the clock read 0:00, a facemasking penalty against the Cowboys put the ball on the Dallas 30 and enabled Washington to run one last play before overtime with no time left in regulation. Novak came on and redeemed himself, narrowly putting his 47-yard attempt through the bottom-right corner of the uprights to send the Redskins the victory.
Looking ahead (Nov. 8-Nov. 14) | NESCAC
It's a clash of two NESCAC titans this weekend, and the league championship in football is on the line. The Williams Ephs are an unblemished 7-0 heading into the season's final weekend, and all they need is a win over Amherst or a Trinity loss at Wesleyan to become the sole champions of the conference. This weekend's game in Amherst pits the Ephs' offense, the best in the league, against the Lord Jeffs' defense, also the NESCAC's best.
Williams' offense is led by a trio of explosive players, all of whom make the Ephs' passing game the league's best. Junior quarterback Pat Lucey is at the helm, and Lucey is the league's most accurate passer, completing over 65 percent of his attempts this year for 11 touchdowns. Senior quad-captain Jonathan Drenckhahn is perhaps the league's best wide receiver, as he leads all wideouts with 684 yards in the air. Drenckhahn's six TD catches this season are second only to his own teammate, senior Brendan Fulmer, who has caught seven.
The Ephs now meet the Lord Jeffs, who had not allowed a single passing touchdown all season until last week. Trinity sophomore Eric McGrath found the end zone twice when the Jeffs came to Hartford last week, giving him 13 passing touchdowns on the season, the only total higher than Lucey's 11 in the NESCAC. The Jeffs hope to rebound from their embarrassing 24-0 loss to the Bantams with an upset of the Ephs. Now 5-2, the Jeffs are out of title contention, but they still have a chance to play spoiler.
And when taking on their hated rivals from Williams, there's nothing they'd love more.
