Bluegrass Miracle - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The sports page of the Baton Rouge Advocate on November 10, 2002, the day after the "Bluegrass Miracle." The top photo shows Kentucky University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky... defenders deflecting the pass, and the large center photo shows LSU LSU Tigers football The LSU Tigers football team, also known as the Fighting Tigers or Bayou Bengals, represents Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States in NCAA Division I FBS college football. Current head coach Les Miles has led the team since 2005. Since 1999 when Nick Saban took over as... wide receiver Wide receiver A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible... Devery Henderson Devery Henderson -New Orleans Saints:On November 5, 2006, Devery had his best day as a professional in a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he caught 3 passes for 111 yards and 2 touchdowns. Henderson had 158 receiving yards on 5 catches, including a 76 yard touchdown, against the Atlanta Falcons on November... right after catching the pass.

The "Bluegrass Miracle" refers to one of the most improbable finishes in NCAA college football

College football

College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...

history. It was a 74-yard game-winning touchdown

Touchdown

A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...

pass by the #14 LSU Tigers

LSU Tigers football

The LSU Tigers football team, also known as the Fighting Tigers or Bayou Bengals, represents Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States in NCAA Division I FBS college football. Current head coach Les Miles has led the team since 2005. Since 1999 when Nick Saban took over as...

with no time left on the clock against the Kentucky Wildcats

Kentucky Wildcats football

The Kentucky Wildcats football team is a college football program that competes in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the East Division of the Southeastern Conference.-History:Paul "Bear" Bryant Era...

on November 9, 2002 at Commonwealth Stadium

Commonwealth Stadium (Kentucky)

Commonwealth Stadium is the name of a stadium in Lexington, Kentucky, USA. This stadium, named for the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is located on the campus of the University of Kentucky and is the home field for the school's football team, replacing the smaller Stoll Field/McLean Stadium. The field...

in Lexington, Kentucky

Lexington, Kentucky

Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...

Background

Kentucky

University of Kentucky

The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...

, the home team, was the underdog to the defending SEC

Southeastern Conference

The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...

champion Tigers. LSU was ahead by as many as 14 points at one point and led 24–14 after a field goal with 13:58 remaining in the fourth quarter, but Kentucky came back with a 13–3 run to tie the game at 27–27. However, a Kentucky player called the Wildcats' last timeout on first down from the LSU 11 with 15 seconds left on the clock, and rather than risking a turnover or a tackle within the field of play that would leave the clock running and the Wildcats unable to line up to spike the football, head coach Guy Morriss

Guy Morriss

Guy W. Morriss is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head football coach at Texas A&M University–Commerce, a position he has held since the 2009 season. Morriss served as the head football coach at the University of Kentucky for two seasons and at Baylor...

opted to send kicker

Placekicker

Placekicker, or simply kicker , is the title of the player in American and Canadian football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals, extra points...

Taylor Begley out to kick a 29-yard field goal

Field goal (football)

A field goal in American football and Canadian football is a goal that may be scored during general play . Field goals may be scored by a placekick or the now practically extinct drop kick.The drop kick fell out of favor in 1934 when the shape of the ball was changed...

, giving the Wildcats a 30–27 lead with 11 seconds left on the clock. LSU would get the ball back, but the ensuing kickoff pinned them at their own 9 yard line. On the first play of the series, the Tigers would quickly get the ball to their own 26 yard line on a pass from quarterback

Quarterback

Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...

Marcus Randall

Marcus Randall is an American football player who plays for Team Arkansas of the All American Football League. Randall played quarterback for LSU, Tennessee Titans and Green Bay Packers of the National Football League.-College career:...

to wide receiver

Wide receiver

A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...

Michael Clayton. An LSU timeout stopped the clock with 2 seconds remaining, and set up a desperation Hail Mary pass

Hail Mary pass

A Hail Mary pass or Hail Mary route in American football refers to any very long forward pass made in desperation with only a small chance of success, especially at or near the end of a half....

. The chances for success were considered slim because Randall's arm was not strong enough to reach the opponent's end zone from 70+ yards away. Kentucky players were so confident that they had won the game that they gave head coach Guy Morriss a Gatorade bath

Gatorade shower

The Gatorade shower, also known as the Gatorade dunk and the Gatorade bath, is a sports tradition that involves dumping a cooler full of liquid over a coach's head following a meaningful win, like the Super Bowl. The tradition began with the New York Giants football team in the mid-1980s...

before the final play had taken place.

The play

On the final play of the game, Tigers quarterback

Quarterback

Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...

Marcus Randall

took the ball and threw it from his own 18 yard line as far as he could downfield. Soon after Randall released the ball, triumphant Kentucky fans stormed the field around him. The pass was 25 yards short of the end zone

End zone

In gridiron-based codes of football, the end zone refers to the scoring area on the field. It is the area between the end line and goal line bounded by the sidelines. There are two end zones, each being on an opposite side of the field...

. However, the ball was deflected off the hands of LSU wide receiver

Wide receiver

Michael Clayton between the Kentucky 30 and 25 yard lines, into the hands of LSU wide receiver

Wide receiver

Devery Henderson

-New Orleans Saints:On November 5, 2006, Devery had his best day as a professional in a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he caught 3 passes for 111 yards and 2 touchdowns. Henderson had 158 receiving yards on 5 catches, including a 76 yard touchdown, against the Atlanta Falcons on November...

just short of the 15 yard line. Henderson broke the shoestring tackle of the last Kentucky defender, and ran into the end zone

End zone

for the game-winning touchdown

Touchdown

Confusion and aftermath

While Henderson crossed the end zone

End zone

, the Jefferson Pilot Sports television broadcast accidentally posted the graphic "Kentucky 30, LSU 27—FINAL." LSU

LSU Tigers football

had actually just won the game 33–30. Kentucky fans who were already on the field could not believe what had happened. Fireworks were shot off when the game clock read "0:00", even prior to the hail mary pass. After the play, Tom Leach, Kentucky's radio

Radio

Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...

play-by-play announcer, said, "How much heartbreak. Kentucky fans are up on the goal posts. I don't know why." LSU play-by-play announcer Jim Hawthorne, was equally shocked and was also at a loss for an explanation; he initially said that LSU defensive back

Defensive back

In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...

Jack Hunt

Jack Hunt is an American football safety who is currently a free agent. He most recently played for the Miami Dolphins.-High school career:Hunt played football at Ruston High School in Ruston, Louisiana....

(who had converted from wide receiver in 2002), not Devery Henderson

Devery Henderson

, scored the touchdown. Hunt's uniform number was 8 and Henderson's was 9.

Naming the play

On the day after the game, Baton Rouge's daily newspaper, The Advocate, ran the headline "HAIL TIGERS" on the sports page. The headline is a reference to the Hail Mary pass

Hail Mary pass

A Hail Mary pass or Hail Mary route in American football refers to any very long forward pass made in desperation with only a small chance of success, especially at or near the end of a half....

used to win the game. On back of the sports page, it also provided a shot-by-shot camera sequence of the play. The page also included a graphic outlining the sequence of events. They were accompanied by the headline "Dash Right 93 Berlin," which was the team's name for the play that won the game.

The play became permanently known as the "Bluegrass Miracle" after a poll of LSU fans was conducted on the LSU Sports website days later. Other website suggestions for the name included "The Bluegrass Bomb" and "Miracle on the Bluegrass." The website also received write-in votes for such names as "The Divine Deflection," "It Works Devery Time," and "The Lexington Longshot."

Awards and records

The "Bluegrass Miracle" also won the 2003 Best Play ESPY Award

Best Play ESPY Award

The Best Play ESPY Award has been conferred annually since 2002 on the play in a single regular season or playoff game contested professionally under the auspices of one of the four major North American leagues or collegiately under the auspices of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...

award. It beat out plays from Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bean Bryant is an American professional basketball player who plays shooting guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association . Bryant enjoyed a successful high school basketball career at Lower Merion High School, where he was recognized as the top high school...

, LeBron James

LeBron James

LeBron Raymone James is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association . Nicknamed "King James", he was a three-time "Mr. Basketball" of Ohio in high school, and was highly promoted in the national media as a future NBA superstar while a...

, Michael Vick

Michael Vick

Michael Dwayne Vick is an American football quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League...

and Barry Bonds

Barry Bonds

Barry Lamar Bonds is an American former Major League Baseball outfielder. Bonds played from 1986 to 2007, for the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants. He is the son of former major league All-Star Bobby Bonds...

. Devery Henderson

Devery Henderson

accepted the award on behalf of the LSU team. It was the second time an LSU miracle play won an ESPY

Espy

-People:* Cecil Espy , American baseball player* Duane Espy, American baseball figure* James Pollard Espy , American meteorologist.* Mike Espy , American politician* William Gray Espy , American actor...

award: Warren Morris

Warren Morris

Warren Morris is a former college and Major League Baseball player. He is most remembered for his 9th inning walk-off home run that won the 1996 College World Series for the Louisiana State University Tigers.-College career:Morris joined the LSU baseball team in , just out of high school in...

had won the 1997 Showstopper of the Year ESPY Award

Showstopper of the Year ESPY Award

The Showstopper of the Year ESPY Award was presented annually from 1993 to 1999.-List of winners:-See also:*Best Moment ESPY Award*Best Play ESPY Award*GMC Professional Grade Play ESPY Award*Under Armour Undeniable Performance ESPY Award-References:*...

for his two out, walk-off home run

Home run

In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...

in the 1996 College World Series

College World Series

The College World Series or CWS is an annual baseball tournament held in Omaha, Nebraska that is the culmination of the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship, which determines the NCAA Division I college baseball champion. The eight teams are split into two, four-team, double-elimination brackets,...

.

It also marked the second time in as many years that LSU foiled a Kentucky football comeback in the final moments of the game. In the 2001 game, also at Kentucky, the Tigers won 29–25 on a touchdown pass from Rohan Davey

Rohan Davey

Rohan St. Patrick Davey is a Jamaican-born American football quarterback who is currently a free agent.-High school years:...

to Michael Clayton with 13 seconds left in the game. Earlier in the game, Kentucky had overcome a 12-point halftime deficit to take the lead in the 4th quarter.

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