Black 41 Flash Reverse Pass

NCAAFootballSingleGameHeader
Name=Black 41 Flash Reverse Pass


Date=October 27 2001
Year=2001
Visitor School=University of Oklahoma
Visitor Name Short=Oklahoma
Visitor Nickname=Sooners
Visitor Record=7-0
Visitor

Visitor Coaches =
Visitor Coach= Bob Stoops
Visitor1=0
Visitor2=10
Visitor3=0
Visitor4=0
Visitor Total=10
Home School=University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Home Name Short=Nebraska
Home Nickname=Cornhuskers
Home Record=8-0
Home

Home Coach=Frank Solich
Home1=0
Home2=10
Home3=3
Home4=7
Home Total=20
Type=Big 12 Conference Game
Stadium=Memorial Stadium
City=Lincoln, NebraskaIn college football, the Black 41 Flash Reverse Pass is a play that the Nebraska Cornhuskers used against the Oklahoma Sooners and became one of the signature plays in quarterback Eric Crouch’s Heisman Trophy-winning season.

Background

When the teams met in Lincoln on October 27, 2001, the defending national champion Sooners were ranked No. 2 and the Cornhuskers were ranked No. 3cite web| last =
title = Nebraska Ends Sooners' Win Streak
work = huskers.com
url = http://www.huskers.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=3&SPID=22&DB_OEM_ID=100&ATCLID=79
accessdate = 2008-04-24] .Crouch had led the Cornhuskers to an 8-0 start and was considered a contender for the 2001 Heisman trophy. His most notable highlight in the season thus far had been a scramble against Missouri that turned into a 95-yard touchdown runcite web| last =
title = Back In a Flash
work = Sports Illustrated
url = http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1024193/index.htm
accessdate = 2008-04-24] .

The game between the longtime rivals was a hard-fought, defensive battle, with the Cornhuskers leading 13-10 as they went into the fourth quarter. With nine minutes left in regulation, the Cornhuskers took possession at their own four yard-linecite web| last =
title = Oklahoma Sooners vs. Nebraska Cornhuskers Play-By-Play, October 27, 2001
url = http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/playbyplay?gameId=213000158&period=4
accessdate = 2008-04-24] . They managed to move the ball to the 32 yard-line before Crouch was stopped short of a first down on third-and-two. A facemask call against Oklahoma gave Nebraska a first down on its own 37, however, and Nebraska head coach Frank Solich called the Black 41 Flash Reverse Passcite web| last =
title = Closer Look
work = CNNSI.com
url = http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/college/news/2001/10/27/closer_look/
accessdate = 2008-04-24] .

The Play

The Cornhuskers lined up in a formation they had used twice already that ended with Crouch pitching the ball to I-back Thunder Collins for a run. Familiar with the formation, Oklahoma’s safeties were baited to come forward to stop the run. This time, however, Crouch pitched the ball to Collins who then pitched a reverse to split end Mike Stuntz, a true freshman who had been a quarterback in high school but had seen limited playing time at Nebraska. Meanwhile, Crouch sprinted downfield to become a receiver as Stuntz threw him the ball. Crouch made the catch at the Oklahoma 40 and ran untouched to the endzone for a 63-yard touchdowncite web| last =
title = Nebraska Ends Sooners' Win Streak
work = huskers.com
url = http://www.huskers.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=3&SPID=22&DB_OEM_ID=100&ATCLID=79
accessdate = 2008-04-24] cite web| last =
title = Closer Look
work = CNNSI.com
url = http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/college/news/2001/10/27/closer_look/
accessdate = 2008-04-24] .

Aftermath

Immediately after Crouch scored the touchdown, the jubilant Nebraska crowd watched as the video board displayed a computerized image of Crouch in the Heisman pose and a picture of the Heisman trophy itselfcite web| last =
title = Closer Look
work = CNNSI.com
url = http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/college/news/2001/10/27/closer_look/
accessdate = 2008-04-24] . After Nebraska won 20-10, Crouch would lead the Cornhuskers to two more victories before the Colorado Buffaloes stunned Nebraska 62-36 the day after Thanksgiving. Nevertheless, Crouch became the first true option quarterback to win the Heisman trophy, edging out Florida’s Rex Grossman and Miami’s Ken Dorseycite web| last =
title = Crouch Makes Heisman History
work = Daily Nebraskan
url = http://media.www.dailynebraskan.com/media/storage/paper857/news/2001/12/10/Sports/Crouch.Makes.Heisman.History-1726997.shtml
accessdate = 2008-04-24] .

The Cornhuskers ended up No. 2 in the BCS Rankings, earning them a bid to play for the national championship in the 2002 Rose Bowl where they lost to the Miami Hurricanes 37-14.

References