Post by catscratchfever4 on Aug 23, 2016 11:56:29 GMT -6
Lions carry Coach Wayne Grubb off the field in front of 10,000 stunned Jax State fans and 3,000 delirious UNA fans
‘The Play’
Riley-to-Hill completion helped usher in new era of UNA football
By Jeff McIntyre
Assistant Sports Editor
Some have called it ‘The Pass’ or ‘The Catch,’ while others simply refer to it as ‘The Play.’
Regardless of the title, there is no doubt Fred Riley’s 83-yard touchdown pass to Jerry Hill against Jacksonville State in 1980 is one of the most dramatic and important plays in North Alabama football history.
The touchdown pass with 28 seconds remaining not only gave UNA a 35-28 victory over its top rival, it earned the Lions their first Gulf South Conference championship and a playoff berth.
“I’ve never been around a more dramatic win,” said Jack Crowe, who was UNA’s offensive coordinator at the time. “It’s like coach (Pat) Dye used to say: ‘The biggest battles are not always fought in the biggest arenas.
“I have been involved in a few games that resulted in big changes. I was at Auburn for Bo Jackson’s over-the-top touchdown against Alabama that changed the Iron Bowl, and I was at Clemson when we won three ACC titles in a row. But that game did as much for changing a program as any I’ve been in. It was a breakthrough moment for UNA.”
The two teams entered the game in Jacksonville on Nov. 22, 1980 tied for first place in the GSC standings. The winner would earn the conference title and a playoff appearance, while the loser would miss the playoffs.
Even though there was so much on the line, Hill, now the coach at Brooks High School, said the Lions needed no extra motivation against the Gamecocks.
“That was the biggest rivalry I was ever in as a player,” Hill said. “They didn’t like us, and we didn’t like them. Some fights would usually break out when we played them.”
Riley, now the head coach at Davidson High School in Mobile, felt something special in the air that day as he walked onto the field for pregame warmups. “The stadium was packed that day, and as we came out to warm up our side, our half of the crowd stood and cheered,” Riley said. “Our fans never did that.
“Back then most of our fans at the games were listening to Alabama or Auburn on their radios. But the Iron Bowl was the following week, so both teams were off. Our crowd really got into the game that day.”
Early trouble
Jacksonville State took an early 7-0 lead before UNA tied it on an 11-yard run by Lawson Fletcher. The Gamecocks regained the lead at 14-7 on a touchdown pass from Ed Lett to Derick Whitley.
UNA got a safety on a Jacksonville State punt return. The Lions added a 21-yard field goal by Nelson McMurrain and trailed 14-12 at halftime.
A touchdown run by Milton Taylor and a safety on a blocked punt put UNA ahead 20-14. Early in the fourth quarter Riley hit tight end Mike Gilley for a 19-yard score and then ran for a 2-point conversion to put the Lions up 28-14.
Late rally
But the Gamecocks rallied behind Lett, who threw two touchdown passes in the final 6 minutes. Lett then passed to Cedric Brumly for a 2-point conversion to tie it at 28 with 55 seconds remaining.
“When they tied it, the place went crazy,” said Hill. “Back then there was no overtime, and we knew if we ended up tied then Jacksonville State would get the playoff berth because they had been so dominant over the years.
“We had a veteran group on offense with guys like Lawson Fletcher, Mike Gilley, Hamp Moore and Jeff Patterson, so we were calm in the huddle. We had a great kicker in Nelson, and we just wanted to get past midfield and give him a shot at a field goal. We sure were not thinking touchdown.”
Decisions, decisions
After Jacksonville State kicked off, UNA had the ball at its own 20. On first down Riley completed a short pass to Taylor, who was thrown for a 3-yard loss.
Facing second-and-13 with 28 seconds left, Riley looked to the UNA sideline for the call from Crowe. He then heard the voice of head coach Wayne Grubb.
“Coach Crowe sent in the signal, which was a pass called ‘62,’” Riley said. “But I could hear Coach Grubb yelling for me to take a knee. I looked back at Coach Crowe, and he said, ‘You better run what I called.’
“I guess I had to decide which one I was the most scared of, which was Coach Crowe, so I ran the play he called.”
Crowe, who wrapped up a coaching tenure at Jacksonville State last season, admits he went against Grubb’s call in sending in the pass play.
“Let’s just say he told me to do one thing and I did another,” Crowe said with a laugh.
Improvisation
Riley said the play called for Hill to run about a 15-yard route. But when he looked up he saw Hill had run past the cornerback.
“Jerry and I had developed a good chemistry,” Riley said. “Whenever I took a five-step drop I would just throw it as far as I could, and Jerry would always catch it. So when I saw him run by the cornerback, I threw it as far as I could, and he caught it on the dead run. He almost got knocked out of bounds, but he got in the end zone.”
Hill said a quick snap by UNA helped him get past the defender.
“Their defense was a little slow lining up on the play,” Hill said. “We snapped it quickly, and they had a little busted coverage. Fred laid it out there perfectly, and I caught it and took off. It was an amazing feeling.”
Crowe said the Lions had practiced the play often, but that might have been the first time they used it in a game.
“We knew that Jerry had the ability to accelerate quickly,” Crowe said. “The way he planted his foot and faked out that corner was world class. It was as good a route as you will ever see.
“You could take that play to any clinic, even in the NFL. The protection was good, the pass was perfect, and the route was as good as you’ll ever see. It took all three to make it work. It was just a magical play.”
One final shot
Hill was mobbed by his teammates after he scored, resulting in a 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct against the Lions. That pushed the kickoff back to the 25 and gave the Gamecocks a glimmer of hope with just 24 seconds remaining.
Lett threw an incomplete pass on first down and was sacked on the next play to end it, giving the Lions their first conference title.
Riley finished 13 of 21 passing for 259 yards and two touchdowns. Hill finished with five catches for 187 yards, which stood as a UNA record for yards receiving in a game until 2003 and still ranks second all-time.
All about the ring
While the game-winning catch is special to Hill, he said being a part of UNA’s first conference championship team is what made it really special.
“That GSC championship ring is very special to me, and I wouldn’t take anything for it,” Hill said. “Most of us that were seniors had come in together, and it was a really a close group of guys.”
A week after the emotional win at Jacksonville State, the Lions played in the first playoff game in school history. UNA defeated Virginia Union in the first round before losing to Eastern Illinois the following week.
Crowe said there is no way to measure how important that win at Jacksonville was to UNA’s program.
“UNA had been competitive in football before that but had never won a championship,” Crowe said. “After that game, UNA went on a long run of success, and Coach (Bobby) Wallace was able to come in and take it to another level in winning three national championships. That play and that game really started a sea of tradition at UNA.”
End of the line
The annual rivalry with Jacksonville State ended when the Gamecocks made the move to Division I-AA in 1993. Since then, the two teams have played only once, with UNA winning 28-16 at Jacksonville in 2003.
Hill said he is excited to see the two teams playing again Saturday and hopes to make the trip to Jacksonville.
“I love to see them playing each other again,” he said. “The game was played at a different level back then when we played Jacksonville or Troy. Playing those teams made us better.”
Crowe is happy to see the UNA-Jacksonville State rivalry renewed this year.
“We need to play rivalry games,” he said. “That’s one thing the OVC (Ohio Valley Conference) does not provide enough of. Some of our other old rivals won’t play us, which makes no sense to me.”
It has been almost 33 years since that game was played, but Riley said he remembers it like it was yesterday. He and Hill joke with each other about who received the most accolades for the touchdown play, but Riley said he felt it was a true team moment.
“Instead of ‘The pass’ or ‘The catch,’ we now call it ‘The play,’” he said. “That is fitting because it took the whole team to make it happen.”
Jeff McIntyre can be reached at 256-740-5737 or jeff.mcintyre@TimesDaily.com.
5 other memorable UNA-Jacksonville State games
Nov. 28, 1992
JSU 14, UNA 12
The two rivals met in the quarterfinals of the Division II playoffs. UNA missed an extra point, a 2-point conversion and a potential game-winning field goal. JSU had beaten UNA 10-6 in the regular season. The Gamecocks went on to win the national championship in their final season in Division II. UNA then won three consecutive national championships.
Sept. 13, 2003
UNA 28, JSU 16
Will Hall threw four touchdown passes to lead UNA to a 28-16 victory in the first game in the series since 1992. UNA went on to an undefeated regular season and advanced to the Division II playoff semifinals with Hall winning the Harlon Hill Trophy. Jacksonville State went on to win the Ohio Valley Conference championship.
Nov. 19, 1983
UNA 24, JSU 21
Lions claimed the Gulf South Conference title and a trip to the NCAA playoffs with a victory in the regular season finale. The win started a three-game winning streak against the Gamecocks.
Oct. 26, 1985
UNA 23, JSU 10
Lions beat the Gamecocks, went on to win the GSC championship and then advanced to the Division II championship game for the first time. It was the last win for UNA while the two teams were conference rivals. After that win, UNA went 0-8-1 again at JSU until winning in 2003.
Sept. 29, 1949
JSU 12, UNA 7
The first game of UNA’s modern football history, played in Jacksonville.
