The 25 most iconic Big Ten plays of the past 10 years

Saunders

Saunders

Heisman Trophy Winner
Big Ten 25-21

No. 25: BYU's Hail Mary against Nebraska, Sept. 5, 2015

We start with something very recent, and probably still a little painful for Cornhuskers fans. In the 2015 season opener -- the Nebraska debut of Mike Riley -- Nebraska seemed headed for victory at home, as they had done in Week 1 for 29 straight years. But BYU had a miracle up its sleeve.

Backup quarterback Tanner Mangum, who had replaced the injured Taysom Hill in the fourth quarter, uncorked a 42-yard touchdown pass to Mitch Mathews on the game's final play for a 33-28 Cougars upset. Mangum went from virtually unknown to a hero overnight, and Nebraska's strange year of baffling finishes had begun.

No. 24: Abdullah's mad dash saves Huskers, Sept. 7, 2014

If you thought the BYU loss was bad, imagine the embarrassment Nebraska would have endured had it lost at home to FCS McNeese State.

That looked like a very real possibility in 2014. Until, that is, Ameer Abdullahput on his Superman cape. The Nebraska star running back caught a third-down pass short of the sticks and looked to be stuffed as two, then three more would-be tacklers encircled him. Somehow, though, he emerged from those piles still churning his legs, and Abdullah ended up going 58 yards for the winning touchdown with 20 seconds left. He saved the Huskers that day and let the rest of America know what a special player he was.

http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/130998/the-25-most-iconic-big-ten-plays-of-the-past-10-years-nos-25-21
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The list started today with plays 25-21.

Big Ten 20-16

No. 16: Miracle heave from Ron Kellogg III beats Northwestern, Nov. 2, 2013

The first game-winning Hail Mary in Nebraska history was worth the wait. And the participants were nearly as unlikely as the play itself. The senior Kellogg, a former walk-on playing in place of injured quarterback Taylor Martinez and interception-prone Tommy Armstrong Jr., unloaded the ball across midfield as time expired. It failed to reach the end zone until a pair of Northwestern defenders tipped it to freshman wideout Jordan Westerkamp, who dove forward to snag the ball for his first career touchdown. Nebraska won 27-24, and Memorial Stadium spun into a frenzy after the 49-yard connection. Just listen to the excitement on the radio call (linked to the play above) of color commentator Matt Davison, who made a miraculous, game-saving grab himself 16 years prior as a freshman.


No. 19: Melvin Gordon hurdles the Cornhuskers en route to 408 rushing yards, Nov. 15, 2014

Nebraska led 17-3 early in the second quarter when Gordon got loose around the right end. Almost 30 yards downfield, the Wisconsin running back jumped over safety Corey Cooper on the way to the end zone for a 62-yard score. It was an effort, offensively and defensively, indicative of the Badgers’ 59-24 win over 16th-ranked Nebraska as Gordon broke LaDainian Tomlinson’s 15-year-old FBS single-game rushing record. Nebraska was 8-1 before the game. Including that loss in Madison, Wisconsin, it is 7-10 since. And the Cornhuskers endured the firing of Bo Pelini two weeks after Gordon’s huge game. The timing was not coincidental.

http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/131052/the-25-most-iconic-big-ten-plays-of-the-past-10-years-nos-16-20
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Big 12 20-16 (BONUS)

17. Ndamukong Suh's sack of Colt McCoy highlighted his dominance in the 2009 Big 12 title game

Suh’s dominant display during the 2009 Big 12 championship game won’t be forgotten. The Huskers’ All-American defensive tackle set up shop in Texas’ backfield and racked up 4.5 sacks, including one in the third quarter, when he threw Colt McCoy backward like a rag doll. Suh added 11 tackles (six for loss) in a performance unlike any we had seen before.
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2 more plays today, plus Big 12 Bonus!!!!

 
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If this isn't #1, it'll be in the top couple:

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saunders45 said:
No. 19: Melvin Gordon hurdles the Cornhuskers en route to 408 rushing yards, Nov. 15, 2014

Nebraska led 17-3 early in the second quarter when Gordon got loose around the right end. Almost 30 yards downfield, the Wisconsin running back jumped over safety Corey Cooper on the way to the end zone for a 62-yard score. It was an effort, offensively and defensively, indicative of the Badgers’ 59-24 win over 16th-ranked Nebraska as Gordon broke LaDainian Tomlinson’s 15-year-old FBS single-game rushing record. Nebraska was 8-1 before the game. Including that loss in Madison, Wisconsin, it is 7-10 since. And the Cornhuskers endured the firing of Bo Pelini two weeks after Gordon’s huge game. The timing was not coincidental.

http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/131052/the-25-most-iconic-big-ten-plays-of-the-past-10-years-nos-16-20
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I could see Nebraska's first Big Ten win against Ohio State showing up on this list.........mainly because of the great comeback

 
Didn't T-mart have a ridiculous run before we started getting Donkey stomped by Wisky or tOSU?

Edit: just saw it 3 posts up...sorry.

 
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Dewiz said:
I could see Nebraska's first Big Ten win against Ohio State showing up on this list.........mainly because of the great comeback
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There really wasnt a great play in that game though. Nothing like a hail mary play or a moment where you went "Holy Crap!!". That game was a succession of plays made by the entire team; the David strip, Baptiste's Int, and Martinez/Burkhead making plays on the offensive side of the ball. Great game, but nothing that deserves to be on this list.

 
whateveritis1224 said:
Dewiz said:
I could see Nebraska's first Big Ten win against Ohio State showing up on this list.........mainly because of the great comeback
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There really wasnt a great play in that game though. Nothing like a hail mary play or a moment where you went "Holy Crap!!". That game was a succession of plays made by the entire team; the David strip, Baptiste's Int, and Martinez/Burkhead making plays on the offensive side of the ball. Great game, but nothing that deserves to be on this list.
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I would say Burkhead's reception/juke/sprint to the pylon was a pretty great play at a pretty key time.

But I doubt it has enough clout to make this list.

 
Mavric said:
whateveritis1224 said:
Dewiz said:
I could see Nebraska's first Big Ten win against Ohio State showing up on this list.........mainly because of the great comeback
Click to expand...
There really wasnt a great play in that game though. Nothing like a hail mary play or a moment where you went "Holy Crap!!". That game was a succession of plays made by the entire team; the David strip, Baptiste's Int, and Martinez/Burkhead making plays on the offensive side of the ball. Great game, but nothing that deserves to be on this list.
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I would say Burkhead's reception/juke/sprint to the pylon was a pretty great play at a pretty key time.

But I doubt it has enough clout to make this list.
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Maybe if that play was to tie the game or win it in the last minute, instead that came with 5 minutes left. None of the plays in that game were iconic, and none of them should be above the Westerkatch. Again great game and win but more for the overall performance during the comeback than one iconic moment.

 
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