American Football Database
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Black 41 Flash Reverse Pass
1 2 3 4 Total
University of Oklahoma 0 10 0 0 0
University of Nebraska-Lincoln 0 10 3 7 20
Date October 27, 2001
Stadium Memorial Stadium
Location Lincoln, Nebraska

In 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. 3.[1] 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 run.[2]

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-line.[3] 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 and Nebraska head coach Frank Solich called the Black 41 Flash Reverse Pass.[4]

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 touchdown.[1][4]

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 itself.[4] After Nebraska won 20-10, Crouch led 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 Dorsey.[5]

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[]

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