Purcell Marian and Naval Academy star, Roger Staubach, coined the term Hail Mary for a long desperation pass at the end of a game back in 1975. Playing for the Dallas Cowboys, the Cincinnati native said he thew the ball and said a Hail Mary before Drew Pearson hauled in the game-winning touchdown to beat the Minnesota Vikings.
Week 7 held many desperate heaves to the end zone, but two throws found their target. Thursday's game between West Virginia and Houston saw the Cougars blow their coverage on a fourth down to allow the Mountaineers to score the go-ahead touchdown with 14 seconds left. A costly penalty on the celebration set up one last toss to the end zone and Houston was able to come down with the tip-drill in the end zone to win 41-39.
Late Saturday night, Colorado State was being pummelled, as usual, by the Boise State Broncos. Trailing by 20 points with 4 minutes left to play, the Rams scored two touchdowns to get within reach at 30-24. CSU had six left for a miracle and got it when Dallin Holker caught the batted ball in the end zone as time expired. They added the extra point to win 31-30 and defeated Boise State for the first time in 13 attempts.
The Fighting Irish did not need any last-second prayers, because they absolutely throttled Caleb Williams and USC to hand the Trojans their first loss of the season. The victory also kept the Irish alive in the College Football Playoff conversation if they can get a lot of help coming up.
Some help came when the Washington Huskies knocked off the Oregon Ducks after Oregon missed a game-tying field goal at the end of regulation. Kansas and Maryland were officially eliminated from the conversation with their losses, while Air Force may be working their way to a potential New Year's Six appearance after they remain one of the 11 undefeated teams. The Falcons ran their way to a comeback victory over Wyoming, whose only other loss had come against Texas. In the South, Coastal Carolina picked up their first win in seven tries at Appalachian State, on a game-winning field goal.
Speaking of game-winning field goals, the Colorado Buffaloes were left in stunned silence when Stanford kicked their game-winner in double overtime. That's because the Cardinal trailed 29-0 at the half, only to rally back. A Shedeur Sanders interception in the end zone doomed the Buffs, who have lost three of their last four.
This coming week features some big matchups with Penn State and Ohio State squaring off for the best game of the Power 5, while Miami (OH) and Toledo meet to see who is the best of the MAC.
Here's a look at the Top 25 after this week's wild finish:
1. Washington (6-0, 48.7 Win Average Opponent Rank, 0 Loss Average Opponent Rank)
Last Week Ranked: 2
Last Week: 36-33 over Oregon
This Week: Arizona State (125)
2. UNC (6-0, 50.5, 0)
LWR: 1
LW: 41-31 over Miami (FL)
TW: Virginia (123)
3. Florida State (6-0, 66.7, 0)
LWR: 5
LW: 41-3 over Syracuse
TW: Duke (25)
4. Oklahoma (6-0, 67.8, 0)
LWR: 4
LW: Bye
TW: UCF (72)
LW: 41-13 over Georgia Southern
Bottom 10 (*Denotes New Entry From Last Week):
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