Tag: Throwback Thursday

Throwback Thursday: Bills won last AFC East title on this day

Buffalo Bills last won AFC East title in 1995 on this day.

The AFC East title is on every mind around western New York in recent days. Much of that has to do with Week 15 of the NFL’s current season.

The Bills (10-3) lead the division right now heading to their upcoming matchup with the Denver Broncos (5-8) on Saturday. They can secure that crown with a win in just two days time.

Also, here’s just something about this date as well.

The thought of the Bills’ upcoming game could give one an anxious feeling because it’s been a long time since the team won the AFC East. In fact, the Indianapolis Colts, no longer in the division, more recently won it (1999).

But in terms of Buffalo, when did their late AFC East title win happen? It was 25 years ago from Thursday:

This win occurred December 17, 1995. That date saw Buffalo beat the Miami Dolphins in Orchard Park, 23-20. While quarterback Jim Kelly and running back Thurman Thomas were still guiding the ship that year, this Week 16 meeting in ’95 was highlighted by the franchise’s all-time leading scorer, Steve Christie. The kicker booted three field goals in the contest, including a final one in the middle of the fourth quarter for the win.

While 2020’s Bills will hope for a similar outcome, the team can still win the AFC East and lock up a playoff berth with a loss and some help around the NFL this weekend. Here’s a rundown of their current playoff scenarios heading into Week 15:

How the Bills can clinch a playoff berth in Week 15

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Throwback Thursday: Bears S Eddie Jackson’s coming out party

On this day in Bears history, safety Eddie Jackson scores two touchdowns to lead the Bears past the Panthers.

Every Thursday throughout the 2020 regular season, Bears Wire will take a look back at some of the most memorable moments in Bears history that occurred on or near that given day.

October 22, 2017: Eddie Jackson scores two touchdowns to lead the Bears past the Panthers

Remember when Chicago Bears All-Pro safety Eddie Jackson was just a mid-round rookie who had much to prove following a broken leg suffered in college? It feels like a lifetime ago that he was an unknown commodity, but that changed on this day three years ago when the Bears took on the Carolina Panthers on a rainy, October afternoon.

Like most games against Carolina, which always seem to take place in the month of October for some reason, this one was painful to watch at times. The Bears generated very little offense, totaling just 153 total yards, 70 of which came on one play as quarterback Mitchell Trubisky found rookie running back Tarik Cohen for a 70-yard gain. Trubisky only threw the ball seven times but he didn’t need to light it up that day thanks to Jackson and the defense.

Jackson shined on this day, scooping up a fumbled pitch from Panthers quarterback Cam Newton to wide receiver Curtis Samuel, returning the ball for the game’s first score. Later in the half, Newton’s pass to wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin was tipped and intercepted by Jackson, who once again ran to the endzone to put the Bears up 14-0. Jackson became the first player in NFL history to have multiple defensive touchdowns of 75 yards or more. The former Alabama Crimson Tide star has himself a day, but the rest of the Bears defense showed up to play as well.

Newton and the Panthers offense scored just three points on the day and threw two interceptions while getting sacked five times on the day. Neither offense performed well by any means but the Bears were able to play mistake-free football to preserve the lead. This win also marked the Bears first winning streak in nearly two years. While it didn’t mean much in the end seeing as the team only had five victories on the season, this game marked the beginning of the Eddie Jackson era in Chicago.

Texas vs Baylor: Throwback Thursday to 2009’s record-tying matchup

Beating Baylor was normal for UT under Brown. It was an important day because Colt McCoy tied the NCAA record for wins as a starting QB.

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Entering 2009’s Texas vs Baylor matchup, Mack Brown had never lost to the Bears, enduring an 11 game winning streak. When the game took place in Waco, the Longhorns were winning by an average of 48.0 points.

That season would be no different, as the eventual Big 12 champions embarrassed the hosts, 47-14. All 14 of Baylor’s points were scored in the latter half of the fourth quarter after the backups were already in.

Winning the game itself was nothing special. The 2009 Texas team was punishing teams week in and week out. Outside of the Red River Shootout against Oklahoma, no regular-season game was decided by less than 10 points.

What made it an important day was Colt McCoy tying the NCAA record for the most wins as a starting quarterback. Since the day McCoy started as a true freshman in 2006, all he did was win. After the Baylor game, he possessed a 42-7 record.

Winning four out of four games against the Bears in his career, Oklahoma State is the only other school to suffer the same fate. McCoy dominated Baylor every single year, throwing for 14 touchdowns over the four years.

As for the game itself, McCoy finished with 181 passing yards and two touchdowns on 23 of 34 passing. He connected with his roommate and go to target Jordan Shipley six times for 46 yards and both touchdowns.

Here are the game highlights:

McCoy would go on to win three more games in the 2009 season to finish to set the record for the most NCAA wins as a starting quarterback with 45. It would stand for two seasons until Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore won 50 games and only lost three.

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Throwback Thursday: Texas upsets No. 17 TCU in 2018

In 2018, TCU came into Austin ranked the No. 17 team in the country, and left unranked. The game is our throwback Thursday before UT vs TCU.

Since joining the Big 12 in 2012, TCU has had Texas’ number as they’ve won six of the eight matchups. However, two seasons ago the Horned Frogs came into Austin ranked the No. 17 team in the country and left unranked.

Going into the locker room down 13-10 at halftime, Texas’ second half performance pushed them towards a conference opening win. Quarterback Sam Ehlinger and the offense fed off three second half turnovers, scoring 14 points off of them.

Safety Caden Sterns picked off both Horned Frog quarterback Shawn Robinson and wide receiver KaVonte Turpin on a double pass attempt. Opposite side safety B.J. Foster also nicked one off Robinson. add in a Brandon Jones fumble recovery and Texas’ defense totaled four turnovers.

Wide receiver Collin Johnson made the spectacular play of the day, diving for an Ehlinger pass in the middle of the endzone for a touchdown. Johnson finished with seven catches and 124 yards and this amazing touchdown.

Wide receiver Lil’ Jordan Humphrey sealed off the victory for Tom Herman’s squad with a 38-yard fourth quarter touchdown. It put the Longhorns ahead by 15 points with three minutes left and remained that way, ending in a 31-16 win in favor of Texas.

The 2018 win against TCU was just Herman’s second against a ranked opponent during his tenure in Austin. It was also the beginning of the Longhorns’ first Big 12 championship appearance since 2009.

You can watch the full highlights of the 2018 win over TCU here:

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Throwback Thursday: D’Onta Foreman’s monster day in Lubbock

In this week’s Throwback Thursday, we travel back to 2016. D’Onta Foreman has a monster game in Lubbock as Texas holds on late.

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In this week’s throwback Thursday, Longhorns Wire travels back four years. The Texas Longhorns came into Lubbock with a 4-4 record and 2-3 in conference. In fact both teams had the same record up until this point. The quarterback battle featured Shane Buechele and future Super Bowl and NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes. At the time Mahomes was a junior and it would mark the final time that he would play in this series as he left for the NFL following the season.

Tech opened the game with nine-play drive going 75 yards for the opening score of the game. After Buechele found Jake Oliver for a 52-yard pass, D’Onte Foreman finished off the drive to tie the game up. He wouldn’t be done in this one. In the weirdest play of the game, Texas drove 99 yards for a go ahead score but a fumble prior to crossing the goal line ended up as a 99-yard fumble recovering for a touchdown.

The Longhorns would eventually take the lead prior to halftime 24-23 after a Collin Johnson touchdown reception and a field goal from Trent Domingue with just 0:26 left to go.

The teams traded touchdowns as the second half kicked off and the Longhorns would find themselves ahead 38-30 as they headed to the final quarter of play clinging to an eight-point lead. As the quarter opened, Texas called a run play on third and three from their own 26. That is when Foreman went right up the middle for a 74-yard touchdown to give them the 14 point lead.

A fumble deep in their own territory gave the Red Raiders new life as Da’Leon Ward scored from nine yards out to cut the lead to just 7. A drive late in the fourth quarter for Tech came down to fourth and three. Mahomes found his high school teammate Dylan Cantrell for the conversion. On third and ten from the Texas 20-yard line Mahomes heaved the ball to the endzone but it was Kris Boyd who caught the ball intended for Cameron Batson.

On this day, D’Onta came oh so close to matching Ricky Williams single game record. Foreman ran the ball 33 times for 341 yards and three touchdowns. Buechele threw two touchdown passes to Collin Johnson and Texas held on 45-38 in Lubbock.

Throwback Thursday: George Halas and the Bears officially form the NFL

On this day in Bears history, George Halas and the Decatur Staleys join the American Professional Football Association.

Every Thursday throughout the 2020 regular season, Bears Wire will take a look back at some of the most memorable moments in Bears history that occurred on that given day.

September 17, 1920: George Halas and the Decatur Staleys join the American Professional Football Association

100 years ago today, before they were known as the Chicago Bears, the Decatur Staleys were entering their second season of existence with new player-coach George Halas joining the team. After playing one year as an independent team, the Staleys were invited to a meeting with other Midwest football teams to discuss the formation of a new professional league.

On September 17, 1920, the Staleys, represented by Halas himself, officially formed and joined the American Professional Football Association, renamed the National Football League in 1922. 14 teams in total joined the new league.

Nearly one month later, the Staleys played in their first NFL game. They would ultimately go 10-1-2 in the inaugural league season, finishing second behind the Akron Pros. Champions were decided by season record with no playoff games in existence. Halas’ Staleys would relocate north of Decatur to Chicago just one season later in 1921, then changing their name to the Bears in 1922. The rest, as they say, is history.

The Bears, still known as the “charter franchise,” are just one of two original teams still remaining from the 1920 formation of the NFL. The other team is the Arizona Cardinals, formerly of Chicago.

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Throwback Thursday: Longhorns over UTEP 41-7

On this date in 2016, the Texas Longhorns and UTEP Miners met at DKR. In a throwback Thursday we look back at the Texas win.

The Texas Longhorns are preparing to host the UTEP Miners on Saturday in their first game of the year. However, it was four years ago on this date they these two teams last met. The quarterback for the Longhorns was Shane Buechele, starting for then head coach Charlie Strong. It was the second game following ESPN’s Joe Tessitore claiming “Texas is back folks!”

NBA All-Star forward and former Texas Longhorn Kevin Durant was on hand for this game. Durant was on the sideline to take in this game. Unlike the previous game, the Longhorns weren’t expecting much of a fight from UTEP.

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The Miners started off the game getting the ball first, however after a three and out the Longhorns got the ball. It started out as a promising drive. In fact it started inside UTEP territory after an Armanti Foreman return of nine yards. Texas would fumble the ball away but after another three and out, Texas got the party started.

Following a Jake Oliver catch for 10 yards and a personal foul from the Miners, Texas quarterback Shane Buechele found former quarterback Jerrod Heard for a 29-yard touchdown catch in the front corner of the endzone. That gave Texas the early 7-0 lead.

In the second quarter, the Longhorns would add a field goal. They were set up when Brandon Jones blocked a punt from UTEP deep in Miners territory. The offense would go three and out before Trent Domingue 33-yard field goal.

On a third and one for the Miners, future Green Bay Packers running back Aaron Jones goes 51 yards for the touchdown. Texas lead cut down to just three. Unfortunately for the Miners, that would be their entire offense on the day. Texas would add another field goal to go up six. Buechele would find Jacorey Warrick for a touchdown just before the half. That made up for his fumble on the opening drive that robbed Texas of a touchdown.

Texas would outscore UTEP 21-0 in the second half. Chris Warren III started it off with a one-yard run midway through the third. Buechele would connect with Dorian Leonard for a 46-yard touchdown, Texas led at that point 34-7 with 6:07 left in the quarter.

Early on the fourth quarter Buechele would find Jerrod Heard again giving him his second touchdown of the game. Not a bad way to spend your birthday at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Texas would win this game 41-7.

Key Stats:

Buechele: 22/27 244 yards 4 TDs

Warren: 20 carries 95 yards 1 TD

Warrick: 7 receptions 73 yards 1 TD

Leonard: 2 receptions 52 yards 1 TD

Heard: 6 receptions 46 yards 2 TDs

Klay Thompson shares throwback high school photo from Kobe Bryant’s skills academy

For “Throwback Thursday,” Klay Thompson shared a past photo of him participating in Kobe Bryant’s high school skills academy.

For a new edition of “Throwback Thursday,” Klay Thompson shared a memorable moment from his high school basketball experience on social media. The Golden State Warriors shooting guard posted four photos to Instagram from his time at Kobe Bryant’s skills academy.

In the opening photo, Thompson is sitting down to listen to Bryant speak with a group of players, including San Antonio’s DeMar DeRozan.

The five-time All-Star also shared a snippet from the camp’s roster that included his current backcourt running mate Stephen Curry. Wayne Ellington and Lance Stephenson are also listed as camp participants along with former NBA forward turned professional beach volleyball player, Chase Budinger.

In the final photo, Thompson posted a picture of him and Bryant shaking hands after a Warriors game against the Lakers.

In the caption, the three-time champion labeled his time at Bryant’s skills academy one of the best experiences of his life. Thompson said he was star-struck while sharing the floor with the late basketball legend.

Via @klaythompson on Instagram:

#TBT One of the greatest experiences of my life was being able to participate in the goats 🐐 skills academy back in HS. I was so star struck the whole time and couldn’t believe I was on the same hardwood as Bean.

After the tragic loss of Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven others in late January, Thompson attended the memorial service. The sharpshooter shared a heartful message on his Instagram in tribute to Bryant after the service.

Prior to getting drafted by the Warriors out of Washington State, the Los Angeles native grew up a fan of Bryant and the Lakers.

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Tim Tebow shares great throwback tweet on day of NFL Draft

Tim Tebow posted a great throwback tweet on the day of the NFL Draft.

On the day of the 2020 NFL Draft, former Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow shared a great throwback post on Twitter.

“Throwback to 10 years ago, such a fun time,” Tebow said. “Happy for all those whose dream comes true tonight.”

Then, in typical Tebow fashion, the former Heisman Trophy winner posted a message of encouragement for prospects who won’t be selected in the first round on Thursday evening.

“But for [all] those that don’t [get drafted], it’s not the end,” Tebow said. “Keep grinding, keep working 💪🏽 #throwbackthursday #tbt”

Tebow was selected by the Denver Broncos with the 25th overall pick in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He helped the Broncos reach the postseason during his second season but Denver lost to the New England Patriots 45-10 in the divisional round of the playoffs.

After signing Peyton Manning in 2012, the Broncos traded Tebow to the New York Jets and his football career went downhill. After brief stints with the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles, Tebow gave up football and started pursuing a career as a professional baseball player.

Tebow is now entering his fifth season as a minor league baseball player.

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Throwback Thursday: Texas vs Texas Tech 2009

In 2009, Texas was looking for revenge against Texas Tech. Let by some good defense, the Longhorns were able to do that with a 34-24 win.

To open Big 12 play in 2009, Texas hosted Texas Tech in what was a revenge game from the year before. In 2008, the Red Raiders beat the Longhorns, giving them their only loss of the season. This year, Texas made sure they would not come in their way of a perfect season.

Ranked No. 2 in the country, Texas was led offensively by quarterback Colt McCoy and wide receiver Jordan Shipley. The two connected 11 times for 73 yards. Shipley also returned a first-quarter punt 46 yards to give Texas a 7-3 lead.

Hunter Lawrence kicked a field goal in the first minute in the second quarter and that was the only scoring of the first half. Texas went into the locker room winning 10-7.

The second half was the opposite of the first, with each team finding their rhythm on offense. The first four drives in the half had four touchdowns, two for each team. Running backs Tre Newton and Cody Johnson found the endzone for Texas, while Texas Tech quarterback Taylor Potts found wide receiver Lyle Leong twice to make it 24-17 in favor of the Longhorns.

With the good, also came the bad. The four drives after the scores were a Texas punt, Potts interception, McCoy interception, and a Sergio Kindle strip-sack on Potts. After the fumble, the Longhorns finally took advantage of a turnover, as McCoy found wide receiver Dan Buckner for a three-yard score.

The Red Raiders responded with another Taylor Potts touchdown, but Texas was able to ice the game with a nine-play, 50-yard drive that ended in a Lawrence field goal to give the Longhorns a 34-24 lead. Texas forced a turnover on downs and got their revenge against Texas Tech.

While Potts’ 420 yards was the most the Longhorn defense allowed all year, Texas held Texas Tech to -6 yards on the ground. They also forced five fumbles, but only recovered two of them. Add an interception and the Longhorns forced three turnovers.

Colt McCoy had one of his worst days of the regular season, throwing his only multiple interception game. Tre Newton led the team in rushing, having 88 yards on 20 carries.

This game started a six-game winning streak in the series for the Longhorns. Tomorrow’s matchup will make it a decade since this matchup and Texas has gone 8-2 in those 10 games. With a win tomorrow, they can keep that 8-2 record in the 2010s.

Texas will face Texas Tech on Friday at 11:00 a.m. on Fox.

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