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Staff Report January 7, 2003
Editors Note: This story appears in today's Knoxville News Sentinel, written by Chuck Cavalaris.
Today marks the third anniversary of one of the most incredible plays in sports history.
Tennessee Titans broadcaster Mike Keith is certainly familiar with the significance of Jan. 8, 2000.
Of course, the University of Tennessee graduate is the person who christened 'The Music City Miracle.'
The Tennessee Titans knew the desperation kickoff return as 'Home Run Throwback.' Coach Jeff Fisher had made sure his team practiced it every Saturday during the season.
From a Titans perspective, it's a good thing the key components were interchangeable. Everything fell perfectly into place -and this helped Keith and analyst Pat Ryan of Knoxville make one of the great play-by-play calls in NFL history.
'To me, the thing that made it so special is the way Pat reacted to it right away,' Keith said. 'He saw the play happening as it opened up and said, 'He's got something He's got something.' It's so funny because people still come up to me like I was the one who said that. I just say, 'No, that was Pat.''
Go back to the final minute of an AFC wild-card playoff game: Jeff Christie's 41-yard field goal with 16 seconds to play had given the Buffalo Bills a 16-15 lead.
What happened next is forever etched in the minds of many fans, especially those in upstate New York. A pooch kickoff toward the Titans' sideline landed in the arms of Lorenzo Neal, a fullback who turned and handed a hot potato of a football to tight end Frank Wycheck.
Wycheck became a decoy and ran to his right across the field. He stopped abruptly near the Titans' 25-yard-line, wheeled around and threw a cross-field pass. Kevin Dyson caught the ball and darted 75 yards down the sideline and into NFL history.
The 22-16 victory was followed by road wins over Indianapolis and Jacksonville. The Titans did not stop until the Super Bowl and a last-second loss to the St. Louis Rams.
In terms of overall impact, this truly was a miracle. (The former Houston Oilers franchise had not had a kickoff return for a touchdown since 1988.)
'And Dyson was the third option to catch the ball,' Keith pointed out. 'The first option was Derrick Mason, but he had a concussion. The second option was Anthony Dorsett, but he was cramping up.'
Keith continues to be amazed by the improvisation and the accurate pass by a 250-pound tight end in a pressure situation.
Ryan, a former Vol who played quarterback in the NFL for 12 years, just continues to be amazed.
'It was unbelievable to pull something like that off, especially in those circumstances,' he said. 'I've seen trick plays work, but never with so much at stake. You've got to give Buffalo a lot of credit for not paying attention.'
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