Dan Marino, you have some company. Not only did UCLA star quarterback Josh Rosen bring the Bruins back from a 34-point deficit to defeat Texas A&M 45-44 on Sunday night at the Rose Bowl, his final toss of the game was one for the history books.
With just 43 seconds in the game, moments after his team converted a crucial 4th and 6, Rosen hurried up to the line of scrimmage to spike the ball. Instead, after feigning the spike, he pulled the ball up and tossed it into the left corner of the end zone for a go-ahead and eventual game-winning touchdown. The score capped a 10-play, 66-yard drive that began with 1:56 remaining. It was quite literally a two-minute drill for the ages.
For comparison's sake, here's how Marino and the Miami Dolphins did it back on Nov. 27, 1994, with 38 seconds left against the New York Jets. The Dolphins won 28-24.
For the game, Rosen went 33-for-58 passing with a career-high 491 yards and four touchdowns. The stats were exceptional, but they only tell half of the story.
Rosen didn't have a clean pocket all night, but the main difference between the first and second half was how he was able to respond to the pressure. When A&M was surging, Rosen seemed all too focused on trying to find the open guy downfield. He was taking a lot of hits anyway but some were on him holding on to the ball for too long. By the second half, though, his decision-making quickened and he looked a lot more natural in the pocket.
UCLA's 35-straight points came on five consecutive possessions as Rosen engineered touchdown drives of 75 yards (eight plays), 85 yards (eight), 96 yards (five) and 74 yards (eight) before the 10-play, 66-yard game-winning drive.
