Allie Rooney ’16
Sports Editor
Perhaps the loudest scream heard across campus on the night of Sunday, Feb. 1 was when students received that no school email. However, emotions were running high for most football fans across campus as well. The Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots were playing the Super Bowl XLIX in sunny Arizona.
Players had to put aside all of the distractions in the news and media during the week leading up to the event and focus on what was truly important – who would be crowned world champions.
Both teams came into the final game ranked No. 1. The defending champions, the Seahawks, were led by quarterback Russell Wilson, running back Marshawn Lynch and defensive cornerback Richard Sherman. The Patriots, who had not made an appearance in the Superbowl for years, were led by quarterback Tom Brady, wide receiver Julian Edelman and tight end Rob Gronkowski.
The game was tied at 14 heading into halftime. Cue a performance by Katy Perry, then back to business. The Seahawks came out and outscored the Patriots 10-0 in the third period, and the Pats headed into the fourth and final quarter of the season down 18-24.
Just as crunch time was approaching, the New England offense started to get hot, and the NFL-leading defense could not stop them. Brady led his team down the field for a touchdown, closing the lead. Then, on a turnover by downs, Brady and his offense were back on the field and again marched down the field for a touchdown from Julian Edelman with 2:02 remaining in the game.
Seattle was not about to quit there, though. An incredible catch by Jermaine Kearse brought his team to the five-yard line with 1:06 left on the clock. Patriot fans around the world likely had flashbacks to their previous Superbowl performance against the New York Giants in which David Tyree made an unbelievable catch to win the game.
Seattle was on the one-yard line with 20 seconds remaining when some type of magic happened. Un-drafted, free agent, Malcolm Butler stepped in front of Wilson’s intended receiver and intercepted the ball, capping off one of the wildest Super Bowl finishes.
With the Patriot’s 28-24 victory, Tom Brady earned his fourth Lombardi Trophy and third Super Bowl MVP. “I’ve been at it for 15 years, and we’ve had a couple of tough losses in this game,” Brady said. “This one came down to the end, and this time, we made the plays.”
