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Quiz about What the Hail
Quiz about What the Hail

What the Hail? Trivia Quiz


"What the Hail?" just may be the question these receivers ask themselves all the time. The quarterbacks get all the glory, yet hardly no one besides the coach and their moms remember these receivers. Do you remember who made these great catches?

A multiple-choice quiz by ralzzz. Estimated time: 7 mins.
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Author
ralzzz
Time
7 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
355,382
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Difficult
Avg Score
5 / 10
Plays
363
- -
Question 1 of 10
1. The 1980 Holiday Bowl between Southern Methodist University and Brigham Young University has been dubbed "The Miracle Bowl" based on the tremendous come from behind victory capped by Jim McMahon's Hail Mary touchdown pass. Who was on the receiving end of this legendary play? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. Mention a Hail Mary pass to almost anyone and the name Doug Flutie is generally the first words out of their mouths. Boston College was losing to the University of Miami late in the game when Flutie lofted this 48 yard pass to his receiver. Everyone talks about Flutie, but no one ever mentions the true hero of the play, the guy who made the tremendous catch. What was his name? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. In 1989, the University of Southern Mississippi was tied up with the University of Louisville with ten points apiece. The clock was winding down and USM was on their own 21 yard line. The ball was snapped, quarterback Brett Favre rolled back and heaved the ball down field. After bouncing off one receiver's helmet, the ball landed into this receiver's hands and was carried safely into the end zone for a touchdown. Who was the lucky benefactor of this lucky bounce? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. Kordell Stewart, quarterback of the Colorado Buffaloes, became an instant celebrity in 1994 when his Hail Mary touchdown pass gave his team the victory over the very competitive University of Michigan. This play has been shown time and time again on the television, and Kordell has done hundreds of interviews, but no one seems to give any credit to the guy who actually made the outstanding catch. Who caught this winning touchdown pass? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. 2002 gave us the "Bluegrass Miracle" when the Louisiana State University defeated the University of Kentucky on a late throw by quarterback Marcus Randall. The 75 yard throw was deflected off the hands of a Kentucky defender and ended up being caught by which LSU receiver? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. Ben Roethlisberger earned the nickname "Big Ben" from this 2001 Hail Mary play. The University of Miami (Ohio) was losing to the Akron Zips as the clock was winding down to end the game. Big Ben rolled back and threw the ball for a 70 yard touchdown to which receiver? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. Not all Hail Mary touchdown passes are on the last play of the game. Sometimes, as in this case, they give a team the lead and they go on to win. In 2003, Casey Clausen of the University of Tennessee Volunteers found his team losing late in the first half to a very physical Florida Gators team. With the half winding down, Clausen threw a 48 yard touchdown strike to put his team ahead for good. Who caught the pass that sealed the victory for Tennessee that day? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. 2006 was a banner year for the Hail Mary pass as three teams won football games on their final play of the game. Washington beat Cal on a 40 yard Hail Mary. Arkansas State beat Memphis on a 53 yard bomb. In a stunner, North Carolina State University beat Boston College on a 34 yard Hail Mary pass from Daniel Evans to which receiver who was drafted in 2008 by the Miami Dolphins? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. Cam Newton had a heck of a day in the 2010 SEC Championship game against the University of South Carolina, including a long Hail Mary pass late in the first quarter to his wide receiver. Including this 54 yard touchdown, which player caught 217 yards worth of passes from Cam Newton en route to a 56-17 SEC Championship victory? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. 2011 saw one of the unlikeliest Hail Mary passes ever. It was the University of Wisconsin versus Michigan State University. The two teams were tied at the end and Michigan State was 44 yards from pay dirt. They were looking for their quarterback, Kirk Cousins, to throw some sort of miracle into the end zone for a touchdown. He did just that. Who was the unlikely receiver to catch that last second touchdown pass? Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. The 1980 Holiday Bowl between Southern Methodist University and Brigham Young University has been dubbed "The Miracle Bowl" based on the tremendous come from behind victory capped by Jim McMahon's Hail Mary touchdown pass. Who was on the receiving end of this legendary play?

Answer: Clay Brown

This game was indeed a miracle for BYU as they were behind 45-25 with only four minutes remaining in the game. The image of Clay Brown jumping up and snatching the ball out of the air, and then immediately being piled on by SMU players is one that has been shown repeatedly on television highlight shows over the years. Jim McMahon went on to become the enigmatic quarterback for the Chicago Bears and can be seen doing the "Superbowl Shuffle" with Walter Payton, Mike Singletary and the rather large William "The Refrigerator" Perry. Clay Brown had an almost insignificant NFL career playing in only four games and amassing zero catches for the Denver Broncos and Atlanta Falcons. Even though Brown will never be remembered for his NFL career, he will always be remembered as the man who made the miracle catch in the 1980 Holiday Bowl. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b55Tn_YbLK8
2. Mention a Hail Mary pass to almost anyone and the name Doug Flutie is generally the first words out of their mouths. Boston College was losing to the University of Miami late in the game when Flutie lofted this 48 yard pass to his receiver. Everyone talks about Flutie, but no one ever mentions the true hero of the play, the guy who made the tremendous catch. What was his name?

Answer: Gerard Phelan

No one remembers Phelan for his overall stats of that game, which were quite impressive (11 receptions for 226 yards), but they sure remember the play which has become known as the "Hail Flutie". That one play has become synonymous with the expression Hail Mary and is probably one of the most viewed plays ever. The amazing thing about this play that many people don't realize is that Flutie not only had to throw the ball 63 yards to reach the end zone, but he had to do it against a 30 mile per hour head wind. That's not too shabby from a guy who was only 5'9" tall.
Phelan went on to get drafted by the New England Patriots, but an injury shortened his career. Flute went on the play for teams in the USFL, NFL and the Canadian Football League over his playing career.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3ykWbu2Gl0
3. In 1989, the University of Southern Mississippi was tied up with the University of Louisville with ten points apiece. The clock was winding down and USM was on their own 21 yard line. The ball was snapped, quarterback Brett Favre rolled back and heaved the ball down field. After bouncing off one receiver's helmet, the ball landed into this receiver's hands and was carried safely into the end zone for a touchdown. Who was the lucky benefactor of this lucky bounce?

Answer: Darryl Tillman

Mr. Tillman was indeed the lucky recipient of an outstanding set of events that led to his team winning the football game. With less than ten seconds on the clock and the two teams knotted up at ten points each, Favre dropped back, rolled to his right, escaped a near tackle and heaved the ball deep down field.

The ball actually hits the helmet of receiver Michael Jackson (no, not the moon walking Michael Jackson) and then bounces into the hands of Darryl Tillman. Tillman then outruns his pursuers and races into the end zone. USM secures the victory and the combination of Favre to Tillman (with an assist from Jackson) secures one remarkable play for the ages. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziDPsDRQJzI
4. Kordell Stewart, quarterback of the Colorado Buffaloes, became an instant celebrity in 1994 when his Hail Mary touchdown pass gave his team the victory over the very competitive University of Michigan. This play has been shown time and time again on the television, and Kordell has done hundreds of interviews, but no one seems to give any credit to the guy who actually made the outstanding catch. Who caught this winning touchdown pass?

Answer: Michael Westbrook

The play, which has been named "The Miracle at Michigan", sort of worked in reverse. The ball was supposed to sail down field where Westbrook would jump and tip the ball to Blake Anderson; however, it ended up with Anderson tipping the ball to Westbrook who scored on the play.
Westbrook ended his college career and was drafted by the Washington Redskins in the NFL. He played for the Redskins for seven seasons before moving to the Cincinnati Bengals for his last pro season. After his football days were over, Westbrook became a professional mixed martial arts fighter.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Nt6HjqtJt8
5. 2002 gave us the "Bluegrass Miracle" when the Louisiana State University defeated the University of Kentucky on a late throw by quarterback Marcus Randall. The 75 yard throw was deflected off the hands of a Kentucky defender and ended up being caught by which LSU receiver?

Answer: Devery Henderson

Reacting prematurely, the Kentucky players doused their coach with Gatorade in anticipation of winning the game while the fans in the stands were counting down the clock. Needing a miracle, Nick Saban called for the Hail Mary pass. Marcus Randall took the ball, faded back and fired the ball as far as he could.

The ball was tipped off a Kentucky players fingers and it ended up in the clutches of Devery Henderson. As Kentucky fans flooded the field and started tearing down goalposts, Henderson was striding into the end zone for a touchdown. No one in the stadium could believe the play and it is still deemed on of the most miraculous results in the game of college football. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bsJounJLYc
6. Ben Roethlisberger earned the nickname "Big Ben" from this 2001 Hail Mary play. The University of Miami (Ohio) was losing to the Akron Zips as the clock was winding down to end the game. Big Ben rolled back and threw the ball for a 70 yard touchdown to which receiver?

Answer: Eddie Tillitz

"Big Ben" and his team were down to the University of Akron and they were going to need a last second Hail Mary for a touchdown to win. From his own 27 yard line, Roethlisberger took the snap, stepped up into the pocket and threw the ball as hard as he could.

The ball didn't quite reach the end zone, but it was tipped off the hands of an Akron defender into the hands of Eddie Tillitz who waltzed into the end zone for the score. The play, which was known as "Big Ben" well before Roethlisberger's playing days, forever changed regular Ben into "Big Ben". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3nQgU3B600
7. Not all Hail Mary touchdown passes are on the last play of the game. Sometimes, as in this case, they give a team the lead and they go on to win. In 2003, Casey Clausen of the University of Tennessee Volunteers found his team losing late in the first half to a very physical Florida Gators team. With the half winding down, Clausen threw a 48 yard touchdown strike to put his team ahead for good. Who caught the pass that sealed the victory for Tennessee that day?

Answer: James Banks

James Banks had a heck of a day receiving that day, hauling in the long 48 yard pass which gave Tennessee the big boost in morale that they desperately needed. He also had another catch for 22 yards to help seal the win. Many bettors sure thought that the Florida Gators were going to pull out the upset that day since they were playing at home in Gainesville, FL, but Tennessee wanted to secure their perfect season and hand Florida their third loss. Eventually, Tennessee went on to lose three games that year and ended up playing in the Peach Bowl. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NeXh54BWDc
8. 2006 was a banner year for the Hail Mary pass as three teams won football games on their final play of the game. Washington beat Cal on a 40 yard Hail Mary. Arkansas State beat Memphis on a 53 yard bomb. In a stunner, North Carolina State University beat Boston College on a 34 yard Hail Mary pass from Daniel Evans to which receiver who was drafted in 2008 by the Miami Dolphins?

Answer: John Dunlap

Boston College was having a good season and were ranked number 20 in the country when they visited North Carolina State University for their regular season game in 2006. The team from Boston had a seemingly comfortable 15-10 lead with around eight seconds on the clock. Daniel Evans' 34 yard pass was the winning play that capped off a 72 yard drive, and it was all done with only 46 seconds on the clock.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVdJe0nz4Tw
9. Cam Newton had a heck of a day in the 2010 SEC Championship game against the University of South Carolina, including a long Hail Mary pass late in the first quarter to his wide receiver. Including this 54 yard touchdown, which player caught 217 yards worth of passes from Cam Newton en route to a 56-17 SEC Championship victory?

Answer: Darvin Adams

Auburn sure made a point with this game against an outmatched South Carolina team. Auburn broke the records for most points scored in an SEC Championship, most offensive yards accumulated and the most lopsided victory during the Championship game. Adams broke the receiving mark with his 217 yard performance. Auburn ended up going into the University of Phoenix Stadium for the National Championship game and handed the Oregon Ducks their first loss of the season 22-19.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0D6c50Cfz9Q
10. 2011 saw one of the unlikeliest Hail Mary passes ever. It was the University of Wisconsin versus Michigan State University. The two teams were tied at the end and Michigan State was 44 yards from pay dirt. They were looking for their quarterback, Kirk Cousins, to throw some sort of miracle into the end zone for a touchdown. He did just that. Who was the unlikely receiver to catch that last second touchdown pass?

Answer: Keith Nichol

The ball was thrown into the end zone by Cousins. Keith Nichol was outside of the end zone standing on the one yard line with his back to the quarterback. The ball sails over his head and deflects off of his teammates helmet and bounces back into the field of play, directly into his arms. I'm not sure who was more surprised to have the ball, Nichol, or the defenders who swarmed him trying to keep him from crossing the goal line.

The play was rules as being down just outside the end zone, but the call was overturned on instant replay.

It also happened to be only catch of the day by Keith Nichol, not a bad way to make your mark on a game. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ek3yw6zADls
Source: Author ralzzz

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor gtho4 before going online.
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