College football bowl season is already off to a sensational start thanks to a thrilling finish between Miami (Ohio) and UAB in the Bahamas Bowl.
In the postseason opener, UAB scored a touchdown with 1:31 remaining to take a 24–20 lead. Miami got the chance to respond and appeared on the verge of doing so with an impressive drive that left the offense 15 yards away from the end zone with one second left on the clock.
Quarterback Aveon Smith took the final snap of the game and found receiver Jalen Walker over the middle with a few yards of space. However, the Blazers defense collapsed quickly, wrapping up Walker and bringing him to the ground at the two-yard line.
With the clock showing triple-zeros, UAB got the chance to celebrate the victory while a dejected Miami team looked around is disbelief.
The play that ended the game not only made for the ideal start to the 2022–23 bowl season, but was also reminiscent to one of the most famous plays in Super Bowl history. Fans pointed out that Walker coming up just short of the goal line was reminiscent of Titans receiver Kevin Dyson getting tackled at the one-yard line in a Super Bowl XXXIV loss to the Rams in 2000.
Between the Dyson-esque final play and the back-and-forth nature of the fourth quarter, the Bahamas Bowl delivered on all fronts. College football fans will now find themselves hoping to see more of the same over the next three weeks as the rest of the bowl games take center stage.
