College Football: 25 most unforgettable games of the 21st century
By Phil Poling
No. 23: Marshall at Akron, Nov. 2, 2002
The Marshall Thundering Herd (6-1) traveled to Akron to play the Zips (1-7) in 2002 with nothing but victory on their mind. It didn’t happen, but this one on our list isn’t necessarily the outcome that was unforgettable. This is the Byron Leftwich Game.
At 6-foot-6 and somewhere around 240 pounds, Leftwich was massive for a quarterback. He stood tall in the pocket, shrugged off would-be tacklers and always bounced up when he did take a lick from a defender.
But against Akron, a blitzing linebacker hit Leftwich’s left leg in the first quarter and rendered him immobile for the entire contest. Marshall coaches weren’t sure if their signal-caller could even put weight on his leg, let alone lead the team down the field.
He gave it a go, but after a series was pulled and left for an x-ray. Instead of taking the ambulance, though, Leftwich went with someone in a van so he could be back before the end of the game. Marshall trailed 24-10 at halftime.
Upon his return, a legend was born. The Herd still trailed, but as soon as Leftwich was seen by his teammates, the comeback was on. He immediately led a seven-play touchdown drive. Just like that, it was 27-20. Akron answered with a quick touchdown of their own, but Leftwich and the Herd weren’t done.
Long passes are typically great for a trailing offense, but when the quarterback can’t really walk, let alone run 40 yards down the field, there might be a problem. Luckily for Marshall, two linemen turned back for Leftwich and he wrapped an arm around each of their shoulders and they were off.
Down the field, they trotted – carrying a 6-foot-6 behemoth of a quarterback – to try to complete the comeback. Leftwich, however, threw an interception on the very next play. The Heisman-hopeful and eventual top-10 NFL Draft pick’s career wasn’t defined by this loss, but the heart to return certainly showed NFL scouts what he was made of.