California Golden Bears Shine in Super Bowl XLIX
On Sunday, the Super Bowl lived up to expectations. The end of the game is one for the ages, with the golden boy Russell Wilson throwing an interception from the one-yard line in the final minute to undrafted rookie Malcolm Butler. A touchdown would have given the Seattle Seahawks their second straight Super Bowl championship. Instead, Tom Brady and the New England Patriots win their fourth Super Bowl ring.
Some former California Golden Bears had a big hand in getting their team into that final minute with a chance to win.
Patriots’ running back Shane Vereen recorded 11 catches in Super Bowl XLIX, tying him with the great Jerry Rice, and former Patriots Wes Welker and Deion Branch for the most in a Super Bowl. His impact as a runner was minimal, but as a receiver, he made his presence known.
LeGarrette Blount was the superstar in the Conference Championship against the Indianapolis Colts, as he totaled 30 carries for 148 yards and three touchdowns. But in the Super Bowl, the running game wasn’t as effective, and with the Patriots falling behind early, Vereen took over as Brady was forced to throw to make up ground.
Feb 1, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back
Marshawn Lynch(24) runs the ball against New England Patriots defensive tackle
Sealver Siliga(96) during the second quarter in Super Bowl XLIX at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Vereen only totaled 64 yards, for a 5.8 per catch average, but he racked up five first downs, including two huge conversions on third down. He carried the ball just four times, gaining 13 yards on the way.
Vereen has been known as an excellent receiver since the Patriots drafted him in the second round of the 2011 draft out of Cal. He didn’t see the field a lot in his rookie season, but in the last two years, mostly as a backup runner and slot receiver, he’s caught 99 passes for 874 yards and six scores.
He is also a talented runner, as in 2014 he piled up career-highs in carries (96) and yards (391). He also showed his running ability in his junior year at Cal in 2010, when rushed for 1167 yards and 13 touchdowns.
The Patriots aren’t known as a running team, which is understandable when Brady is the quarterback. On another team, with his skills as a runner and receiver, Vereen could be a household name across the country as a Matt Forte-prototype.
On the opposing sideline, Marshawn Lynch had been going “Beast Mode” on defenses all season. After racking up 1306 yards and a league-leading 13 touchdowns in the regular season, the former Bear continued his path of destruction in the playoffs. After a pedestrian Divisional Round game against the Carolina Panthers, Lynch ran over, through, and around the Green Bay Packers in the Conference Championship.
In a game where his team was forced to make a wild comeback, Lynch carried the ball 25 times, totaling a postseason career-high 157 yards and scoring the go-ahead touchdown late in the fourth quarter en route to a victory.
Lynch’s numbers in Super Bowl XLIX completely eclipsed his numbers from the previous years’ Big Game, where he gained just 39 yards on 15 carries. In this go-around, he carried the ball 24 times, picking up 102 yards and a touchdown. But the reason his name is being thrown around so much following the game is because of the carry he DIDN’T get.
Cal Golden Bears
With the Seahawks trailing 28-24, Marshawn Lynch carried the ball for five yards, taking his team down to the opponents’ one-yards line with just under a minute to go. Common sense would say to give the ball back to Lynch, and let former first-round pick from Cal carry his team to their second consecutive championship. If he doesn’t score, the team has a timeout, and can try again on third down.
But instead, the play-call came in for Wilson to throw the ball, and throw he did, right to Butler for the game-losing interception.
Lynch has been a bulldozer his entire career, dating all the way back to his time at Cal. In 2005 and 2006, his sophomore and junior years, he dominated opposing teams for 2602 yards and 21 touchdowns, in only 23 games. He averaged over six yards a carry each season.
Lynch, the power runner, was the forgotten man when his team needed a single yard to win the game. Vereen has been a finesse runner and receiver, and when the team needed one yard to keep a drive alive, he came up with a big catch.
Both players are free agents heading into this offseason, and they may find themselves on different teams when all is said and done. But the one thing that will never change is that they will always be Golden Bears at heart.