Arizona’s miraculous comeback over California wasn’t the only Hail Mary victory in college football on Saturday. The University of Ottawa faced off against Carleton University on Saturday in a Canadian college football rivalry game better known as the Panda Game. The 2014 edition was a back-and-forth affair that found Carleton 55 yards from the end zone, trailing 31-27, and with only five seconds left on the clock. That’s when quarterback Jesse Mills called for the “I can’t throw it that far so I’ll just heave it down field and see what happens” play.
Ottawa’s defenders then proceeded to commit one of the classic blunders of Hail Mary defense, as they failed to knock the ball down in a manner so that no receiver could catch it. Instead, it was batted directly into the hands of Carleton’s Nathaniel Behar, who ran it in for the winning score.
Here are some fun facts about the game and the play: it was just the second Panda Game since 1998, as Carleton didn’t even field a football team for 14 years. In addition, Carleton hadn’t beaten Ottawa since 1994, including a 35-10 blowout loss in the revival game last season. As for the the guy who threw it, Jesse Mills isn’t even the starting quarterback. He just has the strongest arm on the team. His final stat line: 1-1, 55 yards, 1 touchdown.
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