Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, January 16, 1995 TAG: 9501250009
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Dallas Morning News
DATELINE: PITTSBURGH LENGTH: Medium
Minutes earlier, Martin had caught a 43-yard touchdown pass from Stan Humphries to send the San Diego Chargers to their first Super Bowl with a 17-13 upset of the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC championship game. The Chargers will meet San Francisco, a 38-28 winner over Dallas in the NFC title game.
The Terrible Towel was the rallying flag for the Steelers in the 1970s, when they steamrolled the NFL with four Super Bowl championships. A Three Rivers Stadium-record crowd of 61,545 resurrected those towels Sunday and waved them frantically, trying to revive the memory of that championship era.
``They had their fans believing they were that [1970s] team,'' said Mark Seay, a Chargers wide receiver. ``They were having a Super Bowl flashback. But you didn't see Terry Bradshaw out there. You didn't see Mean Joe Greene. You didn't see Lynn Swann ... Jack Lambert. These guys aren't that team.
``The [lightning] bolts had to come in here and set them straight.''
The Chargers were preseason selections to finish last in the AFC West Division. They wound up winning the West with an 11-5 record. Then they came into Pittsburgh on Sunday as 91/2-point underdogs against the mighty Steelers, who had filmed a Super Bowl rap video in anticipation of an AFC championship.
The Chargers bristled at that lack of respect.
``This ain't BYU and Utah,'' said Martin, waving the Terrible Towel as he spoke. ``This is the NFL. You have to respect your opponent. This ain't the WAC.''
San Diego rallied for the third consecutive week to win its third consecutive game, each one bigger than the last. In the regular-season finale, the Chargers rallied from a seven-point deficit in the final five minutes at home to pull out a 37-34 victory over the Steelers. That gave San Diego a first-round bye in the playoffs.
On Jan.7 in an AFC semifinal, the Chargers rallied from a 15-point halftime deficit, again on their home field, to stun the Miami Dolphins 22-21. That sent San Diego to its first AFC championship game since the 1981 season.
There, the Chargers rallied from a 10-point deficit in the final 24 minutes to stun the Steelers, who had won eight consecutive games at home.
``I'm in total shock,'' said Kevin Greene, a Pro Bowl linebacker for the Steelers. ``I don't think anybody thought we wouldn't be going to the Super Bowl.''
Gary Anderson kicked a 23-yard field goal in the opening minutes of the third quarter to stake the Steelers to that 13-3 lead. There was no reason to think the Chargers were going to mount a comeback.
San Diego had managed only 49 yards of offense and wasn't doing much better defensively. Neil O'Donnell had shredded the Chargers for 220 yards passing by then, and the Steelers had controlled the clock for almost 26 of the game's 35 minutes.
But the Chargers jolted the Steelers with a play-action pass to get back into the game. Humphries faked a handoff to Natrone Means on a sweep of right end. Safety Carnell Lake bought the fake and charged up to the line. Little-used H-back Alfred Pupunu, who had caught 21 passes in the regular season, then slipped behind Lake down the right side, and Humphries hit him with a 43-yard touchdown pass.
``They're a blitzing team,'' Pupunu said. ``They're always trying to make big plays. They got bit on that one.''
The conversion kick cut Pittsburgh's lead to 13-10.
San Diego's next two possessions ended in punts, and the Chargers were running out of time when they got the ball back with 9:57 remaining.
But Humphries returned to Pupunu, connecting with his blocking tight end on consecutive passes for 31 yards. That moved the Chargers into Pittsburgh territory. Facing a third-and-nine from the Steelers' 38, tackle Harry Swayne was penalized for illegal procedure.
That moved the Chargers back to Pittsburgh's 43 for a third-and-14 play. Martin then beat Steelers nickel back Tim McKyer on a post pattern, with Humphries lofting a perfect 43-yard bomb at the goal line for the winning points.
Still, the Steelers had five minutes left to get those points back, and O'Donnell, who had the best passing game of his career by finishing with 349 yards, marched them into position. He completed seven consecutive passes to move the Steelers to San Diego's 9-yard line.
But linebacker Dennis Gibson broke up two passes - one to tight end Eric Green at the goal line on second down and the other to halfback Barry Foster in the end zone on fourth down - to end Pittsburgh's season. And stop the towel waving.
``I wonder what those guys are going to do with their Super Bowl video now?'' said Stanley Richard, a Chargers safety.
by CNB