Mike Knoll will never forget the day his left leg failed him.
Up by six in the overtime period, the Boston College kicker came out for the extra point after his Eagles scored the go-ahead touchdown against Penn State in the Pinstripe Bowl. This is the part where viewers go to the fridge, as it's converted more often than not.
But the freshman shanked the kick right and was wondering how he could have missed a chip shot he could have kicked with his other leg. Maybe he should have.
Suddenly, Penn State, led by quarterback Christian Hackenberg, was injected with the momentum that was running through Boston College blood all game.
The Nittany Lions came out and were promptly flagged for a false start. They started 30 yards out, of course.
On 3rd-and-long, tight end Jesse James caught the quarterback's pass and muscled his way to a first down. Three plays later, Hackenberg found Kyle Carter in the end zone, followed by a Sam Ficken extra point to claim the New Era Pinstripe Bowl 31-30.
For Hackenberg, the sophomore pivot, it capped off a stellar 371-yard, four-touchdown performance. What's more is how democratic he was about it, finding four separate receivers for each score, led by wide receiver Chris Godwin who clocked in 140 yards and a score.
Left depleted on the sideline were the Eagles, who led for most of the game, but not when it mattered. Quarterback Tyler Murphy quickly realized his team wasn't going to win the game in the air.
Instead, he and running back Jon Hilliman burned Penn State on the ground to the tune of 105 and 148 yards and a touchdown, respectively.
As a team, the opposition rushed for 82 yards.
But despite a last-second mishap by the Eagles, the Nittany Lions walk away victorious, raising a bowl trophy a year removed from ever being permitted to.
