The lesson here, to no surprise: 1998 is king.
The Martin-to-Price bomb to essentially clinch the National Championship narrowly beat Clint Stoerner's fumble that same season to win our month-long Best Plays Bracket, with 53% of the vote, meaning one can easily still make a case for either play. But the fact that these two stood alone at the end is further validation to the magic of a championship, even fourteen years later.
We've joked throughout a bracket full of spectacular displays of athleticism that a vote for Stoerner is literally a vote for a man falling down...but as we all know, it was so very much more than that. I think the only play that could've beaten it is the one that did, simply because of the weight of the game it took place in. To the absolute credit of Tee Martin and Peerless Price, it's a really great throw and catch, and the moment simply magnifies it into the realm of the legendary.
When we counted down Fulmer's best wins, three of the top four came from 1998, including the FSU and Arkansas games. And our bracket was littered with plays from that magical year: Deon Grant's leaping interception against Florida, Martin and Price making it count in the SEC Championship Game, Dwayne Goodrich taking one back to the house against Florida State, and many others that just missed the cut like Shaun Ellis against Auburn or Shawn Bryson against the Gators. And there are many, many more.
Many thought the Stoerner play would win because of the narrative of those sixty minutes against Arkansas, and where it looked like that story was headed. But in the end, a championship trumps all - the quality of play in Tempe may not have been as good as it was against the Hogs, but winning it all is simply an unparalleled feeling, and this was the play that sealed the deal.
Enjoy: