Saturday was a big day for some teams in the Group of Five, with Appalachian State and Marshall pulling off massive upset wins against Texas A&M and Notre Dame, respectively. However, another Group of Five team was on the other end of one of those upsets.
Buffalo lost to Football Championship Subdivision (FKA, Division I-AA) Holy Cross in a way that almost seems — in the most literal sense of the phrase — preordained.
The Crusaders and Bulls seemed headed for overtime. But with four seconds left, Holy Cross had a chance to win in regulation with enough time for one play. So, with four seconds left, the Crusaders lined up on the Buffalo 44-yard line and attempted a Hail Mary pass.
Indeed, Holy Cross tried a Hail Mary. You can probably see where this one is going.
Buffalo loses on Holy Cross hail mary: pic.twitter.com/ZscnMtNmf0
— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) September 11, 2022
Holy Cross winning on a Hail Mary. If you think that sounds like something you might see in a movie starring Jim Caviezel as a once great, now struggling football coach looking for one last big break, well, you’re not alone.
Many in the college football world noted the obvious connection here.
Ain't no Hail Mary like one for a Catholic college. https://t.co/N3X6ShSoSB
— Dan McLaughlin (@baseballcrank) September 11, 2022
https://twitter.com/BADG3RMANTV/status/1568781182128594945
Damn. But if Holy Cross doesn’t complete the Hail Mary, who does? https://t.co/iOjztfastL
— Jeff Hopps (@JeffHopps) September 11, 2022
https://twitter.com/DiscoImperative/status/1568781090311274496
Holy Cross benefiting from a Hail Mary. The Catholics get their Notre Dame revenge. https://t.co/KkVoqmVfCB
— Alex 🇱🇹 (@CamAlexander91) September 11, 2022
Very apropos https://t.co/WmP6Ez2Wl8
— Giannis Auntiegotapoodle (@TooMuchMortons_) September 11, 2022
Feels unfair that Holy Cross gets to run Hail Marys https://t.co/stwXURLVkU
— alexquigley (@alexquigley) September 11, 2022
Give the Holy Cross QB a NIL deal with the Vatican https://t.co/Aejngr1FbV
— Harris (@HarrisVT) September 11, 2022
I don’t think a school named Holy Cross should be allowed to attempt a Hail Mary. Doesn’t seem fair. https://t.co/NAmNAx70jw
— Yahoo Sportsbook (@YahooSportsbook) September 11, 2022
The only thing more fitting would have been if Buffalo had a nickname like the Blue Devils. Perhaps, though, that would have been too on the nose.
[Timothy Burke on Twitter, Photo Credit: ESPN+]
Related: College football world reacts to 7OT FCS over FBS upset
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