The Hit Heard Around the World

After Michigan's Floyd Simmons gained not-quite-four yards on a fourth-and-four play in the fourth quarter of the Outback Bowl, South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier watched as referee Jeff Maconaghy awarded a first down in spite of the fact that the nose of the ball didn't reach the first-down marker. Spurrier asked a nearby official for an explanation. Spurrier's memory of the exchange goes like this: Spurrier: "You know the ball did not touch the first-down marker?" Official: "I know it didn't." Spurrier: "Well, why'd he give it to 'em?" Official: "I don't know." "That's what he said. We felt like he was pointing the wrong way. I asked if he meant that way," Spurrier said later, pointing in opposite directions. "He wasn't going to change his mind." As the Gamecocks' defense prepared to retake the field following a booth review of the play, the conversation turned to big plays. After the apparent optical illusion that cost them a critical stop while trailing by a point, 22-21, free safety D.J. Swearinger implored his teammates to not leave the game in the hands of the officials. In the huddle, sophomore defensive end Jadeveon Clowney internalized this sentiment. If a Gamecock was to make a big play, the No. 1 recruit in the class of 2011 would make it. "When they gave them that first down," South Carolina defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward said, "it made him turn it up a notch." Michigan took the field for its first-down play. Quarterback Devin Gardner handed off to Vincent Smith. Then... It happen!!