The Super Bowl, like the rest of football, is a kernel of American culture; it’s something that means so much to so many different people. For some, it represents the time to sulk at the loss of your team while scarfing down buckets of chicken wings. For others, it brings a chance to enjoy commercials, and meticulously analyze them to the point where you dread the beginning of gameplay. Some are disinterested until Beyonce takes the stage. No matter who you are, the Super Bowl is a spectacle that had 108 million people figuratively glued to their television sets.
Between hilarious commercials promoting everything from Tide to Taco Bell, viewers witnessed 18 record-breaking and record-tying plays head coaches from the same family, and a Beyonce concert that lit up the Superdome.
“This was honestly, one of the best games Iʼve ever seen, I mean, there was a lot
of entertainment both on and off the field,” said freshman Josh White.
This Super Bowl brought an entire new meaning to sibling rivalry. The game was a furious battle between two brothers, Jim and John Harbaugh. Jim, the younger of the two, coaches the 49ers, winners of the NFC, and John, the older brother, coaches the Baltimore Ravens, champions of the AFC. Jack Harbaugh, their father, put it best before prior to kickoff: “Who has it better than us? Nobody.”
Another element of the narrative was the end of Ray Lewis’s career. The Raven linebacker
has been considered one of the best in the game for over a decade. Lewis announced his retirement to his team before the Wild Card round of the playoffs, once again fueling the emotions of his team.
The stage was set for one crazy Super Bowl, and the 60-plus minutes that followed certainly did not disappoint.
On Feb. 3, in the Mercedez-Benz Superdome, 53 players took home the Lombardi Trophy for their team. After inspiring renditions of “America the Beautiful” by Jennifer Hudson and the children of Newton, CT, and the National Anthem by Alicia
Keys, it was time for kickoff.
The first quarter proved uneventful as more people seemed to be tweeting about
the game than watching it. However, it was not entirely without excitement.
Ravens wide receiver Anquan Boldin caught a 13-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Joe Flacco. The 49ers could only produce one field goal, putting the score at 7-3, in favor of the Ravens.
The second quarter took the game to a whole new level. The Ravens dominated as Flacco completed two touchdown passes, to tight end Dennis Pitta and wide receiver Jacoby Jones. Jones’s name is one to remember. Once again, San Francisco could only muster a field goal, and Baltimore took at commanding 21-6 lead heading into the locker rooms for halftime.
Millions of people were a-buzz about Beyonceʼs unbelievable performance at halftime.
The 15-minute long performance was nothing short of impressive. The performance featured
optical illusions, a reunion of Destinyʼs Child, and incredible dancing and singing.
What followed, however, was even more shocking. At the very onset of the
second half, Jacoby Jones returned a kick return 108 yards – a Super Bowl record.
“Jacoby Jones is really an amazing athlete, itʼs enough to score one touchdown
over 50 yards in the Super Bowl, but to score two! The guyʼs crazy and I love his
touchdown dances,” said freshman John Scala.
The touchdown put the Ravens up 28-6, quite a deficit for the 49erʼs to overcome, one that seemed insurmountable.
“Honestly, when it was 28-6, I thought it was over, I was just watching sullenly
while my team got destroyed. Then the power outage happened,” said freshman Louis Miscioscia, one of Port Washington’s few true 49ers fans.
In one of the most crucial points in the game, with 13:28 left in the third quarter,
half of the lights at the stadium went out. Some say that the blackout was due to an
overloading of the electrical system (Thanks, Beyonce).
There was speculation that this 34-minute stoppage in play would effect the
game, and it did. In fact, it was all the CBS crew could discuss during the prolonged absence of play. The 49ers returned with vengeance as they proceeded to score 17 points in that crucial third quarter. Rookie quarterback Colin Kaepernick was a key contributor. The biracial, adopted kid from Milwaukee embodies one of the other most popular sideline stories, coming off of the bench to become a star in the wake of Alex Smith’s concussion. The score on the verge of the fourth quarter was 28-23, must closer than previously expected. It seemed possible that an unprecedented come-from-behind victory was on hand.
The “Big Game” transformed from a blowout to a fierce battle on
Americaʼs greatest stage in a matter of minutes. In the beginning of the fourth quarter, the Ravens added
another field goal, putting them ahead by eight points. Kaepernick responded by leading
his team down the field for another score, this time a 15-yard rushing touchdown, the
longest touchdown run by a quarterback in Super Bowl history. He capitalized the
touchdown with his traditional celebration: kissing his “guns.” A missed two-point conversion would become crucial down the stretch. Yet another field goal was made by the Ravens rookie kicker, Justin Tucker, and the 49ers started the most critical drive of thegame.
It seemed as if the traditional Super Bowl comeback was once again going to
come to fruition as the 49ers running back, Frank Gore rushed for 33 yards before finally
being brought down at the seven yard line. Time and time again, from inside the 10 yard line, the Ravens defense, led by Lewis in his last game, came up with a goal line stand to all but seal the deal. From then on, the most critical player on the field was Raven’s punter Sam Koch, who purposely took a safety and then booted the ensuing kickoff far enough to deter any thoughts of a field goal attempt in the final seconds. As Ted Ginn Jr. was tackled, San Francisco was left empty-handed while the Ravens booked their flights to Disney World. With an incredible 11 touchdowns and zero interceptions in the post season, Joe Flacco was named Super Bowl MVP, cementing his self-declared elite status.
“It was definitely an amazing game; it was an instant classic,” said Scala.