When Nate Ebner rolls (leaps? he probably leaps) out of bed on Sunday, he will prepare to do something for the second time in his life: Play in the Super Bowl.
| MATCHUP | WHERE | WHEN | TV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta v. New England | NRG Stadium (Houston, Texas) | 6:30 p.m. ET | FOX |
Ebner won Super Bowl XLIX with the New England Patriots on Feb. 1, 2015, who defeated the Seattle Seahawks 28-24 — a game the Big Ten provided more players than any other conference and quarterbacks of both teams. Still with the Patriots after a quick trip to Brazil with the Olympic rugby squad, Ebner is the lone Buckeye on either 53-man roster for Sunday's matchup with the Atlanta Falcons.
Rookie offensive lineman Chase Farris is on the Patriots practice squad, however.
A special teams ace, you will see Ebner streaking down the field in Houston on kickoffs and doing anything and everything Bill Belichick has in store for him. His appearance makes three straight seasons a former Buckeye gets a shot to earn a Super Bowl ring.
Bradley Roby and Jeff Heuerman (though the latter did not play) were part of the Denver Broncos squad that beat Andrew Norwell, Philly Brown, Kurt Coleman, Ted Ginn and the Carolina Panthers a year ago. The six Buckeyes last season was the most former Ohio State players in one Super Bowl since its inception in 1967. The next-highest was Super Bowls 11 and 34. Jack Tatum, Morris Bradshaw, Neal Colzie played for the Oakland Raiders and defeated Jim Marshall, Len Willis and the Minnesota Vikings in 1977. Orlando Pace, Joe Germaine, Lorenzo Styles and the St. Louis Rams topped Eddie George, Chris Sanders and the Tennessee Titans in 2000.
Here are some more tidbits and memories from Buckeyes in the Super Bowl.
Santonio Holmes Earns MVP Honors to Lead Pittsburgh in Super Bowl XLIII
The lone Buckeye to earn Super Bowl MVP honors, wide receiver Santonio Holmes went nuts when it mattered most in the 2008 NFL Playoffs. Teaming up with Ben Roethlisberger, Holmes played crucial roles in postseason victories against the San Diego Chargers and Baltimore Ravens before facing the Arizona Cardinals for all the marbles.
Holmes returned a punt 68 yards for a score against the Chargers then snagged a 65-yard touchdown against the Ravens. He caught nine passes for 131 yards and the game-winning touchdown against Arizona on one of the greatest and most memorable final drives in Super Bowl history.
We can't embed the video of Holmes's brilliant toe-tapping catch in the corner of the end zone due to the NFL's copyright power but it was recently was ranked No. 3 in a top-10 list of greatest catches of all time. Here is a link to the video.
No. 3? We agree with all the folks who spoke in that clip — that is far too low. Holmes's catch won the game for Pittsburgh. Let's not forget he caught three other passes on that 78-yard drive to get the Steelers in a position to win.
Linebacker Mike Vrabel Catches Touchdowns in Two Different Super Bowls
If you have any sort of football pulse, you're aware of the way Belichick loves to utilize different players at different positions throughout the course of a game to gain an advantage. He famously used wide receiver Troy Brown on defense on the way to three Super Bowl victories as well as former Ohio State defensive end Mike Vrabel in goal line situations on offense.
Vrabel owns arguably the best Super Bowl stat line ever: two catches, three yards, two touchdowns. That, of course, is on top of his regular duties as a linebacker for the Patriots.
Vrabel caught a 1-yard score from Tom Brady in Super Bowl XXXVIII while New England trailed Carolina by a point with fewer than 3 minutes left. The Panthers answered, only to lose on a late 41-yard field goal by Adam Vinatieri. You can see highlights from that game here.
Vrabel juggled his way to his second Super Bowl touchdown the next season against the Philadelphia Eagles, a play that gave New England a 14-7 lead. The Patriots eventually won 24-21 to grab their third Super Bowl victory in four seasons. Vrabel is a three-time champion, which is more than any other former Buckeye. He had a chance at a fourth but Eli Manning and the New York Giants spoiled New England's bid at a perfect season in Super Bowl XLII.
Eddie George's Two Touchdowns Not Enough to Win Super Bowl XXXIV
In one of the most painful endings to a football game, Tennessee wide receiver Kevin Dyson caught a slant from Steve McNair around the 5-yard line but could not stretch his body to the end zone for a touchdown as time expired. The Titans lost to the St. Louis Rams, 23-16.
The loss wasn't for a brilliant effort by Tennessee running back and former Buckeye Eddie George, however. George posted 130 total yards (95 rushing) and scored his team's two touchdowns, first on a 1-yard plunge late in the third quarter to put finally put Tennessee on the board. The second came roughly 7 minutes later from two yards out to cut the lead to 16-13.
You can see highlights from that game here, which includes George's final score in which he would not be denied and ran through three defenders.
MORE NOTES:
- Sunday marks the 51st edition of the Super Bowl. There have only been 10 versions that did not include a single Buckeye on either roster: II, X, XIII, XVIII, XXII, XXVII, XXVIII, XXIX, XXXII and XLVIII.
- Though Joe Namath won Super Bowl Most Valuable Player honors as quarterback of the New York Jets in Super Bowl III, running back Matt Snell had an argument. He tallied 121 rushing yards and caught four passes for 40 more and scored his team's only touchdown in the game. Snell was the first Buckeye to score in the Super Bowl.
- Of the 85 Buckeyes that have played in the Super Bowl (including duplicate seasons), 40 of them were victorious.
- Jeff Heuerman, A.J. Hawk, Matt Wilhelm, Will Smith, Santonio Holmes, Mike Doss, Morris Bradshaw, Jack Tatum, Paul Warfield (two Super Bowls), Bob Vogel, Jim Tryer and Matt Snell are in the rare club of players to win both a national championship in college and a Super Bowl.
