‘ ‘ ‘ So much in sports can change in a mere matter of minutes. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ With just 2:53… ‘ ‘ ‘ So much in sports can change in a mere matter of minutes. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ With just 2:53 left on the clock in Super Bowl XLIII, the Pittsburgh Steelers held a 20-14 lead, with their vaunted defense on the field and everyone expecting them to seal the win by stopping the Arizona Cardinals. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Flash forward 25 seconds to Arizona receiver Larry Fitzgerald raising his arms in celebration after sprinting past numerous Steelers on his way to a 64-yard touchdown. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Needless to say, this left Steelers fans dumbfounded. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘At that point I was in shock. The whole room went silent,’ said sophomore Ben Colosmo. ‘To go from winning to suddenly losing just like that was tough.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Then Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger took the field to lead his team to what will surely be remembered as one of the all-time great game-winning drives in Super Bowl history. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ The drive was capped off by wide receiver Santonio Holmes’ tip-toe catch in the corner of the end zone with just 35 seconds left in the game, barely more than two minutes after the Cardinals had scored. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘When Holmes caught that touchdown I was just so happy,’ said Colosmo. ‘Everyone around me was screaming at the top of their lungs.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Pittsburgh controlled much of the first half, scoring the first 10 points of the game while milking the clock and dominating the time of possession. But the Cardinals responded with a Ben Patrick touchdown catch and looked to score again after a batted Roethlisberger pass wound up in Karlos Dansby’s grasp with time winding down. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ But Steelers’ linebacker and NFL Defensive Player of the Year James Harrison intercepted Arizona’s Kurt Warner at the goal line and returned it for a 100-yard touchdown, the longest play in Super Bowl history. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Harrison’s touchdown gave Pittsburgh a 17-7 halftime advantage. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Steelers’ kicker Jeff Reed kicked a field goal late in the third quarter to push Pittsburgh’s lead to 20-7, but the Cardinals’ dynamic offense finally came around in the fourth quarter. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Fitzgerald, who was essentially dormant in the first three quarters, caught a touchdown pass with 7:33 left to cut the deficit to 20-14, and a Steelers’ holding penalty in the end zone resulted in a safety and two more points for the Cardinals. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ That set up the drama for the theatrical final minutes. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ As the clock hit zero and the Steelers celebrated their NFL-record sixth championship in Tampa, Fla., Steelers fans in Oakland celebrated in their own way, as well. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘It feels great to be a fan of the greatest franchise in the NFL with the team setting records that are hard to match,’ said sophomore Ben Gregory. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ The Oakland Zoo lived up to its name as Forbes Avenue and much of South Oakland went wild. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Sophomore Jordan Himes appropriately summed up the scene. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘It was South Oakland at its finest, questionably legal but all in good fun,’ said Himes. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘Here we go Steelers’ chants echoed the streets for hours during the riots. Even an aluminum foil replica Lombardi trophy was paraded throughout the mob. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ The game and subsequent riot surely left fans wanting more. Who knows? Maybe it will all happen again next year.