by Megan Murray

sports editor

Many Millsaps students had their TVs tuned to NBC Sunday night for Super Bowl XLIX. Tied at a record of 14-4 each, the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks faced off in Glendale, Arizona, with 114.4 million people watching. Did Millsaps students correctly predict the winner?

In a survey of 50 Millsaps students, seventy-one percent predicted the Seattle Seahawks would win Super Bowl XLIX, while only 29 percent thought the New England Patriots would be victorious. However, no one could predict the unbelievable turn of events that led to one of the most exciting Super Bowls in NFL history.

The most anticipated game of the NFL season did not disappoint. With a 14-14 score headed into the second half, the game was a complete toss up and wasn’t decided until the last 30 minutes of regulation play. With a 10-point deficit entering the fourth quarter, the Patriots’ chance for victory was dwindling. Two Tom Brady touchdown passes in the fourth, including one to Julian Edelman with 2:02 left in the game, brought the score to 28-24 in favor of the Patriots.

The excitement did not end there. With one of the craziest catches of his career, Seattle’s Jermaine Kearse juggled the ball three times before securing a completion at the 6-yard line. With a game-winning touchdown in sight, the Seahawks lined up for what everyone thought would be a Marshawn Lynch run for a touchdown. However, Pete Carroll made the courageous and now infamous call to throw the ball on 1st and goal. Then, the game took another twist. Vicksburg, Mississippi-native Malcolm Butler intercepted the ball on the 1-yard line with 20 seconds remaining to win the game for the New England Patriots. It was the fourth Super Bowl win for the Patriots in the last 14 years.

 Courtesy of slate.com

So, did you predict the winner?