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| James Lockette, New Jersey |
New Jersey's James Lockette sacked Detroit QB Mario Valencia in the end zone for a safety to end the game and give his team a 26-24 overtime victory. The Generals claimed their first league championship after several near-misses, including a 3-point loss to the Memphis Showboats in World Bowl VI.
You don't even actually see what happened on the game-ending play, just a scrum of players in the end zone. But, we'll take MFN's word for it. New Jersey punted to the Detroit 8. A holding penalty, a recovered fumble, and an incomplete pass preceded the game-ending play.
Valencia had an outstanding game prior to its last play. He completed 31 of 42 passes for 366 yards and three TDs, a 123.71 QBR. His 30-yard TD pass to Robert Costello with 1:40 remaining forced overtime.
Detroit SS Michael Reagan and Generals CB Bruce Dickinson both made 12 tackles. Lockette, a two-time All-Pro and the league's defensive MVP in 1977, recorded two of New Jersey's three sacks.
Detroit TE Zachary Powell caught eight passes for 139 yards. New Jersey RB Rudi Johnson had nine catches for 122 yards.
New Jersey was 13-3 during the regular season and won the East Division championship. Detroit (10-6) had qualified as the wild-card team. The Generals' triumph snapped a string of six consecutive victories by American Conference teams.
