There have been other great runs by running backs in Super Bowl history. There have been longer scoring plays, too. However, no run was as magical or memorable as USC football legend Marcus Allen running 74 yards for a touchdown to help the Los Angeles Raiders put away the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl XVIII.
This is simply pure magic from Marcus Allen. It was not a case of his offensive line driving open a wedge. The video of the play, for younger fans who might never have seen this play before, clearly shows the Redskins blowing up the play on the left side of the Raiders’ offensive line. Allen makes something — and a lot more — out of nothing by reversing his field, eluding the grasp of the onrushing safety, and then finding the improvised gap in the middle of the field before darting left to use teammate Cliff Branch, a receiver, as the blocker who cleared out the final Washington defender.
The Raiders won their second Super Bowl in four seasons, their third in eight seasons, and won their first (and only) championship in Los Angeles, having won two previous titles in Oakland. Marcus Allen won a Super Bowl in just his second NFL season. The 1983 Redskins were one of the highest-scoring NFL teams of all time, a legitimate juggernaut in the regular season and NFC playoffs. The Raiders kicked them to the curb in a shocking 38-9 final, a display of how great the 1983 Raiders were. Marcus Allen cemented that greatness with a magical run which essentially ended the competitive phase of Super Bowl XVIII in Tampa.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Marcus Allen 74-yard reversal of field is greatest Super Bowl run
Reporting by Matt Zemek, Trojans Wire / Trojans Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
