With a power outage, a record kickoff return, a blink-and-you'll-miss-it scoring flurry and the biggest goal-line stand of Ray Lewis' long career, the Baltimore Ravens' 34-31 victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Feb. 3 was a popular topic of conversation across BYU-Hawaii campus and the various social media networks. The game had a slow first half, as the Ravens steamrolled San Francisco to a 21-6 lead. When Jacoby Jones returned the opening kick of the second half 108 yards for another Baltimore touchdown, most folks at home headed for the kitchen, happy to have seen Beyonce's Destiny's Child reunion and leaving their TVs on just so they could see the commercials. Then the power went out. And the game's entire atmosphere changed. “I liked when the lights went out because it gave me a chance to get some laundry done. I’m not a typical super bowl watcher but because of the peer pressure of people here at school I decided to go and watch it anyway. I’m from San Francisco so I was behind the 49ers but I don’t have a strong preference.” Said Aaron Tracy, a junior in IT from San Francisco, who watched most intently during the second half of the game as his team made their unexpected comeback.The 49ers that could only manage two field goals in the first half went on a scoring frenzy, ripping off 23 points in a little over 12 minutes. When they reached the Baltimore 5 yard line just before the two-minute warning, the unprecedented comeback was almost complete.But the Ravens defense stopped quarterback Colin Kaepernick and the 49ers not once, not twice, but three times, forcing them to turn the ball over on downs. Then Baltimore tried to run the clock out. San Francisco wound up with a safety, but did nothing with the final kickoff. The Ravens ran onto the field, the confetti fell and, just like that, it was done. This year’s Super Bowl was hosted in the New Orleans Super Dome, its first hosting since the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina. While the power outage had the potential to embarrass the city, Mayor Mitch Landrieu took the hiccup with a positive stride saying, "The 34 minutes of darkness will never overshadow or outshine the city of New Orleans and how we performed this Super Bowl week." New Orleans plans to bid for an 11th Superbowl in 2018 despite this years setback. And skeptics can rest assured Beyonce’s halftime performance was not to blame as she brought her own generator.
Writer: Makenzie Head~Multimedia Journalist
