Flea Kicker In college football , the Flea Kicker was a legendary play executed by the Nebraska Cornhuskers against the Missouri Tigers on November 8 , 1997 that sent the game into overtime and resulted in a win for the Cornhuskers who went on to share the NCAA Division I - A National Championship with the Michigan Wolverines . The final minutes of the game were seen by many people on ABC , after other regional games ended . Background . The Cornhuskers , who had won national championships for the 1994 and 1995 seasons , went into the game with an 8 - 0 record and a No . 1 ranking in the AP Poll . They had only given up seven points in their last three games and had beaten the Tigers eighteen straight times . The Tigers were unranked with a 6 - 3 record , and in the school ’ s history , had never beaten a No . 1 ranked team . The play . In the fourth quarter , Tigers quarterback Corby Jones completed a pass to Eddie Brooks to give Missouri a 38 - 31 lead , giving Mizzou fans hope that they would beat Nebraska for the first time since the 1978 season and moving then - coach Larry Smith to tears . The Huskers took possession from a punt after Mizzou failed to convert a first down on their own 33 - yard line with 1 : 02 remaining . In less than a minute , the Huskers moved the ball 55 yards . The Huskers were on the Missouri 12 - yard line with only seven seconds left when Nebraska quarterback Scott Frost threw a pass intended for wingback Shevin Wiggins . The ball hit Wiggins directly in the chest near the goal line . The ball immediately shot down and hit a Missouri safety in the foot and popped back in the air . Then Missouri safety Julian Jones tackled Wiggins as time expired . As Wiggins was pulled to the ground , his leg popped up , kicking the ball into the air for a second time . Cornhuskers receiver Matt Davison leaped for the ball , his hands scraping the turf as he managed to make the catch in the endzone for a touchdown . Missouri fans stormed the field in celebration , thinking they had won . The play could have resulted in a 15 - yard penalty ( illegal kick ) if officials had considered the kick intentional . Instead , they ruled the catch a touchdown . Once fans were cleared from the field , Kris Brown kicked the extra point for Nebraska sending the game into overtime . In overtime Frost ran for a touchdown , and Jones was sacked on 4th and seven by Grant Wistrom to give Nebraska a 45 - 38 win . Aftermath . Missouri finished the season 7 - 5 with a loss to Colorado State in the Holiday Bowl . The Tigers did not defeat the Cornhuskers until 2003 , ending a 24 - game losing streak in the series . After the game , Wiggins claimed to have kicked the ball intentionally to keep the play alive , and some of his statements indicate that he did so to keep the ball away from Missouri defenders . He also at various times and in later interviews claimed to have been trying to kick the ball back to himself for a catch . Regardless , and unfortunately for the Tigers , the outcome of the game could not be changed after the fact , despite the kick leading to Nebraska ' s win . The legality of the play remains in dispute among college football fans and experts , as NCAA rules at the time generally made it illegal for an intentional kick ( by players other than kickers and punters ) but also allowed players to use any part of their bodies - including feet - to help themselves catch a forward pass . Furthermore , the rules only allowed officials to establish intent to kick only as they could determine clearly on the field of play . Although Nebraska dropped to No . 3 in the AP Poll the following week , they were still undefeated , and national title hopes were still alive . The Cornhuskers defeated Iowa State and Colorado in the last two games of the regular season and beat Texas A & M 54 - 15 in the Big 12 Championship Game . Nebraska went on to defeat Peyton Manning and No . 3 Tennessee 42 - 17 in the Orange Bowl to finish the season 13 - 0 . The Cornhuskers had a No . 1 ranking in the Coaches Poll , giving them a third national championship in four seasons . However , they had to split the championship with the 12 - 0 Michigan Wolverines who defeated No . 8 Washington State 21 - 16 in the Rose Bowl Game and ended the season topping the AP Poll . Significance . The Flea Kicker was ranked No . 11 on " The Best Damn Sports Show Period " ' s list of Top 50 Amazing Catches . The Flea Kicker was also being recreated for the Fox Sports Net program " Sport Science " in an episode called " Bet You Can ' t Do It Again " .