*All athletes have that one game, that one contest, that ranks as the most unforgettable of their lives. It can be memorable because of a personal or team achievement, a dramatic finish, a sentimental moment, or any number of other factors.
Continuing an annual summer series, Packers.com caught up with the members of the 2009 draft class to ask them about the game they'll never forget. It could be a game at any level of competition that took place at any time. They're all hoping their new NFL careers will give them new memories and new games to cherish, but for now, these rank at the top.*
The annual showdown between T.J. Lang's Eastern Michigan team and in-state rival Central Michigan had a tendency to get rather high-scoring.
In 2007, Eastern Michigan had pulled out a 48-45 shootout, and three years earlier, it had survived a 61-58, four-overtime thriller.
So it wasn't a big surprise when the 2008 season finale between the two familiar foes started lighting up the scoreboard. Lang just didn't know when it was going to stop.
"It's just like any other rivalry game -- everybody gets all jacked up for it, everybody's hyped up, the hits come harder," Lang said. "Everything happens faster in a rivalry game."
This time, on Nov. 28, in Ypsilanti, Mich., Eastern Michigan prevailed again, 56-52, with 101 of the 108 points scored coming in the first three quarters. The two teams combined for 1,171 total yards.
Most importantly for Lang, the victory allowed him to end his college career, and a rather disappointing senior season, with a win. Eastern Michigan's upset of the Mid-American Conference champions left the team 3-9, but a win over the big rival had at least salvaged something.
"It meant a lot," said Lang, drafted in the fourth round by the Packers this past April. "We had some ups and downs throughout the season, and we were in a tough situation. The coaching staff was getting released after the year, and we all came out and felt we had a big game to play for the coaches and the seniors."
Playing left tackle for Eastern, Lang protected quarterback Andy Schmitt's blind side for no less than 80 pass attempts that day. Schmitt completed 56 of those throws for 516 yards with five touchdowns and two interceptions, and he was sacked just twice.
Eastern scored six of the seven times it had the ball in the first half to take a 42-35 lead. The lead was stretched to 56-45 after three quarters, but with Eastern having lost the previous week to Temple, 55-52, there was no guarantee it was going to hold up.
"We went out as a whole unit and we were just clicking that day," Lang said. "We were out there having fun, we were driving the ball, the receivers were playing great. We threw the ball 80 times, so up front we were getting kind of tired, but we all knew what we had to do and we all performed at a high level that day."
Four Eastern receivers had at least six catches and 77 yards, led by Tyler Jones, who caught 23 passes for 170. Eastern ran a whopping 105 offensive plays and converted 13 of 18 third downs.
Perhaps the offenses just wore one another out, but the defenses actually ruled the day in the fourth quarter.
{sportsad300}After Central scored one minute into the fourth to make it 56-52, Central's defense forced two punts and snagged an interception on Eastern's next three drives. But Eastern's defense also stood tall, getting a three-and-out and then stopping Central on fourth-and-3 at the Eastern 16-yard line with just over five minutes left.
One more Central possession ended with four straight incomplete passes with under two minutes left and Eastern had its upset.
"It was kind of a bummer to end the season that way because we ended up scoring a lot of points, and if we could have started the season that way, I'm sure our season would have been a little different," Lang said. "It was a fun way to end the year, though.
"We knew we weren't going to a bowl game, and they were the MAC champions, so we wanted to go show we could battle with the top teams in the league. Just the feeling of all the struggles we went through during the year, they all seemed to go away after that game was all over. We felt good leaving the field that day."
