It just wasn’t to be for Eagles head coach and former Mizzou offensive line coach Andy Reid. His Eagles fell to the Patriots 24-21 in Super Bowl XXXIX. The Eagles broke a 14-14 tie thanks to Corey Dillon’s two-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter and Adam Vinatieri’s 22-yard field goal a few minutes later, which put New England on top 24-14. The Eagles scored a touchdown with less than two minutes to go, but an onside kick failed. Jim Johnson’s defense held the Patriots to three and out, but Josh Miller’s punt pinned Philadelphia at their own five-yard line with 46 seconds to go. Three plays later, Donovan McNabb was picked off by Rodney Harrison. Johnson, who serves as the Eagles defensive coordinator, was MU’s starting quarterback in 1962. Other Missouri connections on the Eagles sideline include assistant head coach Marty Mornhinweg who was a former Mizzou and SEMO assistant and defensive tackle Hollis Thomas who helped St. Louis’ Sumner High School with two state football titles in 1989 and 1990. Thomas had two tackles on Sunday. Patriots’ wide receiver Deion Branch tied a Super Bowl record with 11 catches for 133 yards. His 11 receptions have only been equaled by Jerry Rice and Cincinnati’s Dan Ross. Terrell Owens performance was almost as impressive. Despite a painful ankle, Owens caught nine passes for 122 yards.
