Statistics

First Quarter in Review

RUSHING LEADERS

Carolina

S. Davis...6 carries, 18 yards

New England

A. Smith...5 carries, 20 yards

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RECEIVING LEADERS

Carolina

S. Smith...1 catch, 1 yard

New England

D. Branch...4 catches, 31 yards

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PASSING LEADERS

Carolina

J. Delhomme...1-6, 1 yard

New England

Tom Brady...5-9, 43 yards

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The lowdown: Wow, what an exciting quarter. If you listened closely, you could hear crickets. This was the first Super Bowl in 12 years to end scoreless after one quarter. If you are a fan of punting, this was the game for you.

Big play: It’s tempting to say the big play was the end of the quarter, but actually, you have to pick Adam Vinatieri’s missed field goal on New England’s opening drive. It looked as if the Patriots were going to dominate, but you could see the air let out of the team when Vinatieri missed. Maybe it wasn’t cold enough for him.

Unanswered questions: Why does New England look just as nervous as Carolina, when most of the Patriots have been here before? Does anyone have some No-Doz?

Did you notice? Hey, Beyonce, when you sing “The Star-Spangled Banner,” you’re allowed to smile when it’s over. And what happened to your last name?

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Second Quarter in Review

RUSHING LEADERS

Carolina

S. Davis...4 carries, 22 yards

New England

A. Smith...8 carries, 23 yards

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RECEIVING LEADERS

Carolina

S. Smith...1 catch, 39 yards, 1 TD

New England

D. Branch...2 catches, 37 yds, 1 TD

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PASSING LEADERS

Carolina

J. Delhomme...4-9, 90 yards, 1 TD

New England

T. Brady...8-12, 101 yards, 2 TDs

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The lowdown: The game went from one of the worst Super Bowls to one of the better ones in record time. They combined for 24 points in the final 5:29. Cancel the No-Doz.

Big play: Where do you start? Carolina overcame a bad call, a fumble and a touchdown that could have taken it out of the game, then Jake Delhomme made some clutch passes and led his team to the tying touchdown with a 95-yard drive. New England answered with its own touchdown, but the Panthers managed to sneak in a field goal to go to the half trailing by only four.

Unanswered questions: If Nelly, one of the halftime entertainers, starts getting carried away with himself, will Keith Jackson come out and say “Whoa, Nelly!”?

Did you notice? We are dangerously near the end of civilization when advertisers use horse flatulence as a way to get people to buy beer.

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Third Quarter in Review

RUSHING LEADERS

Carolina

S. Davis...3 carries, 9 yards

New England

A. Smith...8 carries, 28 yards, 1 TD

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RECEIVING LEADERS

Carolina

J. Wiggins...2 catches, 21 yards

New England

D. Graham...1 catch, 33 yards

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PASSING LEADERS

Carolina

J. Delhomme...2-4, 21 yards

New England

T. Brady...6-8, 74 yards

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The lowdown: Another quarter with no scoring? What happened? The Patriots, however, slowly began to take over, as they had possession for most of the quarter, and they had a long drive at the end of the third quarter that led to a touchdown at the start of the fourth quarter.

Big play: The big play was by Patriot linebacker Matt Chatham. The second-half kickoff was delayed when a man, dressed as a referee, got on to the field, removed his clothes and danced in front of the ball at the 30. He then ran 35 yards upfield as security gave chase. He was tackled by Chatham, then hauled off by police.

Unanswered questions: Does P. Diddy really think he looks good in those mink coats? Maybe he’s a big Eva Gabor fan. And doesn’t Janet Jackson have any new songs she can sing?

Did you notice? Tom Brady doesn’t get flustered in the pocket, while Delhomme sometimes does.

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Fourth Quarter in Review

RUSHING LEADERS

Carolina

Foster... 2 carries, 40 yards, 1 TD

New England

K. Faulk...2 carries, 26 yards

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RECEIVING LEADERS

Carolina

Muhammad...3 cat., 117 yds, 1 TD

New England

T. Brown...4 catches, 44 yds

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PASSING LEADERS

Carolina

J. Delhomme 9-14, 211 yds, 2 TDs

New England

T. Brady...13-19, 136 yds, 1 TD, 1 int.

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The lowdown: Wow. This was supposed to be a defense-dominated game. The two teams combined for 37 points in the fourth quarter. The over-under for the game was 38 points.

Big play: They are often overlooked or just dismissed as non-athletes, but once again, kickers decided the big game. After Carolina tied the score, John Kasay kicked the ball out of bounds, putting New England at the 40. From there, it was easy for the Patriots to get into field-goal range for Adam Vinatieri, who again came through when it counts.

Unanswered questions: Why didn’t Panther Coach John Fox put Kasay on waivers immediately?

Did you notice?: Jim Nantz SHOUTED THROUGH THE WHOLE POSTGAME PRESENTATION. It was like he was doing a spoof of the old Garrett Morris “news for the hard of hearing” bit from “Saturday Night Live.”

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-- Houston Mitchell