A college reunion of sorts took place during a crucial play of Sunday's 49ers-Bengals game, with the 49ers gaining an upper hand that helped propel them to a 26-23 overtime victory.
The play in question came with the score tied at 20 with just over seven minutes remaining in overtime. The Bengals faced a 3rd-and-3 from the 49ers' 19-yard line and had momentum at their backs after rallying from a 20-6 deficit to tie the game towards the end of regulation. A touchdown would have won the game for the Bengals, but defensive end Nick Bosa brought down Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow for a sack, which forced the Bengals to settle for a field goal and a 23-20 lead. The 49ers then responded with a touchdown drive that won the game.
It was the second sack of the game for Bosa, who had been looking forward to getting a chance to take down Burrow during the game due to the fact they remain friends from their college days at Ohio State. But Burrow was actually one of two college teammates Bosa went through on that play. The other was offensive tackle Isaiah Prince, whom Bosa also played with at Ohio State, adding a touch of familiarity that helped him get the sack.
"That was actually Isaiah Prince, who I went against probably a thousand times in college," Bosa said after the game. "So I kind of had an idea of what I was going to do. I think I just bullrushed him and picked his outside hand. I saw Arden (49ers defensive end Arden Key) won on the other side and Joe tucked it and started to run, and I just got him."
Nick Bosa.#ProBowlVote
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) December 13, 2021
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The sack would have been the third of the game for Bosa had his first not been nullified due to an illegal hands to the face penalty on cornerback Ambry Thomas. Bosa was disappointed that his first sack didn't count, but he eventually got the opportunities to sack Burrow he had been waiting for.
"It felt good until they took it away. But I eventually got him. So it was nice," Bosa said.
Bosa made sure to show some sportsmanship when he brought down Burrow the first time by stepping in to give his friend a hand.
"His teammates were trying to help him up and I was like, 'Hey, I got it, I got it,'" Bosa said.
Bosa made a pointed assessment of the 49ers' road loss to the Seattle Seahawks last week by saying "We definitely blew it" after his team gave up 16 unanswered points in a 30-23 defeat. The 49ers almost did something similar this week, blowing a 20-6 second half lead before scratching out a victory in overtime.
"We almost blew it, but we didn't," Bosa joked Sunday. "No, we did a good job and we made the plays that we needed to make."
And after the game, Bosa was in a celebratory mood just like the rest of his teammates—but he also wanted to make sure he didn't leave Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati without saying hello to Burrow and another one of his friends from college, former Ohio State defensive end Sam Hubbard.
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— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) December 13, 2021
"I just wanted to go give my friends a hug—Sam and Joe," Bosa said. "It was a great game. It was a really good team win. I think this could definitely propel us on the right track."
