Februaiy 6, 2013____________________
^'Portland Observer Black HistOiy Month
Page 19
A Super Charged Title Game
Ravens edge
49ers in electric
NFL championship
(AP) — For a Super Bowl with so
many story lines, this game came
up with quite a twist.
Try a blackout that turned a bio w-
out into a shootout - capped by a
brilliant defensive stand.
The Baltimore Ravens survived
a frenzied comeback by the San
Francisco 49ers following a 34-
minute delay in the third quarter
for a power outage at the Superdome
in New Orleans Sunday night, win­
ning their second championship
34-31.
Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco
threw three first-half touchdown
passes, Jacoby Jones ran back the
second-half kickoff a record 108
yards for a score, and star line­
backer Ray Lewis' last play fit­
tingly was part of a defensive ef­
fort that saved the victory.
"To me, that was one of the most
amazing goal-line stands I've ever
been a part of in my career," said
Lewis, who announced a month ago
he would retire when the Ravens
were done playing.
They are done now, with another
Vince Lombardi Trophy headed for
the display case.
"What better way to do it," Lewis
said, "than on the Super Bowl
stage?"
That stage already was loaded
with plots:
-The coaching Harbaughs sib­
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco (right) and offensive lineman Marshal Yanda celebrate
their team’s 34-31 win against the San Francisco 49ers in New Orleans. (AP photo)
ling rivalry, won by older brother
John, who said the postgame greet­
ing with Jim was "painful."
-Flacco's emergence as a top-
level quarterback, and his impend­
ing free agency.
•-Colin Kaepemick's rapid rise
in the last two months as 49ers QB.
-The big game's return to the Big
Easy for the first time in 11 years,
and the first time since Hurricane
Katrina ravaged the city in 2005.
-Lewis' self-proclaim ed "last
ride."
But when the Superdome lost
power, well, that wasn't in anyone's
scenario.
Flacco and the Ravens (14-6)
were turning the game into a rout,
leading 28-6 when, without even a
flicker of warning, several banks
of lights and the scoreboards went
dark. Players from both sides
stretched and chatted with each
other in as bizarre a scene as any
Super Bowl has witnessed.
"The bad part was we started
talking about it," said safety Ed
Reed, who had the game's only in­
terception. "That was mentioned.
It was like they were trying to kill
our momentum."
After power was restored, the
49ers began playing lights out.
San Francisco (13-5-1), in search
of its sixth Lombardi Trophy in as
many tries, got back in the game
almost immediately.
M ichael C rab tree's 3 1 -yard
touchdown reception, on which he
broke two tackles, made it 28-13.
A few minutes later, Frank Gore's
6-yard run followed a 32-yard punt
return by Ted Ginn Jr., and the
49ers were within eight.
Ray Rice's fumble at his 24 led
to David Akers' 34-yard field goal,
but Baltimore woke up for a long
drive leading to rookie Justin
Tucker's 19-yard field goal.
San Francisco wasn't done chal­
lenging, though, and Kaepemick's
15-yard TD run, the longest for a
quarterback in a Super Bowl, made
it 31 -29. A 2-point conversion pass
failed when the Ravens blitzed.
Tucker added a 38-yarder with
4:19 remaining, setting up the fran­
tic finish.
K aepernick couldn't get the
49ers into the end zone on the final
three plays. The last was a pass into
the right com er of the end zone to
Crabtree that involved some inci­
dental bumping. Jim Harbaugh in­
sisted a
Ravens punter Sam Koch took a
safety for the final score with 4
seconds left. Koch's free kick was
returned by Ginn to midfield as
time ran out.
At 4 hours, 14 minutes, it was
the longest Super Bowl ever.
A Halftime as 131^ as the Game
Beyonce performance hits a high note
and Michelle Williams to sing “Bootylicious” during the Super
Bowl halftime show Sunday.
(AP) — If naysayers still doubted
Beyonce's singing talents — even
after her national anthem perfor­
mance last week at a press confer­
ence — the singer proved she is an
exceptional performer at the Su­
per Bowl halftime show.
Beyonce opened and closed her
set Sunday belting out songs, and in
between, she danced hard and heavy
— and better than most contempo­
rary pop stars.
She set a serious tone as she
emerged onstage in all black, sing­
ing lines from her R&B hit "Love
on Top." The stage was dark as fire
and lights burst from the sides.
Then she went into her hit "Crazy in
Love," bringing some feminine
spirit to the Superdome in New
Orleans as she and her background
dancers did the singer's signature
booty-shaking dance. Beyonce
ripped off part of her shirt and
skirt. She even blew a kiss. She was
ready to rock, and she did so like a
pro.
Her confidence — and voice —
grew as she worked the stage with
and without her Destiny's Child
band mates during her 13-minute
set, which came days after she ad­
mitted she sang to a prerecorded
track at President Barack Obama's
inauguration less than two weeks
ago.
Beyonce proved not only that
she can sing, but that she can also
entertain on a stage as big as the
Super Bowl's. The 31 -year-old was
far better than Madonna, who sang
to a backing track last year, and
miles ahead of the Black Eyed Peas'
disastrous set in 2011.
Beyonce was best when she
finished her set with "Halo." She
asked the crow d to put their hands
toward her as she sang the slow
groove on bended knee — and
that's when she the perform ance
hit its high note.
"Thank you for this moment,"
she told the crowd. "God bless y'all."
Before the game, Alicia Keys
performed a lounge-y, piano-tinged
version of the national anthem that
her publicist assured was live. The
Grammy-winning singer played the
piano as she sang "The Star-
Spangled Banner" in a long red dress
with her eyes shut.
She followed Jennifer Hudson,
who sang "America the Beautiful"
with the 26-member Sandy Hook
Elementary School chorus. It was
an emotional performance that had
some players on the sideline on the
verge of tears.