By Mark Giannotto; WASHINGTON POST

Gonzaga quarterback Sam Brown initially thought the worst. The snap had trickled to the turf, and the ball was kicked by a lineman into the end zone. Suddenly, his first-half passing clinic was about to go for naught, and a game-clinching score appeared to have become a game-defining gaffe.

“So much emotion is running through my head there,” Brown said.

But offensive lineman Aidan Rafferty emerged from the pile with the football for an unlikely touchdown, and Brown could finally enjoy an afternoon that caught even his teammates by surprise.

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