History is filled with near misses. The Kamikaze winds twice kept the Mongols from invading Japan and fully dominating east Asia in the 1200’s. The Zimmerman Telegram was intercepted before the German Empire could build an alliance with Mexico prior to American involvement in World War I. The Cuban Missile Crisis brought the world to the brink of nuclear destruction, but cooler heads prevailed in the name of humanity over country.
Last Saturday, a near miss of equal magnitude occurred. Up three with under three minutes to play, Vanderbilt running back Rocko Griffin carried the ball for a first down to the South Carolina 10 yard line.