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GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 27, ISSUE 4 49 BY KYLE CHARTERS KCharters@GoldandBlack.com Rob Ninkovich Rob Ninkovich might have made one of the biggest plays of Super Bowl LI, helping to spur a comeback that saw the Patriots rally from down 25 to beat Atlanta 34-28 Feb. 5 in Houston. Trailing 28-12 in the fourth quarter, Patriots' linebacker Dont'a Hightower strip-sacked Falcons' QB Matt Ryan. Defensive tackle Alan Branch landed on the loose football, but only secured it with the help of Ninkovich, he says. "I was trying to scoop it out, but I couldn't move my arm," Branch told Sirius XM NFL Radio. "Rob started to punch the ball to where it was inside my breadbas- ket. He punched it just enough where it spit up in front of my belly and I was able to cover it up." Ninkovich, who had two tackles plus the "assist" earned his second Super Bowl ring. He is now 2-1 in the cham- pionship game, winning in the 2014 and '16 seasons but losing in 2011. It's the 14th season in the current 18-year streak in which at least one former Boil- ermaker has a title. Ricardo Allen Ricardo Allen helped the Falcons punch their ticket to the Super Bowl with interceptions in back-to-back games, the latter coming in the NFC Championship game over Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. "He's got a knack for the ball, that's for sure," former Purdue teammate Landon Feichter said before the Super Bowl. Atlanta kept up the momentum for three quarters vs. New England. But that didn't keep up, as the Patriots rallied to win in overtime. Still, Allen finished with seven tackles and proved to be one of the standouts of a young but up-and-coming At- lanta defense. j Tampa Bay Buccaneers #64 OT Kevin Pamphile #96 DE Ryan Russell Oakland Raiders #82 TE Gabe Holmes Indianapolis Colts #37 CB Frankie Williams New Orleans Saints #9 QB Drew Brees Dallas Cowboys #30 CB Anthony Brown Carolina Panthers #99 DT Kawann Short Atlanta Falcons #37 S Ricardo Allen Seattle Seahawks #56 DE Cliff Avril #42 TE Brandon Cottom New England Patriots #50 DE Rob Ninkovich Washington Redskins #91 LB Ryan Kerrigan BOILERS The following is a look at former Boilermakers and their teams at the end of the 2016 season Houston Texans #33 RB Akeem Hunt Jacksonville Jaguars #29 CB Josh Johnson Photos courtesy of New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons Tennessee Titans #71 G/T Dennis Kelly San Francisco 49ers #31 RB Raheem Mostert