"Off the crossbar to save Christmas eve": Fans go mad at South Florida's field goal to force Hawai'i Bowl into OT thriller 

Christmas Eve college football got a perfect game on its hands with South Florida and San Jose State giving fans a spectacle at the 2024 Hawai'i Bowl. The game at Clarence T. C. Ching Athletics Complex on the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa in Honolulu, ended after five overtimes, with the 41-39 result going in the favor of the South Florida Bulls.

However, before all of that, South Florida's kicker John Cannon gave everyone a heartbreak with a show-stopping 36-yard field goal which tied the game 27-27 to send into overtime. The kick by Cannon hit the right pole but was deemed successful as it went in.

Fans went gaga over the perfect Christmas Eve game online:

"Off the crossbar to save Christmas Eve… and to send it to OT..," one fan said.

"OT in the Hawai’i bowl is brought to you by Santa and his Christmas Miracles! Let’s see who finishes stronger," another fan commented.

"Atta boy John Cannon," one fan added.

"What an Epic finish! South Florida with clutch doing to send it overtime can't over better then this on Christmas evening," a fan wrote.

"What a thrilling finish! Overtime football on Christmas Eve – that's a holiday gift for fans!" one fan said.

"Christmas Eve football drama at its finest," another fan added.

5 OT thriller between South Florida and San Jose State: What happened?

Following a 27-27 score at the end of regulation, fans were in for a five-overtime ride before a result could be extracted.

The first overtime saw South Florida take the lead with a 2-yard rushing touchdown by Ta'Ron Keith, followed by John Cannon's extra point. San José State responded with a four-yard touchdown pass from Walker Eget to Matthew Coleman, with Kyler Halvorsen adding the extra point to tie the game at 34-34.

In the second overtime, the Spartans edged ahead with a 24-yard field goal by Halvorsen, but South Florida answered with a 36-yard field goal by Cannon, leveling the score at 37-37.

The drama escalated in the third overtime as South Florida's Bryce Archie connected with Payten Singletary for a two-point conversion, only for San José State's Walker Eget to respond with a successful two-point pass to Matthew Coleman, keeping the score tied at 39-39.

Both teams went scoreless in the fourth overtime, forcing the fifth and last one.

The game reached its climax in the fifth overtime when Bryce Archie threw a decisive two-point conversion to Keshaun Singleton, securing a hard-fought 41-39 victory for South Florida.