NORTH BEND - Devin Demarte was at home a few weeks ago, watching the Baltimore Ravens play the San Diego Chargers on Dec. 18. That was the first time he noticed an online contest, "You Call It."
Bud Light was sponsoring the event in which entrants tried to predict what was going to happen on the opening play of the fourth quarter. Although it was only the second quarter when he saw the contest, Demarte immediately said to himself, "Flacco is going to get sacked."
After getting online and liking Bud Light on Facebook, an entry form was brought up on the screen. Listed were seven choices to pick from. Devin didn't hesitate. He just knew that Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco was going to get taken down on the opening whistle of the final quarter.
Sure enough, the start of fourth quarter would have Flacco take a snap. At this point, he had already been sacked four times in the game since Devin made his pick.
As the Raven QB dropped back, he was instantly under pressure, but just as Demarte's excitement built, Flacco squeezed away from all of the defensive linemen who had surrounded him, a couple actually getting a hold of his jersey.
As Flacco moved to the right of the pocket seemingly making a great football escape, Chargers linebacker Antwan Barnes wrapped up the quarterback and took him to the ground.
"I was going nuts, screaming, hollering, rolling around on the floor. I was pretty wound up," recalls Demarte.
Not quite as excited was Devin's girlfriend, Ashley Jones, who has fallen asleep on the couch.
"She was not only mad, but she just looked at me a said, 'Big deal, how many people do you think also made that call?'"
Truth was, Ashley was right.
Making the correct call - and winning a trip to Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis - was just the first part of the contest.
Three days would pass until Devin received a phone call saying that his correct entry was chosen at random.
After telling a few friends, word started to spread of Devin's victory. However, even more time would go by until he was again contacted by a Bud Light representative.
The 25-year-old, who is well known for his sense of humor, admits he began to grow nervous when the days went by without any more confirmation.
"The one day I was driving home from work and I just started thinking, 'If this isn't true I'm going to look like a real idiot after I have been telling people about it.'"
Just as his anxiety was at its highest peak, the North Bend man received what he was waiting for.
"I got home and Ashley told me that I had an email. When I opened it, it was the schedule, when I fly out, where I'm staying, I finally felt better," he says.
The contest allows for one guest, so Devin and his dad, Frank "Rawhide," will be flying out of State College on Feb. 2 for a four-day stay in Indianapolis.
In addition to the Super Bowl tickets, he will receive a $500, prepaid debit card, air fair, hotel stay and an itinerary that includes stops to VIP events, with the "Playboy event" being the only one that Demarte could recall on this past Sunday afternoon.
Bud Light officials told Devin that the prize package is worth $10,000.
Twenty-one such winners will be chosen in total.
As for the Super Bowl itself, both father and son are Miami Dolphin fans.
With the New York Giants playing the New England Patriots, Devin is mildly rooting for the Giants, although he says just going is good enough.
