James Harrison proved to be one heck of a warm-up act.

Just moments before Bruce Springsteen's halftime show at Super Bowl XLIII, with his team threatening to fall behind, or at the very least go into the locker room tied, the Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker preceded Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out with a stunning 100-yard sprint - with zeroes showing on the clock.

It was an all-or-nothing moment. Get tackled, and the half ends. Get in, and create perhaps insurmountable momentum.

The longest play in the game's history was all will and thrill, reviving towel-waving Steeler Nation and his team, which had been stunned by the Cardinals' second-quarter domination and, at the time, budding confidence.

Harrison was the leading candidate to be the game's star - he also helped force three offensive holding calls by Cardinals tackle Mike Gandy - before 23 points were scored in a back-and-forth final quarter.

"To get a huge play like that, in the biggest game, on the biggest stage, it was the difference in the game," Steelers safety Troy Polamalu said. "We had a defensive touchdown and they didn't."

Poised at the Steelers 1-yard line, down 10-7, Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner looked for Anquan Boldin on a slant route but didn't see Harrison drop into zone coverage.

After his catch, the defender picked up blocks by cornerback Deshea Townsend and linebacker LaMarr Woodley, averted a diving tackle attempt by Gandy and didn't go down until Arizona receivers Larry Fitzgerald and Steve Breaston rolled him over the goal line.

Warner explained he thought Pittsburgh would be coming on an all-out blitz on that particular play, leaving Boldin in one-on-one coverage.

Warner noticed Harrison step up as if he planned to rush, then pop out in coverage. He said a lineman blocked his view and he didn't notice Harrison backpedaling until it was too late.

"A great play," Warner said. "The unfortunate thing is, we couldn't bring him down."

The play, upheld on a booth challenge, broke Desmond How- ard's 99-yard kickoff return in Super Bowl XXXI.

"It was really a max blitz," Harrison admitted. "I was supposed to be on the running back, so I just really slowed up."

But he didn't slow down on the ensuing run. It will become as much of an iconic play in the title game's history as David Tyree's stick-to-his-helmet catch for the New York Giants last year or numerous other plays:

* Willie Brown's interception sprint for Oakland in Super Bowl XI;

* Scott Norwood's wide-right field-goal try in Super Bowl XXV;

* Lynn Swann's rebound catch in Super Bowl X;

* John Elway's helicopter first- down run in Super Bowl XXXII.

It also added to Harrison's huge season in which he was named the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year.

The longest previous interception return came against the Steelers three years ago in Super Bowl XL, by Seattle's Kelly Herndon (76 yards).

"I was seeing jerseys that were friendly and jerseys that weren't," Harrison said of his runback. "That is really about it. I saw two jerseys that weren't friendly at the end, and that was it."

Harrison had only three career interceptions, for 78 total yards, in his five previous seasons in the NFL.

"I was tired as a dog. I'm not going to lie," he said. "It was a quarter tank. But I ended up making it."

Super Bowl records

Records set Sunday:

* INDIVIDUAL

Career records set

* Most 300-yard passing games - 3, Kurt Warner, St. Louis-Arizona.

* Most yards passing - 1,156, Warner, St. Louis-Arizona.

Game records set

* Longest play - 100 yards, James Harrison, Pittsburgh, interception return. Previous: 99, Desmond Howard, Green Bay vs. New England, kickoff return, 1997.

* Longest interception return - 100 yards, Harrison, Pittsburgh. Old record: 76, Kelly Herndon, Seattle vs. Pittsburgh, 2006

* TEAM

Game records set

* Most wins - 6, Pittsburgh.

* Most first downs, passing - 20, Arizona. Previous: 19, New England vs. Carolina, 2004.

* Fewest first downs rushing, both teams - 6, Arizona (2), Pittsburgh (4). Previous: 7, Oakland (1), Tampa Bay (6), 2003 and New England (3), New York Giants (4), 2008.

* Fewest rushing attempts, both teams - 38, Arizona (12), Pittsburgh (26). Previous: 42, New England (16), New York Giants (26), 2008.

* Fewest rushing yards, both teams - 91, Arizona (33), Pittsburgh (58). Old record: 136, New England (45), New York Giants (91), 2008.

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