In all my years of sports watching, I've never seen a comeback like that. True, there have been much bigger deficits overcome, and even with less time remaining in the game. But I have never seen a team look THAT BAD for an entire half and then turn things around that drastically. Given all the circumstances - the inexperienced QB, the decimated OL, being an underdog, the ineptitude in our prior three games, etc., etc. - that was the greatest comeback I've ever seen. I'm still in disbelief. Welcome to the Rodriguez Era of Michigan Football.
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Best comeback I've ever seen
September 27th, 2008 at 7:48 PM
#1
Best comeback I've ever seen
September 27th, 2008 at 7:53 PM
#2
The only Michigan comeback
The only Michigan comeback that I still rank higher is the '04 Michigan State game.
Still was an amazing game, certainly a win most (if any) expected at half tme.
September 27th, 2008 at 8:21 PM
#3
This is why i love college
This is why i love college football!! I can want to throw up, then turn around and absolutely be glued to the televsion.
One question/comment...I wonder/how much is this going to help us with recruiting? I think it'll help the guys we have right now see what will come, but will if really open anyones eyes to what they could be a part of?
GO BLUE!!!
September 28th, 2008 at 2:17 AM
#4
Everybody on the Michigan
Everybody on the Michigan sideline was jumping up and down during that 4th quarter. I don't know who was here this weekend, but damn if this wasn't an effective recruiting game for anybody who was here on a visit.
September 27th, 2008 at 8:25 PM
#5
This game was a great game to watch.
I was shocked that Michigan could pull off such a victory. A great win for the team and the coaching staff. I stated before that this years team would not be measured in wins but the teams improvement over the course of season. As brutal as the first half of the game was to watch, the second half of the game more than made up for it. I heard the crowd booing as the team walked off the field at half time, and must admit I felt sorry for the team and coaches. This is a new offense and a very young team, Michigan Fans should show allitle more patience and class.
September 27th, 2008 at 10:16 PM
#6
Agreed. WTF was with the
Agreed. WTF was with the booing.
September 27th, 2008 at 10:31 PM
#7
normally i say dont boo the
normally i say dont boo the team, but after fumbling 6 times and throwing 2 picks against notre dame and then having 2 weeks off to fix it, when you commit 5 in the first half with -7 yds passing and 0 points you're gonna get booed. it was how we held the ball. trents and mathews fumbles was because they had the ball on their inside hand. defender puts helmet on it -> ball is removed. we looked worse than we did at the utah game. fortunately we came out and crushed in the second half. the crowd willed that pick6
on another note: welcome back jason gingell? i kind of thought he was done but he did pretty solid on kickoffs
September 28th, 2008 at 2:19 AM
#8
Captain
Yeah, I'm not sure what his deal is, but for everybody watching on TV he was a game captain today along with Panter.
September 28th, 2008 at 3:33 PM
#9
And only 1 first down and
And only 1 first down and something like 21 net yards. Two weeks off for that?
BUT, the defense was tremendous to only allow 19 points under the circumstances; they deserved to be cheered! However, they way it looked on offense, it would have taken about a ton of games to score that many points.
September 27th, 2008 at 8:59 PM
#10
Wow what a win!! Truly
Wow what a win!! Truly amazing!!
On another note, I've grown tired of the "this is a new offense/system" excuse. It's tired. We finally stopped butting our heads against the wall and started throwing passes downfield. That's why we won. These dinky behind the line of scrimmage passes have killed us all year!! They are either incomplete or lose yards. Why, then continue to do them over and over again? "This is a new offense" is not a good enough excuse to continue to do things that do not work! Plus, this new offense does actually have a vertical passing game component too!! RR has repeatedly stated that the WVU version of the offense is NOT the only way he can run it. So don't tell me there are no plays in "this new offense" that can work. Why does "this is a new offense" mean we have to stink?
The ridiculous fumbling in the first half deserved boos! These guys have been playing football for years. "This is a new offense" has nothing to do with fumbling on kickoffs and punts!
"This is a new offense" is a good enough excuse to go 6-6, not a good enough excuse to go 4-8. There's enough talent on this team to win 6 games. Anything less is boo worthy.
September 27th, 2008 at 9:17 PM
#11
Best come back I've ever
Best come back I've ever witnessed....Chad to Super Mario in 2005, giving Penn State its only loss of the season..
September 27th, 2008 at 10:18 PM
#12
That one was awesome! I
That one was awesome! I watched it with e buddy of mine who's a penn state alum.
September 27th, 2008 at 10:23 PM
#13
The go ahead pick six turned
The go ahead pick six turned the student section into a mosh pit. I couldn't hear what people next to me were even saying. My head is still ringing, but the crowd in the 4th quarter was just electric. Great game to be at, I feel bad for the fairweather fans that left at halftime. Actually no I don't.
September 27th, 2008 at 10:34 PM
#14
Fuck, Fuck.
I left for a hockey game at half time. God Dammit. Also, I missed the entire Braylonfest comeback because of hockey.
September 27th, 2008 at 10:47 PM
#15
As a person who was at the
As a person who was at the Frozen Four in Denver, let me say this: stop watching hockey.
September 28th, 2008 at 3:59 AM
#16
I wasn't watching, it was a
I wasn't watching, it was a game I was actually playing in. No way I'd miss a Michigan football game to watch another sport. Also, I remebered that I missed the Minnesota comeback because I forgot it was a Friday night game.
September 27th, 2008 at 11:21 PM
#17
I mean this game was up there
I mean this game was up there in terms of best michigan games. I was in the stadium for the MSU 17 points in 5 minutes comeback and the Penn State last second comeback. I saw on tv the Minnesota comeback featuring Navarre rumbling down the field - reminded me of threet on that keeper today.
September 27th, 2008 at 11:22 PM
#18
we can beat Illini & PSU
watchingg this game tonight - both these teams can be beaten, especially now that the 2008 M team believes in itself. wooooooo, it's great to be a Meechigan Wolverine. I have visions of Hart taking McGuffie in a film room after the game and showing him how to get YAC.
September 28th, 2008 at 12:36 AM
#19
Actually, there haven't been
Actually, there haven't been any vastly bigger deficits overcome than this one. This was only two points short of the record. The top four:
2003 Minnesota (38-35 final) - 21 points
2008 Wisconsin (27-25 final) - 19 points
(tie) 1995 Virginia (18-17) - 17 points
(tie) 2004 MSU (45-37) - 17 points
This was the largest comeback victory in the history of Michigan Stadium. Not bad for the 500th game!
September 28th, 2008 at 12:34 AM
#20
its gotta be that penn st.
its gotta be that penn st. game. if we hadnt won that we woulda been 6-6 on the season
September 28th, 2008 at 12:37 AM
#21
Yeah, but at the end of this
Yeah, but at the end of this season, we might look back on this game and say the same thing. If we had lost, we'd be 1-3 right now.
September 28th, 2008 at 12:59 AM
#22
The booing is classless. If
The booing is classless. If you are in the stadium, please do not boo the team. These are college kids.
And the recruits in the stands notice the behavior of the fans as well.
September 28th, 2008 at 1:29 AM
#23
MSU 2004 was still better
as was PSU 2005. But damn if this wasn't sweet.
September 28th, 2008 at 1:30 AM
#24
also
the booing was stupid. pissed me off.
September 28th, 2008 at 1:35 AM
#25
There were a bunch of guidos
There were a bunch of guidos sitting behind me (How do these guys make it into UM anyway?) that were booing a ton at halftime, then going nuts in the second half. I wanted to tell them they should have forfeited their right to have fun in the second half if they wanted to boo their own team, but I figured they would probably punch me in the face (As they were threatening to do to various Wisconsin fans).
September 28th, 2008 at 2:30 AM
#26
we're you in 25-26?
i had the same thing happen right behind me. it'd be so much better for all involved if they'd just whip it out and see whose is actually bigger.
September 28th, 2008 at 2:03 PM
#27
Colin, were you replying to
Colin, were you replying to me? Because, yeah, I was in section 26 row 32.
September 28th, 2008 at 1:42 AM
#28
There was a dad with his two
There was a dad with his two kids (ages 7-9) in front of me. He was bitching up a storm about the team. Indicating to anyone who could hear him that either of his kids could do a better job at QB than Threet. A wondeful display of classy behavior for his kids to witness.
Of course, he was jumping around like a fool after Threet's long run and at the end of the game.
September 28th, 2008 at 2:09 AM
#29
I wasn't at the game booing,
I wasn't at the game booing, but I don't have a problem with it. I know I'll be thought of as a classless jerk. But I don't see why indicating one's displeasure with the team is a bad thing or "classless." I know in this touchy, feely, PC world we live in now we need to make sure little johnny's self esteem is always thought of first above all else. Heaven forbid if we were to suggest that little johnny isn't just the greatest thing in the world.
If it is classless to boo, then wouldn't it be classy to cheer? Where you all cheering the team when they went into the locker room? We all know that they tried! That's all that matters isn't it? That's what they taught me in t-ball, anyway, and is why we didn't keep score. Don't want to hurt little johnny's feelings!!
I don't think being emotionally invested in the team and being disgusted with how they played the first half is classless. And neither is venting one's emotions.
Fine, I'm classless and was devastated when Trent fumbled, I apologize. I should have expected the team to look worse in the first of this game then they have all year. What an idiot I am. I'll have to learn to be less emotional about these things in the future and always remember that these are just kids deserving of nothing but love and encouragement no matter what they do.
You know there is one thing worse than booing. It's not caring at all and that's what 90 percent of Michigan "fans" have done to the basketball team. I'd much rather have a place full of fans booing than a place where the fans have turned their backs on the team, which is what has happend to the basektball team.
September 28th, 2008 at 2:29 AM
#30
+100
+100
September 28th, 2008 at 2:36 AM
#31
it accomplishes nothing at best
so yeah, i guess it's human to want to express oneself, but it's decidedly healthier (and still perfectly human) to decide that a game needn't mean so much that you have to bitch out kids with a 70 hour work week and no pay. i know it's tough being utterly powerless to control events to which you've attached hopes and dreams, but you did choose to do this to yourself.
September 28th, 2008 at 2:59 AM
#32
I have a gut feeling that
I have a gut feeling that the half-time locker room was probably more harsh on these kids than the booing. Plus, isn't there some motivation? When someone tells you that you suck at doing your job, doesn't that make you want to do it better?
That said, I generally don't like booing. If it was one bad play, then it is not appropriate. But be honest, the first half of this game was awful. Nothing went right. Hell by the end of the game we had more points than we had TOTAL yards in the first half. The team needed some sort of motivation. I don't know what happened at halftime, maybe Barwis gave a rousing speech or the captains got together and uplifted everyone's spirits, or maybe those kids didn't want to ever go into the locker room again having tens of thousands of people booing them.
All I'm saying is that when used sparingly, criticism can motivate you. And how else can 100,000+ fans express this criticism? Maybe I'm wrong though, maybe it's just passions. But after that first half...eek!
September 28th, 2008 at 3:16 PM
#33
No
booing a team you support is completely unacceptable. The only thing I could ever see myself booing for is a lack of effort or quitting. Even though the offense was struggling, players were trying. No one quit.
What are you supposed to do at halftime? Encourage. You don't have to cheer, but encourage them.
Staying there is one form of showing support.
Most of the fans that stayed were supportive when the second half started, even though the first 2 drives stalled.
September 28th, 2008 at 3:40 PM
#34
I amy be wrong, but I think
I amy be wrong, but I think both Trent's and Matthew's fumbles were because they were both holding the ball with the inside arm, giving a direct path for the defender to hit it. This is a pretty basic error, and perhaps deserved some vocal disappointment.
September 28th, 2008 at 2:45 PM
#35
I walked out and sat in the
I walked out and sat in the sun by the eagle with my wife and kids with 5 mins. left in the half, right after Trent's fumble. My wife's boss called, said he and his group were leaving and we could seat-jump into his 4 in section 44. Not accustomed to such good seats- LOL.
Man, all those 70 year old men in 44 are quiet and critical as hell.
September 28th, 2008 at 2:53 PM
#36
Section 44...LOL...I was
Section 44...LOL...I was there too. Those are my uncles seats and I've never sat there before...I'm usually in section 20. Man those seats kick ass!
The old folks: oh yeah, they suck. We had a collection of them in front of us, and I kept saying "it's ok to cheer folks, go right ahead." Needless to say these guys were not cheering. It's like they were at church. Even in the 4th quarter they did little more than watch the game with little interest. Why pay all that money for tickets? Jesus H.
September 28th, 2008 at 2:58 PM
#37
I don't think there is ever
I don't think there is ever a good excuse to boo your own team. They played poorly in the first half, but there's not a single kid on that team saying "Hey, that prick polisci was booing me when we went in at halftime, let's play harder for guys like him!" Support your guys. Confidence is the reason they were able to make the comeback that they did, not the fear of losing the support of the fans.
You either support your team or you don't. I see nothing beneficial coming from booing, and it makes our team and university look bad when you do it.
September 28th, 2008 at 4:29 PM
#38
From Terrance Taylor in the
From Terrance Taylor in the halftime locker room: "I was talking to everyone, offense included," Taylor said. "If anyone's slacking off, we feel like as a team, we can come to whoever it is and call them out. And they respect that. So that's what we do." (as per ESPN)
The fans were "calling out" the players who performed poorly. There are very few times when this is acceptable. If you like booing frequently, go watch the NFL. But this was a purely awful performance. It may not have been right to do it, but what were fans to do? Yay good job and give them an encouraging pat on the back?
Fans pay to see the game, and in that sense they have a vested interest in the game. Players accept scholarships to come and perform, and there are expectations with that. If a single player doesn't live up to his 5* hype, then he'll fall to the back of the depth chart, no big deal really. But if your first string team, your best players are making Football 101 mistakes (including seniors, not all of the mistakes were or have been by freshmen), that is a problem.
This team showed in the second half that they have potential, and I think (hope) that most fans see the foundation for a bright future. But we are rebuilding, we are changing, and there will be hardships. But that performance in the first half wasn't a result of the hardships associated with rebuilding. Whether we run the wishbone, west-coast offense, or the spread, holding the ball properly is the same.
Maybe booing did nothing. I will say that I was NOT booing, but I'm not all up in arms about the people who were. They paid to see the game, and with such an AWFUL performance in the first two quarters, I think they should be allowed to express frustrations. It is my 2 cents, but the same thing would likely happen at LSU, Florida, or even OSU with a total offense of about 20 yards and tons of turnovers half way through the game. As frustrated as you are that other people chose to boo, nothing can be changed now and you won't change the minds of the tens of thousands who would boo again in a similar situation. Let's just all be happy we won. Go blue!
September 29th, 2008 at 12:05 PM
#39
What message are you trying to send with the booing?
That the players are screwing up? You think they don't know that? The thing to remember here is that they are kids, we are adults, and when we buy tickets, we are not guaranteed anything other than a seat at a game. We are not entitled to a win.
In my experience working with college students and being a parent, the vast majority of the time, they want to do the right thing. They may want to take the easy way to get there, but it's not like they are intentionally screwing up and thinking you won't notice. As I tell my interns or my kids when things are going to hell in a handbasket (and our disasters never take place live in front of 100,000 people), we need to figure out how to solve the problem. The crowd booing is unlikely to be a solution.
Unless you are one of the people who assume that RichRod is an idiot and is playing the worst guys on the team and creating elaborate game plans they cannot carry out for idealogical reasons, they should be able to perform. Getting them more upset and hyped up (the likely outcome of booing) isn't a way to inspire better play.
September 29th, 2008 at 11:42 AM
#40
The recruits sitting to my
The recruits sitting to my right were not very impressed with our booing. Booing college kids is classless and only harms the program.
If not for the incredible comeback, the lasting memory of that game for the recruits in attendance would likely have been the booing. How would that help your team on signing day?
