14 Years Ago Today...
...Scott Dreisbach hit Mercury Hayes in the back corner of the endzone with no time left on the clock to complete what at the time was the greatest comeback in Michigan history.
Final score: U-M 18, UVA 17.
Shout out to Tyrone Butterfield for dropping the ball on the previous play (whether it was on purpose or not)!
August 26th, 2009 at 6:17 PM ^
Growing up I always thought Mercury Hayes had the coolest name ever.
Just thought I'd put that out there.
August 26th, 2009 at 6:23 PM ^
I still love Tyrone Butterfingers to this day for that fateful play.
August 26th, 2009 at 11:55 PM ^
Tyrone Butterfield: Fully deserving of the #1, if only because of that play.
August 26th, 2009 at 6:24 PM ^
Gotta love that press conference in the opening montage ... Lloyd standing in front of a Michigan flag that has been thumb-tacked into what looks to be pressboard paneling.
My how things have changed in 14 years!
August 26th, 2009 at 8:14 PM ^
that vomit inducing "when you have a quarterback that can throw" video link. Thanks for posting this.
August 26th, 2009 at 9:14 PM ^
For not completely definable reasons, I got chills when they said, "the Lloyd Carr era has begun here at the University of Michigan..."
They were very good chills. Maybe they were chills from remembering the '97 National Championship team. Maybe it was chills from beating John Cooper over and over. Maybe it was chills from seeing Tebow get pounded into the ground and 97% of America be wrong about Michigan. Maybe they were chills for last second wins, amazing blowouts, earth shattering hits, stout defenses, or seeing Bo live on in a new way under Lloyd Carr. Or maybe they were chills at knowing that Lloyd was different from so many coaches that don't care about the STUDENT athlete or about following the rules. Maybe they were chills simply because he was a great man and a great human being regardless of his winning percentage. Whatever those chills was wonderful; and it was thanks to Lloyd.
August 26th, 2009 at 11:01 PM ^
Apparently we had a White out that game.
August 27th, 2009 at 1:50 AM ^
does anyone have that full press conference where lloyd really chews out the media? Right from that moment on you knew what kind of character lloyd was made of.
August 27th, 2009 at 10:46 AM ^
I think he was on the line.
Just kidding. That was thing of beauty.
August 26th, 2009 at 6:34 PM ^
Can't remember where I was coming from, perhaps a tiger's game...but distinctly I remember listening to the call on WJR while in the car with my dad.
i also had a crush on his little sister in kindergarten (katy? if memory serves). That's right, Walt Disney elementary (mishawaka, in) has produced it's fair share of talent.
August 26th, 2009 at 6:49 PM ^
trying to make sure the "his" of "his little sister" was not referring to your dad... Aunt-loving is not okay.
August 26th, 2009 at 6:50 PM ^
This was my first big house experience ever! We were sitting at the edge of the student section, 15 rows up from the endzone. I saw the official point to the ground and then put both hands up..... Place absolutely went wild.
Plus,,, we got to throw marshmallows at virginia fans too!
I remember hearing the name TIKI BARBER all day and laughing... TIKI? This guy ain't going anywhere... yeah...
August 26th, 2009 at 8:46 PM ^
..and I was pretty pissed at the Barber twins all day. I did have a feeling that they had a chance to both make the NFL, but I'm pretty sure nobody outside of their friends, family, and school predicted that they would both have long NFL careers as they did.
I certainly felt a lot more charitible toward them after Hayes' catch, though.
August 26th, 2009 at 10:34 PM ^
I was sitting in the Virginia alumni section, though. ;-)
August 26th, 2009 at 7:14 PM ^
Here's to many more of these experiences. But not too many, I'd like to win games by four touchdowns the majority of the time.
August 26th, 2009 at 7:56 PM ^
I remember it like it was yesterday. Strange game. It was so early before classes started that there were very few students present (game may not have even been part of the student season ticket package). I remember thinking how Dreisbach looked like the next great Michigan QB and how good our season was going to be. Then he hurt his hand two weeks later and the rest is history.
August 26th, 2009 at 10:46 PM ^
This was my freshman year, and I didn't have a ticket for it. Has anybody, even the biggest fan, had a game where they just completely blanked out and forgot about it? I have no idea what the hell I was doing but I didn't see a single play from this game. Picked up the paper the next day and didn't even realize we'd played a game the day before. "Biggest comeback in Michigan history!" Yeah, glad I missed that one...
Which I conveniently followed up at the end of the year by not going to the 313-yard Biakabatuka game because it was over Thanksgiving weekend. A bad year for my fandom, overall.
August 26th, 2009 at 8:31 PM ^
man that was a great day that was the first game I had went to with season tickets with my dad. I really only remember 2 plays from that game Buttfingers drop on 3rd down that would have ended the game if he caught it, and then of course the final TD. It was also so damn hot that day
August 26th, 2009 at 9:01 PM ^
When this game happened I was in elementary school still. My parents had gotten tickets, but for some reason we couldn't get there until the 4th quarter.
I barely knew what was happening because I was much shorter at the time and couldn't see over other people very well, but on that final play I had just enough of an angle to see the catch, the referees deliberate for an agonizing moment, the signal, and then the eruption of the fans.
That is my earliest and maybe favorite Michigan football memory.
August 26th, 2009 at 9:05 PM ^
This game was my first UM game, as I was around 9 years old and went to the game with my dad and 2 uncles. Best part is that I still remember that game to this day, how the sun was beating down relentlessly and the fact that it was such a boring game until the end (At least to a 9 year old).
I had to call my dad to let him know about this and he reminded me about the couple from Virgina that made the trip and who we, after winning, told to have a nice ride home.
Ahh the memories
August 26th, 2009 at 9:17 PM ^
as the Kordell Stewart game.
August 26th, 2009 at 9:25 PM ^
Christ, I wish football started on August 26th every year...
August 26th, 2009 at 9:31 PM ^
during this game and was watching at my friend's parent's house. I was talking smack all week how UM would roll UVA. When Dreisbach hit Hayes on the final play I jumped up from the couch, threw a fist into the air in celebration, and shattered my friend's mom's ceiling light fixture. Although inebriated, I can still hear her running downstairs thinking someone had been thrown through a wall. Oh the memories...
August 26th, 2009 at 11:53 PM ^
Wasn't this the day that Lloyd went to the visitor's locker room after the game and congratulated the opponent for playing a hell of a game? I know he did it one time, I think it was this game, right?
August 27th, 2009 at 2:13 AM ^
WolverineHistorian's collection. What a game and what euphoria on that final play.
August 27th, 2009 at 7:22 AM ^
how did we score 3 TDs and only get 18 points?
August 27th, 2009 at 2:36 PM ^
but 3x6=18. I was stunned when I found out.
(If you didn't guess, we missed the first extra point, then missed a 2 point conversion, then didn't need to attempt the final point as the game was over)
August 27th, 2009 at 11:04 AM ^
This reminds me of how much I miss the early opening weekend college games. What I wouldn't give to be able to watch college football tomorrow.
August 27th, 2009 at 12:23 PM ^
why couldn't they start a week earlier like this again? i wish they would start on the 29th which is my birthday.