20 years ago today: Michigan 31, Washington 29
Hard to believe this game was 20 years ago today (I was about to start my third year of undergrad). Easily was one of the top 5 games I've seen at Michigan Stadium and the stadium was rocking after Phil Brabbs made that game-winning field goal. There was also probably some relief because the Wolverines looked like they would roll through the Huskies but mistakes and missed field goals made the game very dicey for Michigan. But in the end, the good guys won and got revenge from that debacle in Seattle from the year before.
August 31st, 2022 at 12:26 PM ^
That final penalty on Washington for having too many men on the field was a helluva lucky break for us, since it got Brabbs close enough to make the kick.
August 31st, 2022 at 12:38 PM ^
Also that 4th-down incompletion that was ruled a fumble right before that! We had a good thing coming, so I'll take it!
August 31st, 2022 at 12:43 PM ^
Even Braylon knew he didn't catch that ball. He had already started the walk of shame.
August 31st, 2022 at 1:04 PM ^
I vividly remember that play…was certain the game was over and if I were a Washington fan I know I’d of been so pissed.
August 31st, 2022 at 2:03 PM ^
These were indeed lucky breaks, but honestly Washington got pretty lucky to beat us in 2001 the year before, and we've had enough bad breaks that I'll take a win this way.
August 31st, 2022 at 4:39 PM ^
Very heads-up play by Tyrece Butler to pounce on that ball. If he hadn’t given up on the play, it would have been an incompletion.
August 31st, 2022 at 12:57 PM ^
Let’s be honest, after the trajectory of how that game was going, Brabbs making that kick was a major break for us…..pretty sure he was like 1-3 or 0-3 for the day with a least one miss much shorter than the game winner. This is a game we were mostly in control of offensively and where we were keeping Washington’s Mike Williams at bay, missed kicks were the reason we needed as last second field goal in the first place.
(I haven’t read the OP yet, forgive me is possibly they mentioned this in his summary he/she wrote above)
August 31st, 2022 at 1:13 PM ^
My memory is that he missed the first two, they tried a different kicker on the 3rd, who missed, and then brought Brabbs back for the final, and longest kick.
I also remember getting a classic Michigan stadium "right hemisphere of the face" sunburn.
August 31st, 2022 at 1:22 PM ^
Braylon totally dropped it, Washington screwed up a substitution, and a kicker who was part of a group that hadn’t hit much of anything all day won the game. That is about all I remember from that day.
It was very clear to me that while Washington was far from a tomato can, Michigan was VASTLY superior athletically across the board. I was so unhappy all game that M continuously shot itself in the foot with play calling, physical mistakes, and Braylon Edwards clearly being distracted all game.
August 31st, 2022 at 1:29 PM ^
"Braylon totally dropped it, Washington screwed up a substitution, and a kicker who was part of a group that hadn’t hit much of anything all day won the game. That is about all I remember from that day."
I'll add one more memory. It was hotter than the sun that day and the game seemingly went on forever.
August 31st, 2022 at 1:48 PM ^
At this point though, Braylon wasn’t BRAYLON!, yet. This was the beginning of his coming out party.
August 31st, 2022 at 2:01 PM ^
He dropped passes ALL THE TIME. He did become a far better receiver than this, but he never stopped dropping passes. 2003 Oregon and 2003 Iowa were drop-parties, and he cold dropped a touchdown against USC on the first drive of the Rose Bowl. Even when he wasn't dropping passes he was kind-of-sort-of fumbling them at the end of plays or only completing half of the process.
I loved Braylon and he was a great receiver, but for how good he was he still could have been a lot better. With the exception of one quarter against Michigan State it never seemed like his head was fully in it.
August 31st, 2022 at 2:02 PM ^
He got better every year. He was a different guy in 2004.
August 31st, 2022 at 2:10 PM ^
Yes, but he still had a key drop against Texas in the Rose Bowl! Braylon had some brain fart in a ton of games but most fondly remembered for going off against msu in 04! That was utter destruction of a defense!
He dropped the TD against USC in the RoseBowl, in 02 vs Osu he had a major drop, then the push off called PI, it was a bad push off and he didn't need it, he could have come back to the ball and shielded the defender and it's still a TD.. But Braylon was a dominant player. He lit up osu in 03. 04 against osu, for some reason Carr put him in as a special teams gunner and he just stood there when whatshisnutz returned it for a td and Braylon could have planted him!
August 31st, 2022 at 7:12 PM ^
Braylon had some brain fart in a ton of games but most fondly remembered for going off against msu in 04!
Look at the guy's numbers - he was an absolute stud. It's hard to suggest he underachieved when he won the Biletnikoff Award.
Every receiver will drop a ball now and then. Marquise Walker had a killer drop in the '01 OSU game. Ronnie Bell dropped the game-tying TD at PSU in '19. It happens. For whatever reason there was a faction of the fanbase that was hypercritical of Braylon and made a huge deal when he had a drop. He wouldn't have been voted the best receiver in the country and gotten picked in the top five of the NFL Draft if his hands were actually dodgy.
Don't let his so-so pro career or penchant for saying controversial things as an alum color your view of his playing career.
(And the OPI in the '02 OSU game? Awful call. Chris Gamble took a dive.)
September 1st, 2022 at 9:11 AM ^
Don't mistake my comments as downing Braylon, he was an absolute stud receiver and I'd take him in a second. He'd instantly be the #1 rec on the roster right now. My comment is stating he had some awesome moments while also having some drops that killed the team and just brain fart moments. Lesser players get crucified for some of the drops or mistakes Braylon made. But Braylon also dominated so many games and opponents that he never got called out for it.
But yes, the push off vs osu in 02 was massive in a 14-9 loss. The drop vs usc and drop on 3rd down vs texas in the rosebowl were massive. But he destroyed osu in 03, destroyed msu in 04 and flat was a game changer in many games. He had huge td's vs Washington in 02 and won many games for this program so there is no hating just stating as great as he was he had some mistakes that were big as well.
August 31st, 2022 at 7:47 PM ^
I recall Braylon always making the game changing catch, always being the instant offense when needed, sometimes not quite enough, but not to his detriment, more like he “all the offense we had” at times.
His drops always seemed to be on some of the most simple crossing or hook routes, like his mind was already set on the big play before he made the needed medium play, it plagued him a bit in the NFL too and why he never fully panned out after his HUGE 2nd NFL season.
(Braylon’s greatness as a big play receiver was beautifully complimented by Avant as probably the most sure handed possession guy in Michigan history, and possibly Eagles history too)
August 31st, 2022 at 7:03 PM ^
Braylon Edwards clearly being distracted all game.
Not sure that's fair. He had five catches for 80 yards and a TD. This was the first game of his sophomore season.
August 31st, 2022 at 3:03 PM ^
Neiuheisel said on Full Ride a few months ago that this is one game he still thinks about at night and how it got away. Had a good explanation for how they wound up with too many guys on the field and how chaotic that moment was.
August 31st, 2022 at 12:28 PM ^
I was there too, 12 years old, relieved as hell after that kick went through.
August 31st, 2022 at 1:25 PM ^
That’s it! Relief was the feeling. A loss felt like it would kill the hopes for a national title.
It was absolute disbelief that M continued to let these guys hang around.
August 31st, 2022 at 7:51 PM ^
Hey, we’re the same age!
welp, see ya later.
I also remember the pure 12 year old sports anxiety fading into glory in that moment.
August 31st, 2022 at 12:31 PM ^
This was the only game I’ve attended where the press box interfered with seeing the field. Couldn’t see a chunk of the north end zone or the uprights. Chose to run down the stairs to see the game-winner. (My belated apologies if I blocked any of you from seeing it.)
August 31st, 2022 at 12:31 PM ^
Last time my dad and I went to a game together; he died from cancer the following February.
It is a treasured memory, one I was able to personally share with Brabbs years later when he was facing cancer.
August 31st, 2022 at 3:24 PM ^
Totally love Phil Brabbs and God Bless him and your father 🙏.
Still get goosebumps remembering when Phil was introduced during a game a few years ago.
Go Blue 🏈🏈🏈
August 31st, 2022 at 12:34 PM ^
I was at that game. It was hot as balls out. I thought I drove 5 hours and sat in this heat for this shit 🤣🤣. What a game!
August 31st, 2022 at 1:15 PM ^
Huh, that just brought back the memory of the weather for me, too. One of the really interesting things about football season here - we can go from 90/humid to 25/snowing like in The Game last year.
August 31st, 2022 at 6:27 PM ^
Yep, people were crowded in the shade of the stadium drinking water, Including my 8 month pregnant wife. Paramedics were worried as hell about her. We were in the 5th row of the student section, 20ish yard line. As the game went, on more and more students pressed down and she decided it was too much, but wouldn’t let me leave. She watched it on the old tube tvs by concessions. Crazy game! Still married and that kid is now a Sophomore at M!
August 31st, 2022 at 9:22 PM ^
That's awesome. My wife was in her first trimester with our son who is also now a sophomore at Michigan! We were at a bar in Chicago and I remember wondering if I should be at a bar with my pregnant wife...
August 31st, 2022 at 12:36 PM ^
I quit my job at Staples to go to that game. I didn't need a lot of motivation, since the guy I worked for was a miserable Tennessean, who aspired to do greater things than manage a Staples in Ypsilanti, and was happy to take it all out on his employees. I'm certain he intentionally scheduled me during the game, since I told him weeks in advance I would be going. I was a student, and my well-being did not depend on the job. What would make me happier 20 years from now, staying and working a shift at Staples for a few bucks, or great memories in attending a fantastic college football match-up? Now that I'm here, I stand by my decision.
August 31st, 2022 at 1:29 PM ^
You totally made the right decision. I faced the same dilemma when my sister was playing in the High School State Championship game in Softball.
Told my boss I would not be coming in, because this was a once in a lifetime event. He did not understand the magnitude of the game, chewed me out for not showing up for work, and made me feel awful. Almost 30 years later, I know I made the right choice and would not change that decision.
August 31st, 2022 at 5:48 PM ^
I grew up in Ann Arbor and got a job as a teenager in the summer of 1983, I think, at the Arby's on Washtenaw, mentioning both on my application *and* on the interview that I couldn't work Saturdays. "No problem," the manager said. Come first football Saturday, sure enough, I was scheduled to work, with a big sign on the wall saying there would be no (emphasized) allowances made for football.
Needless to say, when Saturday came, I was at the stadium.
(Though I have no actual memory of what the Internet says was a season-opening 20-17 win over Washington State.)
August 31st, 2022 at 12:40 PM ^
I was there but only vaguely remember this game. Cared much more about conference play than non-con back then.
August 31st, 2022 at 12:41 PM ^
I was in the same end zone and in direct line of view for the winning kick. I picked up the same seats for the Penn State game in hopes to bring luck this year.
August 31st, 2022 at 1:18 PM ^
As someone who was also at the game and in the student section parallel with the uprights, I’ve been waiting to ask this question for 20years. Why did y’all prematurely cheer with earlier missed kicks that game? As someone like 80 rows up, my earliest indication of a make would be the cheers of the section behind the uprights. But, for some reason, people were prematurely cheering misses that game, I kinda still hold y’all responsible for the additional moment of celebration hesitation after the last made kick (while waiting for the refs to signal).
I like your PSU luck plan though!
August 31st, 2022 at 12:42 PM ^
I was with my cousin in Section 38 for this game. He was bombed. Mega bombed. He spent the entire first half and most of the 2nd half with his hands in his head sitting down.
He finally came to with about 5 minutes left. I didn’t want to bug him out of fear that more than words would be exiting his mouth. Brabbs kicks the winner, I look at him, and he just looks at me and says very loudly “Bueno!!!!”. Then proceeded to throw up everywhere. Yeah, that’s my Sportscenter highlight…..
August 31st, 2022 at 12:43 PM ^
Marlin Jackson took over that game. I think it’s still the #1 PBU’s in a single game. It was some ridiculous shit like 10 if I remember.
August 31st, 2022 at 12:57 PM ^
God I’m getting old.
August 31st, 2022 at 12:57 PM ^
This was my first weekend on campus freshman year, my first ever Michigan football game and first time inside Michigan Stadium. When I got to my seat (in row 94 lol), everyone around me was a stranger. When Phil's kick sailed through the uprights, everyone around me was family. Been hooked ever since.
August 31st, 2022 at 12:59 PM ^
I got nervous watching that!
August 31st, 2022 at 1:03 PM ^
I had a job in high school at a lumber yard and caught this game on the radio. I was sweeping the yard when he hit the kick. My boss said I was dancing around swinging the broom around. Haha.
August 31st, 2022 at 1:03 PM ^
It was a game that never should have come down to a kick. Michigan missing 3 chip shot field goals, gifting Washington 14 points because of lost fumbles on our side of the field…it had a Hollywood finish but back and forth moments of jubilation and frustration.
I remember fans passing out from the heat. And hating Slick Rick Neuheisel.
Brabbs kick looked like it would have been good from 70 yards. But FG kicking was still abysmal the rest of that season.
August 31st, 2022 at 1:43 PM ^
Well, of course it was. A fundamental part of the Brabbs kick was how miraculous it was after how bad his kicks had been to that point; not close, and when Lloyd tried someone else, that wasn't close either, so hopes were not nearly as high for a win as one would normally expect from that sort of FG attempt.
August 31st, 2022 at 1:14 PM ^
I was scheduled to go to Mayo Clinic for neck/spinal surgery in the next ten days and the heat just about did me in. I kept walking out and sitting in the shade, but there was no way I was leaving.
August 31st, 2022 at 1:28 PM ^
Great memory. I was right in the middle of that celebration behind the goalpost.
August 31st, 2022 at 1:38 PM ^
I remember going to this game and my dad made us leave with a few minutes to go to "BEAT TRAFFIC" even though we lived in walking distance of the stadium
We heard the roar of the crowd as we walked onto our block, and made it inside to watch the replay of the kick.
You'd think we would have learned our lesson (or at least I would have) but a few years later we were at the Minnesota comeback game and we left at the end of the 3rd quarter to catch a bus back to our hotel
I don't go to games anymore with my dad
August 31st, 2022 at 3:47 PM ^
Don't feel bad, I left the MSU comeback game in the 3rd quarter because I was freezing my ass off. 72 F in the morning, 45 F at halftime - I was wearing shorts and a golf shirt. Made it home in time to watch the 3rd overtime.
August 31st, 2022 at 1:54 PM ^
My first game ever in the Big House! I'll always remember how loud it was after that kick! Couldn't hear my dad from a foot away.
August 31st, 2022 at 1:57 PM ^
"If he makes it, he is a hero to Michigan for years to come."
And here we are 20 years later to indeed acknowledge that.
August 31st, 2022 at 2:06 PM ^
I was there, and it was crazy!