Change the outcome of one game in M history?

Submitted by VictorsValiant09 on

Up late here on the West Coast, decided to post a thread on a question that's had me pondering for quite some time.

If you could change the outcome of one loss in M history, which game would it be? I'm primarily thinking in football terms, but hockey and basketball are obviously applicable, too.

It's a toss-up for me: I'm one of the few people who can say they're a bigger Michigan hockey fan than football. I love both Michigan sports to death, but hockey gets the edge due to my childhood love affair with the game and my time spent in Yost as an undergrad.

For me, then, it's between 2006 UM/OSU in football, and 2008 UM/ND in the Frozen Four.

I know I'm contradicting what I just said, but man that 2006 loss in football still stings. We should've won the National Championship that year. I'd change the outcome of that game in a heartbeat.

ijohnb

October 23rd, 2009 at 9:12 AM ^

While a game like the OSU 2006 game stings in the so close-yet so far away kind of way, the App. State loss left no feeling other than complete depression, and ruined the remainder of that football season. The noon game on the first weekend of the college football season ruined the rest of the season for me. And the way it went down... Mike Hart's big TD run, the miracle throw to MM only sombered by the back of my mind knowledge that "there is no chance that he is going to make this field goal." And the fact that a trouncing by Oregon was then guaranteed when even a one point win against App. State would have served as a huge wake up call that would have likely resulted in a very competitive game against the Ducks. 2007 Michigan v. App. State without question.

jtmc33

October 23rd, 2009 at 10:27 AM ^

App. State for sure. It's so embarrassing. Pretty much any other loss I can think of is justifiable to some extent (even losing to Toledo is "justified" in the fact that UM was horrible last year).

we will here shouts of "App State" when wearing Michigan gear 20 years from now. Everyone thinks its funny. I just think its sad and wish it to go away.

Sethgoblue

October 23rd, 2009 at 4:27 AM ^

The football game quickest to mind is of course 2006 OSU, which would have put us in the national title game with a very interesting match up with Florida. But there are a ton of other games that sting as well, like Michigan State in (I believe) 91 (Desmond Howard trip-gate, ranked No. 1), MSU timekeeper game, not to mention all the excruciating times the Wolverines lost just one game all season in the 70s and early 80s, or even the tie with Ohio State that (somehow, read MSU is a whiny little biatch) kept us out of the Rose Bowl.

I can also understand your first choice for hockey, but like football, there are many to choose from. The first that comes to mind is the Colorado Collage collapse in the regional final in '05, when Michigan jumped out 3-0, but lost 4-3 after firing about 50 shots on net in the last two minutes, including and amazing one-timer by Gajic that hit the post! The loss to BU in 95(?) in triple overtime when Michigan was clearly the best team in the country (ranked NO. 1 all year, something like two losses and about a bazillion goals) would also heal a large wound.

Even though it would now be erased, re-doing Weber's time-out brain fart in basketball would be nice, or the massacre at the hands of Duke the year before.

PIJER

October 23rd, 2009 at 5:04 AM ^

The one that hurt me the most was September 24th, 1994. All I can remember saying for weeks is "Why notjust knock the ball down, No need for an interception" 27-26 Colorado over M. Such high expectations for that year done by a Fluke play!!! To this day I'm happy with the Buffaloes suffering. Tony Clemens hasn't done much to persuade me otherwise!

BlackEvanDown

October 23rd, 2009 at 7:15 AM ^

I think I may have cried at the end of this one. I was a boy, and I had just come back from a Pee Wee football game. I still had my football pants on, in fact.

I remember laying stomach down on the ground and banging my fists over and over wondering why, why, why???

From that day forward, I always had a bit of venom in my heart for Kordell Stewart and Michael Westbrook from that day forward.

Seth

October 23rd, 2009 at 5:15 AM ^

2007 Ohio State. Lloyd's last team deserved that one. Footbal Armageddon would have been my second choice. My third was last year's Ohio State game.

This isn't from just the rivalry understand. I realize I just named the last three Ohio State games but they were peerless in what each meant.

2007 was the last chance for Lloyd's boys to redeem themselves fully after The Horror, and most of all the last chance for Henne (who always played his best against the Buckeyes) and Hart. Yet it was those two guys whose injuries were so severe as to cripple us for that game. Shakespearean tragedy doesn't begin to describe.

2006 bc of NC and Bo and like, duh. But Ohio State was just as stacked and playing at home and that was all the difference. I'm not okay with it, but it didn't cause me to discard my last hope of there being some karma or justice or fairness in this world like 2007 did.

Last year because they now had a thorough domination of us already underway and it would have meant we could laugh at buckfards to eternity for losing to Sheridan, and it would have instantly cemented RR in the hearts of all and insulated him from a lit of the crap he took this offseason. Now we just gotta do it the hard way.

2007 first. I still dream of it.

blue_shift

October 23rd, 2009 at 6:22 PM ^

I was at that game and it was miserable as hell - I remember the freezing rain started to come down about the second quarter, which quieted the crowd and stalled offensive progress for both teams.

Plus, there seemed to be a huge amount of OSU fans in our stadium, and we actually let those asshats finish their idiotic "O-H..." Buckeye echolocation chant without drowning it out or suppressing it.

I kept wondering how we let so many fans of AN Ohio State University (I don't ever dignify that shithole with the definite article) get tickets to the game in A^2. I doubt you would ever see as many Michigan fans in Columbus, because aOSU takes steps to keep their crowd homogeneous.

Plus, I felt that 2007 was the last time that we would have talent equal to or surpassing aOSU until the next coach (which turned out to be Rich Rod) got all of the players he needed to run his system, and we squandered the opportunity and let them continue their fledgling streak.

I really hope we don't lose again this year, because the streak is already painful enough. Until we beat aOSU, no matter how successful we are, it will be bitter to me. I would much rather go 7-5 and beat Ohio State than 9-3 and lose to them. It's that important, IMO.

pwnwulf

October 23rd, 2009 at 6:23 AM ^

1989 #2ND vs #1Michigan game back where bo's aggogance lost us the game. We kept NDs offense out of the endzone all game but BO decided to kick to Rocket Ismail twice and he returned them both for touchdowns and we lost 24-19. We went undefeated to the rose bowl after that and lost a close one to USC 17-10. I want that one back because it really stung bad knowing you had the better defense and offense and lost the game because of freaking special teams, and we lost at THE BIG HOUSE.

GustaveFerbert

October 23rd, 2009 at 8:58 AM ^

There are so many games that come to mind - beating Stanford so that Bo goes undefeated in 71, 2006 osu.

But I have to go with 2001 UM v. osu...that game gave Tressel credibility and helped build the fence around Ohio for some athletes..

tpilews

October 23rd, 2009 at 6:52 AM ^

While the 2006 UM vs osu game is #1 in my books, if I had to pick a second place game it would by the 2007 Rose Bowl game. osu gets their ass handed to them and UM beats the Trojans. That would have been pretty sweet too.

EGD

October 24th, 2009 at 1:32 AM ^

That's the only Rose Bowl I've ever been to; would have been nice to see a win. It surprised me that USC fans were such dicks. Not on the OSU level, but definitely comparable to MSU. You'd think when you've got a top-5 team every year you might develop some class.

Six Zero

October 23rd, 2009 at 7:03 AM ^

Crable doesn't get the flag, they're forced to punt from about midfield, and somehow,despite the short field, Breaston does his magic and gets the ball out to the 38 yard line.

From there, Chad leads a drive for the ages, taking Michigan down the field and hitting Stevie and Arrington often for a series of first downs before a miraculous 29-yard catch by Manningham puts the Wolverines inside the five-yard line. From there, Mike Hart punches it in on third down, prompting Musberger to use words like "Destiny" and cliches such as "the Hart of the Wolverines."

Of course, the big storyline is winning it for Bo. The story ends the way it should have.

Michigan wins, finishes the regular season #1, Troy Smith does not win the Heisman, and the Florida Gators and Tim Tebow look simply unprepared when Woodley eliminates Chris Leak from the playing field in Arizona. Michigan wins its second national title in 10 years and I personally spend more money on "National Champions" merchandise than the mrs. would prefer. And it is truly "Great, to be, a Michigan Wolverine."

befuggled

October 23rd, 2009 at 7:18 AM ^

1970: No Rose Bowl, but odds are fair we wind up #1 with a win after all is said and done.

1974: A win puts us in the Rose Bowl with a chance to end up #1.

(The same is also true of the 1972 and 1973 teams. The 1972 team would have faced the best Southern Cal team of the decade, which routed OSU in the Rose. The 1973 team had lost QB Dennis Franklin to injury, which would have lowered our odds of winning.)

steve sharik

October 23rd, 2009 at 7:46 AM ^

#2 Michigan 10 #1 Iowa 12

Iowa's Rob Houghtlin kicked a game-winning FG as time expired, one of 4 FG's he hit that day. He misses that FG, we likely go to beat Illinois the next week instead of having the hangover that cost us the tie, and go on to win the NC.

Iowa went on to lose at Ohio State, but won the Big Ten, went to the Rose Bowl and got smoked by UCLA.

Catholepistimiad

October 23rd, 2009 at 8:40 AM ^

I can't say that this is the one game I would change, however, it is the first game that made me cry (so far as I can remember). The pain and injustice of that kick brought me to tears as I sat in my bedroom-- I was 10 years old, and M football had taken root.

Thanks for mentioning this one. I thought about it as I was out in Iowa City 2 weeks ago.

3rdGenerationBlue

October 23rd, 2009 at 8:17 AM ^

Miami (yes THAT Miami) came to A2 ranked #1. Michigan was up 17 points in the 4th quarter and Miami came all the way back to win 31-30. It was my senior year and it took me weeks to get over that one.

UMBLUE

October 23rd, 2009 at 8:11 AM ^

The horror. I live in the south primarily, and I am pretty sure that I am never going to hear the end of that one, seriously. I think that if we won that one, we would have also beaten Oregon and with all that momentum probably tOSU.

Sethgoblue

October 23rd, 2009 at 5:41 PM ^

Sorry, but I have heard this one about beating Oregon in a few references to the horror. Even if Michigan makes the field goal and pulls out that win, there is no way they beat Oregon the next week. Play respectably on offense?, maybe, but that defense was going to get shredded regardless. Win or lose, the defense was EXPOSED by App State, and would have been SHREDDED by a much more talented Ducks offense. Don't forget, Dixon was playing like a god until he got hurt that year. I know this is bound to happen when we are playing the "what if" game, but don't get delusional.

the Bray

October 23rd, 2009 at 8:18 AM ^

2006 OSU is the easy #1 for me.

But what about the 1990 MSU game? No. One vs. No one. Who knows how that year would have ended up had we won that game.

Basketball-wise... the '93 title game. No time out jokes... no "The Fab Five never won anything" quips. Even if it was wiped out years later... winning that game would have been nice.

Runner-up basketball version... the '92 title game. Just because I hate Duke.

Don

October 23rd, 2009 at 9:23 AM ^

1974 Michigan-Ohio State. The 12-10 loss, our only loss of the season, was all the more frustrating because it meant we got to stay home for the holidays due to the criminally stupid and unfair Big Ten policy in effect at the time that it was the Rose Bowl or no bowl for conference teams.

And if you don't like that one, I'll go with 1973 and the 10-10 tie with OSU, for the same reason.

Or the 1970 game with OSU, for the same reason.

Or the 1972 game with OSU, for the same reason.

From 1970 through the 1974 season, Bo went 50-4-1, and we went to one freaking bowl game during those five years.

griesecheeks

October 23rd, 2009 at 9:28 AM ^

yeah, OSU 2006.

Michigan v Florida for the National Championship game? that would have been a VERY interesting matchup, although I don't think the coaching staff would have developed the whole spread offense game plan that we had in the cap one bowl a year later. probably a pretty close game, and not as high scoring.

...probably ends the career of Carr, Henne, Hart, etc right there.

who might've been our next coach had Lloyd gone out w/ a national championship??? more likely to be a carr staffer, methinks...

ahhh anyway, no point in looking to the past.

time to shred penn state!
GO BLUE.

ggoodness56

October 23rd, 2009 at 9:31 AM ^

Late hit call on Crable kept me up for nights and nights. The "what if" of that season and the complete fail of Ohio State in the Championship game was almost too much to deal with. I think I would work free for a year to have that W.

Tater

October 23rd, 2009 at 9:38 AM ^

#1 Iowa 12, #2 Michigan 10. UM finished #2 in the polls that season at 10-1-1. It was Bo's highest ranking. The 1977 Rose Bowl, a 14-6 loss to USC that included the "Phantom Touchdown," also may have cost UM the 1976 NC.

It was the first of three straight Rose Bowls that UM would lose with Rick Leach at QB. It would have been nice to see him get one bowl win. Whether you like what Leach is doing right now or not, I don't remember any other UM QB making three straight Rose Bowls.

Flying Dutchman

October 23rd, 2009 at 9:42 AM ^

Playing this game and winning it a day or two after the death of Bo brings this one to the level of greek mythology.

Told my wife recently that the only way we are ever getting a dog is if its named Bo Schembechler. And not naming and abbreviating with "who's going to walk Bo this morning in the snow?" but instead "who's turn is it to walk Bo Shembechler?"

blueheron

October 23rd, 2009 at 9:52 AM ^

Everyone knows that the Fab Five had no consistent outside shooting, but watching them lose to a team with inferior talent (UNC that year) really sucked, especially since they'd just done so well against "invincible" Kentucky.

Football? Here's a curveball. I like the choice of Miami in 1988, but I'd go with Florida State in 1991. That was an embarrassing loss and made it clear that UM was not an elite program. (Very good, yes, but not elite...) That's around the time we all first started hearing rednecks yap (justifiably, at times) about TEAM SPEED.

VectorVictor05

October 23rd, 2009 at 9:59 AM ^

Or 2003 @ Oregon. Both were absolutely heart-breaking to be a part of. That team was built for a national championship and special teams gaffes took that away. After the way we started the season on fire, those two games damn near brought the entire season down. I've never seen emotions like after the Iowa loss...

It's tough to risk changing how the season ended up though, with the rally at Minny (that game...or quarter is the definition of make or break), the win against OSU in the 100th game, seeing John Navarre get that OSU win and break down in the locker room. It was a great ride and we ended up in Pasadena for the first time since '97.

I'm pretty bias though considering I was a small part of all of that. Anyway, yeah 2006 OSU?

goblue02

October 23rd, 2009 at 10:01 AM ^

2006 OSU game is the obvious choice, but since I haven't seen it yet, I will go with the 1999 game against Illinois, where we blew something like a 27-7 lead, and lost 35-29, a week after losing to State. Just a painful painful loss on a team that ended up finishing #6 in the BCS with a win over Alabama in the Orange Bowl. While I doubt we would have jumped Va Tech for the title game, our strength of schedule was outstanding that year (MSU, Wisconsin, and Penn State all finished in the top 10 of the BCS), and potentially could have put a 1-loss Michigan team in the title game against FSU.

MMB 82

October 23rd, 2009 at 10:10 AM ^

If UM had held on to win that game, Bo would never had a bowl jinx and it might have led to further bowl victories (instead of his losing streak) as well as possibly more MNC's during his career. UM winning the '72 Rose itself would have given it the MNC, or at the worst shared with USC.

ameed

October 23rd, 2009 at 10:19 AM ^

2005 Texas. Look at the Butterfly effect not just the single game.

Win that game, VY probably doesn't catapult to Heisman status, Michigan may not enter the year of infinite pain, and lloyd possibly retires earlier then he did, sparing us events such as the horror, etc.