The Game 2000

Submitted by harmon40 on November 21st, 2022 at 8:49 PM

Thought I would share this with the board: video of our last win in Columbus, and also the last time we beat them back to back.

It was a wild, wild game with a lot of big plays for both teams. Michigan ran out to a 19 pt lead, OSU closed to within 5, Michigan closed it out with a 4th down Henson scramble for a TD. Michigan got three picks, one of which was returned for a score.

It has been 22 years. The time has come for the drought to end. It is a high mountain to climb, but this team is built to do it. The Hideous Minions of Evil must be defeated in their lair. Courage, team! May future generations of Wolverines yet unborn sing the songs of your glory!

https://youtu.be/uY4V7xtNuFk

MGoBoard

flashOverride

November 22nd, 2022 at 12:44 AM ^

I honestly think it changed the whole trajectory of Michigan football, and that OSU alum Steinbrenner did it on purpose. Much less likely Michigan loses in 2001 with a senior Henson as opposed to a sophomore Navarre making his first start in The Game, in which he ended up throwing four INTs if I recall correctly. Remember that after 2001 they split the next two games before Tressel slammed the door on Michigan after 2003. Perceptions and momentum matter, and they're a lot different if Tressel is 1-2 against Michigan after three years instead of 2-1, especially if he'd lost his first game against Michigan after essentially promising victory in it in his intro speech during halftime of a basketball game months before.

Some will disagree with the starting point or duration of my timeline here, but in my opinion 2001 marked the beginning of a two-decade dark age for Michigan football, and while I don't think there was a singular catalyst, Henson's early departure was a turning point. Not implying Steinbrenner was trying to destroy Michigan football for the next 20 years, he couldn't have known how downhill things would go, but I am saying I think he definitely viewed it as a bonus at least for that year to cause Michigan problems snatching away their senior starting QB. Unfortunately it coincided with the arrival of a new coach promising to change the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry, and in the end a new narrative was indeed born.

EDIT: I am not saying it was a full-on plunge into the dark, I am not discounting 2003 and the outright B10 Championship and Chris Perry's trip to New York that year, or the mostly hilarious six-game streak against MSU 2002-2007. But in my opinion 2001 was the inflection point of an initially gradual decline starting with losses to Ohio State becoming routine, then a return to bad bowl performances after something of a rebound in that department in the late '90s, then any big game, then the total bottoming out 2008-2014 when Carr retired with no heir apparent and Michigan began what I called at the time fishtailing, scrambling to make a splash coaching hire, then overcompensating in the other direction when that turned out disastrously, resulting in a second disaster. Harbaugh would be the start of the climb out, but it took a long time to truly reach daylight again.

Joined: 08/04/2013

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tybert

November 22nd, 2022 at 7:53 AM ^

When we lost that game in 2001 (Navarre I believe had "only" three picks), I felt exactly the same way you did - Drew and George screwed us.

More importantly, Tressel's "you'll be proud of us in XXX days" would have been as laughable as Antoine Joubert's "guarantee" of a victory over MSU and Scott Skiles (come on, fat boy, let's see what you've got).

I doubt Drew is the life of the party at any player reunions. Navarre stuck it out through criticism and at least went out a champion. 

What pissed me off is he waited until spring training start to screw over Lloyd and us. He had told Lloyd he was coming back after the bowl win over Auburn. I don't give him the benefit of the doubt being that he was 20 or 21. Sorry, football was his calling (he couldn't hit a curve ball) had he chosen that route. The fact that he got yanked at halftime by Parcells on Thanksgiving Day and replaced by a statue (Vinny T) shows how badly he screwed us and himself. He had to pay back a decent chunk of his signing bonus too. I did love how Columbus Clipper fans constantly heckled him at home games. 

That 2001 team wasn't great but would have won the B1G for sure (we ended up 2nd to Illinois) had he returned. And clockgate wouldn't have happened either. 

 

Joined: 11/17/2008

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flashOverride

November 22nd, 2022 at 9:50 AM ^

https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/boxscores/2001-11-24-michigan.html

That link to the box score says four, and I don't recall, nor do I have time right now to watch, what points in the game they occurred. But I definitely doubt Michigan's trailing 23-0 at the half, at home, with Henson.

And I wholeheartedly agree Spartan Bob isn't in position to screw them, with a better QB in that game. Who knows, having Henson *MAY* have even been good for one TD more to stave off the early-season road loss at Washington. Postseason, not saying they'd automatically have won the Natty but they're certainly not in the Citrus Bowl getting blown out by Tennessee.

Not making excuses for the program. Shit happens and coaching staffs have to deal with it. But its trajectory changed in 2001, and that departure hurt that team a lot. Worst of all, Ohio State now had a coach who they believed in to beat Michigan, and Michigan hasn't had the upper hand, or even an equal hand, in the rivalry since.

Joined: 08/04/2013

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stephenrjking

November 22nd, 2022 at 11:22 AM ^

They'd have still lost to Tennessee if they had played them. Tennessee was an excellent team that year, and Michigan... was not. 

If they had made the national title game, they would have gotten curbstomped by that historic Miami team that dismembered Nebraska. 

Henson in 2001 would have made that season less painful as it was perceived at the time; unlikely that we go undefeated, since Lloyd was always good for a head-scratching loss and the team had rosters issues beyond QB. But I don't think that the trajectory of UM or OSU would have changed much. They had Tressel who was locking down Ohio recruiting regardless and who played Lloydball better than Lloyd did. Michigan would still have Navarre playing QB in 2002 (in which we got destroyed by Iowa but beat Florida in a bowl game!) and 2003 would have been roughly what it was.

 

Joined: 03/15/2012

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gustave ferbert

November 22nd, 2022 at 9:51 AM ^

I think you're 99% correct.  Carr screwed himself when he promised Henson's douche nozzle of a father that he would not recruit another quarterback so that his son could play.   

Navarre (who was a tight end) had to take over where there was no heir apparent on the roster.  It was a tenuous position at best.  

But the net result was yes, Henson did send the program into the dark ages all thanks to Steinbrenner. 

Some cat on here actually had a conversation with Steinbrenner at some event in Cleveland.  I forgot who that was, but I would love for (preferred pronoun) to chime in. 

Joined: 06/21/2011

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mooseman

November 21st, 2022 at 9:09 PM ^

 A friend of mine (who passed away a few years later) was an OSU fan and he and I watched that game at the now defunct ESPN Zone in Washington, DC. We got the barcaloungers up front. I turned to him when Michigan went up big and he had fallen asleep. Woke up to a "what the hell happened?"

BelliSorry and Drew Henson happened, man.

Joined: 07/10/2008

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J. Redux

November 21st, 2022 at 9:17 PM ^

Michigan hadn’t won at Kinnick since 2005.
Michigan hadn’t won at Camp Randall since 2004.
Time to add one more house of horrors to the 2021-22 redemption list.

Go Blue!

Joined: 10/15/2020

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mGo Go Gadget Play

November 22nd, 2022 at 8:49 AM ^

I was at Camp Randall in 2001. Just graduated; moved to Chicago and my roommate was a Badger. He took 3 of us to Madison. It would have been a great visit without the football game, but with Michigan winning on a special teams miscue [chef's kiss]. 

I think I hope special teams is a deciding factor in The Game. 

Joined: 12/16/2021

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RXwolverine

November 21st, 2022 at 9:24 PM ^

You win in Columbus making it 2 straight and you finally start to shift the rivalry. Last season was magical but the preception was still ohio state is the big tens best. But win on saturday and we will go into 2023 as the big ten favorite. This is huge in terms of recruiting. I have been very impressed the past 25 games as most know i was extremely critical of Jim throughout his career. Last year he proudly proved me wrong. Do it this weekend and he will have solidifed his hold on the big ten and the entire fanbase. GO BLUE!! FUCK OHIO!!

Joined: 05/22/2019

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RXwolverine

November 21st, 2022 at 9:24 PM ^

You win in Columbus making it 2 straight and you finally start to shift the rivalry. Last season was magical but the preception was still ohio state is the big tens best. But win on saturday and we will go into 2023 as the big ten favorite. This is huge in terms of recruiting. I have been very impressed the past 25 games as most know i was extremely critical of Jim throughout his career. Last year he proudly proved me wrong. Do it this weekend and he will have solidifed his hold on the big ten and the entire fanbase. GO BLUE!! FUCK OHIO!!

Joined: 05/22/2019

MGoPoints: 13011

bronxblue

November 21st, 2022 at 9:45 PM ^

I remember pieces of this game being in school at the time but what I absolutely didn't remember was how insanely lucky OSU got early on and how it didn't matter.  They got a first down on a blocked punt because their defensive lineman picked up the blocked kick and then a would-be tackler got the mother of all blindside hits put on him.  Just an insane way to start a game that UM then pretty comfortably won.

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