I could use some help.
It's sometimes easy to say "but if for that one call...", without remembering the times when the shoe's on the other foot. Brian and many posters here do a great job of being rational and reasonable in the face of arguably classic hose jobs (the lateral, Spartan Bob, Charles White, Carlysle Holiday, Desmond tripped, Henne's TD/fumble, etc.). What I need right now is perspective. I'm trying to think about the games when Michigan has been the beneficiary of an egregious call in their favor. I can come up with Braylon's "catch" and fumble against Washington and it stops there. The extra seconds agaisnt Penn St. in 2005 seems like good coaching and officiating to me. There are always the borderline penalties that could go either way that impact games, but I'm looking for the no-doubters, we got away with one.
Thanks in advance to all for the perspective.
October 23rd, 2011 at 12:26 PM ^
Replays showed that Anthony Thomas fumbled the ball after a 17 yard run. Michigan wound up winning 35-31. I remember thanking my lucky stars that we caught that break.
October 23rd, 2011 at 12:57 PM ^
stole mine
October 23rd, 2011 at 12:28 PM ^
Donovan Warren INT against Indiana in 2009.
October 23rd, 2011 at 12:46 PM ^
October 23rd, 2011 at 12:38 PM ^
My first game ever.
We won after Penn state's catch was ruled out of bounds that would have set up at least a game winning field goal.
October 23rd, 2011 at 12:44 PM ^
Are you referring to the 2002 game? That is the only game other than 2005 that I remember having controversy with Penn St.
October 23rd, 2011 at 12:50 PM ^
2002 you're correct
October 23rd, 2011 at 5:40 PM ^
The terrible refs giveth, and they taketh away.
A couple of plays before that call, Johnson was credited with a catch that was... questionable.
October 23rd, 2011 at 10:27 PM ^
HE DIDN'T COMPLETE THE PROCESS!
Okay, back to sanity. Those were two really bad calls. One each way. I've never been a fan of "make up" calls because I like to think that when a ref makes a call, he knows he's right.
But I would never sign up to be a ref. Too difficult. I respect the guys in stripes.
October 23rd, 2011 at 11:47 PM ^
STOP! EVERYONE LOOK AT 1:38!!!!!!!!!!
another awesome point to add to the list
October 24th, 2011 at 9:28 AM ^
And the point after.
October 23rd, 2011 at 12:45 PM ^
It is just easier to remember the "bad calls" versus the ones that went our way...
October 23rd, 2011 at 1:00 PM ^
also use some help
October 23rd, 2011 at 1:06 PM ^
Alamo bowl. Whole Nebraska team was on the field.
October 23rd, 2011 at 7:57 PM ^
Quite a few Michigan players were on the field as well, it would have been offsetting penalties. And if my memory serves me right the player who made the tackle started on the field too
October 23rd, 2011 at 5:42 PM ^
A-train non-fumble plus the Illinois called fumble; Illinois fans hold a huge grudge from that game. "It was the most important game ever, night game, everyone was into it, we were on the cusp of becoming a major program and the refs stole if from us, etc." I've heard it all. That was their Desmond trip game:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyG_GBHSTsY
And if you mention toe-then-heel to any Penn State fan, they break out in hives. This play:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wwbBMRkJ5I&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PL476EC9D2B4517794
Braylon catch + fumble against Washington
http://youtu.be/In6KGxW03so?t=4m56s
October 23rd, 2011 at 7:11 PM ^
Brandin Hawthorne's pick this year against Northwestern was questionable.
October 24th, 2011 at 12:43 AM ^
I don't think it was questionable. Show me any catch, full extension, on your belly and the ball doesn't touch the ground. Hawthorne never juggled the ball; the catch was immediate. I don't think there was any part of that play that he didn't have complete possession of the ball.
October 24th, 2011 at 8:49 AM ^
It is hard to come so close to having things "go your way" and then having the rug pulled out from underneath you. Michigan football fans have had this happen to them many times in the last 4 years, the last two weekend (MSU stuff included) probably the most painful example. I have not yet stopped envisioning alternate scenarios for the 4th and 1 play against MSU, and have 3 or 4 different alternate endings of that game in mind frequently. The "alternate endings" have now become of the MSU game and Wisconsin winning it in overtime, etc.
Keep in mind, things are not nearly as bad for M as one would think or feel right now. The bye week came at a good time for team, but a really shitty time for the fan. We badly needed to see Denard carving up the Boilermakers this week to give our collective mind some new material, instead we got a steaming pile of Sparty love. After all is said and done, M IS 6-1, with in my mind, 5 (maybe 4) very winnable games remaining. State has a lot of time to go SOS, and M can still make themselves BCS relevant even if they don't play in the Big Ten title game (perhaps only if they don't play in the Big Ten title game, ironically).
6-1, about to be 7-1. The "alternate endings" won't go away until this Saturday, but they will go away.
BOOM, perspective.