Was Denard's Run the Best in Michigan History?
I ask because literally 10 of the 11 Notre Dame defenders were blocked - everyone but the backside DE. I looked back at Brown's 90 yarder against Eastern from last year and, besides being against Eastern, a lot of Eagles took themselves out of the play. Against Notre Dame, Denard found a hole before it existed, and then had GREAT downfield blocking, including the double pancake by Omameh.
Any lessons in Michigan football history are encouraged.
September 13th, 2010 at 10:28 PM ^
It really depends what you define the best run in michigan history as. There are multiple perspectives to look at that from. It could be one of the best executed plays, but there are more impressive runs in michigan history as far as the RB skill goes, IME.
September 13th, 2010 at 10:32 PM ^
September 13th, 2010 at 11:12 PM ^
But that wasn't a running play. It was a punt return.
September 13th, 2010 at 10:38 PM ^
I refer you to this:
Of course there are many other examples that I could've used, but that's a favorite around here (can't imagine why). Yes, Denard had a good run. But, it can't yet even be considered for the best because we don't know how meaningful it was. Once the season is completely over, we'll be able to look back and know what it meant. So may disagree and say that such intangibles shouldn't factor into "the best" run. I disagree. While Denard's run might have be technically wonderful, what with the downfield blocking and such, "best" at Michigan implies a lot of tradition- thus we need the full season for context before we can make such a proclamation.September 14th, 2010 at 7:11 AM ^
It was against ND, one of our bitter rivals
I dont need to wait to find out how important it was.
September 13th, 2010 at 10:39 PM ^
the daddy
September 13th, 2010 at 10:40 PM ^
I'm going to go with Harmon's td run where the fan ran out on the field and tried to tackle him. Not sure where it was, but that's pretty cool, getting away from not 11, but 12 members of the opposition.
September 13th, 2010 at 10:46 PM ^
It's a shame that we can't look at every one of Harmon's runs, or the runs of the point-a-minute offenses, and so on. But if there are any MGoBloggers that saw Ol' 98 live...
September 13th, 2010 at 10:47 PM ^
That's a favorite of mine. Here's the video:
That was in the 1940 Rose Bowl. Of course WolverineHistorian has some other great videos of Old 98.September 13th, 2010 at 11:00 PM ^
September 13th, 2010 at 11:00 PM ^
Thanks for the correction. I'd always just assumed that it was at the Rose Bowl because we were playing a Pac-10 team. Wikipedia (source of all knowledge) confirms that you are correct. +1 to you good sir.
September 13th, 2010 at 10:44 PM ^
I remember seeing some Tom Harmon highlights. His were rather impressive
September 13th, 2010 at 10:52 PM ^
In my opinion, Tom Harmon would have to be considered for the Greatest Player of All-Time, at least for Michigan if not nationally. Of course, playing pre-WW II was very different than now so I don't know if you can actually make a valid comparison between Old 98 and current players. At the very least, he'd be on the short list for the Greatest Player of All-Time before the modern era.
September 13th, 2010 at 11:11 PM ^
It was awesome, but I'm not sure I'd rank it above Tyrone Wheatley's 88-yard TD in the '93 Rose Bowl (still a Rose record).
September 13th, 2010 at 11:35 PM ^
Considering the opponent and the fact that it happened in South Bend, it would be hard not to place it at or near the top.
Butch Woolfolk's 92 yard TD run against Wisconsin (from 1979) is on one of my many, many game tapes somewhere. It was shown as a flashback during one of our games from the late 90's but I can't remember which one it was. I'm dying to upload it but I'm going to have to fastforward through nearly 20 VHS tapes to find it.
Tony Boles had a good run against Indiana in 1989. 91 yards, the second longest TD run in school history. But it was against Indiana so not too many people remember it.
September 14th, 2010 at 12:03 AM ^
ran like a machine.
thanks for the clip....
September 14th, 2010 at 1:00 AM ^
Now THAT'S how you hold onto the ball all the way into the endzone for a TD. Notre Dame freshman receivers (and Lions receivers) take note!
September 14th, 2010 at 7:45 AM ^
What are you running as a computer and OS? I have 2 ATI TV tuners around here that I don't use for anything. They are TheaterPro550's. That means there is no real support for win7, but I never had an issue with them in XP MCE or in Vista. They should do a nice job of video capture from your VHS collection. For that matter, I'd be willing to chip in on getting you a new hard drive to store them all on. 2tb drives are down to close to $100 and seagate just came out with a 3tb external drive.
September 14th, 2010 at 1:11 AM ^
This picture is awesome in every way, shape, and form.
September 14th, 2010 at 3:05 AM ^
Me and my friend made it after the Denard reduced the Irish. And after Kelly's comments?! Glad you guys like it. We call it "Dilithium Dust". As you've noticed his dreads will tend to expand in space. diithium power source is frying Kelly's skull.
On a side note i really like how Coach Rod called out Kelly today, saying something like Denard will get as many carries as i want, i'll coach my team, you coach yours. Which basically means "You've been Denarded".
September 13th, 2010 at 11:41 PM ^
Was going to put that clip up myself. Tony Boles was one of the best backs Michigan ever had. It's a shame what happened to him.
September 13th, 2010 at 11:50 PM ^
In the 1993 Rose bowl which Michigan won 38-31 Wheatley had a long TD run. I can't find the video or remember the exact yardage (70-80?), but as I recall it turn the momentum and was a thing of beauty as he split the 2 deep safties who both appeared to have the angle on him.
September 14th, 2010 at 12:04 AM ^
It was 88 yards. And it took place on the very first play of the third quarter.
29 seconds in...
September 14th, 2010 at 7:34 AM ^
as someone who didnt follow michigan that far back, that breakaway speed is stunning considering how big wheatley was
September 14th, 2010 at 8:43 AM ^
I hope you missed it simply because you were super young. God he was good. Huge. And Faaaaaaaast.
September 14th, 2010 at 4:02 PM ^
I love Hart, Perry, A-Train and the rest . . . but Wheatley was the greatest. An incredible combination of size and speed. He weighed about 230 and was the Big Ten sprint champ in indoor track. As a sophomore, he averaged over seven yards a carry. He was in the Heisman conversation his last two years but missed some time due to injuries. Even so, he was a three-time 1,000-yard rusher.
September 13th, 2010 at 11:52 PM ^
I would have to say it's gotta be one of the best because not only is it on the road but it's against one of our most heated rivals. The play is a perfect picture of why football is a team sport. You see a hat on a hat and Denard goes zooooooooooooooooooooom 87 yards in no time flat. Butch Woolfolk also comes to mind but I believe that was against Indiana. To think what Denard has done in such a short time as a starter is nothing short of absolutely amazing. The scary part is he still has so much room to grow.
September 14th, 2010 at 12:17 AM ^
When Denard took off i felt like i did when Braylon ate up Sparty. Or when Charles took over OSU. Those were plays that turned Michigan Men into absolute Legends. I swear it felt the same. It was magical to watch. He didn't put a lot of fancy moves or truck anyone but it had a special feel being at Notre Dame and the hype coming from the Uconn game. Reverse Rocket.
September 14th, 2010 at 12:25 AM ^
Skip ahead to 4:30 and you'll see Rob Lytle's 75 yard TD run against Sparty from 1976. That was a beauty. Not the longest but it was against a rival opponent.
September 14th, 2010 at 12:53 AM ^
Rob could do it all. He was in the running for Heisman three times. Runs like this made Bo a proud man. Great call WolverineHistorian. Lets get some video up of Hart, dragging horses.
September 14th, 2010 at 7:36 AM ^
While Denard's run will be historic, I seem to remember Tim B carrying 2 or 3 buckeyes on his back for several yards in his 313 game....more of an iconic run than statistically historic, but one I'll remember.
September 14th, 2010 at 8:14 AM ^
This run was the first thing that popped into my head when I read the thread title. I was at that game and I'm pretty sure it developed my first man crush (you know, the non-gay bromance).
How about the opposite of the best run in Michigan history? The first thing that pops into my head (again I was at this game) is A-train's fumble against Northwestern. So so so so so dumb.