What Other Games in U-M History Would Have Been Saved by Instant Replay?

Submitted by BursleyHall82 on

Official review started in the Big Ten in 2004, so if that game had been played 12 years ago, we would have lost. Minnesota's last "touchdown" would have been a touchdown, and that would have been that. So, thank God for instant replay.

Looking back on our history, what losses would have been wins if instant replay had been around? I can think of:

1979 Rose Bowl (which I attended as a member of the band). We lost, 17-10. Charles White of USC scored a touchdown even though he clearly fumbled the ball before he got to the goal line. This play happened in the second quarter, so there's no telling what would have happened later in the game, but instant replay would have negated the go-ahead touchdown.

2001 Michigan-MSU. Instant replay would have negated Spartan Bob's extra second on the clock. Time would have expired, MSU wouldn't have gotten off that last play, and we would have won.

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SWPro

November 1st, 2015 at 2:43 PM ^

I think we are looking for games where the instant reply would have changed the outcome.

 

In this game we had instant replay and the correct call was made because of it.

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ijohnb

November 1st, 2015 at 2:07 PM ^

I can't think of too many that would have been saved but I can think of quite a few that would have been lost. Instant replay against State in 01 probably would have resulted in time expiring. That is one I can think of that would have been saved.

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stephenrjking

November 1st, 2015 at 4:37 PM ^

Not sure Penn State flips, and WSU isn't in position for a Hail Mary at all if the refs don't blow an OPI call, but you're totally right about the Washington game, where even Braylon himself thought the pass was incomplete.

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snarling wolverine

November 1st, 2015 at 5:32 PM ^

I can see 2002 Washington, and maybe PSU.  I don't think so about WSU though.  Besides the horribly blown offensive PI, they were slow starting the clock on that last play after the ball was set.  At least another second should have gone off before the snap.

 

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WolverineHistorian

November 1st, 2015 at 2:21 PM ^

Don't you just love the rules of replay that year? You had to call timeout just to get an obvious call looked at. All our timeouts were wasted in the second half to get plays reviewed that were blatantly obvious in real time. Then the Sun Belt refs kept f*cking up when we had no more timeouts to use. Sun Belt officials must have got a ton of muffin baskets that weekend from Cornhusker fans.

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Bocheezu

November 1st, 2015 at 2:20 PM ^

2000 Illinois -- A-train fumble on the 1

2002 Washington -- who knows, probably call the Braylon fumble an incomplete pass with some process of the catch bullshit

what else?

 

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Frank Chuck

November 1st, 2015 at 2:30 PM ^

A Michigan WR caught a ball going out of bounds on the Miami sideline. The refs ruled it an incomplete pass in part because Jimmy Johnson immediately did the bobbling motion.

With replay, it would've been confirmed as a catch. We get a fresh set of down to seal the game and upset #1 Miami in Michigan Stadium. 

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Brian Griese

November 1st, 2015 at 3:08 PM ^

but when I saw this thread, I thought of a game, where with replay, we would've certainly lost...2002 Washington.  Before the Brabbs kick to win the game, we were driving down the field but faced a forth and two with the clock running.  Navarre through a quick route to Braylon just past the sticks, and as he was reeling it in, he turned up field while taking contact and the ball popped out.  Live, I was 100% sure it was an incomplete pass.  However, the ref on that side ruled it a catch and fumble, and Tyrese Butler jumped on the loose ball.  The rest is history, but I'm 99.9% sure with replay it would've been ruled an incomplete pass and we would've lost the game.  

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Muttley

November 1st, 2015 at 3:32 PM ^

process of the catch treatment.

For example, watch the controversial TD "catch" by Jabbar Gaffney from Jesse Palmer which won the 2000 Florida-Tennessee game.

 

That this could be considered in the realm of possibility of a catch shows how different the requirements for a catch were in those days.

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Craig Dunaway

November 1st, 2015 at 3:51 PM ^

On the play before the Harry Oliver FG, ND's Tony Hunter caught a ball at the sideline in front of their bench. He had a foot out of bounds and it would take replay to tell if he'd stepped out before the catch, thus making the pass incomplete and turning the ball over on downs. 

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Bando Calrissian

November 1st, 2015 at 3:59 PM ^

2005 Notre Dame, when Henne managed to not score from the 1-inch line about three times. Replay wasn't universal (the B1G was one of the first, if not the first to implement it), and non-conference opponents had the option to say no to replay being used in B1G stadiums. ND, of course, said no.

That game was freaking infuriating.

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Bando Calrissian

November 1st, 2015 at 4:39 PM ^

I remember hearing one of the local radio guys talking about how he was on the sidelines for that one, saw the end of the play and how short it was, and headed up to the press box to file his story, only to discover once he got there that they got a good two or three yards on the spot and the game wasn't over. It was so blindingly obvious they weren't even close to the first down.

That being said, watching a young, inexperienced Griese trying to throw deep balls in that one after Dreisbach's injury (traitorous thumb...) was painful.

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