Which Michigan RB had the better performance against OSU?
Your contenders (and you must choose one):
Tshimanga Biakabutuka (1995) vs. #2 OSU
- 313 yards on 37 carries, 1 TD
- Michigan wins 31-23
or
Hassan Haskins (2021) vs. #2 OSU
- 169 yards on 28 carries, 5 TDs
- Michigan wins 42-27
We're all going to have to overcome generational bias and recency bias here.
Aaaaaaaaand . . . go.
It's hard not to say Haskins simply because Michigan didn't even face a 3rd down in the second half. Then again, the entire team was bulldozing them. Corum had some huge runs and Cade was money.
Gotta go with Tim and the 313 yards. Just insane.
#TB313
Ill look at it this way. Tim B couldve done what Haskins did but I dont think it works the other way around. 5 TDs is epic but what Tim did is just so special. Nobody has seen anything like that since. For one game Tim B was prime Barry Sanders at Oklahoma St.
(On Mother's Day weekend) Shout out to my mom who pulled some strings at work and got me and a buddy two seats, 30Yd, Row 10 for that 95 Game.
Also, with apologies to the amazing day the three backs had this past November, it's Tim. It'll always be Tim.
Not even close.
Username checks out ☑️
Avatar checks out ☑️
Post checks out ☑️
Tim, Michigan ran the pro style back then so Ohio State knew exactly what was coming and he still ran it down their throats.
313 yards is just ridiculous. 37 carries is a mockery. Biakabutuka carried that team the entire game. He was dominate in the way that Jordan was dominant in his best games: OSU knew exactly what was going to happen but couldn't do anything about it. Timmy just out ran them, ran over them, slashed through them, and jump-stepped his way around them. He was amazing.
Any yet, Haskins had the bigger day.
Better? I can't say that, but bigger for sure. If only for the reason that Michigan needed this game in a way that can't be compared to 1995. 2021 vs OSU could be argued to be UM's most important win ever. And then add into the fact that Michigan essentially didn't pass in the 2nd half, and Michigan just ran the ball down their throat. It wasn't only Haskins, but Haskins was the major reason this happened. His leadership, power, tenacity, refusal to go down was a thing of beauty to watch. It wasn't the beauty of Biakabutuka; it was a different type of beauty all together. A type of beauty that had as much to do with the will as it did with the natural gifts. Haskins willed himself into one of the singularly great RB years at UM.
I've been thinking about this Timmy vs Haskins question since I read/watched Seth's amazing post "So your team drafted a Wolverine: Hassan Haskins"
Until Haskins vs OSU, my favorite single game UM football performance was Biakabutuka vs OSU. But what Haskins did still makes me smile in a way that Biakabutuka didn't.
Better?
I mean, 313/37 will always be better. But I'd give that up before I'd give up Haskins vs OSU 2021
I concur wholeheartedly with this statement. The question is, which game was more important for Michigan: the Haskins game or TB game. Hands down it is the Haskins game. That win propelled us into the CFP.
My 2 cents is:
Biakabatuka had the better performance from a stat perspective.
Haskins had the most needed performance from a rivalry perspective.
lol well said.
In relation to your comment and my comment right before yours:
A quote I like is: "It's easy to write well. It's hard to write well, concisely."
This is the proper framing.
From a pure running back perspective, Biakabutuka's performance was clearly superior in terms of speed and agility, and he was every bit as hard to bring down that day as Hassan was.
However, the emotional aspects of the game in '95 were completely different than in '21.
Prior to the '95 game, Michigan was 4-1-1 in the previous six OSU games, including two blowout victories. The emotional need for our victory last season was vastly higher than it was in '95 considering how many years had passed since our last victory. That '95 team was already out of the running for even a conference title, and obviously had no chance for the national championship. The stakes were far higher last season.
Tim.
Cumong, man. 313 yards. That's ridiculous even if it was an FCS school UM played.
I think Tim is still running right now. Someone should tell him the game is over...
Biakabutuka was unstoppable that day, but it's hard to look past the whopping 5 TDs Haskins had.
No disrespect to HH's great game, but one of those 5 was a gimme.
That said, he wouldn’t have gotten that gimme if he hadn’t driven the team down to the 4 by himself.
Touchdown Timmy. I love what Hassan did this game but Tim was running withguys on his back and breaking tackles like a man amongst boys. I was there and it was beautiful
Gotta go with Biakabutuka
Which was the better o-line performance is the more interesting question. Tim had hilarious holes and that was a better OSU defense, especially up front.
Biakabutuka’s game against OSU was likely the single greatest rushing performance in Michigan History regardless of opponent.
Enjoy ten minutes of pure domination Long of 40 and chunk play after chunk play.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3wSUL3kk1w
Props to great line play. Timmy never missed a hole or cutback lane. He turned the edge often with speed and made huge YAC.
I would put Tyrone Wheatley's 1993 Rose Bowl performance into the discussion. 235 yards and 3 TDs on only 15 carries, and didn't even play the fourth quarter because of injury.
He seemed unstoppable. He got dinged up halfway through the third, and it was uncertain if he would return. They put him in for one more carry, and he got a 25-yard TD out of it. Just monumental stuff.
Chris Perry as well 153 rushing yards 2 TDs and another 55 yards catching..leading the way to a win
Tough one for sure. I'd be inclined to vote Tim, what an epic performance. On the other, H2 hurdling that fool...
That’s too easy. No disrespect toward Hassan, but Timmy B was a fucking tank who destroyed people.
This is a hell of a question!
Either way, fun to relive those memories!
I look at it this way. To say each running back had an A+ game would be an understatement. What would have happened in each game if they had turned in an A-/B+ game instead?
In 1995, we probably lose.
In 2021, we still win. Maybe closer and more stressful, but still a win.
Based on that line of thinking, I'm going with Biakabutuka.
I was a student in '95. I was at The Game this year in Section 4. Eye test = Timmy B:
Looking good, Billy Ray!
Watching that WH video makes it clear that the question at the outset of this post should really be asking between Tom Harmon and Touchdown Tim. A ridiculous performance.
Yes.
Tim B.
In the stands (student section) in 1995, it was literally hard to understand what Tim B was doing. It was simply unbelievable. Almost laughable in a 'wow' way.
HH had a great game. TB had a greater game.
Almost not arguable.
Tshimanga Biakabutuka. He was the entire offense that day.
Agreed. Griese threw 2 INTs and was 9 / 18 for 103 yards total. Meanwhile, Biakabutuka carried it 37 times and the rest of the backs carried it another 15 for 89 yards not including Griese's 5 carries for -21 yards.
What may also be forgotten is that Eddie George wins the Heisman that season running behind Orlando Pace yet we shut him down for 105 yards on 21 carries that day.
I literally start to cry tears of joy when I think of the 2021 game.
The 1995 was more akin to a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon.
H2
I agree that last year's game was probably my all time favorite in any sport, but let's not forget that OSU was unbeaten and ranked #2 in 1995 while we were 9-3 and ranked #18 having lost to Northwestern, MSU and PSU just the week before.
Beating OSU was taken for granted in those days, but it was Lloyd's first season and crushing for OSU as it knocked them out of the Rose Bowl and a share of the Big Ten, which of course is always a wonderful feeling.
Tim Biakabutuka!
Only one hurdled a fool in The Game...
Love for Haskins but Timmy Biakabatuka in a landslide.
I will agree that 2021 was a more satisfying win for the team, but as far as the RB performance goes, Timmy B's performance greatly exceeded that of HH.
Both great backs and the real question might be which OL was better. The 2021 Joe Moore winning line or the 1995 line of Rod Payne, Jon Runyan, Jon Jansen, Zach Adami and Joe Marinaro that opened gaping holes against Mike Vrabel, Luke Fickell and others.
Look at this gaping hole early in the 2nd half after Timmy had already run for 200 yards in the first half.
Wow - give my old ass 4 yards on that one! Still- what a game
I know it's not an option but I think Chris Perry deserves a mention for the game in 2003. OSU allowed an average of 62 and a TD on the ground. Perry ran for 154 and 2 TDs.
Add 55 yards on 5 catches..an amazing performance
No generation bias at all. Biakabatuka by a mile,
BEE-AH-KAH-BAH-TOOKUS!
But both were great - GO BLUE
Haskins was great.
But, c'mon. It's Biakabatuka. It's not demeaning to Hassan's performance to choose one of the singular Michigan performances of all time.
I'm old enough to vividly remember Tim B performance, it was ridiculous and guady. But what Haskins did might have had more significance , because it was absolutely needed.
I still say that Tim was
a) the best RB I have seen at UM. Period.
b) was truly the best player in the country and deserved the Heisman. George had his game vs ND, but Biakabatuka was just better overall. Too bad for his injuries once he went to the NFL.
I’m biased as the ‘95 Game was probably the most fun I ever had at Michigan Stadium.
But to me there’s no question it’s Biakabatuka. The OSU defense in ‘95 was better than 2021’s. And he tore their asses apart.
Still worry mentioning that we won 42-27 this year. 42-27, if I recall correctly.
I agree Andrew. That 95 game was special. It was probably the most fun I have had at a game too. I still remember the streaker that ran the entire field and did the heisman pose right in front of us before he was tackled by security. Then I remember looking over at my little 13 year old sister and her friend sitting next to me and watching their faces. It was priceless
Yes! That streaker had panache.
And I had two insane Northwestern fans behind me who were as happy as anyone. Which nobody minded. And a hayseed Buckeye fan in front of me who was having the worst day of his life. Nobody minded that either!