One Frame At A Time: Northwestern
Despite watching this approximately 457 times, I'm still in utter disbelief that this worked. Things required to have this happen:
- Jeremy Gallon immediately pitching the ball to an official.
- That official rugby-tossing the ball to the umpire.
- The umpire placing the ball down and getting the hell out of the way.
- FIRE DRILL LINE CHANGE.
- Drew Dileo, barely in the frame when the camera zooms out, realizing after a split-second hesitation that he must sprint to the right spot and slide into position.
- Jareth Glanda snapping the ball at the last possible moment so the line doesn't draw a flag.
- Brendan Gibbons marking off his steps at warp speed, then drilling a 44-yarder despite still moving backwards at the snap (which is legal, as covered in today's mailbag).
100% complete insanity, indeed.
If you're wondering about the identity of the guy in the black jacket running around like a manic behind the goalposts, that's Greg Dooley of MVictors. Livin' the dream, Greg.
[The rest of the Northwestern game in GIFS after THE JUMP, including Brady Hoke RAWKING OUT, Devin Gardner sacrificing life and rib, Derrick Green truck stick, and more angles of the miraculous field goal.]
As per usual, click the links/stills to open each GIF in a lightbox.
HONORABLE MENTION
Jehu Chesson crushes a punt returner (with bonus Norfleet trash talking). Joe Reynolds downs the punt. Brady Hoke reacts to the field goal by almost smiling. Northwestern's president(!) signals no good, is wrong. Taylor Lewan pancakes a guy on the first play of OT. Jibreel Black's essentially game-sealing sack.
10. Welcome Back, Thomas Gordon
Northwestern got a first down on this run, granted. Still, that's a heck of a play from Gordon, who came down from his one-high safety spot to drill Kain Colter just beyond the sticks on a 4th-and-2.
9. Fitz Sees The Future
That is the face of a man who has seen this movie before, and in this movie everybody dies.
8. Derrick Green Trucks Honor
Honor is pretty resilient.
7. #BUTTDOWN
A senior-level catch and a freshman-level celebration. The tag could be interpreted as "Buttdown" (like touchdown) or "Butt down" (post-celebration); Brian is going to have to live with this, as Jake Butt himself has totally embraced the fact that his last name is going to make him an internet sensation for as long as he plays.
6. Devin Gardner Sacrifices Life And Rib
A two-for-one here. First, the overtime touchdown; I took the replay from the postgame montage because it shows Gardner's face—somebody help me up, please—and him getting dragged to his feet by practically the entire offensive line.
Then, on the critical two-point conversion, he breaks contain, takes a glancing hit to the ribs, powers his way to the end zone, and collapses from a combination of exhaustion and SERIOUSLY OW MY RIBS.
I much prefer having this man at quarterback as opposed to the freshman who signaled for a spike before the last-second, fourth-down field goal.
5. Kevin Koger Helmetless Headbutt
Football players, current or former, are rather insane. Also, my favorite part of this GIF may be Cam Gordon smacking Gibbons upside the head—in a celebratory way, of course—when the latter clearly thought the worst was over.
4. Shank/Sad Fitz
A shanked punt is always hilarious as long as it's not your team doing it; making this one a thousand times better is Pat Fitzgerald frantically waving for someone to down the punt, watching it go out of bounds, and perfectly executing the sad Charlie Brown walk while his playcard dangles from his waist and discarded headset hangs from his shoulder. Obvious soundtrack is obvious.
3. BRADY F***ING HOKE WOULD LIKE TO F***ING GO FOR F***ING TWO
This is actually my favorite GIF of the week, though I must defer to the field goal. This is right after Michigan's touchdown in overtime; the offense starts walking off the field and Brady Hoke gently reminds them that they're required to go for two, in so many words. Oh, and he's throwing up the RAWK hand while saying at least one naughty word and tops it off with a tremendous flying Hokepoint. I can lip-read the first thing he says; if anybody can figure out the last part, I'm quite curious to know.
\m/
With bonus Gibbons fist-pump.
FRAMES OF THE GAME
Was there really any question? I can't stop watching this.
VOTE
November 19th, 2013 at 3:08 PM ^
And the guy in the white dress shirt standing in front of MVictors' Greg Dooley, waving off the field goal like his arms were magic fan blades of great football-deflecting power, is NU President Morty Schapiro.
So there's that.
November 19th, 2013 at 5:05 PM ^
...a man who did not maintain his dignity, the white-shirted gent was AD Jim Phillips > http://www.nusports.com/school-bio/nw-athdir.html
November 19th, 2013 at 3:10 PM ^
Could I request the field goal fire drill at half speed? That is a lot to process
November 19th, 2013 at 3:19 PM ^
And can someone do a count of N'Western players on the field. I've been looking all week and I get to 12.
November 19th, 2013 at 3:54 PM ^
Good catch - it sure looks like 12 guys for them.
November 19th, 2013 at 4:02 PM ^
I counted 11. Unless there is another guy besides the guy hidden by the MGoBlog decal on the .gif. I drew an arrow to show I accounted for him.
November 19th, 2013 at 4:33 PM ^
I thought there was one more guy sprinting off, but I'm not positive.
November 19th, 2013 at 4:38 PM ^
I really don't know. I just watched the .gif and tried to capture a screenshot as best I could. There very well could have been another player still on the field outside of the camera.
November 19th, 2013 at 8:37 PM ^
November 19th, 2013 at 3:20 PM ^
I prefer TouchButt myself.
November 19th, 2013 at 3:59 PM ^
I've heard that about you.
November 20th, 2013 at 9:57 AM ^
Jake Butt and I cannot lie.
November 19th, 2013 at 3:20 PM ^
I could watch Green truck that DB all day.
November 19th, 2013 at 7:14 PM ^
Lost in that play is him shrugging off the lineman who tries to grab him near the line of scrimmage. Although the guy is being blocked, I feel like that contact would have knocked Green down earlier in the season. Progress, guy!
November 19th, 2013 at 3:52 PM ^
Ironically enough, the Northwestern fans counting down the remaining seconds may have helped the field goal unit keep track of the clock.
Good thing the Izzone wasn't there: http://deadspin.com/michigan-state-students-force-two-consecutive-shot-cloc-1465825995
November 19th, 2013 at 3:26 PM ^
the troubles with last second field goal antics earlier this year, the refs just wanted to make sure that whatever happened, it was not going to be their fault.
This Buds for you, Mr. Superfast Referee
Football Spotter.November 19th, 2013 at 3:29 PM ^
I believe what Hoke says after the 2-pt converstion part is "Throw up your rockfist if you're feelin it when I drop this".
November 19th, 2013 at 3:33 PM ^
The destroyer of men, Jehu Chesson hits the returner on the punt, falls to his knees, and then somehow activates his knee springs and drives through the returner without any kind of leverage whatsoever.
EDIT: And the player in the Pat Fitz' .gif has a shifty eye problem that would rival our own fan's.
November 19th, 2013 at 3:31 PM ^
Also, after this play and the botched fake field goal against VT in the Sugar Bowl, Jareth Glanda has got to be the most famous long snapper of all time.
November 19th, 2013 at 3:32 PM ^
How about the Jibreel Black one handed sack in overtime?
I was at the game and it looked super awesome live...
November 19th, 2013 at 3:37 PM ^
Honorable mention; click the link.
November 19th, 2013 at 3:34 PM ^
Pretty sure the last thing he says is "GLANDA!!" followed by the universal "get the f*** off the field" gesture.
November 19th, 2013 at 3:49 PM ^
Yet another chapter in The Legend of Jareth Glanda™.
November 19th, 2013 at 4:03 PM ^
On second look (okay, 10th), I think you are correct.
November 19th, 2013 at 3:36 PM ^
fans it still is nothing compared to what NU is going through. Hail Marys, miraculous last second kicks, blowing a late lead to OSU...this team has had it rough.
I like Northwestern and Fitzgerald. Yeah, his sideline gesticulations ae annoying, but NU plays hard and clean just like how the game is meant to be played. I feel for the kids on that team.
That said, that ending was incredible. It balances out the ridiculous PSU ending.
November 19th, 2013 at 3:38 PM ^
I love Bosch skipping in the second Devin Gardner one. I saw it live, and just about died laughing.
November 20th, 2013 at 10:52 PM ^
November 19th, 2013 at 3:41 PM ^
In case you hadn't realized, a "super" in the top-right hand corner of many of these GIFs features the important information that Tiebreaker would appear after the game.
November 19th, 2013 at 9:21 PM ^
What is this Tiebreaker you speak of?
I kind of actually wanted to watch it after the game, but BTN beat it down our throats so much during the game, my friend immediately changed the channel in protest.
November 19th, 2013 at 3:42 PM ^
honorable mention gif, who is it that hugs/gropes him from behind? Forgive my ignorance if its someone I should know.
November 19th, 2013 at 3:54 PM ^
I believe that's Kevin Koger.
Also, I think that the guy headbutting is actually Roy Manning.
November 19th, 2013 at 3:58 PM ^
**Edited since I didn't see your comment about Roy Manning at first.**
They're definitely two different people whoever they are. The guy hugging/groping Hoke is wearing a jacket and blue pants. The guy headbutting Gibbons is wearing no jacket and tan pants.
November 19th, 2013 at 4:44 PM ^
No, the headbutter is definitely Koger, and the guy grabbing Hoke is Singletary.
November 19th, 2013 at 4:10 PM ^
I believe that it's Chris Singletary
November 19th, 2013 at 4:36 PM ^
Chris Singletary
November 19th, 2013 at 3:44 PM ^
I must be glancing over the conversation in the mailbag about Gibbons being allowed to move backwards before the snap. While that's true, the offense has to be set before he does that. Dileo and some of the linemen were still getting set as he started moving backward, which means that the offense wasn't set at all and it should have been a penalty.
It would have been the dickest of dick moves for them to call that penalty, though. I think they were all busy watching the line, which is why they didn't call it.
November 19th, 2013 at 4:16 PM ^
Nevermind Gibbons, the tight end on the right side of the line certainly was not set at the snap.
November 19th, 2013 at 5:39 PM ^
that is AJ Williams, and thank goodness that did not get called.... he is the last one on the field hustling on at the end (why was he not with everyone else running out?) and didn't get set in time with the rest of the line because of it.
November 19th, 2013 at 4:40 PM ^
Plus, we got jobbed a week earlier when half of Nebraska's line moved on the 4th and 2.
November 19th, 2013 at 3:45 PM ^
Looks to me like "go for effing two, get it."
November 19th, 2013 at 3:46 PM ^
Love the Green run because we have seen so few successful down hill runs this year, can probably count them on 1 hand. Oh, life would be so easy if runs like that occurred 10-12 times a game. Next I like the Hoke pic...shows some serious passion despite the trials of the season.
November 19th, 2013 at 3:47 PM ^
The officiating crew at the game must practice their last second field goal execution as well. I've never seen a group of officials move that efficiently with that amount of urgency to get the ball spotted.
I would say most of the MGoPoints today should go to them. Well done.
November 19th, 2013 at 4:05 PM ^
that the officiating crew was favoring MIchigan based on some of the calls that went against NW.
November 20th, 2013 at 10:02 AM ^
the multiple times NW held on the edge that weren't called. That helped us come up with a fantastic finish instead of a boring win in regulation.
November 19th, 2013 at 4:01 PM ^
Was he talking to Gardner?
"Go for #$#@%ing 2!!! Devin!!"
Also, there was a loooot of movement on the right side of the line for the FG; can't believe nobody had a false start there.
EDIT: Man, for a crappy game, there were a lot of outstanding GIFs. I can't stop watching the shanked punt/sad Fitzgerald one.
November 19th, 2013 at 4:03 PM ^
I must acknowledge pulling off the successful field goal with few seconds left was an amazing feat. All the stars had to be perfectly aligned to work. It also took good coaching and perfect execution on the part of the players.
November 19th, 2013 at 4:04 PM ^
Pretty sure what Hoke is saying at the end of the clip is just "God Damn It!"
November 19th, 2013 at 4:07 PM ^
Voted Hoke, because there's your fucking emotion, people.
November 19th, 2013 at 4:28 PM ^
Everyone knows he just stands there and never gets fiery or chews any ass out.
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