Just a Bump in the Road...
For those of you who think this loss means that we are taking a step or two back or that we've somehow veered into a ditch, let me remind you of how much progress we have made.
Last year, on this date, we just got out of a win against PSU (18-13) with a record of 3-4 and that only momentarily slowed the end of the Hoke/Brandon years. We felt down and out as a fan base and we weren't sure how many years it would take to go back to being a winning team. A team that other teams were afraid of playing and that forced opposing coaches to use every trick in the book to game plan against.
As you know, the very next game at this point last year was that MSU team where we stood no chance and got laughed off the field in a 35-11 blowout. We were 3-5 at that moment with losses to ND, Utah, Minnesota, Rutgers and MSU.
Fast forward one year. We lose to MSU on a game that we should have won. We are 5-2 and instead of feeling like we are heading towards a 5-7 year, our fan base feels that we are headed to a 8, 9 or even 10 win season. That is a seismic shift in just one year and our wins have been impressive while our losses have been incredibly close heartbreakers.
In just one year, our team feels that they are in control of their own destiny and I know Coach Harbaugh has them believing that it will only get better.
When we get pushed down, let's stand up and realize how far we've come and how hard our team has worked to get us here. They need our support and our fan base needs our support. Don't let one flukey play define our season. We have a lot to fight for and we are building a strong foundation for the future Harbaugh years.
Go Blue!
Sincerely yours in football.
October 17th, 2015 at 11:34 PM ^
bumps in the road.
October 18th, 2015 at 12:07 AM ^
October 18th, 2015 at 1:02 AM ^
October 18th, 2015 at 6:07 AM ^
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October 18th, 2015 at 8:31 AM ^
October 17th, 2015 at 11:34 PM ^
October 17th, 2015 at 11:51 PM ^
As you get older, you will learn that "forever" is a long time.
Besides, living through 8 years of Michigan's self-destruction made my "pissed off at losses" time get a lot shorter. Officiating and luck aside, Michigan has one weakness that bit them in the ass today: the one QB they can trust to manage the team can't hit anything downfield.
That will be fixed next year by O'Korn and maybe Brandon Peters. This team is still moving in the right direction.
October 18th, 2015 at 12:36 AM ^
October 18th, 2015 at 2:05 AM ^
I don't take them for granted like I used to.
And I know the next few years are going to be much better than the last few.
So we've suffered through the past seven years with a brief respite in 2011. I can take this and look forward to better Michigan football, this year and next.
October 18th, 2015 at 1:36 AM ^
Considering analysts are linking this play game to Stanford/Cal's band on the field and Alabama/Auburn's kick 6, forever is a strong possibility. There won't be a year when we play state that this play isn't shown. Unfortunately in 25 years we will still remember this play and where we were when it happened. Hopefully the words "The last time state beat Michigan" will accompany it for the next 25 years as well.
October 18th, 2015 at 1:59 AM ^
Cal and Auburn actually had to make good plays--those were not unforced errors. We handed MSU the ball and let them walk it into the end zone.
October 18th, 2015 at 2:11 AM ^
for the game-winning TD for the Eagles when the Giants were in a kneel-down situation but tried to run the ball into the line anyway.
It also reminded me of Garo Yepremian's ill-advised pick six against the Redskins in the 1972 perfect season. Only the Dolphins still won 14-7, although the play allowed the Skins to climb back within one score.
October 18th, 2015 at 3:00 AM ^
October 18th, 2015 at 8:05 AM ^
Silly mistakes happen to every team. To think things are going to bee perfect is pretty delusional.
Blake is a Harbaugh recruit by the way.
What this game will do is make the team realize they have to fight and give everything they have each and every day and hopefully bring them even closer as a team. My pre season prediction was 10-2. I thought we would lose this game because it was a first big challenge. I didn't think we would lose the first game or lose this game in this manner obviously. I believe we will still win all the games up to the OSU game which will be tight, but now this team knows they have to play even harder. Hopefully, in hindsight, I will be able to say that we traded this game for a OSU win and I'll feel it was worth it.
October 18th, 2015 at 3:19 AM ^
October 18th, 2015 at 10:16 AM ^
No! It doesn't having to "sting forever."
Sure, among many other last-second plays that determined the outcome of games, what some are calling yesterday's “The Blunder at The Big House,” the game’s last play will be replayed whenever there are “highlight” reels shown of shocking last-second college football game plays.
It will be there with the Cal-Stanford “band on the field” play, the Auburn-Alabama Iron Bowl “missed field goal TD” play, Colorado’s Kordell Stewart to Michael Westbrook “Miracle at Michigan” Hail Mary TD, the Boston College-Miami “Flutie to Phelan Hail Mary" TD, the Michigan State-Notre Dame fake field goal TD play, this season's BYU-Nebraska Hail Mary TD . . . and maybe, when other sports are shown, the Herman Edwards “Scoop and Score” in the 1978 ”Miracle at the Meadowlands” and the ball going through Bill Buckner’s legs in the sixth game of the 1986 World Series and Boston University’s two goals in the last minute to tie and a deflected overtime goal to win the 2009 NCAA ice hockey championship. . . . and this:
The coaches and whoever the team’s leaders are now have the burden of making sure that the devastating loss does not cause a severe downward spiral that allows Michigan State to “beat them” five more times this year.
While it may seem today like the Paul Bunyan Trophy is going to have a permanent home in East Lansing, John O’Korn, Zach Gentry and Brandon Peters now know that they have lots of work to do between now and next season, if they’re going to be the quarterback to lead Michigan to a win that will bring the Paul Bunyan Trophy back to Ann Arbor in 2016. . . . There’s also a Little Brown Jug resting at the University of Minnesota that still could make its way back to Ann Arbor in a couple of weeks. . . . And, if there’s any reward for all the suffering from yesterday’s loss, maybe there could be another “Miracle at Michigan” that would result in a last-second Michigan victory in The Big House on November 28 that would end Ohio State's winning streak.
October 17th, 2015 at 11:35 PM ^
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October 17th, 2015 at 11:35 PM ^
October 17th, 2015 at 11:36 PM ^
The fact that we're all so disappointed by this loss is a testament to Harbaugh and the drastic improvement of the team.
October 17th, 2015 at 11:36 PM ^
October 17th, 2015 at 11:38 PM ^
This is one of those games that we'll chuckle about when we're kicking everyone's ass in a few years. Saban lost to Louisiana Monroe in 2007. Win out and beat the buckeyes!
October 17th, 2015 at 11:47 PM ^
I'll never laugh about this, but I get your point.
I hope it does not negatively impact the rest of the season the way the Colorado loss did in '94. We were never the same that year after that.
The bye week comes at a good time for us.
October 17th, 2015 at 11:53 PM ^
Good news is we have a bye week and a few "winnable" games before going on the road against PSU and then The Game. Just got to get the team focused and I know the coaches will get them back in business.
October 17th, 2015 at 11:48 PM ^
Getting really tired of all this poor sportsmanship around here but I understand the pain. I'm pretty stoked that we are 5-2 and hung with 2 of the top 10 teams in the country in Harbaugh's first year. This is not the same team we've seen on the field 6 out of the last 7 years. I think that's pretty evident, but we need to learn how to finish and I think the lessons they learn from this game will last a really long time.
MSU practices the punt block. We practice punting. They executed better than we did on the last play of the game. That probably happens one out of 100 times. Whatever. What really bothers me is that we couldn't get a first down on the last drive. Crazy shit is going to happen at college football games but this team battled and they played well enough to win. I'm insanely encouraged by that. And I can't wait until the next game.
October 18th, 2015 at 2:14 AM ^
at 500-1
October 18th, 2015 at 3:17 AM ^
October 18th, 2015 at 7:34 AM ^
with the situation at hand, Michigan had a 99.8% chance of winning. Fuck !
Go Ble!
October 17th, 2015 at 11:42 PM ^
I felt sick to my stomach too. But I felt a sense of shock and embarrassment when we lost to Rutgers. That was the longest walk to the car ever and I had to take their bus to the parking lot with all these Rutgers fans telling me that they are undefeated against Michigan.
Compared to that... I still feel that people respect our team now and no coach wants to play us next...
October 17th, 2015 at 11:51 PM ^
I was there. I was kind of speechless that they rushed the field after the game. I also thought it was amusing with about 5 minutes left, every Rutgers supporter around me was convinced that they were going to lose that game.
October 17th, 2015 at 11:59 PM ^
It was pretty terrible. I wanted to explain that this is not your typical "Michigan" team, but whatever, no worth trying to be rationale. Good for them and good that they treated it as a trophy win.
Part of this year is about restoring order. Beating the teams that we are supposed to beat. We got the job done with Maryland and NW, but we let the MSU game slip away. They put up a tough fight and put themselves in an opportunity to win. We gave up an easy TD (or eventual TD one play afterwards) on a FB slip play and there were other opportunities where we should have caught them. When the score is so tight, any little mistake can cost you, and unfortunately it happened. This is football. It's a crazy game. We can only prepare and learn the lesson for next time.
October 17th, 2015 at 11:42 PM ^
October 18th, 2015 at 12:25 AM ^
But, isn't that why we love Michigan Football so damn much. We haven't just had some of the most iconic losses, but a lot of iconic wins as well.
I am just a little more relaxed this year knowing that all is not hopeless and we are back on track for the first time in 7 years. It is good that I don't lose sleep over Michigan Football. I have seen some solid wins on the field this season and passion in the players. I have seen some god awful officiating as we have come to expect in pretty much every game that is played only to have the Big Ten opologize on another day for its poor calling. It is football and better it is Michigan Football and the reason I love it!
Best Part of Fall is Michigan Football!
Go Blue!
October 18th, 2015 at 9:17 AM ^
October 18th, 2015 at 12:26 AM ^
But god damn, the Colorado bomb was the worst for me.
Just horrifying.
October 18th, 2015 at 1:18 AM ^
At least Colorado had to make a play. We just handed the ball to MSU and let them walk it into the end zone.
October 18th, 2015 at 7:11 AM ^
Unfortunately, we will have to watch and relive this highlight, er, lowlight every time we play MSU from now until the end of eternity. This play will never be forgotten.
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October 18th, 2015 at 10:57 AM ^
Both sucked.
October 18th, 2015 at 7:25 AM ^
October 17th, 2015 at 11:42 PM ^
The road to building a winner: Lose big . . . lose close . . . win close . . . win big.
We're moving in the right direction.
October 17th, 2015 at 11:46 PM ^
I still don't feel any better. This is one game that Michigan should have had.
October 17th, 2015 at 11:49 PM ^
If anyone here thought we were a NC contender this season you are delusional. We are a strong contender for the B1G, nothing more. The best is yet to come. Believe in the future because it's a shining beacon. MSU will not win another game against Michigan in the next 10 seasons. Hear me now, believe me when it happens.
October 17th, 2015 at 11:50 PM ^
In order for MSU to win they needed the botched special teams play at the end, nearly every call to go in their favor in the entire game, and for our LBs to be missing some combination of Ross and Bolden for the entire game. This team is light years better than last year and outplayed MSU. We just need to learn how to finish.
October 18th, 2015 at 12:03 AM ^
This is a pretty good perspective... but I will note that we have some distance to go. There were some earned penalties that hurt us (Willie Henry piling on), and we didn't generate the sustained pressure on Cook that maybe we might have expected to... that left the DBs a little exposed, as Cook kept dropping NFL level dimes on his receivers. Offensive line didn't open holes or protect as well against the (admittedly excellent) MSE defensive front. Bottom line: yep, got screwed a lot of ways today, and certainly by fate/luck/whatever, but need to keep working hard to make sure we're not in a position to lose on a last play of the game...
October 18th, 2015 at 12:10 AM ^
I actually didn't understand the Willie Henry penalty. Didn't he just jump on his own teammate? I also couldn't hear the whistle, but I guess they blew it.
October 18th, 2015 at 12:14 AM ^
October 18th, 2015 at 7:13 AM ^
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October 18th, 2015 at 8:27 AM ^
whistle is blown, however you can see the pile moving which was likely the reason he jumped on the pile. There is also a Michigan and a MSU player continuing to block each other. There is no sign anyone heard a whistle. It was one of a ton of terrible calls. There may have been missed calls both ways but they seemed very skewed in MSU's favor.
October 18th, 2015 at 2:01 AM ^
October 18th, 2015 at 7:32 AM ^