Previously: Krushed By Stauskas (Illinois 2014), Introducing #ChaosTeam (Indiana 2009), Revenge is Terrifying (Colorado 1996), Four Games In September I (Boston College 1991), Four Games In September II (Boston College 1994), Four Games In September III (Boston College 1995), Four Games In September IV (Boston College 1996), Pac Ten After Dark Parts One and Two (UCLA 1989), Harbaugh's Grand Return Parts One and Two (Notre Dame 1985), Deceptive Speed Parts One and Two (Purdue 1999)

This Game: Full broadcast with original commercials(!), condensed every-snap video, WH highlights, box score

Part One: Click here

REMINDER: We will be streaming this game with commentary on my Twitch channel tomorrow at noon. So, uh, I guess spoiler alert for these posts?

Enjoy.

Washington comes out of the half holding a 21-17 lead, then pin Michigan on their own 12-yard line when Mercury Hayes can't find any space returning the second-half kickoff. In one play, that lead is gone, and Tyrone Wheatley is threatening the Rose Bowl single-game rushing record.

Wheatley's 88-yard touchdown run is the longest in Rose Bowl history. (The record wouldn't be broken until Oregon's De'Anthony Thomas ripped off a 91-yarder against Wisconsin in 2012.)

Washington's response is near-instantaneous. Napoleon Kaufman, bottled up in the running game all afternoon, gets loose on the ensuing kickoff; only a questionable angle and cornerback Dwayne Ware prevent a touchdown and the Huskies start the drive in Wolverine territory. Mark Brunell does most of the work from there, scrambling for a first down and throwing for another to set up a one-yard Kaufman touchdown plunge. 28-24, Huskies.

[Hit THE JUMP for the MAYBE-TOO-EXCITING CONCLUSION]

Brent Musburger has a straightforward plan for the Michigan offense: "Just give it to number six." Washington expects that, however, burying Wheatley for a loss. A holding penalty negates a big catch-and-run by Felman Malveaux and leads M to third-and-forever; another holding flag is declined when Elvis Grbac's third-down throw falls incomplete. Chris Stapleton's punt is a low line drive that doesn't get out of M territory; the Wolverines are fortunate freshman Jason Shelley only gets to the 35—he tries to break to the sideline when an upfield path looks more promising.

That proves costly, somewhat. Any chance of Washington going ahead by two possessions is gone when they run a dive with the backup tailback on third-and-seven. This brings on Travis Hanson, the younger brother of Jason, a Washington State All-American kicker in the midst of his rookie season with the Detroit Lions. "I thought [Jason] was a Heisman Trophy winner," says Musburger, rather boldly given much of his audience watched Desmond Howard's journey to winning the award in great detail. Despite a low snap, the younger Hanson hits a 44-yarder. There's a familial resemblance.

ABC shows Grbac's stat line as he takes the field: 11-for-22, 108 yards, one touchdown. "11-for-22, he’s having a pretty good day," says Dick Vermeil. Passing standards in the early '90s were a bit different. The Wolverines move near midfield on a third-and-seven when Grbac waits out Alexander's route on a max-protect, one-man pattern.

On third-and-five, Wheatley makes a remarkable second effort that comes up just short of the sticks. Facing fourth-and-one from the UW 49, with Wheatley on pace to break the Rose Bowl rushing record, Gary Moeller sends out the punt team—with Wheatley as the up-back. Washington pays very close attention to him. Stapleton's punt is fair caught at the UW 18. I'm annoyed, even now.

Lloyd Carr's defense boots the Huskies off the field in three plays, ending with Matt Dyson finally corralling the slippery Brunell for a 15-yard sack.

Derrick Alexander almost houses the punt, setting up the offense on the UW 13-yard line. Redshirt freshman Trezelle Jenkins, starting at left tackle, false starts to begin the drive, and matters don't get better from there. A shovel pass to Wheatley is blown up, Alexander limps off the field after Grbac overthrows an end zone shot, then either Amani Toomer or Tony McGee runs the wrong route and breaks up a potential touchdown to whomever was supposed to be there:

If your blood pressure isn't high enough, McGee calls a timeout after the team lines up to kick, and based on the gesturing during his sideline conversation with Moeller it looks like a fake was on and McGee wasn't clear on his route. With the fake no longer on, Peter Elezovic shanks a 32-yard attempt into the outside of the upright. Opportunity wasted.

For a moment, that is. On the very next play, Jason Horn dislodges the ball from Kaufman, putting Michigan back in business on the 24-yard line. For the second time time in a quarter, Wheatley scores on a one-play drive.

What a day he is having indeed.

Wheatley looks like he'll inevitably surpass Charles White's 247 yards in the 1980 Rose Bowl against Ohio State for the record.

“See that’s unusual, Michigan is tied with somebody,” says Musburger. Bo Schembechler doesn't laugh.

As the game moves into the fourth quarter knotted at 31, a couple of defensive pass interference flags move Washington to the Wolverine five. Tension is running high, for most.

Then the defense gets nasty. Brunell gets walloped on an option keeper and comes up grimacing. Safety Shonte Peoples stuffs Kaufman for no gain on second down. He also makes the play on third down after Chris Hutchinson forces an option pitch back inside.

Kicking from an awkward angle, Hanson pushes the short field goal wide right. The game remains deadlocked.

At what feels like the worst possible time, ABC reports that Wheatley—who hadn't been on the field for the last kickoff return, and ceded carries to Ricky Powers and Ed Davis in the third quarter, much to Vermeil's dismay—is dealing with back spasms. Davis and fullback Burnie Legette carry the rock seven times on M's ten-play drive. In the midst of it, Musburger and Vermeil provide one of the most surreal calls in football history.

"You know, Elvis Grbac, and your heart goes out to his Croatian relatives over in Europe," says Musburger. "A lot of them have been right in the heart of that civil unrest, horrible war that’s been going on. It’s been difficult to get a hold of his relatives. Here he is, in his final college game, handing off to Legette who goes over the top for a first down."

"You know the other thing I would be concerned about if I were Moeller is, I don’t have a cinch field goal kicker," adds Vermeil.

Anyway, Grbac finds McGee up the seam for 32 yards, then Davis gains five on the following play, prompting Schembechler to provide some totally impartial analysis.

“I don’t know a team in the country that has as many good tailbacks as Michigan,” says Bo.

“Now what we did was just heard their recruiting programs,” says Vermeil.

“They just have to get one more,” Bo says. “You always have to get one more.”

It's a fair point: Wheatley took the starting job from an injured Ricky Powers earlier in the year, while Davis had been the fourth-stringer before an injury to talented backup Jesse Johnson.

With the running game still full steam ahead, Moeller picks the perfect spot for a shot play—third-and-three at the 15.

McGee's second effort gets him his second touchdown of the game and moves the Wolverines ahead, 38-31. 5:29 remains on the clock.

As Washington begins its possession, Musburger says that coach Don James already told him (evidently in the pregame meeting) that he'd go for two and the win if the Huskies scored late. The Michigan defense forces a quick third-and-long only to let receiver Damon Mack slip down the sideline for 28 yards. After another Brunell first-down pass, Washington has to burn a timeout. They still screw up the snap count on the other side, giving DT Tony Henderson a gift TFL. Brunell's next two throws fall incomplete and the defense rallies to his fourth-down scramble well before the marker.

Two first downs will seal the game for Moeller's Wolverines. Powers bursts out to midfield for the first, causing UW to use their final timeout. They can't get the second, though, and disaster nearly strikes when Powers bobbles a handoff, securing it as he's hit in the backfield. 

"Most important reception of the game," says Musburger. "Powers to Powers."

Stapleton lines up to punt. Schembechler and Vermeil discuss whether they'd set up a return or go for a block.

What the hell, everyone.

Brunell, who's thrown for 308 yards and two scores, has 63 seconds to drive 44 yards. Given Michigan's Rose Bowl history, this feels not only plausible, but perhaps likely. His first throw is well-covered, the second nearly intercepted, and the third winged over a tight end who would've had the first down. With one shot left, his throw into traffic hits the grass.

As Michigan gets into victory formation, the broadcast focuses on center/viking Steve Everitt, who's been a rock on the line after a hellacious year.

Mo gets an early shower.

Finally, after five straight conference titles, Michigan has a Rose Bowl victory to cap the run. Wheatley remains stuck on 15 carries for 237 yards because of back spasms and leg cramps; we all know the real greatest rushing performance in Rose Bowl history, regardless of what the record book says.

The Wolverines finished the season 9-0-3 and ranked #5 in both polls. They'd enter 1993 as the #3-ranked team in the preseason AP Poll with big expectations for a Wheatley-led offense that'd also feature touted quarterback Todd Collins throwing to Alexander, Toomer, and Hayes.

Washington came in for a rough landing after failing to secure their third Rose Bowl win in as many years. Remember the intro to this game? While the NCAA found no wrongdoing by UW related to the $50,000 loan to former quarterback Billy Joe Hobert, a booster-run summer jobs program and misuse of recruiting visit funds led to the Pac Ten hitting them with a bowl ban of at least one year and additional penalties.

When Washington's president negotiated with the conference and agreed to a two-year bowl ban instead of the initial one-year recommendation in exchange for lesser television revenue penalties, James—the winningest coach in program history—resigned in protest. Now in the College Football Hall of Fame, James would never coach another game.