[Toledo Blade]

MGoRevisited: 2004 Michigan State Comment Count

Alex.Drain May 30th, 2023 at 3:36 PM

A couple weeks back I put a post on the MGoBoard about an upcoming series I was planning that would be revisiting great games in Michigan Football history, told by someone who had never seen the game before (me) using insight from someone who had (Craig Ross). This is the first piece in that series and it revisits the most recommended game in the thread I put up... 2004 Michigan State also known as "Braylonfest". 

 

The team: The 2004 Michigan Football season saw a changing of the guard at the two most prominent positions of the era, with the graduations of QB John Navarre and RB Chris Perry in the offseason. In stepped the true freshmen who would define the program over the next four seasons, Chad Henne and Mike Hart. Though being a true freshman starting QB is quite difficult, having returning production in the passing game helped Henne. It especially helped to have a superstar to throw to in Braylon Edwards. Coming off an 1100 yard, 1st Team All-B1G season in 2003, Edwards would be the star of the season and of this game. Fellow wideouts Jason Avant and Steve Breaston also returned, as did TE Tim Massaquoi, meaning four of the top five players in receiving yards in 2003 returned for '04 and were at Henne's disposal (Perry was the other). 

On the offensive line, starters returned at LT (Adam Stenavich), LG (David Baas), and RG (Matt Lentz). The team graduated All-B1G C Dave Pearson and RT Tony Pape, plugging Mark Bihl into the C spot and RS Fr Jake Long into the RT spot. By the time this game rolled around, Bihl had been injured, with Baas sliding to center and Rueben Riley taking over LG. Kevin Dudley returned as fullback for his senior season, while David Underwood and Jerome Jackson returned to the 2004 squad at RB, though Hart got the vast majority of the carries (Max Martin was on the depth chart as a freshman as well in '04). 

[Bentley Historical Library]

The defensive side of the ball was led by star corner Marlin Jackson, the team's lone defensive All-American (1st team). Opposite him at corner was Markus Curry to start the season, eventually supplanted by sophomore Leon Hall. The safeties were a duo of Ryan Mundy at FS and Ernest Shazor at SS, the latter a hero the week before this game. Scott McClintock manned the middle at MIKE LB, while Lawrence Reid was the starter at WILL. Neither LB earned postseason honors and this game will provide a decent window into why. 

Along the defensive line, the gargantuan (6'8") Pat Massey and Gabe Watson, a fellow junior, started for the Wolverines. Watson earned 1st/2nd Team All-B1G for his work that season and they were joined by sophomore OLB/EDGE LaMarr Woodley, who earned 2nd Team All-B1G. Rotational pieces down along the defensive line included Larry Harrison and Alex Ofili, among others. At special teams, Garrett Rivas was a sophomore at kicker (his second season of starting duty), while Adam Finley was a senior at punter, his third and final year as the starter. Steve Breaston handled returns for the Wolverines.  

[Ronan Silberman/AP]

The opponent: Michigan State was in year #2 of the John L. Smith era in 2004. They had gone 8-5 the previous season, ending the year with a loss to Nebraska in the Alamo Bowl. Multi-year starter at QB Jeff Smoker had graduated, with Drew Stanton taking over command of the offense in '04. He was given reasonable stability at the skill positions but a defense that would take a sizable step backwards in 2004 relative to the prior year. The Spartans went 1-2 in non-conference to start the season, with losses at home to Notre Dame and at Rutgers, but strung together strong results to open the B1G slate. They knocked off Indiana, lost at Kinnick to Iowa, but then defeated Illinois and ranked Minnesota at home to situate themselves at 3-1 in the conference heading into the bye week, prior to this game (4-3 overall). 

[AFTER THE JUMP: The game and my takes on it]

The season context: Michigan kicked off the season with a win over Miami (OH) in Henne and Hart's first NCAA games before heading to South Bend to take on the Irish. Against unranked Notre Dame, Michigan held a lead for the first three quarters until Notre Dame's Darius Walker scored two touchdowns to put ND ahead 21-12, eventually holding on to a 28-20 win. Michigan returned home and played a tight contest against San Diego State, emerging with a 24-21 win. The Wolverines then notched double digit point wins over Iowa and Indiana ahead of the meeting with Minnesota for the Little Brown Jug. A close game, Michigan pulled it out on a 31 yard pass from Henne to TE Tyler Ecker with 1:57 to go and a subsequent defensive stand to win 27-24. 

The tradition of winning close games would follow. After trailing at halftime, the Maize & Blue rallied to win 30-19 in Champaign over Illinois and stayed on the road to face Purdue the following week. A low scoring game, Michigan took a 16-14 lead with just over three minutes to go via a 35 yard FG by Garrett Rivas. Purdue got the ball back, but a massive fumble forced by Shazor turned the ball over with 2:13 left, recovered in bounds along the sideline by Leon Hall. Michigan would seal the win on offense and move to 5-0 in conference play. 

[US PRESSWIRE/Jerry Lai]

That leads us to the day before Halloween, October 30, 2004. Michigan sat atop the Big Ten at 5-0, ahead of 4-1 Iowa (who they owned a H2H tiebreak with) and tied with 5-0 Wisconsin (who was on a bye week). Michigan State was lingering at 3-1 and had a chance to vault into contention with a win over Michigan, while Ohio State was wallowing at 1-3. Winning would give Michigan a great chance to win at least a share of the conference (Northwestern and @OSU were left), while a loss would put the Badgers in pole position and give Sparty a chance to draw even with Michigan while the Wolverines were on their bye week. 

The personal context: This is one of only a couple games in this series that your author was alive for. At five years old, I don't have any firm recollection of what I was doing this day, but my parents informed me that we went on a Halloween-themed nature walk at Leslie Science Center in Ann Arbor that night. Getting in the woods was probably the only way to escape the pandemonium of Ann Arbor. 

As for the older perspective, I watched this game with both Craig and David Nasternak, both of whom remarked about how cold the game was after the sun went down. They noted that the wind was blowing heavily (something apparent on the game tape) and that once the sun was obscured, the wind combined to make it one chilly evening. David was wearing shorts and regretted the decision. Craig remembered the cold but focused more on the decision of a friend to leave the game early, thinking Michigan had lost, and coming to regret it after the fact. 

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What Happened

Michigan got the ball to start the game and quickly moved it into Michigan State territory, thanks in part to a long run by Hart. Craig wanted to shout out the efforts of Kevin Dudley (Craig: one of the best fullbacks Michigan ever had!) on a block down the sideline (it's the very first play shown here):

FB #32 plowing MSU #36 into the sideline

Unfortunately, a poor throw from Henne on 3rd & 4 (it would be a theme all day) set Michigan up for 4th down on the Spartan 41. In a down & distance situation that would almost universally be a go for it today, Lloyd Carr opted for the punt. State got the ball on their own twenty after a touchback and struck gold within a few plays. The Spartans called a run play out of 11 personnel Wk that pulled the RT and was greatly helped by disastrous Michigan defending: 

That's WILL Lawrence Reid picking a mystifying gap and a horrendous angle from FS Ryan Mundy combining to a collective swing and a miss as DeAndra' Cobb took it to the house. 

That touchdown continued to set the tone for a first quarter that saw very little defense played by either side. Michigan let the Spartans off the hook with the punt in plus territory on the opening possession, which was then followed by three straight TD drives by the two teams. Michigan's series saw a personal favorite of mine, a successful QB sneak on 3rd & inches, and also what no one likes to see: a blown block by Jason Avant that could have freed up Braylon Edwards for a rushing TD on a smart reverse play. Regardless of that, Michigan marched down the field and punched it in on another boo yah! block from Dudley in front of Mike Hart: 

The subsequent MSU drive was the beginning of the Drew Stanton show. The Michigan State offensive coaching staff began to introduce the QB run component that would terrorize Michigan for the remainder of the first half and Stanton's wheels mixed with his arm bore fruits for the Spartans. This play in particular stood out: 

It's a fake option play that turns into a pass, a play that Craig noted derived originally from Wishbone offenses. This time we see Stanton show his scrambling ability, but designed QB runs were a key part of the MSU offensive gameplan on the drive. The very next play in the series we see MSU run a Stanton rushing play involving a mesh point with Jason Teague, something that the radio broadcast of Frank Beckman and Jim Brandstatter (which was the audio for the game copy we watched) seemed to have never encountered before.

MSU drove to the goal line, fumbled the ball backwards (but recovered it), setting up 3rd & G from the 5. Michigan shows blitz and brings it, with Mundy again being a primary culprit on the play. The safety knifes into the backfield but is unable to wrap Stanton up, with the QB sprinting into the end zone for a TD: 

Now 14-7 MSU, Michigan would go three-and-out in the first proper stop of the game for either side, which was followed by one of the worst on-field refereeing botches I can recall. Punter Adam Finley's punt was clearly blocked by the Spartans, but referees originally called it roughing the punter. Replay overturned the call by determining it had indeed been blocked by Michigan State, negating the penalty, but I found myself incredibly puzzled by how exactly they could mess that call up when the punt was impacted by a mass of white jerseys surrounding Finley. 

MSU got good field position and had Michigan dead in the water with a wheel route passing play that isolated Cobb on Reid and Reid was toasted [he made Mike McCray covering Saquon look fast], but Stanton's pass was errant. Michigan State had to settle for a long FG but a bad snap ruined the opportunity and gave Michigan a break, another of a great many they'd get on this afternoon. 

Michigan's offense punted again, a stretch of this game where they were mostly stuck in the mud. The rushing game wasn't doing significant damage and the passing game held back dramatically by Henne's inaccuracy, due at least in small part to the windy conditions. Henne was brutal for much of the first three quarters of this game, missing wide open receiver after wide open receiver and the macro results were what you'd expect. 

The defensive side of things saw Michigan hanging by a thread for this portion of the game. MSU was pinned on their own 9 for a drive to begin the second quarter and marched all the way into Wolverine territory. Stanton's appendages continued to rip Michigan apart as the same suspects were struggling, LB Prescott Burgess in particular committing back to back egregious mistakes and getting yanked off the field. The speed option that John L. Smith was dialing up in particular saw Michigan's LBs bamboozled in comic fashion, no more knowledge of how to defend it than a schnauzer would: 

I mean, just look at this!!: 

Lawrence, where are you going??? The QB has the ball and HE'S RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU. 

Thankfully for the Michigan partisans, an important play by LaMarr Woodley stuffed the Spartans on 3rd & G and held them to a FG, making it 17-7 MSU. Still, the Wolverine defense was reeling, having allowed 241 yards in just under 21 minutes of football(!!!). The defense started to get stops after that and then was handed the biggest break it would get all game. On 3rd & 8 towards the end of the second quarter, MSU ran the same option play, Stanton kept it, and was tackled short of the line to gain by Woodley. Stanton did not get up on his own: 

Stanton would not return to the game. The defense had gotten its big break right there, while the offense finally started to move the ball during the two minute drill. They moved the ball through the air into MSU territory before setting up Garrett Rivas for a short field goal, making the score 17-10 Spartans into halftime. 

Out of the intermission, we began to see the new-look MSU offense with Damon Dowdell at QB instead of Stanton. It was less aggressive, less spread out, though (as I will detail) Dowdell didn't play poorly. Their first drive of the half marched into Michigan territory before the ultimate punt arrived. Michigan did the same on their first drive, but it instead ended on a lost fumble... by Braylon Edwards! Indeed, at this juncture of the game it was anything but a Braylonfest, the star receiver rarely being seen in the first half and then popping up early in the second half with a backbreaking mistake: 

Michigan State got the ball, still leading 17-10. The teams then traded punts, one of which coming after a drive that featured what David believed to be one of the first combo Alan Branch/Woodley sacks. Michigan State would eventually drive deep into Michigan territory on a possession helped out by great field position. Dowdell had a solid feel for the game at this point, decently accurate on his passes and moving the Spartans along. They got inside the ten but eventually stalled and kicked another chip shot FG (on 4th & 2 from the 3...) to make it 20-10. 

Another Wolverine punt gave MSU the ball with 11:11 remaining in the fourth quarter, the game well into night conditions at this point and the temperature rapidly dropping. At first glance, it seemed Michigan would be let off the hook by an MSU mistake, a holding call to negate a third down conversion, but then on 3rd & 12 the Spartans got another long run for Cobb, this one a play that seemed as if it would seal the deal: 

It's a counter draw sort of play that Michigan State ran several times in this game. It gets the defense moving one way, then hits you the other direction, with great blocks set up. Michigan wasn't paved in the rushing game, but they didn't do a great job and this play was one of the lowest moments (they were quite terrible in pass rush though, generating little to no pressure most of the game). With only 8:43 to play, the Spartans led 27-10, a three-score margin. To put further salt in the wound, Steve Breaston botched the kickoff, having it bounce over his head to pin the Michigan offense inside their own 10. In every sense of the phrase, Michigan State had total control of the game. 

Enter Braylon. 

After Michigan ran the ball twice on two separate first downs(!!!), they started to air it out more. Henne found Jason Avant to get it out near midfield and then the first of many spectacular catches arrived: 

Unfortunately, that catch only produced a FG, as Henne couldn't find a receiver on the eventual 3rd & 5. Rivas booted a FG and MSU led 27-13, 6:53 to go.

If Stanton's injury was the first miracle that Michigan needed, the onside kick recovery after the Rivas FG was the second:

At this very moment, it was a competitive football game again. Michigan ran a screen to Mike Hart (they ran a lot of screens in 2004 in general), who was the victim of one of the most grotesque facemasks I've ever seen, setting them up now inside the Spartan 40. Next play, this one: 

What stuck out to me watching this play was how poor of a throw it was by Henne, a clear interceptable ball for Jaren Hayes except for, ya know [SEE PLAY ABOVE].  

Michigan State's next drive would be bogged down by penalties and transformed into a turtling by John L. Smith, content to punt the ball back to Michigan with 3:24 to go. He should not have been. The formula was the same as the previous drive, a sizable Mike Hart play (a run not a screen this time) and then another Braylon dunk (the most iconic one): 

What else can you say? That rocks. 

The game was now tied at 27 with just about three minutes remaining, the Spartans still with a chance to win. They got a chunk gain on another counter draw play for Cobb but ran out of gas around midfield. Michigan went three-and-out with the intention of playing for OT, punting to MSU and putting the Spartans at the 50 with three seconds left. Dowdell's final play of regulation was a throw nowhere close to the end zone, nor anywhere catchable for a receiver, yet referees flagged Leon Hall for one of the most phantom DPI calls I have seen (our second refereeing fiasco of the game!). The 15 yards moved MSU into FG range, 52 yards for the win, but the kick was going into the wind and fell way short. Overtime!

Michigan got the ball first, giving it to Mike Hart, but the star back would come up limping. They attempted to give him the ball again on 3rd & 2, but lacking any real acceleration or bounce, #20 was unable to make a play on a convert-able run. Michigan booted the field goal and went up 30-27, their first lead of the game. Cobb rushed Michigan State down inside the Wolverine 10 before a huge stand on 3rd & 1 from the Wolverine defense slammed the door and Smith opted to kick rather than play for the win. 30-30, to double OT. 

Dowdell made one of his best throws of the game on the first play of 2OT and then a beautiful run by Jason Teague shaking tacklers got MSU down to the 4. Two plays later, Teague punched it in: 

Michigan went through the air to answer the 37-30 Spartan lead. Henne delivered a quick strike to Avant to get it started, then a screen to Braylon got it inside the 10. Tim Massaquoi's tough drop two plays later put Michigan in a precarious 3rd & 6 and then it was time for a receiver other than #1 to be a hero. Avant, with what David insists was possibly his best catch as a Wolverine: 

Carr also declines to play to win by kicking the PAT and we go to 3OT tied at 37. Michigan gets the ball to start and finds itself in 3rd & 9 just a couple plays in. MSU does something that I cannot for the life of me figure out: single cover Braylon. After he already has two TDs and has singlehandedly willed the opposition back into this game, dunking on multiple of your cornerbacks. It's a passing down, Henne is not a major run threat, you have the manpower to bracket him. Why????: 

Yes, Hayes is not totally on an island here. There's safety help over the top, but once Braylon makes his move inside, you're toast. The safety isn't going to be able to come down and clean it up in time once Hayes has lost all leverage on Braylon and is in the dust. Michigan must go for two and Massaquoi goes up to snag a high fastball from Henne for the conversion. 45-37. 

The Spartans are in trouble, a sentence that would ring even more true once the referees dinged MSU for OPI on a pick play(!!!). Dowdell's throws during this series also happen to be his worst of the game and eventually the Spartans find themselves in 4th & 8, game on the line. Markus Curry, get it done for us: 

Ballgame! 

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[The Michigan Daily]

The aftermath 

Game analysis and takes: My initial thought after watching the game was how much luck, how many random and fortunate breaks Michigan needed to yoink this game away from the Spartans. The biggest of course being the Stanton injury, which put a hard cap on an MSU offense that was putting Michigan's defense through the wringer the entire first half to that point. I was a bit surprised at how well Damon Dowdell played in this game, given that he was a backup tossed into this game cold and a player who attempted a grand total of 192 passes in his NCAA career, but he was no Drew Stanton. 

As I noted in the narrative, the MSU offense seemed to crawl into a shell when Stanton went down, putting a lot of that QB run component on the shelf, which had been the primary source of Spartan success to that point. Dowdell made some big time throws and the run game was still decently effective, but it was just enough of a step down to give Michigan a window back into this game. And when it mattered the most, in the 3rd OT with MSU's back against the wall, Dowdell's arm failed the most. 

But beyond the Stanton injury, there was the bad Stanton miss on the wide open Cobb wheel route. That would've likely netted MSU at least three points (they missed the long FG vs. having a fresh set of downs deep in M territory) and then the onside kick speaks for itself. I don't know what the win probability numbers would have looked like in a 2020s lens, but even up 27-13 with seven minutes to go and Michigan kicking off should have had MSU above 95% to win at that juncture. The onside kick recovery was the turning point, compounded by the quick TD Michigan scored after that. The difference in win probability between Michigan kicking off down 27-13 with seven minutes to go and Michigan kicking off down 27-20 with six minutes to go is vast. That singular minute swung the game and the onside kick was the biggest randomness-influenced play. 

[The Flint Journal/Ryan Garza]

But of course a win is a win and you have to credit Michigan for recognizing that they were being gifted an opportunity to grab the game by the horns and win it. Michigan's defense, as much as I have ragged on it (535 yards against is deserving!), came up with enormous stops in the shadow of their own goal line to force FGs. MSU kicked FGs of 19 and 23 yards in regulation and another 23 yarder was added in OT. That ability to deny MSU a proper conversion of total yards into points allowed them to get to OT despite being gashed regularly. LaMarr Woodley in particular stood out in the way he brutalized the MSU OL and provided Michigan their most important defensive stands of the game in those situations. You could tell in this game that even though Woodley was two years away from his collegiate peak, he was going to be a Dude in the future. 

On the offensive side of things Michigan took advantage of the MSU mistakes and good luck by suddenly remembering, with 10 minutes left, that they had the best WR in college football on their team. I pointed it out earlier but for being the Braylonfest, there wasn't much Braylon going on in the first 3 quarters of this game. Michigan rarely targeted him and when they did, he fumbled the ball and turned it over. Edwards was hardly notable until Michigan decided to punt it up to him and let him do the rest. Seems like they could've done that a bit earlier in the game, but just in time I guess!! MSU has only itself to blame for putting undersized corners (Hayes was 5'9"!!) on Braylon without additional help. 

In that vein, this was a classic example of a game that was incredible for the final stretch + OT but was mostly boring as hell before that. The first four drives were interesting, with no defense being played by other side, but once some adjustments started to be made, the game quieted down. The 3rd quarter in particular was extremely slow and Craig, David, and I found ourselves battling an urge to peer over at a second TV in the corner showing an NHL playoff game than pay attention to this game. The first Braylon catch on the drive to make it 27-13 was the moment of lightning strike, when suddenly the game that had become increasingly dull and morose for the Michigan side turned in a heartbeat and sucked your attention back in like an industrial grade vacuum. From that point forward, the action was gripping. 

[Michigan Athletics]

As a whole, though, Michigan's offensive performance was middling. I thought the offensive line was rather iffy (pass protection would be a problem all year in 2004), with Hart doing a lot of the work himself on the ground. Magnificent per usual, but Michigan's run offense wasn't elite in this game, despite Dudley's best blocking efforts. Henne was dreadful for much of the contest and as the first Braylon TD showed, even when the passing game got rolling, Henne was getting considerable help from his receiving corps to make it happen. 

From a tactical side, what most surprised me the most was the amount of spread concepts John L. Smith's staff had ready to go for this game. Not just weaponizing Stanton's legs but using space and isolating athletic advantages. It helps that Michigan's defense had next to no idea how to go about defending many of these, but it was a neat gameplan I thought. The counter draw play that fooled Michigan several times was just one nugget of this. On the flip side, Michigan was almost never in the shotgun for the vast majority of the game, were content to run on first down trailing by a lot in the fourth quarter, and the totality of the offense felt as dated as the Kerry/Edwards buttons numerous fans in the crowd were shown wearing during the broadcast. It was not the prettiest or most tactical brilliant approach to offense but talent often wins out and in this game the talent of one Braylon Edwards won out.  

[Richard Mackson/USA Today Sports]

What it meant: The win made Michigan 6-0 in conference play, still in the driver's seat for the league title. They'd be tied with Wisconsin when they returned to action after the bye week, but a win over Northwestern and a Wisconsin loss @MSU clinched Michigan's share of the Big Ten crown. The Wolverines would lose their first and only conference game against Ohio State, while Wisconsin lost to Iowa, meaning that Michigan and Iowa tied at 7-1 for first, with Michigan owning the head-to-head tiebreak. That placed the Maize & Blue in the Rose Bowl against Texas, who were filling in for USC (playing Oklahoma for the national title in the Orange Bowl). 

Much of what was seen in this game would return as storylines in those final two games. The immense struggles of Michigan to defend the QB run that we detailed in this one reared its head again against the Buckeyes and Longhorns. Troy Smith would rush 18 times for 145 yards (including sacks) in The Game and Vince Young would rush 21 times for 192 yards (including sacks) and four TDs in the Rose Bowl. Ugly! The brilliance of Braylon Edwards, exemplified in this game and true all year long would also appear in the remainder of the season, 10 catches for 103 yards and 3 TDs in the Rose Bowl. 

Michigan State on the other hand, blew its opportunity at bowl eligibility in part by losing this game. They lost to Ohio State the following week to drop to 4-5. A win over Wisconsin drew them even at 5-5, but defeats at the hands of PSU and Hawaii left the Spartans with a 5-7 losing season. John L. Smith would go 5-6 in 2005 and then 4-8 in 2006, a tailspin kicked off by the famous meltdown against Notre Dame. That 1-8 stretch to close '06 would result in Smith's firing and the hiring of Mark Dantonio. 

[Pro Football History.com]

As for the players themselves, Drew Stanton would start in both '05 and '06 for the Spartans, being drafted by the Lions at pick 43 of the 2007 NFL Draft. DeAndra' Cobb would be picked in the 6th round of 2005, but the Spartan with the longest NFL career was DT Domata Peko, picked in the 4th round of 2006, playing nearly 15 years in the league, most of it with Cincinnati before his recent retirement.

On the Michigan side of things, Edwards would be drafted 3rd overall by the Browns in 2005, but despite a strong season in 2007, his NFL career never quite matched the prodigious success of his NCAA one. His fellow wideouts, Jason Avant and Steve Breaston both were drafted and had productive NFL seasons. Along the offensive line, David Baas would play close to 10 years in the NFL and win a Super Bowl with the New York Giants and Jake Long would go 1st overall in 2008 to the Miami Dolphins. Adam Stenavich had a brief pro career as a player and is now the offensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers. Henne and Hart started four years at Michigan together and then went different directions in the pros, Henne a brief starter and then long-time backup QB and 2x Super Bowl champion, while Hart returned to the college ranks to coach (wonder where he's working today). 

On defense, Marlin Jackson was drafted in the 1st round of the 2005 NFL Draft and would win a Super Bowl with the Colts. Young Leon Hall went in the first round two years later and made an All-Pro team with the Bengals. LaMarr Woodley went in the second round of that same draft and would make an All-Pro team and win a Super Bowl with the Steelers. 

Comments

Denard In Space

May 30th, 2023 at 3:45 PM ^

Awesome. This was literally the first game of college football I ever watched after being a complete die-hard hockey and hoops person all through high school. I had no idea what was going on, but it felt good to watch Sparty lose and that was enough of a start. 19 years later and now I know the names of 5-star 5 year olds who are mildly interested in Michigan football... Thanks MGoBlog! 

Alex.Drain

May 30th, 2023 at 3:48 PM ^

If you have any feedback about this format, things you liked/didn't like, things you'd like to see added in the next piece of the series, feel free to comment and tell me!

Wallaby Court

May 30th, 2023 at 4:15 PM ^

I like it! I know a full-blown UFR is out of the question, but do you think it would be possible to do a UFR-lite on a drive-by-drive rather than a play-by-play basis? I am imagining a table listing the number of plays, total yards, duration, run-pass split, and result, along with a description calling out notable plays and noteworthy players.

the_dude

May 30th, 2023 at 5:34 PM ^

It's nice to get your take on my recollection from these older games. A couple things I remembered from that game that you mentioned in your writeup:

  • That sprint/counter draw that Michigan had no idea how to defend. It was the like the double a gap twist thingy that MSU used to run against the Rich Rod offenses and could never be stopped.
  • Woodley ending Stanton's day, Michigan had no idea how to defend a mobile QB (nice job covering that in the OSU and Texas games).

Keep your takes on Michigan's game theory coming. One thing that frustrated with Carr's offenses was the over commitment to the run. On the one hand it made sense in this game with a freshman QB and windy conditions, on the other Braylon freaking Edwards was a passenger for most of the game.

Good stuff, keep it coming.

Watching From Afar

May 30th, 2023 at 3:54 PM ^

Great way to pass the offseason, reading and reliving games.

That being said, god damn this game made me so angry as a 13 year old. I remember watching it at Chilis with my dad and just asking "why don't they just throw the ball to Edwards once per set of downs?" Or Avant. Or Breaston. They had 3 guys who combined for 13k yards in the NFL. Two of them had 1,000 yard seasons and Avant was the clutch chain mover for the Andy Reid Eagles for almost a decade.

I still don't really have an answer for that other than Michigan is the best program at wasting NFL WR talent on the planet (DeBord and Malone specifically).

Same issue during the Nico/DPJ days and even now to a degree (though they don't have an Edwards/Collins guy at the moment).

Hail-Storm

June 1st, 2023 at 3:09 PM ^

This is where I think losing Moeller as a head coach hurt Michigan the most.  Obviously Lloyd won the NC, but it seemed like Moeller was the coach to bring them into a modern passing offense.  I think he was a Bo protege, that would have been willing to throw the ball around.  I think early 90s RBs had things open up when we threw the ball on 1st and second down.  Being a little unpredictable is a great thing.  Lloyd always seemed to open up the playbook some against OSU, and then a ton in the Bowl games, and I'd be both happy and pissed.  I'd see an offense that we could have had the entire year (i.e. the Bowl against the Gators).  

I also wonder what the offense would have looked like in Henson's senior year.  Brady was my boy, and was the definitely better QB when they split time, but oh boy, did Henson turn a corner in his Junior season.  His senior year with Walker, Joppru, Bellamy, Terrell, with Henson throwing, would have been an unstoppable offense. Oh well. 

smotheringD

May 31st, 2023 at 8:44 AM ^

I still don't really have an answer for that other than Michigan is the best program at wasting NFL WR talent on the planet (DeBord and Malone specifically).

I'm really hoping this changes this year.  JJ is a special talent.  Yes the pick 6's in the CFP were devastating but I gotta believe if he had more passing reps against the weaker opponents in our schedule he is less likely to make those mistakes later in the season.  Also, a more diverse passing attack keeps opposing defenses from sitting on routes.  You're less predictable.  Plus it can make an already dominant run game even more effective when you're truly balanced.

It's Sherrone's show (presumably).  We will see.

Watching From Afar

May 31st, 2023 at 10:20 AM ^

The pick 6s obviously sucked, though neither were really throws that make you think "o dear god, the QB has no idea what he's doing." The first one was a step late and Bell's route was awful. The 2nd one was just thrown right at a LB dropping into the correct zone.

The biggest issue, outside of Michigan just being unwilling to throw up a few 50/50 balls and see what their guys can do, is they have no intermediate passing game. They also don't really have a short passing game, but that's less important.

Their best passing offense is PA stuff that is usually 25+ yards downfield outside of the waggles. That's all fine and good, but if the running game isn't working, allowing the defense to ignore PA, stuff gets clunky real fast. Even against Maryland last year when Corum was beating them up, Maryland would drop 8 guys into coverage and Michigan couldn't figure out how to get 1 guy open for most of the game. That stuff can't happen for long stretches on a consistent basis.

SalvatoreQuattro

May 30th, 2023 at 3:58 PM ^

I was at this game with my brother. We left when Cobb scored the long TD for MSU to go up 27-10. We were wearing just jerseys because it was warm at kickoff. But by the time of the fourth it was freezing.

We ended up watching the last portion  of the game on a TV at the concession stands just outside the seating area with some guy and his Sparty girlfriend.

the_dude

May 30th, 2023 at 4:19 PM ^

Ha ha, this trip down memory lane reminded me that this site once had a phrase - maybe even a tag - called "yards after Mundy". Our safety play has improved dramatically. 

PopeLando

May 31st, 2023 at 8:33 AM ^

I remember Ryan Mundy. He was VERY leaky, but IIRC he turned his career around at West Virginia and had a minute in the NFL.

I was at this 2004 MSU game. Stanton was killing us, and I remember thinking at the time we were lucky he went out. John L Smith had a very high school mentality of “find a stud athlete and have him do the thing he’s good at a billion times.” The peak of this philosophy is probably Urban Meyer, who’s way better at it. But I remember feeling bad for Drew Stanton, because it was clear that MSU was going to use him up. Same feeling I got with Sean Clifford tbh. And Devin Gardner

I don’t ever want to relive this particular game…but good lord I remember Johnny Sears too, if we ever want to talk about “leakiest DB in school history.” And he did it in a single half of a single game. IIRC he was benched by halftime and kicked off the team a couple weeks later 

jakerblue

May 30th, 2023 at 4:37 PM ^

Was so happy I was a student at this game and ended up staying as the stadium emptied out. What a rewarding ending for sticking it out.

 

also I can’t believe it was long enough ago, that all the nfl careers of these guys have played out

NittanyFan

May 30th, 2023 at 4:37 PM ^

The turning point game in John L Smith's MSU tenure.

If MSU wins this game, I guess they go at least 7-5 on the season and play in a decent Bowl game (if the Music City Bowl, they could have beaten a then-completely-pedestrian Alabama!).  Let's call it 8-5.

2 straight 8-win seasons, that's the first time that's happened in EL in 14 years.  That (maybe?) buys Smith another year even if 2006 still unfolds the same way.  And when Minnesota fires Glen Mason on NYE 2006, Mark Dantonio's still available and they are the ones who hire him away from Cincinnati.

Who knows, but that game definitely was the start of the end for John L.

Pure Dilithium

May 30th, 2023 at 4:40 PM ^

At 27-10, I was restless and pissed watching the game at home. I took my boys out into the neighborhood to do some trick or treating, and it was cold and crappy. I kept the game on a little radio and earbuds, because of course. When the rally ensued, we ran back home to see the last Braylon TD and OT. My boys still talk about it today. 

kejamder

May 30th, 2023 at 4:51 PM ^

I don't think you can call the Stanton injury 'luck' given how often it happens to running QBs. It was a game plan/approach with a known risk involved. 

DennisFranklinDaMan

May 30th, 2023 at 4:55 PM ^

That's literally like saying "he was playing football -- injuries are a known risk."

I understand, the risk is marginally higher if you're a running quarterback, but ... at what point does the risk of injury on a particular play in a specific ball game become so high that it doesn't qualify as "fortunate" for the opposing team?

Stanton had been a running QB all season, but it was that game, at that point, that he went down. I'm ok with calling that fact (from our perspective) "lucky."

Michigan4Life

May 30th, 2023 at 5:36 PM ^

I believe there are studies concluding that running QBs are not at a high risk of injuries. The QBs who get hurt the most are the ones in the pocket which tracks because you don't know where the hits are coming from. It's often more violent due to the defenders closing onto the QB with speed instead of running QBs understanding where the defenders are and can safely slide or run out of bounds to protect themselves. 

snarling wolverine

May 30th, 2023 at 10:23 PM ^

I think what the studies showed was that injuries in the pocket are worse than those out of it.  But I don’t think they found that running QBs get injured less than pocket passers.

Any QB in a non-service academy offense is still going to pass the ball a lot and face that risk. A running QB will additionally take hits from run plays, leading to more total hits altogether, and probably more total injuries, minor or not.  Stanton’s injury in this game turned out not to be severe but he sat out the rest of the game.  Denard was knocked out of what, four games in 2010?   And of course he had the nerve injury two years later.

Personally, I’m OK with JJ’s legs being saved for PSU, OSU and the postseason. (But in the national semifinal, don’t wait until the 3rd quarter.)

YakAttack

May 30th, 2023 at 4:56 PM ^

I was laid up at home with pneumonia for this game. My now wife came home from work toward the end of the 3rd/start of the 4th quarter. She kept coming to check on me when she heard me yelling until she learned which were good yells and which were bad. She still knows that distinction today.

Brian Griese

May 30th, 2023 at 5:07 PM ^

Thoughts:

  • This marked the beginning of the end of the John L Smith tenure 
  • You could also argue this game signified the peak of the Lloyd years as the slide started two weeks later and Michigan never fully recovered until…Harbaugh? Geez that’s a long time. Let’s never go through that again. 
  • On that note, this game foreshadowed what Vince Young would do to the good guys
  • Braylon Edwards was a boss. It’s wild he is the most recent offensive skill position player to play at Michigan that’s made the Pro Bowl. That needs to change, ASAP. 
  • I’m ashamed to say I left a restaurant with my family early and only caught the end of regulation on WJR when we tuned in to see what the final score ended up being. Funny to think about needing a radio to get a score these days…

Thanks for doing this, Alex. I look forward to the next edition. 

JBLPSYCHED

May 30th, 2023 at 5:31 PM ^

I assume that you meant the final peak of the Lloyd years...? But your points are helpful as far as putting that game into context. Lloyd started a FR QB and RB and would have lost the game had it not been for Braylon's heroics. Fantastic game, wild finish, iconic performance.

But opponent running QBs and stubborn/stuck in the mud offensive play calling killed us for many many years and this amazing win shouldn't obscure that truth. Something about the Michigan tradition and identity keep us from opening things up more often on offense and adapting more quickly on defense. It's not easy being a Michigan fan even during great comeback wins like this one!

Brian Griese

May 30th, 2023 at 6:11 PM ^

You’re right, I meant to include “final”. Obviously he had higher moments/teams during his tenure. 
 

This might be a hot take but to build off your points (all of which I agree with) I feel the 04 OSU game was Lloyd’s second worst moment. Michigan had no business being runoff the field like they did to a team that was 3-4 in conference play. Complete tragedy. 

blueheron

May 30th, 2023 at 5:18 PM ^

Fun review of history! Thanks, Alex. I'm looking forward to the rest of these. Hard to believe it's been almost nineteen years.

I think Braylonfest is simultaneously one of the most enjoyable and overrated Michigan games of the century.

It was enjoyable for obvious reasons (signature performance by one of Michigan's all-time greats, epic Sparty No, nighttime finish, etc.). Why overrated? Sparty was 4-3 coming into the game. They'd wind up finishing 5-7. This wasn't 2021/2022 Ohio State. If Stanton doesn't hurt his shoulder in the first half, I think Michigan's odds of winning drop considerably.

Overall I'd compare it to the much-loved Anthony Carter Indiana game. A great individual performance against a mediocre team. I don't think it's on the level of, for example, Hassan Haskins against 2021 OSU.

The Blue Collar

May 30th, 2023 at 5:32 PM ^

What I'll never forgot about this game was in the 3rd OT, on 3rd down, Henne back to pass, he throws the ball!

*Power outage*

This was before the wide usage of cell phones, and nobody around had power so I was scrambling to find a way to see what happened.

I eventually figured out I could go sit in my car and catch the end on the radio, which, if I recall, was like the last two plays.

Still a great ending.

FieldingBLUE

May 30th, 2023 at 5:38 PM ^

Alex: Like the format and the embeds and links are sweet. Too bad the links couldn't be popups or new windows instead of having to jump back to the column.

This was the first season after I moved back to Michigan and I had a "bootleg" season ticket, where you got different tickets cobbled together in packs from the ticket office.

For this game, I took the best man from my wedding, a Spartan fan, and we sat in row 2 right behind the camera guy in section 34, which at that time was half student, half regular.

Of course, this was the end zone for all of the 4th quarter action and overtime plays. 

It was freezing after dark and I only had t-shirt and shorts on, iirc.

What a game. Happy to watch it with my Sparty friend. His mileage did indeed vary.

WindyCityBlue

May 30th, 2023 at 5:59 PM ^

It moved

Edit: this is one of those games that I knew exactly where I was. I was at a close friend’s wedding. He was not a Michigan grad so no need to judge him for scheduling a fall wedding. 
 

This was before the smart phone era, so I just thought we’d win handily and move on, so I’ll catch the highlights the next day. And while I had my cell phone with me, I didn’t have it on all night. But once I turned on my phone, I had a bunch of texts and VMs that put me over my monthly limit (yea, there was a limit on the number of texts you could get back then). Well worth it though. 

Vasav

May 30th, 2023 at 6:07 PM ^

This was my freshman year, as one of those East Coasters in Michigan. I had loved FB my whole life, but CFB wasn't a thing - I at this point cared more about the NFL and my old HS team than Michigan. This was my first M/MSU game, and I remember the "brotherly love/hate" feel of the tailgates before this one. This 3 game stretch is also when I BECAME a Michigan fan - the Ecker TD, the Shazor forced fumble, and Braylonfest. I was selling programs before the game wearing a t shirt and jeans, was freezing my butt off in the 4th but determined to stay to the bitter end - and I swear when Braylon set up that FG the temperature raised 10 degrees in the big house. I don't know how. It just did.

Colt Burgess

May 30th, 2023 at 6:12 PM ^

I had moved to Wisconsin a few years earlier. I was watching the game at a local bar where the bartender knew I was a Wolverine fan, and he was enjoying my anguish as it looked liked my team was going to get smashed. I could take it no more, so I figured I would save a few bucks and go home. Why give him any more money to watch me suffer? I went back a few days later figuring I would just let him bring up the subject of the game. He didn't, but it didn't lessen my satisfaction. 

Grampy

May 30th, 2023 at 6:16 PM ^

Nice choice to kick off the series. I don’t recall being particularly cold at the game, so I must have dressed warmly.  I do remember fighting off the urge to leave after they went up by 17 in the 4th, it being a horrible game up to that point. Me and my mates decided to stick around for one more series and were disappointed when we turned a promising drive into the field goal. That vanished when we covered an onside kick that looked like it took Sparty by surprise. The rest of the game became a crescendo of noise and excitement that had to wait 7 years to be bettered by UTL I, even though 40% of the fans had left with ten minutes to go in regulation. The atmosphere was electric in the OT periods and the remaining crowd was duly rewarded for sticking around. 
  As a side note, the catch by Avant was great and probably the most important one of his career, but the best I ever saw was the TD at the Northwestern game the following year. You know which one I’m talking about. 

Blue Vet

May 30th, 2023 at 6:39 PM ^

Great stuff! Thanks, Alex.

I've long felt a special affinity for Hart.

First, I'd read about this record-setting runner in NYS coming to Michigan but tended to discount his success—small school, small person, small league—until a visit to Syracuse with family, where the guy showing us around insisted that this small runner was the real deal.

More recently, when Hart was coaching at Indiana, my niece was an IU student volunteer on the athletic training staff. So though they probably had little contact, family was on the sideline with this Michigan great. 

chiwineguy1972

May 30th, 2023 at 6:40 PM ^

Alex, I think you have the correct overall take on the game and the vibe of the season in general.  The "not being able to defend against the QB run" lasted until final season of Carr era (to wit: App State/Oregon Games).  I watched this game while away on business in Huntsville, Alabama in a sports bar filled with literal rocket scientists many of whom were fellow alum.  We outnumbered the Auburn fans and that bar erupted at Braylon TD #2.  Looking forward to more of these and Craig dragging you down other rabbit holes as well.

formerlyanonymous

May 30th, 2023 at 6:58 PM ^

In that vein, this was a classic example of a game that was incredible for the final stretch + OT but was mostly boring as hell before that. 

I miss this sometimes.

This game was my freshman year on campus. I totally underestimated Michigan weather and regret to this day wearing shorts and a t-shirt.

mtm

May 30th, 2023 at 7:25 PM ^

I remember going there on a beautiful warm Fall afternoon in shorts and a t-shirt, and being completely frozen by the end of the game. (Underscoring Craig's comment.) I don't know what the run-time was, but it was a very long game. But it was a very fun game, especially in the students' section.

XM - Mt 1822

May 30th, 2023 at 7:34 PM ^

lots of black high top cleats, including our #20.  the way it's supposed to be....

saw the game at a bar/restaurant with dad and brothers during what we called 'boys weekend' - a once a year get-together for dad's birthday, held in the fall.  dad's been gone a dozen years, but the memories remain, including the fun night that was 'braylonfest'.  

calgoblue81

May 30th, 2023 at 7:42 PM ^

Love the format and narrative content Alex. My only suggestion would be a bit more technical detail on Michigan offensive and defensive alignments - I would be interested in how they compare to Harbaugh’s schemes.  I was at the game (flew in from LA) and remember the cold very well.  I woke up the next day with the worst sore throat I have ever had to this day. The win made the return flight home more tolerable though. 

dragonchild

May 30th, 2023 at 7:58 PM ^

Man those 00s defenses were hard to watch because QB run games were nothing new by then and Michigan’s plan was to. . . pretend they didn’t exist?

1blueeye

May 30th, 2023 at 8:10 PM ^

I sat in the opposite end zone from all the Braylon TDs. After Sparty went up 27-10, a collection of well meaning smiley blue hairs started filing out saying crap like “we’ll get ‘em next year. Come along dear, we can be first in line for the shuttle”. I said “all you old f—kers leaving are going to miss the epic come back” I remember how much louder it got as we had more room to stand and scream without the stifling old guard around. One of the loudest games I recall given 30% filed out 

MIdocHI

May 30th, 2023 at 8:41 PM ^

For this game, my friend, another UM grad, and I were driving back from duck hunting on the Saginaw Bay. We started listening to the game on the radio in the third quarter. The score was bad, but we were used to the occasional, inexplicable loss to a Sparty team with less talent. We continued to listen and were amazed at how Michigan’s fortunes changed for the better. Even on the radio, it was clear that Henne was just chucking the ball up, and Braylon was making great catches. The excitement of the game really came through on the radio. It is funny how much I used to listen to sports on the radio (Michigan, Redwings, Pistons…), and now I never do. That game is a great memory. 

OneEyedMooseSm…

May 31st, 2023 at 12:14 AM ^

Grew up in Hampton Township on Saginaw Bay.  My best friend and I were contrarian Michigan fans amongst a bunch of Sparties.  But...

I went to Michigan, he went to Delta College, then Michigan State.  I distinctly remember that this game was the beginning of the end of our friendship, which ultimately died in 2015.  He just became too much of a loser Sparty for me.  Not a nice thing to say about someone I still care about for memories' sake (although probably permanently estranged friendship at this point), but that's life.

Go Braylon, and Go Blue.

ca_prophet

May 30th, 2023 at 8:49 PM ^

On the one hand, my god those are ... not great ... throws by Henne.  Not only is he punting it up and letting Edwards make the plays, but the balls aren't even giving Braylon an edge - the DBs are in just as good a spot if not better.

On the other hand, as Terry Bradshaw commented after yet another win-the-game-by-hucking-it-to-Stallworth:
"Everyone thinks that Stallworth out-jumping the guy was such a fluke," Bradshaw said, "but I learned three things about football a long time ago. No. 1: if defensive backs were great receivers, then they'd be playing on offense. No. 2: when your receiver sticks his hand up, he wants you to throw the ball to him. No. 3: never worry about it, just throw it. Nobody's going to outjump John Stallworth."
 

 

OldSchoolz

May 30th, 2023 at 9:15 PM ^

I attended this game with my Dad (Michigan State alum). He enjoyed the first half of the game and ribbed me light heartedly that it just wasn’t our day. As the game began to turn our way, and the night turned colder, he suggested we leave for a more comfortable situation. I refused as I was intent on being part of the comeback. My wife, without a ticket, was waiting for me in A2, as we were scheduled to drive back to Atlanta by car that night after the game. As the game wore on, the excitement of the game and the bad mojo from my Dad and my wife helped keep me warm. We were seated in the corner of the end zone when that stiff wind blew that late MSU field goal attempt back onto the field — a truly magical moment. The rest is history. It was a long and satisfying drive for us back to Atlanta, and a cold and miserable drive for my Dad back to G.R. For context, I was also sitting in the MSU end zone (my Dad’s tickets) for the infamous 60:01 “Clockgate” game in 2001, when Smoker and Ducket connected for the extra second touchdown to steal the game. So you can appreciate why I insisted Dad and I sit through this entire game. Great memories! Thanks for this.