The Best/Worst game you witnessed at the Big House?
I thought this might be another good Friday topic. What was the best and worst game you attended in the Big House?
My Best
1) 1999 vs. Ohio State - This is the only Michigan/Ohio State game I have seen live. It was also Lloyd's only win against Tressel.
2) 1988 vs. Illinois - This was my first game at the Big House and Michigan crushed Jeff George and the Fighting Illini. I was only nine so the game is a little fuzzy but I will never forget walking into the stadium for the first time.
My Worst
1) 1991 vs. Florida State - This was #1 vs. #2 and I still remember Terrell Buckley returning a first quarter interception about 80 yards for a touchdown. Also the only time I witnessed Michigan lose live.
2) 2002 vs. Washington - We ended up winning but this is the game where Phillip Braabs missed three field goals. We had a back up kicker who ended up making a game winner as time expired.
February 20th, 2009 at 10:39 AM ^
Lloyd's only win against Tressel was 2003.
The best and worst are easy:
Best: 2004 MSU
Worst: App State, obvs.
February 20th, 2009 at 10:42 AM ^
The sheer ecstasy of beating the Spartans
The sheer horror of getting beat by App. State
February 20th, 2009 at 10:48 AM ^
Best:
1) 04 MSU
2) 03 OSU
Worst:
05 Minny, when we were headed to OT, but their #2 RB busted a long one for the win (FG, I think, but I've blocked it out).
February 20th, 2009 at 10:41 AM ^
for one tressel didnt coach ohio state till 2001 and lloyds only win against him came in 2003 and 2, brabbs missed 2 fg's and came back on for the game winner and nailed it.
the only michigan game i have ever been to was either 1994 or 1995 against purdue. it was a straight up blizzard they were playing in and we ended up winning 5-0
February 20th, 2009 at 10:45 AM ^
I was with a bunch of buddies who played in the CFL at the time and the size of the Big House amazed them. Ended up winning on the last play of the game on a pass deep in the corner of the end zone. Good times.
February 20th, 2009 at 11:15 AM ^
I was sitting near the student section for that one.. My first M game. Wow... Talk about getting hooked. Mercury Hayes baby...
February 20th, 2009 at 10:45 AM ^
It was unbelievable how bad it was. The worst part is that it was a shockingly accurate preview as to how bad we were going to be against mobile qbs for the next 10 years.
February 20th, 2009 at 10:54 AM ^
I'm going to cheat, but I'll say the away game against PSU in 1997. Awesome win, but the best part was the huge mob at Church (?) and South U. afterwords singing "The Victors," then running down the street to the President's house. (Is this still a tradition after big away wins?)
We sang again, then Bollinger came out and proclaimed "this is the best university in the country" to a screaming crowd. And then he invited us all in. There I was, wandering around a totally packed house with my pal, watching some random dude pick up a phone and saying "dude, you'll never guess where I'm calling from." Crazy, just crazy. Surfer Lee, we salute thee.
February 23rd, 2009 at 12:47 AM ^
That's awesome. I don't know that Mary Sue goes for that sort of thing.
February 20th, 2009 at 5:22 PM ^
Donovan McNabb had the best day by an individual opponent I'd ever seen against Michigan. He even ran out of his shoe once, and still scored a TD. We were absolutely helpless and clueless, and pretty effectively punctured the reputation that Jim Herrmann had acquired just one season earlier. Vince Young and Dennis Dixon come in a very close second and third.
February 20th, 2009 at 10:47 AM ^
Best - probably the PSU overtime win (DONT RECALL THE YEAR)
Worst - Illinois 1998 or 1999? (blew big lead over a weak Illinois team)
February 20th, 2009 at 10:47 AM ^
I thought it was Tressel but is was John Cooper. They won 24-17. I am pretty sure Brabbs got pulled after he missed three feild goals but I could be wrong.
February 20th, 2009 at 10:54 AM ^
You might be right about brabbs being pulled, but he came back to nail the game winner
February 20th, 2009 at 11:58 AM ^
Brabbs missed twice, got pulled, then Nienberg missed a chip-shot. Brabbs came back in and then made the game-winner.
Incidentally, I'm surprised that you consider that game a bad experience, and rank a pretty boring OSU game as one of the best.
February 26th, 2009 at 10:30 AM ^
I agree. It sucked missing those FG's but the emotion in the stadium was amazing as the game winner went through. It was one of the better games for me.
February 20th, 2009 at 10:48 AM ^
or maybe worst 1(a) was the Desmond trip loss to MSU in 1990.
February 20th, 2009 at 10:50 AM ^
Best Game - 1997 against O$U. The end of the perfect regular season. Great feeling after that one.
Worst game
*Heartbreak style - Colorado...Kordell Stewart...yada yada
*Beatdown style - Oregon 2007
February 20th, 2009 at 11:03 AM ^
I had forgotten Oregon '07, I had some drunken ass-clown Oregon
fans next to me. They kept falling over on top of me, so obnoxious, it's the closest I have ever come to fighting in the Big House.
February 20th, 2009 at 10:52 AM ^
Worst:
05 Minny, when we were headed to OT, but their #2 RB busted a long one for the win (FG, I think, but I've blocked it out).
That running back by the way was Russell who scored a td in the superbowl this year for Pittsburg.
That is definitely a horrible loss from the year of infinite pain.
February 20th, 2009 at 10:55 AM ^
fell down on the last play against Wisconsin in a loss at Camp Randall?
February 20th, 2009 at 10:56 AM ^
Even though it was not a big rivalry- Kordell Stewart's hail-mary- The Miracle in Michigan.
Best- any OSU win.
February 20th, 2009 at 10:57 AM ^
Tough to choose.
Best- 2003 OSU, 2004 MSU
Honorable mention: 99 ND was fun, 02 PSU
Worst - 2001 OSU (game was just ugly, we were much better then they were but gave up two long Wells' TDs, Navarre threw 97 interceptions*, and it started the Tressel era)
*Don't bother correcting me, I remember it as 97.
February 20th, 2009 at 3:27 PM ^
I'm pretty sure Wells didn't play in 2001
February 20th, 2009 at 3:31 PM ^
100%. This past year (2008) was his junior year. Not even close.
February 20th, 2009 at 3:46 PM ^
Both of you either have short memories or have wisely purged that game from your recollection. Jonathan Wells was OSU's tailback in 2001. (They've also had a Maurice Wells in the meantime. The name Wells is to OSU tailbacks what Rolle is to cornerbacks from the state of Florida.)
February 20th, 2009 at 10:58 AM ^
'95 against Virginia.
worst is either '90 Minnesota game (where Tripp Welborne injured his knee) or the '98 game against EMU we won 59-20 (it lasted forever).
February 20th, 2009 at 10:58 AM ^
NW '08!!! Fuuuuuck that sucked. Cold, wet, cold, and pissed.
Also sorta manic for a while.
February 20th, 2009 at 11:06 AM ^
and donovan warrens int return for a touchdown was called back because he "stepped out?" bullshit call. would have tied the game too.
February 20th, 2009 at 11:07 AM ^
Hell yes that was bullshit, I just watched that play again a few days ago. Got pissed all over again.
February 20th, 2009 at 10:58 AM ^
Best that I can think of:
1) 1999 vs. Notre Dame: We won 26-22, first game of the season. I think Notre Dame ended the game on our 25 yard line or somewhere near there.
2) 2002 vs. Penn State: 27-24 Overtime win. First OT game at Michigan, I believe.
3) 2003 vs. Notre Dame: 38-0, largely on the list because we were standing next to two Notre Dame guys that were talking so much crap before the game and even more so after ND recovered a fumble on the first offensive possession.
Best Michigan games I've been to though have not been in Ann Arbor: 1998 (1997 season) Rose Bowl and 2000 (1999 season) Orange Bowl.
Worst that I can think of:
1) 1999 vs. Illinois: Lost 35-29, blew a HUGE lead. Win that game, and there's a distinct possibility we play for a title in '99.
2) 2001 vs. OSU: Ugh. I still don't even want to talk about it.
3) 2005 vs. OSU: See #2.
February 20th, 2009 at 11:02 AM ^
best:
97 by far!!! there was nothing better then watching C-Wood return that punt right in front the O$U bench. and the hit that was laid on david boston at the end of the game.
worst:
colorado game.........i was there it happened 65 rows infront of me. i couldn't believe what i had just seen. (i will have nightmares of this game tonight)
February 20th, 2009 at 1:36 PM ^
Woodson's punt return shut up an obnoxious OSU fan who had been running his mouth the entire game....that game was as loud as I've ever heard.
And the only game I've ever left early was the "Hail Mary" game. We left when Colorado got the ball because my friend wanted to beat the traffic.
Hey Ty!.....KNOCK IT DOWN!!!
February 20th, 2009 at 11:07 AM ^
1983 Purdue - drew sideline warnings for crowd noise, so we did silent "shh" waves
1986 MSU - lorenzo who?
1986 ILL - 69 points was not enough
1989 OSU - Bo's last home game (also a worst, for the injury to Vada Murray)
2002 Penn State
February 20th, 2009 at 11:08 AM ^
Fun post, but I think the only game your memory was correct on was that Jeff George was Qb at a game you saw and I hope you were right on being 9.
Errors on the OSU and Wash games have already been cited.
The Florida St game was not a 1 vs 2 game and T Buk's Int was more like 40 not 80yds
February 20th, 2009 at 11:29 AM ^
I just was going off memory. I guess I should have done some research. Thanks to simple math I was able to figure out I was nine. That is if I remember the year I was born correctly. Either way if is wasn't 1 vs. 2 they were both highly ranked and the INT seemed like 80 yds. I was pretty young then too.
February 20th, 2009 at 11:14 AM ^
I wish I had the advantage of being able to talk about the weekly routine of visiting Michigan Stadium... Simple geography makes my visits much less commonplace, and more like periodic pilgrimages. UNFORGETTABLE, every one, but less frequent than most of you I'm sure.
With that being said, the best game I've ever seen in person is clearly the 2002 Penn State game... Like goblue02 said, the first OT game in the Big House. When we were going in for the win I think everyone in the stadium knew we were gonna pound it in on the ground, and that's exactly what we did.
February 20th, 2009 at 11:15 AM ^
Best games I've been to (that I can recall):
1987 vs OSU. My dad was in town from LA. I cried when we sealed the game. My dad looked at me like, "WTF?"
2004 vs MSU. My son and I were there and Spartola was awful cocky. There was this one fan standing in the aisle, singing the State fight song, and pointing at all the Michigan fans and taunting us. Eat that, fat boy.
1985 vs. OSU--I can still see that pass in the air to Kolesar as Harbaugh got hit
Worst games.
1998 vs. Syracuse--one of the worst performances I can ever remember us having.
1986 vs. Minnesota. It was eerily quiet in the stadium before the game. I sensed something bad was gonna happen. It did: Ricky Foggie and some douchebag kicker.
07 vs OSU--pitiful performance
1988 (I think) vs. Miami. We were way up in the 4th quarter. Miami fans were leaving the stadium early and I chastised a couple of them as they walked out. I ate my words. Luckily I didn't run into them on MY way out.
February 20th, 2009 at 2:05 PM ^
I was seated in the corner way up in the nosebleeds. We were up 20-17 but OSU had just scored and seemed to have taken the momentum from us.
They kicked off - touch back.
Next play, 3 yards and a cloud of dust.
2 & 7 from the 23 and I was in a direct line with the pass with Harbaugh's back to us. As soon as he let it go we stood up in the corner going nuts because you could see Kolesar had his man beat by 2 steps and we all sensed he was going to catch it. Harbaughs pass led him inside a little bit from the left hashes and he was gone. Final score 27-17.
February 22nd, 2009 at 10:32 AM ^
The worst was probably the 2001 Ohio State game, followed closely by either the '79 or '81 Ohio State games.
February 20th, 2009 at 4:50 PM ^
Miami was ranked #1, Michigan #15. Michigan had a 16 point lead (30-14) with a little less than 7 minutes left in the game. They won, 31-30, and didn't even have to call a time-out!
February 20th, 2009 at 11:16 AM ^
BEST:
'97 v. OSU- handing out roses to the players, running on the field.
WORST:
'05 v. OSU- really thought we had that one.
February 20th, 2009 at 11:18 AM ^
I saw the 2002 Washington game as well.
I really enjoyed the 2000 game against Wisconsin where Henson faded right and threw across his body off his back foot across the entire field to the very back of the endzone where David Terrell lept up and pulled it down for the game winner.
February 20th, 2009 at 11:19 AM ^
I'm surprised no one's added this one to their list of best games yet. Henne to Manningham with no time left on the clock for the win. Even though I was in the student section on the far side of the field and couldn't see the play that well, I remember seeing Henne drop back, throw the ball in the endzone, the receiver cup his hands, and then the crowd behind that endzone cheered loudly. Absolutely incredible.
2003 OSU and 2004 MSU are also right up there. And just because I enjoy blowout victories over rival schools, 2003 ND and 2002 MSU were also very enjoyable.
As for worst... 2002 Iowa (34-9 loss on homecoming) and 2005 Minnesota were tough to stomach.
February 20th, 2009 at 11:39 AM ^
My worst Michigan game was the Northwestern game in 2000. I wasn't there, but I was watching that all afternoon only to see us blow it inexplicably 54-51. Not only that, the game was a 3:30 game and it went long. I had Michigan hockey season tickets and Michigan State was in town that night. The football game took so long and we couldn't leave until it was over so we missed the first period of the hockey game.
Of course, the first period saw the games only goal and MSU beat us 1-0.
That was a horrible day.
That 2002 Iowa game was miserable. My dad flew in from
Atlanta for that game.
February 20th, 2009 at 12:51 PM ^
It was absolute bedlam after that TD. The game was something like 10-3 going into the fourth quarter, and it ended up 27-25. The fourth quarter was a massive back and forth. I remember my friend saying that game was over after Henne had the ball stolen for a TD and the holder ran a botched snap for a two-point conversion.
Plus the game ended at night with the lights on the field.
I actually remember what I was wearing that day (too cold for the student shirts). That game remains one of my favorite memories of my time in Ann Arbor.
February 20th, 2009 at 11:30 AM ^
My best:
Washington, 2002
My worst:
Colorado - Kordell's toss...
February 20th, 2009 at 11:36 AM ^
'08 Northwestern, waited my whole life to go to a game at the Big House, and that was it. 3 rows behind the UM bench, stayed till the very, bitter, wet and cold end.
February 20th, 2009 at 11:39 AM ^
best 97 Iowa "down 21-7 at the half"
worst 08 NW
February 20th, 2009 at 11:39 AM ^
Favorites were 2003 OSU, the OT game against PSU that was the first OT game at the Big House (and a game the PSU fans still bitch about), the 2002 Washington game.
I also enjoyed the 2003 Notre Dame game simply for the loud student section chant of "HOUSTON'S BETTER clap clap clapclapclap" at Notre Dame as we shut them out.
Worst were the 2002 Utah borefest and the epic beatdown that Iowa gave us in the second half of the game that year.