Change one play
A friend linked this brief article on Facebook, and I thought it might be a fun offseason hypothetical to kick around for a bit. The gist of the article is, if you could change one single play in the history of sports, what would it be?
For me, there are two close contenders. First, have us make that late field goal against OSU in the year of the tie & subsequent illegal "vote". Bo then gets the best shot he'd ever have at a national crown. Second, I'd say change the ruling on the goal review from the UMD National Championship loss in hockey back in 2011. Shawn Hunwick gets his crown, and the greatest underdog story in sports history has its perfection completion.
What do you guys think?
http://deadspin.com/if-you-could-change-the-outcome-of-one-play-which-w…
This TD would have sealed the deal. But alas.
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Instead of punting, Lloyd goes for the field goal in the 1998 Rose Bowl against WSU and makes it. We win by more than a touchdown then, 24-16.
The win looks more convincing, and gives voters less of an "excuse" to Vote Nebraska into a split NC.
On second thought, let me go right to the source.
The most significant play that I would change that benefits Michigan is not even a Michigan play.
I would change the illegal kick-and-catch that Nebraska had in the end zone against Missouri that tied the game and led to overtime.
Nebraska would have a loss then, and Michigan would be the only undefeated team and undisputed 1997 National Champion.
Changing that one single play would have more beneficial impact on Michigan than any other play in my lifetime.
So many possibilities ...
Most have hinged on a key play or decision such as the tie game vote or the block-no block call, but I would dare to suggest this:
Michigan at East Lansing, 2009. Trailing most of the game, Michigan mounts a furious comeback to scores a TD to draw within 1 point in the waning moments. Rich Rod opts to kick the extra point tying the game, and plays for OT despite a defense which was hanging on desparately. He has a healthy Tate Forcier and could have gone for 2 against a reeling Spartan team. One run/pass option play to end the game with no time left on the clock would change history. The team was 4-0 and had beat ND in a thrilling 38-34 game. That would turn out to be Michigan's best chance to beat the Spartans under RR. Win and it might have altered not only Rich Rod's fate but also that ot Tate Forcier and Denard Robinson.
Lots of good choices--I'd go with the fake punt play in Bo's last game. There's a chance he gets the "lifetime achievement" National Championship if he wins that game.
But, let me offer a play not yet mentioned. The almost TD against Illinois in 2009, Rich Rod’s second season; hear me out. Rich Rod’s first season was a tire fire, but everyone knew Michigan was short of talent in general, and the talent to run the new offense in particular. He got a mulligan for that season. In his second season, he had a great win over ND. The season was on the knife’s edge.
Moving on to Champaign that year, Michigan dominated early and was on the verge of putting the game away. In the early 3rd quarter, Michigan was up 13-7 (and uncharacteristically, gave up less than 100 yards of total offense to the Illini in the first half) when Roy Roundtree got loose on a deep pass and appeared to have a clear path to the end zone. 20-7 at that point, and it’s game over. Terry Hawthorne caught him right around the goal line, and it took replay before the officials decided Roundtree was down before he scored. I thought at the time, no biggie, first and goal at the 1, surely… But NOOOOOO!!!!!!! Michigan failed in four tries. Again, I thought that Illinois having the ball with 99 yards to the end zone wasn’t too terrible. So of course, in one drive Illinois went the 99 yards, exceeding their entire offensive output for the first half. Which was naturally the first of 31 unanswered points the Illini scored in the second half. (For the true maschist: http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=293040356)
The impact reverberated past that one game. That game was the difference between a winning record and a bowl game, or not. If Roundtree gets one more foot forward on that play, Michigan would have won the game, and qualified for a bowl. Rich Rod gets another 4 weeks of practice to install his system, and the tone of his second season is different. Instead of a second bowl-less season, we see signs of progress.
Maybe with his seat a little less warm starting the third season, and his returning starters knowing his system better, the team plays better. (Or at minimum, he musters the intestinal fortitude to realize GERG can’t run his 3-3-5 defense, and he hires someone who can before the season.) Another win, a better performance in the bowl game, and maybe we are all spared the Brady Hoke experience.
Yup, we Michigan fans really do like to relive the agony. Like the t-shirt says, “I love to hate the team I love.”
...hits Troy Smith legally and in bounds
that is all