H
eading into 2008,
the Michigan
football team hadn’t
had a losing season
since the 1960s.
Under coaches Bo Schembechler,
Gary Moeller and Lloyd Carr,
the Wolverines developed into
a perennial power in the Big
Ten, always in the Rose Bowl
conversation, and thus, the national
spotlight.
But when Carr retired at the
end of the 2007 season and Rich
Rodriguez took his place, there
was perhaps more doubt around
the program than there had ever
been. Rodriguez brought with him a
spread offense that had never been
run at Michigan, and the personnel
he inherited was not suited for that
play style.
All of those doubts were realized,
as the Wolverines sputtered to a 3-9
record.
Even still, there was one bright spot
in the season.
On Sept. 28, in the 500th game in
the history of Michigan Stadium,
Michigan battled back from a
19-0 halftime deficit to beat No. 9
Wisconsin, 27-19, giving hope to a
fanbase that had all but lost it.
Ten years later, the memory of
that game is interesting. Especially
lately, the Wolverines are in a much
better spot than they were then.
The Badgers are visiting Ann Arbor
again this weekend, and Michigan is
favored by nine points.
Most Wolverines fans would
prefer to erase the memory of the
Rodriguez Era. But that one game
can be remembered as a positive,
an emotional roller coaster and a
signature win that the Michigan
players from that year can hang
their hats on.
This is the story of the largest
comeback in the history of Michigan
Stadium.
Mark Snyder, former Michigan
beat reporter for The Detroit
Free Press: Everything was
the unknown, because they had
changed this whole system, and it
was gonna be this read option, and
Michigan obviously didn’t have
the personnel for that, especially
the quarterback. They had Steven
Threet as the quarterback, and he
had transferred from Georgia Tech,
and he was, you know, a pro-style
quarterback, and that’s why he had
come to Michigan. And he came to
Michigan before Lloyd Carr left.
Steven Threet, Michigan
quarterback, 2007-2009: I would
say that when I did transfer, there
wasn’t a discussion specifically my
parents, myself and Coach Carr
about a transition. Obviously, that
was kind of in the wind, not for any
reason other than his desires, but
that was a possibility. But kind of
given the consistency and stability
of the University of Michigan
football program to that point since
the late 1960s, it didn’t seem like
there was gonna be a drastic shift.
Kevin Koger, Michigan tight
end, 2008-2012: It was a different
perspective for me, just because I
committed under Coach Carr, but
I didn’t play under him. So I get in
there, and Rich Rod’s the only thing
I know. So it wasn’t weird for me in
terms of having a coaching change,
but I was just going off a lot of the
older guys and how they felt. I
think there was a mild uncertainty.
I don’t know, unfortunately, how
great our buy-in was at that time as
a whole. I think there were some
guys resistant to the change. I think
that had a lot to do with the type of
team that we had, and everybody
was at fault. It wasn’t just the
coaches, we just all weren’t on the
same page. And I don’t think guys
didn’t play hard or anything like
that, I think, you know, we weren’t
all on the same page that year, and
expectations were high.
The Wolverines began their season
with a 25-23 loss to Utah, a 16-6 win
over Miami (OH) and a 35-17 loss to
Notre Dame, falling to 1-2 before the
Big Ten opener.
Koger: I think we always had
confidence in ourselves. We always
thought that, no matter what
happened, like the Notre Dame
game, if I remember correctly,
we had a bunch of turnovers, you
know, so it was a lot of, we felt,
self-inflicted wounds. … We did
beat Miami (OH), but we felt that
the margin of victory should have
been a lot bigger than it was. You
know, so I think we were a little, not
disappointed, but we expected more
out of ourselves up to that point.
Snyder: So they go into this game
with a chance for an upset, and
Michigan, they’re used to big-time
wins. … But I don’t think anybody
expected they were going to win.
Wisconsin won its first three games
of the season, rising to No. 9 in
the AP rankings and establishing
themselves as Big Ten and National
Championship contenders.
Aubrey Pleasant, Wisconsin
defensive back, 2005-2008: Yeah
we were definitely going for it.
I remember we were somewhat
rated high, we were 3-0. You know,
I feel at that time … I don’t know
if (Michigan) started off the way
they needed to that year, but we
knew it was gonna be a competitive
game. We knew we had to solidify
ourselves on the road if we wanted
to kind of push it through.
Threet: One thing I do remember
is I didn’t even realize until we got
onto the field and I saw the extra
paint (that) it was the 500th game in
Michigan Stadium. And that was not
like, I didn’t walk into the stadium
knowing, ‘Hey, this is 500. Let’s
make it special.’
John Thompson, Michigan
linebacker, 2004-2008: To us,
it was the Big Ten opener. …
Win at home, win the Big Ten
and then compete for a national
championship. In our eyes, it was,
‘Alright, the preseason is over.’ We
lost to Utah. Lost to Notre Dame.
But the next game was the goal. So
just open up the Big Ten, get ready
to play and play to win.
Snyder: It was probably one of the
worst halves of football that anyone
had seen from Michigan in a long
time, and everything that could go
wrong went wrong. And so they’re
going off the field at halftime, and all
of the sudden, it was massive boos.
Thompson: Oh yeah, they were
booing. They were booing, because
they had a certain expectation. You
know, you’re at Michigan, you’re
expected to compete at a high level
to perform.
Pleasant: Our big thing was that,
even though we were winning,
we still didn’t feel like we were
playing our best, and we just was
like, ‘Listen, this don’t happen in
Michigan Stadium. With the fans
booing, they’re gonna come out
ready to go.’ We just needed to finish
it out.
Rodriguez, after the game: If
there was a hole to crawl into, I’m
sure a bunch of us, including myself,
would have wanted to crawl into
that hole. … If you were anywhere
in the Ann Arbor vicinity, you heard
that.
Threet: I just remember the
environment being, excuse my
language, but, ‘Holy shit, what are
we doing? We’re way better than
this. Whether or not we’re better
than the ninth-ranked team in the
country at this moment, we’re way
better than what we’re putting on
the field. Let’s just do what we need
to do.’
On the second drive of the second
half, Michigan drove down the
field, and Threet hit Koger for the
Wolverines’ first points of the game,
making it 19-7.
Koger: They went one-high safety,
and (Pleasant) rolls down and I slip
by him and I stay on the seam. And
as soon as I get my head around, I
see Steven throwing me the ball, so
I catch it and scored, and my first
thought was the night before we
had clam chowder. But freshmen
weren’t allowed to eat clam
chowder. So I had an agreement
with one of the older wide receivers
that the next time I score, the next
week, I get clam chowder. That next
time happened to be the next day. So
I was excited, and I was screaming
on the field that I get clam chowder
the next week.
Snyder: With (Koger’s touchdown),
it’s still like, what is the plan for
them to get back into the game.
What’s gonna happen that’s unique
to say, I mean, if you’re gonna make
a comeback like that, something’s
got to happen.
The teams traded punts back and
forth, until the fourth quarter, when
Michigan again drove down the
field, capping off a 10-play, 84-yard
drive with a 34-yard touchdown
run from running back Brandon
Minor. Wisconsin then took over
with the ball on its own 25 with 10:27
remaining in the game.
Threet: The Donovan Warren
tipped ball.
Thompson: (Then-sophomore
cornerback) Donovan made the
play. I just executed. … Without him,
I would have been running to the
ball tackling.
Brad Nessler, ABC play-by-play
analyst, on the live telecast of
the game: (Wisconsin quarterback
Allan) Evridge, quick slant,
tipped up in the air and the ball is
intercepted by Michigan! Down the
sideline is John Thompson!
Thompson: I see the tight end,
he was in my face, so I gave him a
move, get up the field, and my whole
defense was in front of me.
Koger: Those guys kind of created
a convoy down the sideline. … Yeah,
so he’s going down the sideline,
and the sideline erupted. That’s
probably one of the loudest I’ve
heard Michigan Stadium. … they
intercepted and scored, touchdown,
and there was a Wisconsin guy
chasing, and there was probably
like, seven or eight Michigan guys
on one Wisconsin guy, so it kinda
looked like the Wisconsin guy got
swallowed whole, enveloped by
all the Michigan guys, because he
was on the ground, and he was
underneath them celebrating.
Wisconsin went three-and-out on its
next possession, giving Michigan the
ball back on its own 23-yard line, with
8:14 remaining.
Nessler: Big hit on Brandon
Minor… No, it’s Threet! Threet!
Trying to run away from everybody!
Snyder: I remember this long run
by Threet. You know, on a keeper. It
must have been 50-something yards.
And at that point, I mean, this is not
what this guy does. He was athletic.
He was sort of athletic, but he’s not
like Denard Robinson.
Threet: That was the run system
that made Rich Rod famous is the
read option. I’m by no means the
(former West Virginia quarterback)
Pat White that he had previously,
TheMichiganDaily, www.michigandaily.com
FootballSaturday, October 12, 2018
4B
“I don’t think any of the things I remember I want to forget”
‘Boos at the start and cheers at the end’