Mike Persak, Managing Sports Editor

DESIGN BY KATE GLAD

but it was a good play design, and I made the 
read. … Even the announcers think that Minor 
gets smacked in the background by, they had 
a really good defensive end at the time, and 
you know, he took off like a bat out of hell and 
went right for the running back, so really wish 
I had scored the touchdown, but I’ll take the 
58 yards. You know, what I wasn’t gonna do is 
fumble. After those turnovers in the first half, 
there was no chance I was gonna give the ball 
up on that play. I’ll get caught, which, between 
friends and family, I still get a little grief for.
Five plays later, Michigan running back Sam 
McGuffie plunged into the endzone for a three-
yard touchdown. The Wolverines led, 27-19. Two 
possessions later, Wisconsin took over with 1:19 
left and started driving…
Nessler: Two receivers to the right, he’s 
looking that way, throwing that way and it is 
caught! Touchdown!
The Badgers scored with 13 seconds left and 
had to go for a two-point conversion.
Threet: I was down there towards the end of 
the coaches box with my towel, trying to get 
the crowd as loud as I could. Michael Phelps 
was on the sideline with us — he was like an 
honorary captain that game.
Nessler: Wisconsin’s gotta have two. Evridge 
looks and throws and it’s caught! Travis 
Beckum! There’s a flag!
Thompson: I saw the flag when it happened. 
I was on the field. But I didn’t know, I was just 
playing. And then I was like, ‘Okay we’ve got 
to line up and go do it again.’
The penalty was an ineligible man downfield 

call against tight end Travis Beckum, who 
caught the pass. Wisconsin moved five yards 
back and tried again.
Nessler: Wisconsin to try to tie it up. Evridge 
steps up, throws high! Incomplete!
Threet: At that point in time, in my mind, it 
didn’t matter if it was regulation or overtime, 
we had too much energy and positive motion, 
that whether the defense came up like they 
did on that second two-point conversion 
try or whether we had to go out there for 
overtime, there was no doubt in my mind at 
that point.
Thompson: We felt like we were gonna play 
until there was no time on the clock. But if we 
had to go to overtime, we were ready to go.
Pleasant: Don’t let them fool you, every 
person in fucking Michigan Stadium was 
sitting on the edge of their seat. They had 
come back, and we drove it down the field. 
We literally drove the ball down the field. … 
It’s not like they came back and then they just 
punished us. That’s what made us feel so bad, 
because we were doing well, then they came 
back and we finally get it to the limit and then 
we just couldn’t.
Deandre Levy, Wisconsin linebacker, 2005-
2008, in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: It 
was embarrassing. I didn’t know how to react. 
I couldn’t believe this was happening, how we 
basically gave the game away in the second 
half.
Snyder: I think everyone felt that that could 
be the kickstarter for something, because no 
one in the Michigan fanbase or the Michigan 

community or whatever had ever gone 
through the other side of it. They had never 
experienced a team that just totally fell apart. 
… They didn’t think that it would be the only 
highlight for the whole season.
Pleasant: That was a hurtful game, man, 
because we lost that game, and we ended up 
coming to Michigan State that same year, and 
ended up losing in a very similar fashion. That 
was a tough year. We came into that year with 
high hopes.
... I mean, it was very obvious that it wasn’t 
the same Michigan. You have to take into 
consideration, that when I was leaving high 
school, if you weren’t a top recruit in the 
nation, you weren’t even getting a look from 
Michigan. I mean, let’s just be real. … I don’t 
know what those fuckin’ Michigan guys were 
telling you, but don’t let this shit fool you. 
There was a huge difference. I mean, it wasn’t 
even the same program.
Thompson: (The interception) is up top. 
It’s definitely up top. I had things that I had 
done in my career that I felt like was a good 
thing, but it didn’t go to show for what that 
did. I had a fun career at Michigan, but it’s 
definitely up top as one of the top highlights of 
my career.
Koger: It was probably more of just a bright 
spot, of just that season and my career. It’s 
one of those games, when people ask about, 
you bring up because it was such a huge 
comeback at such a pivotal time of the season. 
Just reflecting on that season, we weren’t very 
good. We didn’t win a lot of games. But there’s 

always positives to every situation.
Threet: I lived in New York for six years, 
so any time I’m at anywhere watching a 
Michigan game and something comes up, 
that’s the first memory, is the 58-yard run 
against top-10 Wisconsin.
Pleasant was hired as a graduate assistant for 
the Wolverines in 2012, Koger’s senior season.
Pleasant: When I was coaching there, they 
would ask, like, ‘Were you in that game?’ 
And I was like, ‘Yeah, I was in that game.’ 
And they’re like, ‘Aw man, that was crazy. 
You remember when they were booing us? 
Remember trying to get this thing going here 
or there?’ Yeah, no doubt, it was (brought up). 
It was.
But at that time, Michigan was still trying 
to find itself. They were trying to find their 
brand. They were trying to figure out who 
they were, offensively and defensively. And 
that’s the thing that we were joking about at 
that time. Because you have to imagine, for 
me being at Michigan, and for me being able 
to be reflective to them, they really didn’t talk 
much smack, because Rich Rod wasn’t very 
successful.
Threet: I don’t think any of the things I 
remember I want to forget. I think of it as 
wins and learns, not wins and losses. You 
know, regardless of what situation. Biggest 
thing I remember from the Wisconsin game 
are the boos at halftime and the cheers at the 
end.