The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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14 THE WOLVERINE SEPTEMBER 2019 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS FIVE YEARS AGO, 2014: Michigan football tempo- rarily righted the ship in a 34-10 win over Miami (Ohio) at Michigan Stadium Sept. 13. The Wolverines were looking to bounce back from a 31-0 loss at Notre Dame, and sopho- more running back Derrick Green helped them do so. Green rumbled for 137 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries in Michigan's runaway win. Quarterback Devin Gard- ner added two more touchdowns through the air, connect- ing on 13 of 20 passing attempts for 184 yards. Even then, it wasn't easy. The game stood tied, 10-10, late in the second quarter, when Green burst into the end zone from a yard out, giving Michigan a lead the Wolverines wouldn't relinquish. Tight end Jake Butt's 29-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter gave Michigan some breathing room, and the Wolverines closed it out with Green's 12-yard TD run and Matt Wile's 40-yard field goal. "You know what, we got great fans," U-M head coach Brady Hoke noted, when asked about players hear- ing some boos at the half. "They've got high expecta- tions like we do. "As far as the players, they know they can only con- trol what they can control, and that's playing the best Michigan football we can." 10 YEARS AGO, 2009: Michigan pulled out a wild 38-34 win over Notre Dame in The Big House Sept. 12. Tate Forcier 's five -yard touchdown toss to wideout Greg Mathews with 11 sec- onds remaining lifted the Wolverines to the victory. U - M l e d 1 4 - 3 a f te r a quarter, but it didn't stay that way. The Irish rallied to score 17 straight points and grab a 20-14 lead in the second quar ter, be - fore Jason Olesnavage's 39-yard field goal with no time remaining in the half made it 20-17. F o r c i e r 's t h r e e - y a r d touchdown toss to tight end Kevin Koger and the QB's succeeding 31-yard touchdown run put Michi- gan back in control at 31- 20 44 seconds into the fourth quarter. But the Irish matched that with two touchdowns of their own, grabbing a 34-31 lead on Armando Allen's eight-yard scoring run with 5:13 remaining. That's when Forcier engineered the game-winning, 57-yard touchdown drive. His toss to Mathews set off a wild celebra- tion in Michigan Stadium, allowing the Wolverines to survive at home and reach 2-0 on the young season. "It was a great ballgame," Michigan head coach Rich Ro- driguez observed. "There were some big-time plays by both teams. I'm glad we came out on top. "Wow, I've been in a few games like this, but this thing, you can almost sense it was going to go down to the last play, and it did." 25 YEARS AGO, 1994: Remy Hamilton etched his name into Michigan history and Michigan-Notre Dame lore, booming the game-winning 42-yard field goal at Notre Dame Stadium in a 26-24 Michigan win Sept. 10. The Irish grabbed a 24-23 lead with less than a minute remaining, when quarter- back Ron Powlus hit Derrick Mayes on a seven-yard TD toss. That summoned up all the ghosts of last-minute, heartbreaking defeats in the home of the Irish. Michigan was to be the hear tbreaker this time. Q uar ter back Todd Col- lins drove the Wolverines downfield, gunning a pair of completions to wideout Walter Smith and hitting tight end Jay Riemersma with a 26-yard toss to get U-M into field goal range. Hamilton did the rest, nailing the kick that turned the home team's pot of gold into a bucket of tears. "A f t e r N o t r e D a m e scored, I didn't think we had enough time to come back," Hamilton said. "But the guys on the sideline told me we had 52 seconds and to get ready for a field goal. I never even kicked four extra points in a game, much less four field goals." He'd enjoy many more chances, head coach Gary Moeller assured. "Up until this morning, the coaching staff was unsure of who would be handling the place-kicking duties," Moeller said af- terward. "Now there is no question of who is doing the kicking next week." — John Borton THIS MONTH IN MICHIGAN ATHLETICS HISTORY Wide receiver Greg Mathews' five-yard scoring reception with 11 seconds remaining gave Michigan a 38-34 win over Notre Dame in September 2009. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN