The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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16 THE WOLVERINE SEPTEMBER 2021 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS FIVE YEARS AGO, 2016: Michi- gan opened the Big Ten season with a devastating 49-10 rout of Penn State. The Wolverines raced away to a 28-0 halftime lead in the Sept. 24 contest, limiting the Nittany Lions to a mere 50 first-half yards. The second crew of the Jim Har- baugh era ran over the visitors, rush- ing for 326 yards, part of U-M's overall 515-199 yardage advantage. De'Veon Smith piled up 107 yards on only 12 carries, with Wilton Speight connect- ing on 21 of 34 passes for 189 yards and a touchdown. The No. 4 team in the nation moved its record to a perfect 4-0, dropping the Nittany Lions to 2-2 in the season's opening month. "I was really impressed with the run- ning backs," Harbaugh said. "All of them contributed in big ways, starting with De'Veon again. He had a heck of a game, broke loose, got the tough yardage. Ty [Isaac] was good again — very elusive and good. Chris Evans had long gains, and Karan [Higdon] ran the same play and got a touchdown. "[Fullback] Khalid [Hill] was good, and our line was blocking well. It was a job well done in the running game." 10 YEARS AGO, 2011: A show- case night game at Michigan Stadium produced a wild, 35-31 comeback win over Notre Dame's Fighting Irish. The Wolverines fell behind 24-7, prior to their furious rally Sept. 10. Even then, the Irish scored with only 30 seconds to play, taking a 31-28 ad- vantage and appearing to lock up the game. Instead, Michigan raced back downfield, with quarterback Denard Robinson firing a 16-yard touchdown pass to a leaping Roy Roundtree for the game-winning score with two sec- onds on the clock. Robinson enjoyed a masterful ef- fort, throwing for 338 yards on only 11 completions with four touchdowns. He ran for a fifth while leading the Wolverines in rushing with 108 yards. Junior Hemingway made three re- ceptions for 165 yards, including a 77-yard touchdown catch. Michigan moved to 2-0 on the season, dropping the Irish to 0-2. Robinson insisted the Wolverines never got down, regardless of trailing badly on the scoreboard. "Every time you see this game, you're going to know that both teams are go- ing to fight to the end," Robinson said. "It's never over until you see zeroes on the clock." 25 YEARS AGO, 1996: Michigan delivered an eye-opening 20-13 vic- tory over No. 5 Colorado in Boulder Sept. 14. The Wolverines moved to 2-0, after they opened the season with a win over Big Ten foe Illinois. Upon traveling to Colorado, they got a measure of revenge for their shock- ing loss to the Buffaloes at Michigan Stadium two years earlier on Kordell Stewart's Hail Mary in the final seconds. In this one, the Buffaloes commit- ted 14 penalties to put the Wolver- ines in a great position to win. Even then, Michigan endured some highly anxious moments. The biggest came when quarterback Scott Dreisbach bobbled a snap on fourth down late in the game, and went to a knee in- stead of scrambling and running out the clock. It gave Colorado time for — what else — a final Hail Mary. Michigan safety Chuck Winters deflected the throw, like he had two years earlier. This one wasn't caught, to the mas- sive relief of the Wolverines and head coach Lloyd Carr. "I held my breath, just like everyone who loves Michigan did," Carr said. — John Borton THIS MONTH IN MICHIGAN ATHLETICS HISTORY Quarterback Denard Robinson led U-M to a wild, 35-31 comeback win over Notre Dame in 2011, throwing for 338 yards and four scores while rushing for 108 yards and a touchdown. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL