The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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28 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2022 FOOTBALL PREVIEW The Wolverines held the high-flying No. 2 team in the nation 20 points under its sea- son scoring average. They pounded away on the ground, piling up a gaudy 297 rush- ing yards. And when winning time came, they kept scoring and scoring and … "Michigan just poured it on," noted for- mer All-Big Ten offensive lineman Doug Skene. "That's what I'll remember about watching that game. It was enjoyable to watch. "There were Michigan teams in the pre- vious 10 years that had the talent to do that same thing, but they didn't. They wilted in the moment. That's what sticks out." Standing strong in the moment led to an eruption enjoyed by all. That throng included the new Michigan football radio analyst, former All-American and two-time captain Jon Jansen. "We let those games slip away," Jansen said. "Those aren't excuses. Those are facts. It was what Michigan did to prevent them- selves from winning and dig into this hole deeper and deeper." And when they dug out, it felt magical. "I was standing down at the south end zone, at the goal post, watching the game the entire time," Jansen recalled. "Some of the touchdowns happened right in front of me. The helmet that came flying off. You remember moments you had in 'The Game' that were so similar to those moments. "For the kids that were on the field, to have that experience of domination for four quarters, to be able to close it out. … It was as emotional a game as I've ever been around that I didn't play in." He did play amongst the post-game cel- ebrants, Jansen admitted. "After the game, we knew the crowd was going to rush the field," he said. "It was anticipated and amazing. My daughters were there. I had gone up into the seventh or eighth row to where they were, because I wanted to make sure they got down on the field safely. "My kids said, 'Dad, we've never seen you act like this. We've never seen you this happy about a football game.' My oldest is 16, and they've never experienced a win like that against Ohio State. That's the crime and the shame of it. "They understand a little bit more of what that game means. Us dancing around on the field — it was pure joy." How It All Came Together So, what made 2021 different? How did this team get over the top, when others could Michigan fans packed The Big House with a season-high attendance of 111,156 on Nov. 27, 2021. Buckeye fans, and OSU smiles, were in limited supply that day. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN