The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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NOVEMBER 2025 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 15 ❱ INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS FIVE YEARS AGO, 2020: Michigan football pulled out a 48-42 triple-overtime thriller at Rutgers on Nov. 21, 2020, in what turned out to be the penultimate game of the Wolverines' season. The game represented a huge comeback for the Wolverines after they fell behind, 17-0, in Piscataway. Quarterback Cade McNamara led the rally, taking over for starter Joe Milton and going 27-for-36 passing for 260 yards and 4 touchdowns. Hassan Haskins backed the aerial attack with 111 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries. McNamara came on after Rutgers piled up its 17-0 lead in the opening 25 minutes of the contest. He connected on a 46-yard touchdown pass to Cornelius Johnson with 3:26 left in the half, allowing the visitors to pull within 10 at the break. Then, Michigan's Giles Jackson broke out on a 95-yard kickoff return for a touch- down to open the second half, pulling U-M within three in only 11 seconds. The Wolverines finally grabbed a 28-27 lead at the 13:38 mark of the fourth quarter, on a 6-yard touchdown pass from McNamara to Mike Sainristil. But this one was far from over. Rutgers scored a touchdown with only 27 seconds remaining in regulation, tying the score at 35-35 and sending it to overtime. The squads played two OT periods evenly, and Haskins finally settled it, leaping over a pile of bodies to score the game-winning touchdown from a yard out on fourth- and-goal. Michigan played only one more game that season. The Maryland, Ohio State and Iowa contests were canceled due to COVID concerns. 10 YEARS AGO, 2015: Jim Harbaugh's first Michigan squad held Penn State to a mere pair of second-half field goals, winning 28-16 at Beaver Stadium on Nov. 21, 2015. U-M quarterback Jake Rudock connected on 25 of 38 passes for 256 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the win. Michigan took a 14-10 lead into the half, following a tightly contested 30 minutes of football. After the break, the U-M defense took over, and the Wolverines took con- trol. Michigan's Sione Houma made it 21-10 on a 1-yard TD plunge midway through the third quarter, but a pair of field goals by Penn State's Tyler Davis pulled the Nit- tany Lions within five points, 21-16. Michigan answered with a 1-yard De'Veon Smith touchdown run with 5:12 left, and the U-M defense made that edge hold up. Harbaugh played a role in firing up the Wolverines. After a pass interference call, he ripped off his headset and coat, sparking an emotional reaction from the team. "He's just an animated guy in everything he does," tight end Jake Butt said. "He's a leader. He's our head coach. Everyone on our team would follow him, no matter what." 25 YEARS AGO, 2000: Michigan took down Ohio State in Columbus, 38-26, on Nov. 18, 2000, nailing down a tie for the Big Ten championship. Drew Henson's naked bootleg around left end for a 1-yard touchdown run sealed the victory with 1:18 left on the clock. The Buckeyes built a 9-0 lead in the Horseshoe, but a pair of Henson TD tosses — 70 yards to Anthony Thomas and 21 yards to David Terrell — put Michigan up, 14-9, after a quarter. An OSU field goal pulled the Buckeyes back within two at the half. The Wolverines then took charge with 3 third-quarter touchdowns, capped by Julius Curry's 50-yard interception-return touchdown for a 31-12 advantage. OSU scored a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns to pull within five points, but Henson's trickery sent the Buckeyes home empty-handed. "It was the best game of my life," Henson noted years later. "At home, it's great — you're expected to win. But there's nothing like winning on the road. You take more away from it." — John Borton THIS MONTH IN MICHIGAN ATHLETICS HISTORY *For your convenience, we'll send you a direct link to each newsletter via email as soon as it is published. Send your EMAIL ADDRESS to staff@TheWolverine.com or log into your account at TheWolverineOnDemand.com to update your contact information. FOOTBALL SEASON NEWSLETTERS Exclusively For Wolverine Magazine Subscribers BE SURE TO GET YOUR EMAIL ON OUR LIST!* The Wolverine Now digital newsletter is emailed every Thursday and Sunday of game weeks during football season. Each newsletter links to articles on our premium website:TheWolverine.com with exclusive content for magazine subscribers. Other content on the site may require a separate subscription and is not included with your magazine subscription. ✦ Game Report Packages on Sundays ✦ Updated Scouting Reports on Thursdays ✦ Football Notes ✦ Cumulative & Post-Game Statistics ✦ Depth Charts & Rosters for both teams