The University of Michigan is a storied academic school with a proud athletic history. The Michigan football team boasts the most wins of any school of all time. From 1969 to 1989, coach Bo Schembechler brought the Michigan Wolverines a staggering 13 conference championships. Their success carried into the 90’s with Desmond Howard and Charles Woodson winning Heisman trophies and Lloyd Carr’s 1997 Michigan team taking home a national championship. When Carr retired in 2007, Michigan had appeared in 33 straight bowl games.
After Carr’s departure, Michigan looked outside the program to hire West Virginia’s Rich Rodriguez. In 3 years as the Michigan head coach “Rich Rod” put up an embarrassing 15-22 record, and dark times fell upon the program. In an effort to restore tradition and culture, Michigan hired Brady Hoke, a Michigan Man. But unfortunately, Hoke could not produce the results that had become a standard in Ann Arbor. In 4 seasons, Hoke went 31-20, with a descending win percentage in each season.
In a prominently covered story, the Michigan Wolverines went out and landed one of the most coveted coaches in the country, former Michigan quarterback Jim Harbaugh. Harbaugh was a Heisman finalist at Michigan and was fresh off of a trip to the Super Bowl as the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers. To Michigan fans, this hire seemed like a home run. The Michigan messiah had returned to restore the program to glory.
In his first 5 seasons as head coach at Michigan, Jim Harbaugh won 10 games 3 times, which in most cases would be considered a success. The issue was his inability to win big games, specifically against Michigan’s rivals. Harbaugh started 0-5 against Michigan’s biggest rival, Ohio St.
The 2020 season, Harbaugh’s 6th year, brought a pandemic, a shortened season, and a slew of other problems. After the Big 10 conference failed to start the season on time with other major conferences, several of Michigan’s top NFL hopefuls decided to sit out the year and prepare for the draft. When the season finally started, Michigan was shorthanded and underprepared. With Covid sweeping through the nation causing regular game cancellations, Michigan managed to record just a 6-game season in which they went an abysmal 2-4.
Many college football fans and columnists called for the firing of Jim Harbaugh. The pressure continued to build on Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel to make a move. After a contract restructuring that left Harbaugh making millions less than other premier head coaches, Manuel stayed the course with Harbaugh heading into the 2021 season.
2021 started off well for the Michigan Wolverines. Behind a tandem of elite running backs, a steady quarterback, and a strong defense and O-line, Michigan got off to a 7-0 start and found themselves ranked #3 in the AP poll heading into East Lansing to face the #9 ranked Michigan State Spartans. Michigan held a 15-point lead in the second half, only to watch the Spartans once again steal a victory with a late surge and a few fortuitous calls. The narratives began to snowball…”Harbaugh can’t win on the road,” “Harbaugh can’t win big games,” “Harbaugh can’t beat Michigan’s rivals.”
The Michigan Football program stood at a fork in the road, not knowing if they would ever return to glory. It seemed like the 2021 season would look similar to previous years, ultimately leading to a coaching change and rebuilding period that Michigan could not afford if they hoped to keep up with the other college football blue bloods. If hiring Jim Harbaugh didn’t work, what would?
After easily beating Indiana, the 2021 Michigan Wolverines carried a 9-1 record into Happy Valley to play the Penn St Nittany Lions. Michigan’s hopes of a meaningful postseason hung on by a thread. They managed to maintain a #6 ranking due to quality opponents and a good record, but everyone knew that in order to get over the hump, Michigan would have to win out. After a predictably hard-fought battle, the Wolverines found themselves down 14-17 with 3 minutes and 29 seconds remaining in the 4th quarter. They stood at the proverbial fork in the road with two very different destinies awaiting on each side.
If Michigan were to lose this game, there was no guarantee that they would ever return to greatness. It would be highly likely that Jim Harbaugh would be replaced and another agonizing rebuild would ensue. The players, coaches, and fans would surely be drained of the necessary drive and energy to take on the Buckeyes in Ann Arbor later that month. Michigan would be doomed to perpetual mediocrity.
Cade McNamara dropped back and dumped the ball to tight end Erick All streaking across midfield. All immediately turned up field and cranked on the jets. Two Penn St defensive backs tried to stay in stride but ultimately lost a step. With everything on the line, All approached the corner pylon of the endzone. He twisted in dove in a heroic effort to score. Within inches of the sideline, he skimmed the pylon. Touchdown Michigan!
Michigan would hold on to the 21-17 lead and move to 10-1 on the season. The momentum built in that game catapulted the Wolverines into a historic top-5 matchup with the Ohio St Buckeyes, which they controlled from beginning to end. After beating the Buckeyes for the first time in a decade, Michigan advanced to its first-ever College Football Playoff. Jim Harbaugh moved from the hot seat to AP National Coach of the Year in a matter of weeks.
Now in 2022, the Michigan Wolverines are 10-0 for the first time in 16 years and are poised to make another run at the College Football Playoff. Cade McNamara and Erick All were voted by their teammates as the two offensive senior captains, however, both unfortunately suffered season-ending injuries and are forced to watch from the sidelines. Many people overlook the significance of that particular play against Penn St, as it is often overshadowed by the Ohio St victory and the success that followed. But one thing is for sure… None of the Michigan Wolverines’ current success would be possible without the play that saved Michigan football that faithful day.
