MGOFAIL
When institutional arrogance goes wrong.
The Outlier
1 January 2018
The Big Ten started the 2017-18 bowl season an astonishing 7–0. Four conferences – including the Big Ten – had achieved 5–0 bowl records in the past, but no league had ever come close to winning eight bowl games without a loss. All that remained was the Michigan Wolverines, who were 7½-point favorites, taking care of hapless South Carolina in the Outback Bowl.
You can probably imagine what happened...
Down 19-3 late in the 3rd quarter, the Gamecocks rallied to a stunning 26-19 victory, thanks to five second half Michigan turnovers. The Wolverines had blown it, leading their blog of record to declare that football didn't matter, and handing this guy an $18,000 L.
The Outlier: Highlights
The Outlier: Fan Tears
The Punt
17 October 2015
Jim Harbaugh's Michigan is leading by two and 10 seconds away from a win in his first meeting with Little Brother, Michigan State. All that is standing between the Wolverines' second victory over Sparty in eight tries is a simple punt. Did we mention that Michigan State is out of timeouts?
And then, the unthinkable happened...
Punter Blake O'Neill, who had booted a national-best 80-yard punt earlier in the game, muffed the low snap. Instead of falling on the ball, he spun and tried to get a punt off. Michigan State's Jalen Watts-Jackson snatched the ball out of the air and followed a caravan of Spartans 38 yards for the winning touchdown as the clock ran out.
The Punt: Broadcast Replay
The Punt: Alt Angle
We Love You
21 November 2009
Rich Rodriguez's disastrous 15–22 campaign in Ann Arbor is notable for several low points (more on that in a few), but perhaps the lowest of the lows came in 2009, when hordes of Ohio State fans invaded Michigan Stadium for the final game of the regular season.
With the Big House painted scarlet and the O-H-I-O chant reverberating – which to this day still feels like a dream – Buckeye fans unfurled a banner expressing their love for Rodriguez. In Michigan Stadium.
Thanks to a five turnover afternoon from Tate Forcier and a strong Buckeye rushing attack, Ohio State would go on to win the game 21-10, securing another outright Big Ten title for Jim Tressel.
We Love You: Drive-Thru
Holy Toledo
11 October 2008
Year One of the Rich Rodriguez era was supposed to include bumps as the new coach installed his offensive schemes. It wasn't supposed to include Michigan's first-ever loss to a MAC team.
After jumping out to an early 7-0 lead thanks to Tyrrell Herbert's 100-yard interception return of a Steven Threet pass, the Toledo Rockets held on for a 13-10 win over Michigan when Wolverine kicker K.C. Lopata missed a 26-yard field goal with 4 seconds remaining.
Michigan would go on to finish 3–9 in 2008, suffering the school's first losing season since 1967.
Holy Toledo: Game Highlights
Giant Slayed
1 September 2007
It had never happened before. No FCS program had ever defeated a ranked FBS program.
When No. 5 Michigan welcomed Appalachian State to Michigan Stadium to open the 2007 season, Vegas didn't even provide a line for the game, figuring the Wolverines, fresh off a Rose Bowl appearance, would have no problem with the tiny school from Boone, North Carolina.
None of that mattered to the Mountaineers, who promptly dumped Michigan, 34-32, after blocking a Wolverine field goal attempt for the win with 6 seconds remaining in the game. More than 100,000 fans were left stunned and the Mountaineers left Ann Arbor with what many consider to be the biggest upset in college football history.
The Block, Drive-Thru, Radio Call
Giant Slayed: The Block
Giant Slayed: Drive-Thru
Giant Slayed: Radio Call
The Miracle
24 September 1994
You're not supposed to blow 12-point leads with two minutes remaining in a game, but that's exactly what No. 4 Michigan did one sunny Ann Arbor Saturday in 1994.
Colorado, who had entered the unbeaten clash ranked No. 7 in the AP Poll, scored two touchdowns in the game's final 2:16, topped by a spectacular 64-yard Hail Mary from quarterback Kordell Stewart to wide receiver Michael Westbrook as time expired to give the Buffaloes a 27-26 victory.
“I can't imagine being on the other end of that. That had to be a very dramatic experience for them,” Westbrook told ESPN 20 years after the classic.
Hail to the Victors, indeed.
