you have, because one day the game will be over and you will want to be remembered as someone who never settled for ordinary. God put you here for a reason. Find your purpose, and rumble for three touchdowns. Go Blue!
How can you improve? What list can you make?
Cyle Young
October 30, 2004: Michigan State at Michigan
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY’S 4–4 FOOTBALL team rolled into Ann Arbor with a chip on their shoulder. Their twelve previous games at Michigan Stadium had ended in defeat. But after fifty-one minutes of battle, the MSU Spartans stood just under nine minutes from upsetting the 8–1 Michigan Wolverines. Spartan quarterback Drew Stanton had been knocked out of the game late in the first half, but the visiting team held a tight grip on the lead.
The Wolverines found themselves with their backs against the wall. They needed three scores in eight minutes just to tie the game and push it into overtime. But not only did they have to score, they also had to shut down the Spartan offense in the final minutes.
The Wolverines charged down the field with a key 13-yard run by Mike Hart and a 46-yard pass to wide receiver Braylon Edwards. But the drive fell short. The offense stalled and had to settle for a field goal. The resulting 3 points pulled them to within two touchdowns.
On a risky play call, Coach Carr went for an early onside kick. Brian Thompson recovered the kick, giving the Wolverines another chance to bring the game to within 7 points. Edwards and quarterback Chad Henne took over the game. Their performance elevated the entire team, and after a 37-yard touchdown pass, Michigan pulled to within one touchdown.
On the next drive, the Wolverine defense held, but the Spartans had run 2:50 off the clock. Michigan got the ball back, and Henne found Edwards again, this time for a 22-yard touchdown.
Tie game.
Michigan pulled off the impossible, but the Spartans wouldn’t go down without a fight. Backup quarterback Damon Dowdell drove MSU down the field for a final field goal attempt with three seconds left. But fate sent the ball wide, and the game went into overtime.
The men of Michigan couldn’t give up at the end of regulation. The hard-fought battle wasn’t over. No player and no fan would be happy with losing in overtime. The Wolverines had to rally every ounce of effort and continue the improbable come-from-behind victory.
In the first overtime, the teams traded field goals. Double overtime brought a pair of touchdowns and sent the rivalry into its first-ever triple-overtime game. No matter which team came out on top, the game would live in MSU/UM lore for generations. But the Michigan players weren’t going to settle. The season was at stake. Their state pride was on the line.
The offense fastened their chinstraps and strutted onto the field to start the third overtime. Henne found Edwards yet again, giving Edwards his third and final touchdown of the day. Michigan pulled ahead 45–37. If the defense held, sighs of relief would be heard all over the Lower Peninsula.
It did.
Michigan won in triple overtime because they wouldn’t give up. They fought until the end. Every coach and every player pulled together for a victory for the ages. Even when the stadium seats had begun to clear early in the fourth quarter because the Wolverines trailed by 17 on their home turf, the team still held together. They wouldn’t be deterred, and they wouldn’t let the Spartans upset them at home, in front of their crowd.
Have you ever faced almost certain defeat and managed to pull out from behind? Do you have a team you can rely on to push you through to the win?
BEAT THE ODDS
We all go through times in life like this. Sometimes when we expect things to be an easy success, they just don’t go our way. A surefire win can easily be clouded by a potential defeat at home, at work, and in other areas of your life.
But you can overcome an adversary and have the final victory. Whether your struggle is against a person or a situation, you can get back in the game. Even if the odds seem like they are stacked against you, there’s always the possibility for success if you are willing to work hard, fight hard, and overcome. But remember, the victory may not come easily. You might have to win it in the third overtime.
MOVE ONWARD TOWARD VICTORY
Fasten your chinstrap: Get back in the game! If you feel that the odds are against you at home, at work, or in life, take a deep breath, swallow your pride, and take your first step toward victory. You can overcome!
Ignore the doubters: When winning becomes an uphill battle, the doubters will be standing at the ready to watch you fail. Your true fans—your spouse, your children, your extended family, and your truest friends—will be waiting to support and celebrate your success. They will always believe in you, so you should believe in yourself also. Go Blue!
What do you need to overcome? Who will be there to help you win?
Del Duduit
October 10, 1981: Michigan 38, Michigan State 20
MICHIGAN WAS DOWN 20–16 IN the third quarter to unranked Michigan State.
Both teams were playing for the honor of winning the Paul Bunyan Trophy, which had been a tradition since 1953. The trophy is a large, four-foot-tall wooden statue of legendary lumberjack Paul Bunyan that sits upon a five-foot base. The trophy design is in recognition of the state’s history as a producer of lumber products.
The Wolverines entered the contest 3–1, while the Spartans struggled to have a 1–3 record. A win over Michigan on the Spartans’ home turf would make up for their slow start.
But Maize and Blue running back Butch Woolfolk made sure that did not happen. He led a comeback in the second half, and Michigan whipped off 22 unanswered points to win the game 38–20.
Woolfolk enjoyed the best game of his storied career. He carried the ball an impressive thirty-nine times for 253 yards. After the game, Wolverine coach Bo Schembechler, who had a hot-and-cold relationship with his player, called him one of the best backs in school history.
And it came as no surprise. Woolfolk started the season in 1981 with five straight games of 100 or more yards. He led Michigan to a 9–3 season and a 33–14 Bluebonnet Bowl win over UCLA. In that game, he gained 186 yards in the victory and was named
