Michigan football's history with night games at The Big House
Michigan Wolverines football has come a long way from never playing night games at its legendary stadium, The Big House, college football’s largest venue with a capacity of 107, 601.
Gone is the program’s unwillingness to play home games that didn’t kick off in the early afternoon, which was due in large part to former head coach Bo Schembechler‘s stance on the matter.
“We used to tell the TV stations that we’re going to tee the ball up at one o’clock,” the Michigan legend said years ago. “If you want to come down and take your little pictures, feel free.”
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Some games — like the 2004 triple-overtime win over Michigan State on Halloween night, for example — would conclude with portable lights shining down on the Wolverines and their opponent, but they didn’t play a primetime, night game under the real lights — that were actually paid for by ESPN, as it was revealed years later — until Sept, 10, 2011, against Notre Dame, a Michigan comeback win for the ages.
Former U-M radio announcer Bob Ufer famously said, “Michigan football is a religion, and Saturday is the holy day of obligation.” That sabbath, in recent years, has been extended, sometimes into the wee hours of the night as the calendar flips to Sunday.
Michigan has played 12 home games at or after 7 p.m. ET, including Sept. 10’s 56-10 win over Hawai’i, and that number is set to climb next weekend, when Michigan State comes in for a 7:30 p.m. ET kick on ABC. The Wolverines have a 10-2 record in such contests, including a 10-1 mark with fans in the stands.
Let’s take a look back at all 12 Michigan games played under the lights at The Big House.
Sept. 10, 2011 — Michigan 35, Notre Dame 31
The evening began with 1991 Heisman Trophy winner Desmond Howard being honored at midfield as the first-ever ‘Michigan Football Legend,’ and ended with a play that will go down in Wolverine lore.
Michigan, wearing throwback jerseys, fell behind 24-7, making for an unforgettable first 43 minutes of the game. But the final 17 minutes made for a night to remember, with the Wolverines scoring three-straight touchdowns to take a 28-24 lead with 1:12 to go. The defense gave up a score themselves, and Notre Dame held a 31-28 edge with just 30 ticks left on the clock.
Michigan drove 80 yards in 28 seconds, capped off by a 16-yard game-winning touchdown toss from Denard Robinson to Roy Roundtree in the back right corner of the south end zone with two seconds to go.
Sept. 7, 2013 — Michigan 41, Notre Dame 30
Michigan decided to run it back against Notre Dame, this time in its traditional jerseys. Michigan’s first Heisman Trophy winner, Tom Harmon, was honored pregame and became the sixth ‘Michigan Football Legend.’ Quarterback Devin Gardner, who was responsible for 376 yards of total offense and five touchdowns in Michigan’s 400th win at The Big House, made the switch from No. 12 to Harmon’s No. 98 for the rest of his career, unveiling his new digits that night.
Wideout Jeremy Gallon posted 186 receiving yards and three touchdowns, while cornerback Blake Countess notched two interceptions in the exciting 41-30 triumph.
Oct. 11, 2014 — Michigan 18, Penn State 13
Michigan’s win over Penn State served as a highlight in an otherwise dismal season that saw the Wolverines finish with a 5-7 record.
The Wolverines, wearing blue tops and blue pants for the first time ever, got off to a hot start, with Gardner finding Funchess in stride over the middle, before he dashed for a 43-yard score mid-way through the first quarter.
That was the Maize and Blue’s lone touchdown of the game, but three Matt Wile field goals were all they needed the rest of the way to take down Penn State, 18-13.
Oct. 7, 2017 — Michigan State 14, Michigan 10
Michigan didn’t play a home night game in 2015, Jim Harbaugh‘s first campaign, or 2016, but returned to primetime in Ann Arbor in October of 2017 against in-state rival Michigan State.
There wasn’t much action in this one, mainly due to a monsoon. The rainy conditions led to some sloppy play, with quarterback John O’Korn throwing three interceptions, which were part of a five-turnover game for Michigan in the 14-10 loss.
Nov. 4, 2017 — Michigan 33, Minnesota 10
Michigan attempted just 13 passes in a blowout win over Minnesota as its ground game dominated, with running backs Karan Higdon (200 yards, two touchdowns) and Chris Evans (191 yards, two scores) combining for 391 yards and four touchdowns.
Viper linebacker Khaleke Hudson shined on the other side of the ball, notching 15 tackles and eight tackles for loss, which stands as the most stops behind the line of scrimmage in a single game in program history.
The Wolverines ran away with a win and held onto the Little Brown Jug.
Oct. 13, 2018 — Michigan 38, Wisconsin 13
On a night in which the Wolverines honored more than 20 offensive lineman who served as honorary captains, they dominated No. 15-ranked Wisconsin in all facets of the game.
Behind its improving offensive line in its first year under Ed Warinner, Michigan ran for 320 yards and three rushing touchdowns. Meanwhile, the defense poured it on late, with cornerback LaVert Hill notching a pick-six in the fourth quarter to open the floodgates.
The victory came as the first in a three-game stretch against top-25 opponents (the Badgers, Michigan State and Penn State).
Aug. 31, 2019 — Michigan 40, Middle Tennessee State 21
This game marked the first-ever home opener under the lights, and the Wolverines were able to do enough to win comfortably despite not playing the cleanest game in offensive coordinator Josh Gattis‘ debut.
Quarterback Shea Patterson threw three touchdown passes, while cornerback Ambry Thomas, who was in the hospital battling colitis just months before, notched an interception, a fumble recovery and a tackle for loss.
Oct. 26, 2019 — Michigan 45, Notre Dame 14
No. 8-ranked Notre Dame came to Ann Arbor having won three straight games, while Michigan was fresh off a heartbreaking 28-21 loss at Penn State and needed to regroup. Regroup, they did, while Notre Dame retreated back to South Bend after a long night in the rain.
Michigan threw just 14 passes in this one, and leaned heavily on its two-headed backfield led by Hassan Haskins and Zach Charbonnet. The former set his career high with 149 yards, while the latter gained 74 yards and punched in two touchdowns. The Wolverines’ defense was stifling, holding the Irish to just three yards per play and 180 yards of total offense and forcing two fumbles.
Nov. 14, 2020 — Wisconsin 49, Michigan 11
With no fans in the stands at Michigan Stadium, the No. 13-ranked Badgers pummeled the Wolverines by forcing two Joe Milton interceptions in the first quarter and running for 341 yards and five touchdowns on a whopping 51 rushes.
Sept. 11, 2021 — Michigan 31, Washington 10
Washington was coming off a brutal loss to FCS foe Montana, but this was still hyped up as one of the biggest non-conference games of the college football season. It was a ‘Maize Out’ at The Big House, and Michigan also honored 9/11 victims on the 20-year anniversary of the tragedy with a Navy F/A-18F Hornet Flyover and a halftime show called ‘We Remember.’
While the flyover was amazing, Michigan did most of its traveling on the ground during the game. The Wolverines rushed a whopping 56 times for 352 yards and four touchdowns and attempted just 15 passes. Washington was held to just 10 points and despite it being a close game most of the way through, the Maize and Blue were able to win comfortably at the end.
Nov. 6, 2021 — Michigan 29, Indiana 7
Indiana was but a roadblock for Michigan en route to the Big Ten championship to kick off the most important month of the season.
The Wolverines’ defense was dominant, holding Indiana to just 195 total yards and 3.2 yards per play. The offense did enough, running for 215 yards and one score and passing for 223 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Sept. 10, 2022 — Michigan 56, Hawai’i 10
Following a lightning delay, the game kicked off at 9:01 p.m. ET, the latest-ever kickoff for a game at The Big House.
The second game of Michigan’s 2022 season marked sophomore quarterback J.J. McCarthy‘s first career start. It was a coronation of sorts, with the signal-caller completing 11 of his 12 pass attempts for 229 yards and 3 touchdowns. Immediately after the game, Harbaugh named him the starting quarterback going forward.
It was utter domination overall. Michigan led 42-0 at halftime, played backups most of the second half (12 players made their career debuts, many of them walk-ons) and ran away with the victory.
