83 days until Michigan football: One of the most clutch plays of the Jim Harbaugh era
There’s much anticipation heading into the Michigan Wolverines football season, and TheWolverine.com is counting down the days until the Sept. 2 opener against East Carolina. We’ll discuss current Michigan events, the upcoming season and/or take a look at a significant number that correlates with how many days remain until kickoff, whether it be a player’s jersey number, a year, a date, a score, etc.
Michigan fans got that all-too-familiar sickly feeling in their stomach when quarterback Cade McNamara fumbled as he was sacked by Penn State edge rusher Arnold Ebiketie on the U-M 16-yard line with just under seven minutes left in a 14-14 game in State College Nov. 13, 2021.
Michigan already had one Big Ten loss, and another would’ve all but ended its conference championship hopes, with a matchup against undefeated (in Big Ten play) Ohio State looming just two weeks later.
But this Maize and Blue team was “different,” as McNamara said all season long. Games that would’n’t have went their way in the past were going to in 2021, he insisted. We saw that against Penn State and in other games throughout the season.
The Michigan defense held Penn State to a field goal, and the offense went on a clutch touchdown-scoring drive. Here were the Wolverines’ plays on their drive that began with 5:55 to go, down 17-14.
• Hassan Haskins rush for 17 yards (U-M 42-yard line)
• Haskins rush for 4 yards (U-M 46)
• Haskins rush for 4 yards (50)
• Haskins rush for 2 yards (PSU 48)
• Haskins rush for 1 yard (PSU 47)
• McNamara pass complete to Erick All for 47 yards and a touchdown
Michigan had All drag across the field, clogging the middle with two players at the top of the screen flooding toward the bottom. That helped cause a collision between two PSU players in coverage. McNamara hit All in stride, and the tight end — playing on a high-ankle sprain — did the rest.
“That’s a play we work a lot,” Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh said after the game. “Haven’t called it much. When we got the man coverage, we were excited as heck to call that one. Erick took a really perfect pass on the crossing route, circled the entire defense. They were out of leverage. That was good for us. Erick took it and went the distance. Coming back from a high ankle and put that one to bed. He was rolling.”
For many, the play unfolded in slow motion. All lumbered his way there, made it inside the pylon and scored one of the most clutch plays of the Jim Harbaugh era at Michigan.
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The Michigan defense closed things out by forcing a turnover on downs, and the offense ran the clock out.
All transferred from the Michigan program after the 2022 season. He’ll play at Iowa this fall, and the two teams could well meet in early December in Indianapolis. While they’re now potential competitors, Michigan fans will always look back fondly on All’s time at U-M, most especially this play.
McNamara gave an emotional interview with ESPN’s Molly McGrath following the 21-17 victory, marking Michigan’s first road win at Penn State since 2015.
The emotional win led to a heck of a postgame celebration in the locker room.
The Wolverines went on to beat Maryland and Ohio State to close out the regular season, take down Iowa in the Big Ten championship game and advance to the College Football Playoff for the first time ever.
Michigan football countdown to kickoff
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