It was 7:00pm. The lights were on. The air was tense. The stadium was roaring. The seats were shaking. The stage was set. Out of the tunnel came the Michigan Wolverines, led by their 3rd year quarterback and captain Clifford Rove. Staring them down from the opposite end was the 1st ranked Notre Dame team, looking for blood. This was the final game of the regular season, and a loss would mean no bid for the college football playoff. It wasn’t going to be easy for Michigan. The commentators knew it, the coaches knew it, hell even the players knew it. But one thing was clear, they weren’t going to go down without a fight.
Coming into the season, the Wolverines weren’t even considered a top 25 team. Underestimation was something Clifford Rove had been dealing with his entire life of playing the game, and for him it was just another chip on the shoulder. Although they won their first two games of the season, the team started to go downhill, losing badly in weeks 3, 4, and 5. Sporting a 2-3 record going into their bye week, the rest of the season looked like an uphill battle. Rove asked coach Harbaugh for a player’s only meeting. No one knows what was said, but after that meeting the whole dynamic changed. Michigan went on to win 6 straight games, and came into their final battle against Notre Dame with an 8-3 record. During this time they shot up the rankings, and entered ranked number 7 in the country. Nobody, and I mean nobody, could figure out how they kept winning football games. However, none of those games mattered now, this was all or nothing.
The first quarter started went according to the script. Notre Dame scored a touchdown on their opening possession with a 54 yard bomb on a hitch and go route to the outside. Michigan’s running back fumbled the football, and Notre Dame picked it up for the scoop and score. Things were not looking good. The second quarter began with a 22 yard pass on a slant route from Rove, and featured a dive into the end zone from receiver Rashard Little. The rest of the second quarter was all Notre Dame, with two scores coming from their powerful ground game that the Wolverines were unable to stop.
The third quarter was uneventful, with both defenses playing extremely well. Michigan had finally ground Notre Dame’s run offense to a halt. Headed into the fourth quarter, the score was 28-7. Rove knew it was time to put up, or shut-up. He opened the quarter with an Aaron Rodgers-esque play, seemingly evading would be tacklers at will, and launching a bomb downfield for the score. On the next possession, he quickly led the offense downfield, and ended the drive with a hand off to the fullback on the goal line for the score. The score was now 28-21 with only 5 minutes left in the game, Notre Dame ball. Notre Dame drove it to Michigan’s 20 yard line, but an errant throw found the hands of a Michigan Cornerback. The rest, was history. In what is now seared into the minds of Wolverine and Fighting Irish fans alike, Rove rolled out to his right, and found an open Rashad Little for the one handed grab and score. Harbaugh then showed his faith in the captain, and called a passing play for the two point conversion. Rove managed to find his running back by the sideline, and Michigan won and earned a postseason bid with the final score of 29-28.
(Word Count: 600 words)
Coming into the season, the Wolverines weren’t even considered a top 25 team. Underestimation was something Clifford Rove had been dealing with his entire life of playing the game, and for him it was just another chip on the shoulder. Although they won their first two games of the season, the team started to go downhill, losing badly in weeks 3, 4, and 5. Sporting a 2-3 record going into their bye week, the rest of the season looked like an uphill battle. Rove asked coach Harbaugh for a player’s only meeting. No one knows what was said, but after that meeting the whole dynamic changed. Michigan went on to win 6 straight games, and came into their final battle against Notre Dame with an 8-3 record. During this time they shot up the rankings, and entered ranked number 7 in the country. Nobody, and I mean nobody, could figure out how they kept winning football games. However, none of those games mattered now, this was all or nothing.
The first quarter started went according to the script. Notre Dame scored a touchdown on their opening possession with a 54 yard bomb on a hitch and go route to the outside. Michigan’s running back fumbled the football, and Notre Dame picked it up for the scoop and score. Things were not looking good. The second quarter began with a 22 yard pass on a slant route from Rove, and featured a dive into the end zone from receiver Rashard Little. The rest of the second quarter was all Notre Dame, with two scores coming from their powerful ground game that the Wolverines were unable to stop.
The third quarter was uneventful, with both defenses playing extremely well. Michigan had finally ground Notre Dame’s run offense to a halt. Headed into the fourth quarter, the score was 28-7. Rove knew it was time to put up, or shut-up. He opened the quarter with an Aaron Rodgers-esque play, seemingly evading would be tacklers at will, and launching a bomb downfield for the score. On the next possession, he quickly led the offense downfield, and ended the drive with a hand off to the fullback on the goal line for the score. The score was now 28-21 with only 5 minutes left in the game, Notre Dame ball. Notre Dame drove it to Michigan’s 20 yard line, but an errant throw found the hands of a Michigan Cornerback. The rest, was history. In what is now seared into the minds of Wolverine and Fighting Irish fans alike, Rove rolled out to his right, and found an open Rashad Little for the one handed grab and score. Harbaugh then showed his faith in the captain, and called a passing play for the two point conversion. Rove managed to find his running back by the sideline, and Michigan won and earned a postseason bid with the final score of 29-28.
(Word Count: 600 words)
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