--"Three Pistols" by The Tragically Hip from their 1991 album Road Apples
There isn't going to be much to this one today, because there really wasn't much to this game. The game before The Game is always weird, because it is almost inevitably a trap game. In 2021, 2023, and now 2025, Michigan went to College Park and took care of business, heading into the Ohio State game with the goal of an appearance in the Big Ten title game still on the table. The most prominent theme of the game was that injuries tested the depth of the running back room (but 100 yards on 20 carries for Bryson Kuzdzal works, as does 71 yards on 8 carries from Tomas O'Meara in the fourth quarter), but really, there was not a lot of meat on this bone. Maryland scored on its opening drive, only to give Michigan excellent field position after a failed surprise onside kick. The easiest way to explain it is that Hudson Hollenbeck was never called upon to punt in this one, and every drive entered Maryland territory.
The biggest concerns from the day were that Max Bredeson was seen on the sideline in crutches, which is troubling, and several key players were out (but were likely held out ahead of The Game). Michigan handled its business, surpassed last year's win total, and likely clinched a spot in the Citrus Bowl (because the Pac-12's bowl tie-ins are still active for a bit longer). Winning The Game certainly seems like it would be improbable, but then again, we said that last year, and in years before that, and Michigan found a way to Beat Ohio. Do it again one more time, and let the chips fall where they may. Bring on the brand new renaissance because I think I'm ready.
Beat Ohio.
Tales from the Spreadsheet
45-20 IS NOTa Scorigami! It would have been if Michigan had scored a TD on the last drive.
46,185 were in attendance for the game (the second smallest crowd of the season and the first time Michigan has played in front of back-to-back announced crowds of less than 60,000 since at Purdue and at Minnesota in 2008).
Win 1,021.
Michigan moves to 12-1-0 all-time against the University of Maryland-College Park. This is Michigan's ninth straight win in the series against the Terrapins.
Michigan improves to 10-8-0 all-time on November 22 (this was Michigan's first game on November 22 since 2014, and it was Michigan's only loss to Maryland in the series all-time). Highlights of 11/22 include 1969 Ohio State, 1997 Ohio State, and 2003 Ohio State.
Michigan improves to 24-1-0 when scoring exactly 45 points (the loss is the 2022 Fiesta Bowl).
Michigan moves to 26-21-1 all-time when allowing 20 points to the opposition.
Michigan has won 20 games all-time by precisely 25 points, the most recent example being the 2023 Bowling Green game, bka the JJ throws three picks but Michigan still wins game.
"Michigan wins on a walk-off home run." --Patrick Barron (Photo: Patrick Barron)
I had this dream where I relished the fray and the screaming filled my head all day
It was as though I had been spit here, settled in
Into the pocket of a lighthouse on some rocky socket
Off the coast of France, dear
One afternoon, four thousand men died in the water here and five hundred more were thrashing madly as parasites might in your blood
Now I was in a lifeboat designed for ten and ten only
Anything that systematic would get you hated
--"Nautical Disaster" by the Tragically Hip, the third single from the band's 1994 album, Day for Night.
Walk-off wins should be exhilarating, at least on some level. Your team is losing, and they have put together something that will allow them, with no time remaining on the clock, to win the game. In baseball, it can be a lightning strike, because a walk-off home run takes just the proper connection on one pitch. Maybe you needed to get a runner on base to set it up, but a walk-off in baseball can take many forms. Football has simultaneously fewer and more types of walk-off victories. Touchdown Manningham is a walk-off win. So is the Miracle at Michigan. Field goals in the bottom half of the overtime session are walk-offs. Phil Brabbs' 44-yard field goal toward the north goal posts at Michigan Stadium against Washington was a walk-off (as far as I can tell, the last regulation field goal walk-off in Michigan history. Brabbs also missed his first two attempts that game.)
It's not a deal not a test nor a love of something fated
(Death)
The selection was quick
The crew was picked, in order
And those left in the water were kicked off our pant leg
And we headed for home
It is easy to say that Michigan games against Northwestern in November are always weird, but there is at least a little truth to the statement when it comes to games in Evanston/Chicago. Since 2000, we've had the 54-51 loss in 2000. 2003 wasn't weird per se; 41-10 games tend not to be. However, then you get 2013, which is the fire drill field goal with the Dileo power slide that forced overtime to win. Then it's 2014, which, of course, is M00N. So yeah, it's not a huge sample size, but it's also not encouraging. Michigan did a bunch of little things wrong early (a hold on a beautiful outside run for Jordan Marshall for an early touchdown that would have absolutely set the tone, which led to Zvada's first miss of the day) but then, you know, 91 yard drive that ends in a touchdown, OK, that should be a good tone setter, especially because Bryce is throwing the ball well. But the end of the first half for Michigan was punt, fumble (Chip Lindsay getting too cute by half with the orbit motion to Marsh), and a missed 60-yard field goal at the end of the half, while the Wildcats got a pair of field goals, creating an extremely annoying 7-6 score going into the locker room.
One could hope that after Michigan got the early touchdown in the third quarter after forcing Northwestern into a four-and-out, things would settle down. They did not. Michigan forced a three-and-out, and it looked like it would get the ball back with good field position. Semaj finally tried to make a return, and he fumbled (though I'm sorry, I still don't understand how that one counted as a Northwestern recovery.) Northwestern got a field goal out of it. Michigan goes 80 yards, Jordan Marshall puts the ball over the goal line just long enough to get the score, Michigan goes up 21-9, and you would be forgiven if you thought that Michigan fans could relax.
It was at this point, after the third quarter stretch, that the game went into full bête noire territory for Michigan. Northwestern goes 75 yards thanks to three long passes to get a TD and get it to 21-16. OK, time for Michigan to respond. Then Bryce has a freshman moment, throws a locked-on target pick, and five seconds later, Northwestern scores another TD; now they lead 22-21 after a failed two-point conversion attempt. Fine, Michigan will just go down and respond. Nope, Marshall gets hurt, and then Bryce throws another pick. Ugh. Okay, the defense comes to the rescue, forcing a very tidy three-and-out. Michigan gets the ball at their own 41, starts driving the ball, gets a great catch from Andrew Marsh, who was a revelation today, but on a fourth and one at the Northwestern 24, a fumble on the exchange, and Northwestern gets the ball back. Defense bails them out again with a three-and-out, letting Michigan preserve all three of its time-outs. Michigan gets the ball at their own 37, throws two straight incompletions, then needs a miracle of a grab from Marsh on the sideline, upheld on review (it shouldn't have even been a question), then keeps running Bryzon Kuzdzal seven times for 29 yards to set up Zvada for a game-winner with two seconds left.
Then the dream ends when the phone rings
You're doing alright he said
It's out there most days and nights
But only a fool would complain
Anyway Susan, if you like, our conversation is as faint as a sound in my memory
As those fingernails scratching on my hull
Zvada shook off the nightmare of the season he's been having and put it through the uprights, and Michigan escaped with a 24-22 win, matching last season's win total with two games left to play in the regular season. Questions about the injuries will loom, but off to College Park, we'll see what happens.
Tales from the Spreadsheet
24-22 ISa Scorigami! It would not have been if Northwestern had kicked the extra point.
38,223 were in attendance for the game (the smallest crowd of the season and the smallest crowd Michigan has played in front of since the 2021 Maryland game).
Win 1,020.
Michigan moves to 61-15-2 all-time against Northwestern University. This is Michigan's ninth straight win in the series against the Wildcats, which has included a pair of overtime games and M00N, and now this.
Michigan improves to 14-5-0 all-time on November 15 (this was Michigan's first game on November 15 since 2008, which was the most recent loss to Northwestern, a miserable 21-14 loss which was dubbed Fandom Endurance IV due to the dreadful game and weather conditions).
Michigan improves to 41-8-0 when scoring exactly 24 points.
Michigan moves to 6-7-1 (groans at Gen Alphas) all-time when allowing 22 points to the opposition.
Michigan has won 21 games all-time by precisely 2 points, the most recent example being the 2022 Illinois game, bka the Money Moody pseudo-walk off win.
Bonus Stat: Michigan moves to 16-14 all-time in games in the city of Chicago. This was its first in Chicago proper since 1939, when they defeated the University of Chicago 85-0 in the game that basically made Chicago give up football as a going concern.
There are songs by The Hip that I love better, but as a phrase goes, "It Can't Be Nashville Every Night" is one of my favorites because it's a reminder that not every day can be the biggest, flashiest, or best. There are a lot of days in life where you're just trying to get through to the next one, which also may not be a big deal, but you're punching the clock and trying to make it to the weekend.
This is also what it's like to play Purdue. It's especially what it's like to play Purdue down five critical starters.
A thesis was presented on and around the Michigan internet this week, suggesting that the Halloween game is always cursed. I looked at the data, and here are all the Halloween games, plus or minus one day of Halloween, since 1995.
Let's take them one at a time.
Minnesota 1997. Homecoming, a relatively straightforward win en route to the perfect season, Not Cursed.
at Minnesota 1998. Tied at 10 at halftime, only took the lead on a fourth-quarter safety and retained the Little Brown Jug. Cursed.
at Indiana 1999. Needing a Hayden Epstein field goal late to beat a traditional Indiana game after a two-game losing streak? Cursed.
at Michigan State 2003. Having to run Chris Perry 51 times to beat Michigan State in East Lansing? Cursed.
Michigan State 2004. Braylonfest, but that means you were down 27-10 and needed 3OT to beat a not very good Michigan State team? Fun, but Cursed.
at Purdue 2008. 2-6 Purdue beats 2-6 Michigan on a hook and ladder after Michigan had tied it with 80 seconds left in a game already colored by Rich Rod being accused of wearing a wizard hat by Joe Tiller to steal Roy Roundtree from Purdue's recruiting class? Cursed.
at Illinois 2009. Tate Forcier finds Roy Roundtree for a 76-yard pass that looks to be a touchdown to put Michigan up 20-7, only to have it ruled down at the Illinois 1, and Michigan cannot punch four straight chances on the doorstep in, and then Illinois goes 99 yards to tie it and wins going away 38-13? SUPER Cursed.
at Penn State 2010. Denard goes for almost 200 passing and 200 rushing, but is never really in this game in Happy Valley. Cursed.
at Minnesota 2015. Michigan has to pull out all the stops and get a gift of some dreadful Minnesota clock mismanagement to make a goal-line stand the week after Trouble with the Snap. Cursed.
Michigan State 2020. Rocky Lombardi lights up the Michigan secondary in the COVID season. Deeply Cursed.
at Michigan State 2021. The replay review flips the script as Kenneth Walker goes off for an ultimately meaningless loss in the scheme of things. Cursed.
Purdue 2025. An annoying as hell sludge fart of a night game where Michigan never looked like they knew what they were doing, but they still made just enough plays to beat a Purdue team that remains winless in conference? Cursed.
Results say 11 cursed games to 2 not cursed games. Perhaps I am grading a little too harshly on some of these, but yes, Halloween games are cursed, and Michigan will almost assuredly have another one next year. Something to look forward to, I suppose.
Anyway, the second bye week arrives at a great moment to get some players healthy and reset some ideas for the final three-week sprint to Thanksgiving and The Game. Jordan Marshall looked solid in a starring role; the rest, we can burn the tape.
Tales from the Spreadsheet
21-16 IS NOT a Scorigami! (Three previous occurrences, 1981 Navy, the 1998 Rose Bowl against Washington State, and 1999 Wisconsin.)
110,517 were in attendance for the game (the smallest home crowd of the season on the night when they acknowledged that the 100,000+ home crowd "streak" began fifty years ago next Saturday against Purdue. (We all know how I feel about the claims that "the Streak" is unbroken, but it's apparently a lie we have just agreed to live with.)
Win 1,019.
Michigan moves to 48-14-0 all-time against Purdue University. This is Michigan's seventh straight win in the limited series against a team that Michigan played its first ever Big Ten game against in 1896.
Michigan improves to 15-3-1 all-time on November 1 (the tie is a 0-0 draw against the Varsity Blues of the University of Toronto in 1879, marking the second-ever game for the program).
Michigan improves to 35-14-2 when scoring exactly 21 points.
Michigan moves to 14-8-0 all-time when allowing 16 points to the opposition.
Michigan has won 16 games all-time by precisely 5 points, the most recent example being the 2014 Penn State game, bka the Dancing Dennis Norfleet game.
