As an avid armchair quarterback, many fond college and professional football memories stay fresh  in my mind - Frank Reich’s comeback, the music city miracle, the kicked pass game with Nebraska and Missouri, the 1998 Rose Bowl, and of course the 2001 National Championship game. I could go on for hours listing the most memorable games I have seen on television but one game trumps them all –the 100^th match up between Michigan and Ohio State in 2003.

By the way I didn’t watch it on my Sony Vega; I was there.

Hours before kickoff, premium seats were selling for over $500 but the game could not be measured on a monetary scale – it would be my first  Ohio State – Michigan game, something every college football fan has to experience once. Somehow my brother and I secured tickets months before, paying only $44 dollars for our third row south end zone seats, that sat comfortably between the Ohio State band and the visitors cheering section.

Well before the game started,  the stadium was filled with 112,118 fans  (a record for all college or professional sporting events that still holds) many of which crammed into aisles around the stadium making it feel as if the "Big House" were about to burst. At about the same time the Wolverines took the field and touched the banner; two F-16 fighter jets did a fly over – but the crowd was so deafening you couldn’t hear them. This is no exaggeration. Chances are many of you have never been to a football game with attendance over 100,000 let alone a crowd of 112,118  for a rivalry game considered the No.1 sports rivalry of all time by ESPN. To say that the stadium atmosphere was electric would do it no justice.

In case you were wondering.... that's what 112,118 fans looks like. If you want to know what a record crowd of 112,118 feels like put a metal pot on your head and have your roomate hit the pot with a wooden bat. The small pocket of red near the left end zone was near where my brother (a Michigan State fan rooting for OSU) and I were sitting.

The crowd noise maintained a level of extreme belligerency throughout the first quarter – picking up occasionally behind the fans moniker of “Perry, Perry” after Michigan’s senior tailback Chris Perry would grab a first down. It was at this point that I suspect EA Sports was inspired to create the stadium pulse feature on college football video games – and why not? The “Big House” was literally shaking after every big play – imagine sitting in the trunk of a Ford Focus with a couple subwoofers pounding away- amplified with the smell of beer and kettle corn in the 55 degree air – that’s the best I can put it. And yes you read that correctly a November football game in Michigan with a game time temperature in the 50s.  That happens about as often as Ken Griffey Jr. plays three games without getting injured.

The game lived up to the hype as the crowd remained transfixed on the stadium turf as  Steve Breaston, a sophomore wide reciever, lined up at quarterback and ran the option for an unconventional Michigan touchdown- the first of the ball game. To this day Breaston’s run remains my justification for putting a wide reciever in at quarterback in NCAA Football 2006 on PS2. If Lloyd Carr can do it why can’t I?

 

Perry finished the game with 154 yards

 and two touchdowns on 31 carries. Perry finished

fourth in the 2003 Heisman voting and now

plays for the Cincinnati Bengals.

 

 

Minutes later, the Wolverines found the end zone once more when senior quarterback John Navarre connected with junior wide reciever Braylon Edwards for a 64 yard touchdown pass. At this point,  the Ohio State team was nowhere to be found. If it wasn’t for the silver helmets, and the intense stadium noise you would have thought Indiana was in town.  Eight more minutes passed before Navarre and Edwards would hook up again – this time on a 23 yard pass. My earlier description of a loud atmosphere would be put to shame after Michigan held a 21-0 lead. For a moment I thought the game had the makings of a blowout – but then I realized that this was Ohio State and that wouldn’t happen. By the end of the second half the Buckeyes were able to find the end zone courtesy o####reat back of the end zone catch by Santonio Holmes capping off an 81 yard Buckeye drive.

Santonio Holmes finished the 2003 season with seven touchdowns and led the Buckeyes to their second straight Fiesta Bowl win over Kansas State 35-28.

Halftime Score: Michigan 21, Ohio State 7

Early in the second half, Heisman Trophy candidate Chris Perry sprung a 30 yard touchdown run which sent the “Big House” into yet another frenzy. Ohio State quickly responded with another touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes – making the fourth touchdown catch in our end zone – a stones throw away from our seats.  The Buckeyes attempted to make a game out of it when Lydell Ross scored on a two yard touchdown lean putting the Bucks within a touchdown. But on the next drive, Chris Perry shredded the Ohio State defense for 15 yard touchdown scamper that would seal a Wolverines victory – earning them a trip to the Rose Bowl for the first time since winning the National Championship in 1998.

Final Score: Michigan 35, Ohio State 21

My favorite moment of the whole rivalry game experience came after the victory when most of the Michigan students rushed the field only to run to the Ohio State section to sing Def Leppard’s “Pour Some Sugar On Me” because after all, the loss knocked the Buckeyes out of Sugar Bowl contention. At this point I think it’s necessary that I mention that I saw a handful of grown men (Ohio State fans) basically brought to tears. Completing my greatest football memory but also the funniest and yet saddest.  

Another major factor that placed this game  above all others would be the quality of the fans, and the bands. Listening to the Ohio State Band play "Come on Eileen" was pretty awesome as was "Hang on Sloopy" in the third quarter. Moreover the looks on some of the Ohio State fans faces were priceless after loss - especially the fans that were being lewd and annoying during the pre-game warm-ups. I'd also like to mention that as much as I dislike Ohio State, I respect their football team more than many other programs. After that game in 2002, I immediately realized that Santonio Holmes would be a great college (and soon professional) reciever - and I wasn't wrong - he provided some big plays and it made the game more exciting than I can make it out to be.

In the end Ohio State did go to a BCS game, but Michigan fulfilled their role as the spoiler defeating a 10-1 Ohio State team, propelling LSU into the Sugar Bowl to play Oklahoma for the National Championship.

Braylon Edwards finished his Wolverine career with 3,503 receiving yards and 39 touchdowns in only three seasons. Edwards  led the Wolverines to two Rose Bowls and two Big Ten Championships. Edwards now plays for the Cleveland Browns. Edwards was a controversial pass interference call from having a third touchdown catch in the second quarter which would have given Michigan an early 28-0 lead.

For more coverage on the 2003 Michigan and Ohio State game follow this link to Mike DeSimone's college football website - or click here for a complete box score.

 I soon will provide an honorable mention recap of a few games that came close. Hey, I love football so this was tough to choose - especially since I attended some intense games in 2004. Michigan vs. Michigan State, Notre Dame vs. Tennessee, and Michigan State vs. Wisconsin. Four weeks, two states, four ranked teams, three different stadiums. Needless to say it was fun.... and arguably more exciting - but none had more history than Michigan and Ohio State.