[NU Sports] FORTY DAYS OF FOOTBALL: Day 13

[SjT (Stephen J. Truog)]

Four weeks to kickoff! The countdown of great games from the past decade continues - as always, feel free to debate, discuss and suggest ...

A quick recap of our countdown so far ...

FORTY DAYS OF FOOTBALL
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> DAYS 1-10: The top coaches of the decade

10) Glen Mason, Minnesota
09) Bret Bielema, Wisconsin
08) Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern
07) Barry Alvarez, Wisconsin
06) Randy Walker, Northwestern
05) Lloyd Carr, Michigan
04) Kirk Ferentz, Iowa
03) Joe Tiller, Purdue
02) Joe Paterno, Penn State
01) Jim Tressel, Ohio State

> DAYS 11-20: The top games of the decade

10) 2000: Purdue 32, Michigan 31
09) 2001: Michigan State 26, Michigan 24

> DAYS 21-30: The top players of the decade
> DAYS 31-40: The top teams of the decade

And a quick reminder of the "rules" ...

- No bowl games
- Only conference games
- No "repeats" (i.e. only one Michigan vs. OSU game)

Back to the list ...

TOP GAMES
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8) 2005: Michigan 27, Penn State 25

As we've seen in our first two games on the list (and will see again), last-second finishes were not kind to Michigan during the 2000s. But karma did give ole' Lloyd Carr some payback in this mid-decade clash at Ann Arbor.

Joe Paterno has had two great menaces in the Big Ten, and surprisingly neither wear a sweater vest. The Lions have held their own with the Buckeyes in recent years, but Kirk Ferentz has walked out of Beaver Stadium with a wide grin after stealing a game on more than one occasion ... and the coach with the best record against JoePa was Lloyd Carr.

It's oddly fitting then that Penn State's two league title seasons during the last decade were robbed of perfection by these two menaces. A last-second kick in Iowa City kept PSU from perfection late in 2008, and that wa s atough one to swallow ... but the Michigan game of 2005 hurt even more.

The Nittany Lions came into the Big House off a huge 13-6 triumph over Ohio State that trumpeted the return of PSU to the national scene after an absence during the early 2000s. Michigan was licking its wounds after a 23-20 loss to Minnesota and a disappointing 3-3 start to the season. It looked like this would finally be the year for Nittany fans to get some payback for the beatings Big Blue had put on PSU in the last decade.

The first half was a defensive struggle and Michigan was up 3-0 at the break. By the time the 3rd quarter ended, it was 10-3 Wolverines and fans had no idea the treat they were in for as the sun set and the lights came on. After 39 points and four lead changes in the final stanza (two in the final minute!), Lady Luck had given Lloyd back that second from East Lansing and the Maize and Blue capitalized for a memorable and controversial finish.

Penn State appeared to wake up when the fourth quarter began and quickly took an 18-10 lead on a Michael Robinson touchdown and a defensive turnover. Chad Henne led the Wolverines to two straight scores to regain the edge 21-18. And then things got really crazy.

Robinson scored with 53 seconds left to cap an 81-yard championship-style drive that made it appear as if Penn State's renaissance dream season would continue. The Michigan Mental Block had been exorcised and the Big House fell silent. But the ball started bouncing Michigan's way with a kickoff return to midfield by Steve Breaston and an interception by PSU nullified by review. After another play, Michigan called timeout and coach Carr spent most of the time working the officials. Most fans though it was just "Lloyd being Lloyd" - after all, the coach was known as a bit of a whiner and not just because of Clockgate. In this case, he got the clock bumped from :28 to :30. It turned out to be just what he needed when Henne found Mario Manningham in the end zone on a play that was run with :01 on the clock in Michigan Stadium. 

Michigan had a miracle comeback and Penn State had a perfect season again foiled by the Wolverines. The margin was as slim as it can be in football and the last minute alone, not to mention the final quarter, earn this wild game a spot on the countdown. The Lions went on to win the league and an exciting Orange Bowl overtime classic against Florida State ... but Nittany Lion fans still lament the extra second that cost JoePa another perfect season.

For Lloyd Carr and Michigan it was a sign that the universe was not aligned against them all of the time at least, and for Paterno and PSU, it was a bitter defeat to their greatest league nemesis.

Coming Sunday: A game that doesn't involve Michigan!

GO CATS!!!
-SjT

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STEPHEN J. TRUOG
sjtruog at yahoo.com
GO CATS!!! GEAUX SAINTS!!!
Super Bowl XLIV Champions!
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