The Maize and Blue Rising, Part Deux

November 3, 2007. Spartan Stadium.
The University of Michigan Wolverines versus the Michigan State Spartans

Despite Henne’s gutsy game, it was clear that he was still beat up. Two weeks later, we traveled to East Lansing for the Michigan State game. Chad Henne and Mike Hart were both playing, and seemed okay, but still not completely healthy. The game reflected this, and MSU had a 10-point lead midway through the fourth quarter. On top of that, Henne aggravated his injury, forcing Ryan Mallett to come in. Approximately 3 seconds after Ryan Mallett had stepped onto the field, he had already fumbled the ball, which Mike Hart subsequently snatched up and took for a first down. Way to keep me excited/give me a heart-attack, Ryan Mallett.

Obviously, Henne had to come back in the game because there was no way Mallett could hold onto the football, let alone lead a comeback. In just over 6 minutes, Henne lofted a 14-yard touchdown pass to Greg Mathews, and a spectacular 31-yarder to Mario Manningham. The once-booming Spartan crowd quickly reverted to their usual emotions of worthlessness and self-pity. Final Score: Michigan 28, Michigan State 24.

I must say, it must be extremely demoralizing to be a Michigan State fan. Here’s my four-year recap: My freshman year, we were down by 17 with six minutes left, and still won in three overtimes. My sophomore year, we won after one overtime. My junior year, we blew them out. Then this. Ha Ha Sparty. Sucks to be you.

Then, as we were marching off the field, one of the Michigan State assistant coaches tried to walk through our ranks. Just to be clear, this is a big No-No. Don’t ever expect to walk through the band without being pelted with drumsticks, then tripped and trounced on, then left for dead. We simply told the coach he couldn’t walk through. Infuriated, he retorted by screaming at the whole band, “YOU PEOPLE ARE FUCKING CLASSLESS! THIS IS SOME CLASSLESS BULLSHIT!” His shouting echoed through the emptied stadium, and he stood there red-faced, screaming profanities. Interestingly, he was carrying a small child on his shoulders during this whole episode. I guess cussing out 300 marching band members in front of a young, innocent child is considered classy in East Lansing. Oh you Michiganders, you impress me more every day!

Now, I must say, this football season has been anything BUT boring. After these thrilling wins, the App State and Oregon fiascos seem so far away. Kudos to Lloyd Carr and these student-athletes who came back from a disastrous start to salvage the season. After eight consecutive wins, we’re back on top of the Big Ten Standings, and the final game against Ohio State will be for a BCS berth. In such an emotional year, this team has played tough, and the true fans have stood by them. After falling early, the Maize and Blue are rising, and this team can still make Michigan history when all is said and done.