The fifth installment of the series focusing on the Little Brown Jug takes us to 2015. The Jim Harbaugh era started slowly at Michigan, as the Wolverines lost their opener at Utah and struggled to find their mojo through the first few games. Eventually, defense would become their identity, and that was on full display on the final play of the 2015 game at Minnesota.
The game began innocently enough. The Michigan defense held Minnesota to a field goal, and Jake Rudock answered by leading the Wolverines on a long drive, connecting with Jake Butt and Deveon Smith for significant gains. Joey Kerridge went in from the 1-yard line to give Michigan the lead. The Rudock connected with Jehu Chesson for a 13-yard touchdown pass, and the Wolverines were up, 14-3. All was well, or so it seemed.
But the 2015 Golden Gophers were a pesky bunch. The two teams traded scores for much of the game, with Wilton Speight connecting with Chesson for a 12-yard touchdown pass to give Michigan a 29-26 lead in the fourth quarter.
Now, it was up to the defense. Michigan alumni and fans spent a fair portion of the final minutes biting their nails. Minnesota seemed to be gaining yardage at will, and for a brief moment, it appeared the Gophers had scored the go-ahead touchdown with 19 seconds left. Upon further review, the officials ruled that the receiver was short of the goal line when he knee went down, so Minnesota had a first down at the half-yard line. Once the clock started, the Gophers managed to burn 17 seconds on an incomplete pass attempt, leaving them just two seconds on the clock, time for only one more play. Recognizing the situation, Michigan prepared its goal line defense, ensuring that every player got very low to the ground, to give them leverage.
Once the ball was snapped, the maize and blue winged helmets surged forward, knocking the Minnesota offensive line backward. The officials took a while to make the final call, but it was really just a formality. Anyone who saw the play knew that Michigan had stopped Minnesota, and the Wolverines claimed a 29-26 victory, one of the most exciting games in the history of the series.
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