The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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W BY ANDY REID hat's in a comeback? Is it comprised of outstand- ing individual performances? Some would have you think so. NFL greats such as Joe Montana and John Elway are lauded as "Comeback Kings," with entire websites devoted to their fourth-quarter, game-winning drives and statistics. Is it luck? It can't hurt. A timely fumble recovery, a surprising interception, an im- probable onside kick. But luck can only take you so far. These are clearly important ingredients when cooking up a comeback, but not the most important one. No, at the center of any thrilling, "ESPN Instant Classic" worthy comeback is a great team, one that believes in each other and is willing to go to battle for one another. Without a love for his teammates, Mon- tana wouldn't have had the strength to lead that comeback. Without his brothers in arms, that unheralded underclassman might not get his fingers on a crucial onside kick. "It's just the determination that comes from playing at Michigan," former U-M quarterback Chad Henne (2004-07) said. "When you stage a comeback, it's not any- thing I did or the next person did, it has to be a total team effort." Before 1995, Michigan, the winningest program in college football history, had led a relatively comeback-less existence. There were some notable comebacks, like the 1978 Michigan-Notre Dame showdown, with quarterback legends Rick Leach and Montana on separate sidelines. Down 14-7 at the half, Leach led the Wolverines to 21 second-half points to win 28-14. But, for the most part, the Wolverines were either, a) too talented to get down that much to any opponent, or b) too three-yards- and-a-cloud-of-dust oriented on offense to properly stage an unbelievable comeback. So it was in 1995, in former coach Lloyd Carr's first season at the helm, that Michigan overcame a 17-point deficit against Virginia, sparking this new era of comebacks in pro- gram history. Since then, there have been wild, 31-point fourth quarters, furious 17-point comebacks in the final eight minutes, crazy night-game highlights and enough memories to last a lifetime. Listed below are the top 10 comebacks since that Virginia game. There are some incredible individual performances, like wide receiver Braylon Edwards' (2001-04) fourth-quarter magic against Michigan State in 2004, or quarterback Tom Brady's (1995- 99) career-best 369 passing yards against Alabama in the 2000 Orange Bowl. Braylon Edwards hauled in 11 catches for 189 yards and three touchdowns to key Michigan's 45-37, triple-overtime win over Michigan State in 2004. And there's certainly some luck involved, like quarterback John Navarre's (1999-2003) 36-yard touchdown catch against Minnesota in 2003. But, underneath it all, is one constant, underlying theme — every comeback was completed as a team, each individual play for the guy next to him, and to make Michi- gan proud. "When you go to a school like Michigan, there is so much tradition," former Michi- gan running back Tshimanga Biakabutuka (1993-95) said. "You don't ever think you're out of it. You know you can win every game. 58 s THE WOLVERINE 2012 FOOTBALL PREVIEW FILE PHOTO It's not over until it's over. "But people don't realize how many dif- ferent things have to happen for a play to be executed right — the linemen have to block the right guys; you have to pick up the right blitz; the timing has to be right; the wide receiver has to run the right route; he has to catch the ball and stay inbounds. "The fact that, when you're down, you can make all those things happen one play after another until you're back on top exempli- fies and confirms the coaching staff's vision and the trust and confidence it takes to be a Wolverine." COMEBACK KIDS THE Come-From-Behind Wins A Look At U-M's Best