Michigan Football: 5 Most Memorable Victories of the Rich Rodriguez Era

The Rich Rodriguez era has come to an end at Michigan, and most couldn't be happier.  However, there are those few that would have liked him to stick around for at least one more year, as it looked like he was very close to fielding a team that could contend for Big Ten championships.

We'll never know just how good the 2011 team would have been if he was still the coach.  Heck, most Rodriguez haters probably don't even care how good they would've been; they're just happy that he is gone, and that the football team is under new leadership.

Regardless of if you're a Rodriguez supporter or not, it is still fun to look at some of the most memorable victories his teams have had over the past three years.

5. Illinois at Michigan (November 6, 2010)

In terms of excitement, this game would probably be No. 1 on the list, but the fact that a Michigan defense gave up 65 points makes it memorable for all the wrong reasons.  Regardless, it was still a very exciting game and actually a big win for Michigan at the time.

Michigan entered this game on a three-game losing streak, after starting the season 5-0.  Illinois, on the other hand, came into this game on a two-game winning streak, which included an absolute annihilation of Purdue the week before.

Going in, the game was a tossup, as many analysts were picking both Illinois and Michigan to win.

As soon as the game got underway, it was obvious that a lot of points were going to be scored, as both offenses moved the ball up and down the field at will.  Once they reached halftime, the score was tied at 31.

In the second half, Denard Robinson left the game because of concussion-like symptoms.  Tate Forcier took his place and actually played very well.

Late in the fourth quarter, Illinois held a 45-38 lead, but Darryl Stonum caught a touchdown pass to tie the game with only 1:47 left in regulation.

Both teams had no problem scoring in the first three overtimes, but the game finally ended when Illinois failed to convert a two-point conversion that would have sent the game into a fourth overtime.

It was Michigan's sixth win on the season, which gave the Wolverines bowl eligibility for the first time under Rodriguez.  The game was thrilling and action-packed, with nonstop scoring throughout.  It will be remembered forever by Michigan fans, but not necessarily for the right reasons.

4. Connecticut at Michigan (September 4, 2010)

This game is very important to many Michigan fans, and not necessarily because of what happened on the field.

The yearlong Big House renovations were finally done, and Michigan wanted to go against a formidable opponent to showcase the stadium.  The opponent ended up being Connecticut, who was coming off an eight-win season and was the popular 2010 preseason pick to win the Big East.

This game also set the modern college football attendance record, with 113,090 people in attendance.

However, the biggest reason this game might be so memorable to Michigan fans was because of what happened just before kickoff.  Elliott Mealer, an offensive lineman for Michigan, had been in a terrible car accident that claimed the lives of his father and girlfriend on Christmas Eve in 2007.  Elliott's brother, Brock, had also been in the accident and was given a one percent chance by doctors to ever walk again.

But just before kickoff, Brock, with Elliott in uniform and at his side, walked out to midfield in front of over 113,000 fans, and touched the Michigan banner.  This was one of the most inspiring and emotional events in Big House history.

Once the game started, Denard Robinson showed the nation why he had beaten out Tate Forcier for the quarterback job.  He completed 19-of-22 passes, and rushed for 197 yards as Michigan went on to win 30-10.

Every college football fan in America took notice, as Robinson became the talk of the football world throughout the first half of the season.

Connecticut did end up winning the Big East and playing in a BCS bowl, but what looked like a promising season for Michigan ended up being a very disappointing 7-6 campaign.

3. Notre Dame at Michigan (September 12, 2009)

Both teams were coming into this game off of extremely impressive openers; Notre Dame destroyed a pretty good Nevada team that went on to win eight games, while Michigan routed a Western Michigan team that some were picking to upset the Wolverines.

Both Michigan and Notre Dame came into this game undefeated for the first time since 2006, and it looked like the winner was one step closer to returning to national prominence.

Notre Dame was ranked 18th in the country, and was the slight favorite.  The Irish had a veteran quarterback in Jimmy Clausen, a great pair of receivers in Golden Tate and Michael Floyd and an experienced running back in Armando Allen.

However, Michigan had a big weapon in Tate Forcier, who put on an amazing performance the week before in his first career game.  He put on another amazing performance in this game, proving that he was the real deal.

Forcier threw for 240 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing for 70 yards and another score.  However, what made him a real hero was his late-game heroics, which included a game-winning touchdown pass to Greg Mathews with 11 seconds left in the game.  This helped seal a 38-34 victory, and what many fans thought was the beginning of a very promising season.

However, the magic faded as Tate Forcier struggled in the second half of the year, as did the team as a whole, finishing with a very disappointing 5-7 record.

2. Wisconsin at Michigan (September 27, 2008)

Wisconsin came into this game ranked ninth in the country, and undefeated.  Michigan was unranked and had a 1-2 record.  Wisconsin was a heavy favorite, as some people were literally not even giving Michigan a chance to win.

Those predictions looked accurate through the first half, as Wisconsin led 19-0, and had held Michigan's offense to a mind-blowing 21 yards.  Through that first half, you could debate that Michigan played its worst half of offense ever.

However, in the second half, something sparked the Michigan offense that had been so lifeless in the first.  Steven Threet hooked up with Kevin Koger on a 26-yard touchdown play with 2:22 left in the third quarter for Michigan's first score of the game.  That cut Wisconsin's lead to 19-7.

Then, early in the fourth quarter, Brandon Minor ripped off a 34-yard touchdown run to cut the lead to 19-14, and that's when the crowd really started to get into it.

On Wisconsin's next possession, John Thompson intercepted Allan Evridge and ran it back 25 yards to give Michigan a 20-19 lead.  The crowd erupted.

With 5:11 left in the game, Sam McGuffie scored to put Michigan up 27-19, but the Badgers scored with only 13 seconds left in the game to cut it to 27-25.  They converted on the two-point conversion, but a penalty for an ineligible receiver downfield negated it.  On their second attempt, Evridge's pass fell incomplete, sealing the win for Michigan.

This was the 500th game played at the Big House, and it was Michigan's biggest comeback ever at home.  It was certainly a very memorable game, and arguably the highlight of the Rodriguez era.

1. Michigan at Notre Dame (September 11, 2010)

The week before this game, Denard Robinson completed 19-of-22 passes and rushed for 197 yards while Michigan defeated Connecticut, 30-10.  Fans were anxious to see what he would do in South Bend, against what looked like a pretty good Notre Dame team.

Robinson played almost a perfect game, while setting all kinds of Michigan records.  He threw for 244 yards, while rushing for 258, giving him a total of 502 yards of offense.  Not only did he set Michigan records, he also broke the Notre Dame Stadium record for longest run, with an 87-yard touchdown run.

The whole nation saw what he did in this game, and as a result, declared him the early leader for the Heisman Trophy.  The hype lasted a few more weeks before fading midway through the season.

What might have been most impressive, though, were not necessarily Robinson's stats, but what he did late in the game.  With Michigan leading comfortably for most of the game, Notre Dame came back late and took a three-point lead with only 3:41 left in the game.

Robinson didn't panic.  He led his team on a 72-yard game-winning drive, capping it off with a two-yard touchdown run that sealed the victory.

This game is memorable to Michigan fans for countless reasons; not only was the victory great because of what Robinson did, but also because it was Brian Kelly's first taste of the rivalry and Michigan came out on top.  Many fans will also remember it because it was played on September 11.

This was certainly one of Rich Rodriguez's biggest wins, and will be remembered by Michigan fans forever.