Michigan Football: The Fire Drill Field Goal That Saved Brady Hoke's Bacon

Despite being the winningest program in NCAA Football history (910 wins and counting), the Michigan Wolverines are no stranger to four- and five-loss seasons.

From 1993-1996—the tail end of the Gary Moeller Era to the beginning of Lloyd Carr's tenure—the Wolverines lost four games each year. Michigan's records from the close of Lloyd Carr's reign (2007) through RichRod's ouster (2010), look like throwaway Texas Hold 'Em hands: 9-4, 3-9, 5-7 and 7-6.

Brady Hoke's second campaign (2012) resulted in an 8-5 season.

If Big Blue had any chance of avoiding the dreaded four-plus loss season in 2013, it would have to start with a road win at Northwestern. For most of four quarters, Michigan looked well on their way to a third straight Big Ten loss. Behind by just a field goal (9-6) midway through the fourth quarter, Hoke's questionable call to go for it on 4th-and-2 was a shade desperate (the play failed like so many others this fall). 

The Michigan faithful have been up in arms over Hoke's late-game decision-making since the Penn State overtime debacle on October 12.

Coupled with an embarrassing performance against Michigan State (Devin Gardner sacked seven times, -48 yards rushing) followed by an anemic home loss to Nebraska (Gardner sacked seven times again, -20 rushing yards), the cutlery set was out in Ann Arbor prior to kickoff in Evanston: 

An improbable 51-yard two-minute drill in which Gardner twice picked up firsts on 4th down (a four-yard scramble on the first and a nine-yard completion to Devin Funchess on the second) capped by an unfathomable 44-yard fire drill field goal by Brendan Gibbons preempted the "Brady Choke" storylines for at least one more week.

After taking an unthinkable sack on the previous play that took the Wolverines out of field goal range (from the 30-yard line to the 43), Gardner calmly hit Joey Gallon for 16 yards with under ten seconds remaining—Gallon was unable to get out of bounds.

For a team that has lacked discipline throughout October and November, Michigan showed exemplary poise to get the field goal unit up to the line for Jareth Glanda to snap perfectly to a sliding Drew Dileo hold.

It took three nerve-grinding overtimes for Michigan to seal a 27-19 victory, but the clown car-styled finish to regulation seemed to give Michigan the edge it needed to achieve the feat.

While it wasn't quite a high-wire act, go ahead and cue the Big Top music. Or the Benny Hill theme, if you prefer.

Michigan is still in damage-control mode for the season, but Brady Hoke will be breathing a bit easier this weekend.

Next week's road game against a bowl-eligible Iowa team (6-4) might be tricky and with a devastating Ohio State team coming to Ann Arbor November 30, it's going to take a few Harry Houdini tricks, some Flying Wallendas acts and maybe a couple of David Blaine street stunts for Michigan to avoid another four-plus loss season.