Michigan Football: 5 Key Moments That Turned the Wolverines' 2015 Season

Every year, the Michigan football team can look back and identify key moments that changed the season. In 2015, for a change, the Wolverines had more good than bad ones.

There's no question that the biggest moment for the program arrived when Jim Harbaugh accepting the head coaching job, leaving the NFL for his alma mater.

However, this piece focuses on what happened during the recent campaign instead of the preseason circumstances that also helped—like Jake Rudock's transfer.

The list is ordered subjectively based on how much each moment affected 2015.

5. Ryan Glasgow's Season-Ending Injury

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Lost in Rudock's then-career-best performance during a blowout win over Rutgers was a footnote that immensely affected the season.

Ryan Glasgow exited the contest due to a pectoral injury and never returned to the lineup.

After consistently allowing four or fewer yards per carry to opposing running backs, Michigan watched Indiana's Jordan Howard run for a season-best 238 yards and two scores.

Ohio State then shredded the Wolverines to the tune of 369 yards and five touchdowns, getting 214 and two from Ezekiel Elliott as well as 139 and three from J.T. Barrett.

Glasgow's absence meant the dominance up front disappeared. If a team loses in the trenches, the scoreboard tends to show it.

4. Grind-It-out Win over Maryland

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Although the box score reads 28-0, the Maryland game showed anything but a handy victory. The Terrapins made Michigan earn every yard of this win.

During the first half, the running backs combined for 28 yards on the ground. Rudock's 20-yard scamper and a pair of Kenny Allen field goals highlighted the Wolverines' production.

Michigan struggled on the road in Big Ten action under Brady Hoke. It looked like another unnecessary, battle-to-the-finish type of game. While the on-field style of play didn't change—slow, physical—a few Wolverines made big plays.

Jourdan Lewis picked off Caleb Rowe, setting up Drake Johnson for a 31-yard touchdown on a perfectly timed screen pass. The defense forced a punt, and Jehu Chesson took a jet sweep 66 yards to the house.

Within a matter of three minutes, the Wolverines had a three-score advantage.

Michigan learned the lesson that if the defense stood tall, eventually the offense would come. For the remainder of the year, only against Ohio State did that lesson not apply.

3. Next Man Up vs. Minnesota

Michigan had more trouble with Minnesota than expected, and Rudock tried to provide a spark. By not sliding to end a six-yard scramble, though, he found himself sandwiched between two defenders and suffered an injury that ended his game.

Wilton Speight stepped in for the first meaningful playing time of his college career. He didn't have a great start.

After throwing an incompletion two snaps later on third down, Speight and the offense went three-and-out on the next two drives. Minnesota added a field goal for a 26-21 lead.

But backup quarterback and all, the Wolverines came back. Short passes to tight ends and a few runs placed Michigan inside the opponent's 15-yard line, and Speight hit Chesson for what became the game-winning touchdown.

Yes, the defense needed a goal-line stand as time expired to seal the victory, but the Wolverines found a way to win.

2. Beatdown of Northwestern

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Most of us expected a hard-fought, low-scoring Wolverines win. What we instead received was Michigan completely throttling Northwestern, and it started from the opening kickoff.

Chesson opened the game with a 96-yard return for a touchdown, and the Maize and Blue scored twice more before the end of the first quarter.

For only the second time since 2011, Michigan dominated a ranked-vs.-ranked matchup at home. Harbaugh had already brought the school back to the national conversation.

The 38-0 blowout set the stage for the Wolverines playing well enough to beat one of their biggest rivals—until the season took a dramatic turn on a single snap.

1. Last-Second Botched Punt vs. Michigan State

Telling a Michigan fan that the team played well enough to beat Michigan State presumably isn't much consolation for the devastating ending.

The Wolverines held a 23-21 advantage with 10 seconds remaining, and the Spartans had everyone at the line of scrimmage. Theoretically, the punt could've rolled around and killed the clock.

Blake O'Neill simply had to catch the snap and kick the ball away. However, he ultimately lost the ball into the waiting arms of Jalen Watts-Jackson, who scampered 38 yards down the sideline as time expired for a shocking MSU win.

Instead of improving to 6-1 overall and 3-0 in the Big Ten, Michigan dropped a conference game to a team that would benefit in a potential tiebreaker.

All recruiting information via 247Sports. Stats from cfbstats.com or B/R research. Quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow Bleacher Report CFB Writer David Kenyon on Twitter @Kenyon19_BR.