BOULDER, Colo. - The Wolverines looked up at the scoreboard Saturday and saw 1994. Five seconds left. Michigan with the lead. Colorado with the ball.
And just like two years ago, when The Catch gave the Buffaloes a shocking 27-26 victory in Ann Arbor on a last-second play, Colorado lofted a pass toward the right side of the end zone. And again, the ball was tipped. And again, the home team's national title hopes ended with the game's final play.
But this time, the football gods answered a different Hail Mary. The 11th-ranked Wolverines prayed hard in the final moments, held on, and beat the fifth-ranked Buffaloes, 20-13, in front of 53,788, the third-largest crowd in Folsom Field history.
This time, The Catch was not to be.
"I knew that the defense had to make a play," said Michigan quarterback Scott Dreisbach, who sat helpless at the end of the bench and didn't watch the Buffaloes' last-gasp pass. "I just sat down by myself, hoped it wouldn't happen again, and just prayed."
Prayers and penalties won the game for the Wolverines (1-0 Big Ten, 2-0 overall), even though Michigan's defense limited Colorado to 70 yards rushing. The Buffaloes (2-1) committed 14 penalties for 99 yards, nullifying a touchdown reception and keeping alive two Michigan scoring drives.
"Penalty wise, I don't really have an answer," Colorado quarterback Koy Detmer said. "But I think sometimes, when you try too hard, those things happen."
Due to a mistake made by Dreisbach, however, the penalties almost didn't matter. That was when the prayers came in.
Ahead 20-13 in the game's waning moments, Dreisbach simply had to run out the clock to send the Wolverines home with a victory. On second-and-seven, he started to do just that, kneeling down. On third-and-nine, he scrambled around and fell. Then, on fourth-and-13, he fumbled the snap and downed the ball.
But there were five seconds remaining on the clock, and on a change of possession, the clock stops.
Colorado had one last chance.
"I thought we could kill it," Dreisbach said. "It was my fault."
So the made-for-television scene was set.
The differences with 1994 were subtle: The Buffaloes were closer to the end zone this time, on the Michigan 37 instead of their own 36. There were five seconds remaining instead of six. The game was in Boulder, not Ann Arbor. And, of course, the team The Catch cursed won.
The similarities were eerie: The play itself looked much the same, and Michigan even ran the exact same defense - 30 victory - and Colorado made the exact same offensive call - rocket-jet-right. Detmer released the ball quickly, and time stopped. The ball was tipped into the air again - only down instead of up this time - and Rae Carruth, who was involved with The Catch in 1994, dove but couldn't come up with the ball.
"Had that ball ended up in one of our kids' hands, we'd be talking about it as another great mark in Colorado football history," Colorado coach Rick Neuheisel said. "So it shows you how close things can happen. It shows you how easily things could've happened the other way in 1994."
Things might have gone the same way as 1994, however, if Colorado hadn't committed so many penalties. In fact, Michigan's first and second scoring drives were sustained by Colorado penalties.
On third-and-eight in the first quarter, Dreisbach overthrew his receiver, but the Buffaloes were called for roughing the passer. The resulting first down allowed the Wolverines to march on and kick a field goal.
On second-and-13 in the second, Dreisbach threw incomplete to Tai Streets, but Streets was interfered with. Michigan went on to score a touchdown.
But the fatal mistake came in the fourth quarter. On third-and-seven, Detmer found James Kidd down the right sideline for a 46-yard touchdown. But Colorado's tight end was called for illegal motion, and the touchdown was brought back, allowing Michigan to retain its 20-13 lead.
"That was about as low as I've ever felt on a football field," Kidd said. "It was a perfect pass in a perfect place."
With the play called back, the Michigan defense shut out Colorado in the second half and completed a rare stifling of the Buffaloes.
Colorado was 0-for-2 on fourth downs and 6-for-13 on third downs. It was the first time a team had kept Colorado off the scoreboard for two quarters or more since Nebraska did in 1994. It was only the 14th time in Colorado's last 135 games that the Buffaloes didn't score more than 14 points. And while Colorado ran 61 plays, 26 went for no yardage or less.
"I'm glad it came down to the defense," Michigan linebacker Jarrett Irons said. "Any time a big game like this can come down to you, you want it to."
Colorado scored two touchdowns, both in the second quarter. One came on an eight-yard run by Lendon Henry with 11:31 left, and the other came on a five-yard pass from Detmer to Phil Savoy with 51 seconds left. Michigan's David Bowens blocked the extra point attempt on the second Colorado touchdown.
Remy Hamilton kicked 37-yard and 42-yard field goals for the Wolverines, and Clarence Williams (seven-yard run) and Jerame Tuman (three-yard receptions) scored touchdowns.
Colorado outgained Michigan in total offense, 357-247, and passing, 287-108. The Wolverines won the rushing battle, 139-70.
JOE WESTRATE/Daily
Michigan tight end Jerame Tuman is lifted skyward by teammates Mark Bolach and Zach Adami as Scott Dreisbach and Jon Jansen celebrate Tuman's three-yard touchdown catch in front of a dejected Colorado cheering section.