Tag: longest plays

Michigan’s 10 Longest Plays vs. Northwestern

Here’s a look at the top ten longest plays over the years against the Northwestern Wildcats.

1. Jehu Chesson 96-yard kickoff return touchdown (2015)
2. Jamie Morris 80-yard kickoff return (1984)
3. Anthony Carter 78-yard punt return touchdown (1979)
4. Tyrone Wheatley 74-yard touchdown run (1991)
5. Steve Breaston 67-yard punt return touchdown (2004)
6. Elvis Grbac 65-yard pass to Amani Toomer (1992)
7. Elvis Grbac 64-yard touchdown pass to Desmond Howard (1991)
8. Jordan Marshall 63-yard kickoff return (2024)
9. Stan Edwards 62-yard kickoff return (1977)
10. Lawrence Ricks 60-yard touchdown run (1981)
11. Anthony Thomas 60-yard touchdown run (1999)
12. John Kolesar 60-yard punt return (1988)

Hit the jump to see video of the top three plays.

Michigan’s 10 Longest Plays vs. Illinois

Here’s a look at the biggest plays in Michigan’s history against Illinois:

1. Todd Collins 90-yard TD pass to Derrick Alexander (1993)
2. Tate Forcier 76-yard pass to Roy Roundtree (2009)
3. Denard Robinson 75-yard TD pass to Roy Roundtree (2010)
4. Steve Breaston 74-yard punt return TD (2003)
5. Gil Chapman 73-yard kickoff return TD (1972)
6. Tony Boles 73-yard TD run (1989)
7. Amani Toomer 72-yard punt return TD (1994)
8. Scott Dreisbach 72-yard TD run (1995)
9. Denard Robinson 71-yard TD pass to Jeremy Gallon (2012)
10. Shea Patterson 71-yard pass to Ronnie Bell (2019)

Hit the jump for a highlight of Alexander’s 90-yard TD catch.

Michigan’s 10 Longest Plays vs. Washington

Michigan is 10-5 against the Washington Huskies. They first met on November 4, 1916, which was a 66-7 win for the Wolverines. The last time they met was on January 8, 2024 in the national championship game, sealing Michigan’s 15-0 season.

1. Tyrone Wheatley 88-yard TD run (1992)
2. Mike Sainristil 81-yard interception return (2023)
3. Rick Leach 76-yard TD pass to Curt Stephenson (1977)
4. Blake Corum 67-yard TD run (2021)
5. Blake Corum 59-yard run (2023)
6. Chris Perry 57-yard TD run (2002)
7. Tyrone Wheatley 56-yard TD pass (1992)
8. Tyrone Wheatley 53-yard TD run (1991)
9. Elvis Grbac 49-yard TD pass to Tony McGee (1992)
10. Donovan Edwards 46-yard TD run (2023)

NOTE: I’m having a tough time finding stats pre-1977, so if you have any resources/updates for me to mix into the post, let me know.

Hit the jump for highlights of Wheatley’s 88-yarder, Sainristil’s INT return, and Leach-to-Stephenson.

Michigan’s 10 Longest Plays vs. Minnesota

Michigan has played Minnesota 105 times throughout history and has a 77-25-3 record against the Golden Gophers. They first played in 1892, and the winner of the game after each meeting earns the Little Brown Jug Trophy.

Here are the longest plays for Michigan in the history of the rivalry:

1. Steve Breaston 95-yard kickoff return TD (2005)
2. Chris Howard 86-yard TD run (1996)
3. Gilvanni Johnson 85-yard punt return TD (1985)
4. Carlos Brown 85-yard TD run (2007)
5. Darrell Harper 84-yard punt return TD (1959)
6. Courtney Avery 83-yard fumble return TD (2011)
7. Karan Higdon 77-yard TD run (2017)
8. Tom Brady 76-yard TD pass to Tai Streets (1998)
9. Lowell Perry 75-yard punt return TD (1951)
10. Steve Smith 75-yard TD run (1983)
11. Scott Dreisbach 75-yard TD pass to Amani Toomer (1995)

Hit the jump for videos of Breaston and Brown.

Michigan’s 10 Longest Plays vs. USC

Michigan is 3-6 over the years against USC. On the bright side, the Wolverines are 2-0 against the Trojans in the regular season. On the negative side, they’re 1-6 against USC in the Rose Bowl.

1. Kalel Mullings 63-yard run (2024)
2. Leroy Hoard 61-yard run (1988)
3. Kalel Mullings 53-yard touchdown run (2024)
4. Leroy Hoard 46-yard run (1989)
5. Rick Leach 44-yard touchdown pass to Roosevelt Smith (1978)
6. Will Johnson 42-yard interception return for a touchdown (2024)
7. Chad Henne 41-yard touchdown pass to Steve Breaston (2006)
8. Donovan Edwards 41-yard touchdown run (2024)
9. Bob Ptacek 37-yard pass to Gary Prahst (1958)
10. Chad Henne 36-yard pass to Tyler Ecker (2006)

Hit the jump for some clips.