Michigan Football’s best single-game performances in recent history

Michigan Football hasn’t been lacking in big game heroics in its recent history, but which single-game performances are a cut above the rest? Here’s a look back through the archives of some of the best performances:

Trailing 24-20 and on the brink of a 2-2 start to the season, Michigan began a drive at its own 11 yard line with four minutes to go. The Wolverines had been in a tight contest all afternoon with Big Ten newcomer USC, but the offense had been largely stalled in the second half and failed to generate anything in the passing game.

On third-and-one, Alex Orji handed the ball to Kalel Mullings, who picked up the first down and looked to be stopped just a few yards past the sticks. Instead, he ripped through an attempted tackle and rumbled for 63 yards into Trojan territory. Mullings’ run set up a touchdown in the waining seconds of the game, leading to a 27-24 victory.

That afternoon last September, Mullings went for 159 yards and two touchdowns, a sign of things to come for him later in the year. It was by all means a great performance, one of many from players in the recent history of the program.

Last week, we took a look back through Michigan Basketball’s recent history to find some of the best single-game performances from its biggest stars. Today, we’ll stroll down memory lane and re-live some of the best recent single-game performances from Michigan Football.

Karan Higdon, Chris Evans, Khaleke Hudson vs. Minnesota, 2017

Michigan’s 2017 season was nothing to write home about, but its rain-soaked 33-10 win over Minnesota stands out as its best game of the year. Running backs Karan Higdon and Chris Evans stole the show, combining for 391 yards and four touchdowns (two each). It’s easily the best performance by a pair of Michigan backs in recent memory, even better than anything Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards did together.

The real star of the night was linebacker Khaleke Hudson, as he was truly a one-man wrecking crew. He finished with an absurd 15 tackles (including 7.5 for loss), three sacks, and a forced fumble. His 7.5 tackles for loss is still an NCAA record.

Shea Patterson and Ronnie Bell vs. Michigan State, 2019

While 2019 wasn’t Shea Patterson’s best season in Ann Arbor, he showed up when it mattered most against Michigan State. In his best passing performance at Michigan to that point, Patterson completed 24-of-33 passes for 384 yards and four touchdowns. The primary benefactor of Patterson’s big game was a sophomore Ronnie Bell, who led the team with nine receptions for 150 yards. The Wolverines won the game in dominant fashion by a 44-10 final score.

Shea Patterson and Nico Collins vs. Indiana, 2019

After dominating against the Spartans, Patterson did the same against Indiana just one week later. With the coaching staff finally letting its quarterback cut it loose, Patterson completed 20-of-33 passes for 366 yards, five touchdowns and one interception.

Instead of Bell, the best pass-catcher in this game was Nico Collins, who had arguably his best game at Michigan with six receptions for 165 yards and three touchdowns. A sign of things to come for him in the NFL.

Andrel Anthony and Cade McNamara vs. Michigan State, 2021

Where were you for the Andrel Anthony game? Although Michigan lost this one, the then-freshman wide receiver showed out in his hometown of East Lansing to the tune of six receptions for 155 yards and two touchdowns. His biggest play was a 93-yard catch and run to open up the scoring.

Throwing him the ball that afternoon was Cade McNamara, who had the best game of his career. Despite a late interception, McNamara had 383 yards and two touchdowns.

Donovan Edwards vs. Maryland, 2021

Donovan Edwards didn’t see the field much as a freshman. It wasn’t until the end of the year when he was more integrated into the offense, and even then it was mostly as a receiving option. But he showed off some serious skills as a pass-catcher against Maryland when given the opportunity, catching 10 passes for 170 yards and one touchdown in a 59-18 win. More to come from Edwards in a bit.

Hassan Haskins and Aidan Hutchinson vs. Ohio State, 2021

You simply can’t talk about Michigan’s 2021 victory over Ohio State without bringing up Hassan Haskins and the run game. The Wolverines bulldozed their way to their first victory over Ohio State in a decade with 297 yards on the ground, setting the precedent for how the next few years of the rivalry would play out. Haskins was responsible for 169 of those yards and scored five times to cement his place in Michigan lore.

Meanwhile, Aidan Hutchinson saved the best game of his Michigan career for the most important one. He sacked C.J. Stroud three times to help the Wolverines beat OSU for the first time in a decade.

Blake Corum vs. Maryland, 2022

The 2022 version of Blake Corum was truly special. That season produced some big games from “Blake the Great,” but his early-season performance against Maryland was his best. The Wolverines only won this one by a 34-27 final score, and Corum’s heroics were a big reason why they were able to escape with the win. He finished with 234 yards on 30 carries, and also had touchdown runs of 33 and 47 yards.

Donovan Edwards and J.J. McCarthy vs. Ohio State, 2022

Michigan entered its matchup with Ohio State as an eight-point underdog and proceeded to win, 45-23. The unexpected performance came courtesy of some explosive plays in the passing game that Michigan hadn’t shown previously in the year. J.J. McCarthy finished with just 12 completions, but those went for 263 yards and three touchdowns, including deep balls of 69 and 45 yards to Cornelius Johnson and Colston Loveland, respectively.

In the fourth quarter, the legend of “Big Game Don” was born. With Blake Corum sidelined and a cast on one hand, Edwards ripped off touchdown runs of 75 and 85 yards to ice the game and silence Ohio Stadium. He finished with 222 yards in one of the most clutch performances in recent Michigan history.

Your turn. What are some of your standout individual performances? Sound off in the comments below.