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By Ira Kauffman
For the Mirror
Last Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, I had an epic football weekend: Friday night in Detroit at Ford Field for Penn State-Michigan State, Saturday afternoon in Ann Arbor for Ohio State-Michigan, and Sunday afternoon in Cincinnati for the Steelers-Bengals.
I was in the stands of Michigan Stadium, when the Wolverine players ran out onto the field on the waves of the thundering ovation from the fans. Just at that moment, the person standing next to me said, “It’s better to watch the game at home, I see more of the game on my big screen.”
Yes, camera angles, replays and a comfortable couch are nice, but no hundred-inch television can truly capture the experience of being in the largest stadium in the USA (which is one large bowl topped on both sides by spaceship looking suites).
Seconds before the Game of the Year in the best rivalry in sports, I was surrounded by 110,000 fans vigorously waving maize (yellow) and blue pom-poms; framed beneath a stunning partly cloudy blue sky in a stadium that has hosted so many great players and epic games.
You can almost see the ghosts of past greats on the field.
I had attended The Game last year in Columbus, Ohio (won by Michigan), and for the past two years, I watched Penn State lose at Ohio State and Michigan and both teams defeat Penn State in State College.
While the person standing next to me wished he was at home to watch the game — and considering his six trips to the concession stand, he probably should have been — being in the stands gave me a unique perspective on the key moment of the game, and one I will never forget.
Late in the third quarter, with the score tied 17-17, Michigan completed an 18-yard pass to the Ohio State 22-yard line, but a Michigan player was injured near the Michigan sideline.
Michigan’s medical staff quickly attended to the player. I knew it had to be serious because a trainer immediately called for a medical cart.
Because so many trainers were surrounding the player, it was impossible to see who was hurt. Fans were identifying which players were standing, and by a process of elimination, trying to determine who was injured.
Soon the fans realized the injured player was team captain and star offensive guard Zak Zinter. While the 22 million watching on TV (the largest TV audience for a college game in 12 years) saw commercials for the better part of 10 minutes, the 110,000 fans, without any prompting or music, started chanting “Let’s Go Zak.”
Then every single member of the Michigan team and staff and his parents, came out onto the field and surrounded Zinter.
After he was raised to the cart, with a later diagnosed broken fibula and tibia, his teammates backed up together so most of the stadium could see Zak on the cart.
Even though he had to be in tremendous pain from the injury, and overcome with emotion, knowing his season and college career were over, Zak sat up, raised his fist in the air and held it high, looking at his teammates with a face of determination.
I didn’t see one player move. I thought about what a remarkable individual Zak is to have garnered so much respect and admiration from his teammates. He is the definition of a leader.
In most cases of an injury to a star player, and a lengthy stoppage in a game (almost as long as halftime) the injured players’ team would be deflated. However, the Michigan team rallied for Zak, and on the very next play the offensive line opened up a hole a Mack Truck could go through, and Blake Corum ran in for a touchdown to take the lead.
Then, the fired up Michigan defense forced the Buckeyes to punt, after their three plays had only gained one yard.
Michigan held on for the 30-24 victory after quarterback J.J. McCarthy taught a master class on clock management on a seven-minute drive late in the fourth quarter, and Michigan’s Rod Moore made a game-ending interception to preserve the 30-24 win.
In moments the fans stormed the field, fully covering it with maize and blue.
The passion of the fans and the players, the pageantry surrounding each contest, and the importance of the game each year, make Ohio State-Michigan, right now, the number one rivalry in all of sports.
And moments like Michigan rallying after Zak Zinter’s injury in The Game is why I love sports.
Ira Kaufman, an Altoona native and traveling sports fan, hosts IRA on Sports on trueoldiesfla.com on Monday night from 7-8 p.m. It is also available on Soundcloud & iTUNES, search Ira On Sports. His column appears occasionally in Voice of the Fan.