ADVERTISEMENT

What is the most frustrating NU play you can remember?

What is the most frustrating NU play you can remember?

  • Mike Kafka throws ball backwards vs. Indiana (2008)

    Votes: 2 1.9%

  • Brian Musso's "fumble" vs. USC - Rose Bowl (1996)

    Votes: 11 10.4%

  • Final bad snap vs. Miami (1995)

    Votes: 14 13.2%

  • Two-point conversion attempt vs. Michigan (2014)

    Votes: 2 1.9%

  • Fake field goal vs. Auburn (2010)

    Votes: 10 9.4%

  • Hail Mary vs. Nebraska (2013)

    Votes: 18 17.0%

  • End of regulation field goal (players not set) vs. Michigan (2013)

    Votes: 23 21.7%

  • Damien Anderson drops pass vs. Michigan (2000)

    Votes: 3 2.8%

  • 53-yarder to Roundtree vs. Michigan (2012)

    Votes: 13 12.3%

  • Other

    Votes: 10 9.4%
  • Total voters
    106
SmellyCat

SmellyCat

Well-Known Member
Gold Member
May 29, 2001
6,372
6,705
113
I know most polls are for the good plays, but I've always wondered where the fans come down on this question: What is the most frustrating play you can remember in the 1995-present era? So many great options. It doesn't have to be the worst play, but the one that made you scream obscenities or throw your shoe at the TV or vow to never love the player again (for example, I still hold Andre Dawson responsible for striking out with the bases loaded to end a playoff game in 1989).

I came up with my own choices, but I'm sure I've thankfully forgotten many other good candidates.

I know I already forgot one - the bad spot on the sneak in the 2013 Ohio State game.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Westlot, TerraCat, 4IUSox2 and 2 others
Smelly just made us all walk 10 miles of bad road.

Re the 1996 Rose Bowl, Schnur's overthrow pic of Hartl was a killer. We had the lead and were driving in Q4. That was a punch in the gut. But that's just part of the game.

The Michigan FG uncalled penalty was pretty hard to stomach. Failures in execution happen on every play in every game, so they just get highlighted when it comes at the crucial moment, like Wootton's failed block vs. Auburn (sorry, Corey). And Hail Marys happen (we have had more than our share to our benefit).

But when officials screw up like that, and it happens vs. those horseshoe-up-the-arse Wolverines, it chaps my rear like no other.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: phatcat, Cat In The Cradle and SmellyCat
HappyNUyear said:
Taking the 3 points off the scoreboard vs Duke in 2006 and going for a TD when they (Duke) were destined to break the 34 game losing streak.
Click to expand...
Foreshadowed good Fitz: the true crime was not just taking the points off the board, but taking the points off the board for fourth and short!

I lived in northern Michigan at the time, and saw a Duke license plate at the gas station the next morning. I don’t think the Duke fan knew what had happened. (I was morbidly proud that NU kept its place in the history books.)
 
Last edited:
  • Haha
Reactions: HappyNUyear and drewjin
Missed Leahy field goals vs. Minnesota and Michigan State.

Leary goalline fumble vs. Wisconsin

Thorson goalline fumble vs. Western Michigan.
 
Last edited:
I feel compelled to mention back-to-back plays in the 2012 game in Ann Arbor. Holding a 31-28 lead, NU punted from the Michigan 49-yard-line with 18 seconds left. We inexplicably drill a line drive punt right to the returner at the 15, and he returns it to the Michigan 38. The next play, Michigan completes a tipped Hail Mary to the NU 9-yard-line. It then ties the game with a FG with two seconds left and wins in OT. Ugh. I remember throwing something and scaring the crap out of my then-young kids.

EDIT: I just realized that the Hail Mary I mentioned is the last choice in the poll. I remember being just as frustrated by the preceding punt.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: SIUCatfan, drewjin and catfans5

End of regulation field goal (players not set) vs. Michigan (2013)​

Votes: 33.3%

Wow, surprised to see my selection is the top vote getter. As much as we are schooled to not blame a game on the refs, this was one game decided by the refs that definitely merits frustration.

(Glad you avoided the Hawaii referee fiasco where multiple bad calls did us in though - that was on a level higher than frustration, and if I recall correctly it killed our chances to get to a bowl making it even more hair pulling. If HungryJack was watching I suspect those in his household were running all over the place trying to hide all the knives, forks, and other sharp instruments.)
 
  • Like
Reactions: RevCat and drewjin
HawkCat said:
I feel compelled to mention back-to-back plays in the 2012 game in Ann Arbor. Holding a 31-28 lead, NU punted from the Michigan 49-yard-line with 18 seconds left. We inexplicably drill a line drive punt right to the returner at the 15, and he returns it to the Michigan 38. The next play, Michigan completes a tipped Hail Mary to the NU 9-yard-line. It then ties the game with a FG with two seconds left and wins in OT. Ugh. I remember throwing something and scaring the crap out of my then-young kids.
Click to expand...

I thought about including the punt too, but the pass to Roundtree (which was on the list) is the one that just killed me. I remember waking my one-year-old up from a nap with about a minute to go to the game, telling him that we were about to beat Michigan. Boy, was that a bad move. If he'd stayed asleep who knows what might have happened?
 
  • Like
Reactions: Alaskawildkat
Michigan uncalled penalty was in a different class of pain not NU fault. Duke game was worst officiated game overall. Nebraska game Immaculate Protection play was worst as NU 3 man rush was destroyed allowing free toss by a qb with average arm to barely reach the end zone. I voted for Miami Ohio come from ahead defeat game.
 
I voted for the Hail Mary at Nebraska because I also remember they were 4th and 15 just before that and threw a short flat pass where we had three guys surrounding the receiver and he somehow plowed ahead to just get the first down that setup that disastrous finish.
 
  • Like
Reactions: drewjin, StreamCat, Alaskawildkat and 3 others
The Hail Mary is probably the one that lingered the most with me after the game, where for like a week I couldn't go more than a few minutes without thinking about it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: StreamCat
Colter got the first down.

Speaking of OSU, Ramsey's end zone INT in the conference championship game this year changed the course of that game. Took points off the board and gave them some mojo back.
 
  • Like
Reactions: MickeyCat and eastbaycat99
SmellyCat said:
The Hail Mary is probably the one that lingered the most with me after the game, where for like a week I couldn't go more than a few minutes without thinking about it.
Click to expand...
I behaved badly after that one, very, very, very, very badly.
 
Even with breaking the bowl streak - which I travelled to Jacksonville for - 2012 as a whole bothered me the most, so I voted “Other”. If Budzien stayed automatic vs Nebraska and we didn’t give up the hail mary to Michigan, we’d have been in the Big Ten title game instead of UNL.

And if we’d have also beaten that turd QB for Ped State, we’d have been undefeated and highly ranked in that championship game. That season was our best chance to do something really big under Fitz, similar to 2020.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Noah121, Alaskawildkat and drewjin
I vote emphatically for other. The whole saga with the 2006 Michigan State team's 35-point come from behind victory over NU left me devastated and discombobulated. It wasn't just the complete loss of a 38-3 lead in the 3rd Quarter to a 38-38 tie with less than 4 minutes left in the 4th quarter. After MSU ties it up, with just over 3 minutes left in the 4th Quarter, NU throws an interception and put MSU immediately in scoring position where they just ground the clock down and kicked a field goal with seconds left in the game. So I guess the play that hurt most was MSU's winning field near the end of the game, but that was just the salt rubbed into the open wound. I went into news shut down after that game, not sport news, but all news...because I knew even general national news liked to put in tidbits about quirky sports news like a record-breaking come-from-behind victory (or loss from NU's vantage point). I had to take a couple of weeks off from college football after that 2006 MSU loss. To the program's credit, it got revenge in an overtime victory over MSU in East Lansing in 2007.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Alaskawildkat, NUCat320 and drewjin
Up 7-3. OSU punts, Ramsey just completed a good pass to cross into Ohio State territory.

And then we decide to call the Riley Lees trick pass play which we had already used before that season (such that they were fully aware of its existence).
 
  • Like
Reactions: drewjin, phatcat, JournCat and 2 others
HawkCat said:
I feel compelled to mention back-to-back plays in the 2012 game in Ann Arbor. Holding a 31-28 lead, NU punted from the Michigan 49-yard-line with 18 seconds left. We inexplicably drill a line drive punt right to the returner at the 15, and he returns it to the Michigan 38. The next play, Michigan completes a tipped Hail Mary to the NU 9-yard-line. It then ties the game with a FG with two seconds left and wins in OT. Ugh. I remember throwing something and scaring the crap out of my then-young kids.

EDIT: I just realized that the Hail Mary I mentioned is the last choice in the poll. I remember being just as frustrated by the preceding punt.
Click to expand...
This is BY FAR my worst NUFB memory. My wife and I were watching at the home of some very nice UM fans........ ( yes, there does exist a small handful of this ilk ) and I completely lost it when this sequence occurred. My wife was totally mortified and I was told that if I could not behave like an adult when watching NU games, I was welcome to watch them alone in my den. I now watch NU games alone in my den.
PS Interesting to note UM is the only opponent to show up multiple times on this list of excruciating moments...
 
Last edited:
  • Like
  • Love
Reactions: FightNorthwestern, JournCat, Gladeskat and 7 others
I voted for Michigan 2012. What a gut shot that was. The Nebraska Hail Mary in 2013 was brutal, but the season was already a lost cause at that point. The 2012 season was a solid one for the 'Cats, and losing the Michigan game in that fashion was pretty devastating. Of course, in the end, the program won its first bowl game in 50+ years, so in that regard, it was a positive season.
 
Brian Musso’s fumble was not a fumble. And it would be called back today. Damien’s drop was quickly ameliorated by A-trains fumble! I think I screamed out loud for the majority of these plays, including Musso’s fumble and Damien’s drop! How do you pick from such a list? We had an event to go to the evening of the Nebraska Hail Mary. I snapped the tv off after the catch. My puzzled son did not believe what he had seen and asked me why I was so upset!!?!? The same son cried in the car after the Outback missed field goal. The horror, the horror! Let’s do a poll of favorite plays!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Cat Fan in Buckeye Land
TerraCat said:
Brian Musso’s fumble was not a fumble. And it would be called back today. Damien’s drop was quickly ameliorated by A-trains fumble! I think I screamed out loud for the majority of these plays, including Musso’s fumble and Damien’s drop! How do you pick from such a list? We had an event to go to the evening of the Nebraska Hail Mary. I snapped the tv off after the catch. My puzzled son did not believe what he had seen and asked me why I was so upset!!?!? The same son cried in the car after the Outback missed field goal. The horror, the horror! Let’s do a poll of favorite plays!
Click to expand...
I was at by brother’s birthday celebration, and they had that game vs. Nebraska on...that Hail Mary ruined my entire night!
 
  • Like
Reactions: TerraCat and No Chores
TerraCat said:
Brian Musso’s fumble was not a fumble. And it would be called back today. Damien’s drop was quickly ameliorated by A-trains fumble! I think I screamed out loud for the majority of these plays, including Musso’s fumble and Damien’s drop! How do you pick from such a list? We had an event to go to the evening of the Nebraska Hail Mary. I snapped the tv off after the catch. My puzzled son did not believe what he had seen and asked me why I was so upset!!?!? The same son cried in the car after the Outback missed field goal. The horror, the horror! Let’s do a poll of favorite plays!
Click to expand...

We did a tournament of good plays two years ago. I think we had 96 plays to choose from - winner was Victory Right but that was a lot of fun because most of those plays had accompanying videos.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Alaskawildkat
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

J

So What Is Actually The Issue?

Replies
66
Views
3K
The Rock
hdhntr1
H
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest posts

ADVERTISEMENT
Top Bottom
Back