From JuJu with Love

I’ve been to a lot of Michigan football games over the years.

I fell in love with Michigan football when I was eight years old.

And over the years I’ve been lucky enough to see some unforgettable games in the Big House.

But two of them left me unable to speak for days afterward.

The craziest game was September 10, 2011. It was two months after my mom died, and I was still deep in grief. My friend Lori flew in from Florida to visit and join me for the first-ever night game at Michigan Stadium, when Michigan played Notre Dame in the “Battle Under the Lights.”

It was historic for many reasons.

It was the first night game ever at Michigan Stadium. Over 114,000 fans packed the Big House, and the final two minutes were insane.

There were three touchdowns scored in the last 1:12 of the game. (Two of them by Michigan!)

And the winning touchdown from Denard Robinson came with 2 seconds left.

To this day, it’s still one of the loudest moments I’ve ever experienced in the Big House. When Robinson threw that last touchdown, the stadium basically exploded.

Lori and I started tailgating at noon and didn’t get home until after 1 a.m., but it was worth every minute.

But that wasn’t the first time that a Michigan football game wrecked my voice.

The other game was October 30, 2004. It was an unseasonably warm day. This time my friend Amy joined me.

For most of the game, it was not fun for Wolverine fans. With 8:43 left, we were still down by three scores.

Michigan would go on to score 18 points to come back and win 45–37 in triple overtime, during one of the most iconic games of the in-state rivalry.

Most games, I don’t even stay until the end. I usually try to leave a few minutes early to beat traffic.

But I’m definitely glad I stayed to witness both of these games until the bitter end.

Two unforgettable games shared with two childhood friends.

Screaming our lungs out in the Big House.

A lot of screaming, a lot of laughter, and memories I’ll never forget.

It doesn’t get much better than that.

Michigan friends — what game made you lose your voice?

From Juju with love 💙💛🏈