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Like thousands of people on the Michigan Stadium turf, Mike Martin and Taylor Lewan wanted to savor every last second of the scene that broke out after the Wolverines finally beat Ohio State.
The defensive and offensive tackle walked backward into the tunnel - looking toward the field filled with maize-and-blue clad fans - and soaked up the atmosphere one last time before turning to run up the incline toward the locker room.
''This is a big game for us and this program,'' Martin said after Saturday's win. ''For us to take this step as a team is huge and we're never going to forget it and these fans and this fan base is never going to forget it.''
No doubt.
Denard Robinson matched a career high with five touchdowns to help Michigan beat the Buckeyes 40-34 - in a game filled with lead changes and dramatic moments - and end a record seven-game losing streak against its archrival.
The Wolverines (10-2, 6-2 Big Ten) have reached double digits in victories for the first time since 2006 and may play in a BCS bowl for the first time since that same season.
Is Michigan back?
''We hope so,'' junior safety Jordan Kovacs said. ''We are excited with the 10-win season and beating Ohio, but there's still work left to do. We strive to win Big Ten championships. We didn't get that done, but we're going to enjoy this win and we're going to enjoy the bowl game.''
The Wolverines won't play for the Big Ten title on Saturday night in Indianapolis - rival Michigan State and Wisconsin earned spots in the inaugural conference title game - and will find out the next day where they're headed this postseason.
College football's winningest team, though, seemed to validate the improvements made this season under first-year coach Brady Hoke by winning four of five games after losing Oct. 15 to the Spartans.
''I want to say Michigan probably needed this win (over Ohio State) to solidify what we did this season as a program,'' senior defensive end Ryan Van Bergen said. ''I didn't want to say it before the game because I didn't want to put the pressure on my teammates, but it solidifies what we did this year as a team.''
The Buckeyes, meanwhile, ended the regular season with a .500 record for the first time since 1999.
Ohio State has said it won't pass up the chance to go to a bowl game - if the NCAA allows the Buckeyes to play in the postseason.
The NCAA may make a bowl ban part of its penalty for a cash-for-Buckeyes memorabilia scandal that forced Jim Tressel to resign nearly six months ago and quarterback Terrelle Pryor to bolt for the NFL.
Ohioan Urban Meyer, who won two national championships at Florida, is widely expected to take over the storied program and return to the campus where he started his coaching career as a graduate assistant.
Former Ohio State running back and 1995 Heisman Trophy winner Eddie George said he expects speculation to become fact as soon as Monday because hiring Meyer is a move school officials believe they have to make.
''He certainly is the biggest name out there and his resume speaks for itself,'' George told The Associated Press on Saturday morning in Ann Arbor, where he was working as an analyst. ''If you're going to go after somebody, you want to go after the biggest fish in the pond and he's that guy.''
As of Sunday afternoon, at least, interim coach Luke Fickell was still in charge of the team.
Fickell tried his best to deflect questions about his future in his postgame news conference at the Big House.
''Out of respect for the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry, I wasn't going to think about it and wasn't going to talk about it,'' Fickell said.
