Looking Back is a Special Feature by Jeff Cummins Highlighting Key Games

The third installment takes us back to 1969. The previous season would have been considered quite successful by many teams, but a season-ending loss left a bitter feeling for the Michigan football community. Bump Elliott resigned following the 1968 season, and athletic director Don Canham needed to replace him. Numerous coaches and university officials throughout college football sang the praises of Bo Schembechler, prompting Canham to hire him. Few at Michigan knew who Schembechler was, and a local newspaper ran the headline, “Bo Who?”

The Michigan players learned about Bo very quickly. He ran grueling practices that prompted players to question their life decisions. Many simply gave up, but others stayed, and formed the nucleus of a team that would make 1969 one of the most memorable seasons in Michigan history.

Bo also benefited from a talented core of returning players. Elliott might have had difficulty winning certain games, but he built a solid roster, and Bo made the most of it. Michigan benefited from standout performers including tight end Jim Mandich and running back Billy Taylor, as well as scrappy players like nose tackle Henry Hill.

The modern era of Michigan football began on Sept. 20, 1969. Vanderbilt emerged from the tunnel first, but Michigan scored first when Garvie Craw scored on a 1-yard run. In the second quarter, Glenn Doughty took a handoff, broke several tackles and ran 80 yards for a Michigan touchdown to increase the Wolverines’ lead to 14-0. Michigan won, 42-14, and left no doubt that the Wolverines were in good hands with Schembechler at the helm. There were several bumps on the road as the season unfolded, but Bo’s vision for his team was clear: The Wolverines would run when they had the ball, and stop the run on defense.
The 1969 Wolverines would go on to earn one of the biggest victories in the history of Michigan football. For now, it was enough that the Schembechler era got off to a good start. Other goals would be accomplished in due time.

Thanks to YouTube poster Jess Chabot for the highlight film of the 1969 Michigan game vs. Vanderbilt. As always, we own nothing and do not profit from this blog post.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-blBLT8IXo&themeRefresh=1

This and other great content can be found at newyorkwolverine.com

Looking Back is a Special Feature by Jeff Cummins Highlighting Key Games

The second installment of this week’s series looking at the first games of Michigan head coaches takes us to 2008. The college football landscape was starting to change, and veteran Michigan coach Lloyd Carr had just retired. Michigan had recently hired Bill Martin as athletic director, and he was charged with fixing the financial woes of the department, among other things.

Martin also inherited the task of hiring a new coach, an exercise that turned out to be one of the most curious coaching searches in the university’s history. The name of Les Miles popped up several times, usually with dubious sources. For a few hours, it seemed Michigan found its head coach in Greg Schiano, but the Rutgers coach reconsidered and removed his name from consideration.

Finally, Michigan settled on West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez, who had led several successful teams in recent years. His offensive approach favored the spread option, a strategy that Michigan defenses had found challenging to stop, at times. Defense was a different matter entirely. Rodriguez placed little focus on defense, leaving that matter to his defensive coordinator, Jeff Casteel, who chose not to join Rodriguez on the new Michigan coaching staff. Instead, Rodriguez hired Scott Shafer. Sadly, the union of Rodriguez and Shafer seemed doomed from the start.

In fact, the entire Michigan community seemed split on Rodriguez. Some welcomed a daring excursion toward what they deemed a new frontier. Others regretted the departure from many Michigan traditions. The split in the football community was punctuated by the departure of offensive lineman Justin Boren, who transferred to archrival Ohio State, a move that stunned and angered many among the Michigan faithful.

Nonetheless, on Sept. 3, 2008, with Michigan Stadium undergoing a visible expansion, the Rich Rodriguez era dawned under sunny skies, and optimism was prevalent. It didn’t last long.

Michigan’s opponent, Utah, was coached by Kyle Whittingham, now a familiar name for Michigan fans and alumni. Whittingham was Utah’s defensive coordinator when the Utes visited Michigan Stadium in 2002. On that day, Michigan won a defensive struggle against Utah. This time, the Wolverines would not be so fortunate.

Rodriguez initially chose Nick Sheridan to run the offense, but Sheridan threw an interception into coverage, and Rodriguez insert Steven Threet into the game. Slowly, Michigan fought back. Trailing 25-10, the Wolverines got a hand on a Utah punt in the fourth quarter, giving them good field position. Then Threet found Hemingway in the corner of the south end zone, and Michigan was back in the game. Freshman running back Sam McGuffie scored on a 3-yard run, leaving Michigan behind by just two points. Needing a 2-point conversion, Threet threw to Toney Clemons in the back of the end zone, but the pass was just a little too high.

Finally, on a desperate fourth down, Threet threw to Daryl Stonum on the sideline, but again, the pass was too high, and Utah outlasted Michigan, 25-23.

Michigan’s comeback showcased the potential of the Rodriguez offense, but things never truly jelled during the Rodriguez era, which lasted just three years. Kyle Whittingham went on to lead Utah to a perfect season that year. Wouldn’t it be nice if he accomplished the same feat this year?

Thanks to ESPN and YouTube poster JJ for the attached highlight video of this game. As always, we own nothing and do not profit from this blog post in any way.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIH5CMeXzfo

As always, we own nothing and do not profit from this blog post.

This and other great content can be found at newyorkwolverine.com