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Posted on by Jeff Cummins

THE GAME – Michigan vs Ohio State Football – Looking Back – 1975

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

The third installment of this year’s series looking back at the football rivalry between Michigan and Ohio State takes us to 1975.

Few games have changed as quickly and dramatically as the 1975 game. MIchigan was playing at home, and in the early 1970s, Michigan Stadium had been an impenetrable fortress for the Wolverines. Michigan had not lost a game at Michigan Stadium since Missouri defeated the Wolverines on Oct. 4, 1969, more than six years earlier. Head coach Bo Schembechler had the team winning, and athletic director Don Canham used clever marketing and attractive ticket prices to ensure that “The Big House” was frequently a jammed house.

After giving up an early touchdown, Michigan seemed to take control of the ’75 game when quarterback Rick Leach scored on a 1-yard run in the fourth quarter to give MIchigan a 14-7 lead with just 7:11 remaining.

Just a little more than seven minutes. Seven minutes to complete an undefeated regular season. Seven minutes to begin a celebration that grandchildren would be told about decades later.

Then, as the shadows on the field grew, Ohio State came back.

With Ohio State just half a yard away, fullback Pete Johnson burst over the goal line to tie the score. Suddenly, the mood changed in Michigan Stadium, as memories of recent horrors against the Buckeyes started to rear their ugly heads.

Michigan had 3:18 left to reclaim victory. Leach faded back to pass, and heaved the ball, only to see Ray Griffin, Archie Griffin’s brother, intercept the pass and return it to the Michigan 2-yard line. From there, Johnson banged, battered, and backed his way into the end zone, and the Wolverines were right back where they started, trailing by a touchdown.

One final possession ended in an interception, retulting in a 21-14 loss to Ohio State and ending Michigan’s hopes for a trip to the Rose Bowl. Instead, Michigan played Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl, where the Wolverines fell to the eventual national champions, 14-6. It was a disappointing end to a promising season, but better things lay ahead for the Wolverines, who returned a solid nucleus of players the following season.

Thanks to YouTube and YouTube poster Jess Chabot for the video of this game.

As always, neither I nor anyone involved with umgoblue.com own anything, and we do not profit from this blog post, which is intended strictly for the enjoyment of readers.

About Jeff Cummins

Jeff Cummins has written about football since 1998, including nine years with The Record of Hackensack, N.J. He frequently contributes feature stories to Touchdown Illustrated, an insert in the national college football game program, published by University Sports Publications, and he has also written the official pregame stories for the game programs of the Rose Bowl, the Cotton Bowl, the Sugar Bowl, the Gator Bowl, and the BCS National Championship game. He has written the preview story for the official program for the NHL Winter Classic at MIchigan Stadium, and numerous college basketball feature stories for College Hoops Illustrated, another game program insert published by University Sports Publications. In addition, he has written stories about theater, music, physical therapy, and newsletter marketing. He’s an avid Michigan football fan and long-time New York Jets season ticket holder, and he can be reached at jeffcummins@optonline.net.

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