Looking Back is a Special Feature by Jeff Cummins Highlighting Key Rivalry Games
It’s fair to say that John Kolesar was an unlikely hero as Michigan prepared to face Ohio State in 1985.
The first installment of this year’s series looking back at the football rivalry between Michigan and Ohio State takes us to 1985, a season when Michigan football was led by a stingy defense. Prior to the Ohio State game, no opponent had scored more than 15 points against Michigan. Defensive tackle Mike Hammerstein and cornerback Brad Cochran were both named consensus first-team All-America selections, and Hammerstein and Cochran were joined by defensive lineman Mark Messner and linebacker Mike Mallory on the All-Big Ten team. A total of 11 different Wolverines had interceptions that season, and Ivan Hicks and Doug Mallory finished the season with three interceptions apiece. Messner seemed to have a radar for finding ballcarriers. In the two games Michigan didn’t win, Iowa scored only 12 points and Illinois scored only three. And no opponent had seriously threatened Michigan in Michigan Stadium.
Yes, it was a banner year for the Michigan defense.
Still, the offense had plenty to offer. Quarterback Jim Harbaugh set a school record with 1,976 passing yards and running back Jamie Morris added 1,030 yards on the ground. Split end Paul Jokisch gave Harbaugh a massive target at 6-foot-7. Oh, and left tackle Jumbo Elliott was pretty good, too.
Of course, Ohio State was also pretty good. Few teams give more effort against a particular opponent than the Buckeyes give against the Wolverines. After Keith Byars scored on a 2-yard run in the second quarter, Ohio State grabbed a 10-3 lead, but it didn’t last long, as Michigan quarterback Jim Harbaugh connected with Gerald White for a 4-yard touchdown to send the teams to their respective locker rooms tied, 10-10.
As the third quarter unfolded, the sun dipped below the western rim of Michigan Stadium, and the Wolverines slowly took control of the game. Pat Moons, subbing for Mike Gillette, kicked his second field goal of the day to give Michigan a 3-point lead. When Harbaugh flipped a 5-yard pass to tight end Eric Kattus in the end zone, the lead grew to 10, and the faithful started to feel pretty good about things. But Ohio State wasn’t about to go away without a fight. On 4th down and 15 yards to go, the Buckeyes gambled, and quarterback Jim Karsatos thew a 36-yard pass that Cris Carter caught in the end zone to cut Michigan’s lead down to three points. Suddenly, fans in the stadium remembered a disastrous fourth quarter against Ohio State 10 years earlier. An angst permeated the stadium atmosphere as Harbaugh and company got the ball back. But as Ohio State blitzed, Kolesar was left playing against only single coverage, and he easily got behind the defensive back and caught a dramatic 77-yard touchdown pass from Harbaugh that put Michigan in complete control of the game. Ohio State continued to fight, but the Michigan defensive line converged on Karsatos and forced a fumble that left no doubt that the Wolverines would win.
When it was over, the Wolverines won, 27-17, and advanced to the Fiesta Bowl, where they defeated Nebraska in a game that could best be called anticlimactic. The true crowning of the season occurred on that memorable Saturday in November against Ohio State.
Thanks to CBS Sports, YouTube and YouTube poster The Big Chap 101 for the broadcast of this game. As always, neither I nor anyone involved with umgoblue.com own anything, and we do not profit in any way from this blog post.
