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Little Brown Jug — Looking Back – 2003

Looking Back is a Special Feature by Jeff Cummins

Ahh, the 2003 season. Things had gone off the rails a bit during the previous two seasons, but the Wolverines got back to basics in 2003. John Navarre was now firmly entrenched as Michigan’s starting quarterback, and a rededicated Chris Perry emerged as the Wolverines’ most dangerous running back. The Wolverines had reloaded, and they were ready to make some noise.

The fourth installment of the series looking back at the Little Brown Jug rivalry takes us to the latter part of the 2003 season. Michigan was obviously enjoying a good season, and the Wolverines were virtually unbeatable at home. Road games were a different story.

Michigan had dominated Minnesota since 1987, a fact that wasn’t lost on the Minnesota players. Michigan struggled for most of the game, with Steve Breaston’s touchdown pass to quarterback John Navarre serving as the only bright spot. After three quarters, Minnesota led, 28-7, and even the most optimistic Michigan fan had reason for concern.

The Wolverines mustered all their concentration and determination as the fourth quarter began. Slowly, Michigan started to make some plays. Less than a minute into the fourth quarter, Navarre connected with Perry on a perfectly designed screen pass that went 10 yards for a touchdown. The guys in the winged helmets were showing signs of life, while Minnesota coach Glen Mason was showing signs of agita.

On the very next play, Michigan cornerback Leon Hall blitzed off the edge, forcing an ill-advised pass from Minnesota quarterback Asad Abdul-Khaliq. The pass was intercepted by Michigan safety Jacob Stewart, who had an easy path to a touchdown. Michigan was within one touchdown, and momentum was wearing a Wolverines jersey.

The Abdul-Khaliq threw a counter punch, running 52 yards for a score to extend Minnesota’s lead to 14 points. This was a different group of Golden Gophers, for sure.

Undaunted, Navarre led the Wolverine offense back, finding Braylon Edwards, who stretched into the end zone for the score. Again, Michigan had cut the deficit to one touchdown. With just under five minutes remaining, Navarre handed the ball to Perry, who made one cut, and found the end zone for the tying touchdown.

Now, Michigan was in absolute control. The defense stuffed Minnesota. Navarre then led Michigan on a methodical drive that resulted in a 33-yard field goal from Garrett Rivas to give the Wolverines their first lead of the game with 47 seconds remaining. With nine seconds left, Markus Curry intercepted a long pass to put the final exclamation point on Michigan’s win. The Wolverines defeated the Golden Gophers, 38-35, after trailing almost the entire game.

Many thanks to ESPN, YouTube, and YouTube poster RXwolverine2 for the video of this game. As always, we own nothing, and this blog post is provided 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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