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Little Brown Jug — Looking Back – 2006

Looking Back is a Special Feature by Jeff Cummins

The second installment of the series looking back at the Little Brown Jug rivalry takes us to 2006. The Wolverines had suffered a rare loss to Minnesota the previous season, and that defeat was still fresh in their minds. This year, Michigan would make things right.

Mike Hart spearheaded the Michigan attack from the opening kickoff. His no-nonsense approach set the tone for the game, making it obvious immediately that Michigan was the superior team. Hart’s consistent runs on the first series forced the Minnesota defense to concentrate on the Wolverines’ running game, leaving Adrian Arrington all alone in the end zone to catch his first touchdown pass of the game from Chad Henne. The two connected minutes later for a second touchdown, and Michigan was up, 14-0.

The Gophers wouldn’t go quietly, though. Bryan Cupito found Logan Payne in the end zone to cut Michigan’s lead to 14-7, and Minnesota showed some life, but the Wolverines weren’t fazed. Using a balanced attack, Michigan marched down the field methodically, and on a first down at the Minnesota 41-yard line, Henne threw a strike to Mario Manningham to put Michigan up, 21-7. The quick response left little doubt that there would be no upset this time. Michigan added a cosmetic touchdown in the fourth quarter, and the Wolverines won, 28-14, to bring the Little Brown Jug back to Ann Arbor.

The win was one of 11 for the Wolverines in 2006, as the entire team sought to rebound from the lackluster 2005 campaign. The season had a sour ending, but for most of the year, Michigan played exceptional football, making the 2006 campaign a memorable one.

Many thanks to ESPN, YouTube and YouTube poster CFB Archive 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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