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Paul Bunyan Trophy — Looking Back – 2000

Looking Back is a Special Feature by Jeff Cummins

The third installment of the series looking back at the football rivalry between Michigan and Michigan State takes us to the year 2000. Change was everywhere as the 21st century began. The national economy was roaring, and many people invested in Internet startup companies, in spite of the fact that few people really understood how to produce a profit through the Internet. Widespread fears that computers would shut down as a result of the “Y2K bug” proved largely unfounded.

Change was even felt on the Michigan football team. Tom Brady graduated, and he was off to New England, presumably to serve as Drew Bledsoe’s understudy. In Ann Arbor, another Drew, Drew Henson, took the reins as Michigan’s starting quarterback. Henson’s ascendence promised to make the Wolverine offense more dynamic.

In fact, one of the few institutions that was slow to embrace change was the battle between Michigan and Michigan State for the Paul Bunyan Trophy. For decades, fundamentally sound football usually led the way to victory in this series, and that wasn’t about to change. In this game, Michigan mixed the run and the pass masterfully. Tackling machine Larry Foote led the Michigan defense, which shut down Michigan State at every critical point. The Wolverine defense toyed with the Spartans all day, allowing Ryan Van Dyke to throw for 292 yards, but thwarting any scoring attempts. By contrast, Michigan’s attack wasn’t prolific, but it was methodical. Anthony Thomas gained 175 yards on the ground, while Henson threw for 138 yards. In the end, that balance combined with solid defense proved to be the winning formula for the Wolverines, who retrieved the Paul Bunyan Trophy after a one-year absence.

The Wolverines finished the season with a 9-3 record, including a perfect record at Michigan Stadium for the second time in four years. Losses to Purdue and Northwestern kept the Wolverines from winning the Big Ten championship, but they rebounded with a vengeance, finishing the regular season with victories over Penn State and Ohio State. Michigan topped Auburn 31-28 to win the Florida Citrus Bowl, the Wolverines’ third consecutive bowl victory over an SEC opponent.

Thanks to ABC Sports, YouTube, and YouTube poster Pizza Pizzichetti for the broadcast 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.