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Michigan vs Alabama – Looking Back – 1988

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

The first installment of the series looking back at football games between Michigan and Alabama takes us back to the Hall of Fame Bowl on January 2, 1988. The 1987 season was a disappointment for Michigan, featuring losses to Ohio State, Notre Dame, Michigan State and Indiana. Bo Schembechler was in the twillight of his coaching career at Michigan, and he underwent cardiac bypass surgery after the regular season ended. Gary Moeller took over the reins as Michigan’s head coach for the game, providing a a preview of what was in store for the next few years.

The game began like so many Michigan games had started under Schembechler. Jamie Morris scored three touchdowns to vault Michigan to a 21-3 lead, but Alabama wasn’t done. First, quarterback Jeff Dunn connected with tight end Howard Cross for Alabama’s first touchdown. Bobby Humphrery then tacked on a couple of touchdown runs to give the Crimson Tide a 3-point lead in the fourth quarter.

With 3:42 remaining in the game, Michigan started its final drive of the game with three timeouts in hand. Demetrius Brown led the offense to the line of scrimmage, and for one final offensive series, the Wolverines showcased all their talents. Morris probed the Alabama defensive line for a short gain, then Brown connected with receiver Greg McMurtry, who weaved his way between defenders for a 31-yard gain to the Alabama 27-yard line. Brown was stopped short of the first down marker on an option play, leaving the Wolverines with a critical fourth down.

Moeller gave the Wolverine faithful a glimps of what was to come under his leadership when he instructed Brown to throw the ball on fourth down. Facing a heavy pass rush, Brown threw a desperate pass into the corner of the end zone, where John Kolesar outmaneuvered a cornerback to come down with the ball for the decisive touchdown. David Arnold then capped a marvelous performance by the Michigan defense when he intercepted a pass on the final play to seal a 28-24 victory for the Wolverines.

The 1987 season will be remembered for many fits and starts by the Wolverines, but for one glorious afternoon, Morris, Brown, Kolesar, McMurtry, Arnold, Jumbo Elliott and the rest of the Michigan team put it all together and showed the college football world their true capabilities.

Many thanks to NBC Sports, YouTube, and YouTube poster College Football Historian for the broadcast of this game. As always, we own nothing and this blog post 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.