Author: 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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Michigan vs Michigan State Football — Looking Back – 1964

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

The fourth installment of this year’s series taking a look back at the football rivalry between Michigan and Michigan State takes us back to 1964. The Vietnam War hadn’t started in earnest yet, and only months before, The Beatles had appeared on the Ed Sullivan show. It was still early in the 1960s, but change was definitely in the air.

But that change wasn’t present at Spartan Stadium when the Michigan Wolverines faced their in-state rivals from Michigan State in 1964. The ’64 Michigan team remains one of the most underrated teams in the school’s illustrious football history. Michigan won the Big Ten championship and the Rose Bowl, where the Wolverines trounced an overmatched Oregon State team. Only a failed two-point conversion against Purdue prevented the Wolverines from earning a perfect season, and possibly winning the national championship.

In fact, one unique aspect of the 1964 season was that Michigan enjoyed a perfect record on the road, while losing to Purdue at home. But even in grand seasons, victory isn’t easy to come by on the road, particularly against Michigan State. When Larry Lukasik kicked a 26-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter, the Spartans extended their lead to 10-3, and it was getting late early for the Wolverines. With the game on the line, Michigan marched 73 yards, capped off by a 5-yard scoring pass from Bob Timberlake to fullback Dick Sygar to cut the deficit to one point. Michigan’s subsequent attempt to take the lead was foiled when Mel Anthony was stopped short of the goal line, leaving the score 10-9, Michigan State.

But the Michigan defense came up with a big stop, forcing a Michigan State punt that UM returned to the Spartans’ 41-yard line. On the fourth play of the drive, Sygar took a pitch and threw a 31-yard touchdown pass to John Henderson for the lead. Timberlake then connected with Steve Smith for the two-point conversion. Michigan then stopped MSU on four plays, and held on for a 17-10 victory.

Unfortunately, there isn’t any video of this game readily available, so we’ll have to settle for the attached box score, with thanks to the Bentley Library.

1964_UM_MSU_StatsDownload
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Michigan vs Michigan State Football — Looking Back – 2006

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

The third installment of this year’s series looking back at the football rivalry between Michigan and Michigan State takes us to 2006. The previous year had been a disappointment for the Wolverines, and some changes were made. Ron English was introduced as the new defensive coordinator, and he promptly had the Wolverines’ defensive players running sprints on the golf course just south of Michigan Stadium. Another difference was the fact that running back Mike Hart was finally healthy.

But the biggest difference might have been Michigan’s hunger. After two relatively lackluster seasons, the Wolverines were hearing it, from fans, alumni,and the national media. That hunger was on display throughout 2006, as the Wolverines seemed to give just that extra little bit of effort on almost every play, giving Michigan supporters the results they crave.

That fierce determination was evident early against Michigan State, as the Wolverines marched downfield with attitude. Hart shoved would-be tacklers out of his way and quarterback Chad Henne found receivers with ease, connecting with Adrian Arrington and Mario Manningham for a pair of first-half touchdowns that led Michigan to a 17-0 halftime lead. That dominance continued in the second half as the Wolverines roared to a 31-7 lead, effectively ending the game before the start of the fourth quarter.

One thing the 2006 game illustrated is a trait that seems unique to this rivalry. The team that plays old school, fundamentally sound, basic, hard-hitting football usually comes out on top. Spread offenses, whether coached by John L. Williams or Rich Rodriguez, seldom work in this rivalry. More often than not, the team that runs the ball, particularly using some derivative of the pro-set or I-formation offense, usually wins the game.

The victory kept Michigan on the road to a classic, season-ending showdown in Columbus, but that’s a story for another day.

Thanks to youtube poster WolverineHistorian and ESPN for the attached highlight video. As always, we own nothing, and this video and blog post are provided strictly for the enjoyment of our readers.

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Michigan vs Michigan State Football — Looking Back – 1981

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

The second installment in this year’s series looking back at the Michigan-Michigan State football rivalry takes us to 1981. Early in the third quarter, Morten Anderson had given Michigan State a four-point lead, and Michigan subsequently coughed up the football for the third time. As the sun started to dip toward the upper reaches of Spartan Stadium, things weren’t looking good for the Wolverines.

Then, with Michigan State driving, Jerry Burgei stepped up to save the day. Don’t bother trying a google search; you won’t find much. Burgei was a little-known defensive back during his time in Ann Arbor, but on Oct. 10, 1981, he made the most of his opportunity, intercepting a Brian Clark pass at the Michigan 17-yard line to thwart a Spartan drive. With that, Michigan finally got its ground game going consistently, as Butch Woolfolk started to grind up 10-15 yards a carry, and Lawrence Ricks eventually punched the ball over the goal line to give Michigan the lead for good. Aware that Anderson was a kicking weapon for MSU, Michigan elected to go for two points, with wide receiver Anthony Carter taking a handoff and tossing an easy scoring pass to quarterback Steve Smith, who was completely alone in the end zone.

In all, Burgei’s interception ignited a 22-point Michigan rally, as the Wolverines topped the Spartans, 38-20. The win was Michigan’s third consecutive victory in the rivalry, and the Wolverines eventually finished 9-3, punctuated by a 33-14 win over UCLA under the artificial sky of the Astrodome in the Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl.

Thanks to youtube poster WolverineHistorian for the footage of the game. As always, we own nothing, and this video and blog post are presented strictly for the enjoyment of readers.

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Michigan vs Michigan State Football — Looking Back – 2012

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

The first chapter in this year’s series looking back at the football rivalry between Michigan and Michigan State takes us back to 2012. The previous season had been wonderful for Michigan, as the maize & blue had firmly reestablished their birthright of national football relevance. But there had been one snag. Brady Hoke’s first team found a way to lose to Michigan State.

As 2012 rolled around, Hoke was reminded of that fact, almost hourly. The flash and dash of the Rich Rodriguez-inspired zone read spread option offense hadn’t worked against Michigan State; neither had UM quarterback Denard Robinson been able to summon up his customary magic. None of the new age stuff worked against the Spartans, but that was just what Hoke was built for. He realized immediately that the Michigan-Michigan State game had always been about smashmouth football, and on Oct. 20, 2012, Hoke reintroduced the Wolverines to a Schembechler tradition: Michigan played old-fashioned, rock ‘em, sock ‘em football, punctuated by an aggressive, bone-crunching defense.

Sure enough, the game proceeded in classic Big Ten fashion, as a low-scoring, field position-oriented struggle, with Michigan offensive tackle Taylor Lewan and MSU defensive end Will Gholston waging a battle for the ages. The teams traded the lead a few teams in the fourth quarter, and on the final drive, Robinson scrambled and connected with receiver Drew Dileo for a critical 20-yard gain that set up Brendan Gibbons for a 38-yard field goal that brought the Paul Bunyan trophy back to the Michigan locker room.

Thanks to youtube poster parkinggod and the Big Ten Network for the attached highlight film. As always, we own nothing and this film and blog post are used strictly for the enjoyment of our readers.

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Michigan vs Michigan State Football — Looking Back – 2019

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

The fifth installment of the series looking back at the football rivalry between Michigan and Michigan State takes us back just one year, to 2019. It was a Michigan home game on a chilly day, and the Wolverines were heavy favorites. But strange things have happened throughout the history of this rivalry, so nobody in maize and blue was making any assumptions.

Sure enough, Brian Lewerke drove the Spartans 60 yards and capped the drive with a 1-yard TD pass to Max Rosenthal to give Michigan State a 7-0 lead. It was the last time that a team coached by Mark Dantonio would ever have a lead against Michigan.

Wolverine fans were cautious, but still confident, and their confidence was justified in the second quarter, when Michigan took control of the game. Hassan Haskins scored from one yard out, and the game was tied. Then Shea Patterson connected with Nick Eubanks for a 5-yard TD pass and Quinn Nordin kicked a 28-yard field goal to give Michigan a 10-point lead at halftime.

In the third quarter, Patterson connected with Donovan Peoples-Jones, who sprinted down the sideline and dove over the pylon into the end zone, and the game was all but over. Matt Coghlin kicked a field goal for Michigan State that served strictly as window dressing for the final score, as Michigan routed Michigan State, 44-10.

As the game ended, Michigan players paraded the Paul Bunyan Trophy around Michigan Stadium, placing a Michigan helmet on it, a far cry from the days when the Paul Bunyan Trophy was regarded merely as a “locker room trophy.” The 2019 game was the last time Dantonio coached in the series. His lasting legacy, from the Michigan perspective, might be a greater appreciation for the game, and the trophy.

Thanks to YouTube poster WolverineDevotee and Fox Sports for the highlights of this game. As always, I own nothing, and this blog post is written strictly for the enjoyment of readers.