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.
Posted on

Michigan vs Michigan State Football – Looking Back – 2008

The second installment of the Michigan-Michigan State series takes us to 2008. For the preceding 39 seasons, Michigan had been coached by descendants of the Bo Schembechler coaching tree, and those coaches produced fairly consistent success, including one perfect season, one national championship, 20 seasons in which Michigan won or tied for the Big Ten championship, and last but not least, pretty consistent success against Michigan State, with the Wolverines winning 30 of the previous 39 games. This produced an expectation of success against the Spartans.

All of that changed in 2008. Having been befuddled on several occasions by coaches who ran the spread offense, Michigan hired Rich Rodriguez, a spread guru, as its new head coach. Both sides will debate the reasons, but the Rodriguez regime didn’t produce the results that Michigan fans and alumni were anticipating. Conversely, Michigan State chose the opposite path, and had hired Mark Dantonio as its head coach the year before. Dantonio brought a basic I-formation offense back to Michigan State, and his focus on the power running game probably should have concerned Michigan from the outset. In 2007, Michigan defeated Michigan State with a classic comeback victory, prompting an exchange of comments in the media between Michigan running back Mike Hart and Dantonio. The rivalry probably would have experienced a shift at that point anyway, but Hart’s comments probably didn’t help matters.

Once the game started, it featured an interesting call, which is consistent with many of the games in this series. Running back Brandon Minor caught a pass and got his foot on a pylon, but it was initially ruled incomplete. After a review, the play was ruled a touchdown, which the network broadcast later said was incorrect. Ultimately, it didn’t matter much. Michigan State seized control the game in the final quarter, and came away with a 35-21 win, signaling the beginning of a Spartan green trend in the series.

Sadly, Rich Rodriguez never did figure out how to win in this series.

https://youtu.be/VQDgV7cFUo4
Posted on

Michigan vs Michigan State Football – Looking Back – 1975

The college football landscape was much different in 1975. For that matter, the entire world was different. Nobody had even heard of the term “social media.” If you saw anyone carrying anything like a cell phone, it was either part of a science fiction movie, or one of those spectacular gadgets that James Bond used. On the gridiron, Michigan fans hadn’t yet developed a fear of mobile quarterbacks and spread offenses, and the team certainly didn’t have a defensive coordinator who designed blitzes to stop the spread. And if you wanted to wait for a sandwich at the corner of Kingsley and Detroit, you wouldn’t even have to wait on a line. Of course, that wouldn’t have helped you get a sandwich, since it was several years before Zingerman’s opened its doors.

There were a couple of things that were similar to our modern era, though. Michigan actually wore white pants in 1975, marking the last time a Wolverines team wore white pants in East Lansing. Of course, there are rumors of a Michigan uniform surprise this Saturday, but I digress.

The other thing the 1975 Wolverines had in common with the current Wolverines was a determination to run the ball behind a powerful offensive line. Head coach Bo Schembechler was so detail-oriented that he used a ruler to measure the splits between the stances of his offensive linemen. Schembechler was going to make sure his teams ran the ball well, a skill that has often proved to be the deciding factor against Michigan State. Michigan had a left tackle that season named Mike Kenn who went on to become one of the few offensive linemen in the NFL to have some success against Lawrence Taylor. The maize and blue also had a backup offensive lineman named Les Miles who went on to experience a fair amount of success as a football coach, though none of it occurred in Ann Arbor.

Most of all, the offensive line opened holes for running backs Gordon Bell and Rob Lytle. Together, Bell and Lytle combined for 216 yards on 39 carries against Michigan State, as the Wolverines seized possession of the ball and the game’s pace, averaging more than five yards a carry. Add in 69 yards on the ground by quarterback Rick Leach and it was obvious to see why Michigan controlled play that day. Ironically, Leach was the same type of quarterback who frustrated Michigan defenses in the early years of the 21st Century.

Still, the Spartans weren’t about to go quietly. After three quarters, the teams had split two field goals apiece, and it wasn’t until Bell scored on an 18-yard run in the fourth quarter that Michigan pulled away for good, leaving East Lansing with a 16-6 win over Michigan State. Unfortunately, the season ended in less-than-stellar fashion, as Michigan surrendered a late lead against Ohio State and fell to eventual national champion Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl. But with Leach, Bell, and Lytle on the offense, and linebacker Calvin O’Neal and safety Dwight Hicks on defense, 1975 was merely a prelude of things to come for Michigan football.

There was another thing that was interesting about 1975. President Gerald Ford was a Michigan graduate, having played on the undefeated national championship teams of 1932 and 1933.

Enjoy this clip of Michigan football practice from 1975.

Posted on

Michigan vs Ohio State Football – Looking Back – 1986

The fifth and final installment of this year’s series looking back at the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry takes us to 1986. The national economy was booming, the Mets won an absolute classic of a World Series, President Ronald Reagan was dealing with the Iran-Contra controversy, and Microsoft Corporation issued its initial public offering of shares. In college football, Michigan quarterback Jim Harbaugh guaranteed that his team would beat archrival Ohio State. Guaranteed.

The history of sports guarantees has been checkered over the years. Joe Namath made his legend when the New York Jets fulfilled his guarantee of victory over the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III, but Patrick Ewing guaranteed that his New York Knicks would defeat numerous opponents, and his guarantees almost always fell flat on their face. So when Harbaugh guaranteed a Michigan victory in “The Game”, it grabbed sports headlines with the subtle attraction of a magnet. Harbaugh’s guarantee assured only one thing: Either his legend would be defined, or he would look like a fool.

As it turns out, he came very close to looking like a fool. Fortunately for Harbaugh and all the Maize & Blue faithful, the Michigan defense had his back, particularly when it counted most. With Ohio State driving in the final minutes, Buckeye quarterback Jim Karsatos threw a long pass for the end zone, and had a man open, but Michigan safety Ivan Hicks got his hand on the ball and knocked it away. Then, on a third down, Karsatos connected with Cris Carter, who headed for the first down marker, but was tackled a little more than two yards shy of the first down by Erik Campbell, who went on to became an excellent wide receivers coach. The yardage necessary was more than Ohio State coach Earle Bruce was comfortable with, and he sent out Matt Frantz to try a 45-yard field goal. Almost immediately, Frantz’s kick started to hook, and it veered wide of the goal posts, allowing Michigan to run out the clock for the victory.

Michigan finished the season with an 11-2 record. Oddly, the Wolverines had one regular season game left on the schedule after Ohio State, and they enjoyed their trip to sunny Honolulu, beating Hawaii 27-10. The Rose Bowl wound up being a disappointment, as the Wolverines fell to Arizona State, 22-15. Harbaugh was named to the All-America team, as were Garland Rivers and Jumbo Elliott, an offensive tackle who went on to a tremendous career in the NFL. Ohio State rebounded nicely to top Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl, 28-12.

This year, as we approach The Game, the atmosphere is more somber. An Ohio State student passed away during the school’s annual student tradition of jumping in Mirror Lake during the week leading up to the Michigan game. Please keep that student’s family and loved ones in your thoughts and prayers. We’d also like to thank the Ohio State and Michigan State football teams, who showed tremendous compassion and support for Chad Carr during his fight against cancer.

Thanks to CBS Sports and youtube poster Wolverine Historian. As always, I own nothing, nobody profits off this blog post, and everything here is done strictly for your enjoyment.

 

Posted on

Michigan vs Ohio State Football – Looking Back – 1995

The fourth installment of the series looking back at the Michigan-Ohio State game takes us back 20 years to the 1995 game. Michigan hadn’t played particularly well prior to the game, while Ohio State had churned through its schedule with 11 wins. Buckeye running back Eddie George was on his way to win the Heisman Trophy, and the Buckeyes were just two wins from a perfect season and a probable national championship. After years of frustration at the hands of the Wolverines, confidence was running high at Ohio State. Maybe that confidence was just a little too high.

Ohio State wide receiver Terry Glenn was really feeling the confidence leading up to the annual game with Michigan. Glenn had been a tremendous story in his own right, starting as a walk-on and earning a scholarship, Glenn was named to the All-America team in 1995, a season when he was legitimately dominant. Unfortunately for Glenn, he was a little too candid about his confidence leading up to the Michigan game, and said that Ohio State should beat Michigan rather handily. Naturally, those comments came back to haunt him. Naturally, the boast brought out the competitor in the Michigan football team, and running back Tshimanga “Touchdown Tim” Biakabutuka ran for 313 yards, routinely dragging Ohio State defenders for anywhere from 5-10 yards, while the Michigan defense largely kept George under wraps. As for Glenn, he was matched up with Michigan freshman Charles Woodson, and Ohio State quarterback Bobby Hoying chose to test the freshman on several occasions. Initially, Ohio State got the best of Woodson, but that didn’t last very long. In all, Woodson intercepted two passes, the last one largely sealing the Michigan victory.

More than any one play, the game seemed to turn on Glenn’s comment earlier in the week. On paper, the Buckeyes entered the game with a great team, but that comment whipped the Wolverines into frenzy, and it showed in their effort. Every block was finished just a little bit more, running backs kept churning their legs just a little bit more and breaking tackles, cornerbacks worked just a little bit harder at covering receivers, defensive players swarmed to the ball and helped out on tackles. In the end, Michigan just outplayed Ohio State all game, even though the Buckeyes had their moments and actually had some chances late in the game. The outcome ruined Ohio State’s shot at a national championship, as the Buckeyes went out to California and topped Arizona State in the Rose Bowl for a triumph that would have won the national championship had Ohio State beaten Michigan. For the Wolverines, the victory salvaged an otherwise bland season, though it was a season that had dramatic victories in the beginning (an 18-17 win over Boston College on the final play) and in the final regular season game. It also established the fact that Charles Woodson would be a player to watch for the next few years.

Many thanks to ABC Sports, as well as youtube posters j bakker and WolverineHistorian. I do own any content and I do not profit from this in any way. Everything here is done strictly for your enjoyment.



Posted on

Michigan vs Ohio State Football – Looking Back – 1975

The third installment of the series looking back at the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry takes us to 1975. KC and the Sunshine Band had Americans listening to “That’s the Way (I like it)” and we had a Wolverine in the White House, with President Gerald Ford promising to “Whip Inflation Now”, while some clever, less optimistic people turned the WIN buttons upside down to convey “No Immediate Miracles.”

That last bit was good advice for the Michigan football team’s hope of beating Ohio State. Both teams came into the 1975 game without a loss, with Ohio State 10-0 and Michigan 8-0-2. The game started off like so many others had in that era, with Ohio State scoring first when Cornelius Greene connected with Peter Johnson for a 7-yard touchdown pass. Then Michigan struck back and went 80 yards, with running back Gordon Bell capping the drive by throwing a halfback option pass to Jim Smith for an 11-yard touchdown pass. In the fourth quarter, Michigan took the lead when Rick Leach scored on a 1-yard run to give Michigan a 14-7 lead. Michigan Stadium was buzzing with the hope for a Michigan win, but Ohio State had other ideas. On 4th down and one yard to go, Johnson dove in to the end zone to tie the score. Things got worse for Michigan when Leach dropped back to pass deep in Wolverine territory and was intercepted by Ohio State defensive back Ray Griffin, who returned the ball to the Michigan 3-yard line, setting up another touchdown run by Johnson and sending the crowd of 105, 543 back to their tailgate parties to contemplate what could possibly have gone wrong in the fourth quarter.

[avantlink_ad merchant=”Fanatics” title=”Michigan Wolverines 468×60″][/avantlink_ad]

For Ohio State, the celebration was brief. The Buckeyes traveled to Pasadena for the Rose Bowl for a rematch against a UCLA team that Ohio State had beaten earlier in the season. This time it didn’t work out so well for Ohio State, as UCLA won the Rose Bowl, 23-10. Michigan went to the Orange Bowl to play Oklahoma, which topped the Wolverines, 14-6. All in all, it was a frustrating season for Michigan, but fans of the Maize & Blue were encouraged by the youth of the team’s roster, and the knowledge that plenty of talented players would return for the 1976 season.

Thanks to youtube poster Ourhonordefend and ABC Sports. As always, I own nothing and all content is posted strictly for your enjoyment.