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 Ohio State THE GAME — Looking Back — The 1974 Edition

SPECIAL TO UMGOBLUE.COM

The second installment of the series takes us to 1974. President Richard Nixon was impeached, and was replaced by Vice President Gerald Ford, who played center and linebacker for Michigan and led the Wolverines to consecutive perfect seasons and national championships in 1923 and 1933. On the movie screen, we flocked to theaters to see Al Pacino ascend to the throne as Don Michael Corleone in “The Godfather, Part II’ and country musician Ray Stevens entertained us with “The Streak,” a song about an odd mid-1970s fad. Things were much more conventional on the gridiron, where Ohio State and Michigan engaged in a classic defensive struggle in Columbus.

Once again, Ohio State relied on the legs of star running back Archie Griffin, and with good reason. Griffin was arguably the best player in the 1970s, and giving him the ball was one of the safest, most astute choices a team could make. Griffin rarely fumbled the ball and was rarely tackled for a loss. Just as important as his omnipresent ability to make game-changing plays was his knack for not making critical mistakes, such as fumbles or penalties. Griffin, along with quarterback Cornelius Greene and fellow running backs Brian Baschnagel and Pete Johnson put the Buckeyes in position to win the game, but the Wolverines stuck around like a relative who won’t leave the family picnic without trying the potato salad. As the clock wound down, Michigan quarterback Dennis Franklin completed a 20-yard pass to set up a 33-yard field goal attempt for placekicker Mike Lantry, who had a similar role in the 1973 game. For the second year in a row, Lantry, an Army veteran who had served in the 82nd Airborne Division in Vietnam from February 1968 to December 1970, and entered the University of Michigan as a 23-year-old married freshman. Lantry entered school as a walk-on football player, but he was named to the All-America team in 1973. Lantry never had much success against Ohio State, though, and once again, the Wolverines’ fate rested on the toes of his left foot. He attempted the 33-yard field goal from an awkward angle, and after a fairly long amount of time, referees ruled that his kick was no good. Once again, his kick had sailed just wide, and Ohio State held on for a 12-10 victory.

It wouldn’t be unusual for fans to mock a player who missed a field goal, but that never happened to Lantry, who received an overwhelming amount of support from Michigan fans, students and alumni. Even more impressive was the support from Ohio State head coach Woody Hayes. Hayes wasn’t shy about his desire to beat Michigan, but he was also a staunch supporter of the U.S. Military, and noted his admiration for Lantry’s service to his country. Prior to the ’74 clash, the two actually crossed paths during warm-ups, and Hayes wished Lantry good luck. Hayes was noted for his disdain for all things Michigan, but on this occasion he offered Lantry a quiet, but respectful greeting for his contribution to the nation. Lantry graduated in 1975 and, after playing briefly for the Dallas Cowboys, began a long career as a consultant to the automotive industry. Ohio State went to the Rose Bowl, where the Buckeyes played in another tough defensive struggle, falling to eventual national champion USC, 18-17. Thanks to OurHonorDefend on YouTube, and to ABC.

Michael Corleone? Oh yes, he outwitted Hyman Roth, particularly after Roth’s wife broke her husband’s concentration when she turned down the volume on the broadcast of the 1958 Notre Dame-USC game.

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Michigan vs Ohio State THE GAME — Looking Back — The 2000 Edition

SPECIAL TO UMGOBLUE.COM

It’s hard to believe that another year has gone by, but here we are at the beginning of another week leading up to the game between Ohio State and Michigan. For the first installment of the series, we go back to the 2000 game at Ohio Stadium in Columbus. That year, we were preoccupied with a controversy involving “hanging chads” in the Presidential election, the much-feared Y2K computer disaster had turned out to be much ado about nothing, and on the air waves, we listened to Carlos Santana team up with Rob Thomas for a sexy track titled “Smooth.” On the football field, Michigan football enthusiasts enjoyed what turned out to be the only year that Drew Henson would be the Wolverines’ starting quarterback, much to the chagrin of everyone wearing maize and blue.

The day of the game, an intense cold front hit everything from the Midwest to the East Coast, and pretty much remained through the Thanksgiving holiday. The 2000 game was the final game for Ohio State coach John Cooper, a very good coach who failed to embrace the bigger-than-life ferocity of the rivalry, and led his team to only two victories over Michigan in his 13 years at the helm, which resulted in his dismissal at the conclusion of the season. Ohio State fans reviled him; while Michigan fans loved him, and to this day many UM fans would happily take him out to dinner and ask to see pictures of his children and grandchildren, something that certainly can’t be said for Jim Tressel.

The game began with Nate Clements of Ohio State returning the opening kickoff 82 yards to the Michigan 18 yard line, and a few plays later, Jonathan Wells burst into the end zone to give the Buckeyes the early lead.

Momentum wore a scarlet jersey until 9:30 remained in the first quarter, when Henson threw a screen pass to running back Anthony Thomas, who got some key blocks from fellow seniors Steve Hutchinson and Maurice Williams, enabling Thomas to go 70 yards for a touchdown. Suddenly, the flow of the game changed significantly. Ohio State later regained the lead, but Henson’s early TD pass to Thomas woke up the Wolverines.
With less than two minutes to go in the game, Michigan led by five points on a critical fourth down near the Ohio State goal line. Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr showed a gumption he wasn’t known for, and eschewed an easy field goal attempt to go for the touchdown on 4th down and goal to go, and Henson faked a handoff to Thomas and sprinted around to the left side, scoring a touchdown on a naked bootleg that sealed both the Michigan victory and John Cooper’s fate.

The 2000 game marked the end of an era for both schools. Ohio State replaced Cooper with Tressel after the season’s end, and Ohio State got back on track. Henson, on the other hand, chose not to stay at Michigan for his senior season, opting to sign a contract with the New York Yankees, who saw tremendous potential for Henson as an infielder. Curiously, the late George Steinbrenner, longtime Yankees owner and a native of Rocky River, Ohio, began his studies at Ohio State before transferring to Williams College. In his final season at Michigan, Henson threw 28 touchdown passes and only 11 interceptions, and he never made the impact on his baseball that scouts thought he might. Had he stayed at Michigan, it’s fair to say that the Wolverines would have been much better in 2001. As always, thanks to my YouTube friend Wolverine Historian, and to the folks at ABC for yet another tremendous telecast of a classic game. Enjoy!

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THE GAME- Looking Back 2011

The final installment of my Michigan-Ohio State countdown takes us to 2011, the lone game I’m reviewing in the current century, and with good reason, from a Michigan perspective. The current decade has been dominated by Ohio State, with Troy Smith spinning away from Michigan linebackers and A.J. Hawk knocking running backs all the way to Massachusetts. It’s been a rough century so far, from the Maize and Blue view.

But in 2011, that changed. Led by former UM assistant coach Brady Hoke, the Wolverines started the game with renewed optimism, only to see Buckeye quarterback Braxton Miller find Corey Brown all alone for a 54-yard touchdown pass to give Ohio State the early lead. Michigan regained its poise, though, and quarterback Denard Robinson knotted the score when he darted around left tackle on an option play for a 41-yard touchdown run. A holding penalty in the end zone on Ohio State gave Michigan a safety, and the Wolverines took control…for a little while. Ultimately, the game went back and forth, and wasn’t decided until Courtney Avery intercepted Miller with seconds to play, giving Michigan its first win in the series since 2003.

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THE GAME- Looking Back 1997

It’s Thanksgiving, and as one writer friend notes, it’s very good to have “an attitude of gratitude.” We all have plenty to be thankful for in life, and this is a good opportunity to remember that.

For the fifth installment of the Michigan-Ohio State, we go back 15 years to 1997, right in the heart of then-President Bill Clinton’s second term in the Oval Office. The economy was roaring, but the Michigan Wolverines entered that season with plenty of doubts regarding their talents. There were quiet rumblings that “The Block M stood for mediocrity.” Quietly, Michigan vowed not to let the ’97 campaign turn out the way that previous seasons had finished. Through the first 10 games, everything went according to Michigan’s blueprint, but the 11th game was against a highly motivated group from Ohio State. After a scoreless stalemate in the first quarter, Michigan broke through when freshman Anthony Thomas scored on a run up the middle. A few minutes later, Charles Woodson used a couple of good blocks to scamper down the far sideline. Michigan led at the half, 13-0.

The third quarter started out with Michigan scoring on an Andre Weathers, giving the Wolverines a commanding 20-0 lead. But Ohio State wasn’t about to go quietly into the night. The Bucks stormed back with a pair of touchdowns, the first coming when quarterback Joe Germaine connected with David Boston, and the second coming after linebacker Jerry Rudzinski forced a fumble from Michigan quarterback Brian Griese. With the Wolverines ahead by only six points, Michigan fans held their collective breath, but the Michigan defense held the lead, punctuated by Marcus Ray’s bruising hit on Boston that swung the pendulum of momentum back in Michigan’s direction. The Wolverines held on to win, 20-14, and went on to defeat Washington State in the Rose Bowl, completing Michigan’s first perfect season in decades and giving Michigan a share of the National Championship in the season before the Bowl Championship Series was introduced.

Once again, thanks to Brian Cook of mgovideo & mgoblog, as well as to color commentator Bob Griese, and venerable play-by-play man Keith Jackson, who provided the heart and soul of college football for viewers everywhere for several decades.

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THE GAME- Looking Back 1950 (Snow Bowl)

The fourth installment of Michigan-Ohio State week takes us all the way back to 1950. Today, even the most casual of fans knows obscure statistics, largely because of the advent of fantasy football. Go on. Admit it. I see you smiling over there. Yes, you, the person checking this story on his smart phone. You’re blushing, because you know your stats cold.

Well, cold is exactly how the stats were served at the 1950 game between Michigan and Ohio State. The night before the game, a freak blizzard dumped more than a foot of fresh snow on Ohio Stadium, and volunteers worked through the night to make the field playable for the game. When the decision was made to play the game, the two teams played hot potato with the ball, combining for a record 45 punts, including 24 alone by Michigan’s Chuck Ortmann. But Ortmann would be the first to tell you that he couldn’t have done it without Carl Kreager.

Who’s Carl Kreager, you ask? Well, long snappers have never gotten their due in football, but for this game, Kreager deserved to make the All-America team. In a blinding snowstorm, Kreager delivered 24 perfect long snaps to Ortmann; an impressive feat under ideal conditions. Late in the second quarter, Michigan blocked an Ohio State punt, and Tony Momsen fell on the ball in the end zone for the game’s only touchdown. Michigan went on to win, 9-3, without registering one first down for the entire game.