Category: Football

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Big Ten Openers – – Iowa — Looking Back – 1973

Looking Back is a Special Feature by Jeff Cummins

The second installment of this series looking back at Michigan’s Big Ten conference opening games takes us back to 1973. The 1973 Michigan team was one of Bo Schembechler’s best teams, finishing 10-0-1. The season began at Iowa’s Kinnick Stadium, another venue that has been challenging for Michigan on certain occasions.

However, this was not one of those occasions. Schembechler teams never lacked for an identity. Bo liked to run the ball, and run it with power. He placed a lot of faith in his offensive line, and during the Schembechler era, his offensive lines allowed Michigan to control the ball for long stretches at a time, giving Michigan fans a peace of mind that’s rare in college football.

Chuck Heater provided much of the offensive punch in this game. Heater later developed a repuation as a respected defensive coach, but on this day, he gained 135 yards on 17 carries to lead Michigan to a 31-7 opening day victory. Six different players carried the ball for the Wolverines, gaining 440 yards on 25 rushes. Mike Lantry opened the scoring a little more than two minutes into the game with a 39-yard field goal, and Heater extended the lead to 10-0 on a 1-yard touchdown run later in the first quarter. Dennis Franklin threw a pick six in the second quarter to allow Iowa to cut Michigan’s lead to three points, but then Michigan went back to basics. Michigan scored a rushing touchdown in each of the last three quarters to pull away and make the game a laugher, the first of many for the ’73 Wolverines.

I was unable to find any video of the game, so please enjoy this box score, courtesy of the Bentley Historical Library.

As always, we own nothing and do not profit from this in any way. This blog post is provided strictly for the enjoyment of readers.



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Big Ten Openers – – Wisconsin — Looking Back – 1990

Looking Back is a Special Feature by Jeff Cummins

As Michigan prepares to welcome USC to The Big House on Saturday for the opening game of the Big Ten portion of the season, we present the first installment of this season’s series looking back at classic Michigan games, with the first week focusing on Big Ten openers.

For the first installment, we travel back to 1990. Gary Moeller was in his first season as Michigan’s head coach. Moeller faced a challenging schedule in his first season, just as Sherrone Moore faces this season. For his first Big Ten opener, Moeller took Michigan to Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin. Historically, Camp Randall has given Wisconsin a fierce home field advantage, enabling the Badgers to use the size of their massive players to dictate the pace of play. Fortunately for Moeller, former coach Bo Schembechler left the Michigan roster stocked with a slew of talented players who would challenge the Badgers in ways they were unable to defend.

Two of those players were quarterback Elvis Grbac and wide receiver Desmond Howard, who had also played on the same football team in high school. Grbac and Howard formed a passing combination that many teams would have difficulty defending. They threatened the Wisconsin defense early and often in this game, taking the Wisconcon crowd out of the game early, eliminating even the slightest hint of a home field edge. Grbac threw three touchdown passes, two to Howard and one to Derrick Alexander, and the Wolverines’ ground attack gashed the Wisconsin defense for 358 yards as Michigan routed the Badgers, 41-3, to give Moeller a win in his first Big Ten conference opener as Michigan’s head coach.

With the win, Michigan improved to 3-1 on the season, but the sweet taste of victory didn’t last long. The next week, Michigan faced a familiar foe in Michigan State, but that’s a story for another day, or at least for a feature later in the season.

Many thanks to CBS Sports and YouTube poster College Football Historian for the video of this game. As always, we own nothing and we do not profit from this blog post, which is provided strictly for the enjoyment of readers.

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Michigan Wolverine Football Podcast — Commentary — Game 3 Michigan 28 Arkansas State 18

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Tune into the latest podcast as @pcallihan and @Clint_Derringer break down Michigan’s 28-18 victory over Arkansas State, noting it as the team’s best performance so far but still plagued with issues. They highlight concerns with the offense, particularly QB Davis Warren who threw three costly interceptions. The running game, led by Kalel Mullings and Donovan Edwards, was a bright spot, yet turnovers and penalties held back the team’s progress. With a crucial game against USC looming, they stress the need for better quarterback play, improved offensive line performance, and solid execution in all three phases.

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Michigan 28 Arkansas State 18 – Game 3 Recap

GAME 3 PROJECTION vs. RESULTS

Final Score: 28-18, Michigan by 10 over Arkansas State
SP+ Projection: Michigan by 28.9 (-18.9)
CD Projection: Michigan by 21 (-11)

FIVE FACTORS

GAME 3 RECAP vs. Arkansas State

The coaching staff for the Wolverines committed to returning to their run first identity, and it paid off. Michigan finished with 301 yards rushing on the day. However, there was still enough sloppiness up front to give some of the doubters oxygen. The pass protection was still a major issue, and Davis Warren let it affect him in the pocket. Warren was pulled after throwing his third interception of the day. Alex Orji entered and led a scoring drive, but we still haven’ seen him lead an efficient passing effort yet. The biggest blow for Michigan was an apparent shoulder injury suffered by Coleston Loveland, the All-American tight end.

The defense spent a majority of his game looking as dominant as we’ve come to expect. Arkansas State could only muser 280 total yards for the game. Both touchdowns came in the 4th quarter while Michigan’s 28-3 lead would define that period as garbage time. However, there was also sloppiness to worry about from the D. Most critically, the penalties after the whistle must stop. Two drives were saved for the Red Wolves on absolutely avoidable penalties.

On special teams, we didn’t get a chance to deploy our most dangerous weapon, placekicker Dominic Zvada. I am sure he was looking for an opportunity to score against his former team, but no opportunity presented itself. Returns were muted all day by mostly fair catch signals. Punter Tommy Doman still has me a little worried. His three punts today averaged 39.0 yards. But, we’ve seen multiple punts this year of less than 30 yards, including a 29-yarder in the 4th quarter of this game.

We wanted to see a come-to-Jesus moment, but this game just underwhelmed those expectations. Offensively, I think we’ll get to see what Alex Orji is capable of. He certainly adds another explosive threat to the mix, and that will be a big boost if Loveland’s injury is serious. Defensively, they look closer to a finished product, but there is another major challenge looming when USC visits next weekend.