Category: Football

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Michigan vs Ohio State Football – Looking Back – 1977

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

The second installment of this year’s series looking back at the football rivalry between MIchigan and Ohio State takes us to 1977. Four years earlier, Woody Hayes and his band of Buckeyes attempted to tear down the M Club banner. This year, this Wolverines were ready. Before the game, a cadre of Wolverine graduates, dressed in street clothes, fended off the Buckeyes as they attempted to attack the banner. This time, Ohio State didn’t fare so well in its attack on the banner.

If Woody Hayes wasn’t concerned by the fact that the Michigan men thwarted the attack, he certainly should have been. Things only got worse for Ohio State after that. After driving deep into Michigan territory, Ohio State was forced to settle for a field goal. The momentum changed in the second quarter when UM quarterback Rick Leach connected with running back Roosevelt Smith to give Michigan a first down and goal at the Ohio State 9-yard line. Two play later, Smith punched the ball over from the 1-yard line, and Michigan never trailed again.

In the third quarter, Michigan hit Ohio State running back Ron Springs hard, causing Springs to fumble, and Michigan linebacker Ron Simpkins pounced on the ball immediately, giving Michigan possession at the Ohio State 20-yard line. Three plays later, Leach scored on an option play, and the Wolverines led, 14-3. Ohio State kicked a field goal to trim the lead, setting up the dramatic final quarter.

With four minutes left in the game, Ohio State had a first down and goal to go at the Michigan 8-yard line. Michigan linebacker John Anderson then drilled Buckeye quarterback Rod Gerald, knocking the ball loose, and Derek Howard recovered it for Michigan. The Wolverines then ran out the clock, while Hayes punched an ABC cameraman on the sideline.

The victory earned Michigan the Big Ten championship and a trip to the Rose Bowl, while Ohio State was relegated to the Sugar Bowl. Michigan fell to Washington in the Rose Bowl, but the lasting memory of the 1977 season is the throng of Michigan fans who stormed the field after the win over Ohio State.

Many thanks to ESPN Classic for the film of this game. As always, we own nothing, and this film and blog post are intended strictly for the enjoyment of readers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKk3yfggb2g
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Michigan vs Ohio State Football – Looking Back – 1995

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

The first installment of this year’s series looking back at the football series between Michigan and Ohio State takes us back to 1995. Most people still had not heard of the Internet, Bill Clinton was the president, and the national economy was just about to take off. For the Michigan football team, 1995 was “The Tale of Two Cities.” “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”

The worst of times came in the offseason, when head coach Gary Moeller had an incident at a local restaurant and was subsequently removed from his job. It was the best of times because Lloyd Carr, a little known defensive coordinator, was named the interim head caoch.

Let the record show that Lloyd Carr is probably among the best “interim” hires of all time.

In Carr’s first game, Michigan trailed almost the entire game until Scott Dreisbach found Mercury Hayes in the corner of the north end zone for a last-second touchdown pass to give Michigan an 18-17 win. After that, Michigan played classic mid-90s Wolverine football for most of the season. As usual, the week leading up to the Michigan-Ohio State game proved to be the most interesting week of the season.

Ohio State had won the previous season, and reporters asked Ohio State receiver Terry Glenn what he thought of the team’s chances against Michigan. Glenn, a former walk-on, was enjoying a breakout season in 1995, but his quote fueled Michigan’s pregame fire. Then Tim Biakabutuka proved to be the catalytic converter.

Biakabutuka had assured Carr in a midweek conversation that the Wolverines would be ready for Ohio State, and he delivered in legendary fashion. “Touchdown Tim” spent much of the afternoon bouncing off would-be tackles, and turning single-digit gains into gains of double-digit yardage. The Buckeyes fought back valiantly, but every time they came back, Michigan had the right answer for them.

Early in the game, Ohio State tested Michigan’s freshman cornerback, Charles Woodson. As the game wore on, that strategy backfired for the Buckeyes. Woodson had two interceptions on the day, the second coming when he outjumped Glenn for the ball and returned it 23 yards, allowing Michigan to line up in victory formation and run out the clock.

Woodson’s interception completed a 31-23 win for the Wolverines, who finished the regular season with nine wins and three losses. But when you beat Ohio State, few people are really thinking about the losses.

Many thanks to ABC, which owns all the rights to this game. As always, we own nothing and do not profit in any way from this blog post, which is intended purely for the enjoyment of readers.

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Michigan 59 Maryland 18 – Game 11 Recap

2018-05UMMY-011

GAME 11 PROJECTION vs. RESULTS

Final Score: 59-18, Michigan by 41 over Maryland
SP+ Projection: Michigan by 13.1 (+27.9)
CD Projection: Michigan by 22 (+19)

FIVE FACTORS

GAME 11 RECAP @ Maryland

Michigan put another exclamation point on their 2021 turnaround season. The Wolverines poured it on in College Park, beating the Terrapins like a drum 59-18. All 3 phases made major impacts, and all 3 units put points on the board. Questions about this team’s ability to focus on the task at hand have been answered multiple times this season. No answer was more emphatic than the Wolverines’ performance in this trap game on the road with OSU looming.

Offensively, Cade McNamara had another rock solid performance. Despite multiple passes batted down at the line early, Cade still finished 21-for-28 (75%) for 259 yards and 2 touchdowns. JJ McCarthy made his return to the field this week as well. The Wolverines did in fact expand the McCarthy package, and the true freshman threw for a touchdown and ran for another. The wide receivers unit had a breakout also. There were a few drops in the first quarter, but both Andrel Anthony and Mike Sainristil made spectacular one-handed grabs. One more notable performance came from another true freshman, Donovan Edwards. Edwards set a Michigan record for receiving by a running back with 170 yards on 10 catches.

Defensively, the Wolverines provided too many opportunities for the Terrapins in the first half. However, QB Taulia Tagovailoa could not take advantage of those chances, and Michigan tightened the screws at halftime. The Wolverines held Maryland to 3-of-14 on 3rd down, and 0-for-2 on 4th down. DJ Turner also continued to shine, taking his 2nd interception of the season back for a touchdown.

And, not to be left out, the special teams unit made 2 game-changing plays. The first really swung the momentum in the 2nd quarter as Michigan blocked a punt while they were ahead by just 11 points. 4 plays later the Wolverines were up 18 and never looked back. The wow play that shocked me the most was a throwback return on a pooch kickoff. Former high school QB Michael Barrett fielded a pop up kick and threw across the field to AJ Henning. Henning flashed 79 yards to the end zone, and everyone began to think about the villains in Columbus. Stay the course. Beat the best…or die tryin’. Onward!