Category: Looking Back

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Michigan vs Michigan State Football — Looking Back – 1968

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

Bump Elliott had the misfortune of inheriting a Michigan team that was struggling. After decades of championship play, the Wolverines were now suffering through a period in which both Ohio State and Michigan State had risen to power. Elliott raised the team’s level of play in 1964, but then the bottom fell out.

The fifth and final installment of this year’s series looking back at the football rivalry between Michigan and Michigan State takes us back to 1968. Change was in the air throughout the United States. Protesters rallied throughout the country. Americans watched reports on the war in Vietnam on the nightly news. Even old reliables such as the automobile industry were undergoing changes, as foreign automakers made their presence felt in the marketplace. It almost seemed as it the downturn in Michigan’s football success reflected the feeling of angst in the nation.

But on one, glorious fall afternoon, the Michigan Wolverines gave outgoing coach Bump Elliott a day to remember. A day that recalled times when Michigan was one of the elite powers of college football. For three hours on a Saturday in October, 1968, the Wolverines recalled the memories of previous years, and sent Elliott out with a final victory over rival Michigan State.

In the fourth quarter, Michigan State grabbed the lead when Charles Wedemeyer connected with Frank Foreman on a two-point conversion. The Spartan defense was converging on Michigan quarterback Dennis Brown when Brown found tight end Jim Mandich along the Michigan sideline for the turning point of the game. Mandich made the catch and outraced everyone to the south end zone for a 53-yard touchdown that put Michigan in control to stay, as the Wolverines topped Michigan State, 28-14.

Elliott capped off the season by recruiting a star-studded class of recruits that included offensive lineman Reggie McKenzie and running back Billy Taylor, both of whom led a Michigan resurgence under Bo Schembechler.

Thanks to YouTube poster College Football Historian and YouTube for the highlight film of this game, which has no sound. As always, neither I nor anyone involved with umgoblue.com profits in any way from this blog post, which is intended strictly for the enjoyment of readers.

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Michigan vs Michigan State Football — Looking Back – 1998

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

The fourth installment in this year’s series looking back at the football rivalry between Michigan and Michigan State takes back to 1998. As years go, 1998 started in heady fashion for Michigan. The Wolverines had just completed their first perfect season since 1948 and were named the AP National Champions. The school had just added 5,000 seats to Michigan Stadium, restoring The Big House’s status as the largest on-campus stadium in the country. The Wolverines had signed the top high school quarterback of 1998, Drew Henson, and one of the top running backs in the country, Justin Fargas, whose father played the role of “Huggy Bear” in the 1970s TV series, “Starsky and Hutch.”

Yes, 1998 started as a grand year for Michigan football. The greatest threat of injury came from players patting themselves on the back.

Unfortunately, the season started with a National Championship hangover. Not only had Charles Woodson departed for the NFL, but Marcus Ray had been suspended several games for talking with an agent. Suddenly, things weren’t so good for the maize and blue.

However, week 4 brought the return of the Big Ten slate of games, and a matchup with Michigan State proved to be just the tonic for the Wolverines.

It didn’t start that way, though. Tom Brady hadn’t reached the level of play fans came to expect in later years, and he was intercepted by Aric Morris on the Wolverines’ first possession, which led to a 43-yard field goal by Paul Edinger.

The Wolverines didn’t take long to respond. Jay Feely, a quiet hero in the 1997 campaign, leveled the score with a 51-yard field goal. By halftime, Michigan led by three points, and the game had the feel of another classic.

In the second half, the only thing that was classic was the performance of the Michigan defense. The Wolverines held the Spartans scoreless, while Feely connected for his third field goal of the day and Brady scored from a yard out to give Michigan a 29-17 win that provided the necessary jump start to the 1998 season, helping the Wolverines reestablish themselves as a force in the Big Ten.

Many thanks to ABC Sports, YouTube poster Pizza Pizzichetti and YouTube for the broadcast of this game. As always, neither I nor anyone involved with umgoblue.com profit in any way off this blog post, which is intended strictly for the entertainment of readers.

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Michigan vs Michigan State Football — Looking Back – 1995

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

Among the many traditions that are part of the Michigan vs. Michigan State football rivalry, one is rarely discussed: New coaches are usually given a brutal introduction to the series.

The third installment of this year’s series looking back at the football rivalry between Michigan and Michigan State takes us to 1995. The national economy was slowly starting to wake up, and if you listened carefully, you could hear a few people discussing something known as “the Internet.” If you paid attention to college football, it was becoming apparent that Michigan’s interim head coach, Lloyd Carr, was pretty good. Unfortunately for Carr, the Michigan State Spartans didn’t plan on giving him a warm welcome to the in-state rivalry.

Of course, it didn’t help that Michigan State also had a first-year head coach named Nick Saban, and in the mid-1990s, he was just looking forward to a bright future. The matchup of first-year coaches produced a classic Big Ten battle. With snow flurries falling to produce a memorable environment, Remy Hamilton gave Michigan the first lead of the game with a 35-yard field goal. Shortly after that, Michigan State’s Derrick Mason took a punt and weaved his 70 yards for a touchdown to give the Spartans a 7-3 lead, and the momentum. By halftime, the Spartans led, 14-3, and the mood surrounding the Michigan team was as dark as the snowy fall sky in East Lansing.

The Wolverines then came out with a new resolve to start the second half. Michigan lined up in several two-tight end sets, and started to run the ball with conviction, as Tim Biakabutuka and Chis Howard took turns battering their way through the Michigan State defensive line. Finally, with three backs in the backfield, quarterback Brian Griese handed off to Will Carr, normally a defensive lineman, and Carr barely made it over the goal line for the touchdown. After Griese connected with Mark Campbell for the two-point conversion, Michigan State’s lead was cut to a mere three points. The teams then traded scores, but when Griese found Mercury Hayes in the back corner of the end zone for a 22-yard touchdown, it looked as if Michigan was in control. The Wolverines had a four-point with 3:38 to play. Greg Mattison was coaching the defense. Jarrett Irons was playing middle linebacker. Chuck Winters was playing safety. A freshman named Charles Woodson was playing cornerback.

But Spartan quarterback Tony Banks still had time. On 4th and 11, Banks connected with Mason for an 11-yard gain, and the meaurement indicated it was a Michigan State first down. Then Woodson bobbled a would-be interception, and Mason caught the ricochet for a catch deep in Michigan territory. On the next play, Banks scrambled and saw Nigea Carter twisting around toward the goal line. Banks heaved the ball, and Carter twisted the right way at the right time for a Michigan State touchdown. Suddenly, Michigan trailed with just 1:24 left to play, in hostile territory.

Finally, with six seconds left on the clock, Michigan had one, final, desperate hope. Griese faded back to pass, and threw with all his might, but his pass landed harmlessly on the ground. Suddenly, a 7-1 MIchigan team had just lost a game they weren’t supposed to lose. It shows that nothing can be taken for granted against Michigan State.

Thanks to ESPN Classic, ABC Sports, YouTube poster ROLL TIDE Graham 2 and YouTube for the highlight film of this game. As always, neither I nor anyone involved with umgoblue.com make a profit off this blog post, which is intended strictly for the enjoyment of readers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukwTFhCxXK0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukwTFhCxXK0

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Michigan vs Michigan State Football — Looking Back – 1973

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

The second installment of this year’s series looking back at the football rivalry between Michigan and Michigan State takes us back to 1973. The ’73 Wolverines might just be one of the most underappreciated teams in the school’s illustrious football history. They did not win the National Championship. They did not play in the Rose Bowl, but that’s a story for another day. For that matter,, they did not play in a bowl game of any kind. You can’t even find any video of the 1973 Michigan vs. Michigan State game online, though I certainly tried.

Yet the 1973 Wolverines didn’t lose a game all season.

Bo Schembechler usually learned his lessons as a head coach. After losing to Michigan State in his first season in 1969, Michigan reeled off eight consecutive wins against the team from East Lansing. The 1973 win might have been the most emphatic victory in that entire stretch. In the first quarter, Dave Brown fielded a punt at his own 47-yard line and dashed 53 yards for the touchdown to give Michigan the early lead. Later in the first quarter, Mike Lantry tacked on a 35-yard field goal, and the rout was on. Not even a driving rain could slow the Wolverine offense, as Michigan cruised to a 31-0 victory.

Since there is no film of that game to be found, I’m improvising by attaching the documentary “Michigan Football Memories.” Thanks to Michigan Football Television, HKO Media, YouTube poster WolverineDevotee and YouTube for this video. As always, neither I nor anyone involved with umgoblue.com profit in any way from this blog post, which is intended purely for the entertainment of readers. Enjoy!

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Michigan vs Michigan State Football — Looking Back – 1989

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

Lance Dottin might just have been the most unlikely player to make the clinching play in any Michigan rivalry game coached by Bo Schembechler, but when Dottin cradled a desperation pass from Dan Enos, the Wolverines secured a hard-fought win over their in-state rivals, the Michigan State Spartans.

The first installment of this year’s series looking back at rivalry games between the Wolverines and the Spartans takes us back to 1989, Schembechler’s last season as Michigan head coach. Fittingly, the two rivals engaged in a classic, low-scoring slugfest. Michigan controlled most of the game, jumping out to a 10-0 lead. But few leads are safe in this series.

In the late 1980s, the coaches of both teams had very similar philosophies, both centered around toughness and precision. In Ann Arbor, Michigan had the luxury of having two very capable quarterbacks: Michael Taylor, who could run the option, and Elvis Grbac, a traditional pocket passer. In ’89, Grbac established himself as the starter. Grbac started this game for the maize and blue, and once he led Michigan to the lead, Schembecher wasn’t about to make any changes.

Oh, Michigan State had chances alright. The Spartans attempted a field goal in the first quarter, but Vada Murray blocked it, preventing Michigan State from taking the first lead of the game. The Wolverines then settled into a classic Bo Schembechler drive. On 4th down & goal to go from the 1-yard line, Michigan lined up in the wishbone formation, and Grbac handed off to Leroy Hoard, playing left halfback. Hoard barreled in for the go-ahead score, setting the tone for most of the game. J.D. Carlson tacked on a 35-yard field goal in the second quarter to give the Wolverines a 10-0 lead at halftime.

That lead stood for most of the game, until Enos (later a Michigan assistant coach for about 15 minutes) found Courtney Hawkins in the end zone to cut Michigan’s lead to 10-7. But the UM defense made sure the Spartans got no closer, and Dottin sealed the win with his interception.

Thanks to ABC Sports, YouTube, and to YouTube poster Pizza Pizzichetti for the full broadcast of this game. Settle in, grab a hot dog, and listen to a couple of old friends, Bob Griese and the late Keith Jackson, as they call this classic game. As always, neither I nor anyone involved with umgoblue.com profit in any way from this blog post, which is strictly intended for the enjoyment of readers.