Category: Looking Back

Posted on

Big Ten Openers – – Michigan State — Looking Back – 1998

Looking Back is a Special Feature by Jeff Cummins

The fifth and final installment of this week’s series looking back at Big Ten openers takes us to 1998. The year started out perfectly. The national economy was roaring and our beloved Michigan Wolverines were national champions, having just completed a perfect season. If that wasn’t enough, Michigan added 5,000 seats to Michigan Stadium in the offseason to reclaim the title of largest on-campus football stadium in the United States, and the team had just signed the top-ranked quarterback recruit (Drew Henson) and top-ranked running back recruit (Justin Fargas) in the nation. It sure was great to be a Michigan Wolverine!

It was so great, in fact, that the party never seemed to end for the Wolverines. Many a back was patted, and many a drink enjoyed. Unfortunately, the new season arrived with all the charm of a hangover. Charles Woodson was gone, off to the NFL. Marcus Ray was suspended for a few games for communicating with an agent. Quarterback Brian Griese had graduated, and he was replaced by some new guy. Hey, what happened to the party? Where did everybody go?

Yes, things started off so poorly that Michigan violated one of Bo Schembechler’s cardinal rules, allowing one loss to become two losses. Michigan woke up against Eastern Michigan, but the Big Ten opener would bring a much more challenging foe.

Yes, by late September, Michigan knew it had to start playing serious football again, and just in the nick of time, because Nick Saban was leading a bunch of angry behemoths in green helmets down the Michigan Stadium tunnel. All the accolades that Michigan had received the previous season seemed a distant memory now; reality was setting in.

Fortunately for Michigan, facing Michigan State proved to be just the tonic for the Wolverines. Michigan State jumped out to an early 3-0 lead, but the Wolverines wasted no time answering. Anthony Thomas received the ensuing kickoff, and kept running, all the way into Spartan territory. Quarterback Tom Brady taught everyone his name, as he started throwing pinpoint passes that penetrated the Michigan State defense.

Still, it wouldn’t be easy. Plaxico Burress hauled in a touchdown pass to give Michigan State the lead, and he gave the Spartans possession of the ball on the ensuing kickoff when he hit Grady Brooks and caused a fumble. Unfazed by the Michigan State theatrics, the Michigan defense stopped the Spartans, and then Brady responded by handing the ball to Anthony Thomas, who rumbled 70 yards for the tying score. Suddenly, Michigan State had to respect Thomas and the counter trey run, which left the Spartans’ secondary vulnerable. Brady responded by throwing a fade in the corner of the north end zone to Tai Streets, who outjumped a cornerback to pull down the ball, giving Michigan a 17-10 lead. Jay Feely extended Michigan’s lead to 10 points, but this was still a Michigan vs. Michigan State game. There was still some drama left, and it occurred when James Whitley fumbled a punt, which was recovered by State’s Aric Morris. A few minutes later, Michigan State QB Bill Burke snuck over from the 1-yard line, and Michigan went to the locker room at halftime nursing a 20-17 lead.

The drama ended in the second half. Michigan went back to basics in all three phases of the game, gradually establishing unmistakable control. A long drive by the Wolverines resulted in another Feely field goal. Michigan led by six points in the fourth quarter when Brady threw a 48-yard dagger to Marcus Knight that was ruled short of the goal line. Undaunted, Brady snuck over the goal line on the next play to give Michigan firm control of the game.

The Michigan defense then shut door on the Spartans, stifling the last of their opportunities, as Michigan held on to win, 29-17.

The 1998 season started out in rocky fashion, but the Wolverines made the best of things, finishing with a 45-31 win over Arkansas in the Florida Citrus Bowl.

Many thanks to ABC Sports, YouTube, and YouTube poster Pizza Pizzichetti for the video of this game. As always, we own nothing and this blog post is provided strictly for the enjoyment of readers.

Posted on

Big Ten Openers – – Maryland — Looking Back – 2015

Looking Back is a Special Feature by Jeff Cummins

The fourth installment of this series looking back at Michigan’s Big Ten conference opening games takes us to 2015. The previous seven years had been frustrating by Michigan standards, and the fan base desperately sought a return to the glory days. Jim Harbaugh returned to his alma mater as head coach, bringing an air of optimism that had been missing for many years. Suddenly, Michigan alumni and fans everywhere immediately felt better about the Wolverines’ prospects.

Of course, the landscape of the Big Ten had changed considerably since Harbaugh played for Michigan. Several new schools had been added to the conference, and the 2015 Big Ten opener was at Maryland, representing the first time that Michigan would open its Big Ten slate against the Terrapins. Michigan was a prohibitive favorite, but the Wolverines started the season looking sluggish, and fans could be forgiven if they felt a little concern about any opponent.

Sure enough, the Wolverines got off to a slow start against Maryland, causing a pretty fair amount of angst among the Michigan faithful. Fortunately, while the offense took a while to get untracked, the defense picked up where it ended the previous game against BYU. Michigan turned the ball over several times in the first half, but the defense never yielded any points. Finally, on 4th down and three yards to go, Jake Rudock provided the spark that the Wolverines needed, scrambling for 20 yards and a first down. The drive stalled, and Michigan was forced to settle for a Kenny Allen field goal.

Midway through the third quarter, it was only 6-0, and Michigan fans were feeling anxious. Dreams of dominance under Harbaugh were replaced by fears of mediocrity.

In classic Michigan fashion, the defense provided the remedy. Maryland quarterback Caleb Rowe sensed that the entire Michigan defensive line was about to converge on him, and he threw a risky pass that Michigan DB Jourdan Lewis caught on his shoulder for his second interception of the game. Sensing blood in the water, Michigan wasted little time attacking the Maryland defense. Rudock tossed a screen pass to Drake Johnson, who followed a convoy of blockers to the end zone. Suddenly, a tight, hard-fought game had just been blown open. Jehu Chesson followed that with a 66-yard touchdown run on a jet sweep, and the route was on. Michigan went on to defeat Maryland 28-0, the Wolverines’ second of three consecutive shutouts. Michigan finished its season by trouncing Florida, 41-7, in the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl.

Thanks to the Big Ten Network, YouTube, and YouTube poster WolverineDevotee for this video of the game. As always, we own nothing and do not profit from this blog post, which is provided strictly for the enjoyment of readers.

Posted on

Big Ten Openers – – Wisconsin — Looking Back – 2008

Looking Back is a Special Feature by Jeff Cummins

The third installment of this year’s series looking back at Michigan’s Big Ten opening games takes us back to 2008, the beginning of the Rich Rodriguez era. Landmark victories were few and far between in the Rodriguez era, but for one glorious day, Rodriguez led the Maize and Blue to one of their most unlikely triumphs, making him the toast of Ann Arbor, if only for one game.

Rodriguez never enjoyed complete support in Ann Arbor, and it showed from the beginning. After the first three games of the 2008 campaign, Michigan limped into the Big Ten opener vs. Wisconsin with a 1-2 record. Making matters worse, the game started out poorly for the Wolverines, who made repeated mental errors throughout the first half. By halftime, boos rained down from the Michigan Stadium crowd as the home team went to the locker room trailing 19-0.

Things continued in much the same way throughout the third quarter. If there was a slight glimmer of hope for the Wolverines, their effort was excellent. Their performance of details wasn’t nearly as strong.

Late in the third period, quarterback Steven Threet began to repeatedly probe the Wisconsin secondary with long passes. Finally, with more than two minutes remaining in the third quarter, Threet connected with tight end Kevin Koger for a touchdown pass that swung the momentum solidly in Michigan’s favor. The Wisconsin players, specifically on defense, had been extremely confident all day, but Threet’s scoring pass changed the feeling of the game for both teams.

Slowly, Michigan began to establish confidence, and started producing consistent gains. The spread option offense, largely a mystery to the Wolverines throughout their first three games, suddenly unveiled its potential. The momentum swing reached its zenith when John Thompson intercepted a tipped pass and weaved his way through several players for a touchdown that gave Michigan the lead and sent shock waves throughout the stadium. After Sam McGuffie punched in a short touchdown run, Michigan had a 27-19 lead, yet plenty of drama remained.

With 1:19 left, Wisconsin got the ball for one final possession. The Michigan Stadium faithful turned up the volume as loud as possible, and the defense braced for a dramatic ending. When David Gilreath pulled in a 13-yard touchdown pass from Allan Evridge, The Big House fell silent. Suddenly, Wisconsin was the team playing with nothing to lose. Michigan supporters, accustomed to four decades of stability, were getting used to a new way of life.

Moments later, Evridge connected with Travis Beckum for what looked like the game-tying conversion. Except for the flag on the field.

Wisconsin was penalized for having an ineligible receiver downfield. Michigan, which had committed penalties and unforced mistakes throughout the first half, was suddenly the beneficiary of Wisconsin’s mistake. The ensuing pass sailed high and incomplete, leaving Wisconsin with one final hope: An onsides kick.

Fittingly, Wisconsin’s attempt at an onsides kick didn’t go the required 10 yards, rseulting in a penalty that sealed the decision, and Michigan held on for a 27-25 win.

Rich Rodriguez never went on to achieve much success at Michigan. He beat Notre Dame twice, but he never led Michigan to a Big Ten championship, or to a National Championship. In fact, the greatest moment of his era probably occurred when Brock Mealer led the team out of the tunnel, coming all the way back from a car accident that left him paralyzed from the waist down.

Still, for one day, Rodriguez made good on his promise to make Michigan an exciting, winning team. The memory of that game will last a lifetime.

Thanks to ESPN, the Big Ten Network, and YouTube poster RXwolverine2 for the video of this game. As always, we own nothing and do not profit from this video, which is provided strictly for the enjoyment of readers.



Posted on

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.



Posted on

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.