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THE GAME – Michigan vs Ohio State Football – Looking Back – 1973

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

The first installment of this year’s series looking at the football rivalry between Michigan and Ohio State takes us back to 1973. For Michigan, the 1973 season was akin to the Charles Dickens novel, “A Tale of Two Cities.” “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” could easily be applied to the 1973 campaign. In the eyes of Michigan fans, it was the worst of times because a group of athletic directors denied Michigan a trip to the Rose Bowl, and a chance at the National Championship. That was obvious to anyone who followed Michigan football, whether fan or alum.

Maybe more importantly, it was the best of times for several reasons. First, Michigan finished the season without a loss. Second, the college football world agreed with Michigan fans that the maize and blue weren’t treated fairly, and got the short end of the stick. It’s not often most college football observers sympathize with Michigan.

As for the game itself, it occurred during a volatile time in U.S. history. The Paris Peace Accords has just ended the nation’s involvement in the Vietnam War. In May, televised hearings on the Watergate scandal began in the United States Senate. In March, 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐺𝑜𝑑𝑓𝑎𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 won Best Picture at the Academy Awards, and Skylab, the United States’ first space station, was launched in May. The year began with CBS selling the New York Yankees to George Stainbrenner, a noted supporter of Ohio State.

In Big Ten college football, Michigan and Ohio State were right in the middle of “The Ten-Year War,” a 10-year period when Michigan was coached by Bo Schembechler, and Ohio State was coached by Woody Hayes. Tensions have always been high in this rivalry, and 1973 might just be one of the most significant moments in the series. Prior to the game, Hayes led Ohio State on to the field, and his players promptly tried to tear down the M GO BLUE banner, setting the tone for the day.

The game itself was the opposite of what modern football is. It was very exciting, but very old school. Both teams relied heavily on the run, and few strategic risks were taken. MIchigan’s defense initially seemed to grab the upper hand, and the Wolverines appeared to be in great shape when Gil Chapman returned a kickoff 72 yards to the Ohio State 28-yard line. Unfortunately, a clipping penalty negated the lengthy return and set the ball deep in Michigan territory, changing the complexion of the game. Now, Michigan was forced to climb out of a hole.

The first half ended with Ohio State leading, 10-0. But there were few routes in the Ten-Year War, and the 1973 Michigan team wasn’t about to go quietly. The score remained the same until the fourth quarter, when Michigan finally woke up. On the second play of the fourth quarter, Mike Lantry kicked a 30-yard field goal to trim Michigan’s deficit to seven points, and the drama had just begun. The fired-up Michigan defense forced Ohio State to go three plays and out, and Michigan received the ball in good field position. Ed Shuttlesworth pounded the Buckeye defense on several runs, and quarterback Dennis Franklin connected with tight end Paul Seal for a 21-yard gain. With a first down and goal at the 10-yard line, Franklin faked to Shuttlesworth and kept the ball, sprinting between shocked defenders into the end zone. Just like that, the score was tied, 10-10, and Michigan had all the momentum.

By now, we all know how it ended. Michigan dominated play for the remainder of the game, but Lantry missed a pair of field goals, and the game ended in a 10-10 tie. The next day, the athletic directors of the Big Ten Conference voted to send Ohio State to the Rose Bowl. Not only had Michigan controlled play for much of the game, but the 1973 Michigan team was actually built to beat USC, for once. Michigan ended the season with a record of 10 wins, 0 losses, and a tie. The Wolverines did not win the official National Championship, but both the National Championship Foundation and the Poling System recognized Michigan as a co-National Champion for the 1973 season.

Thanks to YouTube, the Big Ten Network, and YouTube poster Rxwolverine for the broadcast of this game. As always, we own nothing, and this blog post was intended strictly for the entertainment of readers.

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Michigan 50 Northwestern 6 – Game 11 Recap

GAME 11 PROJECTION vs. RESULTS

Final Score: 50-6, Michigan by 44 over Northwestern
SP+ Projection: Michigan by 15.2 (+28.8)
CD Projection: Michigan by 11 (+33)

FIVE FACTORS

GAME 11 RECAP vs. Northwestern

What an explosion from the offense! It is a much needed sigh of relief for the players and the staff to see a solid game plan get executed well for four full quarters. The Wolverines were led by their best offensive player, Kalel Mullings, with three touchdowns on the ground. Davis Warren was 26-for-36 for 195 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. Most importantly, 11 different players were targeted. Kirk Campbell was able to diversify, and it paid dividends immediately. It’s also poetic that both Kalel Mullings and Donovan Edwards scored touchdowns on their final carry in the Big House, a well-deserved honor bestowed upon two great Michigan Men!

The Wildcats were unable to block the Michigan front, and that was the end of that. With sacks removed, Northwestern only mustered 45 rushing yards, with most of those coming during garbage time in the 4th quarter. For much of the game, they had negative yards rushing. Michigan’s coverage did allow a few explosive plays, especially in the middle of the field in the second half. But, in another positive sign of growth, they adjusted and eventually collected a 2nd interception on a 4th down pass. Josiah Stewart had two sacks, and Kenneth Grant added another.

Dominic Zvada was excellent on all his kicks. He is a major weapon for the offense because he can hit from long range in cold weather. Tommy Doman only had one decent 48-yard punt, but Michigan allowed a good return to cut the net to 21 yards. Tyler Morris did a much better job catching the punts in the air after an early roller pinned Michigan back at their own 3 yard line.

I am very satisfied that Michigan had their best performance of the season in their final game in the Big House. The crowd brought a surprisingly high level of energy, and stuck around well into Garbage Time. We all deserved to celebrate being together in Ann Arbor one last time in 2024, and this team deserved to end the home season on a high note. Next up: a battle with the Buckeyes for Ryan Day’s job. SMASH!

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Nothing But ‘Net – Week #06 – 11/18/2024 – A Solid Non-Conference Win

The University of Michigan men’s basketball team played one game this past week, and they won it.  On Friday (11/15/2024), they beat TCU 76-64 in Crisler Arena.  Michigan’s record is now 2-1.

What Happened?

TCU is a good basketball team, and this was an important win.  TCU compares very favorably to Wake Forest, and if Michigan had played as well last week vs. Wake Forest as they did vs. TCU, they would have beaten WFU.  Oh well…

Game Flow

The TCU game was close throughout, although Michigan led almost the entire game.  UM kept their lead in the 6-8 point range most of the game, letting TCU take the lead once, and get within 2 points a few times.

Michigan started the game with a nice 7-0 run in the first 94 seconds, but TCU promptly answered it with their own 7-0 run to tie it up (7-7) at the 16:55 mark.  UM went ahead 9-7, then TCU tied it up again (9-9) with 14:55 to go.  TCU went ahead for the only time, 10-9, with 14:01 left.  Michigan reclaimed the lead, 11-10, at the 13:36 mark, and never trailed again.  They got ahead by 5-6 points a couple times, but TCU always got back within 1-2 points.  Michigan finally pushed the lead up to 9 points (34-25) at the 3:07 mark, but they let TCU close out the half on a 6-0 run to make it close, 34-31.  It was reminiscent of the last 2 minutes of the 1st half of the Wake Forest game, when Michigan let WFU go on a 10-0 run to get close at halftime.

The 2nd half was more of the same.  Michigan led the whole way, but they couldn’t pull away until the final minute.  TCU stayed within 8-10 points most of the way, with occasional runs to get within 4-6 points.  With 6:55 left in the game, TCU got within 2 points (60-58), but that was as close as they would get.  Michigan closed the game on a 16-6 run, to win by 12 points, 76-64.  It was very encouraging to see UM finish strong, after the weak showing down the stretch vs. Wake Forest.

Stats

The game stats were pretty good.  Michigan shot pretty well overall (26-for-52 = 50.0%), they shot 3-pointers pretty well (9-for-24 = 37.5%), but they didn’t shoot free throws very well (15-for-23 = 65.2%).  They won the rebounding battle handily (41-29), but they lost the turnover battle badly (21-12).  They won this game with good shooting and rebounding, but they kept it close with their turnovers.

Who Started?

The starters were Nimari Burnett, Tre Donaldson, Roddy Gayle Jr., Vladislav Goldin, and Danny Wolf.

Who Looked Good?

Burnett was the leading scorer for Michigan, with 16 points on great shooting: 6-for-7 overall, 3-for-4 from deep.  He was a steadying influence out there, with only 1 turnover.

Wolf had a monster game, with 14 points and 14 rebounds, for an impressive double-double.  His shooting was good-but-not-great: 6-for-11 overall, 1-for-4 from deep.  He also had 4 turnovers.  He played a little wild/out of control a few times, but he certainly provided a spark.        

Donaldson also had 14 points, on decent shooting: 5-for-9 overall, 2-for-5 from deep.  He ran the offense well.

Gayle almost hit double figures, with 8 points on mediocre shooting: 3-for-8 overall, 0-for-2 from deep.  He also had 4 turnovers.

Goldin also almost hit double figures, with 8 points on mediocre shooting: 2-for-5.  He also had 3 turnovers.  He needs to think “dunk” when he gets the ball down low, instead of “soft layup that misses too often”.

Sam Walters was the only other Michigan player in double figures, with 10 points on good shooting: 3-for-5 overall, 2-for-4 from deep.

Who Looked Not-So-Good?

Phat Phat Brooks played for 4 minutes, but didn’t attempt a shot.

L.J. Cason played for 5 minutes, but didn’t attempt a shot.  He did have 4 turnovers in those 4 minutes, which is not good.  After a couple impressive games earlier in the season, he seems to be in a slump.

Rubin Jones played 24 minutes, and only scored 2 points, on 2-for-2 free throw shooting.  Otherwise, he shot terribly: 0-for-3 overall, 0-for-2 from deep.

Will Tschetter had a weak game, scoring 4 points in 13 minutes.

Who Else Played?

Justin Pippen played for the first time this season, apparently recovered from his injury.  He played for 8 minutes, and missed his only shot attempt.  He looked poised and confident out there.

Who Didn’t Play?

None of the Scout Team players played: Ian Burns, Howard Eisley Jr., Harrison Hochberg, and Charlie May.

Jace Howard didn’t play.  Should he be considered part of the Scout Team this season?

What Does It Mean?

After the unimpressive game against Wake Forest, it was encouraging to see Michigan bounce back with a solid win against a good TCU team.  This is a nice entry on Michigan’s postseason tournament resume.  The only negative aspect was all the turnovers.  As I’ve said before, I understand that Coach May is teaching them to play fast and aggressive, and this can lead to some turnovers, but 21 turnovers is just too many.  He’s got to get them to dial it back a little, and slowly inch it up as they get more comfortable playing together.  Not all of the turnovers were from playing aggressively; TCU sprung a wicked half-court press on Michigan several times, and it forced a turnover about 40-50% of the time.  Michigan definitely needs to work on breaking the press, and it would be nice if they made their opponents pay for trying it with some easy baskets.  Something to work on.

What’s Next?

This week, Michigan plays two games.  On Monday (11/18/2024, 6:00 p.m., BTN), they play Miami (OH), then on Thursday (11/21/2024, 8:30 p.m., BTN), they play Tarleton State.  Both games are in Crisler Arena.

Miami (OH) is currently 2-1, but they haven’t played anyone good yet.  Last season, they were 15-17 (9-9 in the MAC).  They don’t have any noteworthy players, but they do have one tall player, a 7’1” center.  This game could be a lot like the Oakland (exhibition) or Cleveland State games, but only if Michigan plays well.  Note: This game is considered part of the Fort Myers Tip-Off tournament, as Michigan’s “On-Campus Match Up”.  Miami will also be playing in Fort Myers over the Thanksgiving week, but they’re in the “Palms Division” with Jacksonville State, Mercer, and Siena, while Michigan is in the “Beach Division” with South Carolina, Virginia Tech, and Xavier.

Tarleton State is currently 1-3, with lopsided losses to SMU (96-62), Sam Houston (91-62), and Florida State (72-52).  They don’t have any noteworthy players, and they don’t have any height (no one over 6’9”).  This is definitely a game that Michigan should win convincingly; anything less will be a huge red flag.

Check back next week to find out what happened and why.

Go Blue!