Posted on

Michigan vs Alabama – Looking Back – 2012

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

The fourth installment of the series looking back at football games between Michigan and Alabama takes to the Cowboys Classic on Sept. 1, 2012 at Cowboys Stadium (now AT&T Stadium) in Arlington, Texas. The national economy was stable in 2012, and overall, things were looking pretty good, particularly if you were dressed in maize and blue. Brady Hoke was now the Michigan coach, and in 2011 his Wolverines produced an 11-2 record that included wins over Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl. It’s always great to be a Michigan Wolverine, but suddenly, it felt great, too.

So Michigan entered the 2012 campaign with a renewed vigor. The Wolverines chose to embrace greater challenges by playing the defending national champions at a neutral site in the south.

It was certainly an ambitious goal, but it also provided a sobering assessment of the Wolverines’ skill level. In the simplest of terms, Alabama was the better team.

As far as the competitive portion of the game, Alabama scored 31 points before Michigan scored at all.

Will Campbell sacked Alabama quarterback A.J. McCarron 16 yards behind the line of scrimmage. Denard Robinson ran for a touchdown and threw a 44-yard scoring pass to Devin Gardner. The Michigan uniforms looked excellent. The Wolverines wore their old school black shoes and traditional maize pants.

Honestly, there were few positives about this game. Michigan played with courage, but needed better players and better coaches to compete with the best.

Thanks to YouTube and ESPN for the broadcast of this game. As always, we own nothing, and this blog post is provided strictly for the enjoyment of readers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ebaGzSsQk8

Posted on

Michigan vs Alabama – Looking Back – 2000

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

The third installment of the series looking back at football games between Michigan and Alabama takes us to the Orange Bowl on Jan. 1, 2000. It’s difficult to fathom, but there was a time when people didn’t recognize Tom Brady’s excellence.

Brady spent the first half of 2000 platooning with Drew Henson. Henson was the more recruited quarterback, having been rated as a five-star recruit in high school. Brady gradually seized full-time control of the quarterback position as the season went along, and Michigan’s play improved with Brady at the helm.

Twice, Michigan fell behind by 14 points, but each time Brady calmly rallied the Wolverines, honing his reputation as the master of comeback victories.

Trailing 14-0, Brady connected with David Terrell for a pair of touchdown passes in the second quarter, one for 27 yards and one for 57 yards. By halftime, the game was tied at 14 apiece, and fans realized they were watching a classic.

Alabama reclaimed the lead and the momentum in the third quarter when Shaun Alexander scored on a 50-yard run and Freddie Milons added a 62-yard punt return to extend Alabama’s lead to 28-14.

Undeterred, the Wolverines came roaring back again. Brady found Terrell again for a 20-yard scoring strike and Anthony Thomas added a 3-yard touchdown run to tie the score and send the game to overtime. Brady wasted no time in overtime, throwing a 25-yard touchdown pass to Shawn Thompson. Hayden Epstein added the extra point, and the Wolverines had the lead for the first time. Alabama responded promptly as Andrew Zow threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Carter. A mere extra point by Ryan Pflugner would now tie the score.

Except, Pflugner’s kick sailed wide, and the Wolverines claimed the Orange Bowl championship with a 35-34 overtime victory. It’s always tempting to wonder how Michigan’s season might have turned out had Brady been the sole quarterback since the first game, but that was useless to consider now. Michigan had won the Orange Bowl and concluded the decade of the ’90s with a bang.

We thank YouTube and ABC Sports for the attached broadcast.

Posted on

Michigan vs Alabama – Looking Back – 1997

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

The second installment of the series looking back at football games between Michigan and Alabama takes us back to the Outback Bowl on Jan. 1, 1997. Michigan completed the 1996 regular season on a high note, knocking off an undefeated Ohio State team for the second consecutive year, this time in Ohio Stadium. The Wolverines roared into Tampa feeling pretty good about themselves, but each game is different.

Michigan appeared to start the game with a bang, but a holding penalty negated a tremendous kickoff return. A brief offensive series went nowhere, and the ensuing punt rolled backward, giving Alabama excellent field position. Fortunately, the defense stiffened, and Alabama settled for a field goal and a 3-0 lead.

Michigan advanced deep into Alabama territory in the fourth quarter, but Brian Griese’s arm was hit as he attempted to throw, resulting in an interception that Dwayne Rudd returned for an Alabama touchdown.

Trailing by 11, Griese connected with Russell Shaw for a 9-yard touchdown pass, and fullback Chris Floyd bulled his way into the end zone for a 2-point conversion to cut the deficit to three points. That was as close as Michigan got, as Alabama recovered the onside kick and ran out the click to beat Michigan, 17-14.

In spite of the loss, Michigan’s performance contained many silver linings. This game showcased many players and strategies that would lead Michigan to success in 1997. Cornerback Charles Woodson showed off multiple abilities, playing on defense, offense, and special teams. Griese connected with Woodson on a post pattern, which the Wolverines would use to jumpstart the offense against Ohio State the next season. Floyd displayed an impressive ability to lower his shoulder and bulldoze his way through would-be tacklers.

Then, of course, there was the defense, which held Alabama to 17 points, foreshadowing an excellent performance in 1997.

Thanks to YouTube for the ESPN broadcast of the 1997 Outback Bowl, which is attached.

Posted on

Michigan vs Alabama – Looking Back – 1988

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

The first installment of the series looking back at football games between Michigan and Alabama takes us back to the Hall of Fame Bowl on January 2, 1988. The 1987 season was a disappointment for Michigan, featuring losses to Ohio State, Notre Dame, Michigan State and Indiana. Bo Schembechler was in the twillight of his coaching career at Michigan, and he underwent cardiac bypass surgery after the regular season ended. Gary Moeller took over the reins as Michigan’s head coach for the game, providing a a preview of what was in store for the next few years.

The game began like so many Michigan games had started under Schembechler. Jamie Morris scored three touchdowns to vault Michigan to a 21-3 lead, but Alabama wasn’t done. First, quarterback Jeff Dunn connected with tight end Howard Cross for Alabama’s first touchdown. Bobby Humphrery then tacked on a couple of touchdown runs to give the Crimson Tide a 3-point lead in the fourth quarter.

With 3:42 remaining in the game, Michigan started its final drive of the game with three timeouts in hand. Demetrius Brown led the offense to the line of scrimmage, and for one final offensive series, the Wolverines showcased all their talents. Morris probed the Alabama defensive line for a short gain, then Brown connected with receiver Greg McMurtry, who weaved his way between defenders for a 31-yard gain to the Alabama 27-yard line. Brown was stopped short of the first down marker on an option play, leaving the Wolverines with a critical fourth down.

Moeller gave the Wolverine faithful a glimps of what was to come under his leadership when he instructed Brown to throw the ball on fourth down. Facing a heavy pass rush, Brown threw a desperate pass into the corner of the end zone, where John Kolesar outmaneuvered a cornerback to come down with the ball for the decisive touchdown. David Arnold then capped a marvelous performance by the Michigan defense when he intercepted a pass on the final play to seal a 28-24 victory for the Wolverines.

The 1987 season will be remembered for many fits and starts by the Wolverines, but for one glorious afternoon, Morris, Brown, Kolesar, McMurtry, Arnold, Jumbo Elliott and the rest of the Michigan team put it all together and showed the college football world their true capabilities.

Many thanks to NBC Sports, YouTube, and YouTube poster College Football Historian for the broadcast of this game. As always, we own nothing and this blog post is intended strictly for the enjoyment of readers.

Posted on

Nothing But ‘Net – Week #11 – 12/23/2024 – Lose The Tough One, Beat The Cupcake

The (#24) University of Michigan men’s basketball team played two games this past week, and they lost the first and won the second.  On Wednesday (12/18/2024), they lost to (#13)  Oklahoma 87-86 in Charlotte, NC, as part of the annual Jumpman Invitational tournament, then on Sunday (12/22/2024), they beat Purdue-Fort Wayne 89-58 in Crisler Arena.   Michigan’s record is now 9-3 (2-0 in Big Ten).

What Happened?

First of all, if you read my article last week, I said that Michigan only played one game this week (Oklahoma); I completely missed the Purdue-Fort Wayne game.  Oops.

Despite what I said last week, Michigan played two games this week, and they lost a heartbreaker to Oklahoma (the tough game), then walloped Purdue-Fort Wayne (the cupcake).  Unfortunately, the win over PFW doesn’t count nearly as much as a win over Oklahoma would have.  Also unfortunately, a close, heartbreaking loss still counts as a loss.

There isn’t much to say about the win over PFW, but there’s a lot to say about the loss to Oklahoma.  Once again, it was a high-profile, winnable game, and Michigan let it slip away in the last minute.  All three of Michigan’s losses have been like that: very close (2 points vs. Wake Forest, 2 points vs. Arkansas, and 1 point vs. Oklahoma), they’ve all been high-profile opponents, they’ve all been on a neutral court, they’ve all been winnable, and they’ve all slipped away in the final minute.   Michigan could very well be 11-0 and ranked in the Top 5, but they’ve thrown away three golden opportunities.

There are only four schools that wear Jumpman gear from Nike: Michigan, Florida, North Carolina, and Oklahoma.  Michigan has now played each of the other three schools once each in the Jumpman Invitational, and they are 0-3.

On the positive side, Michigan has now won more games (9) than they did all last season (8-24).

Game Flow

The Oklahoma game was close early, with Michigan leading 11-10 at the 15:18 mark.  Michigan went on a 10-3 run to open up a little breathing room, 21-13, with 12:04 to go, and they kept the lead in the 5-7 point range for the rest of the half, leading by 5 points (43-38) at halftime.

As they have done so often in big games this season, Michigan opened the 2nd half poorly, letting OU tie it up (43-43) at the 19:09 mark.  Fortunately, Michigan went on an 11-0 run over the next 4 minutes, and led by 11 points (54-43) with 15:13 to go.  OU kept chipping away at the lead, getting within 3 points at one point (58-55), but Michigan pushed the lead back up to 11 points (68-57) with 9:55 left.  OU kept grinding, and they finally caught and passed Michigan at the 5:51 mark, 76-74.  OU kept the lead in the 2-4 point range for a few minutes, but Michigan tied the game (82-82) with 2:12 to go.  UM went ahead (86-83) with 1:14 to go, and they even got the stops they needed, but they couldn’t buy a basket in the last minute, and OU hit a 4-point play with 11 seconds left to go up by 1 point (87-86).  Michigan had one last shot to win the game, but they missed, and that was it.

I’ve watched the replay of the game-tying 3-pointer that OU made with 11 seconds left, and I sure can’t see a foul to make it a 4-point play.  The OU player did the right thing by stumbling and falling down after he shot, but no one touched him, and the refs fell for it.

The game flow for the PFW game is irrelevant.  Michigan led the whole way, opening up a nice lead early (23-4 at the 12:11 mark), and never letting PFW get within 10 points.  They finally got the lead over 20 points (35-14 with 6:27 to go), and led by 25 at halftime (54-29).

Unlike the OU game, Michigan opened the 2nd half on fire.  They went on a 7-0 run in the first 79 seconds, and led 61-29 at the 18:41 mark.  At this point, the game was over.  Michigan pushed the lead into the 30s, and cruised to a 31-point win.

Stats

The stats for the Oklahoma game were just OK.  Michigan shot pretty well overall (30-for-64 = 46.9%), they shot 3-pointers terribly (4-for-28 = 14.3%), and they shot free throws well (22-for-26 = 84.6%).  They won the rebounding battle (37-32) and the turnover battle (10-13).  They lost this game with very poor 3-point shooting.

The stats for the FPW game were very nice.  Michigan shot well overall (37-for-59 = 62.7%), they shot 3-pointers well (10-for-21 = 47.6%), and they shot free throws well (5-for-6 = 83.3%).  The rebounding stats are almost unbelievable: Michigan outrebounded PFW 48-17.  However, the turnover stats are the opposite: Michigan had 18 turnovers, PFW had 6.  Michigan won this game with superior shooting and rebounding.  They would have won by a lot more without all the silly turnovers.

Who Started?

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

Who Looked Good?

Goldin was the star of the Oklahoma game, with 26 points (a new career high) on excellent shooting: 10-for-12 overall, and 6-for-7 on free throws.  He also had 11 rebounds, for an impressive double-double.  He was the 2nd leading scorer for Michigan in the PFW game, with 13 points, once again on great shooting: 6-for-7 overall.  He had a great week.

Donaldson was the leading scorer for Michigan in the PFW game, with 16 points.  He also had 14 points in the Oklahoma game.

Wolf had one good game (15 points and 10 rebounds vs. Oklahoma) and one decent game (4 points and 13 rebounds vs. PFW).  He was the leader in assists in both games, with 5 in each.

Gayle had a good week, with 15 and 12 points.

Burnett had a pretty good week, with 8 and 10 points.

Justin Pippen had the best game of his young career, with 10 points and 4 rebounds vs. PFW.  He didn’t attempt a shot vs. Oklahoma.

Rubin Jones chipped in some points off the bench, with 5 and 3 points.

Will Tschetter had one decent game (9 points and 4 rebounds vs. PFW) and one weak game (0 points vs. Oklahoma).

Sam Walters chipped in some points off the bench, with 3 and 7 points.  He shot terribly vs. Oklahoma (1-for-6, all 3-point attempts), but a little better vs. PFW (3-for-6 overall, 1-for-4 from deep).

L.J. Cason only played in the PFW game, and he scored 5 points.

Who Looked Not-So-Good?

All the mainstream players looked OK this week.

Who Else Played?

Phat Phat Brooks played for 6 minutes in the PFW game, but didn’t attempt a shot.

Ian Burns played for 1 minute in the PFW game, but didn’t attempt a shot.

Howard Eisley Jr. played for a few seconds in the PFW game, but didn’t attempt a shot.

Harrison Hochberg played for 1 minute in the PFW game, but didn’t attempt a shot.

Jace Howard played for 8 minutes in the PFW game, and went 0-for-2.

Charlie May played for a few seconds in the PFW game, but didn’t attempt a shot.

Who Didn’t Play?

Everyone on the team played in at least one game.  The Scout Team players played in the final minute of the PFW game.

What Does It Mean?

The Oklahoma game was Michigan’s last chance to beat a big-name ranked opponent in non-conference play, and they blew it.  This loss, and the other two losses to big-name opponents (Wake Forest and Arkansas), could come back to haunt Michigan when at-large bids are being considered for the NCAA Tournament.  Any one of those games would have been a big win on their resume.  Michigan has to learn how to hang onto the decent leads they get in just about every game, and how to close out the close games as victories.

The other result of losing the Arkansas and Oklahoma games: dropping back out of the Top 25.  Michigan was ranked #14 two weeks ago and #24 last week, but they’ll surely be out of the Top 25 when the new poll comes out this afternoon.  They’ll need to win 5 or 6 games in a row without a loss to sneak back into the Top 25, which would take the whole month of January.  They had a chance to stay ranked, but they had to win at least one of those games.

What’s Next?

This week, Michigan only plays one game, their last non-conference game.  On Sunday (12/29/2024, 8:00 p.m., BTN), they play Western Kentucky in Crisler Arena.

Western Kentucky is currently 9-3, with no impressive wins.  They don’t have any noteworthy players, but they do have some height: three 6’11” players.  This is a game that Michigan should win, but only if they play under control.  If they have too many silly turnovers, they could lose to anyone.

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

Go Blue!