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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.
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.