Tag: Adrian Arrington

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š¯‘³š¯‘¶š¯‘¶š¯‘²š¯‘°š¯‘µš¯‘® š¯‘©š¯‘Øš¯‘Ŗš¯‘²: š¯‘´š¯‘°š¯‘Ŗš¯‘Æš¯‘°š¯‘®š¯‘Øš¯‘µ š¯‘½š¯‘ŗ. š¯‘´š¯‘°š¯‘Ŗš¯‘Æš¯‘°š¯‘®š¯‘Øš¯‘µ š¯‘ŗš¯‘»š¯‘Øš¯‘»š¯‘¬, 2006

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

This weekā€™s series looks back at the football rivalry between Michigan and Michigan State. The first installment takes us back to 2006. The previous season had been a disappointment for Wolverine fans, but 2006 turned out to be a renaissance year. A big win over Notre Dame served notice that Michigan was back, setting the stage for a memorable season.

This series has mostly been about smash-mouth football. However, every now and then, someone tries something new. Michigan State head coach John L. Smith was in his fourth season, and his teams ran a spread offense. By contrast, Michigan coach Lloyd Carr used a multiple offense. However, the Wolverines leaned heavily on a time-tested formula, relying on a stingy defense and the running of Mike Hart behind a dominant offensive line. On this day, Michiganā€™s reliable formula worked to perfection. As the game unfolded, Michigan used that balance to set up Chad Henneā€™s first touchdown pass to Adrian Arrington. This play put the Wolverines in front. In 2006, once the Michigan defense was handed a lead, the Wolverines were usually in pretty good shape.

With a 7-0 lead, Michigan continued to pound away with Hart running the ball, almost lulling the Spartans to sleep. After repeated runs, Henne found Mario Manningham wide open for a 41-yard touchdown pass, and the rout was on.

From that pont, Michigan cruised to a 31-13 win that was most dominant than the score would indicate. The Wolverines were never seriously threatened, and this game set them on a collision course with Ohio State.

This and other great content can be found at newyorkwolverine.com

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Michigan vs Michigan State Football — Looking Back – 2006

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

The third installment of this yearā€™s series looking back at the football rivalry between Michigan and Michigan State takes us to 2006. The previous year had been a disappointment for the Wolverines, and some changes were made. Ron English was introduced as the new defensive coordinator, and he promptly had the Wolverinesā€™ defensive players running sprints on the golf course just south of Michigan Stadium. Another difference was the fact that running back Mike Hart was finally healthy.

But the biggest difference might have been Michiganā€™s hunger. After two relatively lackluster seasons, the Wolverines were hearing it, from fans, alumni,and the national media. That hunger was on display throughout 2006, as the Wolverines seemed to give just that extra little bit of effort on almost every play, giving Michigan supporters the results they crave.

That fierce determination was evident early against Michigan State, as the Wolverines marched downfield with attitude. Hart shoved would-be tacklers out of his way and quarterback Chad Henne found receivers with ease, connecting with Adrian Arrington and Mario Manningham for a pair of first-half touchdowns that led Michigan to a 17-0 halftime lead. That dominance continued in the second half as the Wolverines roared to a 31-7 lead, effectively ending the game before the start of the fourth quarter.

One thing the 2006 game illustrated is a trait that seems unique to this rivalry. The team that plays old school, fundamentally sound, basic, hard-hitting football usually comes out on top. Spread offenses, whether coached by John L. Williams or Rich Rodriguez, seldom work in this rivalry. More often than not, the team that runs the ball, particularly using some derivative of the pro-set or I-formation offense, usually wins the game.

The victory kept Michigan on the road to a classic, season-ending showdown in Columbus, but thatā€™s a story for another day.

Thanks to youtube poster WolverineHistorian and ESPN for the attached highlight video. As always, we own nothing, and this video and blog post are provided strictly for the enjoyment of our readers.