Tag: Dennis Franklin

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Michigan vs Michigan State Football — Looking Back – 1973

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

The second installment of this year’s series looking back at classic games in the rivalry between Michigan and Michigan State takes us back 40 years, to 1973.

The year started with a flurry of events. CBS sold the New York Yankees to a 12-person syndicate headed by George Stainbrenner and in late January, President Richard Nixon announced that a peace agreement had been reached to end the war in Vietnam. In September, Yankee Stadium closed at the conclusion of the baseball season to begin a two-year renovation project.

In college football, Michigan entered the ’73 campaign with a roster that could certainly be called “loaded.” Mult-threat quarterback Dennis Franklin ran the offense, and tight end Paul Seal, a fierce blocker, was a favorite passing target. Franklin and Seal were joined by running backs Ed Shuttlesworth, Gil Chapman and Chuck Heather on the All-Big Ten squad. Defensive end Dave Gallagher and defensive back Dave Brown, both consensus All-America selections, headlilned the defense. Strong-legged Vietnam veteran MIke Lantry handled the placekicking duties.

Michigan State limped into the game with a 1-3 record, but as every Wolverine knows, the Spartans are dangerous in the rivalry game, particularly when they’re at home. Michigan entered the game as the heavy favorite, but more than 78,000 fans jammed Spartan Stadium, including many hoping for an upset.

The Wolverines probably would not have lost to anyone on this day. Five years into the Bo Schembechler era, Michigan was playing some of the best football of any Bo team. Once the game started, “53” seemed to become Michigan’s magin number. Brown scored on a 53-yard punt return with Chapman adding a 53-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. Lantry had a 35-yard field goal in between, and the Wolverines opened up a 17-0 lead by halftime.

With the game being played in a steady rain, Michigan State had one hope for the second half: If the rain forced Michigan to fumble the ball, State had a chance. The rain kept coming, but Michigan kept control of the ball. In the fourth quarter, Franklin connected with Seal for a short touchdown pass and Shuttlesworth run for a touchdown to make the final score, Michigan 31, Michigan State 0.

Michigan never lost a game in 1973, ending its season with a 10-10 tie against Ohio State, and a share of the Big Ten championship. The Wolverines were robbed af a trip to the Rose Bowl and a possible shot at the national championship when the Big Ten athletic directors awarded the Rose Bowl berth to Ohio State, but that’s a story for another day. The bottom line is that the 1973 Wolverines finished undefeated and posted one of the greatest seasons in Michigan football history.

I couldn’t find any video of this game, so we’ll have to settle for the attached copy of the box score from the Bentley Library. Thanks to Michigan State University and the University of Michigan for this copy of the box score. As always, I own nothing and i do not profit from this blog post in any way.

http://websites.umich.edu/~bhlumrec/athdept/fbstats/1973msuB.pdf
websites.umich.edu

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Michigan vs Ohio State Football – Looking Back – 1973

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

The third installment of this year’s series looking back at the football rivalry between Michigan and Ohio State takes us to 1973, one of the most interesting years of the 20th century. TV viewers watched the Watergate hearings in the afternoon, the United States continued to face challenges related to Vietnam, the Mets rallied to top the Cincinnati Reds and win the National League pennant, and Yankee Stadium closed for two years to undergo renovations.

The college football world was just as interesting in 1973, as Michigan and Ohio State both entered “The Game” with perfect records. This was the midpoint of the “Ten-year War” between Bo Schembechler and Ohio State coach Woody Hayes, and tensions were at an all-time high. Before the game began, Woody and his troops fanned the flames of the rivalry by tearing down the M Club banner that Michigan players traditionally ran under to enter every home game.

The game itself was divided into two very different halves. In the first half, Ohio State grabbed a 10-0 lead. Michigan was not without big plays, but the shame is that Michigan’s biggest play of the first half was wiped out by a clipping penalty. Gil Chapman took an Ohio State kickoff two yards deep in his own end zone, and zig-zagged his way to the Ohio State 28-yard line before he was tackled. Unfortunately, the ball was brought all the way back to the Michigan 12-yard line, seriously damaging a Michigan scoring opportunity.

Ohio State led, 10-0, and the halftime break, but the second half was all Michigan. In the fourth quarter, the Michigan offense started to hit its stride. Quarterback Dennis Franklin connected with tight end Paul Seal for a 27-yard gain, a play that probably should have been used more often. Then, on 4th down and 1 yard to go at the Ohio State 10-yard line, Franklin kept the ball and darted through the Ohio State defensive line for a 10-yard touchdown, and after Mike Lantry kicked the extra point, the game was tied.

And that’s how it ended, as well. Lantry, who did three tours of duty in Vietnam, missed a pair of field goal attempts in the final minutes, and the final score was Michigan 10, Ohio State 10. Most observers felt that Michigan got the better of the play, having outgained Ohio State in yardage, 333-234. Michigan had 16 first downs to nine for Ohio State. Then there was the passing. Michigan completed nine passes for 99 yards, while Ohio State did not complete one pass. Not one.

Still, it was a tie. On the possession following Franklin’s tying touchdown, he left the game with a fractured collarbone after being hit hard by Ohio State defensive end Van DeCree. In the event of a tie, the Big Ten athletic directors voted on which team should represent the conference in the Rose Bowl. In a vote shrouded in secrecy, Ohio State was named as the representative for the Big Ten Conference. Among the many things that irk Michigan fans is that this happened in a year when Michigan had the type of team that was built to beat the champion of the Pacific 8 conference, USC. Instead, the Wolverines wound up sitting at home on New Year’s Day.

Long forgotten by most people is the fact that this Michigan team went undefeated, finishing the season with a record of 10 wins, no losses and one tie. In addition, both the National Championship Foundation and the Poling System recognized Michigan as co-national champions for the 1973 season. Thanks to the Big Ten Network for the broadcast of the game. As always, we own nothing, and this blog post is intended purely for the enjoyment of readers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDksd–1VwI&t=1932s