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.
The second installment of the series looking at the football rivalry between Michigan and Michigan State takes us back 20 years, to 2004. Michigan had won the Big Ten championship the previous season, and the team was entering a new era. Chad Henne, Jake Long and Mike Hart emerged as freshman leaders on a Michigan squad building for the future. Following an early loss to Notre Dame, Michigan started to build momentum, and the Wolverines entered the game against Michigan State firing on all cylinders.
As the game began, Michigan misfired early and often, while Michigan State played inspired football. DeAndra Cobb scored on a pair of long touchdown runs, and the Spartans took a 27-10 lead early in the fourth quarter. Time appeared to be running out on the Wolverines, setting the scene for a comeback for the ages.
Michigan began its comeback with only 8:43 remaining in the fourth quarter. After Michigan got a field goal, Brian Thompson fell on the ball after it bounced off a Spartan, giving Michigan possession. Suddenly, Michigan was playing with a sense of reckless abandonment. With 6:12 left to play, Henne threw what amounted to a jump ball into the end zone, and Braylon Edwards came down with both the ball and the momentum. Now, the Wolverines were buoyed by a wave of positive emotion and energy. Several minutes later, Edwards made an eerily similar catch to tie the score with less then three minutes left in regulation time. Michigan State had one final chance to win the game before going to overtime, but Dave Raynerā€™s field goal attempt wasnā€™t even close, and the two old foes went to overtime.
As overtime began, the sun dipped below the rim of the stadium, adding an element of intrigue to a game filled with tension. The teams traded body blows through the first couple of overtime sessions, and then Henne found Edwards on a post pattern to give Michigan the lead. Then Henne connected with Tim Massaquoi in the back of the north end zone to give Michigan an eight-point lead, its first lead of the game. For the first time in the entire game, Michiganā€™s defense took the field with a lead to protect. After a long, frustrating afternoon, the Wolverines finally had the Spartans where they wanted them!
Fittingly, the game came down to a fourth down play. Spartan quarterback Damon Dowdell rolled out, and threw a pass into the end zone, where Michigan defensive back Markus Curry was able to get just a finger on the ball, redirecting it harmlessly away from the receiver. The Wolverines and their fans felt both exhilaration and relief at the same time, as Michigan pulled out a 45-37 win over Michigan State in triple overtime in one of the most dramatic games the rivals have ever played.
The season ended in bittersweet fashion for the Wolverines. Michigan tied Iowa for the Big Ten championship, but lost to arch rival Ohio State and fell to Texas in the Rose Bowl, leaving Michigan fans with a bad taste in their mouths.
Still, that doesnā€™t take away from the game that Edwards had. Decades from now, students at that game will tell their grandchildren that they watched Edwards grab lightning in a bottle when Michigan beat Michigan State in 2004. It doesnā€™t get much better than that!
Thanks to ESPN Classic, YouTube, and YouTube poster RXwolverine for the video of this game. As always, we own nothing, and this blog post is provided strictly for the enjoyment of readers.
The second installment of the series looking back at the Little Brown Jug rivalry takes us to 2006. The Wolverines had suffered a rare loss to Minnesota the previous season, and that defeat was still fresh in their minds. This year, Michigan would make things right.
Mike Hart spearheaded the Michigan attack from the opening kickoff. His no-nonsense approach set the tone for the game, making it obvious immediately that Michigan was the superior team. Hartā€™s consistent runs on the first series forced the Minnesota defense to concentrate on the Wolverinesā€™ running game, leaving Adrian Arrington all alone in the end zone to catch his first touchdown pass of the game from Chad Henne. The two connected minutes later for a second touchdown, and Michigan was up, 14-0.
The Gophers wouldnā€™t go quietly, though. Bryan Cupito found Logan Payne in the end zone to cut Michiganā€™s lead to 14-7, and Minnesota showed some life, but the Wolverines werenā€™t fazed. Using a balanced attack, Michigan marched down the field methodically, and on a first down at the Minnesota 41-yard line, Henne threw a strike to Mario Manningham to put Michigan up, 21-7. The quick response left little doubt that there would be no upset this time. Michigan added a cosmetic touchdown in the fourth quarter, and the Wolverines won, 28-14, to bring the Little Brown Jug back to Ann Arbor.
The win was one of 11 for the Wolverines in 2006, as the entire team sought to rebound from the lackluster 2005 campaign. The season had a sour ending, but for most of the year, Michigan played exceptional football, making the 2006 campaign a memorable one.
Many thanks to ESPN, YouTube and YouTube poster CFB Archive for the video of this game. As always, we own nothing and this blog post is provided strictly for the enjoyment of readers.
Phil and Clint discuss Michigan’s 41-17 dismantling of Penn State, the incredible running back tandem of Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards, QB JJ McCarthy’s evolution, and Jim Harbaugh’s handling of the media. With audio from QB JJ McCarthy, RB Donovan Edwards, DE Mike Morris, and Jim Harbaugh.
Phil and Clint discuss Michigan’s 31-10 victory over Indiana, the status of Mike Hart, discuss the Wolverines at the halfway point of the schedule, and look ahead to the first real test of the season – Penn State.
