Tag: Tom Brady

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𝑳𝑶𝑶𝑲𝑰𝑵𝑮 𝑩𝑨𝑪𝑲: 𝑴𝑰𝑪𝑯𝑰𝑮𝑨𝑵 𝑽𝑺. 𝑴𝑰𝑪𝑯𝑰𝑮𝑨𝑵 𝑺𝑻𝑨𝑻𝑬, 1998

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

The fifth and final installment of this week’s series looking back at the football rivalry between Michigan and Michigan State takes us to 1998. The previous year had been one of the greatest seasons of the last half century. Michigan fans, players, and alumni spent months basking in the glory. They followed that up with a stadium renovation that made Michigan Stadium the largest on-campus stadium in the nation. And the Wolverines signed Drew Henson, the nation’s top-rated quarterback prospect. It seemed as if there weren’t enough accolades in the world for the Michigan football program.

Then came the hangover. Michigan lost its first two games of the 1998 season. By the fourth week of the season, the opponent was Michigan State, and the Spartans were hungry for some revenge.

Plaxico Burress gave Michigan State an early 10-3 lead with a catch in the north end zone. He then introduced himself to Grady Brooks on the ensuing kickoff. The meeting didn’t go well for Brooks, and Michigan State wound up with the football. The Michigan defense stopped the Spartans, and then Anthony Thomas took matters into his own hands. Thomas ran 70 yards on a counter for the tying touchdown. With that play, Michigan was wide awake.

Then a young quarterback named Tom Brady began to show off his talent. Brady displayed surgical precision in connecting with his receivers. His fade pass to Tai Streets in the north end zone gave Michigan its first lead of the game. As the teams went into the locker room at halftime, Michigan held a tenuous 3-point lead. It looked as if the 1998 game would be another nail-biter between the two in-state foes.

Instead, the second half showcased Michigan’s quiet dominance. The Wolverines produced the type of performance that has warmed the hearts of “Old Blues” for generations. Jay Feely made his third field goal of the day. Brady connected with Marcus Knight for what seemed like a 49-yard touchdown pass. The officials spotted the ball just short of the goal line. Then, Brady sneaked over for a touchdown to give Michigan the winning margin of 29-17.

The Wolverines had a slow start that year. However, they enjoyed a fair amount of success in 1998. They finished the season with 10 wins. They also claimed a victory over Arkansas in the Citrus Bowl. The most critical win of the season was on a late September day against Michigan State. That day, the Wolverines got back to basics.

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

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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.

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Big Ten Openers – – Michigan State — Looking Back – 1998

Looking Back is a Special Feature by Jeff Cummins

The fifth and final installment of this week’s series looking back at Big Ten openers takes us to 1998. The year started out perfectly. The national economy was roaring and our beloved Michigan Wolverines were national champions, having just completed a perfect season. If that wasn’t enough, Michigan added 5,000 seats to Michigan Stadium in the offseason to reclaim the title of largest on-campus football stadium in the United States, and the team had just signed the top-ranked quarterback recruit (Drew Henson) and top-ranked running back recruit (Justin Fargas) in the nation. It sure was great to be a Michigan Wolverine!

It was so great, in fact, that the party never seemed to end for the Wolverines. Many a back was patted, and many a drink enjoyed. Unfortunately, the new season arrived with all the charm of a hangover. Charles Woodson was gone, off to the NFL. Marcus Ray was suspended for a few games for communicating with an agent. Quarterback Brian Griese had graduated, and he was replaced by some new guy. Hey, what happened to the party? Where did everybody go?

Yes, things started off so poorly that Michigan violated one of Bo Schembechler’s cardinal rules, allowing one loss to become two losses. Michigan woke up against Eastern Michigan, but the Big Ten opener would bring a much more challenging foe.

Yes, by late September, Michigan knew it had to start playing serious football again, and just in the nick of time, because Nick Saban was leading a bunch of angry behemoths in green helmets down the Michigan Stadium tunnel. All the accolades that Michigan had received the previous season seemed a distant memory now; reality was setting in.

Fortunately for Michigan, facing Michigan State proved to be just the tonic for the Wolverines. Michigan State jumped out to an early 3-0 lead, but the Wolverines wasted no time answering. Anthony Thomas received the ensuing kickoff, and kept running, all the way into Spartan territory. Quarterback Tom Brady taught everyone his name, as he started throwing pinpoint passes that penetrated the Michigan State defense.

Still, it wouldn’t be easy. Plaxico Burress hauled in a touchdown pass to give Michigan State the lead, and he gave the Spartans possession of the ball on the ensuing kickoff when he hit Grady Brooks and caused a fumble. Unfazed by the Michigan State theatrics, the Michigan defense stopped the Spartans, and then Brady responded by handing the ball to Anthony Thomas, who rumbled 70 yards for the tying score. Suddenly, Michigan State had to respect Thomas and the counter trey run, which left the Spartans’ secondary vulnerable. Brady responded by throwing a fade in the corner of the north end zone to Tai Streets, who outjumped a cornerback to pull down the ball, giving Michigan a 17-10 lead. Jay Feely extended Michigan’s lead to 10 points, but this was still a Michigan vs. Michigan State game. There was still some drama left, and it occurred when James Whitley fumbled a punt, which was recovered by State’s Aric Morris. A few minutes later, Michigan State QB Bill Burke snuck over from the 1-yard line, and Michigan went to the locker room at halftime nursing a 20-17 lead.

The drama ended in the second half. Michigan went back to basics in all three phases of the game, gradually establishing unmistakable control. A long drive by the Wolverines resulted in another Feely field goal. Michigan led by six points in the fourth quarter when Brady threw a 48-yard dagger to Marcus Knight that was ruled short of the goal line. Undaunted, Brady snuck over the goal line on the next play to give Michigan firm control of the game.

The Michigan defense then shut door on the Spartans, stifling the last of their opportunities, as Michigan held on to win, 29-17.

The 1998 season started out in rocky fashion, but the Wolverines made the best of things, finishing with a 45-31 win over Arkansas in the Florida Citrus Bowl.

Many thanks to ABC Sports, YouTube, and YouTube poster Pizza Pizzichetti for the video of this game. As always, we own nothing and this blog post is provided strictly for the enjoyment of readers.

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Michigan vs Michigan State Football — Looking Back – 1998

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.