Great Moments In Harbaugh: 1985 South Carolina Comment Count

Ace

Previously: 1984 Miami, 1985 Notre Dame

The Highlights: WolverineHistorian

The Setup: After their season-opening triumph over Notre Dame, Michigan traveled to Williams-Brice Stadium to face 11th-ranked South Carolina, off to a 2-0 start after a breakout 10-2 season in 1984 under coach Joe Morrison. Morrison, who'd taken over in 1983, had quickly injected life into a mediocre program by introducing both a high-flying offense and an intimidating new tradition for home games, described by Bo Schembechler in Bo's Lasting Lessons:

Those men down in South Carolina, they know how to take the field. We were already on the field when I told my guys, "I want you to see this!"

The speakers boomed the theme song from 2001: A Space Odyssey, which builds really slowly. Then they started pumping a thick fog by the players' tunnel, and the crowd started going nuts as the anticipation built.

Our guys were getting jacked up just waiting for them to come out. "C'MON, WHATYA—SCARED? GET ON OUT HERE!" Until finally the Gamecocks came flying out of that tunnel—dressed all in black! I lost my hearing for a few minutes from that music blaring and the crowd screaming. God that was great. That is how you take the field. THAT is college football!

South Carolina's 1984 season was called the "Black Magic" year because Morrison would wear all black on gameday. The 1985 season wouldn't prove worthy of a nickname. 

The Game: South Carolina opened the game with another proud Gamecock tradition: nearly decapitating diminutive Michigan running backs. Here's Bo again:

We started the game with the ball and sent Thomas Wilcher on our standard off-tackle play. Their linebacker came in from out of nowhere, and Wilcher's helmet flew off—and he was ready to go! I'm telling you, from the opening kickoff, the entire atmosphere in that stadium was electric.

While Willie Hill's hit didn't make WolverineHistorian's highlight reel, it's preserved elsewhere on YouTube:

Hill may have set the tone, but Michigan more than matched it. The defense shut down an SC offense featuring College Football Hall of Famer and five-time Pro Bowl selection Sterling Sharpe. When Jim Harbaugh opened the scoring with an option keeper near the goal line (GIF'd at top of post), Michigan led the yardage battle with 110 to SC's negative-one.

The triple-option offense would remain effective for the duration. Jamie Morris put the Wolverines up 14-0 when Harbaugh chose to pitch near the goal line; Morris would finish with 95 yards, Wilcher with 104, and Harbaugh with 45 on just seven carries. As a team, Michigan finished with 324 rushing yards on 5.3 YPC.

Michigan's defense proved every bit as dominant as the offense, limiting the Gamecocks to 202 total yards—including just 35 through the air—and forcing four turnovers. South Carolina mustered a field goal at the end of the first half. That would be their only score of the game. Four different Wolverines—Harbaugh, Morris, Wilcher, and Gerald White—tallied rushing touchdowns, and Mike Gillette's two field goals brought the final score to 34-3.

The Harbaugh: As you can tell from the above, Harbaugh didn't need to throw the ball a whole lot. When he did, he moved the ball in solid chunks, finishing 12/22 for 164 yards (7.5 YPA) and one pick. His primary target was 6'8", 240-pound receiver Paul Jokisch, who took advantage of mismatches to tally 115 yards on five catches, including this 41-yarder to set up the game's opening score:

Poor #29 is eye-level with Jokisch's armpit. Hell of a blitz pickup by Morris there, too.

The Most '80s Screencap of the Game:

White pants after Labor Day? Standard uniform in the age of Miami Vice.

Comments

readyourguard

June 10th, 2015 at 2:45 PM ^

Watch that line:  Clay Miller, Mike Husar, John Vitale (RIP), Mark Hammerstein, Jumbo Elliot, and the criminally underrated Eric Kattus.  That line could move people out of the way.  I got my ass kicked by that line for 4 years.

father fisch

June 10th, 2015 at 4:00 PM ^

I was at the game in 1985.  Some buddies and I drove down to Columbia for theweekend.  One of my friends was in the marching band and got us tickets.  We sat behind the Harbaugh family: Jack; John; Joani; and mom! 

Besides being a great road trip, sitting one row behind Jim's family was a trip too!

raleighwood

June 10th, 2015 at 4:52 PM ^

When I first read your post I thought, "Wait a minute, shouldn't Jack have been coaching at WMU that day?"  I checked the internets and apparently the Broncos had a bye on 09/21.

That was my Junior year at Western and I surprisingly do not remember this game.  I remember the Minnesota game, Iowa game, Illinois game.......but not the South Carolina game.  It must have been on TV, right?  Strange.

Joani Harbaugh was actually in my tennis class the next fall.  Her first year, and Jack's last year, at WMU.

 

UM Indy

June 10th, 2015 at 8:42 PM ^

I want to get back to the days of going in to a quality opponent's place and kicking the shit out of them. Seems like Michigan has been intimidated and unprepared when it plays on the road for going on a decade. If anyone can bring confidence and preparation to road games, it's Jimmy.




Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad

jimtresselissatan

June 11th, 2015 at 1:13 PM ^

And it was glorious. Hot, too. I recall a couple of South Carolina band members passing out on the field while they waited to play the national anthem before the game. And the people were so polite. I was congratulated five or six times by strangers for Michigan's performance.

superstringer

June 11th, 2015 at 2:52 PM ^

There is more backstory to this game -- it was somewhat historically significant.

IIRC...

UM hadn't traveled south of the Mason Dixon line since, well a Georgia Tech game -- yes, THAT GT game.  (If you don't know what that means... well... google is your friend...)  UM had refused to schedule them.  This game was going to break that streak.

And this was also supposed to be USC's (NTUSC) coming-out party.  They were going to show a traditional power who was the new kid on the block.  There were stories ahead of the game how USC thought this was going to put them on the map.  I think that USC was in the ACC at the time; they didn't have LSU and 'Bama and Tennessee to get them attention.  And FSU and Miami weren't in the ACC either.  Only Clemson (pronouced "Clemp-suhn"), their arch-rival, got lots of national attention.  So... how'd that work out for them, 31-3?  Not so much, right.

Finally... I remember a story that the best weight-lifters on the Gamecocks team got designated as -- are you ready for this -- the IRON COCKS.  I do not make that stuff up.

I also remember watching the game on the rooftop of Williams Hall in West Quad, and it was a very sunny afternoon (3:30pm start)... and a few of girls from 5th floor were in really skimpy outfits... and I really don't remember a whole lot of the game itself, honestly, not sure why.