Previously: Krushed By Stauskas (Illinois 2014), Introducing #ChaosTeam (Indiana 2009), Revenge is Terrifying (Colorado 1996), Four Games In September I (Boston College 1991), Four Games In September II (Boston College 1994), Four Games In September III (Boston College 1995)

This game: WolverineHistorian highlights, full game, box score

If you missed it, Part One—covering the leadup and the first half—was posted earlier this week.

Michigan enters halftime at the Rose Bowl losing 14-6 to an underdog UCLA team. Redshirt freshman quarterback Elvis Grbac is 4-for-9 for 32 yards and a pick in his first start. He hasn't looked confident. Naturally, this gives Bo Schembechler the opportunity to tell the youngster some war stories (via the Michigan Daily archive):

Before we get to see if this particular tack is effective, the defense needs to stop a Bruins offense that outgained Michigan's 147-106 in the first half. (Yes, that's ugly by 1989 standards, too.)

The second half opens with an overhead shot of Los Angeles at dusk—sadly, sunset evidently occurred during halftime—and Bob Griese play-coughs at the sight of the smog. "Stop it," says a bemused Keith Jackson, who doesn't miss a beat as he calls the subsequent UCLA kickoff return. I dream of the day we have Futurama-style floating heads of these two calling every Michigan game.

UCLA works their way to midfield with their rushing attack and a timely third-down scramble from QB Bret Johnson, who Griese is really trying to play up as an athletic version of Troy Aikman. On the next third down, Johnson rifles a throw to redshirt sophomore Erick Anderson:

Anderson is a standout linebacker for Michigan.

[Hit THE JUMP for Keithstradamus, a comeback, and unexpected special teams excellence.]

Leroy Hoard, who's already had one fumble recovered by a teammate and another (correctly) overturned after the officials conferred, nearly gives the ball back on another fumble. Tackle Greg Skrepenak, conservatively listed at 6'8", 322 pounds, comes up with the ball. “Skrepenak, 75, was down there. And when that big fella gets around the ball, forget it. That’s a house,” says Jackson. 

While Private Grbac isn't able to lead the offense all the way for a touchdown, he connects with tight end Derrick Walker up the seam for a 21-yard gain to set up JD Carlson's third field goal, which is true from 43 yards out to cut UCLA's lead to 14-9.

On the ensuing Bruins drive, one may think Jackson gets confused about the downs for a moment. When you realize he's sensed a "turning of the tides" and watch what happens next, however, you realize he's simply gazing into the future:

Tripp Welborne's 63-yard punt return leads to three straight runs for Hoard, who dives over the pile on the third to make it 15-14, Michigan. UCLA jumped offsides on the touchdown run and the rules allow for Michigan to choose whether to apply the penalty on the conversion or the kickoff. Even though the Wolverines are going for two, Bo chooses to take the yardage on the kickoff. Grbac can't find an open receiver on the two-point attempt. I don't have a good explanation for this.

Once again, UCLA can't convert a third down near midfield, but not throwing the ball to the other team allows offensive coordinator Greg Robinson—yes, that Greg Robinson, at offensive coordinator—to gamble on fourth-and-one. Throwing 20 yards downfield to a tight end wearing #95 with your redshirt freshman quarterback is certainly a roll of the dice, one that somehow pays off with a highlight catch and a great Jackson call:

At this moment, Jackson points out that UCLA hasn't had a run longer than seven yards. The GERG offense! Incidentally, that offense goes negative-two yards from there, setting up a 45-yard attempt from a kicker who appears to have checked into UCLA under an assumed name created in a Brian Grubb fever dream:

This is the first year college kickers are required to kick field goals and extra points off the ground without the aid of a tee. "Alfredo Velasco" drills the kick with room to spare. Whoever he is, he's quite good. After three quarters, it's 17-15, UCLA.

Michigan's fumble luck turns when UCLA's Marvcus Patton turns the corner and strips Grbac. Patton makes this play despite wearing a neck roll designed for an astronaut and a cast on his right thumb:

[Flava Flav voice] Nineteen-eighty-nine!

The defense holds strong, however, and Anderson sacks Johnson to take UCLA out of field goal range. The Bruins pin Michigan at the 13-yard line. We come back from commercial to this view:

Tony Boles rips off a first down run to get Michigan out of their own red zone. On third-and-one, however, Hoard puts the ball on the grass yet again, and this time UCLA pounces on it. Anticipating a scoring drive, Jackson says, "that one right there could cost them any chance at this ballgame."

After getting another fortunate bounce after a fumble, the Bruins work their way to third-and-goal. Johnson throws a touchdown pass to a different tight end wearing a number in the 90s. It's now 23-15 with 5:42 to play. Michigan's outlook is bleak.

The special teams unit that failed them so badly in the previous week's loss to Notre Dame, however, continues to come up huge. "Velasco" doesn't get much air on his extra point attempt, which is blocked by a high-flying Vada Murray, keeping the Wolverines within a touchdown and a two-pointer.

But the offense goes three-and-out, giving UCLA the ball back with 4:29 to play. "If they’re to have any chance to win this ballgame, they have gotta set UCLA down and take the ball away from them," says Keithstradamus. One minute of game time later, Griese yells "ball!":

Best announcing duo ever? I don't think you're finding a better one in college football, at least.

Michigan gets into their hurry-up offense. This means they're not huddling. It doesn't mean they look much different when they line up:

And yes, they're running the ball, though Grbac is also gaining confidence and finding open receivers when he goes to the air. He gets the Wolverines within a two-point conversion on a bit of improvisation by Walker:

"It wasn't the play they called in the huddle," Walker said, per the Daily. "They were just in a bad defense. I was left wide open. Elvis stuck it right in there."

A freshman Desmond Howard brings in the two-point play from the sidelines. For the second straight play, UCLA turns Walker loose in the end zone. This time, however, Grbac's pass is batted at the line, and Walker can only look on as it falls to the turf.

This necessitates an onside kick. Carlson was one of the goats of the Notre Dame loss after a last-gasp onside kick hit a teammate and went all of three yards downfield. On this night, however, he strikes the ball in exactly the right spot:

The postgame description of this play is eerily universal: 

At this point, Grbac looks like a different player than the rattled freshman of the first half. After escaping pressure, he makes a cross-body throw to Chris Calloway, who appears out of nowhere to convert a first down. The big play comes when Boles takes a screen well into Carlson's range:

After working down the clock, Michigan leaves it on the leg of Carlson. Take it away, Keith.

A pooch kick that somehow takes no time off the clock and a Hail Mary attempt that's picked off well short of the end zone finish out a 24-23 win.

“Well it’s been a heck of an effort by two very good football teams. I don’t know what it proves, maybe nothing, except it’s an exciting game played by the collegiate kids," says Jackson.

“Well I think, Bob Griese, a lot of young folks grew a little bit tonight, because they got into a ballgame and they tested each other to the limit. And it was fun to watch.”

In what would be Bo's final season as head coach, Michigan didn't lose another regular season game, rising to #3 in the country prior to losing a tight Rose Bowl to USC. UCLA rebounded to win their next two games, then fell apart, losing five straight before ending the season with a miracle 10-10 tie against those same Trojans.

I can't end this post without noting the curse of OC GERG. In the seven seasons prior to moving Greg Robinson to offensive coordinator, Terry Donahue led UCLA to seven straight bowl wins, including three in the Rose Bowl. His teams won at least nine games, in what was usually a 12-game season, in all but two of those seasons.

In the seven seasons after the GERG experiment, Donahue's teams won one bowl game—the 1991 John Hancock Bowl against Illinois—in three appearances, tied for one Pac Ten title in a four-loss season, and never won double-digit games again. The Bruins finished .500 or worse in conference play in five of those seven years, leading to Donahue's retirement and move to the announcing booth.

This happened even though Donahue rectified his error after one season. He changed Robinson's title to a nebulous "assistant head coach" position; Robinson sounded ready to get back to what he did best in the weeks after the season:

Robinson denied that any assistants had been fired.

Robinson, 38, was responsible for the Bruins’ defensive line until last season. He said Donahue was moving him in an effort to reverse last season’s dismal showing. His duties will include defense and the kicking game.

“I enjoyed the heck out of what I did this year,” Robinson said of coaching the offense. “But I’m excited to go over there (to defense) and patch up things.”

I can't find what happened from there but that first line may be telling; instead of returning to coach UCLA's defensive line, Robinson became the D-line coach for the New York Jets before the next season.