1987 Michigan-MSU game on B10 network
This should have been posted much earlier I'll admit, but for anyone interested in Michigan football history the B10 Network has the 1987 Michigan-MSU game on for about 10-15 more minutes. Quick thoughts about Michigan's team -- Jamie Morris was incredibly small but quick and elusive (RichRod would have loved him), Demetrius Brown's accuracy was an obvious issue, and Michigan's running game was less predictable in this game at least than I had remembered from that era as Bo ran the wishbone for much of the contest.
Uggggg...hated that game. Got so drunk on champagne for a formal that I heaved my guts in the Union bathroom that night...pathetic.
I love what Demetrius Brown did at Mich. Can't forget the Hall of Fame Bowl 4th down toss to Kolesar, the ~40yd TD pass to Kolesar in the last minute at tOSU, and the USC Rose Bowl victory.
But 7 INTs? Sheesh?
The only intriguing thing about the game is Perles ultra-conservatism. Despite having been intercepted six times, we were down only 17-11 and made it to the MSU ~35 mid-to-late in the 4th quarter. Of course, then came the 7th.
from '87 to '88 was pretty phenomenol, Demetrius.
16 interceptions in 168 pass attempts in '87; 0 (zero, zilch, nada) interceptions in 84 passes in '88. Also, an increase in YPA from 7.4 to 9.2 and completion percentage increased from 47.6 up to 57.1.
I think you redeemed yourself pretty nicely, even though you had more of a back-up role (to Michael Taylor) in '88.
It wasn't so much a backup role in '88 as starting the last half of the season...
I remember it (and BTW, I didn't and wouldn't neg-vote you for your above reply), as it seemed to me back then that Bo wanted to avoid another turnover-plagued season in '88 and went back to being his old "Bo self", opting to start Taylor and rely more heavily on the option game. It was only when Michigan struggled offensively that Bo started going more and more back to Brown as the season progressed. At that point it became more of a 2-headed QB thing rather than Taylor as starter and Brown as backup.
Please, if anybody has a better perspective on the QB situation in Bo's last few seasons, set me straight here.
(disclaimer: I may be completely wrong on the QB rotation in '88, as back then, I was a new dad with an infant daughter and another on the way and, for the first time in 2 decades, Michigan Football took a backseat to a higher priority. For the first time that season since I started getting season tickets about a decade earlier, I missed a home game or two)
The 1987 team was a transition squad after the Harbaugh years. The feature offensive player was Jamie Morris, who ran for 1700 yards. They passed less than 200 times (averaging 16 passes a game).
In 1988 both Taylor and Brown improved considerably on the previous season's passing totals (Taylor completed 62% of his passes, Brown 57%). Taylor started 9 games, while Brown started only 3.
Ultimately, though, it was just a better team--the 9-2-1 record looks dodgy, but the first two games of the season were heartbreaking as-close-as-possible losses to Notre Dame and Miami, who finished the season #1 and #2. The team still won the B1G title and beat an outstanding USC team (also very highly ranked) in the Rose Bowl. Unquestionably one of the top five Michigan teams of my lifetime.
FWIW I got the year wrong on Elvis--he was a factor in the 1989 team, not 1988.
In 88, Taylor was lost for the year in the epic freezing Minnesota game at the Big House. And Brown took over the rest of the season. But he still came in and played in the blowouts, probably much earlier than you would see in a blowout today. Taylor got injured quite often and Brown needed to always be ready.
But I hear you on the 1988 squad. They were much better than their 9-2-1 record.
*Mike Gillette's game winning field goal against Notre Dame was just wide right in the final seconds. We lose 19-17 and those bastards go on to win the national title.
*The next week, we blow a 30-14 lead on #1 Miami. The Hurricanes pull a Notre Dame and during their comeback, seem to complete miracle play after miracle play combined with a miracle onside kick and we lose 31-30. That Miami team finished 12-1.
Two losses by a combined 3 points to the #1 and #2 teams in the country. And the tie against Iowa? We come back from a 17-3 hole, tie the game. In the 4th quarter, we put in one last drive. On first and goal from the 1 yard line, Tracy Williams fumbles the ball away. So the game ends 17-17.
For such a great team, they had so many instances of horrible luck. And the same villains in college football got to benefit from it once again.
D Brown was probably the most physically gifted QB that Bo ever had at Michigan, but he never developed a head for the position. Stories of what that guy could do throwing the football in practice were whispered for years after he had left Michigan.
to the 3 of you (StephenKing, WolverineHistorian, and Bueller) for filling in and otherwise correcting the blanks in my memory of the '88 season. In those days before the interwebs (and pre-MGoBlog, of course) and back when a lot of Michigan games still weren't televised, it wasn't as easy keeping up with Michigan Football while learning the ropes of fatherhood. Through '86, it was every Michigan home game plus a couple road games each season, but that routine changed a bit starting in '87.
Oh---and those infant daughters and son I was busy helping change diapers for back then? They're all now big fans of The Maize and Blue!
How great is it that that game and 1984 were Michigan's only losses to those idiots in the 80s.
8-2 record. Let's get back to that.
Every time it seemed that there was a light at the end of the tunnel in that game, it turned out to be the Turnover Train coming the other way.
I sat in the north endzone in EL that game. State fans were extremely hyped and I have to admit that it was a great atmosphere. They had a TE or big FL - can't remember his name - who got rocked a couple times on McCallister ducks lobbed over the middle. Both times (seems like 2x) he popped up and pumped a fist at the Staee student section.
The vibe....just wasn't gonna be our day.
John Miller having four of those interceptions. With sparty colored glasses, they talk about that (which is record btw) than the 7 total interceptions. . .
. . . you know the rest.
Not to be critical of you personally, but it's sad that Wolverines are resorting to "what ifs" to emote happiness in regards to the MSU-UM rivalry.
The game took place in 1987 -- that's nearly 30 years ago now. I think that we're allowed to play "what if" on this one, eh? How is that "sad"?
Please. I've played the "what if game" for every close loss in my lifetime, just like any regular football fan does. That's not restricted to MSU. Up until 2008, I so rarely had to play the what if game in regards to MSU.
Also known for being the last time the Hoosiers beat Michigan in football....
I knew it had been a while...but I had no idea it had been quite that long.
Think of the VERY close ones we've had with IU in recent years, too -- the "Tater hurdling into the endzone" game (on the 2-point conversion, was it?), the huge rushing numbers put up by Denard the following year to seal the come-from-behind win -- both of those games could have easily gone the other way.
Hell, last year's game was a shoot-out before we finally pulled away late in the 4th. Wasn't it 49-47 at some point, in the 4th? I vaguely recall sweating bullets.
I hope we don't lose to IU ever again. :-)
Indiana scored a late touchdown to tie it up 35-35. Then Denard led Michigan down the field, with a huge chunk coming on a pass to Junior Hemmingway, to get into position for the walk-off, game winning FG. Instead, Denard just scored a TD to take the game out of the hands of the FG gods.
I think IU scored the first TD, making it 7-0, but yeah, you're absolutely right -- all IU managed to do the rest of the way was tie it up a couple times, before Denard drove the dagger home at the end. There were indeed some huge, huge plays in this game...both an earlier Denard TD run & TD throw to Hemingway each went for 70+, I think Vince Smith had a 50-60 yard TD run, as well...very entertaining!
The streak against Indiana was the only winning streak that survived the RichRod years. But unfortunately, they know how to score and score often against our defense now.
Here's a fact that will blow your mind about the 87 Indiana game. The Hoosiers were the favorite for that one. They were ranked #15. Michigan was ranked #20. The way that game unfolded was a 10-7 4th quarter lead for us until Indiana blocked a punt and recovered it in the end zone for the game winning score, 14-10. Indiana was a decent conference team in the late 80's into the early 90's under Bill Mallory.
A happier memory from that 87 Indiana team was their 31-10 win over the Bucks in Columbus...
I remember being very, very happy for Indiana that day.