How great was the 1985 Michigan Defense?
October 26th, 2016 at 7:56 PM ^
astroturf, not even once
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October 26th, 2016 at 9:08 PM ^
We called it fuzzy cement. The turf burns could be pretty dramatic.
October 26th, 2016 at 9:52 PM ^
I had a turf burn on my hip so bad in college I couldn't move when wearing pants (even bandaged) without screaming for about three days.
October 26th, 2016 at 8:10 PM ^
At the .57 second mark appears what might possibly be the single worst representation of the block M I have ever seen.
October 26th, 2016 at 8:36 PM ^
LOL -- Scrolled down the thread planning to post exactly this. Great minds.
October 26th, 2016 at 8:38 PM ^
Where the hell did that come from? Not to mention later on in the video when they listed the top 5 teams and "Okalhoma" was listed as one of the teams.
October 26th, 2016 at 8:56 PM ^
Also, my brain saw it as S&M showdown for a moment.
October 27th, 2016 at 8:57 AM ^
It's been enjoying too much Kowality Kielbasa.
Thanks for some levity on the morning after the Indians' loss.
October 27th, 2016 at 3:26 PM ^
I was hoping that the OP was just going to answer with "2x Better than the '85 Bears."
October 26th, 2016 at 8:18 PM ^
What were the stats
October 26th, 2016 at 8:27 PM ^
6 first downs; 1 for 13 on third down.
Rushing: 35 carries, 56 yards (1.6 ypc); Passing: 6 for 19, 1 INT, 83 yards; Total: 54 plays 139 yards (2.6 ypp).
Michigan had 20 first downs and 336 total yards on 71 plays.
October 26th, 2016 at 8:30 PM ^
Thanks
October 26th, 2016 at 9:03 PM ^
Harbaugh had a so/so day. He threw 3 interceptions. If not for those picks we would have won much better than 31-0.
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October 26th, 2016 at 9:39 PM ^
That's a totally garbage offensive day for Michigan too. <5ypp is pretty bad
October 26th, 2016 at 8:34 PM ^
One of Bo's best teams. They lost to Iowa on a last second field goal, but they beat 5 ranked teams that year including 3 in the first three non conference games. Finished #2. Probably Bo's highest ranking. Coach Mo was the DC.
October 26th, 2016 at 8:57 PM ^
Probably?
October 26th, 2016 at 9:00 PM ^
Ha! Definitely his highest ranking but I don't know if it's the only one
October 26th, 2016 at 9:05 PM ^
for any Schembechler-coached Team. One news service even voted Michigan #1 at the end of year based on their strength of schedule.
October 27th, 2016 at 12:53 AM ^
that picked Michigan #1 in 1985?
For many teams, that's enough to lay claim to a National Championship.
October 27th, 2016 at 1:12 AM ^
That's why we have 5 national titles that we don't claim...
October 28th, 2016 at 10:39 AM ^
That was in the dark days before OT (god I hated tie games). Iowa won the conference outright. UM finished the season 10-1-1 by beating Nebraska in The Fiesta Bowl.
October 26th, 2016 at 9:10 PM ^
I watched that iowa game on tv with my grandfather while visiting him in Florida. He was a Bo hater and between his shit talking and that last second field goal I couldn't take it anymore. We exchanged a few unpleasant words and I went back to my hotel. The old man got off light - I should have smacked him. :)
October 26th, 2016 at 10:56 PM ^
Oh my God the Hawkeye fans were a cocky lot and when we lost it was pure friggin hell
October 27th, 2016 at 1:25 AM ^
I'm all jacked up on Mountain Dew!
October 27th, 2016 at 6:39 AM ^
After a loss as I was after that 1985 Iowa game. I thought we definitely should have won it. Then Iowa went to the Rose Bowl and got ass-stomped by some team (maybe UCLA?). It's a good thing I've mellowed in my old age.
October 26th, 2016 at 8:37 PM ^
As good as they were, what happens at 4:50 has got to be the least athletic looking sack celebration I've ever seen.
October 26th, 2016 at 8:55 PM ^
If the playoffs had existed in 1980, I think Michigan wins the National Championship that season.
October 26th, 2016 at 9:24 PM ^
Here were the AP standings at the end of the regular season:
1-Georgia (11-0), SEC Champion
2-Florida State (10-1) [L to Miami]
3-Pittsburgh (10-1) [L to FSU]
4-Oklahoma (9-2), Big 8 Champion [L to Stanford & Texas]
5-Michigan (9-2), Big 10 Champion [L to ND & SC]
6-Baylor (10-1), SWC Champion [L to SJSU]
7-Notre Dame (9-1-1) [L to USC, T Ga Tech]
8-Nebraska (9-2) [L to Oklahoma & FSU]
9-Alabama (9-2) [L to Miss St & ND]
10-Penn State (9-2) [L to Neb & Pitt]
Georgia was the obvious #1; Florida State was the obvious #2.
The other two are arguable. Pittsburgh, Oklahoma, Michigan, Baylor and Notre Dame all deserved consideration for the third and fourth bids. I suspect the decision might have gone against Michigan, whose biggest win was against #11 Ohio State.
But yes, Michigan was possibly the best team in the nation at the end of the 1980 season; too bad that awful pass interference call had to go against them in the Notre Dame game. That plus an ill-advised fake punt against South Carolina are all that stood between Michigan and the #1 rating.
October 26th, 2016 at 9:35 PM ^
That was the year of that super-hyped late season ND-Alabama game then ND tied GT and Miss. State beat Alabama 6-3 the week prior to that game...when ND beat Alabama, both polls floated ND back up to #2 then an on probation USC team stomped on ND in Los Angeles...and the Sugar Bowl was stuck with ND.
Florida State was actually not highly thought of at that point in time and could have well been left out of a playoff scenario (Pitt was probably the more marketable independent).
Georgia, Pitt, Oklahoma, Michigan is your final 4 there.
October 26th, 2016 at 9:43 PM ^
I agree they weren't highly thought of, but they clearly deserved the #2 seed that year. Florida State beat Pittsburgh, 38-22, in October, the week after they won at then-#3 Nebraska. You can't give Pitt the "Independent bid" over Florida State--they have the same record, FSU arguably played a tougher schedule, and FSU won the head-to-head matchup.
Georgia, Florida State, Oklahoma and (ugh) Notre Dame get the 4 bids. I'm giving it to ND because of the h2h win over Michigan, combined with the slightly better record.
October 27th, 2016 at 1:32 AM ^
But why Oklahoma over Michigan? And I think that I take Pitt that year over Oklahoma or Michigan... and that late season ND loss in Los Angeles was awful. That ND-Alabama game in 1980 received Game of the Century treatment fot most of the year and wound up being such a dud (you can still find that game on youtube). The Sugar Bowl really messed themselves up that year because they locked themselves into a Georgia-ND matchup after ND beat Alabama but before ND played USC...probably should have had a Georgia-Pitt matchup.
October 26th, 2016 at 9:40 PM ^
Now I'm feeling really old. I watched Alabama beat Baylor in the Cotton Bowl 30-2 on New Year's Day. My chief memories are that it was really cold; it was Mile Singletary''s last college game; and Bear Bryant did wear his iconic hat.
October 26th, 2016 at 8:41 PM ^
Why aren't the players talking shit back and forth? They're just like, congratulating each other after good plays.
October 26th, 2016 at 8:42 PM ^
Harbaugh to Kolesar was the best that year.
http://youtu.be/SlR5gdnWzSI
October 26th, 2016 at 9:14 PM ^
The '85 team is still my favorite Michigan team and the defense was phenominal. They only gave up 5 touchdowns during the regular season and that Fiesta Bowl vs high-powered Nebraska is one of the all-time great MIchigan bowl wins. Three flippin points from perfection.
October 26th, 2016 at 11:06 PM ^
If I remember right, Nebraska had the lead at halftime but Michigan came out and took control in the second half.
October 27th, 2016 at 2:45 AM ^
Steamrolled 'em, then backed up and did it again.
October 27th, 2016 at 10:14 AM ^
That's my favorite team as well - my sophomore year in school. What a relief it was from the previous year, going 6-6 after Harbaugh broke his arm in the MSU game. That defense was outrageous, and I can remember it being a disappointment watching the 10th game of the year, a night game at Minnesota in the Metrodome, when the team surrendered its first PAT of the season during late game garbage time.
October 26th, 2016 at 9:21 PM ^
and Hammerstein were unblockable some games. Terrific defense, that loss to Iowa still pains me.
October 26th, 2016 at 9:40 PM ^
I was at that Iowa game. Field goal right in front of us. Pains me too.
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October 27th, 2016 at 8:11 AM ^
That was the first road game i ever attended. Ended up spending the night in the Johnson county jail.
October 26th, 2016 at 10:58 PM ^
I worked in the dorm food service in school and cut my fingers in a tomato slicer during dinner during the game. At the hospital you could hear the radio broadcast of the game from somewhere; and I can still remember them sewing the stitches in my fingers as Iowa made that field goal. So to this day I carry the scars of that loss. That was a great defense; this year, 2006 and 1997 were all of the same ilk from my memory. Hopefully we don't experience a similar setback. Go Blue!
October 27th, 2016 at 10:47 AM ^
that Hammerstein TFL at 4:15 is just so smooth... and he and Messner that entire year were dominant.
Hammerstein was 1st team All American, as was DB Cochran iirc.
October 26th, 2016 at 9:49 PM ^
I was in high school in 85, I remember being more excited to watch the defense than the offense because they were so good. That was the first time I really got into watching defense, since my M heroes before that were Leach (local), AC (duh--AC), and Steve Smith (local). Hammerstein, Messner, Cochran, and apologies for all the names I'm forgetting were beasts.
October 26th, 2016 at 9:54 PM ^
You must be a fellow Flintoid. I went to Flint Carman (now Carman-Ainsworth), class of 1983. I remember watching Steve Smith destroy us when he played for Grand Blanc.
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October 27th, 2016 at 1:21 AM ^
Southwestern put out some absolute football studs. Leach, Terry Crews, and even Mark Ingram recently. Seriously struggle to win football games now. Although Deron Irving-Bey coming out of SWA is big. Even with the lack of wins, a prospect of that caliber is huge for the school.
October 26th, 2016 at 9:57 PM ^
Did Garland Rivers play on that team? Brent Muffburger used to say that was the "best name in college football". Such a ham.
October 26th, 2016 at 11:02 PM ^
Yes - he and Brad Cochran were the starting CBs
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October 26th, 2016 at 9:58 PM ^
against Jim Everett are tremendous.
October 26th, 2016 at 10:22 PM ^
#66 a frat bro. What a beast in the trenches. He and Messner!
I like the p.a. announcer:
"Dr. Herbert Bush, Dr. Herbert, please call your answering service."
How things have changed since my freshman campaign!