Our last trip to the Sugar Bowl (1-2-84)

When I read it at first, I thought it said "Like Denard, he was shitty" and I was about to flip, but then I read it again.

I just  remember Brad Cochran almost blocking Del Greco's game winning field goal.  Too bad Vada Murray and Tripp Welborne weren't on the team yet.

Bo had used his timeouts when Auburn was setting up for their final field goal.  I believe Marquay caught a pass on the final play and had a long run within FG range.

God I love our helmets.

But we will have a very different outcome.

Ah, but we covered the line that night. +6.5 if I recall. I think there were some 7s leading up to the game. Bo was money when getting points. Auburn didn't need to pass; they had Bo Jackson!

The defensive Xs & Os were laid out well. The Tigers moved the ball reasonably well until they got in deep. The field got small and crowded and our defensive discipline stood Bo up.

My dad coached on that team, and about a year ago I was digging through all his old football stuff and found the sugar bowl sweater they gave out. Being the 'hipster' teenager I am I wear it all the time to school and get lots of compliments on it. 

...notning.  Al Del Greco, who later played for the Packers kicked three field goals.  That was it.  Auburn let Markray catch that late ball and run out of time.  But, beating Ohio in A2 that season was great!

BTW, virtually no one other than Michigan and Auburn fans watched the game because at the same time was Miani's famous upset of Nebraska (when Nebraskia was considered possibly lthe greatest college team ever and went for two instead of one to tie and become the nat'l champ).

One of the most frustrating games I ever saw.  We held the mighty Bo Jackson completely out of the end zone, but still lost on field goals.  The headline in the Michigan Daily summed it up: "Defense can't do it all.  Michigan falls 7-9."

We did get a bit of revenge though.  Auburn was #3.  Texas (I think it was Texas) was #2 but had already lost earlier in the day.  Nebraska was #1 but lost to #4 Miami in the Tom Osborne 2 point conversion game.  We made Auburn look so bad that it enabled Miami to leapfrog them to #1 for the first time ever.  It wound up being the start of the "U" era at Miami.

Illinois and UCLA also played the Rose Bowl

This year - they play again ... coincidentally (only in the Fight Hunger Bowl?)

I remember that game as being yet another one where Steve Smith couldn't hit the ocean from the beach.  If people today are frustrated with Denard's passing today they have NO idea just how bad it can be.

I am definitely one of the fans the Wolvernine Histornian is referring to when talking about Steve Smith.

was one of the bitterest losses I can ever recall.  It sent them to the Rose Bowl.  Mike White was so bad; a lot of people think that Bo had a chip on his shoulder re: Illinois because of Gary Moeller.  There's no doubt some truth in that.  But I think Bo really disliked Mike White and everything he stood for.  I have the distinct memory that losing to Auburn wasn't anywhere near as bad as losing to Illinois that year.

Didn't Bo Jackson give some memorable soundbite afterwards, saying no one had hit as hard as Michigan had?

were Lionel James and Tommy Agee - together w/ Bo Jackson, was an incredible backfield - M was the only team to hold them w/o a TD that year. 

One other tidbit - Auburn's use of the wishbone inspired Bo to install the package as M's short yardage / goal line package - with Bob Perryman, Dan Rice, Gerald White and Jamie Morris all available for that set, it was very effective. 

It's basically cement with a thin sheet of plastic turf over it.  I feel bad for those players.

bowl games under Bo. Virtually all the losses had the same script: great defensive performance, but our offense did squat.

4 things I'll never forget

1. Having MMB return from that loss in Seattle with The Wave.
2. Bo hating the wave, which resulted in ridiculous announcements not to cheer during the play, The SHHH Wave, The Silent Wave, and (my personal favorite) The Silent Keys on 3rd Down.
3. Bergeron's FG - never have I seen anything airborne more that SLOW.
4. The hit Rogers took on the drive leading up to the FG.  Collective "ohhhh" from the stands.

And I liked Steve Smith - but I was 18!

Steve Smith bounced his hand off a helmet whilst throwing a pass I believe (they couldn't stop his passing game) or we would have won that game.  Bo Jackson was quoted in the paper the next day saying he felt like he'd just come out of a heavy weight fight.  At first the Auburn team looked across the field and saw what they percieved to be a 'small' Michigan team, and they thought they would run over them.  NSFMF!  Those two teams beat the shiat out of each other that night.  Great game.

Auburn fans were the best.  They bought all my drinks that night at Tipatina's and were very gracious.  I got a kick out of them saying that Alabama had the best team money could buy.

 Attended a pep rally at the hotel where the Wolverines were staying. Blanchard was there and gave a stupid speech--even admitted he and his wife went to MSU and OSU--and got himself booed off the stage with chants of Recall Blanchard! (IT was great).  He was also on the plane on my return trip home--and not first class either, which surprized me.  I guess he was comfortable though. Dude was like 3 feet tall.  His State Police Body guard, however, looked cramped.

A good time was had by all.

I remember our defense being a fingertip away from deflecting many an Auburn option pitch. 

1983 was the first year my Dad took me to multiple Michigan games, so the '83 squad was the first squad I was really familiar with.  Bo had Smith run a lot of option that year, and we did it pretty well.  This fact always got me rolling my eyes in exasperation whenever the stalwarts during the Rodriguez years would rant and dismiss Rich's offense as a "gimmick" and wasn't Michigan football.  Bo was a lot more innovative and flexible than his reputation gives him credit for.  1983 was great example of Bo taking the parts he had and building a gameplan that would work.

As for the Sugar Bowl, we had Ali Haji Sheikh at PK.  We would've had a GOOD chance at winning had he gotten a crack at that long FG.  Still was frustrating to be the only team to score a TD and lose on 3 FGs.

He was all of 6-1 and 222 as a junior that year, according to the UM football database. He was going up against Auburn offensive linemen who were 270 or more, so he was giving up 50 pounds or more.

I remember watching very intently and being heartbroken at the end. I even remember Sports Illustrated had a picture of Del Greco kicking the winning field goal with the scoreboard "7-6" in the background with not much time left. I was 14 at the time, and that Auburn game was the first thing I thought of when I heard M was going to the Sugar Bowl.