1991 Gator Bowl - personal memories
[Ed-M: This is really board material]
I've only been able to make it to ONE Michigan Bowl game in my life, but it was a fine game at that --- the January 1, 1991 Gator Bowl.
My brother lives in Daytona Beach, and I usually visited him around NY's Day. This year, it happened that UM had beaten a woefully-coached Cooper OSU team on a last second FG by JD Carlson (why ON EARTH would a coach sent slow, David-Cone-style Greg Frye on an option on 4th and 1 from his own 29????)
UM faced Mississippi, the school that (at least then) proudly strutted out the Confederate Flag (OK...didn't that War end in something like 1865????).
Anyway, I had easy access to UM tickets so my "bro" and I (my "bro" is a dual UM/MSU grad, please don't flame me for that one) decided to go to the game, sitting in the Michigan section.
Michigan got off to a good start and a TD to go up 7-0. Ole Miss got a long FG to get to 7-3. Then, all hell broke loose, at least against the ""Rebs" (gotta love a team that names itself after the LOSING faction in a cataclismic batlle --- did you ever hear off the "Goldwaters" or "Dukasis'es"). Desmond Howard, in a preview to the 1991 Heisman, toasted a slow, white Ole Miss DB for an easy TD on a bomb.
Michigan set its modern day record for most yds in a game at something like 715 yds of total offense. If not for a few turnovers, we would have won Civil War II by more than 32 points.
I remember thinking, after the game, that we had just beat a mid-level (Minnesota in those days) B10 team.
Let's hope we can repeat some history this coming January 1st!!!!!
December 7th, 2010 at 12:10 AM ^
umm cool story brah??
December 7th, 2010 at 7:19 AM ^
I remember that a Daily reporter, afterward, wrote something like "The Wolverines routed Ole Miss, a school apparently named for its inability to complete a forward pass."
December 7th, 2010 at 10:51 AM ^
The Jacksonville paper wrote that the handshakes after the game were the first time the Ole Miss defense touched the Michigan receivers.
December 7th, 2010 at 8:58 AM ^
the Most Valuable Player for the game was the entire Michigan offensive line. That speaks to the total domination we had. Those were the days....
December 7th, 2010 at 9:43 AM ^
If I remember correctly Desmond not only scored on a bomb, but also scored on a sweet WR screen. He juked one defender and went down the sideline for a long TD. This game was sort of his coming out party... and a preview of more great games to come.
December 7th, 2010 at 9:59 AM ^
That was my sophomore year in the MMB, and I've never been more appreciative of having wealthy alumni and a well-off university. We stayed in condos on Amelia Island (4 to a condo), while the Ole Miss band told us they were 5 to a room at a Holiday Inn.
As I recall, the entire offensive line won the MVP award for the game - absolutely destroyed Miss on the ground (and in the air).
December 7th, 2010 at 3:32 PM ^
this one from home after completing the first semester of my freshman year. Remember being disappointed that we ended up in the Gator Bowl because we had been robbed in the Michigan State game and nipped by Iowa and Notre Dame. We were only a few points from being undefeated. That was a very good team.