93 Rose Bowl on BTN - what a team

Submitted by Oscar Goldman on

I don't know who else took this great replay in, but man what a stacked Michigan team that was!  I was just a kid and didn't know much at the time time, but a look at that team:

Grbac backed up by Collins - both NFLers, not to mention Riemersma before he switched over to TE

Wheatley, Powers and Davis - Davis and Powers ran really well at times I thought, Wheatley was a phenom obviously.

Derrick Alexander, Walter Smith, and then the two freshmen of the time - Hayes and Toomer.

Tony McGee at TE

Everitt and Jenkins on the line

Dyson, Morrison, Law, Horn, Peoples, Brown etc on D

Probably missing some other standouts.   I never realized how many of those guys were Freshmen or Sophs at the time either.  

Hurricane

July 9th, 2011 at 1:59 AM ^

I've been watching this game tonight and the talent and the grit of the players on both sides of the ball is something I cant wait to get back to watching on a regular basis. It's great listening to Bo in the booth as well.

Bosch

July 9th, 2011 at 12:27 PM ^

That team was both exciting and frustrating.  Three ties.....

I don't remember too many particulars of the season but I do remember playing at highly ranked ND to start the season.  Michigan had a chance late but Grbac threw an interception in the middle of the field with no receivers in sight.  Terrible throw or blown route?  Didn't matter.  I cursed Grbac's name a few times that afternoon.

Naked Bootlegger

July 9th, 2011 at 9:13 AM ^

I loved me some Walter Smith.  That dude was one tough WR. 

This was my senior year at UM, and it was great to go out with a nice Rose Bowl win.  I still reflect on a lot of "what ifs" with some of the teams from '89-'92.  We had some great talent stocked on those squads.

UMxWolverines

July 9th, 2011 at 1:39 PM ^

Blech. Watched it, never again. Wisconsin ran the ball THIRTY freaking times in a row. I thought the announcer talking about what a good coach Brady Hoke was and how he was a Michigan Man was a little eerie.

Tater

July 9th, 2011 at 10:45 AM ^

I'll agree that there was a lot of talent.  But if they had "grit," they would have gone undefeated that year.  Playing in a Rose Bowl that wasn't a de facto home game for the other team was huge, and it ended well, but that could have been a MNC year with the "grit" you mention.

While I'm all for Rose Bowl victories, I don't want to ever see that kind of underachievement in the Maize and Blue again.

jmblue

July 9th, 2011 at 5:16 PM ^

We did go undefeated in 1992.  It just wasn't a perfect season because we had three ties.  It was still an outright Big Ten championship, Rose Bowl victory, and top-five national finish.  If overtime had existed back then, who knows? 

Bangkok Soiree

July 9th, 2011 at 11:07 AM ^

Was a better receiver (not return man) than Desmond Howard. They were our bookends on offense. Desmond won the heisman in 92 because Alexander was out the whole season with an injury. We didn't have anybody else other than Howard. Eventually teams started to double up on Howard, which is what happened in the 92 rose bowl when we got destroyed by Emtman and crew. What a sad game that was . . . I'm convinced Emtman was on steroids.

jmblue

July 9th, 2011 at 5:28 PM ^

This is a misconception.  Alexander may have worn the #1 jersey, but Howard was always the go-to guy when the two played together.  In 1990, when both were redshirt sophomores, Howard was clearly the top receiving option: he had 63 receptions for 1,025 yards and 11 TDs, while Alexander had 31 catches for 450 yards and six TDs.  In fact, even after Desmond left, Alexander was unable to match his production (50 rec., 740 yards, 11 TDs in 1992).  He was a solid player, but not a Heisman-caliber talent like Desmond. 

 

TrppWlbrnID

July 9th, 2011 at 11:57 AM ^

Thoughts:
<br>
<br>Grbac not on at all, good thing Tyrone does his thing
<br>Vermeil is very good, Bo helps too
<br>"dc Lloyd Carr is very nervous about this mobile qb brunell" - sigh
<br>
<br>Can wolverine historian make a video of Gary moeller's sweaters?

Sarasota13

July 9th, 2011 at 12:25 PM ^

to watch, again.  It was good to see Ricky Powers play considering the Wilson commit and to watch a sound fundamental team with lots of offensive weapons.  Washington's QB looked pretty good as well. 

 

PS -  That was a time in which the No. 1 meant something.

BRCE

July 9th, 2011 at 1:04 PM ^

I freakin' love Moeller. Watching the replay of that game yesterday was a reminder of how sophisticated and eclectic he made the offense in just three years as head coach. He wasn't a caretaker or a Bo impersonator - he truly did put his stamp on the program when he took it over.

It is such a shame that the incident happened and took down what would have been a long and fruitful head coaching career here. The guy had a great X's and O's mind (successfully calling both offensive and defensive plays in his career), always represented us with class on the sidelines and in interviews, and had a true love of Michigan that has always been evident, despite the way his job ended.