Michigan wins thriller, takes Little Brown jug home another year SALINE, MICHIGAN OCTOBER 8, 2004 As I like to do, I brieftly visited Mr. and Mrs. Crouse on the way into section 22. I cheerily offered to Mr. Crouse that it was a beautiful day for a game. Mr. Crouse quickly replied, “Aren’t they all?”. Indeed they are. But some football Saturdays inside Michigan Stadium are better than others. You can go ahead put this version of the brawl for the Brown Jug right up there with the greatest I’ve ever seen. Exhausted of all timeouts, 87 yards away and needing nothing less than a touchdown, led by a true freshman QB. And what did they do? You know darn well what they did, but it was something to experience. They actually showed the highlight (along with Bob Ufer’s call) of the Johnny Wangler to Anthony Carter on the scoreboard during the game, reminding the crowd of great homecoming finishes. Obviously this win pales in comparison to the Wangler to Carter play, which is probably the greatest single play in 125 glorious years of Michigan football. [Side note: As the started the film of this highlight, the guy sitting next to me in the stands said to his buddy “I’ve seen this play before”. No kidding man – I’ve only…
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Big Blue Thug: Michigan Dominates Brown Jug Series
Little Brown Jug owned by Ann Arbor crew SALINE, MICHIGAN OCTOBER 7, 2004 It was November 15, 1986. The Wolverines, led by All-American quarterback Jim Harbaugh, were undefeated heading into the final home game of the season. Blue was ranked 2nd in the country and looking ahead to a possible national championship for coach Bo. The Golden Gophers shocked the Wolverines 20-17 in front of 104,864 cold and bitter M fans, and then took the Little Brown Jug home to Minnesota. The stunning upset remains one of the biggest games in Minnesota football history; to Michigan it is just another hiccup that denied Bo Schembechler a national title. The next year Big Blue took the Jug back, and back it’s been since. Michigan has won 15 straight games against the Gophers, who have not found their form since the 1980s. Of course last year’s miracle win for Michigan was the closest the Gophers have come – and they’re still probably stinging from giving up 31 fourth quarter points to the John Navarre-led Big Ten Champions. Saturday Minnesota comes back into Ann Arbor, hoping to take home the Jug and add this game as a defining moment in their modern football history. Michigan enters the game a 4 point favorite, with the #1 rushing defense in the country which will be…
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Michigan Scores 31 in 4th Quarter to Shock Golden Gophers
Brown Jug stays in Ann Arbor for 15th straight game SALINE, MI OCT. 11, 2003 Even the biggest John Navarre supporters probably were secretly wishing that we’d get a look at freshman Matt Gutierrez at some point in the third quarter. It looked like things were out of hand and that this was Minnesota’s year. Navarre was missing receivers and the defense was giving up major rushing yards seemingly on every snap. Down three touchdowns at the end of the third quarter, Navarre led the Blue back. With delicate passes and textbook footwork, he navigated the Wolverines down the field within incredible efficiency. Of course, we saw similar drives near the end of the Iowa and Oregon losses. So remarkable was the rapid comeback is that despite a Minnesota touchdown negating a Michigan score (an inexcusable 52 yard run by Abdul-Khaliq on a third and short), when M had the ball for the last time, they actually had to slow down to milk the clock. They scored 31 in the last quarter without the benefit of an on sides kick. After the game, Coach Carr was interviewed in the tunnel and was giddy as a school boy. He was fortunate, because the wolves were coming out all week on local radio calling for his head. Despite the win, there will…
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Pre-game Notes, Minnesota 2003
A few items about this week’s game that you may not be reading in your local fishwraps: The game is being played for the Little Brown Jug, and Michigan has retained the Jug for the last 14 games. Michigan has won 31 of the last 33 meetings. These teams met last year, also at Minnesota, where Michigan won 41-24. The game is on Friday because the Gophers share the Metrodome with the Twins, who had the possibility of playing in the American League playoffs on Saturday. The Twins lost, but you can’t unring a bell, and all the arrangements have already been made to play the game on Friday. Minnesota has to pay all of Michigan’s travel costs associated with the move. The last time M played on Friday was against Minnesota in 1991 for the same reason. Michigan won 52-6. A loss could send Michigan out of the AP writers poll, where they have appeared in the top 25 during the past 84 polls. The Michigan SID says this is the longest active streak.