This week we get into our history playing Stanford – the first Rose Bowl, 1947 and finally 1973 as Bo’s #5 Wolverines faced the Cardinal on this Saturday back 45 years ago. Of course we can’t leave 1973 without mentioning the infamous postseason vote and I’m not naming names (yes I am) but your beloved Meechigan got screwed! Audio:Listen to it “live” tomorrow afternoon on the KeyBank Countdown to kick-off on WTKA 1050AM….or inside the Go Labatt Blue Victors Lounge!script after the jump: Today we look back to September 22, 1973, as General Bo George Patton Schembechler’s 5th ranked Wolverines were set to take on the Stanford Cardinal. Stanford holds a special place in Wolverine football lore. Not only is it where Jim Harbaugh established himself as an elite coach, historically speaking, they were Michigan’s opponent in the first Rose Bowl. Really it was the first bowl of any kind, played back in 1902 when they faced Fielding Yost’s undefeated, untied, unscored-upon squad in Pasadena. The Indians as they were then known were pounded early and often by Yost’s point-a-minute wrecking crew. With 8 minutes STILL left on the clock, Stanford tossed in the white towel and conceded the 49-0 defeat.Nearly half a century later these two teams met again on October 4, 1947 this time against Fritz Crisler’s Mad Magicians. Stanford…
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Sights & Sounds | Michigan 45, SMU 20
This was a strange one at times. Pregame Saturday had more of a feel of a true season opener as last week it felt like fans were still suffering over their hangover following the loss in South Bend. The mood was up, the day was hot but beautiful and it just seemed more lively out there. Then the game started and once again the fans got testy after a few stalled drives in a row, and a few instances where the offensive line seemed overwhelmed or at best, confused. There were even a couple glaring defensive breakdowns. More and more it does seems to be about what we thought it was – the offensive line. If there’s a shot at a truly great season it’s coming down to the in-season maturity of that group. I’m certain the coaches are taking a hard look..like, this hard: Jury’s out. Sights and Sounds: He Stayed. That’s Michigan Man Dick Caldarazzo, offensive guard on Bo’s 1969 team, looking great in the blue lot before the game: Forbidden fruit. Each week this guy taunts the band as they march out of the stadium, imploring them to take a cookie. Of course your beloved Meechigan Marching Band is supposed to be in Queens guard mode and dutifully march on as if there were no cookies dangling…
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We’re Keeping These (1993 Desmond Howard banners)
This week I posted the audio of Coach Moeller’s headset from The Catch in 1991 which happened 27 years ago this Friday. In the backwash of Twitter reaction a gent replied with this…stadium signs apparently made back in ’91 that his roommate hung onto all these years: First off, it’s so great that Desmond himself checked out the signs and loved it. You have to wonder if this is actually the first time he’s seen them. More importantly let’s break this down and talk about serious fandom. No, I’m not talking about guys making signs for a football game in the early 1990s, but I’ll note that these are beyond commendable, and by the way, easy to read from a distance on TV thanks to the clear contrast and thick letters. Well done. But it’s not that. Following the game in 1991, after crushing the postgame pizza & beers I imagine something like this was uttered: “dude, we gotta keep these signs!” And they did. For nearly three decades now and running. Rolled up in someone’s closet to the dismay of family and/or spouse and/or unenlightened friends & confused neighbors. Through all of the awkward conversations about how it’s time to get rid of them. Through the questions such as “what are you even going to DO with these things?“. As…
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Mustang Sally Champions | Dr. Sap’s Decals
Steve “Dr. Sap” Sapardanis is a Schembechler-era savant and once again he’ll be diligently handing out his postgame helmet stickers after each game. Sap has pored over hours and hours of U-M games over several decades, and in these posts he’s able to tie the present to the past. I encourage you to subscribe to Dr. Sap on YouTube, or follow Sap on Twitter: By Steve “Dr. Sap” Sapardanis After a rough start to the game Michigan finally got it going, but for a while there I, like Bo, was mildly concerned after that scoreless first quarter. The good guys eventually won so it’s onward, but not before we hand out some helmet stickers! OFFENSIVE CHAMPION – I thought TE Zach Gentry had a very good game, and he did have a career best performance, but when Donovan Peoples-Jones scores three TD’s, you gotta give the WR some love – and a helmet sticker! After going almost an entire calendar year without a touchdown by a wide receiver, it looks like number 9 is getting more comfortable with his QB & improving each week – that bodes well for the Michigan offense. DEFENSIVE CHAMPION – I’ve always felt that in sports, and in life, you should strive to not just be a contributor, but a difference-maker. For the Michigan defense,…
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Calling ‘The Catch’
Reposting this based on Twitter love, here’s the audio of Gary Moeller’s headset calling the 4 & 1 play vs. Notre Dame in 1991 that resulted in Desmond Howard’s incredible catch. This was originally posted by the U-M athletic department as part of the Under the Lights game program and collateral. Love it. For a detailed breakdown of this audio, check out my interview with Moeller where we walked through this…slowly…and he explained behind-the-scenes what all this stuff means, and what was going on. This post also includes a bonus: audio from Lou Holtz and his memories of the play via my man John Kryk.
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Yakety Sacks | This Week in Michigan Football History
Crowe and SI redo via me (MVictors_, Hart in 300 via CC on Autumn Thunder The Horror. Sucks Unlimited. Michigan, a supposed national title contender is spinning out of control at 0-2. Enter Charlie Weis and his 0-2 Fighting Irish and we had a media circus to witness the cripple fight. Save us Russell Crowe! Help me Tom Cruise Mike Hart! Inspire us Bo! Here’s Saturday’s edition of TWIMFbH Ahh and here’s a look at Yakety Sacks: Yakety Sacks aka “Jimmy Clausen for Heisman” #thebest Listen to it “live” tomorrow afternoon on the KeyBank Countdown to kick-off on WTKA 1050AM….or inside the Go Labatt Blue Victors Lounge!
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A Banner Day – Bronco Champions | Dr. Sap’s Decals
Steve “Dr. Sap” Sapardanis is a Schembechler-era savant and once again he’ll be diligently handing out his postgame helmet stickers after each game. Sap has pored over hours and hours of U-M games over several decades, and in these posts he’s able to tie the present to the past. I encourage you to subscribe to Dr. Sap on YouTube, or follow Sap on Twitter: By Steve “Dr. Sap” Sapardanis I’m still on cloud nine after today – and it wasn’t the fact that Michigan responded with a decisive win. I’ll explain my euphoric state shortly, but first things, first – let’s award some helmet stickers! OFFENSIVE CHAMPION – If Bo Schembechler were still around, he would have said that, “Michigan played like Michigan, today!” The old coach would have been right, once again. The offense looked sharp, decisive and confident. None more than the QB, Shea Patterson, in my opinion. Not only did he throw three TD’s, he displayed tremendous ball accuracy & placement with his throws and he looked much more comfortable running the offense this week against Western Michigan. I get it, WMU is no ND, but Bo always said that a TEAM improves the most from the first game to the second and that sure was the case today. It was great to see #2 put the ball right on the…
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Sights & Sounds | Michigan 49, Western Michigan 3
The gist: A complete, all-cylinders win against a 28-point underdog doesn’t do much, but there’s something. After the mess last week a game like that muffles the notion that this team might be going sideways and it restores a bit of the hope that you had preseason. Based on what he did out there, it should also build your confidence that Shea Patterson is indeed a guy who could lead this team to good things in the big games. Mood: Despite that most M fans would trade blowing the doors off a team like Western Michigan for a third down conversion in a big game, it still feels good. “Mood” creeps up a couple slots: meta: Based on popular demand I added the little indicator arrows to represent where the mood was adjusted from the prior week (if applicable), and the mood history for the current season at the bottom. As always thanks to Scott @TheBlockhams for the faces. Uncharmed Start: For the superstitious among us, a couple things had you reaching for the rabbit’s foot: First off, I love the voice of stadium PA man Carl Grapentine, but he fumbled his traditional opening line when he wished the stadium “Good Afternoon“. It was well before kickoff and thus several minutes before noon. As many of you know Mr. Grapentine typically…
