The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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16 THE WOLVERINE NOVEMBER 2021 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS FIVE YEARS AGO, 2016: Michi- gan ran its perfect record to 9-0 with a 59-3 pasting of Maryland at home Nov. 5. The Wolverines led 35-0 at the half and never looked back, pummel- ing the relative Big Ten newcomers. Jim Harbaugh's crew scored all the points it needed for victory in the opening six minutes, Wilton Speight unloading a 34-yard touchdown pass to Amara Darboh just 5:10 into the contest. But the Wolverines didn't stop there, adding Speight's 10-yard TD run, a three-yard touchdown blast by De'Veon Smith, Khalid Hill's one-yard touchdown plunge and a 33-yard TD toss from Speight to Jehu Chesson, all before the half ended. Speight wound up a striking 19-of-24 passing for 362 yards with two touch- downs. Smith added 114 yards rushing with three touchdowns. Michigan's 660 yards of total offense easily carried the day, and the Terra- pins didn't score at all until 10:34 re- mained, on a 37-yard field goal. Jabrill Peppers' effectiveness on of- fense and special teams furthered Michigan's cause, prompting Har- baugh to say afterward: "He does so much — he's making tackles from the linebacker position, he's blitzing, he's covering, he's returning kicks, return- ing punts, he's playing quarterback, he's playing receiver, he's playing tail- back. He's so involved, it doesn't have to be a forced thing. It's au naturel." 10 YEARS AGO, 2011: Brady Hoke's team took down Ohio State 40-34 at The Big House in an offensive shootout Nov. 26. The victory pushed the Wolverines to 10-2, giving them one to celebrate over their fiercest rival. Michigan quarterback Denard Rob- inson ruled the day, throwing for three touchdowns and passing for another two. He rang up 337 yards, rushing for 170 of them to crack the 1,000-yard barrier on the season. Running back Fitzgerald Toussaint managed 120 yards rushing, also pass- ing the 1,000-yard mark on the sea- son. That gave U-M a pair of 1,000-yard rushers in the same year for the first time since 1975. It still almost wasn't enough. Michi- gan built a 16-7 lead, but Ohio State came roaring back to take a 24-23 ad- vantage at the half. Michigan's 11-play, 80-yard touchdown drive to start the second half gave the Wolverines a lead they wouldn't relinquish. They still needed to stop a potential game-winning drive by OSU late, and cornerback Courtney Avery's intercep- tion put the final nail in the Buckeye coffin. Robinson assured he was glad he re- mained at Michigan following previ- ous coach Rich Rodriguez's firing. "I wouldn't want to be anywhere else except with these guys," Robinson said. "I'm glad I stayed." 25 YEARS AGO, 1996: Michigan pulled off a 13-9 stunner in the 'Shoe, taking down Ohio State in Columbus Nov. 23. The Wolverines trailed 9-0 at the half and saw starting quarterback Scott Dreisbach knocked from the game with a head injury. Brian Griese came off the bench and, combined with a stingy Michigan de- fense, led a stirring second-half come- back. The Wolverines out-gained the Buckeyes 237-84 in the second half, with the key play coming on a huge touchdown toss. Griese fired a slant pass to Tai Streets on the second play of the second half. OSU defensive back Shawn Springs slipped on the Ohio Stadium turf, opening the door for a 68-yard touch- down bolt. That cut the OSU lead to 9-7 and gave the Wolverines momentum. Remy Hamilton connected on field goals of 44 and 39 yards to cap the scoring, while Ohio native Marcus Ray made the game-clinching intercep- tion, sliding with the ball in front of the OSU bench. "It was a player's game, like most of these Ohio State-Michigan games are," U-M head coach Lloyd Carr said. "It was won on the field by a group of guys who absolutely believed they could win." — John Borton THIS MONTH IN MICHIGAN ATHLETICS HISTORY Running back Fitzgerald Toussaint ran for 120 yards in the 40-34 win over Ohio State in 2011, surpassing 1,000 for the year and giving the Wolverines a pair of 1,000-yard rushers (along with quarterback Denard Robinson) for the first time since 1975. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL