The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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OCTOBER 2023 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 15 ❱ INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS FIVE YEARS AGO, 2018: Michigan football invaded East Lansing on Oct. 20, 2018, and shut down both the home crowd and the Spartans, 21- 7. The Wolverine defense gave up a mere 94 total yards to Gang Green, forcing an overmatched MSU crew to punt 11 times. The Wolverines piled up 395 yards of offense, tailback Karan Higdon running over the Spartans for 144 yards on 33 carries. Quarterback Shea Patterson went 14-for-25 passing for 212 yards and a pair of touchdowns. His counterpart, Brian Lewerke, con- nected on just 5 of 25 throws for 66 yards, while finding himself under siege the entire afternoon. Following a scoreless opening quarter, Nico Collins secured a 6-yard touchdown pass from Patterson just five seconds into the second period, capping an 84-yard Michigan touchdown drive. In the third quarter, Lewerke took advantage of a Chris Evans fumble at the Michigan 7 to throw a 4-yard TD toss and tie the score. After that, the Wolverines left the Spartans with- out a couch to burn. Patterson unloaded a 79-yard touchdown pass to Donovan Peoples-Jones with 2:24 remaining in the third quarter, snapping the tie. Then, early in the fourth, fullback Ben Mason powered home a 5-yard touchdown run to cap the scoring. Aside from a relative gift TD at home, the Spartans were thoroughly throttled on the afternoon. The fireworks began long before the Wolverines threw water on the Spartans' offense. Michigan State executed its linked-arms march across the field prior to the game while several Michigan play- ers remained on it. The Spartans kept on coming, triggering several mini-skirmishes. "Total bush league," U-M head coach Jim Har- baugh observed. "Apparently Coach [Mark] Danto- nio was five yards behind it all, smiling." U-M linebacker Devin Bush responded by vigor- ously scuffing up the Spartan "S" at midfield, trig- gering more animosity. Michigan linebacker Chase Winovich declared afterward: "Sometimes your little brother starts acting up, and you just got to put them in place." 10 YEARS AGO, 2013: Michigan ran roughshod over Minnesota in a Little Brown Jug bat- tle, 42-13, on Oct. 5, 2013. The Wolverines led only 14-7 at the half, but owned the second half, 28-6, in pulling away from the Golden Gophers. Quarterback Devin Gardner went 13-for-17 pass- ing for 235 yards and a touchdown, while tailback Fitzgerald Toussaint's 79 rushing yards with 2 TDs paced the Michigan ground game. Gardner himself also ran for a touchdown during the rout. Running back Derrick Green's 2-yard touchdown run to start the second-half scoring opened the flood- gates, while defensive back Blake Countess' 72-yard interception return for a touchdown closed things out for the Wolverines. Michigan coach Brady Hoke commented afterward on his 5-0 team: "There's a lot of young players play- ing a lot of snaps. I think we're improving, but we're a long way from where we need to be." 25 YEARS AGO, 1998: Even with the best quar- terback ever to play the game at the helm, Michigan struggled to survive at soggy Northwestern, winning 12-6 in Evanston on Oct. 17, 1998. The Wolverines led only 7-6 at the half and needed to scramble to survive at a road venue saturated by heavy rains. After Brian Gowins' field goals of 29 and 40 yards, Tom Brady's 30-yard TD toss to Tai Streets boosted the Wolverines into their one-point lead with just 35 seconds left in the half. U-M relied on a second-half shutout, Jay Feely's 32-yard field goal, and a fourth- quarter safety to avoid what would have been a humbling road loss. Brady went 12-for-20 for 139 yards and the one passing touchdown for Michigan. But U-M's defense allowed only 35 rushing yards to help stave off an upset. Michigan coach Lloyd Carr called the playing con- ditions the worst he'd ever seen, and at least one Wildcat agreed. "It was like a pigpen out there," Northwestern de- fensive tackle Jeff Dyra said. "Just a bunch of fat pigs rolling around." — John Borton THIS MONTH IN MICHIGAN ATHLETICS HISTORY Quarterback Devin Gardner went 13-for-17 passing for 235 yards and a touchdown, and also ran for a score, in U-M's 42-13 rout of Minnesota 10 years ago. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL SUSIE SURMA Realtor susie@motusre.com 248.767.5633 How much E Q U I T Y have you GAINED? Discover the true worth of your home with our free, hassle-free home evaluation. Thinking of selling? Curious about your equity? Scan the QR code now and gain valuable insights into the potential gains awaiting you. Don't miss out on this exclusive opportunity to unlock your home's hidden value!