The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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MICHIGAN FOOTBALL Southern Cal's seven. Oregon's .549 winning percentage is eighth overall but they've posted winning records in 16 of the past 17 years dating back to 1995, and are 150-61 since then. The Wolverines are 3-2 in five matchups with the Ducks. U-M SPORTS LOSING MARK WHEN FACING A REIGNING CHAMPION Alabama's 21-0 blanking of LSU in the BCS Title Game Jan. 9 held sig- nificance for Michigan; the Crimson Tide will now open the 2012 season against the Maize and Blue Sept. 1 as the reigning national champions. The Wolverines finished 2011 ranked No. 12 in the AP Top 25 and No. 9 in the USA Today/Coaches Poll. U-M has met the defending NCAA Perry had four rushing touchdowns in the 2003 Outback Bowl and also contributed 108 yards receiving on six catches. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN Great Game Performances LB Victor Hobson And RB Chris Perry Star In 2003 Outback Bowl Michigan and Virginia Tech met for the first time in program history when they squared off at the Sugar Bowl Jan. 3. Since 1990, U-M has played eight oppo- nents in the postseason that it had previously never competed against, and in beating the Hokies, the Wolverines improved to 5-3 in those matchups. In one such victory, a 38-30 win over Florida in the 2003 Outback Bowl, line- backer Victor Hobson and tailback Chris Perry each had remarkable individual performances. Perry started the scoring for the Maize and Blue, staking them out to a 7-0 lead in the first quarter on a four-yard run. He would rush for a touchdown again in the second quarter (one yard), and twice in the third quarter (seven and 12 yards), setting an Outback Bowl record with four rushing touchdowns en route to MVP honors. Perry, who had 85 ground yards on the day, also contributed 108 yards receiv- ing on six catches (18.0 yards per reception). "Chris brought it today," offensive tackle Tony Pape said. "He brought an attitude with him. He was excited to play." In his first season as a starter, Perry finished his junior campaign with 1,110 yards and 14 touchdowns on 267 carries (4.2-yard average). "At Michigan, if you're a tailback, you're a quarterback … for some people, you're just never good enough. Chris Perry's good enough for me," head coach Lloyd Carr said. "You gain over 1,000 yards in that conference, against that sched- ule, you're a damned good back." While Perry sparked the offense, Hobson captained the defense. In his final col- legiate game, the senior recorded a career-high 12 tackles, including a sack, and sealed the victory with a 42-yard interception return after Florida had driven 36 yards to Michigan's 37-yard line, aided by a late hit Hobson delivered. "I was upset with myself after that hit," he said. "I just wanted to come back and do whatever I could to help the team win." — Michael Spath 46 THE WOLVERINE FEBRUARY 2012 title winner twice in the season opener during the following cam- paign (in the modern era), besting Miami 22-14 in 1984 while losing 24- 19 to Notre Dame in 1989. Overall, the Wolverines have faced off with 13 reigning champs in sub- sequent seasons during the past 50 years and have gone just 6-7 in those matchups. Michigan has won each of its last two, though, beating Ohio State 35-21 in 2003 a year after the Buckeyes went a perfect 13-0, while knocking off Florida 41-35 in the Capital One Bowl after UF had won the national title in 2006. MICHIGAN VS. DEFENDING CHAMPIONS Year Champion Site Result 2007 Florida 1 W, 41-35 2003 Ohio State H W, 35-21 1989 Notre Dame* H L, 24-19 1988 Miami 1984 Miami* H L, 31-30 H W, 22-14 1978 Notre Dame A W, 28-14 1975 Oklahoma 2 L, 14-6 1971 Ohio State H W, 10-7 1969 Ohio State H W, 24-12 1967 Michigan State H L, 34-0 1966 Michigan State A L, 20-7 1962 Ohio State A L, 28-0 1961 Minnesota A L, 23-20 *First game of the season; 1 - Capital One Bowl; 2 - Orange Bowl MICHIGAN AGAIN LEADS THE NATION IN ATTENDANCE Michigan crammed an additional 354 fans per game into The Big House from one year ago, averaging 112,179 to finish the NCAA atten-