The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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SEPTEMBER 2017 THE WOLVERINE 15 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS FIVE YEARS AGO, 2012: Michi- gan opened the home football sea- son Sept. 8 with a 31-25 flyover of Air Force, using quarterback Denard Rob- inson as its main missile. The senior bolted away on touchdown runs of 79 and 58 yards, and threw for an ad- ditional two scores in the win. Freshman tight end Devin Funchess also came up huge in his first appear- ance in The Big House. His 106 receiv- ing yards included a 30-yard touch- down catch. But it was Robinson who stole the show, with 218 yards rushing to go with 208 through the air. Just a week after a season-opening loss to Ala- bama in a neutral-site game in Arling- ton, Texas, Michigan needed a boost, and Robinson provided it. Head coach Brady Hoke assured that Michigan's game plan involved a heavy dose of the senior quarterback. "That's kind of what we went into the game with," Hoke said. "We wanted to establish him a little more in the run- ning game without over-running him and getting him beat up. I think he hit some holes and found some creases, and overall, he did a great job." Junior wide receiver Devin Gardner — who eventually took over as quar- terback when Robinson graduated — pointed out Robinson's ability to throw the ball as well as streak away from opponents on the ground. "I feel like the misconception is that Denard can't throw the football, and he can," Gardner said. "Every quarter- back makes mistakes. They throw bad passes. Even the greatest quarter- backs do. Everyone batters him about certain throws he makes, and it's not that big of a deal. He's doing well, and he's getting better every day." 10 YEARS AGO, 2007: Lloyd Carr's final Michigan squad threw off the disappointment of an 0-2 start and took out all of its frustrations on Notre Dame in a 38-0 beat-down in- side Michigan Stadium Sept. 15. The Irish managed only 79 yards on 55 snaps, an average of 1.4 yards per play. Brandon Graham, a sophomore de- fensive end for the Wolverines, racked up 3.5 sacks, costing the Irish 23 yards. Senior linebacker Chris Graham also fueled the defensive stonewall with seven stops. Freshman quarterback Ryan Mallett made his first career start, in place of injured senior Chad Henne. Mallett connected on 7 of 15 throws for just 90 yards, but three of his completions went for touchdowns. Senior tailback Mike Hart pounded out 187 yards on the ground and scored a pair of touchdowns. "You couldn't write it any better than that," Hart said afterward. Following the two season-opening losses, Hart guaranteed the Wolver- ines would not lose to the Irish. "I did it to fire myself up, and my team up," Hart noted. "It worked out, I guess." 25 YEARS AGO, 1992: The Wol- verines cruised to a 61-7 win over Houston Sept. 26, in the third game of what would become an undefeated (9-0-3) season, featuring a Big Ten championship and a win in the Rose Bowl. The Cougars didn't stand a chance from the beginning, and Michigan's 35 points in the second quarter made it 42-0 at halftime, removing most of the drama. U-M fans still intently watched sophomore quarterback Todd Collins, who stepped in for the injured Elvis Grbac and threw four touchdown passes to tie a school record. S e n i o r t i g h t e n d To ny M c G e e snagged two of them, further fueling the rout. Some intrigue remained at the end, though. A week earlier, Houston finished a lopsided win over Illinois with a touchdown bomb on the final play. Michigan coach Gary Moeller spent time as the Illini head coach before taking over in Ann Arbor. So when Michigan went for a fourth- and-three situation at the Houston 11 in the fourth quarter — and made it — the Cougars didn't cry foul. "If you dish it out, you've got to be able to take it," acknowledged Hous- ton linebacker Ryan McCoy. — John Borton THIS MONTH IN MICHIGAN ATHLETICS HISTORY Quarterback Denard Robinson racked up 426 yards of total offense and accounted for all four touchdowns in U-M's 31-25 win over Air Force in 2012. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL