Michigan's last (and only other) Fiesta Bowl appearance
According to the Bentley Historical Library, Michigan's last and only other Fiesta Bowl appearance was in 1986, with #5 Michigan beating #7 Nebraska 27-23.
This was a few years before I really started following college football (I was 10 in 1986) and I don't really have much memory/knowledge of Michigan football before 1990, so I had to do a little research on the game. Apparently Michigan was behind by 11 at halftime, but came back to score 24 points in the 3rd quarter (we were a 2nd half team in 1986 also!). Harbaugh had two touchdown runs (1 and 2-yards). The players of the game were Jamie Morris and Mark Messner.
Game stats also from Bentley:
Any good stories of this game from anyone that remembers it? I always appreciate hearing about games from those days.
Link to the game for anyone interested:
December 4th, 2022 at 8:00 PM ^
I just remember that the Huskers fumbled a lot
December 4th, 2022 at 9:22 PM ^
SIX! Fumbles. Good lawdy
December 4th, 2022 at 10:51 PM ^
That was about the only way us winning was going to make sense with the stats posted. Four turnovers. It took me a while, but I see it now.
December 5th, 2022 at 6:56 AM ^
Like Bo always said, "when you run the ball, three things can happen and two of them are bad."
I think. Maybe. Dunno, I'm getting old.
December 4th, 2022 at 8:04 PM ^
boy howdy, both teams were slinging that ball around like it was a man-hole cover.
those were our buddies, my era, playing. mallory and hammerstein.
December 4th, 2022 at 8:09 PM ^
A combined 12/31 for passing? Hell, O'Connell threw 47 passes alone last night. 😊
December 4th, 2022 at 8:16 PM ^
in the first half. but he only completed 45 of them.
really do wish that kid well with his back-story: walk-on, literally the 8th string QB, becomes the starter, married his college sweetheart, loses his brother last week. God bless him.
December 4th, 2022 at 8:23 PM ^
Kid played his ass off and I also wish him well.
It's kind of funny, though, that Harbaugh had only one fewer (or is it less?) pass attempt in 1986 than JJ had last night. 😊
December 4th, 2022 at 8:25 PM ^
And he was our "throwing" QB. Everyone was amazed at the time that Bo let him throw so much.
December 4th, 2022 at 8:40 PM ^
It's fewer
December 4th, 2022 at 8:44 PM ^
Phew! I was sweating bullets for a minute there.
December 5th, 2022 at 7:00 AM ^
Fewer is for comparing discrete objects, like passes, apples or trombones. Less is for comparing indiscrete things like time, water or distance.
December 4th, 2022 at 10:00 PM ^
That did not look like a 4 loss team last night.
All the respect to Purdue.
O'Connell to Charlie Jones was fucking money all night long.
December 4th, 2022 at 10:10 PM ^
That was not the Purdue of the regular season.
It really was a Hank Gathers moment.
December 5th, 2022 at 8:15 AM ^
Purdue in the regular season was inconsistent. You didn't know whether you would get good
Purdue or bad Purdue or some of each. We mostly saw good Purdue.
December 4th, 2022 at 8:04 PM ^
This was my favorite UM team for a very long time. Four points from an undefeated season
December 4th, 2022 at 8:08 PM ^
The brutal Iowa FG and the Illinois tie. But a great win over the Buckeyes (Harbaugh to Kolesar)
December 4th, 2022 at 8:36 PM ^
1985 should have been an undefeated season. Michigan kept Iowa completely out of the end zone, but we still lost on field goals.
I have always said that if Bo was just willing to pass the ball on third and short only about a half a dozen times in his entire career, he would have had multiple National Championships.
But he played really tight in big games, and everybody knew it. It made him easy to defend because you knew exactly what he was going to do, especially on third and short.
He could have exploited that in games like the 1985 Iowa game, or just about any of his Rose Bowl games. If he did it would have been an automatic TD and changed the outcome of many of those kinds of games.
But Bo was from the Woody era where the saying was: "There are only 3 things that can happen when you pass, and 2 of them are bad."
He did eventually adapt with Elvis Grbac, but he was at the end of his career by then.
December 4th, 2022 at 8:43 PM ^
Grbac was only a backup until after Bo retired.
December 4th, 2022 at 8:52 PM ^
He played in the 1989 Notre Dame game when Taylor got hurt. Bo let him sling the ball all over the place on a wet day in an attempt to come back from Rocket Ismail's 2 kick return TDs. It almost worked.
We were amazed. "Who IS this guy?"
December 4th, 2022 at 9:00 PM ^
That's the first Michigan game I can remember watching on TV. I know I watched others before that, but that's the first one I can remember.
Do not kick the ball to a guy with the nickname "Rocket".
December 4th, 2022 at 9:30 PM ^
Maybe don't kick it to the Rocket... TWICE!
December 5th, 2022 at 1:05 AM ^
“if Bo was just willing to pass the ball on third and short only about a half a dozen times in his entire career, he would have had multiple National Championships.”
That, or if he’d ever considered doing play-action passes on first down.
At the very least, he would have had two or three more victories over OSU from 1970 to 1974, when those games were his only losses.
December 4th, 2022 at 8:07 PM ^
This was a great game and a very good UM team with an elite defense. And of course Coach Harbaugh was the QB w Jamie Morris as the tailback. Hope we get a win the second time too.
December 4th, 2022 at 8:08 PM ^
Yes, I remember it. My senior year at Michigan. Most memorable was a road trip to South Bend to start the season, Michigan escaped with a victory as John Carney missed a FG at the end of the game. Great watching Harbaugh.
December 4th, 2022 at 8:29 PM ^
The Fiesta Bowl was the January 1st, 1986 bowl right after the 1985 season. We played ND at home that year (the last year that Faust was the ND coach).
The 1986 season was the one on the road at ND (Holtz's first year). Rose Bowl after that season.
December 4th, 2022 at 8:31 PM ^
Ah, you’re right. I remember both, but apparently not too well. 85 was my junior year and we went to the Fiesta Bowl.
December 4th, 2022 at 8:47 PM ^
I met Gerry Faust the night before the opener in '85. The Irish were on their way to AA and stopped in Marshall to have dinner at Win Schuler's. Coach Faust could not have been nicer to 12 year old me, even after I gave him a hearty Go Blue! I always felt bad for him after the beating Miami gave him in his last game as coach at ND
December 4th, 2022 at 10:14 PM ^
1985 was my freshman year. Went to all the home games. The OSU game was an experience I will never forget. To this day JH is my favorite M QB.
I likely listened to the Fiesta Bowl on the radio, but I dont have any distinct memories. Thx for posting the video as I will def watch it. According to the stat line you posted, Neb had 6 turnovers and lost 3. Prob decided the game as we were massively outgained on the ground.
I went to the Rose Bowl in following years (87 and 89)--we lost both times. I am a jiinx and will never go to an important bowl game again. I also jinxed the Alamo bowl in 2005-sorry.
December 4th, 2022 at 10:23 PM ^
I am a jiinx and will never go to an important bowl game again. I also jinxed the Alamo bowl in 2005-sorry.
Ha! Maybe we could use you as a Trojan Horse. Dress up in TCU gear and pretend to be their fan. It just might work.
December 4th, 2022 at 10:26 PM ^
You must have gone to a different 1989 Rose Bowl than I did, because we won that game vs USC. We lost the following year, 1990, which was Bo's last game.
1989 was a golden year to be a senior at Michigan. Won the Rose Bowl and March Madness!
December 5th, 2022 at 10:55 AM ^
yep, my bad: 89 season, but 90 Rose Bowl. That whole time frame is a huge blur by now.
I listened to the 89 RB on an Amtrak coming back to Detroit from Toronto. The night before, a bartender in Toronto asked me if I knew what USC stood for: University of Spoiled Children. I got a good laugh at that one.
1989 was indeed very memorable. I still have my t-shirt commemorating both football and basketball victories--kind of neat to have on one shirt.
December 4th, 2022 at 8:34 PM ^
Went to the Fiesta Bowl with the band. Best bowl trip I remember. The Rose Bowl was a lot of work. Fiesta Bowl was just a lot of fun, and winning helped a lot.
December 4th, 2022 at 8:11 PM ^
I was in middle school. My girlfriend's parents took us sledding on New Year's Day. When I got home my parents were thrilled that Michigan had come from behind and won. Bo Schembechler's highest rank team, finishing the year 10-1-1 and number 2. Weird year with a 3-3 tie at Illinois and an enormous #1 (Iowa ) vs. #2 game at Kinnick that was to define the year. I remember watching the game at Kinnick, with Chuck Long as the preseason Heisman favorite. That game wasn't so different than taking on these recent OSU passing juggernauts. Strange to think, but back then Iowa (with Purdue) were really the B1G's passing teams, and Chuck Long diced us up. I remember watching completion after completion. I bet they had twice our yards but we kept them out of the end zone all day. Meanwhile, we had trouble moving the ball, but Harbaugh made a scramble with a shovel pass to get the only TD of the day. It was 10-9 late, and Iowa drove the field with pinpoint passing to kick the game winning FG, 12-10. I remember my mom yelling at my stepdad after the game that you shouldn't be able to win a football game if you can't even get it in the end zone once. Iowa then went on the lose to OSU, in a big upset, whom we beat. But that Illinois tie kept us out of the Rose Bowl. Iowa went on to get crushed in the Rose Bowl. Sorry, this turned into a reminiscence about the whole season.
December 4th, 2022 at 8:33 PM ^
I was at the game in Iowa that year but I was young enough that the game seemed incredibly boring with all the field goals.
December 4th, 2022 at 8:42 PM ^
That was an intense game if you were an adult.
December 4th, 2022 at 8:43 PM ^
I was 7 at that point in 1985.
I was still apoplectic with rage at the result of that Iowa game.
December 4th, 2022 at 8:54 PM ^
All I remember about that game was Mark Messner having a last-drive interception go right ... through ... his ... hands. This is petty of me, but I could never forgive him for that (not that he cares). Ever since when I hear his name I also think "that interception went right ... through ... his ... hands."
(I remember one other thing, FWIW. I remember the very next year getting a chance at revenge when Iowa came to Ann Arbor, and in an almost identically-close game, having the bad luck go their way, with Michigan getting an unbelievable fumble recovery late (Iowa stunningly pitched the ball to a running back instead of running out the clock) to regain possession and set up our game-winning field goal. What goes around comes around.)
December 4th, 2022 at 9:14 PM ^
I was at that game in the end zone where our game winning FG was. We could not believe our luck to get that fumble. It was dumb of Iowa to pitch it, but that was their offense.
It was very similar to 1983 where we beat Iowa on a last second FG in the same end zone.
December 4th, 2022 at 9:22 PM ^
I was sitting in the same endzone as you were, in fact. We all went apeshit -- even my "cool" friend (we thought of him as Fonzie, he was so unflappable and blase) -- when the kick went through. Strangely enough, I don't think I've ever been as happy at a Michigan game since. Probably caught me at exactly the right age.
I'd wonder if you and I were sitting near each other, except ... Michigan Stadium being what it is ... probably not. Still, I remember seeing that ball sail right through the goal posts towards us, about 30 rows up.
December 4th, 2022 at 10:20 PM ^
I'm going from memory here, but I think it was section 37 row 82. You had way better seats than I did.
December 5th, 2022 at 12:15 AM ^
My memory is of Brad Cochran missing the last-drive interception. He was a great defensive back for Michigan, earning All-American honors in 1985. I could be wrong, or maybe Messner also missed one. In either case, both of them were great players and representatives of the University of Michigan.
December 4th, 2022 at 8:18 PM ^
I took my son to this game. He was 11. It was his first of many efforts to "groom" him for Michigan fandom. It worked. He graduated from M's Dental School in 2009 and is practicing in Ann Arbor. He was at the CCG in Indy on Saturday. He's a huge fan.
WIth M looking terrible for the first half, we left the stadium. Still close buy, we heard the roar of fans. Probably another Nebraska score. Just in case, on my son's urging, we re-entered. Nebraska had fumbled their 3rd time (they had 6 turnovers and lost 4, 3 fumbles and an INT) and given a short field scored a TD to close the gap. Bo's D shut out Nebraska in the 2nd half and scored 24 points to win 27-23.
December 4th, 2022 at 8:28 PM ^
That 1985 defense was a thing of beauty! They locked up Nebraska in the second half like Minter locked up OSU last week...
December 4th, 2022 at 8:31 PM ^
Something like 49 rushes, 3.5 per carry, 6 completions at over 10 yards per. 136 fewer total yards, but won the turnover battle by 4. Very nice.
December 4th, 2022 at 8:32 PM ^
I never saw this game, but an interesting story is that UM was up 6 near the end, and took an intentional safety to seal the game. It was interesting that being up by 6 late is that sweet spot game theory wise to take an intentional safety.
December 4th, 2022 at 8:59 PM ^
It was a no brainer, even without analytics at the time. The only way that Nebraska's offense was going to score on Michigan's defense with that little bit of time left was going to be on a short field. So a kickoff after a safety was safer than a punt. The 2 points after the safety were not going to make a difference. It worked.
December 4th, 2022 at 8:38 PM ^
I remember that game well. I was visiting my grandfather in Florida with some of my friends and my sister and a friend of hers. Around halftime my sister went to take a shower and we scored a couple of touchdowns before she was done. She was not happy when we told her she could not leave the bathroom until the game was over. She thought she had nothing to do with our success but we knew otherwise.
That night we went to the Orange Bowl to see Penn State and Oklahoma play for a championship.
It was a good day.
December 4th, 2022 at 8:49 PM ^
The other thing I remember about this game was that they (not sure exactly who) were trying to arrange something where the winner of the Game would play in the Cotton Bowl and the loser in the Fiesta (the Fiesta was less prestigious then) but Bo did not want to play the SWC so we made a separate deal to play in the Fiesta.
December 4th, 2022 at 9:06 PM ^
The Fiesta became a king-maker back then because it had no ties to conferences.
So, it had the flexibility to arrange matchups of the top independents of the time (Miami, FSU, Notre Dame, Penn State, WVU, etc.) for the "national championship", while the other bowls were locked in to conference winners.
The matchup after the 1986 season between Miami and Penn State for the national championship was a classic example.