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 8:50 PM ^
I attended that game with my future wife as we had been spending the Christmas holidays with my parents in San Diego. It was a fabulous trip and probably sealed the deal for the two of us to get married later that year.
As far as the game went, I remember that M was behind at halftime, and then M (with Harbaugh at the controls) blew them out in the second half. Does that sound familiar?
I also remember that it was incredibly hot and we were sitting in the direct sun. I had previously attended all the M Rose Bowl games since 1964 and found the Fiesta Bowl to be much more fan-friendly and more fun! Of course, it was played at Sun Devil Stadium at Arizona State rather than the current venue. So that may make a big difference -- probably positive and even better, certainly newer.
I certainly am a senior citizen but not excited that this seems like a game from almost 40 years ago and thus relegated to the history books -- wait, it IS from antiquity! May God bless all of us who attended and still around to respond to this posting!
December 4th, 2022 at 8:56 PM ^
I was a freshman in college, having already had season tickets for ... 15 years at that point. Amazingly, I'm still incredibly young. Aren't I? Dammit!
December 4th, 2022 at 9:28 PM ^
I grew up in a small town, one of my circle of friends was a big Nebraska fan and was constantly telling me how his huskers would own the Big Ten and they'd beat Michigan by 3 TD's every year. I heard this stuff since I was about 11.
Long story short I got to go to the Fiesta Bowl that year, and my friend pretty much shut up about Nebraska for the rest of high school. We parted ways in our college years and haven't seen each other since but I'd love to hear his thoughts on the current state of Nebraska football.
December 4th, 2022 at 10:27 PM ^
The Nebraska fall from the heights has been precipitous. Sometimes I wonder if they should just say "fuck it" and go back to running the triple option and see what happens.
December 4th, 2022 at 9:36 PM ^
Great defense and a great year … BOs best ranking … pretty good QB and RB !!!
December 4th, 2022 at 10:29 PM ^
Funny, Brian and Seth proposed earlier this season that Blake Corum might be Michigan's best running back ever. I rolled my eyes -- us oldies can remember a lot of damned good Michigan running backs. Blake is up there -- but let's face it, with that offensive line, you don't have to be an all-time great to collect lots of yards. (See also: Donovan Edwards the past two games).
These conversations are always highly personal, but I'd put Ty Wheatley at the top of the list (since 1970, at least), with Butch Woolfolk and Jamie Morris tied at second -- all above Corum. I think you could make a damned strong argument as well for Anthony Thomas, Chris Perry, and Mike Hart, and I'm not even sure I wouldn't add Rob Lytle and Tim Biakabutuka as well.
Personal favorites: Gordon Bell and Leroy Hoard.
Anyway, I understand B&S's take. It's been a sad last 15 years, really, before Hassan Haskins, and unless you're a gray-haired fan those names seem ... like Red Grange and/or Jim Brown. But Michigan has a pretty awesome tradition at running back -- one into which Blake Corum certainly fits, but not one he dominates, seems to me.
December 5th, 2022 at 11:12 AM ^
Hard to have an argument about the best running back without mentioning Tom Harmon, the only M "running back" (though he did much more) to actually win a Heisman. Frankly, having seen all of them since 1963 I don't really like picking one over the other. We have been blessed with a fabulous bunch of them, usually at least one each year, since forever. Given that Denard made his mark running the ball rather than passing, I would even include him in the mix. Does anyone else remember Ron Johnson?
December 5th, 2022 at 11:47 AM ^
Tony Boles in 1988 was my favorite. He ran "digitally", in one lane then instantly in another lane, like a Frogger video game.
December 4th, 2022 at 9:45 PM ^
My brother and I attended this game. It was a bit of a shocker in that Bo rarely won a bowl game. The Husker fans were super nice post game. My favorite memory was finding a sports bar nearby where my Bruin bro could watch his UCLA team after the UM game. We found a bar that had photos of Bill Freehan, Dick McAuliffe, the Gator, and other 1968 Tigers. Behind the bar was a beautiful prematurely grey young woman. Yep, the owner - Jim Northrup’s daughter. My age! I tried to impress, tried to make convo, tried everything in my pathetic book of flirting, but she was as surly as the Grey Fox. I was shut down as if facing our Wolverine defense. A great memory nonetheless. Go Blue!
December 4th, 2022 at 9:49 PM ^
I remember listening to this one on the radio in the car on a family road trip to the UP.
also remember watching the rose bowl against ASU the year after this……my first real memories of Michigan football
December 4th, 2022 at 10:23 PM ^
It sucked to lose that Rose Bowl against that steroid-laden ASU team, coached by John Cooper.
Ohio State hired him after that because he showed he could beat Michigan.
I wonder how that worked out?
December 4th, 2022 at 10:39 PM ^
I was 8 and after that Rose Bowl loss I got in a fist fight with some ASU-bandwagon punk in the front of the portable trailer that served as our classroom.
December 4th, 2022 at 11:31 PM ^
Also have pretty vivid memories of the Demetrius Brown era…….
my parents were Rick leach fans but he was before my time
December 5th, 2022 at 12:08 AM ^
Demetrius Brown was one of my favorite Michigan QBs. He had a rough start in 1987, but by 1988 he was dialed in. He threw one of the best long balls I have ever seen.
December 4th, 2022 at 10:21 PM ^
The '85 season is at the very fringe of my fandom (I was 8). I dont remember much, but little things I do remember were:
1 - My Michigan relatives discussing how many games it would take for the Lions to ruin Chuck Long
2 - My first case of "sports hate" because it seemed like Keith Byars got the ball on every damned play
3 - running around my Uncles cottage on White Lake with my Michigan sweatshirt on and a towel tied into a makeshift cape around my neck pretending to be Super Jamie Morris after the Fiesta Bowl. Good times...
December 4th, 2022 at 10:40 PM ^
Those of us who were older despaired of the Lions' Chuck Long pick even as it was happening. The best QB in that draft was Purdue's Jim Everett -- but he was picked third overall by Houston, so the Lions were forced to pick Long with their 12th overall pick.
(It was, of course, in that year when the Lions desperately needed a quarterback, a terrible year for QBs -- the only other QB taken in the first two rounds was Jack Trudeau, at 47th overall.
Chuck Long was so obviously a dud: tall and with a good arm, but with no mobility, no spark, and no personality. Even at the time it was clear he was a "best we can do" pick for the Lions (at which the team excelled, then as now), and not anything inspired or likely to work long term.
December 4th, 2022 at 10:38 PM ^
I remember the 1986 Fiesta Bowl game pretty well. Was held at Sun Devil Stadium. It was my freshman year and it propelled us to a #2 ranking, our highest ranking since 1948, and with the exception of 1997, of course, our best in the modern era of polls. Hoping we at least finish this high or better this year.
As for the Iowa loss that year, I still have memories of Rob Houghtlin of Iowa kicking the winning field goal. It haunts me. In my opinion, that 1985 team was one of Michigan's best teams ever and it was my true initiation into this Michigan football obsession that I have.
But I have to say the last two years, and especially this year, have been spectacular.
December 4th, 2022 at 10:49 PM ^
I moved away from Ann Arbor to spend my freshman year at the University of Kansas before transferring back to U of M in 1986. My Wolverine fandom never wavered, however, and I watched every Michigan game that was on TV, even when it conflicted with a KU game (which I would otherwise go to, God help me). I still remember watching that Iowa game and, as Houghtlin's kick went up, heading RIGHT down the middle, turning off the TV and leaving the room.
To this day I've never seen it actually go through the uprights. Fuck that game hurt. Yeah, that was our best team of the 1980s, no doubt.
I don't believe Bo "turtled" or went conservative, particularly. He was who he was, and he -- like Harbaugh, to be fair, who learned from him -- believed that ball safety and trust in your defense, offensive line, and running backs would win you the game. And, like Harbaugh, most of the time he was absolutely right. But damn, it hurt in games like that to know that if we just opened the game up a little, or took advantage of their stacking-the-box just a little -- maybe a play action, maybe trust your receivers to make a play ...
Eh, what do I know? We were playing the No. 1 team in the country at the time, on the road, and if Mark Messner makes the damned interception or Houghtlin misses that field goal we escape with a win. I won't second-guess Bo. But ... damn, that was a painful loss.
December 5th, 2022 at 12:38 AM ^
I graduated with my BS Chem Eng degree that December (1985) and remember this game quite vividly. Michigan was the better team going into the game but we struggled with Nebraska's speed at skill positions since no one in the B1G in 1985 had that kind of speed. The 2nd half, down 14-3, was the game changer as we forced some fumbles and also blocked a punt to set up a short FG. Other than Morris, our O was very lousy. JH ran in a few option TDs but we really relied on them self-destructing themselves, which they did in fabulous fashion.
It was a great finish as Tom Osborne threw his jr/sr QB under the bus to bring in an athletic frosh QB who couldn't throw the ball better than that IU QB last year (now a WR). The final throw looked like our DB was the receiver.
As for the 1985 season, it was a great time to be a Michigan Wolverine, other than the Iowa 12-10 loss and the weird 3-3 tie to Illinois. We beat ND at home, won 31-0 at MSU, and beat Ohio 27-17, where my friend and I were among 1000s storming the field post win.
Regarding the Iowa loss, it WASN'T Mark Messner (a DL) who dropped a potential game-ending INT. It was Brad Cochran, who would have played years in the NFL if not for a neck injury in 1986 pre-season for the Raiders.
Still Messner was co-MVP I believe along with Hammerstein after a dreadful 6-6 1984 campaing.
Great memories!
December 5th, 2022 at 1:11 AM ^
Good analysis of the game. I don't remember our O being lousy. Kolesar was quite a flanker and Harbaugh was a Heisman candidate.
And I was wondering how Messner could have dropped a pass. Cochran was a great DB, an All American, and an Academic All American too.
December 5th, 2022 at 5:16 AM ^
Finished 10-1-1 with a #2 ranking, closest Bo ever came to a MNC.
December 5th, 2022 at 11:50 AM ^
One of the college football magazines ranked Michigan as #1 after the game. I still have my copy. There is at least one poll out there that has Michigan as #1 for 1985.
December 5th, 2022 at 7:45 AM ^
I remember watching it when it happened, but my main recollection is how well Jamie Morris played. He was/is one of my favorite Michigan football running backs in the traditon of Mike Hart and Blake Corum (smaller guys who are hard to bring down). I've met him a couple of times and he's a great guy.
December 5th, 2022 at 11:34 AM ^
That first scramble by Harbaugh... scary how he's holding that ball out there. I'm sure JH tells JJ to be more careful with the ball than that, lol.
December 5th, 2022 at 11:52 AM ^
Harbaugh was a little bit wild back in the day. This may not be a surprise.
But Bo trusted him, at least to the extent he could ever trust a QB.
December 5th, 2022 at 4:11 PM ^
Interesting a game that was won by getting 4 turnovers and giving up none.
December 5th, 2022 at 4:16 PM ^
Just curious, is Brad Robbins related to Monte Robbins, the punter on the 1986 team?
December 5th, 2022 at 8:04 PM ^
Yep, I was at that game. A high school junior at the time and I was a huge fan of Harbaugh and Jamie Morris. Don’t remember much about the game but I sure loved being on vacation in Arizona with my family.