1980 Michigan Wolverines football team

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
1980 Michigan Wolverines football
Big Ten Champions
Rose Bowl Champions
Rose Bowl, W 23–6 vs. Washington
Conference Big Ten Conference
Ranking
Coaches #4
AP #4
1980 record 10–2 (8–0 Big Ten)
Head coach Bo Schembechler (12th year)
MVP Anthony Carter
Captain Andy Cannavino
Captain George Lilja
Home stadium Michigan Stadium
Seasons
« 1979 1981 »
1980 Big Ten football standings
Conf     Overall
Team W   L   T     W   L   T
#4/4 Michigan † 8 – 0 – 0     10 – 2 – 0
#15/15 Ohio State 7 – 1 – 0     9 – 3 – 0
#17/16 Purdue 7 – 1 – 0     9 – 3 – 0
Iowa 4 – 4 – 0     4 – 7 – 0
Minnesota 4 – 5 – 0     5 – 6 – 0
Indiana 3 – 5 – 0     6 – 5 – 0
Wisconsin 3 – 5 – 0     4 – 7 – 0
Illinois 3 – 5 – 0     3 – 7 – 1
Michigan State 2 – 6 – 0     3 – 8 – 0
Northwestern 0 – 9 – 0     0 – 11 – 0
† – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll / Coaches' Poll

The 1980 Michigan Wolverines football team, coached by Bo Schembechler, won the Big Ten Conference championship with a record of 10–2 (8–0 in conference) and defeated the Washington Huskies in the 1981 Rose Bowl game, 23–6.[1] After starting the season 1–2 with a narrow victory over Northwestern and losses to Notre Dame and South Carolina, the 1980 season looked like it would be disappointment. A quarterback controversy concerning the choice of Rich Hewlett to start the season over the popular John Wangler added to the controversy. However, the defense gathered strength over the course of the season, scored three consecutive shutouts, and did not allow a touchdown in the final 22 quarters of the season.[2] The offense was led by All-Americans Anthony Carter at wide receiver and George Lilja at center. The Rose Bowl victory over Washington was Schembechler's first win in a bowl game, following seven bowl games losses. After falling out of the rankings for four weeks in the middle of the season, the 1980 Wolverines ended up being ranked #4 in both the AP and Coaches polls.

Contents

[edit] Schedule

Date Time Opponent# Rank# Site TV Result Attendance
September 13, 1980 Northwestern #11/10 Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI W 17–10   100,824
September 20, 1980 at #8/8 Notre Dame* #14/12 Notre Dame Stadium • Notre Dame, IN L 29–27   59,075
September 27, 1980 South Carolina* #17/17 Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI L 17–14   104,213
October 4, 1980 California* Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI W 38–13   104,621
October 11, 1980 Michigan State Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI W 27–23   105,263
October 18, 1980 at Minnesota Memorial Stadium • Minneapolis, MN W 37–14   56,297
October 25, 1980 Illinoisdagger Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI ABC W 45–14   105,109
November 1, 1980 at Indiana #18/18 Memorial Stadium • Bloomington, IN W 35–0   52,071
November 8, 1980 at Wisconsin #12/12 Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI W 24–0   69,560
November 15, 1980 #16/16 Purdue #11/12 Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI ABC W 26–0   105,831
November 22, 1980 at #5/5 Ohio State #10/11 Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH ABC W 9–3   88,827
January 1, 1981 vs. #16/16 Washington* #5/5 Rose Bowl • Pasadena, CA (Rose Bowl) NBC W 23–6   104,863
*Non-conference game. daggerHomecoming. #Rankings from AP Poll / Coaches' Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

[edit] Season summary

[edit] Preseason expectations

The 1979 season marked the first time Michigan had not ended the season ranked among the nation's top ten teams since Bo Schembechler took over as coach in 1969.[3] In the AP's 1980 preseason poll, Michigan was not even picked to be one of the top two teams in the Big Ten Conference. The AP picked Ohio State (led by Art Schlichter) as the No.1 team in the country, and the Purdue team (led by Mark Herrmann) was picked at No. 9, with Michigan ranked No. 12.[4]

[edit] Week one: 17-10 win over Northwestern

In the first game of the year, Michigan played Northwestern. The game began in a heavy rain that turned into a dowpour for most of the first half.[5] The game was unexpectedly close, as Northwestern, in the midst of a 34-game losing streak, dominated a third quarter in which Michigan ran only three plays and had the ball for 2:30.[6] Northwestern then scored a touchdown early in the fourth quarter to tie the game, 10-10, "before a stunned crowd of 100,824 at Michigan Stadium."[7] Michigan fans were unsure of the young sophomore quarterback, Rich Hewlett, starting in place of senior John Wangler, who had been injured in the previous year's Gator Bowl. With the game tied, 10-10, the disenchanted Michigan fans began chants of "We Want Wangler."[6] With Northwestern still controlling the ball in the fourth quarter, the turning point came when Michigan captain Andy Cannavino fell on a Northwestern fumble at the Wildcats' 23-yard line. Hewlett responded with a 23-yard touchdown pass to Anthony Carter in the left corner of the endzone (Hewlett's second touchdown pass of the game to Carter) to give Michigan a 17-10 lead.[6] In the final three minutes of the game, Northwestern drove the ball from its own 27 to the Michigan 7, but Andy Cannavino intercepted a pass on fourth down, as Michigan pulled off a narrow victory.[5] After the game, Hewlett said he tried not to pay attention to the chants calling for Wangler, and Coach Schembechler said, "I don't care who they call for. You know that won't dictate what I do."[6]

[edit] Week two: 29-27 loss to Notre Dame

In the second week of the season, Michigan played Notre Dame in South Bend. After a scoreless first quarter, Notre Dame took a 14-0 lead in the second quarter. Michigan's reserve quarterback John Wangler replaced Rich Hewlett in the second quarter,[8] and threw two touchdown passes in the span of 1:19 to tie the game, 14-14, at halftime.[9] In the second half, Anthony Carter returned the opening kickoff 67 yards to the Notre Dame 32-yard line,[8] and Michigan scored on a two-yard run by Stan Edwards.[9] Notre Dame scored a touchdown (but missed the extra point) with 1:03 left in the third quarter on a 49-yard interception return of a Wangler pass.[9] The last three minutes of the game proved to be one of the most exciting finishes in the Michigan-Notre Dame rivalry. With 3:03 left in the game, Notre Dame scored to take a 26-21 lead (an attempted two-point conversion failed).[9] On the next drive, Butch Woolfolk ran 36 yards on a trap play, taking the ball to the Notre Dame 4-yard line with less than a minute to play.[9] Wangler threw a pass to Woolfolk in the endzone that was tipped and caught by Michigan tight end, Craig Dunaway, to give the Wolverines a 27-26 lead with 41 seconds left.[8] After a touchback, Notre Dame took over on its own 20-yard line with 40 seconds left.[8] In five plays, Notre Dame moved the ball to the Michigan 41-yard line. Notre Dame's drive was aided by a controversial pass interference call against Michigan of which Coach Schembechler said after the game, "It was the key play, without it, they wouldn't have scored at all."[8] And on the final play of the game, Notre Dame placekicker Harry Oliver kicked an improbable 51-yard field into a strong wind to give Notre Dame the 29-27 victory.[9] Notre Dame coach Dan Devine performed the sign of the cross as Oliver's kick left his foot, and Oliver said, "This is by far the greatest moment of my life. I have to thank God and Our Lady, God had to be with me."[10] Schembechler said after the game, "I'm proud of the way we came back. We had as much right to as they did. But they hung in there and they had the last shot. Time just ran out."[10]

[edit] Week three: 17-14 loss to South Carolina

Michigan faced South Carolina and 1980 Heisman Trophy winner George Rogers in the third week of the season. The press deemed South Carolina to be a heavy underdog going into the game. One writer noted, "Opponents like South Carolina are expected to be patsies. No trouble to beat."[11] Consistent with expectations, Michigan took a 14-3 lead into halftime on a pair of touchdown passes from John Wangler to Anthony Carter.[11] On the first drive of the second half, Michigan drove the ball to South Carolina's 8-yard line and appeared to be poised to take a 21-3 lead. However, on first and goal, Stan Edwards fumbled the ball into the endzone, and South Carolina recovered.[12] South Carolina drove the ball 80 years for a touchdown to tighten the score to 14-10. On the ensuing drive, Michigan faced a fourth down with one yard to go at its own 29-yard line. Michigan faked the punt, but Stan Edwards was stopped for no gain. South Carolina responded with its second touchdown on the short field and took a 17-14 lead.[12] After the game, Coach Schembechler blamed himself for the loss and the fake punt call. He said, "It was that a coach didn't have confidence in his defense. Hey, I've got to start realizing our defense isn't that bad. We should have punted ..."[11] Late in the fourth quarter, Michigan had a chance to tie the game with a field goal, but opted to go for the touchdown on a pass play that was tipped off the hands of Anthony Carter.[11] On not kicking the field goal, Schembechler said, "My players wouldn't want a tie in a non-conference game."[11] South Carolina's offense was led by its tailback (and Heisman Trophy winner) George Rogers, who gained 142 yards on 36 carries.[12]

With the loss to South Carolina, Michigan was 1-2 and had lost 5 of its last 6 games.[11] It was the first time Michigan had lost consecutive non-conference games since 1967.[11]

[edit] Week four: 38-13 win over California

In its fourth game, Michigan beat California, 38-13, in front of 104,621 spectators at Michigan Stadium. The game was close for the first three quarters, as Cal's Heisman Trophy candidate, quarterback Rich Campbell, completed 22 of 34 passes (including 15 for 15 in the second half) for 249 yards.[13] But three fourth quarter touchdowns by Michigan gave Michigan a 25-point margin of victory. Michigan gained 388 rushing yards in the game, including 184 yards by Lawrence Ricks and 127 yards by Stan Edwards.[13] After the game, Schembechler noted that respect for Cal quarterback Campbell led Michigan to emphasize the run: "Our intention was to control the ball and keep our defense off the field. You won't see that kind of running much more this season. ... Campbell dictated our offense. Our strategy was to keep him off the field. You're never out of the woods with Campbell."[13]

[edit] Week five: 27-23 win over Michigan State

In the fifth week of the season, Michigan defeated its in-state rival, Michigan State, in a close game by a score of 27-23. Michigan running back Butch Woolfolk rushed for 136 yards, and the Spartans' placekicker, Morten Andersen kicked three field goals in the game, including a school-record 57-yarder.[14] With the game tied 13-13 in the second half, Michigan State was penalized for roughing Michigan placekicker, Ali Haji-Sheikh. Though Haji-Sheikh's field goal was good, Michigan coach Schembechler decided to accept the penalty (taking three Michigan points off the board) and go for the touchdown. Three plays later, John Wangler threw a touchown pass to Anthony Carter. When questioned about the call after the game, Schembechler grinned and said, "So old Bo isn't too dumb is he?"[14] Michigan scored its final touchdown on a pass from Wangler to Craig Dunaway. Michigan linebacker intercepted a pass in the final minute-and-a-half of the game to stop the Spartans' final drive.[14]

[edit] Week six: 37-14 win over Minnesota

In week six, Michigan won a convincing 37-14 road victory over Minnesota. Butch Woolfolk scored two first-half touchdowns, including a 27-yard touchdown run on Michigan's opening possession.[15] Quarterback John Wangler threw for a personal-high 227 yards on 16-for-22 passing, and Anthony Carter caught nine passes for 149 yards and two touchdowns.[15] Ali Haji-Sheikh added three field goals.[15]

[edit] Week seven: 45-14 win over Illinois

Week seven's match-up against Illinois had special significance, because Michigan assistant coaches Gary Moeller and Lloyd Carr had been fired by Illinois after the 1979 season. Rumors spread before the game that coach Schembechler wanted to "make Illinois pay" for the firings.[16] Michigan fullback Stan Edwards ran for a career-high 152 yards in the game, though he also fumbled the ball while running untouched in the open field in the second quarter.[16] Michigan also had a 78-yard punt return nullified for clipping.[16] Anthony Carter caught five passes for 121 yards and a touchdown in the first half, and did not play in the second half.[16] After the game, the Michigan players presented game balls to assistant coaches Moeller and Carr.[16]

[edit] Week eight: 35-0 win over Indiana

The Michigan defense scored its first of three straight shutouts in week eight, as Michigan defeated Indiana, 35-0. Michigan running backs Butch Woolfolk and Lawrence Ricks ran for 152 and 123 yards respectively.[17] The game's most unusual moment came when Ricks scored two touchdowns in a span of only 28 seconds in the first quarter. Ricks ran 29 yards for a touchdown, and on the ensuing kickoff, Indiana fumbled on its own 22 yard-line. Ricks ran the ball twice, scoring on the second carry after the fumble recovery.[17] Anthony Carter caught a 34-yard touchdown pass from Wangler, and Woolfolk added a 64-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.[17]

[edit] Week nine: 24-0 win over Wisconsin

Michigan shut out Wisconsin on the road in Week Nine, by a score of 24-0. Anthony Carter caught a touchdown pass to set a Michigan school record for touchdown receptions in a single season.[18]

[edit] Week ten: 26-0 win over Purdue

Michigan's most impressive defensive performance of the season came in a Week-Ten, 26–0, shutout of Purdue. Purdue was led that year by senior quarterback and Heisman Trophy candidate Mark Herrmann, who set all-time NCAA records for passing yardage and total offense.[19] It was only the second time in Herrmann's four years at Purdue that the Boilermakers were shut out. In the second half, the defense did not allow a first down, and Herrmann passed for only 24 yards.[19] The Wolverines defense also intercepted three of Herrmann's passes, including two by Tony Jackson.[19] On offense, Michigan wide receiver Anthony Carter caught his 18th and 19th touchdown passes of the season. After the game, coach Schembechler expressed surprise when he was told that the defense had not allowed a single first down in the second half. Schembechler remarked, "Unbelievable. We've never shut any body down since I've been here like we did Purdue in the second half."[19]

[edit] Week eleven: 9-3 win over Ohio State

In the final game of the regular season, Michigan faced Ohio State in front of a record crowd of 88,827 in Columbus, Ohio.[20] Ohio State, which started the season ranked No. 1 in the country, had lost a non-conference game to UCLA and came into the game ranked No. 5.[21] The Buckeyes were led by senior quarterback Art Schlichter who became the third player in Big Ten history to surpass 6,000 yards in total offense (Mark Herrmann and Rick Leach were the first to accomplish the feat).[20] Michigan's only touchdown came late in the third quarter on a pass from John Wangler to Anthony Carter.[21][22] Butch Woolfolk rushed for 142 yards. Placekicker added an Ali-Haji-Sheikh kicked a 43-yard field goal in the first half, though he missed a 38-yarder. However, the game was close due to Michigan mistakes, including three interceptions, two missed field goals, and an extra-point kick that hit the left upright and bounced back on the field.[22] The errors led coach Schembechler to say, "It may not be the prettiest win and its wasn't the most explosive offensive show you've ever seen, but we won it."[22] Ohio State had a chance to win late in the fourth quarter, as Schlichter completed a 28-yard pass to the Michigan 32-yard line with less than a minute to play. On the ensuing drive, Schlichter was penalized for intentional grounding and was sacked on the next play with 13 seconds left on the clock.[22] The Michigan defense held Schlichter to 8-of-25 passing and extended its streak of not having allowed a touchdown to 18 quarters and 274 minutes.[20][21]

After the game, coach Schembechler paid tribute to his Big Ten championship team: "This was a great group in terms of never giving up. I enjoy this championship more than any of the previous ones because of the way we came back."[22]

[edit] Rose Bowl: 23-6 win over Washington

Main article: 1981 Rose Bowl

As the Big Ten Conference champion, Michigan advanced to the 1981 Rose Bowl game in which it defeated the Pac Ten Conference champion Washington Huskies by a score of 23–6. Coach Bo Schembechler, who had gone winless in seven prior bowl games (five Rose Bowls, an Orange Bowl, and a Gator Bowl), was the focus of much of the pre-game press coverage.[23] Michigan center George Lilja noted before the game, "We want to win for our coach as much as for ourselves."[23] Michigan scored on a six-yard touchdown run by Butch Woolfolk to take a 7-6 lead at halftime.[24] Michigan drove the ball 83 yards to start the second half, scoring on a 25-yard field goal by Ali Haji-Sheikh.[24] In the third quarter, Wangler completed a seven-yard touchdown pass to Anthony Carter,[24] and added another touchdown in the fourth quarter on a one-yard run by Stan Edwards. After the game, Michigan players carried Schembechler off the field on their shoulders as the coach held his arms above his head in victory.[25] In the post-game press conference, Schembechler said, "I stood here five times before a loser. Now I'm smoking a cigar and smiling. ... Right now, I'm on top of the world. I feel great about everything."[2]

Michigan finished the season ranked No. 4 in both the AP and UPI polls.[1]

[edit] Players

The number of games started by each player at a position is listed in parentheses next to the player's name.

[edit] Offensive starters

[edit] Defensive starters

[edit] Kicking

[edit] Statistics

[edit] Offensive statistics

[edit] Rushing

Player Att Net Yards Yds/Att TD Long
Butch Woolfolk 196 1042 5.3 8 64
Stanley Edwards 192 901 4.7 8 42
Lawrence Ricks 167 850 5.1 6 29
Jerald Ingram 33 145 4.4 2 26
Rich Hewlett 21 73 3.5 0 17
Anthony Carter 10 68 6.8 0 21
Kerry Smith 8 46 5.8 0 16
Tom Hassel 6 17 2.8 0 9
Steve Smith 9 8 0.9 0 9

[edit] Passing

Player Att Comp Int Comp % Yds Yds/Comp TD Long
John Wangler 212 117 9 55.2 1522 13.0 16 55
Rich Hewlett 17 7 0 41.2 118 16.9 2 25
Steve Smith 6 3 0 50.0 44 14.7 0 24

[edit] Receiving

Player Recp Yds Yds/Recp TD Long
Anthony Carter 51 818 16.0 14 44
Alan Mitchell 13 215 16.5 0 26
Norm Betts 17 161 9.5 1 17
Craig Dunaway 9 135 15.0 2 55
Stanley Edwards 9 93 10.3 0 17
Butch Woolfolk 10 68 6.8 0 12
Kenney Gear 3 60 20.0 0 25
Lawrence Ricks 8 56 7.0 1 13
Fred Brockington 2 31 15.5 0 16
Jerald Ingram 3 23 7.7 0 13
Chuck Christian 1 10 10.0 0 10
Milt Carthens 1 4 4.0 0 4

[edit] Defensive statistics

[edit] Tackles, assists and interceptions

Player Tackles Assists Total Interceptions
Andy Cannavino 81 47 128 4
Mel Owens 52 37 89 1
Paul Girgash 53 28 81 0
Robert Thompson 51 28 79 1
Frederick Motley 36 27 63 0
Marion Body 41 16 57 5
Keith Bostic 38 14 52 2
Tony Jackson 28 14 42 2
Winfred Carraway 23 12 35 0
Jeff Reeves 26 6 32 0
Brian Carpenter 25 7 32 5
Cedric Coles 18 13 31 0
Jim Herrmann 19 11 30 0

[edit] Special teams statistics

[edit] Kickoff returns

Player Returns Yds Yds/Rtrn TD Long
Anthony Carter 15 427 28.5 0 67
Tom Hassel 1 12 12.0 0 12
Kenney Gear 1 12 12.0 0 12
Stanley Edwards 1 12 12.0 0 12
Jerald Ingram 1 12 12.0 0 12
Brian Carpenter 1 9 9.0 0 9

[edit] Punt returns

Player Returns Yds Yds/Rtrn TD Long
Anthony Carter 24 165 6.9 0 21
Brian Carpenter 3 14 4.7 0 9
Tony Jackson 1 13 13.0 0 13

[edit] Awards and honors

[edit] Coaching staff

Michigan's assistant coaches in 1980 included six individuals who went on to success as head coaches -- Les Miles (who won the 2007 National Championship with LSU), Lloyd Carr (who won the 1997 National Championship with Michigan), Bill McCartney (who led Colorado to a No. 2 ranking in 1990 and later founded Promise Keepers), Ron Vanderlinden (head coach at Maryland for four years), Gary Moeller (who led Michigan to three Big Ten championships and a No. 5 ranking in 1992), and Paul Schudel (head coach at Ball State from 1985–1994). The coaching staff also included Tirrel Burton, Tim Davis, Jerry Hanlon, Jerry Meter, Bob Thornbladh, Milan Vooletich.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b "1980 Football Team". Bentley Historical Library. Archived from the original on 24 December 2008. http://bentley.umich.edu/athdept/football/fbteam/1980fbt.htm. Retrieved 14 December 2008. 
  2. ^ a b "Michigan Finally Wins A Rose Bowl Contest". Logansport Pharos-Tribune (AP wire story). 1981-01-02. 
  3. ^ "Buckeyes Must Establish Midwest Grid Supremacy". Marysville Journal-Tribune (AP wire story). 1980-08-19. 
  4. ^ "Football Preview". Oelwein Daily Register (AP wire story). 1980-09-02. 
  5. ^ a b "Michigan trips Northwestern". Syracuse Herald-American (UPI wire story). 1980-09-14. 
  6. ^ a b c d "Michigan struggles to beat Wildcats". Chronicle-Telegram (UPI wire story). 1980-09-14. 
  7. ^ "Ohio State outlasts scrappy Syracuse". The Daily Intelligencer (AP wire story). 1980-09-14. 
  8. ^ a b c d e "Game's Final Play: Irish Win on Field Goal". Logansport Pharos-Tribune (UPI wire story). 1980-09-21. 
  9. ^ a b c d e f Scott Haislet (1980-09-21). "Oliver's FG lifts Irish past Michigan". Chronicle Telegram. 
  10. ^ a b Frank Mittler (1980-09-21). "Oliver Makes Golden Dome, Devine Shine a Bit Brighter". Chronicle Telegram. 
  11. ^ a b c d e f g Scott Haislet (1980-09-28). "Gamecocks no patsy, Michigan discovers". Chronicle-Telegram. 
  12. ^ a b c "S. Car. 17, Mich. 14". Syracuse Herald Journal (AP wire story). 1980-09-28. 
  13. ^ a b c Scott Haislet (1980-10-05). "Michigan finally wins as Irish roll on". Chronicle-Telegram. 
  14. ^ a b c Scott Haislet (1980-10-12). "Good move by Bo gives Michigan edge". Chronicle-Telegram. 
  15. ^ a b c "Michigan 37, Minnesota 14". Daily Herald. 1980-10-19. 
  16. ^ a b c d e Loren Tate (1980-10-26). "Wolves blast Illini". Daily Herald. 
  17. ^ a b c "Michigan bombs Indiana". Chronicle-Telegram. 1980-11-02. 
  18. ^ "Michigan 24, Wisconsin 0". Chronicle-Telegram. 1980-11-09. 
  19. ^ a b c d Scott Haislet (1980-11-16). "Michigan ready for Buckeye showdown". Chronicle-Telegram. 
  20. ^ a b c "Yesterday's game brings back Snow Bowl memories". Chronicle-Telegram. 1980-11-23. 
  21. ^ a b c Jerry Rombach (1980-11-23). "Bucks headed west, but to wrong game". Chronicle-Telegram. 
  22. ^ a b c d e "Wolverines tame Ohio St.". Daily Herald. 1980-11-23. 
  23. ^ a b "Wolverines Want To Win Rose Bowl For Schembechler". The New Mexican (AP wire story). 1980-12-26. 
  24. ^ a b c "Michigan's Bowl Game History: 1981 Rose Bowl". Univ. of Michigan. Archived from the original on 31 December 2008. http://bentley.umich.edu/athdept/football/bowls/1981rose.htm. Retrieved 17 December 2008. 
  25. ^ "Bo Breaks Jinx". The New Mexican (AP wire photo). 1981-01-02. 

[edit] External links

Michigan Wolverines football
Venues
Bowls & rivalries
Culture & lore
People
Seasons
National championship seasons in bold
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1980_Michigan_Wolverines_football_team&oldid=480584152"
Personal tools
Namespaces

Variants
Actions
Navigation
Interaction
Toolbox
Print/export