In the two-plus seasons since Kordell Stewart flattened them with that amazing Hail Mary pass, the Michigan Wolverines have gone 23-11.
That’s a .676 winning percentage–not bad, but not good enough at a school whose overall winning percentage, .737, is second only to Notre Dame’s .759.
So as No. 8 Colorado rolls into Ann Arbor this weekend–without Stewart and Michael Westbrook, his receiver on the shocking 1994 game-winner–Michigan’s players have an obvious goal.
“I think our attitude this year is to just go out and take our respect back,” All-American cornerback Charles Woodson said. “It starts with Colorado.”
Woodson didn’t hesitate when asked why one of the nation’s storied football programs had lost respect.
“Because of the 8-4 seasons,” he said. “People point to that and say, `That’s not Michigan.’ People can’t deal with it. There’s a lot of talk about it around (Ann Arbor).”
There’s also been a lot of talk about the preseason quarterback battle between Brian Griese and Scott Driesbach. Head coach Lloyd Carr announced Tuesday that Griese will start over Driesbach, who started all 11 regular-season games a year ago.
Griese, a 6-foot-3-inch senior who is the son of Hall of Fame quarterback and Purdue product Bob Griese, has had his ups (leading the comeback over Ohio State last season) and downs (three interceptions against the Buckeyes in 1995).
“I think his decision-making has improved, and I think he has shown great leadership skills,” Carr said.
Notre Dame signs with Big Ten: Well, not exactly. Notre Dame has contracted with the Big Ten to provide officials for Fighting Irish home games this year, renewing a long relationship that ended during Lou Holtz’s tenure at the Golden Dome.
Big MAC attack: Central Michigan once swept Michigan State in back-to-back games. Two years ago, Miami of Ohio handed Big Ten champ Northwestern its lone regular-season loss.
Last week, Toledo belted Purdue by two touchdowns.
Which raises a question: Why do Big Ten teams play teams from the Mid-American Conference?
“It’s almost a no-win situation,” said Ohio State coach John Cooper, whose Buckeyes meet the MAC’s Bowling Green this week. “You play one of these teams and you’re expected to win, and win big. If you don’t win big, people think, well, you’re not very good.
“Of course, if you get upset, they’re going to be talking about that for the rest of the year and many years down the road,” Cooper said.
The 1997 MAC-Big Ten season series is tied at 1-1. But with Ball State playing both Indiana and Purdue in the next two weeks, the MAC has a shot at posting a winning record against its neighborhood bully.
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Extra credit? In a University of Minnesota media guide entry bragging about famous alums, there is a listing for graduates in arts and “liturature.” We assume it’s a typo and not a Scandinavian spelling.
Points after: The Penn State University library was presented with its 4 millionth volume at haltime of the Pitt game. “The Nittany Lion: An Illustrated Tale” traces the history of the school’s mascot. No word on whether the library’s other 3,999,999 volumes also are about football. . . . Michigan State’s game against Memphis has danger signs all over it for the Spartans, who play Notre Dame the following week. Since 1986, State is 3-5-1 in the week before it meets the Irish, including two home losses to Central Michigan. . . . Spartans offensive tackle Flo Adams, an All-America candidate, might not play after twisting his ankle on the second play of the season.