Connect with us

Michigan

Remembering Michigan football’s only other meeting with UNLV — Harbaugh’s 3rd game as coach

Published

on

Remembering Michigan football’s only other meeting with UNLV — Harbaugh’s 3rd game as coach


ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Michigan and UNLV will meet on the football field for just the second time ever this weekend, and it’s amazing how far the Wolverines have come during the time in between.

There was plenty of excitement in the Big House for that Sept. 19, 2015, matchup. A new era had begun. This was back when the Big Ten had 14 teams. Texas and Oklahoma were in the Big 12. The clock stopped after first downs. And Michigan’s scoreboards were a whole lot smaller.

Ah, I can remember it like it was yesterday.

READ: Everything I want to see from Michigan in 2nd game vs. UNLV

Advertisement

Jim Harbaugh had just returned to Michigan. Fans were hopeful that someday he would revive a broken program that had missed bowl games in three of the past seven seasons and gone more than a decade without a Big Ten title.

You’ll remember the Harbaugh era didn’t exactly get off to a smooth start. Jake Rudock threw three interceptions at Utah and Michigan started the season with a very public Thursday night defeat. The following two weeks were little more than warmup games against Oregon State and UNLV in Ann Arbor.

Even though that UNLV team ultimately finished the season 3-9, Michigan wasn’t exactly overwhelming in a 28-7 win. Sound familiar? Some things haven’t changed.

The Wolverines jumped out to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter and a half and then took their foot off the gas. Rudock threw for just 123 yards and one touchdown before handing the reins over to backup quarterback Wilton Speight.

Michigan rushed for 254 yards, largely thanks to a 76-yard touchdown dash by Ty Isaac. Jehu Chesson also scored on a 36-yard jet sweep. De’Veon Smith earned 13 carries but gained just 33 yards.

Advertisement
Ty Isaac #32 of the Michigan Wolverines runs for a second quarter touchdown while playing the UNLV Rebels on September 19, 2015 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (2015 Getty Images)

The defense held UNLV to 235 yards while picking off two passes — one each by Channing Stribling and Jeremy Clark.

That was the start of what’s turned into a longer journey than many expected. Through all the rumors and realities about Harbaugh flirting with NFL jobs, this is suddenly Year 9 of his Michigan tenure, and he’s taken the program exactly where everyone hoped.

Two straight wins over Ohio State. Two Big Ten championships. Two trips to the College Football Playoff. Michigan is no longer a yearly punching bag for Michigan State, or a punchline after every meaningful matchup. (Take that, Finebaum.)

There were 108,683 people in the Big House last time UNLV visited, and I’m sure many of those same fans will be at the rematch this weekend. But now, eight years later, that anticipation of what the program could be has been replaced by excitement about what the program actually is: a national championship contender.

Fans always dreamed this would happen. Who knows, Saturday’s score might be 28-7 again. But this time, it could be the second step toward something a little more special.

Advertisement

Copyright 2023 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit – All rights reserved.



Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Michigan

Michigan State Spartans Insider Podcast: Recapping Spartans’ Win Over Washington

Published

on

Michigan State Spartans Insider Podcast: Recapping Spartans’ Win Over Washington


No. 16 Michigan State just keeps winning, and it’s doing so against quality Big Ten teams.

The Spartans steamrolled Washington at the Breslin Center on Thursday, besting the visitors, 88-54. They did so in front of a vibrant home crowd on what was the annual Alumni Night.

With the victory, Michigan State improves to 13-2 on the year, 4-0 in Big Ten play and 8-0 on its home court. It is also extended its win streak to eight games.

Our Aidan Champion recaps the win on this postgame edition of the Michigan State Spartans Insider Podcast.

Advertisement

You can watch the episode below:

Michigan State coach Tom Izzo addressed the media after Thursday’s contest.

Below is a partial transcript from Izzo’s opening statement:

Izzo: “Well, when you have a game like that, it’s hard to even know what to say except — that was Matt Larson that said it walking up the steps — I hope every media person, every alum, every student and every fan, appreciates the specialness we have here. The alumni reunions that we have every year are incredible, but for that many former Izzone members to come back over 20 and 30 years was special. Special for me, I think special for my team. And I almost felt sorry for Washington; I mean, they probably thought they were coming in here and there’d be no students. And that group was so good and so fired up; there was no entitlement, none of them left, none of them transferred. They were unbelievable. And I could have stayed there for a half hour after and thanked each and every one of them. But in all the things that happen, please appreciate that this place is different. It’s different. You can say it about places all over — this place is damn different. And I’m just thankful for them, I’m thankful for our marketing people, I’m thankful for our Izzone coach and I’m thankful for all the people that put in the work to get this thing done. I don’t want to make it bigger than the game, but for Tom Izzo, it’s bigger than the game. And when Matt said it to me walking up the steps, I thought it was special.”

Don’t forget to follow the official Spartan Nation Page on Facebook Spartan Nation WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE, and be a part of our vibrant community group Go Green Go White as well WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

Michigan

Michigan State football lands Division II transfer WR Rodney Bullard from Valdosta State

Published

on

Michigan State football lands Division II transfer WR Rodney Bullard from Valdosta State


Jonathan Smith continues to replenish his roster and Michigan State football’s receiver room.

The Spartans picked up a pledge Thursday from wideout Rod Bullard, a transfer from Division II Valdosta State in Georgia. The 6-foot, 170-pound native of Albany, Georgia, has two years of eligibility remaining after redshirting in 2022 and playing 28 games the past two seasons.

As a sophomore in the fall, Bullard caught 42 passes for 1,001 yards with 12 touchdowns and an average of 23.8 yards per catch. The Blazers lost to Ferris State in the Division II national title game, and Bullard had three catches for 15 yards in the 49-14 loss.

Advertisement

In 2023, he had 43 catches for 566 yards and seven scores and returned 16 kicks for a 24.8-yard average with a 99-yard touchdown return.

Bullard is the 14th transfer and third incoming receiver, joining Chrishon McCray (Kent State) and Omari Kelly (Middle Tennessee State). The Spartans lost wideouts Jaron Glover (Mississippi State), Jaelen Smith (Texas-San Antonio), Aziah Johnson (North Carolina) and Antonio Gates Jr. (undecided) among 13 outbound transfers from their 2024 team that finished 5-7 and missed a bowl game for the third straight season.

Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him @chrissolari.

Advertisement

 Subscribe to the “Spartan Speak” podcast for new episodes weekly on Apple PodcastsSpotify or anywhere you listen to podcasts. And catch all of our podcasts and daily voice briefing at freep.com/podcasts.





Source link

Continue Reading

Michigan

Michigan basketball signee enrolls early, will practice with team

Published

on

Michigan basketball signee enrolls early, will practice with team


A member of the Michigan men’s basketball 2025 recruiting class is already on campus.

Oscar Goodman, a 6-foot-7 forward from New Zealand, is enrolled for the winter semester, which started on Wednesday, a team spokesperson said. Goodman will not appear in games this season but will be allowed to practice and participate in other team activities.

The spokesperson said this was not a typical “reclassification” — when an athlete graduates early and competes in college a season ahead of a typical schedule — but a byproduct of New Zealand’s school calendar.

Goodman will be listed as a freshman on the roster (he wasn’t listed on the online version as of Thursday morning) and a redshirt freshman next season. The rest of the Wolverines returned to campus on Wednesday after a week-long stay in Los Angeles, where they beat USC and UCLA.

Advertisement

“Oscar arrives in Ann Arbor as an accomplished international player and prospect, who was just named to the New Zealand senior national team,” Michigan coach Dusty May said in a statement upon Goodman’s signing in November.

“He comes from a tight-knit family that values everything that we want our program to be about. His training at the NBA (Global) Academy, as well as his eagerness and ability to compete, will allow him to affect our program positively from day one.”

Goodman, from Opunake, is ranked as the No. 75 player in the 2025 class according to the 247Sports composite. He was an all-star at the 2024 FIBA under-17 World Cup after averaging 17 points, 6.3 rebounds, and three assists per game.

Michigan’s 2025 class also includes Orchard Lake St. Mary’s guard Trey McKenney, the No. 1 player in Michigan and No. 19 prospect nationally, and wing Winters Grady (No. 82), an Oregon native currently playing for Prolific Prep in Napa, California. They figure to arrive in Ann Arbor in the summer.

  • BETTING: Check out our guide to the best Michigan sportsbooks, where our team of sports betting experts has reviewed the experience, payout speed, parlay options and quality of odds for multiple sportsbooks.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Trending