Finally, Michigan football is back, and the Wolverines are set to open the season this week under first-year head coach Kyle Whittingham.
Over the years, Michigan has built up a long list of season openers worth remembering. One of them still sits in the sport’s darkest corner: the 2007 loss to Appalachian State, the upset that shook college football and marked Lloyd Carr’s final season opener before he retired at the end of that year. But the focus here is on the openers Michigan won, the ones that left a mark for better reasons.
A few of those games came against opponents that brought plenty of buzz. Colorado was one of them in 1997, when the Buffaloes arrived as a popular national title pick and plenty of people were taking shots at Michigan along the way.
The Wolverines answered loudly. Brian Griese threw for 258 yards and two touchdowns, and Michigan’s defense, the same unit that would help carry the team to a national championship, smothered Colorado’s offense.
The Wolverines led 10-0 at halftime and then put the game away with a 14-point third quarter. It was a statement win to start what became a historic season.
Jim Harbaugh had his own memorable opener in 2017, and it came against Florida in a matchup that felt big from the start. Michigan was trying to bounce back from a frustrating finish to the 2016 season, one that ended with losses to Ohio State and Florida State.
Wilton Speight opened the game with a touchdown strike to Tarik Black, but the early momentum didn’t last. Speight then threw two straight pick-sixes, and Michigan suddenly trailed 17-10.
Florida never scored again. The Wolverines were down 17-13 at the half, then ripped off 20 unanswered points in the second half, including a Chase Winovich sack that led to a defensive touchdown.
The season didn’t end with a Big Ten title or anything close, especially after Speight’s injury, but this opener stood out as one of the few bright spots.
The 2002 opener against Washington turned into a kicker’s game, and Michigan needed every last second. Chris Perry and Braylon Edwards helped the Wolverines build a 14-13 halftime lead, but the second half stayed tight and the Huskies took a 29-28 edge with under a minute left.
John Navarre then guided Michigan into range for Phillip Brabbs, who had already missed twice that day. Brabbs had gone 1-for-3 by the end, but the one that mattered was the last one.
His 44-yard field goal at the buzzer won it and sent the Big House into a frenzy.
Denard Robinson’s arrival in 2010 gave Michigan a different kind of jolt. The Wolverines rolled past Connecticut 30-10 in Rich Rodriguez’s final season, but the bigger story was the new quarterback.
Robinson had already won the starting job before the opener, and he showed exactly why. He threw for 186 yards and ran for 197 more, scoring once through the air and once on the ground.
His 197 rushing yards set a program record for a quarterback. Michigan didn’t produce many highlights during Rodriguez’s tenure, but Robinson was the one bright spot that kept flashing.
Then there was “The Comeback,” a mid-1990s opener that lived up to the name. Michigan headed into the fourth quarter looking buried, with Tiki Barber tearing through the defense and the offense struggling behind true freshman Scott Dreisbach.
But Dreisbach found his footing in the fourth and pushed the Wolverines into hurry-up mode. He threw two touchdown passes to cut the deficit to 17-12 and give Michigan one last shot.
With four seconds left, he hit Mercury Hayes, who came down with a circus catch to steal the win from Virginia.
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Michigan Has One Andrew Sprague Decision That Could Change Everything Up Front
Andrew Sprague has already put himself in a key spot on Michigans offensive line, with the right tackle job currently viewed as his to lose after a strong season of grading from Pro Football Focus. For a program that always measures its line play by how well it can protect the quarterback and control the line of scrimmage, Spragues emergence gives the Wolverines a real foundation to build on up front.
But the bigger question is whether Michigan leaves him where he is or starts exploring a move that could change the shape of the whole line under Jim Harding. Sliding Sprague to left tackle would be a major shift, one that could accelerate his development while also putting a proven blocker on the blindside, and it is the kind of decision that can ripple through the rest of the depth chart even before summer competition fully settles it. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Commit Is Already Sounding Like A Future Class Leader
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Hamptons mindset is one of the reasons he stands out in the class early on. He has talked about improving himself while helping a team chase bigger goals, and he is already preparing to enroll early at Michigan. For a program that values future leaders as much as future playmakers, Hamptons approach suggests he may be building toward exactly that kind of role. [Read more 🡒]
Michigans Whittingham Era Starts With One Massive Pressure Point
Kyle Whittinghams first season in Ann Arbor arrives with plenty of attention already attached to it, and not just because a new coach always draws a fresh round of projection. Michigan is staring at a demanding path from the start, with an opener next Saturday night against Western Michigan and a schedule loaded with heavyweight opponents that will quickly show whether the program can keep pace after the transition. The good news for the Wolverines is that the roster is built around the kind of identity that travels, with an offense expected to lean on the run and a defense that should still have enough structure to keep Michigan in games.
The questions are less about whether the pieces are there than about how fast they can mesh under a new staff. Quarterback Bryce Underwood is being viewed as a possible breakout name, while Jordan Marshall has the look of a back who could help define the offense if he takes the expected step forward. Add in the potential lift from Savion Hiter and the presence of Jay Hill coordinating the defense, and there is no shortage of reasons to think Michigan can contend. Still, the opening stretch of the season will tell a lot, and the margin for settling in may be slimmer than usual. [Read more 🡒]