2006 Michigan Wolverines football team
2006 Rose Bowl, L 18–32 vs. USC | |
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Conference | Big Ten Conference |
Ranking | |
Coaches | No. 9 |
AP | No. 8 |
Record | 11–2 (7–1 Big Ten) |
Head coach |
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Offensive coordinator | Mike DeBord (4th season) |
Offensive scheme | Multiple |
Defensive coordinator | Ron English (1st season) |
Base defense | Multiple |
MVP | David Harris, Mike Hart |
Captains | |
Home stadium | Michigan Stadium (Capacity: 107,501) |
Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No. 2 Ohio State $ | 8 | – | 0 | 12 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No. 8 Michigan % | 7 | – | 1 | 11 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No. 7 Wisconsin | 7 | – | 1 | 12 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No. 24 Penn State | 5 | – | 3 | 9 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Purdue | 5 | – | 3 | 8 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Minnesota | 3 | – | 5 | 6 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Indiana | 3 | – | 5 | 5 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Northwestern | 2 | – | 6 | 4 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Iowa | 2 | – | 6 | 6 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Illinois | 1 | – | 7 | 2 | – | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Michigan State | 1 | – | 7 | 4 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
AP Poll
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The 2006 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team's head football coach was Lloyd Carr. The Wolverines played their home games at Michigan Stadium.
The Wolverines came into the season with lower expectations than many Michigan teams of the previous few seasons, ranked #14. They won their first 11 games and rose to No. 2 in the national rankings before losing a close battle in
The 2006 Michigan Wolverines finished the season with a record of 11–2, ranked No. 8 in the nation, and tied for second in the Big Ten Conference with Wisconsin, whom they defeated, 27–13, early that season.
Preseason
The 2005 offseason saw a coaching shakeup, prompted by the departure of coordinators
Between the new coaching staff and many returning starters, the Wolverines, led by third year starting quarterback
.True sophomore Antonio Bass suffered a career ending knee injury in fall practice.[1] Bass was expected to play wide receiver and occasionally quarterback. Projected starting right tackle Mike Kolodziej's career was cut short due to injury just before the season due to unknown medical problems.[2]
Schedule
Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
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September 2 | 12:00 p.m. | Vanderbilt* | No. 14 | ESPN | W 27–7 | 109,668 | |
September 9 | 12:00 p.m. | Central Michigan* | No. 10 |
| ESPN Plus | W 41–17 | 108,712 |
September 16 | 3:30 p.m. | at No. 2 Notre Dame* | No. 11 | NBC | W 47–21 | 80,795 | |
September 23 | 12:00 p.m. | Wisconsin | No. 6 |
| ESPN | W 27–13 | 111,058 |
September 30 | 8:00 p.m. | at Minnesota | No. 6 | ESPN | W 28–14 | 50,805 | |
October 7 | 4:30 p.m. | Michigan State | No. 6 |
| ESPN | W 31–13 | 111,349 |
October 14 | 8:00 p.m. | at University Park, PA (rivalry) | ABC | W 17–10 | 110,007 | ||
October 21 | 3:30 p.m. | Iowa | No. 2 |
| ABC | W 20–6 | 110,923 |
October 28 | 12:00 p.m. | rivalry ) | ESPN | W 17–3 | 109,114 | ||
November 4 | 12:00 p.m. | Ball State* | No. 2 |
| ESPNU | W 34–26 | 109,359 |
November 11 | 3:30 p.m. | at Indiana | No. 2 | ESPN | W 34–3 | 42,320 | |
November 18 | 3:30 p.m. | at No. 1 Ohio State | No. 2 | ABC | L 39–42 | 105,708 | |
January 1, 2007 | 5:00 p.m. | vs. No. 8 USC* | No. 3 |
| ABC | L 18–32 | 93,852 |
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Game summaries
Vanderbilt
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Michigan's defense held the
Central Michigan
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In a game interrupted by the first weather delay in Michigan Stadium history, Michigan kept it on the ground against the Chippewas, rushing 50 times against only 21 pass attempts. The Wolverines running game once again dominated, rushing for 252 yards and averaging 5.0 yards per carry. Their defense was also relentless, holding the Mid-American Conference champions dangerous spread offense to 204 total offensive yards (188 passing and a measly 16 yards rushing).
The game started off badly for Michigan, as Hart fumbled on the game's first play. It was his first fumble since the 2004 game against Iowa, having gone over 700 touches without fumbling. However Manningham recovered the fumble, and Hart scored a 5-yard touchdown run on that opening drive. It was Hart's first touchdown-running or receiving-since midway through the 2005 season, when he scored a third-quarter touchdown run in a 27–25 win over Penn State. Hart had gone six straight games without scoring a touchdown. The Chippewas marched to the U-M 14 yard line directly following Hart's touchdown run, but All-American senior defensive end LaMarr Woodley sacked sensational redshirt freshmen quarterback Dan LeFevour and caused a fumble, which he recovered. Hart added another touchdown run with 1:28 to go in the first quarter, this time from 18 yards out. CMU fumbled and turned the ball over again following Hart's second TD, and the fumble was once again recovered by Woodley. The Wolverines converted that turnover into a 21–0 lead, as Grady crashed in from three yards out with 12:24 left in the second quarter. On the drive following Grady's touchdown, CMU got on the scoreboard, with LeFevour finding junior receiver Justin Gardner for a 38-yard touchdown strike. The two teams then exchanged field-goals, and it was 24–10 Michigan at halftime. The Chippweas got the ball to start the third quarter, and they advanced to the Michigan 34 yard line, but a LeFevour pass on 4th and 7 fell incomplete, and the Wolverines all but put the game away on the ensuing possession. Breaston made a brilliant 26 yard run on a wide receiver reverse, and Hart finished off the drive with a 2-yard touchdown run-his third score of the day. Rivas added his second field goal of the day with 1:22 remaining to give Michigan a 34–10 lead going into the fourth quarter. With 11:41 left in the game, junior outside linebacker Max Pollack intercepted a bad pass by LeFevour and returned it 12 yards for a touchdown and a 41–10 lead. Pollack was merely a substitution at OLB, and he also was only a walkon. At this point, Michigan had all their backups on the field, and CMU scored one more touchdown: a 3-yard pass from LeFevour to senior receiver Damien Linson.
Hart finished with 19 carries for 116 yards and 3 touchdowns. Grady added 12 carries for 46 yards and 1 touchdown. Breaston had 6 touches for 109 all purpose yards, and All-American senior middle linebacker David Harris led the Wolverines with 6 tackles. Aside from his 2 touchdown passes, LeFevour had a rough day, completing only 17–36 passes for 153 yards and the interception that was returned for a touchdown. He was also sacked 4 times, and as a result had 8 carries for −21 yards. Linson led the CMU receiving unit with 6 catches for 87 yards and one touchdown, while Gardner added 3 catches for 54 yards and one touchdown. The CMU running game was abominable, averaging only 0.8 yards per carry. Sophomore Ontario Sneed led the way with 11 carries for 33 yards, but almost all those yards came off a 25-yard run. Otherwise, Michigan limited him to only 10 carries for 8 yards.
Notre Dame
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In a nationally-televised game, Michigan routed the 2nd-ranked Fighting Irish of Notre Dame in South Bend, 47–21. Using a combination of an aggressive defense, a vertical passing combination of Chad Henne to Mario Manningham, and ball control running by Mike Hart, the Wolverines intercepted Irish quarterback Brady Quinn three times and completely frustrated the Irish. Irish running back Darius Walker ran for just 25 yards on ten carries. Henne, although intercepted once, was 13 for 22 and completed three touchdown passes to Manningham, who had four receptions for 137 yards. Steve Breaston provided most of the remainder of the passing attack with six catches for 42 yards. Hart had a touchdown and 124 yards rushing. Defenders LaMarr Woodley and Prescott Burgess had long returns for touchdowns on Irish turnovers. The final score was 47–21 in a break-out game for the Wolverines. The Wolverines gave Coach Lloyd Carr a Gatorade bath after the huge victory which boosted them in the rankings and put them in contention for a national title.
Wisconsin
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Michigan entered the game ranked sixth nationally in the AP poll, while Wisconsin was unranked. The game marked the Big Ten opener for both teams. Wisconsin came into the game averaging nearly 200 yards rushing per game, but Michigan entered the game ranked number 1 in the nation in rushing defense, allowing only 21 yards per game.[3] The Wolverine defense won this matchup, holding Wisconsin to just 12 rushing yards and 3 second half points. Mario Manningham caught seven passes for 113 yards and two touchdowns, giving him five in the past two weeks. Adrian Arrington had his best game to date, catching four passes for 79 yards.
Minnesota
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The Wolverines won their third straight revenge game, reclaiming the Little Brown Jug after losing it to the Gophers in 2005. This marked the first season since 1999 that Michigan made it through the month of September undefeated. The offense came out hot, scoring 21 points in the first half. Hart rushed for a season-high 195 yards on 31 carries, and Henne had another efficient game, completing 17 of 24 passes for 284 yards. Manningham had his third straight 100 yard game, while Arrington continued his emergence as Michigan's No. 2 receiver, scoring the first two touchdowns of the game. David Harris led the defense with nine tackles.
Michigan State
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Penn State
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Michigan's defensive front seven was the story of the game, collecting seven sacks and holding the Nittany Lions to −14 net rushing yards. On a third-quarter pass play, Alan Branch knocked Penn State's quarterback Anthony Morelli out of the game with a concussion; Penn State's backup quarterback Daryl Clark was later injured on a rushing attempt. Third-string quarterback Paul Cianciolo managed to throw the Nittany Lions' only touchdown pass of the game. The game was a homecoming for Pennsylvania native Henne, who played the only game of his career at Penn State. With Manningham not playing due to a knee injury suffered against Michigan State, Arrington and Breaston caught the bulk of Henne's passes, each collecting five receptions. Hart picked up his sixth 100-yard rushing game of the season and scored the winning touchdown.
Iowa
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The Hawkeyes gave Michigan one of its toughest contests of the year, staying within a touchdown well into the fourth quarter. After getting held to only 27 yards in the first half, Hart rushed for 99 in the second and scored the only two touchdowns of the game. Henne spread the ball out amongst his receivers with Manningham out, including Arrington, Breaston, and true freshman Greg Mathews. Arrington again was the Wolverines' leading receiver; the Iowa native caught eight passes for 79 yards. Offensive linemen Rueben Riley was injured in the second half, but was ably replaced by Justin Boren in the first meaningful time of the true freshman's career. Shawn Crable led the defense with three sacks on Iowa's senior quarterback Drew Tate. Woodley also picked up two sacks, bringing his total on the year to nine, good for fourth in the nation.
Northwestern
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On a cold, windy day, with Manningham still out, Michigan stuck with a conservative game plan against the
Ball State
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A game that Michigan was expected to win big – and in which it once held a big lead – turned into a surprisingly close affair. The Wolverines' offense uncharacteristically gave up a quick nine points to the
The Ball State game was notable for two other reasons: First, it was the 200th consecutive game with at least 100,000 people in attendance at Michigan Stadium. In addition, actor Patrick Stewart directed the Michigan Marching Band during their halftime performance in a salute to old-time television shows. Stewart was part of the Royal Shakespeare Company's fall 2006 residency at the University of Michigan, and directed the band to the theme from Star Trek. Upon being asked if he had any advice for the Wolverines for their upcoming Ohio State game, Stewart replied, "Boldly go and beat the Buckeyes. Make it so, number one!"[5]
Indiana
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Michigan jumped to an early lead with a touchdown pass to Adrian Arrington and a touchdown run by Mike Hart. Steve Breaston also had a big game with a 62-yard touchdown reception and an 83-yard punt return for a touchdown. Indiana allowed five sacks, and Michigan cornerback Leon Hall broke the school record for most deflected passes in a career. Michigan won 34–3.
Ohio State
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On November 17, 2006, Bo Schembechler, the esteemed former coach of the Michigan Wolverines football program, died at the age of 77. He collapsed prior to taping his weekly college football preview show.[6] His death came the day before one of the biggest games in the history of the Michigan–Ohio State football rivalry: the two teams both brought undefeated records to the game for the first time since 1973, and met as the #1- and #2-ranked teams for the first time in the 103-game history of the series.
In the game against the Ohio State Buckeyes, second-ranked Michigan received the ball to start the game and promptly scored a touchdown on a run by Mike Hart, the first of three he would score in the game. However, top-ranked Ohio State answered with a touchdown on its own initial drive, and dominated the rest of the half to take a 28–14 lead into intermission. Michigan scored on its first two possessions of the second half to close the deficit to four points, but could not wrest away the lead. The two teams exchanged touchdowns for the remainder, with each scoring twice; the Wolverines converted a two-point attempt to make the score 42–39 with less than three minutes remaining. A subsequent onside kick by the Wolverines was unsuccessful, and the Buckeyes came away with the victory. This game was significant in the BCS Bowl Line-up, as rather than being matched with the Buckeyes in the championship game, the Wolverines were matched in the Rose Bowl a record seventh time with the USC Trojans.
USC (Rose Bowl)
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Michigan lost to the USC Trojans in the Rose Bowl Game on January 1, 2007. The game was tied 3–3 at the half but the high powered USC offense came out in the second half, giving USC the 32–18 victory.
Statistical achievements
The team earned the Big Ten rushing defense statistical championships for all games by holding opponents to 43.4 yards per game.[7] The team also earned the Big Ten rushing defense statistical championships for conference games by holding opponents to 50.9 yards per game.[7] They were the conference leaders in quarterback sacks for conference games (3.3 sacks per game) and all games (3.3 sacks per game).[8]
Players
Michigan returned 18 of 22 starters for 2006, one of the highest totals in the nation.[12]
Key returning starters for the offense included quarterback Chad Henne, running back Mike Hart, and wide receiver and kick returner Steve Breaston. Henne and Hart, who both started in 2004 as true freshmen, looked to rebound from their 2005 sophomore slumps. Hart, Breaston, and captain Jake Long all missed significant time due to injury in 2005.
On defense, captains LaMarr Woodley, David Harris and Leon Hall respectively anchored the defensive line, linebacking corps and defensive secondary. Woodley and Hall were four-year starters.
Depth chart
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Roster
(as of October 15, 2006) Archived December 1, 2010, at the Wayback Machine | ||||||
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Fullbacks
Wide receivers
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Tight ends
Offensive linemen
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Defensive ends
Defensive tackles
Linebackers
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Cornerbacks
Safeties
Kickers
Punters
Long snappers |
Awards and honors
- Mark Bihl – Rimington Trophy finalist
- Alan Branch – Ted Hendricks Award watchlist
- Biletnikoff Award watchlist, Maxwell Award watchlist, Walter Camp Awardwatchlist
- Prescott Burgess – Chuck Bednarik Award watchlist[13]
- Lloyd Carr – George Munger Award semifinalist
- Tyler Ecker – John Mackey Award watchlist
- Leon Hall – Bronko Nagurski Trophy finalist, Jim Thorpe Award finalist, Lott Trophy quarterfinalist
- Dick Butkus Awardsemifinalist
- Mike Hart – Doak Walker Award finalist, Maxwell Award semifinalist, Walter Camp Award watchlist
- Chad Henne – Maxwell Award semifinalist, Walter Camp Award watchlist, Davey O'Brien Award semifinalist, Manning Award finalist
- Jake Long – Outland Trophy watchlist
- Biletnikoff Awardsemifinalist
- Garrett Rivas – Lou Groza Award semifinalist
- LaMarr Woodley – Lombardi Award winner, Ted Hendricks Award winner, Chuck Bednarik Award finalist, Lott Trophy quarterfinalist, Outland Trophy watchlist, Bronko Nagurski Trophy watchlist
Coaching staff
- Lloyd Carr – head coach – 27 years at U-M
- Mike DeBord – Offensive coordinator/tight ends – 11 years
- Ron English – Defensive coordinator/safeties – 4 years
- Erik Campbell – Wide receivers/assistant head coach – 12 years
- Fred Jackson – Running backs/associate head coach – 15 years
- Scot Loeffler – Quarterbacks – 5 years
- Andy Moeller – Offensive line – 7 years
- Steve Stripling – Defensive line – 2 years
- Steve Szabo – Linebackers – 1 year
- Ron Lee – Cornerbacks – 1 year
References
- ^ "Bass Says Recovery Prognosis Excellent". GoBlueWolverine.com and Scout.com. Archived from the original on August 26, 2006. Retrieved October 15, 2006.
- Ann Arbor News. Archived from the originalon September 30, 2007. Retrieved September 12, 2006.
- ^ "Top 25 Overview". ESPN. Archived from the original on November 2, 2006. Retrieved September 23, 2006.
- ^ "One for the record books". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on November 5, 2006. Retrieved October 31, 2006.
- YouTube
- ^ "Breaking News: Bo Schembechler Dead at 77". WXYZ. Detroit. November 17, 2006. Archived from the original on November 30, 2006. Retrieved November 17, 2006.
- ^ CBS Interactive/Big Ten Conference. January 5, 2010. p. 56. Archived from the originalon July 3, 2010. Retrieved July 8, 2010.
- CBS Interactive/Big Ten Conference. January 5, 2010. p. 58. Archived from the originalon July 3, 2010. Retrieved July 8, 2010.
- CBS Interactive. January 5, 2009. p. 142. Archived from the original(PDF) on August 7, 2010. Retrieved July 10, 2010.
- ^ CBS Interactive. January 5, 2009. p. 131. Archived from the original(PDF) on August 7, 2010. Retrieved July 10, 2010.
- CBS Interactive. January 5, 2009. p. 132. Archived from the original(PDF) on August 7, 2010. Retrieved July 10, 2010.
- ^ "Christian Alexander Top Returning Players in NCAA and College Football". VegasInsider.com. Archived from the original on August 11, 2006. Retrieved August 7, 2006.
- ^ "Big Ten Places 30 Football Student-Athletes on Several National Award Watch Lists". CSTV.com. Archived from the original on February 6, 2009. Retrieved September 14, 2006.