The third installment of this weekโs series looking back at Michigan football season openers takes us back to 2015. After four years of Brady Hoke, the football program had deteriorated considerably. A Change was necessary.
That change arrived in the form of Jim Harbaugh, the former Michigan quarterback. Instantly, the mood surrounding the Michigan football team improved 100 percent. Suddenly, the national media and the football world were obsessed with Michigan, and covered the Wolverines with a microscopic intensity. It was cool to wear maize and blue again.
For the first time in years, Michigan opened its season with a true road game, traveling to Utah to face the Utah Utes, coached by Kyle Whittingham. Wolverine fans and alumni traveled to Utah as if they were on a religious pilgrimage. Numerous stories appeared that Michigan fans were tipping generously in Utah restaurants. The level of preseason excitement was unprecedented in the modern era of Michigan football.
When the team took the field, it felt as if Harbaugh had restored the magic to Michigan football. The Wolverines even wore their traditional black football shoes again. Unfortunately, they also wore white pants, which had been justifiably mothballed since the mid-1970s.
Jake Rudock emerged as the teamโs quarterback. Rudock and his receivers developed a synergy by the middle of the season, but it wasnโt present in the first game. The Wolverines were just a hair off on both offense and defense. The team simply hadnโt jelled yet. Rudock had midseason chemistry with tight end Jake Butt and receiver Amara Darboh, but everyone else was just a step late. There were plenty of opportunities, but the Wolverines only capitalized a few times. Had the teams faced each other later in the season, thereโs a good chance that Michigan would have won.
The game ended with Utah winning, 24-17. The Wolverines got off to a slow start, but the benefits of this game would be felt a few weeks later.
newyorkwolverine.com 
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