The fourth installment of this series examining the football rivalry between Michigan and Michigan State takes us to 1968. The offseason had been rough for Michigan coach Bump Elliott, who endured intense criticism from alumni following a 4-6 season in 1967. Quietly, the Wolverines had assembled quite a roster for the 1968 campaign, but that did little to ease the criticism.
Michigan entered the game against Michigan State with a 2-1 record. Making matters worse, the Spartans had defeated Michigan for three years in a row, and most pundits expected that streak to continue. Itโs fair to say that Elliott was feeling some pressure before that game.
But on one, glorious fall afternoon, the Michigan Wolverines gave outgoing coach Bump Elliott a day to remember, one that recalled times when Michigan was one of the elite powers of college football. For three hours on a Saturday in October, 1968, the Wolverines recalled the memories of previous years, and sent Bump out with a final victory over the Spartans.
The game definitely had some drama. In the fourth quarter, Michigan State seized the lead when Charles Wedemeyer connected with Frank Foreman on a 2-point conversion to give the Spartans a 14-13 lead. The Michigan State defense was converging on Michigan quarterback Dennis Brown when Brown found tight end Jim Mandich along the Michigan sideline for the turning point of the game. Mandich made the catch and outraced everyone to the south end zone of Michigan Stadium for a 53-yard touchdown that put the Wolverines ahead to stay, as Michigan topped Michigan State, 28-14.
Elliott chose to resign after the 1968 season. Heโs remembered mostly for losing his final game to Ohio State, 50-14, but thatโs not the most fair assessment of his tenure. In 1964, he led a Michigan squad that went 10-1, won the Big Ten championship and the Rose Bowl, and was just a failed 2-point conversion from a perfect season and a likely National Championship. Thatโs certainly worthy of note.
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