Michigan football: best win over 2023 opponents — non-conference slate

The calendar has officially turned to August, which means one thing: summer’s winding down, and college football is right around the corner. So, clear your Saturdays, stock the fridge with cold ones, and grab your lucky hoodie because the Wolverines kick off their Big Ten title defense on September 2nd against the East Carolina Pirates. It will be the first-ever match-up between the Wolverines and Pirates (also the first-ever streaming exclusive Michigan football game, only on the Peacock app). To get ready, we’re looking at the greatest win of all time over each opponent of the 2023 season — starting with the non-conference slate.

Michigan football non-conference slate

East Carolina

This year will be the Wolverines’ first ever match-up with ECU.

Michigan football vs. UNLV: September 19, 2015 — 28-7

The Michigan Wolverines have played the Rebels of Las Vegas once before in school history, and it came in Jim Harbaugh’s inaugural season in Ann Arbor. In week three of the 2015 season, Michigan hosted their lone non-power-5 level opponent in the non-conference slate (along with Utah, Oregon State, and BYU, in the final eight-game Big Ten season) and walked away with a comfortable 28-7 victory, improving to 2-1 on the season.

Game summary

Michigan football kicked off the game, and the defense came up big on the Rebels’ very first drive as Channing Stribling intercepted UNLV quarterback Blake Decker, returning it thirty yards to the UNLV 32-yard line. Seven plays and four De’Veon Smith runs later, Michigan quarterback Jake Rudock found Smith for a five-yard touchdown pass, quickly making the score 7-0.

The Wolverine offense continued its momentum, scoring two more touchdowns in the half. Wide receiver Jehu Chesson made a thirty-eight-yard end-around run, and running back Ty Isaac rumbled seventy-six yards down the sideline, bringing the score to 21-0 at the midway point.

In the second half, the Wolverine offense found the end zone only one more time on a nine-play, fifty-nine-yard drive, capped off by a one-yard touchdown run by fullback Sione Houma, extending the lead to 28-0. However, the Wolverine defense couldn’t maintain the shutout and surrendered the Rebels’ lone score of the day after a fifty-three-yard completion brought UNLV all the way down to the Wolverine five-yard line.

Recap

Overall, Michigan played well in Harbaugh’s third game at the helm, and the defense, especially, were the stars of the day. They held the Rebels to just ninety-two yards rushing on thirty-six attempts (2.6 average) and limited them to one-hundred and forty-three yards through the air on twenty-six attempts (5.5 average). The defense was suffocating, forcing eight punts and two turnovers, setting the tone for the 2015 season and the rest of the Harbaugh era.

On the offensive side, the Wolverines were led by a strong ground game, totaling two-hundred and fifty-four rushing yards on thirty-nine attempts (6.5 average). Ty Isaac did most of the heavy lifting and was arguably the player of the game, accumulating one hundred and fourteen yards and one touchdown on only eight carries (14.3 average). Meanwhile, Iowa transfer Rudock played what could be considered his worst game as a Wolverine in his lone season, throwing for just one-hundred and twenty-three yards on fourteen completions with one touchdown and one interception. However, it was more than enough to lead the Wolverines to an easy victory.

Highlights

Michigan football vs. Bowling Green: September 2, 2000 — 42-7

The Wolverines have met the Falcons of Bowling Green, Ohio, twice in school history, and both games have been blowouts (65-21 in 2010). However, the first game in the series was arguably more dominant, as the game in 2010 was only 21-14 midway through the second quarter. In Lloyd Carr’s sixth season as the head coach of the Wolverines, and just three years removed from Michigan’s first national title in a half-century, the Wolverines opened the season with a 42-7 victory over the Falcons.

Game Summary

After the expected starting quarterback, Drew Henson, suffered an injury in the preseason, Coach Carr turned to redshirt freshman John Navarre, who made the first start of his career. The freshman took full advantage of his opportunity and threw for four touchdowns, setting a new school record for the most thrown in a player’s first-ever start in the process. His first touchdown came on a forty-one-yard completion to wide receiver David Terrell (7-0). The second and third touchdowns went to current wide receivers coach Ron Bellamy, on nineteen-yard (14-0) and eleven-yard tosses (21-0), respectively. The record-setting touchdown came on a 4-yard connection to Marquise Walker (28-0).

Michigan continued to dominate offensively with a pair of rushing touchdowns – a twenty-eight-yard rumble by senior tailback Anthony Thomas and a forty-two-yard run by sophomore Chris Perry. Defensively, the Wolverines held strong against the inferior MAC opponent, giving up just the lone score of the day for the Falcons, a twenty-four-yard completion with just over five minutes to go in the game, making the final score 35-7.

Recap

In the 2000 season, Michigan started off strong with an easy win, and they would go on to finish with an impressive 9-3 record, winning a share of the Big Ten title along with Northwestern and Purdue, and capping it off with a victory in the Citrus Bowl over Auburn. John Navarre’s performance was exceptional as he threw four touchdowns, completing 15 out of 19 passes (79 percent) for two-hundred and sixty-five yards.

Apart from Navarre’s stellar showing, the Wolverines were led offensively by a pair of one-hundred yard rushers. Anthony Thomas finished the day with one-hundred and twelve yards on twenty-three carries (4.7 average), while Chris Perry showed promise for the future by totaling one-hundred and three yards on just ten carries (10.3 average). The team showcased its offensive prowess, amassing a total of five-hundred and fifty-four yards of offense.

On the defensive side, linebacker Larry Foote was a standout with six tackles (three for a loss) and one sack, while John Spytek contributed with four tackles (two for loss). Shantee Orr had a forced-fumble strip sack, and John Wood added another sack to the team’s impressive performance. The Wolverines’ defense held the Falcons to just fifty-eight yards rushing (2.1 average) and quarterback Andy Sahm to eighteen completions out of forty-two attempts (43 percent) passing.

Highlights (full game)

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