The 2008 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team's head football coach was Rich Rodriguez. The Wolverines played their home games at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The 2008 season marked Rodriguez's first season as Michigan head coach, having replaced longtime head coach Lloyd Carr following Carr's retirement at the end of the 2007 season. Rodriguez installed a spread option offense, a marked departure from Michigan's prior offensive approaches.
Rodriguez's first season was one of adjustment, with Michigan suffering its first losing season since 1967, and more losses (9) in a single season than in any other in the program's 129-year history. The losses included a 13–10 defeat to a Toledo team that posted a 3–9 record that season; this was Michigan's first-ever loss to a team from the Mid-American Conference. In addition, Michigan's loss to Ohio State on November 22 was the fifth straight, the most consecutive losses by Michigan to the Buckeyes up until that point.Northwestern Wildcats vs. Michigan Wolverines - Recap - November 15, 2008 - ESPN
Schedule
Rankings
Game summaries Utah
In the season opener in Ann Arbor and Rich Rodriguez's first game as head coach, the Wolverines took on the Utah Utes. The Wolverines scored first with just over 11 minutes to go in the first, when Nick Sheridan threw an 8-yard TD pass to Michael Shaw. Utah struck back a few minutes later when Courbin Louks ran in a TD from 8 yards out. The Wolverines blocked the PAT though. Then with just over 5 minutes to go in the first, K.C. Lopata completed a 50-yard field goal. Utah's Louie Sakoda completed 3 field goals in the second quarter, from 28, 43 and 41 yards out, respectively. Then a few seconds before halftime, Utah's Brian Johnson completed a 19-yard TD pass to Bradon Godfrey. Midway through the third quarter, Louie Sakoda of Utah completed his fourth field goal of the day, this one from 53 yards out. Midway through the fourth, Steven Threet completed a 33-yard touchdown pass to Junior Hemingway. A few minutes later, Sam McGuffie ran in a TD from 3 yards out. The Wolverines attempted a 2-point conversion to tie the game but failed. Utah's defense held off the Wolverines for the remainder of the game.
Statistics UTAHMICH First downs 16 11 Total yards 341 203 Rushing yards 36 36 Passing yards 344 174 Turnovers 3 3 Time of possession 35:54 24:06 Team Category Player Statistics Utah Passing Brian Johnson 21/33, 305 yards, TD, INT Rushing Matt Asiata 13 rushes, 77 yards Receiving Bradon Godfrey 7 receptions, 84 yards, TD Michigan Passing Nick Sheridan 11/19, 98 yards, TD, INT Rushing Brandon Minor 4 rushes, 21 yards Receiving Greg Mathews 3 receptions, 54 yards
Miami (OH)
Coming off their loss to Utah, the Wolverines stayed home to play the Miami RedHawks. The Wolverines had never lost to the Redhawks in the four games the teams had played in previous seasons. The Wolverines got on the board first with just under 11 minutes to in the first quarter when QB Steven Threet ran in the ball himself from 9 yards out for a touchdown. Then with just under 9 minutes to go in the first, the Wolverines got on the board again with a 47-yard field goal by K.C. Lopata. The RedHawks finally scored late in the half with a 27-yard field goal by Nathan Parseghian. With that the 2 teams retired to the locker rooms.
The RedHawks scored next, on a 23-yard field goal by Nathan Parseghian with just under 7 minutes to go in the third. Then midway through the final quarter, the Wolverines capped off their victory when Brandon Minor ran in a TD from 15 yards out. However, the point after attempt by K.C. Lopata failed. It was Rich Rodriguez's first win as Michigan's head coach and the Wolverines' first win of the season. The win made their all-time record against the RedHawks 5–0.
Statistics MOHMICH First downs 16 15 Total yards 252 281 Rushing yards 47 178 Passing yards 235 103 Turnovers 1 0 Time of possession 35:13 24:47 Team Category Player Statistics Miami (OH) Passing Daniel Raudabaugh 20/33, 191 yards Rushing Thomas Merriweather 21 rushes, 77 yards Receiving Jamal Rogers 9 receptions, 78 yards Michigan Passing Steven Threet 6/13, 63 yards Rushing Sam McGuffie 17 rushes, 74 yards Receiving Martavious Odoms 3 receptions, 57 yards
At Notre Dame
After their win over Miami, the Wolverines flew to South Bend, Indiana to take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish for their first road game of the season, renewing the longtime rivalry between the two teams. In the pouring rain, the Wolverines gave up the ball on 4 fumbles. They also threw 2 interceptions. The Fighting Irish got the first scores of the game with just under 12 minutes left in the first quarter, when Robert Hughes 2 ran in a touchdown from 2 yards out. Less than a minute later, QB Jimmy Clausen completed a 10-yard pass to Duval Kamara that was run in for another TD. A few minutes later Jimmy Clausen threw another TD pass, this time a 48 yard long bomb to Golden Tate. The Wolverines got on the board late in the first quarter with their own long bomb, a 40-yard TD Steven Threet pass to Sam McGuffie. Then with just under 12 minutes to go in the second quarter, the Wolverines got on the board again with a 23-yard K.C. Lopata field goal. A few minutes later, the Fighting Irish's Robert Hughes ran in a touchdown from 1 yard out. Then with just under 6 minutes in the half, the Wolverines struck back when Kevin Grady ran in a touchdown from 7 yards out. With that the teams went into their locker rooms to dry out temporarily. Both teams went scoreless in the third quarter. But the Fighting Irish capped off their scoring when the Wolverines fumbled the ball and Brian Smith picked it up and ran it back 35 yards for a touchdown.
Statistics MICHND First downs 22 13 Total yards 388 260 Rushing yards 159 113 Passing yards 229 147 Turnovers 6 2 Time of possession 27:48 32:12 Team Category Player Statistics Michigan Passing Steven Threet 16/23, 175 yards, TD Rushing Sam McGuffie 25 rushes, 131 yards Receiving Martavious Odoms 6 receptions, 56 yards Notre Dame Passing Jimmy Clausen 10/21, 147 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT Rushing Robert Hughes 19 rushes, 79 yards, 2 TD Receiving Golden Tate 4 receptions, 127 yards, TD
No. 9 Wisconsin
Following a bye week, the Wolverines played the 500th game in the Big House against the #9 Wisconsin Badgers in their first contest against another Big Ten Conference school of the season. The Badgers missed a field goal in the first quarter but later scored on two field goal attempts. Scoring one touchdown and two field goals in the second quarter, Wisconsin finished the half with a 19–0 lead. The Wolverines gave up 5 fumbles, threw 2 interceptions and managed only 21 yards in the first half. The offense got going midway through the third quarter. A touchdown pass thrown to freshman Kevin Koger got them on the board. The Wolverines continued to have success offensively, scoring 3 touchdowns in the fourth quarter. They took the lead when John Thompson returned an interception for a touchdown. The Badgers were down 27–19 with a little over 5 minutes to go. Because of a series of big passes, the Badgers scored a touchdown and went for the two-point conversion. Their initial attempt resulted in a pass caught for an apparent score, but was thwarted by an ineligible receiver penalty. On their second attempt, the ball sailed over the head of the intended target in the back of the endzone. The Badgers were unable to regain possession with an onside kick, ending the game. Their 20-point comeback was the second largest comeback in Michigan football history (the largest was a 21-point comeback victory at Minnesota in 2003).
Statistics WISMICH First downs 18 14 Total yards 384 268 Rushing yards 158 172 Passing yards 246 96 Turnovers 6 3 Time of possession 36:04 23:56 Team Category Player Statistics Wisconsin Passing Allan Evridge 20/37, 226 yards, TD, 2 INT Rushing P. J. Hill 22 rushes, 70 yards Receiving David Gilreath 5 receptions, 65 yards, TD Michigan Passing Steven Threet 12/31, 96 yards, TD, 2 INT Rushing Steven Threet 9 rushes, 89 yards Receiving Greg Mathews 4 receptions, 48 yards
Illinois
For their 2008 Homecoming Game, the Wolverines hosted the Illinois Fighting Illini. The Wolverines dominated the first quarter, scoring a season high 14 points on 2 touchdowns. Michigan's Steven Threet was 18-of-35 for 250 yards and two TDs. Sam McGuffie ran for 70 yards and a touchdown and freshman Martavious Odoms set season highs with seven receptions and 129 yards receiving. However, they were blanked in the second and third quarter. They came back to life in the fourth quarter though, when Mark Moundros caught a 2-yard pass for a touchdown, but kicker K.C. Lopata failed on the PAT attempt. Illinois however had their best game against Michigan in the history of the Michigan / Illinois contests. The Illini set a school record for points against Michigan (45), surpassing the 39 points Red Grange helped them score in 1924 as Memorial Stadium was dedicated, and they scored the most any team has at Michigan Stadium since Florida State had 51 in 1991. It was also the Illini's first victory at the Big House since 1999, and University of Illinois quarterback Isiah "Juice" Williams set a Big House record with 431 all-purpose yards, breaking the record previously held by former Illini quarterback Tony Eason (403). Illini quarterback Isiah "Juice" Williams connected with Jeff Cumberland for a 77-yard pass, the longest by an Illini quarterback since 1985, and a perfectly lofted screen to running back Daniel Dufrene turned into a 57-yard TD. With the loss, the Wolverines fell to 2–3 on the season and 1–1 in the Big Ten, their worst record after five games since starting 1–4 in 1967, two years before Bo Schembechler arrived.
Statistics ILLMICH First downs 19 17 Total yards 501 319 Rushing yards 191 69 Passing yards 310 283 Turnovers 0 2 Time of possession 33:06 26:54 Team Category Player Statistics Illinois Passing Juice Williams 13/26, 310 yards, 2 TD Rushing Juice Williams 19 rushes, 121 yards, 2 TD Receiving Arrelious Benn 6 receptions, 122 yards Michigan Passing Steven Threet 18/35, 250 yards, 2 TD Rushing Sam McGuffie 19 rushes, 70 yards, TD Receiving Martavious Odoms 7 receptions, 129 yards
Toledo
After their huge loss to Illinois, the Wolverines hosted the Toledo Rockets. It was the first time the two teams had ever played. In the first quarter, the Rockets scored first when a pass from Michigan QB Steven Threet was intercepted in the end zone by Tyrrell Herbert and run back 101 yards for a touchdown. Later in the first quarter, the Wolverines got on the board with 27-yard TD pass from Steven Threet to Brandon Minor. The next score came on a 26-yard field goal by Michigan kicker K.C. Lopata midway through the second quarter. With that, the teams went into the locker rooms at the half with a score of 10–7. In the second half, the Rockets shut out the Wolverines and scored two more field goals, both by Alex Steigerwald. He completed a 29-yard attempt in the third quarter and a 48-yard attempt in the fourth quarter. With less than a minute remaining in the game, the Wolverines got into the red zone and attempted a field goal to take the game into overtime. Lopata missed the field goal though, sealing the victory for the Rockets and marking the first time the Wolverines had ever lost to a Mid-American Conference team. To make matters worse - this was not a good MAC team; Toledo ended up posting a 3–9 overall record, and was 2–6 in the MAC. In the game, Nick Moore of the Rockets set a record of 20 receptions against The Wolverines. With the humbling loss, the Wolverines fell to 2–4, their worst start in 41 years.
Statistics TOLMICH First downs 17 19 Total yards 327 290 Rushing yards 70 170 Passing yards 265 126 Turnovers 1 3 Time of possession 33:08 26:52