The 1975 Michigan Wolverines football team was an American football team that represented the University of Michigan in the 1975 Big Ten Conference football season. In it seventh season under head coach Bo Schembechler, Michigan compiled an 8–2–2 record (7–1 against conference opponents), outscored all opponents by a total of 324 to 130, and was ranked No. 8 in the final AP and UPI polls.
Michigan was ranked No. 2 in the preseason AP poll and won its opening game against Wisconsin. After playing consecutive tie games with unranked Stanford and Baylor teams, Michigan dropped to No. 12 in the AP poll. Michigan then won seven straight games, including a convincing victory over No. 5 Missouri and rivalry games against No. 15 Michigan State and a talented Minnesota squad led by quarterback Tony Dungy. In the final game of the regular season, Michigan was ranked No. 4 and lost a close game against No. 1 Ohio State. The Wolverines were invited to play in the 1976 Orange Bowl where they lost a close game against 1975 national champion Oklahoma.
Tailback Gordon Bell led the team in rushing (1,390 yards) and scoring (84 points) and received the team's most valuable player award. The team's other statistical leaders included quarterback Rick Leach with 680 passing yards and split end Jim Smith with 553 receiving yards. Defensive back Don Dufek was selected as a first-team All-American, and ten Michigan players received first- or second-team honors on the 1975 All-Big Ten Conference football team.
Schedule
Season summary Preseason The 1974 Michigan Wolverines football team compiled a 10–1 record and was ranked No. 3 in the final AP poll. Several key starters returned for the 1975 season, including running backs Gordon Brown (1,048 yards in 1974) and Rob Lytle (802 yards in 1974), defensive back Don Dufek, defensive end Dan Jilek, and middle guard Tim Davis.
Key departures from the 1974 team included defensive back Dave Brown (a consensus All-American), Dennis Franklin (a three-year starter at quarterback), linebacker Steve Strinko (selected as the most valuable player on the 1974 team), center Dennis Franks, fullback Gil Chapman, and wingback Chuck Heater.
Mark Elzinga had been groomed as Franklin's replacement at quarterback, but his performance left doubts. After preseason practice, Rick Leach, a true freshman from Flint was selected as the starting quarterback.
Michigan's 1975 recruiting class included quarterback Leach, running backs Russell Davis and Harlan Huckleby, linebacker Jerry Meter, defensive end Tom Seabron, and linemen John Arbeznik, Jon Giesler, and Curtis Greer.
Offensive guard Kirk Lewis and defensive back Don Dufek were selected as the team's co-captains. In the final major scrimmage of the prior to the start of the season, Lewis broke his arm and was lost for the season.
Wisconsin
On September 13, 1975, Michigan opened its season with a 23–6 victory over Wisconsin before a record-setting crowd of 79,022 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin. In his first college game, quarterback Rich Leach rushed for 30 yards on eight carries and completed only two of 10 passes for 34 yards and three interceptions. Senior tailback Gordon Bell rushed for 210 yards and a touchdown on 28 carries. It was the first 200-yard game by a Michigan back since Billy Taylor in 1969. The Wolverines rushed for a total of 394 yards with Rob Lytle adding 91 yards and a touchdown. Bob Wood, appearing his first varsity game, contributed 11 points on three field goals and two extra point kicks.
Michigan's defense, led by linebacker Calvin O'Neal and middle guard Tim Davis, held Wisconsin to 98 rushing yards and 38 passing yards. Wisconsin's two field goals followed Michigan turnovers – a fumble by Bell at Michigan's 32-yard line in the first quarter and an interception in the second quarter that gave Wisconsin the ball at Michigan's 27-yard line. Wisconsin's star back Billy Marek was held to 58 yards on 21 carries. After the game, Wisconsin assistant coach Chuck McBride called it the most disappointing loss in his six years at Wisconsin and concluded that "Michigan's defense intimidated our offense." Head coach John Jardine credited Michigan's defensive front: "They whipped us up front pretty good. We were just blown off."
Stanford
On September 20, 1975, Michigan and Stanford played to a 19–19 tie before a crowd of 92,304 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor.
Stanford took a 6–0 lead in the first quarter on a 25-yard touchdown pass from Mike Cordova to Tony Hill, but missed the extra point. At the end of the second quarter, Rick Leach threw a 48-yard bomb to Jim Smith to give Michigan a 7–6 lead at halftime. Michigan's Bob Wood kicked two field goals in the third quarter to extend the lead to 13–6.
In the fourth quarter, Stanford tied the game at 13–13 on a four-yard touchdown pass from Cordova to Todd Anderson. From that point, the teams traded four field goals. Wood kicked a 32-yarder to put Michigan ahead, 16–13 with 5:51 remaining, and Stanford's Mike Langford tied the game again with 3:41 remaining. Wood kicked what appeared to be a game-winning 42-yarder with 1:36 remaining in the game, but Stanford drove 55 yards in the final minute-and-a-half, and Langford kicked a 33-yard field goal to tie the game with nine seconds remaining.
Michigan gained 467 yards of total offense. In his second game, Rick Leach rushed for 58 yards and completed six of 17 passes for 145 yards and an interception. Rob Lytle rushed for 113 yards, and Gordon Bell added 64 yards.
Baylor
On September 27, 1975, Michigan and defending Southwestern Conference champion Baylor played to a 14–14 tie before a crowd of 104,248 at Michigan Stadium. Michigan drove down the field for a touchdown on its first possession of the game, but was unable to score again until the fourth quarter. Gordon Bell scored both of Michigan's touchdowns. Baylor's Bubba Hicks missed a 39-yard field goal with six seconds remaining in the game. Baylor out-gained Michigan by 338 yards to 219.
Missouri
On October 4, 1975, Michigan defeated Missouri, 31–7, at Michigan Stadium. Michigan was ranked No. 12 by the AP prior to the game, and Missouri No. 5. The game attracted 104,578, the third largest crowd in Michigan Stadium history. The victory was the 100th in Bo Schembechler's head coaching career.
Michigan rushed for 372 yards, including 119 yards from Gordon Bell, 97 yards and a touchdown from Rick Leach, 68 yards and two touchdowns from Rob Lytle, and 45 yards and a touchdown from Harlan Huckleby. The defense held Missouri to 253 total yards and recovered three Missouri fumbles. Middle guard Tim Davis was selected by both the Associated Press and United Press International as the Big Ten player of the week for his performance against Missouri, which included nine solo tackles.
Michigan State
On October 11, 1975, Michigan, ranked No. 8 by the AP, defeated No. 15 Michigan State, 16–6, in a nationally televised game played before a crowd of 79,776 at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan.
In the first three quarters, the scoring was limited to field goals, two by Michigan's Bob Wood and two by the Spartans' Danish kicker, Hans Nielsen. Both of the Spartans' field goals were set up by Michigan turnovers – a fumble by Gordon Bell at Michigan's 27-yard line in the first quarter and a fumbled punt by Dwight Hicks in the third quarter.
At the end of the third quarter, Jim Smith fielded a punt at midfield and returned it to the Michigan State 39-yard line. On fourth-and-one, Rick Leach freed himself from a tackler behind the line of scrimmage and converted the first down. Two plays later, Gordon Bell put the Wolverines ahead with a 19-yard touchdown run. Wood later added his third field goal.
Rob Lytle led the Wolverines for 111 yards on 20 carries, and Bell totaled 105 yards on 19 carries. Rick Leach completed two of six passes for 38 yards and was intercepted once. Michigan State fumbled five times, Michigan recovering three.
Northwestern
On October 18, 1967, Michigan defeated Northwestern, 69–0, before a crowd of 86,201 at Michigan Stadium. It was Northwestern's worst loss since 1899, and Michigan had not achieved a greater margin of victory since its 85–0 victory over Chicago in 1939. Northwestern, coached by Bo Schembechler's college roommate John Pont, came into the game with a 3–2 record, having defeated Indiana the prior week by a 30–0 score.
Michigan tied a Big Ten record with 573 rushing yards as three separate backs had 100-yard games. First-string tailback Gordon Bell, who did not play after the first quarter, gained 100 yards on 14 carries and scored two touchdowns. Second-string tailback Rob Lytle, who did not play after halftime, gained 105 yards on eight carries and scored two touchdowns. Third-string tailback Harlan Huckleby added 157 yards on 18 carries and also scored two touchdowns.
The defense held Northwestern to 115 total yards, had five turnovers (four fumble recoveries and an interception), and scored twice – first on a 23-yard interception return by linebacker Dave Devich and later, with less than a minute remaining in the game, freshman defensive end Tom Seabron ripped the ball from the hands of Northwestern's backup quarterback and returned it 40 yards. Northwestern's starting quarterback Randy Dean came into the game as the conference leader in total offense, but ended up with minus two rushing yards and completed only two of 11 passes for 24 yards.
Indiana
On October 25, 1975, Michigan defeated Lee Corso's Indiana Hoosiers, 55–7, before a homecoming crowd of 93,857 at Michigan Stadium.As of 2023, this is the last crowd for a Michigan home football game under 100,000. Michigan outgained Indiana, 576 yards to 145 yards. Rob Lytle rushed for 147 yards and four touchdowns on 22 carries, and Gordon Bell added 117 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries. Jim Smith also had 77-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. Rick Leach rushed for 52 yards and completed three of six passes for 42 yards. Russell Davis also scored two touchdowns. The Wolverines gave up no turnovers.
Minnesota
On November 1, 1975, Michigan defeated Minnesota, 28–21, before a crowd of 33,191 at Memorial Stadium in Minneapolis. With the victory, the Little Brown Jug remained with the Wolverines for the eighth consecutive year.
Minnesota quarterback Tony Dungy, raised in Jackson, Michigan, completed 17 of 31 passes for 198 yards, including a 16-yard touchdown pass to Bobby Holmes that tied the score at 21–21 in the third quarter. With two touchdown passes in the game, Dungy broke Minnesota's school record with 10 touchdown passes during the 1975 season. Minnesota's 21 points were the most scored against a Michigan team since 1969.
Michigan rushed for 345 yards, as tailback Gordon Bell led the way with 172 rushing yards, pushing over 1,000 yards for the second consecutive year. Bell also scored two touchdowns, including the game-winner on a 23-yard run with 6:56 remaining in the game. The drive that led to Bell's second touchdown began when Dwight Hicks returned a punt 21 yards to Minnesota's 38-yard line. Rob Lytle added 80 yards and one touchdown.
Michigan was penalized in the game for roughing the punter, fair catch interference, and multiple instances of pass interference, including a penalty called against Dwight Hicks that negated his goal-line interception and led to Minnesota's first touchdown. In addition, split end Jim Smith was ejected from the game for fighting with free safety Doug Beaudoin. After the game, Bo Schembechler criticized the officiating: "There was incompetence all around us today, and I don't mean either my ball club or the Minnesota team. I don't care if you are from Minnesota or not, what went on today was unbelievable officiating."
Purdue