The 1971 Big Ten Conference football season was the 76th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1971 NCAA University Division football season.
This was the first season in which Big Ten teams were permitted to schedule 11 games, one season after most schools first did so. Ohio State increased its schedule from nine games to 10, but did not play 11 until 1974, while Purdue first scheduled an 11th game in 1972.
The 1971 Michigan Wolverines football team, under head coach Bo Schembechler, compiled an 11–0 record in the regular season but lost to Stanford, 13–12, on a field goal with 12 seconds remaining in the 1972 Rose Bowl. The Wolverines led the Big Ten in both scoring offense (35.1 points per game) and scoring defense (6.9 points allowed per game). The team was ranked No. 4 in the final Coaches Poll and No. 6 in the final AP Poll. Linebacker Mike Taylor and offensive guard Reggie McKenzie were consensus first-team All-Americans. Running back Billy Taylor rushed for 1,297 yards, was named as the team most valuable player, and was selected as a first-team All-American by the Football News. Defensive back Thom Darden was selected as a first-team All-American by the American Football Coaches Association and The Sporting News.
The 1971 Northwestern Wildcats football team, under head coach Alex Agase, compiled a 7–4 record and finished in second place in the Big Ten. Quarterback Maurie Daigneau led the Big Ten with 1,733 passing yards and was a consensus first-team All-Big Ten player. Defensive back Eric Hutchinson was selected as a first-team All-American by the Football Writers Association of America. The Wildcats did not finish in the first division again until winning the conference and going to the Rose Bowl in 1995.
Michigan State running back Eric Allen led the Big Ten with 1,494 rushing yards and 108 points scored and received the Chicago Tribune Silver Football as the conference's most valuable player. Purdue halfback/wide receiver Darryl Stingley led the conference with 734 receiving yards, and Minnesota quarterback Craig Curry led the conference with 2,071 total yards.
Ohio State entered the season knowing its season would end without a bowl. The Buckeyes represented the conference in the Rose Bowl the previous season, and Big Ten teams could not play in a bowl other than the one in Pasadena. This was the last season the Big Ten's "no-repeat" rule was in effect, but the ban on conference teams playing in other bowls was not lifted until 1975.
Season overview
Results and team statistics
Conf. RankTeamHead coachAP finalAP highOverall recordConf. recordPPGPAGMVP1MichiganBo Schembechler#6#211–18–035.16.9Billy Taylor2NorthwesternAlex AgaseNR#197–46–319.216.6John Voorhees3 (tie)Ohio StateWoody HayesNR#56–45–322.412.0Tom DeLeone3 (tie)Michigan StateDuffy DaughertyNR#186–55–320.515.4Eric Allen3 (tie)IllinoisBob BlackmanNRNR5–65–314.821.6Terry Masar6 (tie)WisconsinJohn JardineNRNR4–6–13–521.823.5Neil Graff6 (tie)MinnesotaMurray WarmathNRNR4–73–519.325.3Tom Chandler6 (tie)PurdueBob DeMossNR#173–73–521.022.8Tom Luken9IndianaJohn PontNRNR3–82–613.823.6Chuck Thomson10IowaFrank LauterburNRNR1–101–811.034.5Craig Clemons Key AP final = Team's rank in the final AP Poll of the 1971 season AP high = Team's highest rank in the AP Poll throughout the 1971 season PPG = Average of points scored per game; conference leader's average displayed in bold PAG = Average of points allowed per game; conference leader's average displayed in bold MVP = Most valuable player as voted by players on each team as part of the voting process to determine the winner of the Chicago Tribune Silver Football trophy; trophy winner in bold
Regular season September 11 On September 11, 1971, the Big Ten football teams opened the season with four conference games and one non-conference game. Purdue did not open its season until the following week.
Michigan 21, Northwestern 6. Michigan (ranked No. 4 in the AP Poll) opened its 1971 season with a 21–6 victory over Northwestern (ranked No. 20 in the AP Poll) in front of 42,472 spectators at Dyche Stadium in Evanston, Illinois. Split end Bo Rather scored two touchdowns, and tailback Billy Taylor scored Michigan's third touchdown on a five-yard run. Taylor totaled 105 rushing yards on 28 carries in the game. On defense, Frank Gusich had two interceptions. Northwestern scored its touchdown in the fourth quarter on a short pass. After the game, coach Schembechler told the press, "It was no masterpiece, but it was effective." Ohio State 52, Iowa 21. Ohio State (ranked No. 11 in the AP Poll) defeated Iowa, 52–21, before a crowd of 75,596 at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. Michigan State 10, Illinois 0. Minnesota 28, Indiana 0. Wisconsin 31, Northern Illinois 0.
September 18 On September 18, 1971, the Big Ten teams participated in nine non-conference games, resulting in three wins and six losses. Ohio State had a bye week.
Michigan 56, Virginia 0. Michigan (ranked No. 4 in the AP Poll) defeated Virginia, 56–0, in its home opener before a crowd of 81,391 at Michigan Stadium. Michigan took a 35–0 lead at halftime and used its reserves extensively, including five quarterbacks and 11 running backs. Michigan's offense was heavily skewed in favor of the ground game, with 83 rushing carries and only 10 passes. The Wolverine backs totaled 495 rushing yards, including 107 yards by Ed Shuttlesworth. Virginia completed only one pass and threw three interceptions. In total offense, Michigan out-gained Virginia, 566 yards to 78 yards. After the game, Virginia coach Don Lawrence praised Michigan's running backs: "Those are the best six running backs I've ever seen together. We were there, but we just got knocked down." Coach Schembechler opined, "There's not much to say, is there? We were bigger and stronger physically than they were." Notre Dame 50, Northwestern 7. Georgia Tech 10, Michigan State 0. North Carolina 27, Illinois 0. Wisconsin 20, Syracuse 20. Nebraska 35, Minnesota 7. Washington 38, Purdue 35. Indiana 26, Kentucky 8. Oregon State 33, Iowa 19.
September 25 On September 25, 1971, the Big Ten teams played 10 non-conference games, resulting in three wins and seven losses. Through the first three weeks of the season, the Big Ten had compiled a 7–13 record against non-conference opponents.
Michigan 38, UCLA 0. Michigan (ranked No. 4 in the AP Poll) defeated UCLA, 38–0, before a crowd of 89,177 in the rain at Michigan Stadium. Michigan led 24–0 at halftime. In the fourth quarter, Michigan added two more touchdowns, including a 92-yard interception return by Thom Darden. With 91 rushing yards, Billy Taylor passed 2,000 career rushing yards to move into third place among Michigan's career rushing leaders. On defense, Michigan held UCLA to 39 rushing yards and sacked UCLA quarterback nine times. After the game, UCLA coach Pepper Rodgers said, "I've never had a team dominated the way we were today." After defeating UCLA, Michigan jumped to No. 2 in the AP and UPI polls. Northwestern 12, Syracuse 6. Colorado 20, Ohio State 14. Ohio State (ranked No. 6 in the AP Poll) lost to Colorado (ranked No. 10), 20–14, before a crowd of 85,586 at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. Michigan State 31, Oregon State 14. USC 28, Illinois 0. LSU 38, Wisconsin 28. The #18 Bayou Bengals, the reigning Southeastern Conference champions, played a Big Ten opponent for the first time in front of a Camp Randall Stadium record crowd of 78,535 . Washington State 31, Minnesota 20. Notre Dame 8, Purdue 7. Baylor 10, Indiana 0. Penn State 44, Iowa 14.
October 2 On October 2, 1971, the Big Ten teams played two conference games and six non-conference games. The non-conference games resulted in three wins and three losses, giving the Big Ten a 10–16 non-conference record to that point in the season.
Northwestern 24, Wisconsin 11. Purdue 45, Iowa 13. Michigan 46, Navy 0. Michigan (ranked No. 2 in the AP Poll) defeated Navy, 46–0, in front of 68,168 spectators in Michigan Stadium. The game marked the first time since 1948 that a Michigan football team had shut out three consecutive opponents. Michigan's running backs scored five rushing touchdowns. With 76 rushing yards, Billy Taylor passed Tom Harmon and moved into second place among Michigan's career rushing leaders. Michigan out-gained Navy by 428 yards to 71 yards. During a halftime ceremony, Michigan honored the crew of Apollo 15, James Irwin, David Scott, and Alfred Worden, all Michigan alumni. Ohio State 35, California 3. Notre Dame 14, Michigan State 2. Washington 52, Illinois 14. Minnesota 38, Kansas 20. Syracuse 7, Indiana 0.
October 9 On October 9, 1971, the Big Ten teams played five conference games.
Michigan 24, Michigan State 13. Michigan (ranked No. 2 in the AP Poll) won its fifth consecutive game, defeating Michigan State, 24–13, in front of 80,093 spectators, the largest crowd to that time in the history of Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan. Billy Taylor rushed for 117 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries. Tom Slade started his first game at quarterback, completed three of nine passes for 45 yards, and rushed for 48 yards and a touchdown. With Michigan State athletic director Biggie Munn in critical condition following a stroke, the Spartans kept the game close until late in the game. In the weekly polling after the game, the Wolverines dropped from No. 2 to No. 3 in both the Coaches and AP Polls. Northwestern 28, Iowa 3. Ohio State 24, Illinois 10. Wisconsin 35, Indiana 29. Purdue 27, Minnesota 13.
October 16 On October 16, 1971, the Big Ten teams played five conference games.
Michigan 35, Illinois 6. Michigan (ranked No. 3 in the AP Poll) defeated Illinois, 35–6, at Michigan Stadium. Quarterback Tom Slade threw an interception on the first play from scrimmage, setting up an Illinois touchdown only one minute and 23 seconds into the game. Slade then settled in, ran 25 yards for Michigan's first touchdown, and completed five of seven passes for 74 yards and a touchdown. Defensive back Thom Darden set up Michigan's second touchdown with a 47-yard punt return. Wingback Glenn Doughty was the star of the game for Michigan, as he rushed for 48 yards and two touchdowns on six carries and caught three passes for 56 yards and a touchdown. Billy Taylor led the rushing attack with 103 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries. Purdue 21, Northwestern 20. Ohio State 27, Indiana 7. Wisconsin 31, Michigan State 28. Minnesota 19, Iowa 14.
October 23 On October 23, 1971, the Big Ten teams played five conference games.
Michigan 35, Minnesota 7. In the annual Little Brown Jug game, Michigan (ranked No. 3 in the AP Poll) defeated Minnesota, 35–7, in front of 44,176 spectators in Minneapolis. Billy Taylor rushed for 166 and two touchdowns on 33 carries. He also surpassed Ron Johnson's career total of 2,524 rushing yards to become Michigan's all-time career rushing leader. Michigan rushed for 391 yards in all. Northwestern 24, Indiana 10. Ohio State 31, Wisconsin 6. Michigan State 34, Iowa 3. Illinois 21, Purdue 7.
October 30 On October 30, 1971, the Big Ten teams played five conference games.