Bo's Bowl Blues - (Cards from the 1977-78 Rose Bowl for Strat-O-Matic College Football)

Bo's Bowl Blues - (Cards from the 1977-78 Rose Bowl for Strat-O-Matic College Football)

Dropbox link for Cards for the 1977 Washington Huskies

Dropbox link for Cards for the 1977 Michigan Wolverines

Link to Other SOM CFB Content on this Blog

Oooh this one hurts.  Michigan has had great quarterbacks, guys like Denard Robinson, Tom Brady, and Elvis Grbac, but "Mr. Michigan" was Rick Leach, an All-American four-year starter who even after all of these years is still 11th for the Wolverines in total yardage, 3rd in TDs, and tops in wins with 38. This game was probably Leach's best chance to win a Championship or at least a Rose Bowl. But it was not to be, as Washington rolled them in the first half in Pasadena, and then hung on in the second half. 

Led by Leach, who was a junior in 1977, Michigan began the season ranked second, and were first after four of the first six weeks. However, a stunning 16–0 loss on October 22 at Minnesota dropped them to sixth. A 14–6 win over fourth-ranked rival Ohio State gave the Wolverines the Big Ten title and they came into the Rose Bowl ranked fourth. (Ohio State may have been the better team, actually, but they played the game in Ann Arbor and the Buckeyes just could not hang onto the ball.)

The offensive line, led by three All-Americans (C Walt Downing, LG Mark Donahue and LT Mike Kenn), contributed greatly to Michigan’s three-headed rushing attack which bludgeoned opponents for 4.6 yds/carry.  TB Harlan Huckleby averaged 4.8 yards per carry, FB Russell Davis averaged 4.9 yards per carry, and QB Rick Leach averaged 3.8 yds/carry.  Although the Wolverines didn’t throw a lot, when they did, Leach, completed a respectable 51% of his passes with 13 TDs.  

The Wolverine defense led by All-Americans LB John Anderson and FS Dwight Hicks (both “6” rated players) are a tough group that only allow 2.6 yds/carry.  The Michigan 3-4 alignment created ferocious pressure on opponent passers, which resulted in 39 QB sacks on the year.  However, as we found out in Pasadena, the defense was susceptible to short and intermediate passes, allowing opponents to complete almost 55% of their attempts. 

In their third season under head coach Don James and quarterback Warren Moon, Washington stumbled out of the gate, losing three of their first four games, all out of conference. On Saturday night, Oct. 1, the Washington Huskies were sadly flying home with a 1-3 record. Minnesota had just beaten them on a last-minute field goal, and it appeared that once again their season would be ruinous. They then won six of seven, only losing 20–12 at UCLA on October 29. But with the Rose Bowl on the line at home, UCLA lost to USC in the sort of wild game that keeps traditional rivalries memorable. The Trojans did it when Frank Jordan's 36‐yard field goal with two seconds to play produced a 29‐27 victory.

Warren Moon led the explosive Husky attack that can move the ball effectively on the ground or through the air.  Moon completed an efficient 56%+ of his passes and could throw deep to his speedy target, Spider Gaines (22 yds/catch, 6 TDs) or pick defenses apart with short, surgical strikes.  Washington had a balanced running game with Ron Gibson (4.7 yds/carry) running between the tackles and Joe Steele (4.4 yds/carry and 14 TDs) going outside.  Steele was also an effective receiver out of the backfield (31 catches from the TB position).  The Huskies only had one star (“6” rated defender) on the other side of the ball, All-American LB Michael Jackson, but had a host of role-players that all contributed to create a solid team defense.  Their secondary was adept in picking off enemy passes (16 INTs), which gave their offense a chance to win every game.

The Huskies thus won the Pac-8 title and earned the Rose Bowl berth when UCLA lost that final game. Washington entered the game ranked thirteenth in the AP poll, and they finished tied for fourteenth in the UPI coach's poll.

The astounding climax of this remarkable comeback came January 2, 1978 in the Rose Bowl, where the Huskies upended the heavily favored Wolverines Michigan 27-20. It was the Pacific Eight's eighth win over the Big Ten in the last nine Rose Bowls. And it was Michigan Coach Bo Schembechler's fifth bowl loss in five tries.  Michigan trailed 17-0 at halftime, but they might have been able to make it all the way back in the second half except for Washington's determined defense, which complemented its wide-open offense. On the third play of the second half Wolverine Defensive Back Michael Jolly intercepted a Warren Moon pass on the Washington 36 and took it back to the 11. It seemed Michigan would bull it in and be back in contention.

But with fourth and two on the three, Michigan's Roosevelt Smith gained zero against the left side of the Washington line. The Huskies took over and moved 97 yards in 12 plays, mainly on Moon's passing and Joe Steele's running. Moon, who had been derided by Husky fans for three years, capped the drive by throwing to his favorite target, world-class hurdler Spider Gaines, for a 28-yard touchdown. The extra point made it 24-0, and the Huskies seemed out of reach.  Michigan made a run, but they were intercepted in Husky territory twice late in the game.

With Notre Dame beating top-ranked and undefeated Texas in the Cotton Bowl, Michigan had hopes that a dominant win over Washington would boost the Wolverines to the national title. The Huskies' dramatic upset ended those hopes, and Notre Dame was voted first in the polls among five one-loss teams; Alabama, Arkansas, Texas, and Penn State were the others. Michigan dropped to ninth in the final AP poll and Washington climbed to tenth; both were a spot higher in the UPI coach's poll.

Enjoy the teams - 

Fred Bobberts, Albuquerque, NM (August 2022) Reprinted with Permission