The 1989 Michigan Wolverines football team was an American football team that represented the University of Michigan as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 1989 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their 21st and final season under head coach Bo Schembechler, the Wolverines compiled a 10âÂÂ2 record (8âÂÂ0 in conference games), won the Big Ten championship, and outscored opponents by a total of 335 to 184. They lost to Notre Dame in the season opener and then won 10 consecutive regular season games before losing to USC in the 1990 Rose Bowl. The Wolverines were ranked No. 7 and No. 8, respectively, in the final AP and UPI polls. Prior to the Rose Bowl, Schembechler announced that he would retire after the Rose Bowl.
Quarterbacks Michael Taylor and Elvis Grbac passed for 966 and 824 yards, respectively. Tailback Tony Boles led the team in rushing with 839 yards, and split end Greg McMurtry led with 37 receptions for 655 yards. Placekicker J.D. Carlson was the leading scorer with 73 points, converting 36 of 39 extra points and 12 of 13 field goals. Defensive back Tripp Welborne was a consensus first-team selection on the 1989 All-America team. Six Michigan players received first-team honors on the 1989 All-Big Ten Conference football team.
On September 23, Michigan defeated UCLA, 24âÂÂ23, at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.
UCLA took a 7âÂÂ0 lead in the first quarter. Michigan scored in the second quarter on a 46-yard field goal by J.D. Carlson at the end of a 52-yard drive. UCLA then drove 70 yards and scored on a six-yard pass from Bret Johnson to S. Miller. Carlson kicked a 38-yard field goal later in the quarter, and UCLA led, 14âÂÂ6, at halftime.
In the third quarter, Carlson kicked his third field goal, a 43-yarder. Later in the third quarter, Michigan took a 15âÂÂ14 lead on a one-yard touchdown run by Leroy Hoard. Michigan's attempt at a two-point conversion failed. At the end of the third quarter, UCLA retook the lead on a 45-yard field goal by Alfredo Velasco. UCLA extended its lead with 5:42 remaining on a touchdown pass from Bret Johnson to Corwin Anthony. Michigan was forced to punt with 4:29 remaining, but Michigan cornerback David Key forced a fumble by UCLA tailback Shawn Wills. Michigan linebacker J.J. Grant recovered at UCLA's 43-yard line. Elvis Grbac completed passes of 11 yards to Derrick Walker and 12 yards to Tony Boles. The Wolverines scored on a three-yard pass from Grbac to Walker with 1:35 remaining. A two-point conversion failed, and Michigan trailed by two points. On the ensuing kickoff, J.D. Carlson converted an onside kick as the ball hopped over UCLA's front line where it was recovered by Vada Murray. Grbac completed a nine-yard pass to Chris Calloway, a 10-yard pass to Tony Boles, and a screen pass to Boles that was good for 17 yards. Carlson kicked the game-winning 24-yard field goal with one second remaining in the game.
Boles rushed for 82 yards, and Grbac completed 13 of 23 passes for 130 yards.
On September 30, Michigan defeated Maryland, 41âÂÂ21, before a crowd of 104,872 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
The Wolverines scored touchdowns on four of their first five possessions. They tallied 279 rushing yards led by Tony Boles who gained 89 yards and scored two touchdowns on 10 carries, including a 64-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. Leroy Hoard added 72 yards and scored on a 72-yard run. In what the Detroit Free Press described as an "air show" by the normally ground-based Michigan offense, quarterback Elvis Grbac completed 10 of 20 passes for 187 yards and threw two touchdown passes in the first quarter, covering 23 yards to Chris Calloway and 11 yards Craig McMurtry. McMurtry caught five passes for 126 yards.
On defense, Michigan held Maryland to 63 rushing yards. Maryland's two quarterbacks (Neil O'Donnell and Scott Zolak) combined to complete 26 of 41 passes for 320 yards and two touchdowns.
On October 7, Michigan defeated Wisconsin, 24âÂÂ0, before 104,097 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The Wolverines outgained the Badgers, 325 to 97, and dominated time of possession by 34:08 to 25:52. It was Michigan's first shutout since its 49âÂÂ0 victory over Wisconsin in 1987.
On offense, Michigan tallied 158 rushing yards, led by Tony Boles with 95 yards, including a 42-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. Quarterback Elvis Grbac completed 16 of 23 passes for 167 yards and a touchdown. The offense sputtered in the first half, with Michigan's only points of the half scored when cornerback Lance Dottin intercepted a Wisconsin pass at the 22-yard line and returned it untouched for a touchdown. After the game, Schembechler was critical of his team's performance: "It was like a painting that you put up against nine other dogs. Somebody says yours is the best of the ten, but, hell, your painting isn't any damn good. That was what this game was like."
On defense, the Wolverines held the Badgers to 70 rushing yards and 27 passing yards. Wisconsin running back Jimmy Henderson tallied 62 yards on 16 carries. Redshirt freshman quarterback Sean Wilson completed only four of eleven passes.
On October 14, Michigan defeated Michigan State, 10âÂÂ7, before a crowd of 76,913 at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan.
Michigan took a 7âÂÂ0 lead in the first quarter on a 61-yard, 13 play drive, culminating in a fourth-down, one-yard touchdown run by tailback Tony Boles. J. D. Carlson kicked a 35-yard field goal in the second quarter, and Michigan led, 10âÂÂ0, at halftime. After a scoreless third quarter, Michigan State drove 78 yards early in the fourth quarter to the one-yard line. On fourth down from the one-yard line, Blake Ezor was stopped by Tripp Welborne. On their next possession, the Spartans drove 62 yards, including a 36-yard pass from Dan Enos to James Bradley at the 11-yard line and endng with a four-yard touchdown pass from Enos to Courtney Hawkins.
The Wolverines gained 169 rushing yards and 76 passing yards. Tony Boles gained 100 yards on 22 carries, and Leroy Hoard tallied 62 yards on 15 carries.
On defense, the Wolverines held the Spartans to 85 rushing yards led by Ezor with 77 yards on 27 carries (2.9 per carry). Enos completed 21 of 31 passes for 214 yards, but he was intercepted twice. Vada Murray blocked a Michigan State field goal in the first quarter. J. J. Grant led the team with 14 tackles and stopped a Michigan State drive in the second quarter by "leaping, tipping and then intercepting" a pass. Outside linebacker Alex Marshall had two sacks and a fumble recovery.
On October 21, Michigan defeated Iowa, 26âÂÂ12, before a crowd of 67,700 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. It was Michigan's first road win against Iowa since 1982.
In the first quarter, the Hawkeyes drove to Michigan's 20-yard line, but Iowa quarterback Matt Rodgers was hit in the backfield and fumbled; Brian Townsend recovered the loose ball and returned it to the Iowa 30-yard line. Michigan was unable to capitalize on the turnover, but later in the first quarter, Vada Murray intercepted a Rodgers pass, and Michigan took over at the Iowa 39-yard line. Michigan then scored on a 20-yard touchdown pass from Michael Taylor to Greg McMurtry. J. D. Carlson kicked a 22-yard field goal with 3:12 remaining in the first half, and Iowa then drove 56 yards in 2:51 and scored on a four-yard touchdown pass from Rodgers to Travis Watkins with 26 seconds remaining in the half. Michigan led, 9âÂÂ6, at halftime.
Michigan extended its lead to 23âÂÂ6 in the third quarter on a two-yard touchdown run by Taylor and a 45-yard touchdown pass from Taylor to Tony Boles. Late in the third quarter, Iowa scored on an 18-yard touchdown pass from Rodgers to Peter Marciano. In the fourth quarter, Michigan extended its lead to 26âÂÂ12 on a 22-yard field goal by J.D. Carlson.
Michigan gained 185 rushing yards and 179 passing yards. Iowa tallied 44 rushing yards and 287 passing yards. Tony Boles led Michigan's rushing attack with 93 yards on 24 carries, and Taylor completed 11 of 15 passes for 179 yards. For Iowa, Rodgers completed 29 of 41 passes for 287 yards.
On October 28, Michigan defeated Indiana, 38âÂÂ10, before a crowd of 105,989 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Michigan outgained Indiana, 550âÂÂ229. The Wolverines tallied 347 rushing yards, led by Tony Boles (156 yards and three touchdowns, 11.2 yards per carry) and Allen Jefferson (96 yards, 12.0 yards per carry). Quarterback Michael Taylor completed 11 of 18 passes for 165 yards and two touchdowns. Freshman wide receiver Desmond Howard caught three passes for 62 yards. Highlights included a 91-yard touchdown run by Boles at the 6:44 mark of the second quarter and a 43-yard touchdown pass from Taylor to Derrick Alexander at the 10:26 mark of the fourth quarter.
On defense, the Wolverines held the Hoosiers to 89 rushing yards and 140 passing yards. Anthony Thompson, who was the leading rusher in the Big Ten and finished second in the 1989 Heisman Trophy voting, was limited to 90 yards on 30 carries, an average of 3.0 yards per carry.
On November 11, No. 3 Michigan defeated No. 8 Illinois, 24âÂÂ10, before a crowd of 73,069 at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois.
On the opening drive of the game, Tony Boles ran 73 yards to the Illinois one-yard line, and Jarrod Bunch scored on a one-yard run with 14:01 remaining in the first quarter. Illinois responded with an 85-yard, 10-play drive ending with a three-yard touchdown run by fullback Howard Griffith. Michigan then drove 63 yards on 16 plays, ending with a 47-yard field goal by J.D. Carlson (a Michigan record at the time) with 2:02 remaining in the first quarter. Early in the second quarter, Illinois drove 61 yards on eight plays, and Doug Higgins kicked a 25-yard field goal to tie the game at 10-10. Later in the second quarter, Michigan drove 80 yards on 11 plays, scoring on a two-yard run by quarterback Michael Taylor. Michigan led, 17-10, at halftime.
Neither team scored in the third quarter. Late in the fourth quarter, Michigan drove 80 yards in 11 plays, led by Taylor's runs of 12, 12, and 15 yards, and ending with a 13-yard touchdown run by Boles with 2:31 remaining.
Michigan tallied 266 rushing yards and 123 passing yards. Boles led the Wolverines' rushing attack with 115 yards on nine carries. Taylor completed nine of 18 passes for 123 yards. Illinois was limited to 92 rushing yards, but quarterback Jeff George completed 22 of 38 passes for 253 yards. Michigan dominated time of possession with 34:52 to 25:08 for Illinois.
Todd Plate's second interception of the day with 2:48 left in the game sealed the game and the Big Ten title for the Wolverines.
The 1990 Rose Bowl was a rematch of the previous Rose Bowl in which Michigan won 22âÂÂ14. Prior to the contest, Bo Schembechler had announced he would retire. USC scored the first points in the second quarter with a one-yard run by Todd Marinovich. Michigan got a field goal to make it 7âÂÂ3 but the Trojans added another field goal before the half to take a 10âÂÂ3 lead at halftime. Although Michigan tied the score, Ricky Ervins had a 14-yard touchdown run which clinched the Rose Bowl for the Trojans.
Passing
Rushing
Receiving
Safety Tripp Welborne received consensus first-team honors on the 1989 All-America team. He received first-team honors from, among others, the Associated Press (AP), United Press International (UPI), American Football Coaches Association, and Football Writers Association of America.
Tailback Tony Boles gained 839 rushing yards in 1989 (1,359 in 1988) and was selected as the team's most valuable player. He sustained torn anterior cruciate ligaments (ACL) in his right knee on November 18 against Minnesota. The injury required reconstructive knee surgery, and Boles was therefore unable to play in the Rose Bowl.
The following 13 players received first- or second-team honors from the AP or UPI on the 1989 All-Big Ten Conference football team:
Other team awards included:
The following players were selected in the 1990 NFL draft.
A total of 25 players from the 1989 team went on to play professional football: Bobby Abrams; Derrick Alexander; Erick Anderson; Tony Boles; Jarrod Bunch; Corwin Brown; Chris Calloway; Joe Cocozzo; Tom Dohring; Matt Elliott; Steve Everitt; Elvis Grbac; Leroy Hoard; Desmond Howard; Burnie Legette; Tony McGee; Greg McMurtry; Doug Skene; Greg Skrepenak; Buster Stanley; Mike Teeter; Brian Townsend; Jon Vaughn; Derrick Walker; and Tripp Welborne.