The 2004 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 2004 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their tenth season under head coach Lloyd Carr, the Wolverines compiled a 9–3 record (7–1 in conference games), outscored opponents by a total of 370 to 279, and tied with Iowa for the Big Ten championship. Having beaten Iowa during the regular season, the Wolverines received the Big Ten's berth in the 2005 Rose Bowl where they lost to No. 6 Texas by a 38–37 score.[1]
The Wolverines were ranked No. 8 in the preseason AP poll, dropped to No. 19 after an early loss to Notre Dame and a narrow victory over San Diego State, rose to No. 9 after winning eight straight games, and finished the season at No. 14 following losses to Ohio State and Texas.
Wide receiver Braylon Edwards led the Big Ten with 1,330 receiving yards, won the Biletnikoff Award as the best receiver in college football, and received the Chicago Tribune Silver Football as the most valuable player in the Big Ten. Center David Baas won the Rimington Trophy. Running back Mike Hart led the Big Ten with 1,455 rushing yards and was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year. Quarterback Chad Henne tied a school record with 25 touchdown passes.
Braylon Edwards 20-yard pass from Chad Henne (Garrett Rivas kick)
MICH 24–0
3
0:06
M-OH
Jared Parseghian 36-yard field goal
MICH 24–3
4
12:38
M-OH
Mike Smith 1-yard run (Todd Soderquist kick)
MICH 24–10
4
9:01
MICH
Ernest Shazor 88-yard interception return (kick failed)
MICH 30–10
4
7:22
MICH
Braylon Edwards 13-yard pass from Chad Henne (kick failed)
MICH 36–10
4
6:16
MICH
Jerome Jackson 1-yard run (Garrett Rivas kick)
MICH 43–10
On September 4, Michigan opened its season with a 43–10 victory over Miami (OH) before a crowd of 110,815 at Michigan Stadium. After an injury to Matt Gutierrez, Chad Henne became the second true freshman quarterback (after Rick Leach in 1975) to start a season opener for Michigan. Henne completed 14 of 24 passes for 142 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. Braylon Edwards caught six of Henne's passes for 91 yards and two touchdowns and described Henne after the game as "a special kind of person, a guy you automatically have faith in."[2][3]
Michigan's defense created seven turnovers (five interceptions), including two interceptions by Markus Curry and an 88-yard interception return for a touchdown by Ernest Shazor. Aided by the turnovers, Michigan had five scoring drives of less than 20 yards.[4][5] It was the most turnovers forced by a Michigan defense since October 5, 1985.[6]
Michigan led, 9–0, at halftime, with three field goals by Garrett Rivas. Brady Quinn and Darius Walker led the Fighting Irish to 21 points in a fourth-quarter comeback. Quinn passed for 178 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions. Walker rushed for 115 yards and a touchdown.[7]
Braylon Edwards had 12 receptions for 126 yards, but Michigan's running game was stymied, and the Wolverines settled for four field goals. Starting running back David Underwood sustained a head injury on a block in the backfield on Michigan's second offensive play. Backups Jerome Jackson and Pierre Rembert were limited to 32 and 23 yards, respectively. After the game, Lloyd Carr told reporters: "We can't run the football, and, until you can run, you're going to have a hard time. You can't win on field goals."[8] (True freshman Mike Hart emerged as the team's lead back in the following game.)
Lawrence Reid fumble recovery and five-yard return (Rivas kick)
MICH 17–7
1
1:21
SDSU
Jeff Webb 12-yard pass from Michael Franklin (Palmer kick)
MICH 17–14
2
7:57
SDSU
Ortiz 14-yard pass from Dlugolecki (Palmer kick)
SDSU 21–17
3
10:35
MICH
Edwards 7-yard pass from Henne (Rivas kick)
MICH 24–21
On September 18, Michigan defeated Tom Craft's San Diego State Aztecs, 24–21, before a crowd of 109,432 at Michigan Stadium. Michigan gave up 21 first-half points and trailed, 21–17, at halftime. The defense tightened and held the Aztecs to 68 yards of offense and zero points in the second half.
The game featured the debut of true freshman tailback Mike Hart as a major offensive weapon. In the first two games of the season, Hart had only eight carries, and Michigan averaged only 85.5 rushing yards per game and ranked 94th out of 117 Division I teams in rushing offense.[9] Hart got the start against San Diego State after David Underwood sustained a concussion against Notre Dame and gained 121 yards on 25 carries. After the game, Hart noted: "It's a dream come true. I have family from Detroit, and I've always been a Michigan fan since I was young."[10]
Quarterback Chad Henne threw three interceptions. Braylon Edwards became Michigan's career receptions leader with eight receptions and scored the game-winning touchdown on a seven-yard pass from Henne in the third quarter.[11]
On offense, quarterback Chad Henne completed 16 of 26 passes for 236 yards, including a 58-yard touchdown pass to Braylon Edwards in the second quarter. Freshman tailback Mike Hart rushed for 99 yards and scored his first collegiate touchdown on a seven-yard run in the fourth quarter.[12]
Michigan's defense held Iowa to -15 rushing yards and came up with five turnovers, three fumble recoveries and two interceptions off Iowa quarterback Drew Tate. Grant Mason registered one of the interceptions, returning it 25 yards for the Wolverines' final points of the game.[12]
On the opening drive of the game, Indiana converted a fake punt for a long gain and drove to Michigan's 14-yard line. A high snap went through the hands of Indiana's quarterback for a 29-yard loss, ending the threat. On Michigan's first drive, Chad Henne threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to Jermaine Gonzales. Henne led Michigan's offense, completing 17 of 21 passes for 316 yards and three touchdowns, though he also fumbled twice. Braylon Edwards had eight catches for 165 yards, including touchdown receptions covering 69 and 38 yards. Freshman tailback Mike Hart started for the first time in his career, carrying the ball 20 times for 77 yards and a touchdown and also catching two passes for 36 yards. Edwards credited the success of the passing game to Indiana's defensive strategy: "They played eight in a box. They weren't doubling any of the receivers, so we knew if we could throw the ball up top it would be pretty much one-on-one and the receivers would have to make the play. And that's what we did"[14]
Michigan also had big plays on special teams. Leon Hall returned a punt for 76 yards and a touchdown, and Grant Mason returned the second-half kickoff 97 yards to set up a short touchdown run by Mike Hart.[14]
Michigan's defense limited Indiana to 214 yards of offense, including 64 rushing yards.[15]
The game included three delays for instant replay as the Big Ten conducted an experiment with the technology during the 2004 season. In one instance, the game was delayed for 14 minutes while officials reviewed and ultimately overturned a kick-catch interference penalty against Indiana.[15]
Michigan tallied 518 yards of offense in the game, led by the freshmen Chad Henne (33 of 49 passing for 328 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions) and Mike Hart (35 carries for 160 yards). Braylon Edwards had 10 receptions for 98 yards.[17]
The defense gave up 345 yards, including an 80-yard touchdown run by Laurence Maroney at the end of the first quarter. Minnesota took a 21–17 lead in the third quarter on a 26-yard pass from Bryan Cupito to Jared Ellerson. Early in the fourth quarter, Leon Hall fumbled a punt, and Minnesota recovered the ball at Michigan's nine-yard line. The defense stiffened and allowed no gain on three plays, forcing the Golden Gophers to settle for a field goal and a 24–17 lead with 13:14 remaining in the game.
Henne led a comeback in the fourth quarter. Garrett Rivas kicked a 26-yard field goal with 9:36 remaining. On its next possession, Michigan drove to the Minnesota 39-yard line, but the drive stalled and Michigan punted with 5:05 remaining. The Wolverines got the ball back at their own 13-yard line with 3:04 remaining. Henne then led the team on a six-play, 87-yard, 67-second drive, including two passes to Jason Avant (for 20 and 17 yards) and culminating with a game-winning 31-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Ecker with 1:57 remaining.[18][19]
Michigan took a 10–0 lead in the first quarter. Chad Henne threw two interceptions in the second quarter, one of which was returned 62 yards by Justin Harrison. Illinois scored 17 unanswered points and led 17–10 at halftime. Early in the third quarter, Michigan linebacker Scott McClintock intercepted a Jon Beutjer pass, giving Michigan the ball at the Illinois six-yard line. Michigan scored three touchdowns in the second half and had a 96-yard, 16-play, six-minute drive at the start of the fourth quarter. Mike Hart set a Michigan freshman rushing record with 40 carries for 234 yards.[20]
Defensively, the Wolverines held the Illini to 95 yards of total offense in the second half.[20]
The teams traded first-quarter touchdowns, Michigan scoring on a 25-yard pass from Chad Henne to Mike Hart. Purdue took the lead in the third quarter on a 64-yard pass from Kyle Orton to Brandon Jones. Michigan pulled ahead with three Garrett Rivas field-goals, the winning kick at 3:36 in the fourth quarter.[21] Purdue's final drive ended with Ernest Shazor foorcing a fumble by Purdue receiver Dorien Bryant; Leon Hall recovered the loose ball with 2:03 remaining, and Michigan was able to run out the clock.[22]
Mike Hart had 206 rushing yards on 33 carries. Chad Henne completed 22 of 39 passes for 190 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Purdue's offense averaged 485.3 yards per game in prior games and was held to 263 yards by Michigan. Michigan's defense sacked Purdue quarterback Kyle Orton three times, intercepted a pass, and limited him to 14-of-30 passing for 213 yards. Purdue's leading receiver Taylor Stubblefield was limited to one catch for 10 yards.[22]
The Spartans led, 27–10, midway through the fourth quarter. Michigan scored 17 points, including two touchdown receptions by Braylon Edwards, in the final 6:27 to tie the score. Michigan won the game in the third overtime period on a third touchdown pass from Henne to Edwards.[24][25]
Edwards finished the game with 11 receptions for 189 yards and three touchdowns. Mike Hart carried 33 times for 224 yards to pass the 1,000-yard mark for the season. He became the first freshman in Michigan history to rush for 1,000 yards. Henne completed 24 of 35 passes for 273 yards and four touchdowns.[26]
Michigan's offense tallied only seven points in the first half, but broke the game open with 35 points in the second half. Mike Hart carried the ball 23 times for 151 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Hart became the first Michigan player to register four consecutive games with over 150 rushing yards. After the game, Bob Wojnowski of The Detroit News called Hart "a freak" and "the most intriguing young player we've seen in years."[29] Henne completed 19 of 26 passes for 187 yards and two touchdowns, and Braylon Edwards passed the 1,000-yard mark to become the first receiver in Big Ten history to have three consecutive seasons with at least 1,000 receiving yards.[30]
During the off-season, sophomore Steve Breaston had surgery to repair a stress fracture in his right foot. Hampered earlier in the season, Breaston had a breakout game against Northwestern with 272 all-purpose yards: five receptions for 49 yards and a touchdown; two rushing attempts for 32 yards; four punt returns for 112 yards (including a 69-yard return for a touchdown); and three kickoff returns for 79 yards.[31]
The combination of Michigan's victory and Wisconsin's loss to Michigan State guaranteed the Wolverines a share of the Big Ten championship.[32] It was Michigan's 15th consecutive victory at home and its 13th consecutive victory against Big Ten opponents.[32]
Michigan scored touchdowns on its first two drives to take a 14–7 lead in the first quarter. Ohio State then scored 27 unanswered points.[34] After the first quarter, Ohio State stacked the line to stop Michigan's running game. Mike Hart was averaging 131 yard per game but was limited to 61 yards on 18 carries (27 yards on 12 carries after the first quarter).[35]
Prior to the game, Ohio State ranked No. 108 in offense. Against Michigan, the Buckeyes scored a season-high 37 points and had drives of 99 and 97 yards. Sophomore quarterback Troy Smith accounted for 386 of Ohio State's 446 yards (241 passing yards, 145 rushing yards) and three touchdowns (two passing and one rushing). Ted Ginn Jr. also starred with five receptions for 87 yards and an 82-yard punt return for touchdown in the third quarter.[36]
Despite the loss, Michigan tied with Iowa for the Big Ten championship and received the conference's Rose Bowl berth, having defeated the Hawkeyes earlier in the season.[34]
Wide receiver Braylon Edwards set Michigan single-season records with 97 receptions and 1,303 receiving yards.[37] He led the Big Ten with 8.1 receptions per game and 110.8 receiving yards per game (all games).[38] His career total of 39 receiving touchdowns broke Anthony Carter's conference record.[39] Edwards also became the first Big Ten player to register three consecutive seasons with over 1,000 receiving yards.[40]
At the end of the season, Edwards received multiple honors, including the following:
Biletnikoff Award - Edwards won the Biletnikoff Award as the best wide receiver in college football. He was the first Michigan player to receive the award.[41]
Paul Warfield Trophy - Edwards also received the Warfield Trophy as the nation's top collegiate receiver.
Chicago Tribune Silver Football - Edwards also won the Chicago Tribune Silver Football as the most valuable player in the Big Ten Conference.[42]
Fifth-year senior David Baas started 30 straight games at left guard for Michigan. Against Iowa in the Big Ten opener, he moved to center. At the time of the shift, Baas said the move was a surprise but added: "Whatever the team needs that's what I'm going to do. If they want to continue to play me at center, I'm going to do that."[44] In his first year playing the center position, Baas won multiple post-season honors, including the following:
Rimington Trophy - Baas received the Rimington Trophy as the best center in college football. He was the first Michigan player to receive the award. (David Molk and Olusegun Oluwatimi later won the award.)
All-America team - Baas received first team All-America honors from the AP, FWAA, WCFF, and CBS.
All-Big Ten team - Baas was selected as a first-team All-Big Ten player by the conference coaches. (Greg Eslinger of Minnesota won the honor from the media.)
Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year - Baas also won the award as the Big Ten offensive lineman of the year.
Hugh Rader Jr. Award - Baas also won Michigan's Hugh Rader Jr. Award.
Despite starting the season as a backup, freshman tailback Mike Hart led the Big Ten with 1,455 rushing yards and was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year.[45] He also set a school record with three 200-yard games in a season, surpassing five predecessors with two each.[46] At the end of the season, Hart won the award as the Big Ten Freshman of the Year. He also won first-team honors from both the coaches and media on the 2004 All-Big Ten Conference football team.
