Century Mark

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​by Johnny Cleveland

As you should know by now, our Danser has reached a milestone, Umtailgate.com continues to reflect upon this accomplishment (?) .  Basic Facts:  The "Streak" began in 1999.  The first game was a home contest against Illinois, UM lost 35 to 29.  The streaker has traveled the country from corner to corner (washington to florida if you will) watched games in 13 states, and passed through damn near every other one gettin there. 

The streaker  has had many emotions and feelings pass through him during the past decade of games, some Saturdays were good, some were bad.  But lets put aside all the triumphs and tribulations and look at the facts, the facts about the 100 straight games he has attended!

UM Football "During the Streak"


  • Overall Record 74-26 (74%)

  • Big Ten Record  51-13 (80%)

  • Vs. Purdue 5-1 (83%)

  • Bowl Games 3-4 (43%)

  • @ the Big House 47-8 (85%)

  • Vs. OSU 3-5 (38%)

  • Vs. MSU 6-1 (86%)

  • Homecoming games 5-2 (71%)

  • Highest Final AP rank = #5 (1999)

  • Lowest Final AP rank = NR (2005)

  • Big Ten Titles = 3 (2000,2003,2004)

Illinois: A Frat-tastic Preview

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​If you are lucky enough to have made the trip to Champaign, Illinois in a past season, you know that you can smell the excitement there. Seriously, you can smell it. There's some kind of manure farm nearby, and you will spend the day wondering if the smell is there all the time, or if you showed up on a bad day. As someone that has made multiple trips to Shitsville, USA, I can tell you first hand that it's always there. This Saturday, with the 7pm local kickoff, that smell will have permeated our clothes, our hair, and our soul. I can't wait.

What you might not know, but may have inferred, is that the fans of the Illini and the student body hate us. It's as if we ruined their lives at some point in the past. In actuality, we haven't ruined anything...at least anything that wasn't already ruined...usually. In case there are hard feelings, allow me to apologize:


  • For taking your 0-3 Big Ten record to 0-4 in 2004 by a score of 30-19. (Note: Mike Hart 234 yards)

  • For taking your 0-3 Big Ten record to 0-4 in 2003 by way of a 56-14 nailbiter, on your way to a 1-11 mark for the season. (Note: 12 different Michigan receivers caught passes and John Navarre went 18-27 for 203 yards)

  • For knocking you off 45-28 in your first Big Ten game of the season in 2002 before you went on to 5-7 glory. (Note: Bennie Joppru had 74 yards receiving...that's a tight end folks)

  • For handing you 1 of 2 losses you had on the season in 2001. Wow, you were 10-2 in 2001! Your other loss? LSU in the Sugar Bowl. Amazing. So, ya, really sorry about that 45-20 pasting. (Note: Marquise Walker threw a 51-yard touchdown pass toJermaine Gonzales in this game....shame on you)

  • For the refs not calling that Anthony Thomas fumble a fumble at the end of the 35-31 victory we had in 2000. You could have gone 6-5 instead of 5-6. That sucks. Also sorry for bringing in Drew Henson for John Navarre at the half. That did you in, as did the fake punt we ran. Yes, we ran a fake punt. Pretty sure that was the last time we did that. So, sorry. (Note: David Terrell had 6 catches for 116 yards, including a 57-yard Henson-to-Terrell special. Pretty sure that's the last offensive play we've had go for more than 50 yards.)


I guess that takes care of this century. I could go deeper, but the Wolverines are 65-21-2 all-time against the Fighting Illini. I'd end up having to apologize a lot.

Fun facts:


  • Illinois has 12 wins since 2004, and I'm including this "miracle" season's 5 wins in that totals.

  • In 1997, while Michigan was busy perfecting a 12-0 season, Illinois was perfectly abysmal, going 0-11 on the year.

  • Illinois has had 5 winning seasons since 1990.

  • Illinois broke a two-year Big Ten losing streak with their 23-20 victory over Michigan State last year. At that time, it was also just their 2nd Big Ten win in four seasons. Just thought I'd remind you that Michigan State also sucks.

  • There are 96 fraternities and sororities in Champaign, the largest Greek system in the world....outside of Greece, I imagine.

  • The library system in Champaign is 3rd largest in the U.S., behind only Harvard and Yale.

  • John Phillips Sousa called the Illinois band the "World's Greatest College Band" in the 1920's.


The Season:


  • Illinois is 5-2 on the season. Big wins include Penn State (27-20) and Wisconsin (31-26). Embarrassing loss: last week against Iowa (10-6).

  • Illinois boasts the 8th best rushing attack in the country, which includes 45 yards per game from Isiah "Juice" Williams.

  • Illinois has the nation's 22nd best scoring defense, allowing only 18 points per game.

  • What are they bad at? Passing: 113th in the nation with 151 yards per game. Net Punting: 111th in the nation with 31 yards garnered per punt.

What do I think?

  • Mobile quarterback of darker persuasion means they will score points, frustrate you by converting 3rd downs after we have the quarterback dead in our sights, and make plays that we never make. Juice is like Dixon without the whole passing thing. That passing thing is kind of important though, so maybe we can pull this out. However, I hate wounded animal games. Plus we have to play the wounded animal in their home cage, leaving the friendly confines for just the second time this season...and this ain't Northwestern boys. And just when I think all signs point to the Illini upset, I remember Mike Hart. Mike Hart. Mike Hart. Mike Hart.

Some Links:

The Wind At Our Backs

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It was windy. Really windy. And it was cold. Too cold for mid-October in the middle of Illinois. There were a lot of places we'd have rather been. The tarp walls of the pop-up tent made it tolerable, and the small fire pit of a neighboring tailgate was enough to get the feeling back in your fingers. After some food and drinks, we found our rhythm and finished strong, even after the pop-up was blown 20-yards across the parking lot.

The Wolverines weren't much different. It was obvious that they didn't want to be in Champaign. Nothing to get fired up about. Just another Big Ten lackey in the way of destiny. So we came out flat. A couple of miscues, and suddenly the Fighting Illini had fought their way into a 17-10 halftime lead.

Any other day, any other team, and you would have had a raucous crowd to deal with, but most of the Illini faithful had already given up on this season, and many decided to skip what they thought would be a slaughter. A non-sellout crowd tried to yell and scream but their efforts were quelled by the whipping wind, and the second half Illini efforts were quelled by the swarming Wolverine defense.

But let us not forget Mike Hart. 40 carries, 234 yards. That's the most yards in a single game by a running back since Tim Biakabutuka's 313 yards against Ohio State in 1995.

After a 20-2 drubbing in the second-half, Michigan came out of Champaign with a 30-19 victory, staying undefeated in the Big Ten with 4 games to go.

The Final Four: Just Four Games Remain In Quest For Championship

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Goodbye Illini

What happened to the fight in the Fighting Illini? Illinois looked as if they may have been the worst team we've faced all season. Michigan got its ground game and defense back in order, punishing the Illini 56-14 in front of 110K+ at Michigan Stadium. It was good to be home and in our regular tailgate spot, as Italian cuisine filled the tables and Yucca killed our brain cells.

Destiny

Michigan faces a tough test next week, as the 6-1 Purdue Boilermakers come to town. But this is just the first of three remaining tough tests for the Wolverines, who after Purdue's victory over Wisconsin, now control their own destiny with regards to the Rose Bowl. That's right, if Michigan wins out, they will get at least a share of the Big Ten title, and without getting into the tiebreaker specifics, they will be the Big Ten's representative in the Rose Bowl. The Wolverines control there own destiny...but so does John Navarre.

Up Next...Halloween

The Italian Theme went over very well. Thanks to all that participated. Next week, we will celebrate Halloween with a turkey fry. So, wear your best Michigan costume, and we'll see you all there.

Champaign Wishes

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On the Road Again

In our second road trip of the year, we met up again with Gar's World (we just live in it) and tailgated in style just blocks away from the stadium. Garwitches, marinated king salmon, and hamballs were on the pregame menu, and hamburgers, brats, and chicken wings came out in the postgame. In between meals, the Wolverines dominated the Illini 45-28. The domination did not come in total yardage, but in turnovers and special teams play, a previous area of weakness.

The win gave the Wolverines their 21st consecutive win in Big Ten openers, and their 3rd consecutive win over the 2001 Big Ten Champion Fighting Illini, and continued a streak of domination by the Wolverines in Champaign, having not lost there since 1983.

GO BLUE!!!

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