![]() Obviously I didn’t win it, they thought somebody was better so I had to do more. So I felt like I hadn’t been doing enough. But a tone was set early in the off-season by strength and conditioning coach Mike Gittleson.Ĭharles Woodson, cornerback: “I was slighted by not winning the Thorpe (for top defensive back) the year before. At Michigan, captains aren’t named until August camp. Their offensive coordinator, Fred Jackson, reverted back to running backs coach and offensive line coach Mike DeBord took on the coordinator duties. Their defensive coordinator from 1996, Greg Mattison, left to take the same job at Notre Dame and linebackers coach Jim Herrmann was promoted to the job. The Wolverines approached that off-season like they knew it was possible, there was something else waiting. It’s like our whole attitude changed.” New attitude in off-season So I decided to stay and piggybacking what Lloyd said in the locker room. Because honestly, after that game, I was on my way to transfer and I had some decisions to make. That kind of starts the ’97 season for me. So I want every man that’s coming back next year to come up front.’ There in Tampa. It’s unacceptable, we’re going to turn this thing around. And after that game, Lloyd Carr brought us all together in the locker room. ![]() They just had so much power, so much speed. And a national championship after a win over Washington State in the Rose Bowl.Ĭhris Floyd, starting fullback: “Alabama was a team unlike any other team we ever played. Charles Woodson being the first primarily defensive player to win the Heisman Trophy. The season that began with so much uncertainty became one that team and Michigan fans everywhere will remember for a lifetime. Ohio State 2006: An oral historyīut internally, the Wolverines from Carr down the student equipment managers, felt something different. There were new offensive and defensive coordinators and the quarterback situation was far from defined.Ģ5 signs you're a die-hard Michigan football fan The head coach, Lloyd Carr, received the job by default, after the previous coach, Gary Moeller, was forced to resign two years earlier after a bout of public drunkenness. The program entered the year with four consecutive four-loss seasons and hadn’t directly played for a national title, let alone won one, in 48 years. Unlike potential additions of the Jayhawks (Kansas) and Cyclones (Iowa State), WVU could provide football fans with a nice short road trip opportunity as the Mountaineers would likely be placed in the Big Ten East conference.It took awhile for anyone on the outside to believe that the 1997 Michigan football team was any different than its predecessors. Still, both teams have a strong fan base and would definitely travel to one another’s stadiums. The Nittany Lions had an amazing 25 game win streak spanning from 1959 to 1983, and despite the close proximity, PSU holding a 48-9-2 record has made this a bit of a one sided rivalry. West Virginia and Penn State Football met every year from 19. While never claiming a National Championship, West Virignia cleaned up the Big East (winning seven conference championships) before moving to the more difficult Big 12. The “Take Me Home Country Road” Mountaineers have a long, successful history on the gridiron. Here’s a look at how West Virginia’s hypothetical jump to the Big Ten would impact Penn State Football, basketball, more Football The Mountaineers are certainly no strangers to the Nittany Lions as they were frequent football opponents during the Joe Paterno (pre-Big 10 Conference era). One rumor is that West Virginia (along with the Kansas Jayhawks and potentially Iowa State would join the Big Ten, which geographically makes sense. With rumors of Texas and Oklahoma joining the SEC, speculation is swirling that the Big Ten Conference could pick from the Big 12 carcass, and one name could change the landscape of the Big Ten Conference basketball for Penn State Basketball and the rest of the conference. West Virginia could be on the verge of joining the Big Ten, which would have major implications for Penn State Football, and the Nittany LionsĬonference realignment rumors are running wild, and there’s a chance Iowa State could join Penn State in the Big Ten as part of the fallout
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