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DETROIT FREE PRESS
970926
Friday, September 26, 1997
METRO FINAL
1D
Photo
Gary Moeller
MITCH ALBOM
Copyright (c) 1997, Detroit Free Press
WHEN U-M PLAYS ND, YOU CAN NEVER FORGET
They may be good, bad, glorious or depressing. But you have to admit, the
Michigan-Notre Dame game will always give you memories.
Gary Moeller has memories. Five memories from five autumn afternoons when it
seemed like the whole world was watching. Moeller was head coach of U-M from
1990 to 1994, which was the last time the Wolverines and Irish met.
A lot has changed since then. Neither Moeller nor Lou Holtz is in charge of
those teams anymore. Neither man left under happy circumstances. Both will be
working other jobs when the two football teams reunite Saturday.
But the memories, well, they never go away. And so I called Moeller at the
Silverdome, where he now works as a linebackers coach with the Lions, and sure
enough, we weren't talking 10 seconds before he remembered everything -- even
the crowd noise.
Here then, on the eve of the return of a wonderful rivalry, some snapshots
from the last man to lead the Wolverines against the Irish.
1990: Notre Dame 28, Michigan 24.
It was Moeller's first game as Michigan coach. He began with a fumble.
"It was a handoff to Jon Vaughn in our new, no-huddle offense, and I remember
thinking, 'Oh, my God, what am I trying to do here?' " he says. "We fumbled on
our first play? I'm telling you, I was ready to junk the no-huddle right
there. I finally decided to give it one more series."
What if you had fumbled on the next series, I ask.
"Then the no-huddle would have been junked!"
Instead, the Wolverines began racking up yards and charged to a 24-14 lead.
But the Irish came back and turned the tide on a late interception thrown by
Elvis Grbac just as the Wolverines were about to score. The fans at Notre Dame
Stadium rushed the field in celebration.
Moeller had seen first blood drawn.
1991: Michigan 24, Notre Dame 14.
Moeller returned the hurt in Year Two -- thanks to a single play that Michigan
fans have seen a million times.
Fourth quarter. Fourth down. One yard to go. Grbac takes the snap and, instead
of handing off, he throws a high arching lob to the end zone. Desmond Howard
hurls into the air, makes a diving catch, and 100,000 fans go nuts.
Now, the truth about that play.
"It was supposed to be a handoff," Moeller says. "Just an off-tackle play. But
Elvis knew that if they put too many men (up to stop the run) then he should
throw a quick hitch to Desmond instead.
"But then he saw the cornerback rolling up. That almost never happens on that
defense. So Elvis just changed the play and went over the top. I couldn't see
what was happening. At first, I expected the handoff, then, when he didn't do
that, I expected the quick hitch, then, when he didn't do that it was like,
no, no, nooooo ...great play!"
1992: Michigan 17, Notre Dame 17.
Grbac seemed prone to interceptions in his games against Notre Dame, but none
was harder to swallow than the one that sealed the fate of this clunker.
The Wolverines had blown a 10-point lead, but they had a chance to win in the
fading minutes. They reached the Notre Dame 30 and were simply trying to get
good position for a field goal. Then, disaster.
"It was supposed to be a bootleg in the flat to the tight end," Moeller says.
"Instead, Elvis threw over the middle -- and he didn't have anyone there."
The ball flew right into the arms of Notre Dame safety Jeff Burris -- and with
it went any hope of Moeller's doing one thing he had yet to do: Win at Notre
Dame Stadium.
1993: Notre Dame 27, Michigan 23.
The biggest disappointment of Moeller's tenure. The Wolverines were behind,
24-10, by halftime, and seemed lax, dispirited and disorganized on defense.
They were much higher ranked than the Irish (No. 3 vs. No. 11), but they
played as if it were the opposite.
"It was our poorest outing against Notre Dame," he says. "And it sort of set
the tone."
U-M finished 8-4 and out of the AP Top 20.
1994: Michigan 26, Notre Dame 24.
Moeller had always wanted to beat Notre Dame on the road, to make up for the
crushing defeat U-M suffered in South Bend in Moeller's first year back under
Bo Schembechler in 1980.
Here, in what would be his final season as coach, he got his wish. Michigan
came from behind in the final minute, drove downfield behind the confident arm
of Todd Collins, and kicked a 42-yard field goal by Remy Hamilton to win the
thing by two points.
"Just before the field goal, Notre Dame called time-out to try and ice our
kicker," Moeller says. "You're not supposed to do that in college, but, heck,
I would have done the same thing myself.
"I remember watching it go through, and that stadium got so quiet. And it felt
so good, because back in 1980, when they beat us in the final minute, I never
heard a stadium that loud. Never! And now here it was so quiet . . .
"Man, it felt good."
You can hear Moeller smiling as he says that. Smiling, even though that was
the last time he would get that feeling -- smiling -- even though it has to be
bittersweet.
When people ask you how fierce this rivalry is, that's your answer right
there. Just the memory of winning can make the corners of your lips turn
upward.
Mitch Albom will sign copies of his new book, "Tuesdays With Morrie," from 7-8
tonight at B. Dalton's in Westland Mall. To leave a message for Albom, call
1-313-223-4581.
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