Lloyd Carr Through The Years
8/19/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
Michigan Football Coach Lloyd Carr
Year-by-Year Capsules
(Through 2005 Season)
1995
Record: 9-4, 5-3 Big Ten (T-Third)
Final Associated Press Ranking: 17
Lloyd Carr's first season as Michigan head coach proved to be a season to remember, beginning with Michigan's then biggest comeback in school history -- an 18-17 last-second victory over Virginia -- and ending with one of the school's biggest upsets, as Michigan defeated second-ranked Ohio State, 31-23, behind Tim Biakabutuka's 313 rushing yards. Biakabutuka proved to be the shining star of the season, setting single season records for rushing attempts (303) and rushing yards (1818), while defensive tackle Jason Horn and offensive tackle Jon Runyan both earned All-America honors. Michigan finished tied for third place in the Big Ten, earning a trip to the Alamo Bowl against Texas A&M. The Wolverines lost a hard-fought defensive battle to the Aggies, 22-20.
1996
Record: 8-4, 5-3 Big Ten (T-Fifth)
Final Associated Press Ranking: 20
Coach Carr's sophomore season proved similar to his first campaign in Maize and Blue as Michigan once again finished 5-3 in the Big Ten and earned a trip to a postseason bowl game. After running its record to 7-1, Michigan lost to Purdue, 9-3, in what would be remembered as one of Purdue's greatest upsets. Following another difficult loss to Penn State, Michigan saved its best performance of the regular season for last, defeating Ohio State, 13-9, in front of a stunned Ohio Stadium crowd. Michigan, for the second straight year, had beaten an undefeated, second-ranked Ohio State team. With the victory, Michigan earned a trip to the Outback Bowl in Tampa, where the Wolverines lost another hard-fought defensive battle, this time to Alabama, 17-14. After the season, four Wolverines were awarded All-America honors: defensive tackle William Carr, linebacker Jarrett Irons, center Rod Payne and defensive back Charles Woodson.
1997
Record: 12-0, 8-0 Big Ten (First)
Final Associated Press Ranking: 1
"Third time's a charm" never rang more true than in Lloyd Carr's third season as Michigan's head coach. Entering the year with gaping holes to fill on both the offensive and defensive lines, skeptics were critical of Michigan's chances to escape its string of four-loss seasons. The critics were quieted, week by week, as Michigan put together its most impressive regular season since going 11-0 in 1971. Beginning with a 28-3 victory over seventh-ranked Colorado, and ending with a nailbiting defeat of fourth-ranked Ohio State, 20-14, Michigan followed the lead of its top-ranked defense all the way to the Rose Bowl. The perfect regular season included big road victories over No. 14 Michigan State, No. 23 Wisconsin and No. 2 Penn State, as well as close calls at home against long-time rival Notre Dame (21-14) and No. 15 Iowa (28-24). The final chapter of Michigan's storied season ended with a 21-16 victory over No. 7 Washington State in the Rose Bowl and subsequent selection as the national champions by the Associated Press.
1998
Record: 10-3, 7-1 Big Ten (T-First)
Final Associated Press Ranking: 12
Coach Carr captured his second Big Ten title as Michigan ended the season with a Citrus Bowl victory and a second consecutive 10-win season. The Wolverines proved to be a resilient team, bouncing back from an 0-2 start with eight straight victories, including November wins of 27-0 against Penn State and 27-10 over Wisconsin. Michigan's Rose Bowl hopes were dashed with a loss at Ohio State, but the Wolverines ended the season strong with a 48-17 win at Hawaii and a 45-31 victory over Arkansas in the Citrus Bowl. Senior offensive tackle and two-time team captain Jon Jansen ended his career with a school-record 50-consecutive starts, earning first-team All-America and Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year honors.
1999
Record: 10-2, 6-2 Big Ten (T-Second)
Final Associated Press Ranking: 5
Tri-captains Tom Brady, Steve Hutchinson and Rob Renes led the Wolverines to their third straight 10-win season and a 35-34 overtime victory against Alabama in the FedEx Orange Bowl. Michigan jumped out to a 5-0 record and to No. 3 in the polls before losing a pair of close outcomes to Michigan State (34-31) and Illinois (35-29). The Wolverines rebounded with four straight wins to close the regular season, including a 31-27 comeback against No. 6 Penn State and a 24-17 victory over Ohio State. Michigan made things exciting for Carr all year as nine of the 12 games were decided on the final possession of the game. Brady was named the team's MVP, while Renes and Hutchinson picked up All-America recognition. Renes became only the third player in school history to receive first team All-America and Academic All-America recognition in the same season. Michigan capped an exciting year by erasing a pair of 14-point deficits, beating No. 5 Alabama in the Orange Bowl on New Year's Day (35-34 in overtime).
2000
Record: 9-3, 6-2 Big Ten (T-First)
Final Associated Press Ranking: 11
The Wolverines captured a share of their third Big Ten Conference title in four season's with a 38-26 victory at Ohio State on the final weekend of the regular season. Michigan won its 800th game against Wisconsin, pitched back-to-back conference shutouts against Indiana and Michigan State, and erased a 9-0 deficit in Columbus en route to the conference crown. Left guard and two-time captain Steve Hutchinson earned consensus All-America honors and was a finalist for the Lombardi Award. Anthony Thomas, a Doak Walker Award finalist, David Terrell and Jeff Backus received All-America recognition, while Larry Foote joined the group as All-Big Ten first team selections. The Wolverines won their fourth consecutive bowl game in the 2001 Florida Citrus Bowl, beating Auburn, 31-28 (Jan. 1).
2001
Record: 8-4, 6-2 Big Ten (Second)
Final Associated Press Ranking: 20
Michigan finished the 2001 football season almost the way it finished the 2000 season. For the second consecutive year, the Wolverines went 6-2 in the Big Ten and 8-3 heading to the Citrus Bowl in Orlando. However, they could not duplicate the 2000 team's victory over Auburn as they fell to SEC power Tennessee. Michigan defeated eventual Big Ten champion Illinois, 45-20, and handed Joe Paterno the first home shutout of his 36 year coaching career, a 20-0 victory at Penn State. Senior linebacker Larry Foote highlighted the year as a first-team All-Big Ten selection and the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. Marquise Walker was named the Bo Schembechler Team MVP after setting numerous receiving records, most notably the game, season and career reception marks as well as the single-season yardage mark. Foote and Walker were named first-team All-Americans.
2002
Record: 10-3, 6-2 Big Ten (Third)
Final Associated Press Ranking: 9
Leadership from 19 senior players, including co-captains Victor Hobson and Bennie Joppru, propelled the Wolverines to their fourth 10-win campaign in Carr's eight seasons. Eight of Michigan's 12 regular-season opponents participated in bowl games, and all three U-M defeats came to New Year's Day bowl teams. The season started with a thrilling 31-29 victory against No. 11 Washington as Philip Brabbs connected on a 44-yard field goal as time expired, and the 10-win campaign ended with a 38-30 win over Florida in the Outback Bowl behind a four touchdown performance from tailback Chris Perry. Michigan had six other games decided by eight points or less, including a 27-24 victory against No. 15 Penn State in the first overtime game played in Michigan Stadium history. The conference season concluded with the annual "Big Game" that saw Michigan lead at the half and until the final five minutes against eventual national champion Ohio State before losing 14-9 as the Wolverines' bid for victory was stopped with a goal line interception as time expired. The Wolverines finished No. 9 in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today Coaches' polls. David Baas, Hobson, Marlin Jackson and Tony Pape earned All-Big Ten first team honors. Quarterback John Navarre set nine U-M season records and B.J. Askew was named the Bo Schembechler Most Valuable Player.
2003
Record: 10-3, 7-1 Big Ten (First)
Final Associated Press Ranking: 6
Lloyd Carr directed the Wolverines to the school's 41st Big Ten title, compiling a 10-3 overall record and a 7-1 Big Ten Conference mark. Trailing 28-7 entering the fourth quarter at Minnesota, Michigan rallied for the greatest comeback victory in school history with 31 points in the final stanza to defeat the Gophers 38-35. U-M won six straight conference games to end the regular season and outscored the opposition by a 221 to 75 margin from the start of the fourth quarter at Minnesota. Michigan faced seven nationally ranked teams along the way, including wins against three top 10-ranked teams in their final four regular season contests. The Wolverines capped the regular season with a 35-21 victory against No. 4 Ohio State to claim the outright conference crown, Carr's fourth in nine seasons as head coach. U-M returned to the Rose Bowl for the first time since the 1997 season, losing 28-14 to No. 1 Southern California, the eventual Associated Press national champion. Michigan posted victories against its three rivals -- Notre Dame, Michigan State and Ohio State -- for the sixth time in school history during the same season. The Wolverines were led by All-America tailback Chris Perry, a Heisman Trophy finalist, Doak Walker Award winner and Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year. Perry, quarterback John Navarre, right tackle Tony Pape, left guard David Baas and wide receiver Braylon Edwards led a Wolverine offense with their All-Big Ten first team selections.
2004
Record: 9-3, 7-1 Big Ten (T-1st)
Final Associated Press Ranking: 14
Michigan claimed the Big Ten title for the second straight season and returned to the Rose Bowl, compiling a 9-3 record and a 7-1 conference mark. The Wolverines participated in their ninth consecutive Jan. 1 Bowl, losing to Texas 38-37. The big highlight for the season was Michigan's 45-37 triple overtime win over rival Michigan State. Trailing 27-10 with 6:28 left in the fourth quarter, Michigan rallied for 17 points in four and a half minutes to tie the game and send it to overtime. Three overtimes later, Michigan's defense stood tall, breaking up a fourth down pass to preserve the win. Michigan came from behind to win five games. The Wolverines won their first seven Big Ten games, on their way to the Big Ten crown, Carr's fifth in the last eights seasons as head coach. Michigan was led by Biletnikoff winner and Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year Braylon Edwards, center David Baas, cornerback Marlin Jackson, and a pair of true freshman, Big Ten Freshman of the Year, running back Mike Hart, and quarterback Chad Henne, who became only the second quarterback in U-M history to start in all the games as a true freshman. Baas was the co-recipient of the Rimington Trophy as the nation's outstanding center.
2005
Record: 7-5, 5-3 Big Ten (T-3rd)
Final Associated Press Ranking: Not Ranked
The Wolverines battled to the end in nearly every game, with six of its eight conference tilts decided in the last few seconds of regulation or overtime. Opening the year ranked third in the nation, Michigan went 3-3 and dropped out of the top 25 for the first time since 1998. The Wolverines had their Big Ten opener streak snapped at Wisconsin but rebounded for an overtime victory at No. 11 Michigan State. After a last-second home loss to Minnesota, U-M claimed a dramatic 27-25 victory over undefeated and No. 8 Penn State on the game's final play. The Wolverines followed up with a thrilling 23-20 overtime victory at Iowa, snapping the Hawkeyes' 22-game home winning streak, that provided Lloyd Carr with his 100th victory as Michigan head coach. Michigan stretched its win streak to four late into November before heart-wrenching losses to Ohio State and Nebraska in the Alamo Bowl. Wide receiver Jason Avant, defensive tackle Gabe Watson, and offensive linemen Matt Lentz and Adam Stenavich led the Wolverines, with each garnering All-Big Ten first team accolades. Avant added second-team Academic All-America honors.
