Historic Beatdowns -- Conference Games Edition
There have been a few "biggest win since" and "worst loss since" pieces of info floating around, but to get some more specific answers I started doing my own research.
We know that this is Michigan's most points scored and largest margin of victory since an 85-0 win vs. Chicago in 1939. And that Chicago dropped football after that season. (Disturbingly, Michigan lost two weeks later to ... a mediocre Illinois team.)
For their part, Rutgers had their worst loss since an 82-0 loss to Princeton in '88. As in, 1888. They did allow 80 to West Virginia in 2001 (RichRod's first year -- eventual 3-8 WaVoo) in a game where they turned the ball over 8 times. However, the final score was 80-7, so the margin was *only* 73; *still* less than yesterday's game.
It's the most points scored by (and given up by) a Big Ten team since 2010 -- not too far back -- when Wisconsin beat Indiana 83-20. Chris Ash was involved in that game as well, as an assistant for Wisconsin under Bret Bielema (who took it on the chins in his own game Saturday).
Before that, it appears you need to go back to 1950 when Ohio St beat Iowa 83-21 to see 78+ points scored in a Big Ten game. (Minnesota lost 84-13 to Nebraska in 1984 in a non-conference game.) There have been other big big scores outside the Big Ten, including Fresno St. 94, New Mexico 17 (in 1991) and Houston 95, SMU 21 (in 1989).
Yet...
Margin of victory is another story -- particularly in a conference game. I haven't been able to find a Big Ten game with a 78+ point differential since the 1939 UM-Chicago game. In fact, I haven't found many games at all since then that involved two FBS/I-A teams with as large a margin of victory/defeat. Here is what I have:
1991: Penn St. 81, Cincinnati 0
1968: Houston 100, Tulsa 6
1948: UTEP 92, New Mexico St. 7
1944: Second Air Force 89, New Mexico 6
That's it. Of those, only the 1948 game was a conference matchup, in the "Border" Conference (a forerunner of the WAC). (Also must be noted: not-yet-Dr. Phil McGraw was a starting linebacker on the Tulsa defense that gave up 100 points. Perhaps the whole Rutgers team can be guests on his show and talk it through -- he truly feels their pain.)
So in addition to having the worst loss by an FBS team in 25 years, Rutgers has the worst loss by an at-the-time "Power 5" team since that 1939 game. Meaning, of non-defunct Power 5 teams -- those that decided to keep playing football -- we need to go back further to find a worse loss.
(This is where the 2-point conversion is notable, as there are a couple of 77-point conference wins, like 77-0 by Oklahoma over Texas A&M in 2003 and over Missouri in 1986.)
(BTW that A&M team beat Baylor 73-10 the same year -- a 140-point in-conference transitive-differential. I'm guessing that's a record, but I'm still hoping Rutgers can top it by winning 63-0 in East Lansing.)
Before 1925 or so, 100+ point games were very much the style at the time. However, even most of these involved mysterious teams being victimized: Kingfisher, Regis, Phoenix Indians, Intermountain, Friends, Anaconda Anodes, Locust Grove, Lieutenants, Pennsylvania Railroad YMCA, and American Osteopath. (Actually, I take that back -- American Osteopath wasn't bad.)
The most recent game I've found involving two current "Power 5" teams who were also major schools at the time that surpasses the 78-point margin was in 1918: Oklahoma 103, Arkansas 0. This was a (SWC) Conference matchup. I've only found one "conference" game that beats that: Michigan 107, Iowa 0, in 1902. Both were members of the Western Conference, an embryonic version of the Big Ten.
It appears, then, that Michigan may have 3 of the 4 largest margins of victory in games between two teams in the same major conference.
(To be thorough, there was a Rocky Mountain Conference game in 1923 where Utah beat Wyoming 79-0. Sounds pretty mid-major to me, though.)
If anyone knows of something I missed, I'd love to know it. Or if any websites have plumbed the records more thoroughly.
...
It was hard to believe that just two years ago I was in New Jersey on a cold night, looking live at two mediocre teams, ending with a Hoke-led Michigan losing to (almost) the very same Rutgers. On the same day Harbaugh evened Michigan's all-time record in Piscataway, Hoke's Oregon defense was allowing 70 -- his clapping-based defense proving ineffective -- which, likewise, sent me to the record books.
It was Oregon's worst margin of defeat since losing 63-0 to Nebraska in 1985. It was their worst loss at home since 54-0 in 1977, also to Washington.
And it's only the second time in school history they've allowed 70 -- they lost to Texas, 71-7, in 1941. (Perhaps Chris Petersen should have faked the last PAT and gone for two.) But even that game was in Austin, not Autzen. So yeah -- most points ever allowed in Eugene. (Clap, clap.)
October 9th, 2016 at 11:10 PM ^
It hearkened back to Bo rolling over lesser teams in the 70s and 80s but this even eclipsed those routs
October 9th, 2016 at 11:14 PM ^
October 9th, 2016 at 11:19 PM ^
That was just a joke, really. I don't think Illinois is worse than Rutgers though.
Because I don't think any Big Ten team I've ever seen is worse than Rutgers. Not the recent Purdue teams, not Ferentz's first Iowa team, or any others I can remember. Outside of maybe Delaware State, I've never seen a team put up such little resistance.
October 9th, 2016 at 11:32 PM ^
October 9th, 2016 at 11:50 PM ^
They kicked two FGs, meaning they were in the red zone twice.
That was against a GERG defense, however.
October 9th, 2016 at 11:51 PM ^
eating a pizza???
October 10th, 2016 at 12:00 AM ^
That's my pet cat Charlie Weis
October 10th, 2016 at 12:15 AM ^
as moments later this cat
..showed up and stole the rest of the pizza from Weis.
October 10th, 2016 at 12:46 AM ^
SadpizzaUrbanMeyer
October 10th, 2016 at 7:26 AM ^
October 10th, 2016 at 9:50 AM ^
I wouldn't pick Rutgers over Purdue on a neutral site. But that's not to say they can't win -- college football has high variability. The worst Power 5 team I can remember was 2008 Washington State. Even they won a game (over nearly-as-bad Washington). The other candidate is last year's Kansas team, who somehow almost beat TCU.
Rutgers may prove respectable in the rest of their games (they've had to play three Top 5 teams after all), but Saturday's performance was so jarringly bad I'm struggling to remember a Big Ten team (maybe Northwestern in the late '80s) that provided so little resistance.
I saw a little of the Iowa-Rutgers game, but it still boggles the mind how Iowa was losing in the 4th quarter to that team.
October 10th, 2016 at 12:39 AM ^
and his Illini, as I'd guess he respects Smith a little more than Ash.
It won't even be 70, as it was in 1981, when Bo took it out on the evil Mike White. If I remember correctly, Bo was already pissed at Illinois for firing Gary Moeller, but really laid the wood as he learned of how White "skirted" the rules, running a renegade program. As I recall, we trailed early iin that game before scoring 63 unanswered points.
Bad as the Illini are this year, Harbaugh will be able to empty a much bigger bench. Its a home game and he'll have ~100 players dressed as opposed to a much smaller travel squad yesterday.
My early guess? Michigan 52, Illinois 6.
October 10th, 2016 at 12:51 AM ^
This game is my first memory of being at UM Stadium, but I'm sure my dad took me to others prior. Guess it was the 70-21 beatdown that makes it standout for me.
I do remember being down in the game, thought it was 21-0, but your info implies it was 21-7. Either way, it was a good beating.
October 10th, 2016 at 3:39 PM ^
Yeah, it was 21-7 and Illinois was driving for another TD before an INT near the end zone began the 63-0 run. I remember Steve Smith running for about a 45-yard TD on a QB draw right before halftime. Also remember Bo throwing a bomb in the 4th quarter (for a TD, I think) with the scrubs in the game.
October 10th, 2016 at 12:59 AM ^
more this Saturday, when Lovie goes to Piscataway. (Sounds like a children's book.)
Football Outsiders ranks Illinois as 3rd-worst in the Big Ten in S&P+, ahead of only Purdue and Rutgers. Even though Purdue won in Champaign yesterday. Rutgers deservedly fell behind Kansas as the worst Power-5 team.
Cool story about Bo -- thanks for illustrating the intangibles of early-'80s Michigan-Illinois. I wish I was old enough to remember Evil Mike White, or any Mike White other than a run-of-the-mill NFL coach.
October 10th, 2016 at 7:30 AM ^
October 9th, 2016 at 11:19 PM ^
Wisconsin beat Indiana 83-20 back in 2010.
Not as lopsided especially since we were able to pitch a shutout but a 63 point victory in conference is still quite a bit.
October 9th, 2016 at 11:27 PM ^
I mentioned that one as part of my long post. There are several others in that range: Northwestern alone lost 69-0 to Michigan in 1975, 70-6 to Ohio St in 1981, 64-0 to Iowa, also in 1981.
There are some even bigger margins in the old Big 8. I was a little surprised at how extremely rare the 78-point margin is, however. There have been a handful of 80+ point performances in-conference (Oklahoma over Colorado, 82-42, in 1980; Clemson over Wake Forest, 82-24, in 1981; the aforementioned West Virginia over Rutgers, 80-7, in 2001).
Also notable: Texas 70, Colorado 3. That was the Big 12 Championship Game in 2005. Even worse than Wisconsin losing 59-0 to Ohio State in the Big 10 Championship Game in 2014.
October 10th, 2016 at 12:47 AM ^
October 10th, 2016 at 2:53 AM ^
It does merit a mention and I did mention it -- again, very long post, I understand if TL;DR
OU did go up 77-0 in the third quarter. That 2003 team was scary good until they mysteriously fell apart at the end of the season. (They also beat Texas 65-13 -- with most of the damage done by halftime -- in a matchup of "Top Ten" teams.)
A&M wasn't great that year, but they weren't Rutgers. In fact they beat Baylor 73-10 the same year -- thus, employing transitive-differential, Oklahoma should have beaten Baylor by 140 points. (They settled for a 41-3 win.)
Oklahoma is the other school, besides Michigan, that has a handful of games where they completely vaporized a conference foe by >75 points. They also beat Missouri 77-0 in a 1986 Big 8 conference game. And Kansas St 76-0 in 1942. And, as I mentioned in the post, 103-0 over Arkansas in a Southwest Conference Game in 1918.
October 10th, 2016 at 12:57 AM ^
I was at the Penn State 81 - Cincinnati 0 game in 1991 at Happy Valley. It was a dominant victory against an overmatched opponent, but it was nowhere near as savage as the Michigan beatdown of Rutgers last night.
October 10th, 2016 at 1:20 AM ^
what happened in that game. As in, why those teams, that day? That was the first game of the year, and 1991 was the first year I watched college football (I was ten). I remember hearing the score while watching another game and thinking, I didn't know you were allowed to do that. (Probably began my fascination with blowouts.) And it stands up -- 1991 Cincinnati is the last FBS team to lose by more than Rutgers did yesterday.
Incidentally, the coach of that team has coached Harvard for the past 23 seasons, and rather successfully.
October 10th, 2016 at 1:43 AM ^
on that day.
It was a very very hot day, I know that - maybe UC quit a bit. They really weren't that terrible in 1991 (4-7). Just one of those games, from everything I've heard. Below is a link, video of PSU's last touchdown (11:19 mark). When that happens and your slow-as-dirt QB still scores a 75-yard rushing TD, well, what can you say.
(I don't like the word "retarded" in the below, but sorry, I didn't put it there)
https://youtu.be/Vl1ri6di7oU?t=11m21s
The next year, the 2 teams played again and Cincinnati led much of the 2nd half, before eventually losing at Nippert Stadium, 24-20.
October 10th, 2016 at 2:15 AM ^
shades of John Navarre running down the sideline against Minnesota.
Man, even Phil Collins scored on Cincinnati. Must have been in the air that night. From these clips, I'd guess Penn St's starting field position was the Cincy 35.
Thanks for pointing out Cincinnati gave them a game the next year. I really do hope the Rutgers players and coaches use this as a learning experience and end up improving because of it. Not that I want them to beat us next year, of course, but sticking together as a team and having some success after losing 78-0 would make it that much sweeter. I'm kind of pulling for them from here on out.
October 10th, 2016 at 2:44 AM ^
That game's version of Bobby Henderson. :-)
Good stuff for sure on the list --- blowouts fascinate me in a weird way also. Good talking - I am off to bed after this post!
One other thing I just noticed: New Mexico losing to "2nd Air Force" in 1944. The obvious joke there being that "1st Air Force" was otherwise engaged at that time. 1943 & 1944 were very unique in college football history because of all the military teams.
October 10th, 2016 at 8:26 AM ^
to score TDs all night long.
October 9th, 2016 at 11:25 PM ^
October 9th, 2016 at 11:44 PM ^
October 9th, 2016 at 11:56 PM ^
I'm excited for Harbaugh to let out some much needed aggression on MSU and OSU
October 9th, 2016 at 11:57 PM ^
talking about "Harbaugh running up the score." They obviously didn't see the game. Our RBs would get through the line untouched, then almost looked confused -- like Gallon against Indiana -- like, where is everybody? Michigan would have had to take a knee through the whole second half not to 'run it up'.
I won't comment on Washington since I didn't see much of that game after the 1st quarter. What I did see was complete domination. Washington looks like a complete football team, and Oregon looks like one of those old WAC teams with a couple good offensive skill position players and nothing else. But I remember hearing even before the game that Washington would run up the score if they got the chance, considering the bad blood in that rivalry and the many times Oregon has embarrassed them in recent years.
October 10th, 2016 at 12:12 AM ^
October 10th, 2016 at 1:50 AM ^
I'm a little too young to have seen much of the Bo era, though a few eye-popping Tony Boles runs stick in my memory.
Actually, while watching Saturday night's game, the coach I was thinking of was Yost. As in, when Michigan was regularly winning 80-0, 100-0, I'm imagining one team unable to do anything at all, and the other team doing whatever it wants.
October 10th, 2016 at 10:34 AM ^
October 10th, 2016 at 12:19 AM ^
Up 35-7 at halftime Jake Browing went on to throw 4 TD passes in the second half and played into the 4th quarter. After the drive where Oregon scored a TD to make it 56-21 Washington got the ball with under 3 minutes left in the 3rd quarter and went on an 8 play 75 yard TD drive lasting into the 4th where Browning threw 4 times including the 44 yard TD pass. To be fair all the passes were 2nd or 3rd and long. They didn't attempt a pass for the rest of the game and had their last TD drive with all runs. I don't really have a problem with a team playing away against a rival continuing to throw the ball when they're showing some fight. And I assume Browning is gunning for the heisman as well.
October 10th, 2016 at 12:51 AM ^
October 9th, 2016 at 11:46 PM ^
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
October 9th, 2016 at 11:58 PM ^
just because a team gets style points for thunderously stomping their opponent in the Playoff Era.
I think it also has something to do with playing OSU in successive weeks, I think he was sending a subtle message to OSU players and coaches...making them wonder if there was even a way they could have hung 3 TDs more without being ruthless and leaving starters in the whole game...which I doubt OSU did but do not know for certain.
October 10th, 2016 at 12:03 AM ^
OSU did pass the ball 36 times against Rutgers; Michigan, only 16. I tend to doubt Urban Meyer worries about that kind of stuff though.
October 10th, 2016 at 12:19 AM ^
a few years ago, perhaps its time for "Rutgers Quest" or something more snappy.
October 10th, 2016 at 12:26 AM ^
Was in a bar 4 years ago listening to Jack Trudeau, backup quarterback at the time to Tony Eason at Illinois, tell the story of the Illini being up 21-7 and driving against Michigan. They threw an interception, Michigan scored on next drive - and every one after that. Final score - Michigan 70, Illinois 21. That was a strange and surreal beatdown, and was awesome listening to Jack Trudeau's take on it!
October 10th, 2016 at 12:41 AM ^
11 but I remember how fearful my dad was of Illinois and Tony Eason. Can remember Trudeau because he had a sweet name to an 11 year old.
October 10th, 2016 at 12:44 AM ^
I vividly remember that game as IIRC Bo was beyond pissed that illinois canned Moeller and Bo thought they didn't give him a fair shot as HC, so he went for the beatdown
October 10th, 2016 at 1:30 AM ^
was a nice touch. Give them some hope before disembowling them.
October 10th, 2016 at 12:43 AM ^
Just a clarification . . . Chicago did not drop football in 1939 because of the beatdown we gave it.
In fact, the beatdown occurred because Chicago had already been de-emphasizing football for some time (Stagg had already left by 1932) because of the shadow they believed it cast on academics.
Chicago would have still dropped football in 1939 had the Maroons beat us 85-0.
October 10th, 2016 at 12:56 AM ^
"had the Maroons beat us 85-0."
They might have been a rival, but there's no need for name-calling.
October 10th, 2016 at 1:32 AM ^
I didn't mean to imply cause-effect with that regarding Chicago dropping football. But thanks for clarifying.
That said, it's something for Rutgers to consider.
October 10th, 2016 at 1:01 AM ^
Do you think Rutgers would have still invented college football if they knew what was going to happen tonight?
— Sean Nash (@SNashty) October 9, 2016
Score: Michigan 64, Rutgers 0
— ESPN (@espn) October 9, 2016
Yards: Michigan 489, Rutgers 16
First Downs: Michigan 19, Rutgers 0
There's still a quarter to go. pic.twitter.com/KknZPD6tmO
"We know it's going to be a very hostile environment." - @CoachJim4UM on Saturday's game at Rutgers. #GoBlue
— Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) October 3, 2016
October 10th, 2016 at 1:08 AM ^
(1) Houston had the ball at the SMU 17 at game's end ... they passed the ball twice on that final possession!
They ALSO scored 2 points on a touchdown --- on a fake PAT! --- after their TD that made the score 79-21 early in the 4th quarter.
(if anyone had an issue with the fake PAT in the U-M/Rutgers game --- imagine THAT fake PAT!)
Some definite running up the score on that one. Houston wanted 100, and almost got it.
(2) I've also read a few articles on that Fresno State/New Mexico game. Seems that 3 years prior, Fresno beat UNM by about 40 and Fresno's coach went way out of his way to tell the media about how terrible the Lobos and their coach were.
The next year, Fresno was ranked and undefeated, but somehow lost their finale to a not very good 1 win Lobo squad. UNM fans were throwing stuff at the Bulldog players and serenating the Fresno coach. The UNM coach then took HIS turn in the media berating Fresno.
So, there was some previous bad blood there. And Fresno ran it up. Final 2nd quarter TD came after throwing a long pass after calling a timeout with 0:03 left before the half. Fresno scored 56 points in that 2nd quarter!!!
Fresno got it down to the Lobo 10 on their final drive. They were still running actual plays, but were stopped on downs. Otherwise, it would have been 100.
October 10th, 2016 at 1:40 AM ^
I love these backstories.
I have a "ruiner" list that documents teams with wins over eventual 1-loss teams. (Michigan has several, including 2005 Penn St, 1998 Wisconsin, 1996 Ohio St, etc.)
That 1989 Fresno St. team was among the most baffling -- an 11-1 season, with the sole loss being a 45-22 game against 2-10 New Mexico. College football is awesome.