Remembering bloodbath victories over Illinois: 1981 and 1986

I was a kid at the game in 81. Remember it very well as my favorite player was Anthony Carter and he was unstoppable that day. 

I was at the 1981 game.  It looked like a lost cause until we came back.  Bo wanted to run the score up on them.  He didn't like how they treated Gary Moeller and he know Mike White was cheating.

1981 was a strange season.

Beat 'em 45-14 in 1980. Gary Moeller was at Illinois from 1977-1979. He was fired, Bo took Moeller back, and they put a licking on new coach Mike White. Bo didn't feel that Illinois gave Moeller much of a chance and really enjoyed pummeling them. 

For you youngins’, your present day coach was a fabulous college quarterback.  Don’t bother looking at the stats, the game is very different now, with much less sophistication in the passing game back then.  It would be like comparing driving distances between Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods.  Harbaugh was a fantastic college qb- I’d probably rate him ahead of JJ, but of course that is open to debate.

I was at that second one. Good times. Great season (apart from a couple of games)

We should remember Michigan 67 Illinois 65 in 3OT in 2010 while we are at it.

My notable Illinois memory is a bit of a different experience.. HS age, going to the 1993 Illinois game with my older brother. He wanted to leave early because he had tickets to Depeche Mode at the Palace later that evening. 30 years hindsight, I'm not sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing that I heard Johnny Johnson's comeback win for Illinois from the parking lot.

Probably better to have not seen it, than to have watched it. I'm guessing Seth's dad got out early to beat the traffic that afternoon as well. 

And if I didn't see it then it never happened.

The first time I saw Michigan in person was in 2006 against Illinois in Champaign. Mike Hart did NOT play but the good guys took care of business nonetheless. First time I saw Illinois claim Michigan as a rival lol. 

Steve Smith threw so hard that we used to say he could wedge it into the receivers helmet hear hole on a crossing pattern.

I strangely expect to get a hell of a game from them, and some of the stats suggest they're better than their record.

Here's hoping, if so, it goes much like that 1981 game and we lock in.

I was a young’en — attended the 1992 Illinois game.  A bunch of similarities to 2022 actually —- Noon game, week before Ohio State, airing on ABC, Michigan ranked number 3, it was unseasonably cold (also snowed a little bit, I know it will be unseasonably cold Saturday but not sure on snow).

Michigan entered that game undefeated as well.  And exited that game undefeated.  Both those sentences above are technically true.  

Thank you OP.  I was at the 1981 game and remember the first quarter fear of almost going down 28-7 before the tsunami hit.  Bo showed no mercy that day.

Here are the 1981 game highlights courtesy of the OP.  At the 5:40 mark is the greatest quarterback draw I have ever seen.  

And here are the 1986 game highlights.  JJ could learn from the deep balls JH threw that day.

I remember sitting in the south end zone in 1986 (I was a freshman) and the entire student section cheering "Seventy-SIX! Seventy-SIX!" That was such a fun game to see. Mike White was a cheater and Bo loved the idea of running up the score.

I attended the 70 - 21 Michigan win in 1981. Everyone was depressed when the Illini were up 21-7 marching down the field for potentially another TD for a 28-7 lead. That INT really got the crowd back into it! Wow, what a 2nd half, an offensive explosion. I hope our offense can explode again against IL and OSU.

Thank you, I enjoyed reading this. Because it was entertaining, but also due in no small part to the fact that I will soon be 41 and have watched Michigan football and basketball religiously starting the 1988-89 season, when I was in first grade (I know, Rose Bowl win and hoops Natty, lucky little shit, right?), and as time goes by it feels increasingly unusual that things that predate my fandom are discussed on here lol.

I was at the ‘86 game. We left early because of course we did. I still question my dad to this dad about that decision.

Bo never ran up scores but did so for Mo because of the way Illinois treated him , in Bo’s eyes anyway!! 

1989 Illinois at UM (football)

We lived out of state but had come to Michigan for the game. 15 year old me wakes up that morning at my aunts house feeling sick, but no way I was missing the game. My dad and I head out to pick up my half brother. At his apartment, he sees I’m sick and says try this cold medicine. I had never taken anything for a cold. Whatever it was knocked me out cold. Slept through the entire victory. Going to a game was really special and I was so disappointed to have missed the game. 

I want to add the 1988 game too. The game itself was meh, but it was in mid November and Illinois came into the contest only one game back of Michigan, so there was some tension in the week leading up to the game.

The night before I was walking back to my room on the east side of campus, and it must have been about 3am. There was a guy yelling at one of the fraternity houses, must have been a brother from the Illinois chapter. I remember him yelling "Michigan sucks. And even if we lose tomorrow, we're better people," which seemed like an odd assertion at 3am. But then we switched over to "I shit maize and blue." This apparently was a more compelling point in his mind, because he said it a few times over.

It was 3am, and I had enough sense to not yell back. But at that moment I had a response in mind and for 34 years I have regretted not retorting that he should see a doctor about his blue shit, because that must be a sign of significant digestion system problems.

Anyway, apparently Illinois fans really don't like Michigan. I'm guessing the Final Four matchup 5 months later didn't help matters.

My favorite was when Michigan dropped 67 on them in three overtimes.

Those were the good ole days.

On the other hand, of all our wins over the Illini, the 2010 win when we allowed 65 points is the one I would most like to forget (and yes, I'm aware of the irony).

Bo hated the Illini coach.