Michigan hopes to run the ball the way it did in 1993 Rose Bowl vs Washington

The 1993 Rose Bowl was a blueprint for how Michigan still wants to play today under Jim Harbaugh.

The Michigan Wolverines, in 2023, loved to run the ball. They hope to run the ball well in 2024 in Monday night’s title game against Washington.

If UM can run the ball with success, it would be a lot like the last Rose Bowl meeting between the two schools.

In back-to-back years in the early 1990s, Michigan and Washington faced each other in the Rose Bowl. The schools alternated wins and losses. In the 1992 Rose Bowl, Washington won. In 1993, Michigan defeated Washington 38-31 in a rematch, ruining the Huskies’ attempt at a third straight Rose Bowl victory.

This was a back-and-forth game, and Michigan took the lead with a Tony McGee touchdown pass in the fourth quarter.

Washington quarterback Mark Brunell, who went on to have a long NFL career, led the way for the Huskies. However, Michigan running back Tyrone Wheatley exploded in this game, rushing for 235 on just 15 carries (15+ yards per carry) and three touchdowns. Wheatley was named the unquestioned Rose Bowl Player of the Game.

As it turns out, this would be the final game for Washington coach Don James, who later resigned following this Rose Bowl contest.

Now, three decades later, these two programs meet in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game, the last ever Pac-12 football game before Washington moves to the Big Ten Conference.

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