The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/526035
THE WOLVERINE 2015 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 45 line with a hurt shin, and he's all taped up — and I told him we could stick one of the other backs in there. He just grabbed his helmet and went back on the field," said Jackson. "The moment was his." Biakabutuka went for two yards, then 38, then six, then one, then two, and lost a yard on his sixth straight carry, but Williams scored on an eight-yard pitch for a 24-15 lead with 13:04 remaining in the game. Biakabutuka would earn five more car- ries in the game, his backfield mates tot- ing the ball 10 times and Hayes once on a reverse, while Griese attempted just two more passes. On his 30th carry, Biakabutuka landed on 301 yards, becoming only the second Wol- verine to reach the 300-yard mark (Johnson, 347 yards against Wisconsin in 1968). With his final five carries, he added 12 more yards — and a touchdown — to achieve a single-day tally of 313 and a 12- game total of 1,724, sliding past Morris. Mutiny averted and a 31-23 upset victory in hand, the Maize and Blue could relish Biakabutuka's perfor- mance. "I knew he was having a game unlike anything I had ever seen, but I didn't know the exact numbers until after," said Carr. "It was my first Mich- igan-Ohio State game as a head coach, it was at home, and we were big un- derdogs. For me, it is one of the great memories I have. "We were more than one man — you have to give credit to the offensive line and the defense — but Tshimanga was amaz- ing." Michigan finished the regular season 9-3, with a 5-3 record in Big Ten play. The Wolverines didn't realize their goal of winning the conference championship, but for one day they were, arguably, the best team in the country with the best player — one whose humility defied his accomplish- ment. "I never thought about the record, not go- ing into that game because I was just trying to win the game, whatever it took," Biaka- butuka said. "We thought we were a better team than our record that season. We should have beat Northwestern [a 19-13 loss] and Michigan State [28-25], and this was our chance to put all those games behind us and show who we were. "Ed Davis kept coming up and telling me I was going to break the record, but I wasn't thinking about how many yards I had, only about the next carry and picking up as many yards as a I could to help us reach the end zone again. "All I wanted was to beat Ohio State. The 313 yards and the single-season record were fun, but we sent them back to Columbus with a loss and that was all that mattered to me." The Afterword Michigan suffered another close defeat in the Alamo Bowl, losing 22-20 to Texas A&M in a game in which Biakabutuka had 94 yards, averaging just 3.9 per carry. Griese completed 39.1 percent of his 23 throws for 182 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. U-M finished the year with a whimper, and at the time, Biakabutuka's final total of 1,818 yards did not receive much fanfare — the record was set in the OSU win. Besides, many believed the junior tailback would be back for his senior year. Carr knew Biakabutuka was motivated to leave for the NFL because of a selfless desire to provide for his family — three sisters and an extended family of uncles and aunts remained in Zaire —- but he hoped he could convince his star to stay one more season. "He was a wonderful kid in every respect, and when he came to talk about leaving, I told him 'Tshimanga, you've had such a great junior year here, if you come back you'll have a great chance to win the Heis- man Trophy.' When you win the Heisman Trophy there is a lifelong benefit to belong- ing to that small fraternity," Carr shared. "But he did right by his family. "I was not upset with Tshimanga. I was disappointed for him and for Michigan be- cause I knew what he could have been as a senior, but we were blessed to have him as long as we did. You talk about a great football player and a great person —that was Tshimanga Biakabutuka." The eighth overall selection in the 1996 NFL Draft, going to the Carolina Panthers, Biakabutuka spent six injury-plagued sea- sons in the NFL, never playing in more than 12 games in a year. He rushed for 718 yards and 627 yards in 1999 and 2000, starting 11 contests each season, and finished his career with 2,530 yards and 14 touchdowns, also catching 77 balls for 789 yards. Biakabutuka has no regrets, knowing he did provide for his relatives and he would not be where he is today if he did not make the decision to leave school. However, he wishes his history could have been different —- he wishes there were no demands on him to earn the NFL contract before he finished at U-M. "I really wish I could have come back for my senior year, but I had to leave to help out," Biakabutuka said. "College is the best time of your life, and I was having so much fun my junior year. I can only imagine what I might have been able to rush for if I was healthy every game my senior season. I think I could have had 2,000 yards, won the Heisman, and won the Big Ten title that I always wanted to win. "Looking back, with the tradition at Michigan at the running back position, to be the guy with the most yards in one season, I realize I achieved something special." ❑ Including the bowl game, Biakabutu- ka fi nished the 1995 season with 303 carries for 1,818 yards. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS THE WOLVERINE 2015 FOOTBALL PREVIEW With his final five carries, he added 12 more yards — and a touchdown — to achieve a single-day tally of 313 and a 12- game total of 1,724, sliding past Morris. Mutiny averted and a 31-23 upset victory in hand, the Maize and Blue could relish Biakabutuka's perfor- "I knew he was having a game unlike anything I had ever seen, but I didn't know the exact numbers until after," "It was my first Mich- igan-Ohio State game as a head coach, it was at home, and we were big un- derdogs. For me, it is one of the "We were more than one man — you have to give credit to the offensive line and the defense — but Tshimanga was amaz- Michigan finished the regular season 9-3, with a 5-3 record in Big Ten play. The Wolverines didn't realize their goal of winning the conference championship, but for one day they were, arguably, the best team in the country with the best player — one whose humility defied his accomplish- "I never thought about the record, not go- ing into that game because I was just trying to win the game, whatever it took," Biaka- "We thought we were a better team than our record that season. We should have beat Northwestern [a 19-13 loss] and Michigan State [28-25], and this was our chance to put all those games behind us and show who "Ed Davis kept coming up and telling me I was going to break the record, but I wasn't thinking about how many yards I had, only "But he did right by his family. "I was not upset with Tshimanga. I was disappointed for him and for Michigan be- cause I knew what he could have been as a senior, but we were blessed to have him as long as we did. You talk about a great football player and a great person —that was Tshimanga Biakabutuka." The eighth overall selection in the 1996 NFL Draft, going to the Carolina Panthers, Biakabutuka spent six injury-plagued sea- sons in the NFL, never playing in more than 12 games in a year. He rushed for 718 yards and 627 yards in 1999 and 2000, starting 11 contests each season, and finished his career with 2,530 yards and 14 touchdowns, also catching 77 balls for 789 yards. Biakabutuka has no regrets, knowing he did provide for his relatives and he would not be where he is today if he did not make the decision to leave school. However, he wishes his history could have been different —- he wishes there were no demands on him to earn the NFL contract before he finished at U-M. "I really wish I could have come back for my senior year, but I had to leave to help out," Biakabutuka said. "College is the best time of your life, and I was having so much fun my junior year. I can only imagine what I might have been able to rush for if I was healthy every game my senior season. I think I could have had 2,000 yards, won the Heisman, and won the Big Ten title that I always wanted to win. "Looking back, with the tradition at Michigan at the running back position, to be the guy with the most yards in one season, I realize I achieved something carries for 1,818 yards. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS MAGIC