The 2017 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the sport of college football during the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Wolverines played in the East Division of the Big Ten Conference and played their home games at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Michigan was coached by Jim Harbaugh, who was in his third season.
Coming off back-to-back 10-win seasons in Harbaugh's first two years as coach, the Wolverines began the year ranked 11th in the preseason AP Poll. In the first game of the season, Michigan defeated then-No. 17 Florida in the Advocare Classic in Arlington, Texas. Michigan won its remaining non-conference games as well as its conference opener against Purdue, rising to No. 7 in the polls before suffering its first loss in a home game against in-state rival Michigan State. Michigan lost three more games in conference play, all to teams ranked in the top ten at the time of play: first to then-No. 2 Penn State, then to No. 5 Wisconsin, and finally to arch-rival No. 8 Ohio State to end the regular season. Michigan ended Big Ten Conference play with a 5–4 record to finish in fourth in the Eastern Division. The Wolverines were invited to the 2018 Outback Bowl, played on New Year's Day, where they lost to South Carolina to finish the year at 8–5.
Michigan struggled to find consistent play at quarterback throughout the year; with Wilton Speight suffering a season ending injury in the team's week 4 contest at Purdue, John O'Korn, and Brandon Peters each received significant playing time in his stead. The team recorded only nine passing touchdowns on the year. Karan Higdon led the team on the ground with 994 rushing yards, and Grant Perry led the team in receiving with 307 yards. The defense, despite losing 10 starters from 2016, was considered one of the best in the country. Lineman Maurice Hurst Jr. was named a consensus first-team All-American. Linebacker Devin Bush Jr. and linemen Rashan Gary and Chase Winovich also received first-team all-conference honors.
Preseason Spring game Michigan played a public spring exhibition game in Michigan Stadium on Saturday, April 15, 2017. The announced attendance was 57,418. The Maize team's Kyle Seychel kicked a 31-yard field goal as time expired for the 31–29 win.
Italy trip The Michigan football team traveled to Italy for a week in late April for training, sight-seeing, and brand exposure. The team held three public practices and hosted other publicity events. Coach Jim Harbaugh was offered the opportunity to meet Pope Francis, during which he gifted the Pope an authentic Michigan helmet and a pair of Michigan-themed Jordan Brand shoes.
Recruiting Recruits Michigan's recruiting class consisted of 30 recruits, including 11 that enrolled early. Michigan's recruiting class was ranked No. 3 by Scout, No. 4 by Rivals, No. 6 by ESPN, and No. 5 by 247Sports.com's composite rankings. The class was considered one of Michigan's strongest recruiting classes from the modern era, and was highlighted by composite 5-star prospects WR Donovan Peoples-Jones and DL Aubrey Solomon.
Rankings
Schedule
Game summaries vs. Florida
Sources:
To open the season, Michigan faced the Florida Gators in a neutral site game in Arlington, Texas in the Advocare Classic. This was the first meeting between the teams since the 2016 Citrus Bowl. It was the fourth meeting between Michigan and Florida, and the first ever regular season meeting between the teams.
Michigan defeated Florida, 33–17. Florida opened the scoring in the first quarter via a 46-yard field goal from Eddy Piñeiro. Michigan responded with a 25-yard field goal from Quinn Nordin to tie the game, and a 46-yard touchdown pass from Wilton Speight to Tarik Black, for its first lead of the game. Florida added 14 points in the second quarter via back-to-back interception returns, a 48-yard interception return from Duke Dawson, and a 41-yard interception return from C. J. Henderson. Wilton Speight was briefly benched in the second quarter, replaced by John O'Korn. He re-entered the game to start the second half. Michigan reduced Florida's lead to four points via a 55-yard field goal from Nordin, which made the score 17–13 in favor of Florida at half-time. Michigan then scored 20 unanswered points in the second half, via a three-yard touchdown run from Karan Higdon and 30-yard field goal from Nordin in the third quarter. Michigan extended its lead in the fourth quarter via a 50-yard field goal from Nordin and a fumble recovery in the end-zone by Noah Furbush.
Michigan wore all-maize alternate jerseys for the first time since 1928. With the win, Michigan ended Florida's 27-year season-opener winning streak, which was the longest active streak in the nation. Kicker Quinn Nordin became the first kicker in Michigan history with two successful conversions of field goals of 50 yards or longer in the same game. Just one game into his career, Nordin is tied for third in program history for most attempts made at 50 yards or more.
vs. Cincinnati
Sources:
Following its opening game against Florida, Michigan hosted the Cincinnati Bearcats. This was the first ever meeting between the two teams.
Michigan defeated Cincinnati 36–14. Michigan opened the scoring in the first quarter via a 43-yard touchdown pass from Speight to Kekoa Crawford. Michigan extended its lead via a 28-yard interception return from Tyree Kinnel. Cincinnati reduced Michigan's lead to seven points via a one-yard touchdown run from Mike Boone. Michigan added a 28-yard field goal from Nordin in the second quarter, which made the score 17–7 in favor of Michigan at half-time. Cincinnati opened the scoring in the third quarter via a 10-yard touchdown pass from Hayden Moore to Kahlil Lewis. Michigan responded with a 33-yard touchdown pass from Speight to Grant Perry later in the third quarter, and extended its lead in the fourth quarter via a 24-yard field goal from Nordin, a safety when Cincinnati fumbled a punt, and a 24-yard interception return from Lavert Hill.
Michigan's honorary captain for the game was ESPN NFL Insider and 1989 alumni Adam Schefter. Wilton Speight surpassed the 3,000-yard passing mark for his career, becoming the 13th quarterback in Michigan history to reach the milestone.
vs. Air Force
Sources:
After playing Cincinnati, Michigan hosted the Air Force Falcons. This was the first meeting between the schools since 2012.
Michigan defeated Air Force 29–13. The teams exchanged field goals in the first and second quarter, before a 49-yard field goal from Nordin at the end of the second quarter, which made the score 9–6 in favor of Michigan at half-time. Michigan opened the scoring in the third quarter via a 79-yard punt return from Donovan Peoples-Jones. Air Force responded with a 64-yard touchdown pass from Arion Worthman to Ronald Cleveland. Michigan extended its lead via a 29-yard field goal from Nordin later in the third quarter. Michigan added 10 points in the fourth quarter via a 36-yard field from Nordin and a 36-yard touchdown run from Karan Higdon.
Michigan's honorary captain for the game was Michigan's director of player personnel Sean Magee. Kicker Quinn Nordin went 5-for-5 on field goal attempts to tie Michigan's single game record. Donovan Peoples-Jones' 79-yard punt return for a touchdown was the longest since Derrick Alexander returned one 79-yards against North Carolina State in 1993.
at Purdue
Sources:
Following its game against Air Force, Michigan began its conference schedule when it traveled to West Lafayette, Indiana to face the Purdue Boilermakers.
Michigan defeated Purdue 28–10. After neither team scored in the first quarter, Michigan opened the scoring in the second quarter via a 12-yard touchdown pass from John O'Korn to Zach Gentry. Purdue responded with a 10-yard touchdown pass from Elijah Sindelar to Brycen Hopkins. Purdue then took its first lead of the game via a 29-yard field goal from J. D. Dellinger, which made the score 10–7 in favor of Purdue at half-time. Michigan then scored 21 unanswered points in the second half, via a 10-yard touchdown run from Chris Evans, a one-yard touchdown run from Ty Isaac, and a 49-yard touchdown run from Evans.
Michigan's defense held Purdue to 0-for-12 on third-down conversions, as Purdue did not convert a first down in the second half. Purdue was held to only 10 total yards in the second half.
vs. Michigan State
Sources:
After a bye week, the Wolverines hosted their in-state rival, the Michigan State Spartans, in the battle for the Paul Bunyan Trophy.
Michigan State upset Michigan 14–10. Michigan opened the scoring in the first quarter via a 30-yard field goal from Quinn Nordin. Michigan State responded with a 14-yard touchdown run from Brian Lewerke. Michigan State extended its lead in the second quarter via a 16-yard touchdown pass from Lewerke to Madre London, which made the score 14–3 in favor of Michigan State at half-time. Michigan reduced the Spartans lead to four points in the third quarter via a one-yard touchdown run from Khalid Hill. Shortly after this score, heavy rains ground the game to a halt, and both teams combined for 11 first downs in the half. Michigan's attempted comeback failed when O'Korn's Hail Mary pass was incomplete to end the game.
Michigan's honorary captains for the game were Sue Burton, the widow of former assistant coach Tirrel Burton; Jerry Hanlon, former assistant coach under Bo Schembechler; Gordon Bell, former Michigan tailback; and Ed Muransky, former All-American tackle for Michigan. The loss snapped Michigan's 10-game home winning streak at Michigan Stadium. Michigan's five turnovers were the most since recording six in 2012. Michigan's 10 points were the program's fewest since 2014. Michigan's defense held Michigan State to 2-for-14 on third-down conversions, and only 66 total yards in the second half. The game marked the first prime time game in the history of the rivalry, and the fourth night game at Michigan Stadium in the university's history.
While not the first time the song was played in Michigan Stadium, the game is also acknowledged as the moment when the University of Michigan's playing "Mr. Brightside" by The Killers between the third and fourth quarters "blew up" and became a still-existing tradition.
at Indiana
Sources:
Michigan returned to the road to face the Indiana Hoosiers in Bloomington, Indiana in its sixth game of the season.
Michigan defeated Indiana 27–20 in overtime. Michigan opened the scoring in the first quarter via a 40-yard field goal from Quinn Nordin. Michigan added ten points in the second quarter via a 38-yard field goal from Nordin and a 12-yard touchdown run from Karan Higdon. Indiana reduced Michigan's lead to ten points via a 32-yard field goal from Griffin Oakes, which made the score 13–3 in favor of Michigan at half-time. Indiana opened the scoring in the second half via an eight-yard touchdown run from Morgan Ellison. Michigan extended its lead in the fourth quarter via a 59-yard touchdown run from Higdon. Indiana responded with ten points in the fourth quarter via an eight-yard touchdown pass from Peyton Ramsey to Whop Philyor, and a field goal from Oakes as time expired to tie the game and force overtime. In overtime, Michigan scored via a 25-yard touchdown run from Higdon to win the game.
The win marked Michigan's 500th in Big Ten conference play, becoming the first Big Ten team to reach the milestone.
at Penn State
Sources:
Following its clash with Indiana, Michigan traveled to University Park, Pennsylvania to face the Penn State Nittany Lions. A group of Penn State students caused controversy when it displayed a sign saying Michigan's quarterbacks are worse than the Flint water crisis. Penn State's administration has since denounced the students' actions.