Highlights of Michigan State at Iowa, 10/5/1985. Complete with the dulcet tones of Brent Musberger. You may know how this one ends.
Of special note: 1) It's easy to forget just how good Chuck Long was, what with the paucity of era highlights available; 2) the Iowa cheerleaders look exactly like you'd expect Iowa cheerleaders to look a quarter century ago, and 3) Jesus holy crap, Andre Rison and Lorenzo White. How did MSU never win more than 7 games with them? Oh right, it's Sparty.
almost 2 years ago
Adam Jacobi
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Wait...
Did I just hear a vuvuzela after White’s touchdown?
Love the...
mentions of Norm (and Phil?) Parker by the announcers. Also some priceless close-ups of McCarney and Alvarez on the Iowa sideline.
I've sentenced boys younger than you to the gas chamber. Didn't want to do it. I felt I owed it to them.
-- Judge Smails
Few things
Norm Parker doesn’t look good in green.
Chuck Long was a magician.
How did Iowa play Michigan and MSU at home in both 1984 and 1985?
That happens
When a new two-year cycle starts, sometimes you get a team at home for the second year of the previous cycle and the first year of the next (MSU hosted Iowa both of the last two years, for that matter).
1984 was also weird
In that it was second of a two-year window where each Big Ten team played 9 conference games.
I ate the blue ones ... they taste like burning.
One more thing
Was MSU’s coach George Perles? Because George could recruit and he liked to eat and he liked to cheat. Not sure about anything else.
There is fire at the travel agency.
by ReadingRambler on Jul 20, 2010 7:08 PM CDT up reply actions
Perles was the HC then
MSU gave us fits those years, though primarily with their defense rather than their offensive future stars. This was a rare high-offense game against them. To me, it’s why then-OL coach Ferentz hired Norm Parker.
A fella steps out for a two pound burrito and all hell breaks loose.
Musburger's been with ABC for so long.
There is fire at the travel agency.
by ReadingRambler on Jul 20, 2010 9:33 PM CDT up reply actions
Which makes me so very old
Because I remember him on CBS (with Jimmy the Greek!) and still think its weird that he’s on ABC (kind of like Dick Enberg being on CBS)
I ate the blue ones ... they taste like burning.
Jimmy the Greek loved your avatar.
Less memorable than Sam Okey's Hawkeye career.
by Kyle McCann't on Jul 21, 2010 4:32 AM CDT up reply actions
No one says "Hawkeyes" quite like Brent.
There is fire at the travel agency.
by ReadingRambler on Jul 21, 2010 8:14 AM CDT up reply actions
Hogkeyes?
There is fire at the travel agency.
by ReadingRambler on Jul 21, 2010 8:23 AM CDT up reply actions
Huckiiiize
"Kittens give Morbo gas."
by Bucketochicken on Jul 21, 2010 9:10 AM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
That's it.
Well done.
There is fire at the travel agency.
by ReadingRambler on Jul 21, 2010 9:17 AM CDT up reply actions
I also feel old because
the color man is Ara Parseghian.
A fella steps out for a two pound burrito and all hell breaks loose.
Love it
How on earth did Long not get in on the two-pointer in 1984? And who is that mulleted god at 6:33?
Because Long was as slow as a, uh, combine?
There is fire at the travel agency.
by ReadingRambler on Jul 20, 2010 7:09 PM CDT up reply actions
I have done some scholarly research on this topic
by Brock Sampson on Jul 20, 2010 7:28 PM CDT up reply actions 2 recs
This is the greatest comment in the history of this website.
There is fire at the travel agency.
by ReadingRambler on Jul 20, 2010 9:34 PM CDT up reply actions
I think we were robbed on that 2 pt conversion.
I remember reading somewhere that Fry had a framed photo in his office of Long being “clearly” over the plane of the goal on that play.
"In case you can't tell, I'm being sarcastic!" - Homer Simpson
by EastLosRandy on Jul 22, 2010 1:31 PM CDT up reply actions
Musburger was at the top of his game then.
Almost as good as Mister Jackson.
There is fire at the travel agency.
I remember this game
My dad is an Iowa alum (as am I) and he has this entire season on home-made VHS tapes. Every once in a while when he had a crappy day at work or something, he’d pop this game or the Michigan game into the VCR and watch the last 5 minutes or so. Always cheered him up.
Question
This clip, as well as old games like the 86 Holiday Bowl, reminded me of something that maybe the BHGP braintrust can figure out. Does anyone know/remember why some Iowa players (starters by the looks of it) did NOT have names on the back of their jerseys? Clearly, it wasn’t true of most players, but there were some that didn’t have their names on the back (this is much more obvious if you watch a replay of the 1986 Holiday Bowl).
I ate the blue ones ... they taste like burning.
Yeah, I noticed that too.
I don’t remember there being any “you have to earn your name on the back” stuff with Hayden; it kinda seems more like they just ran out of name-printing budget or something. Or like, “Hey guys, yeah, sorry, but we’re all out of the letters A and N, so some of y’all r’gonna have to go blanksies until the iron-on letter truck brings a new shipment.”
I think even Kevin Harmon is missing his name (#28 on that kickoff return in the Holiday Bowl vid), so I don’t think it had to do with letter-winners (ha!) or anything. But yeah, that struck me as odd. Not “Iowa State having both red and yellow helmets at the same time” odd, but odd.
Of course, I was only 10 in 1986, so maybe I simply don’t remember any of those details re why the names are missing.
"Kittens give Morbo gas."
by Bucketochicken on Jul 21, 2010 7:15 AM CDT up reply actions
This might have still been the era of “tear-aways”. Too lazy to look, but if it were backs and receivers, there you go.
Ahhhhh, good thought.
That just might be it.
"Kittens give Morbo gas."
by Bucketochicken on Jul 21, 2010 11:22 AM CDT up reply actions
It could also be....
…..that certain numbers were worn by more than one player, like when we had two #7’s on the squad, one of which was Jermire Roberts. Back in ’85, I wonder if a player had to have an exclusive number in order to have a name on the jersey.
"If you want to become a man--come to Iowa" All American IOWA LB PAT ANGERER, whose best friend is a dog.
by The Director on Jul 21, 2010 5:08 PM CDT up reply actions
I'm just enjoying the mental image
of the iron-on letter truck bringing a new shipment of As and Ns.
"In case you can't tell, I'm being sarcastic!" - Homer Simpson
by EastLosRandy on Jul 22, 2010 1:35 PM CDT up reply actions
The Chuck Long bootleg in context.
All these years I’ve seen highlights of the bootleg and thought, “hey, cool way for a game to end” but had no idea he had been stopped on a 2-pt. conversion the year before in pretty much the same situation. Very cool.
Less memorable than Sam Okey's Hawkeye career.
I didn't notice this before.
Why did runningbacks carry the ball so loosely then? Looking at you, Ronnie Harmon.
There is fire at the travel agency.
Because
Ronnie’s Rose Bowl hadn’t happened yet. Since then, they decided it was better to maybe not get that extra yard or two but keep posession.
UCLA
noticed it. Also, according to the Fry bio put out shortly after he retired, UCLA also noticed that one of our linemen slightly adjusted his stance between running and passing plays. UCLA supposedly knew when we were running and when we were passing in the Rose Bowl.
A fella steps out for a two pound burrito and all hell breaks loose.
Dammit Dauber!
Going, going, going, going, going, going, going, going.... Alright, I'll stop for now.
by EnergizerHawk on Jul 21, 2010 10:27 AM CDT up reply actions
It also really helped
that Ronnie Harmon was taking bribes. That probably had an effect.
I ate the blue ones ... they taste like burning.
Long to Happell on the last drive
That throw was sick, just filthy, and probably illegal in Pennsylvania…
by Internet Legend on Jul 21, 2010 9:09 AM CDT reply actions
20 yard gain thrown from the right hash to the left sideline
and MSU had Happel covered pretty well. Threading the needle (between the defender and the sideline) from 50 yards away? Yeah … thanks for pointing it out!
"In case you can't tell, I'm being sarcastic!" - Homer Simpson
by EastLosRandy on Jul 22, 2010 1:40 PM CDT up reply actions
With all the CRAP QB's in the NFL...
It’s kind of surprising that Long didn’t really make it in the NFL. That guy had alot of skills.
Who's leg do I have to hump to get a drink around here?-Brian
I was in the south bleachers at this game.
I never saw Drew Brees play, but I have never seen a more accurate college QB. And he didn’t just connect with open guys. Despite so-so arm strength he would thread it and time it.
Wasn’t this the game for which the lore is that Fry called the naked boot during the timeout — it wasn’t a play, he just told him to call the dive and keep the ball and break contain. If you watch the tape it is truly a naked boot: our TE kills their DE, and their corner just slides down the line, staring at Harmon. No one touched the corner, but he just skipped his way out of the play. He buries Long if he stays home.
Mr. Boh Knows ...
Fry was way, way ahead of his time
That is actually the zone option read. Just without the option to throw. There is only so much innovation one man can pull off.
Too high? What do you mean too high?
by The Bacon Explosion on Jul 21, 2010 9:39 AM CDT up reply actions
I was at the game too
Long – amazing. Just amazing. One of the best games I’ve seen in person…
My blog: http://www.gretainthebox.com
by Leftcoast Hawk on Jul 21, 2010 11:59 AM CDT reply actions
All of these from the same guy who posted this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZUbzH-aND4&feature=channel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0OfxbI9Zz8&feature=channel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eukaQpnTrf0&feature=channel
There is fire at the travel agency.
by ReadingRambler on Jul 21, 2010 12:32 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs
Wow
Watching the 2002 Michigan clip Kirk’s disdain for Holly Rowe is palpable. Guess his recent comment about getting rid of sideline reporters isn’t something new.
I ate the blue ones ... they taste like burning.
I miss CJ Jones.
Going, going, going, going, going, going, going, going.... Alright, I'll stop for now.
by EnergizerHawk on Jul 21, 2010 3:27 PM CDT up reply actions
I was always a big fan of the Brown/Jones duo.
"You don't become a Hawkeye fan, You're born with Black and Gold in your veins." - Me
by BStylin Hawkye on Jul 21, 2010 4:29 PM CDT up reply actions
Michigan gets Sanders'd
at the 3:50 mark of the 3rd video. Brown and Jones were terrific.
"In case you can't tell, I'm being sarcastic!" - Homer Simpson
by EastLosRandy on Jul 22, 2010 2:47 PM CDT up reply actions
who the fuck puts a man in motion on a field goal?
Goddamn Hayden Fry
maybe i’m oblivious, but i don’t think i’ve ever seen that…
I was at that game, plus the one in '84, too.
And I still think Long got the ball over the line in ’84 on that two-point conversion.
In ‘85, Long was deadly accurate most of the time, despite not having any elite receivers. His fastest receiver, Robert Smith, dropped as many as he caught. The two H’s caught everything, but weren’t speedy. Quinn Early was a project. Wonder what Long’s stats would’ve been with a couple of Rison’s to throw to?
Harmon does indeed carry the ball in one hand much of the time. Still, I have to wonder….
The artificial turf in these highlights looks like shit.
Long’s real strength was in seeing the WHOLE field—and then getting the ball to his man. Like that throwback to Mike Flagg—brilliant, absolutely brilliant.
Foreshadow: we couldn’t stop the MSU run that day for shit. Then, on NYD, we couldn’t stop UCLA’s run for shit. Apparently, all Terry Donohue did to scout us was replay this MSU game over and over again.
"If you want to become a man--come to Iowa" All American IOWA LB PAT ANGERER, whose best friend is a dog.
Good point on the throw-back.
Unless I’m wrong (it happens), Iowa no longer throws the ball to the entire field on any moving pocket play, just half of it. Today Stanzi rolls and the horizontal field of vision is 15 yards.
That may be the result of improved and more intelligent defenses, since Long, or that may be the result of our mind-numbing conservatism. Surely there is a coach reading this blog who knows.
It does seem to me that if a weak-armed Long can throw across the field, we might try it once in a while. Increasingly our pass plays seem like pitches on sweeps: one play, one receiver, one move, it doesn’t work … huddle up! Fry cut Long loose. The guy did things I’ve never seen since.
Mr. Boh Knows ...
Love seeing Hayden pump the fists after the bootleg
The emotion/personality/crazy ass texas, shelly fabares boinking swagger of that man makes me love him all the more. not to rehash the KF/Hayden debate, but it’s great to see hayden enjoying himself so much, and showing it.
Anyone who didn't understand my screen name before . . .
. . . should understand it now.
I, too, was at this game, in the opposite corner of the stadium from where the play actually happened. I don’t remember that much about the games I went to as a kid, but this play is still crystal clear in the memory banks.
by The Naked Bootleg on Jul 22, 2010 1:55 AM CDT reply actions
Naked Bootleg
Didn’t that play also knock Stanzi out of the Northwestern game last season? Though suppose a naked bootleg going into the endzone and a naked bootleg going out of your own endzone are two different things…
Is it lame to comment on week old posts?
Jesus holy crap, Andre Rison and Lorenzo White. How did MSU never win more than 7 games with them? Oh right, it’s Sparty.
Hey! Despite us being us we did win more than seven games with White and Rison in 1987. 9-2-1, 7-0-1 Big 10. Our last Rose Bowl and our last Rose Bowl win, which I kinda vaguely remember watching with my parents. That was some manly non conference scheduling. We got our two losses while playing USC, ND(L) and FSU in non-conference.
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