Reflections on the first and only football game between Michigan and Texas

On January 1, 2005 in sunny Pasadena, Calif., Michigan and Texas took the field for a historic Rose Bowl matchup.

It was the first-ever meeting between the Wolverines and Longhorns. On one of the biggest stages in college football, the two iconic programs lived up to their legacies and produced an instant classic. Neck and neck through 59 minutes and 58 seconds, Texas finished a single step ahead. The Longhorns kicked a game-winning field goal as time expired to walk off with a 38-37 victory.

Nearly two decades later, No. 10 Michigan and No. 3 Texas finally meet again. This time, all eyes are on Ann Arbor as the two powerhouses prepare for an early-season showdown.

Through all the changes that almost 20 years bring, there’s one staffer who can trace his Michigan legacy back even before that 2005 Rose Bowl game — and he’s still a fixture within the program today.

Courtesy of University of Michigan News and Information Services

Fred Jackson joined the Wolverines’ staff in 1992. He coached Michigan’s running backs until 2014 before taking an eight-year break, ultimately returning to Ann Arbor in 2022 as an offensive analyst. Jackson has worked under six different head coaches throughout his 24 years with the Wolverines, becoming someone that current running backs coach Tony Alford called “synonymous with this university and this football program.”

On New Year’s Day in 2005, Jackson was on the sidelines in Pasadena. The first thing he remembered about Michigan’s clash with the Longhorns was former Texas quarterback Vince Young.

“It was a great football game, and they had a quarterback by the name of Vince Young,” Jackson told The Michigan Daily. “He was a very special talent, and he caused a lot of problems. He was hard to tackle. He threw the football very well. He ran the football very well. We knew it was a dual threat that causes a lot of issues — and he did.”

Young put on a show for the ages, running for 192 yards and four touchdowns while racking up 180 passing yards and a fifth touchdown through the air. He was the Longhorns’ X factor. The Wolverines kept up with Texas in nearly every aspect of the game, but they simply couldn’t slow down the star quarterback.

Reflecting on the dramatic ending, Jackson recalls a moment of fleeting hope on the Michigan sideline.

“We thought we blocked it,” Jackson said with a chuckle. “But obviously we did not block it, it went through the arms of one of our defenders. … It was their day to win, because we actually thought we’d done a good job up until that point, and they made the field goal and beat us.”

The Wolverines had certainly done a good job to that point, matching every Longhorns push before taking the lead toward the end of the third quarter. But with one final play as the clock struck zeroes, Texas came out on top. The Longhorns earned a 1-0 record against the Wolverines that has remained untouched since 2005. Come Saturday, that’ll finally change. 

Because for just the second time ever, Michigan and Texas will take the field for another historic matchup. And for Jackson, this weekend’s game feels pretty similar to the first.

“I think it’s the same as when we went into the Rose Bowl,” Jackson said. “Two great, historic programs with great traditions. And whenever you get an opportunity to play in a game like that, you expect your team to play its best and expect their team to play its best. Just to see those kinds of teams go against each other, to me, it’s tremendous excitement for both sides.”

With the same excitement coming in, the Wolverines hope that 19 years later — and with only one remaining staffer from the first contest — they can become the Michigan team that catches up to the Longhorns and avenges the Rose Bowl heartbreaker.

The post Reflections on the first and only football game between Michigan and Texas appeared first on The Michigan Daily.


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