| 1974 Michigan Wolverines football | |
|---|---|
 | |
Big Ten co-champion | |
| Conference | Big Ten Conference |
| Ranking | |
| Coaches | No. 5 |
| AP | No. 3 |
| Record | 10–1 (7–1 Big Ten) |
| Head coach |
|
| Defensive coordinator | Gary Moeller (2nd season) |
| MVP | Steve Strinko |
| Captains | |
| Home stadium | Michigan Stadium |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 4 Ohio State + | 7 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 10 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 3 Michigan + | 7 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 10 | – | 1 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 12 Michigan State | 6 | – | 1 | – | 1 | 7 | – | 3 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wisconsin | 5 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Illinois | 4 | – | 3 | – | 1 | 6 | – | 4 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Purdue | 3 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 6 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minnesota | 2 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Iowa | 2 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 8 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northwestern | 2 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 8 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indiana | 1 | – | 7 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 10 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1974 Michigan Wolverines football team was an American football team that represented the University of Michigan in the 1974 Big Ten Conference football season. In their sixth year under head coach Bo Schembechler, the Wolverines compiled a 10–1 record, outscored opponents 324 to 75, and were ranked #3 in final AP Poll. Michigan won the first ten games of the 1974 season in convincing fashion, including blowout victories over Colorado (31-0), Navy (52-0), Minnesota (49-0), and Purdue (51-0). In the final game of the season, #2 Michigan faced #3 Ohio State.[1] The Wolverines lost by a score of 12-10, as place-kicker Mike Lantry missed a last-minute field goal that would have given Michigan a victory.
On offense, the team was led by quarterback Dennis Franklin who completed 58 of 104 passes for 933 yards and rushed 108 times for 209 yards. Three Michigan running backs combined for 2,510 rushing yards. Gordon Bell led the way with 1,048 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. Rob Lytle added 802 rushing yards, and Chuck Heater 660 yards. Center Dennis Franks and end Dan Jilek were selected as All-Big Ten Conference players.
On defense, the Wolverines held opponents to 75 points, an average of 6.8 points per game. Cornerback Dave Brown was selected as first-team All-American for the second straight year. Five Wolverine defenders were selected for the All-Big Ten Conference team, including Brown, middle linebacker Steve Strinko, wolfman Don Dufek, left tackle Jeff Perlinger, and middle guard Tim Davis. Strinko led the team in total tackles for the second consecutive year and was selected as the team's most valuable player.
- ^ "1974 Football Team". University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library. Retrieved July 11, 2015.